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rexeipts · 4 years ago

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Monday morning rewatch thoughts:

I am in my feels, very angry at this episode.

Annie had little to no story so skipping her this time around.

Ruby & Stan:

- Stanimal trying to get the girls to strike was great, and I want to see him (not Beth) run the strip club so bad. I hope that is the storyline they take us down.

- Ruby and Stan once again are king and queen of communication. These two are such an excellent example of healthy and happy marriage.

- Ruby biting a lime at Stan’s replacement gave me life in the montage

Beth & Dean:

That’s who Beth gets paired with this week. Dean. Not Rio. Because that’s how mad I am at her.

- Dean on the bike ride scene was once again far too long and wasted precious screen time. I forced myself not to fast forward through that scene. And you know what I noticed? Dean literally compares being sexually assaulted in prison to being someone’s wife on a honeymoon and being forced to have a baby put inside you. Because that is how Dean sees his fucking wife and marriage. Literal other convicts sexually assaulting someone in prison is like them thinking you’re their wife on a honey moon. Let that fucking sink in. And no, I don’t think that was intentional characterization by the writers. That is just existing as a metaphor these writers chose to use while trying to continue a Dean redemption arc.

- Dean leaving the hot tub when the other guys were shitting on Beth for being a buzz kill was an attempt at showing “growth”. But it’s not. It’s fucking table stakes. See above mention of non consensual sex being like a wife.

- How Beth does not realize this is another of dean’s idiotic schemes and poor money decisions is beyond me.

- I am relieved only in that Beth looked upset after getting Rio arrested this time. Good. Be upset. You had a choice. I’m so mad at Beth right now. I’m honestly starting to think she deserves Dean.

- Beth, honestly you think Rio would hurt your kids? Then why turn him in? You’re so scared of him then why risk it? Choosing him would have meant protecting your kids if you look at it factually, he threatened your family if you turned him in. Like she’s just dumb at this point? The writers have characterized her as dumb. Did she conveniently forget season 1 when he got out? I mean for real? Do these writers even watch previous seasons?

- Beth being with Dean literally undermines all feminism about the show. I have said that before and will say it again. Dean is a cancer on this show’s fun. Pun intended.

- Beth uses her sweet housewife voice on Nick. Literally everyone but Rio. And she literally flirts with Nick. You’re literally married Beth. Divorce Dean before you flirt with yet another person.

Rio & Nick:

- Baby Rio looked like Rio I thought. Him drawing a boxer was heart breaking. Because he literally wanted that his entire life. The last flashback scene made it seem like he wanted it for money. Nick tells him he doesn’t need boxing because they have a way to get money now, but Rio literally wanted boxing from childhood. And Nick ripped that away from him. Nick gave him no choice. Not because he wanted him to learn a lesson, because he wanted to use him. Rio is Nick’s designated fall guy.

- Rio = good egg, Nick bad, better be fucking FORESHADOWING FOR RIO GETTING SOMETHING NICE FINALLY THIS SEASON. At least the writers told us that pretty openly.

- The champ champ champ now all makes sense

- Who is Rio’s coach and can we please have a cheesy storyline where the coach is the only one to ever be on his side

- What is he having them print for? The girls point it out like why does he need all of that?

- Him telling Beth he does need her? No he doesn’t. That was actually a very sweet line. The way he looked at her, he’s in love with her guys. Like his face said yes I need you because I can’t seem to give you up. He doesn’t need her for money. It’s unfortunate they chose to dirty it up with him threatening her family.

- Rio grows from the ashes. He is the designated fall guy who rises from the ashes to be untouchable. Hence Phoenix I guess. Sure.

- I actually like Nick being in the show. First because I’m mad at Beth. But mostly because he is the only character introducing a new dynamic. He is the only thing that’s not repetitive. The only fresh storyline. And he’s already making her talk about Rio. But also, would it fucking kill either of them to say the man’s damn name? But also I like the actor and think he’s pleasant to look at on screen, sue me.

- Oh look, Nick, another man telling Beth Rio is too dangerous for her when she LITERALLY SHOT HIM. Do you all REALIZE SHE IS NOT A DELICATE FUCKING LAMB.

- I am no longer convinced that Rio had a plan all this time, not after rewatching the car scene. It seems like Rio was ready to kill her, mostly because he doesn’t know another choice, and Nick pointed out the obvious. Unless Rio is playing Nick. But truth be told, Rio threatening her family was ooc. And I’m holding on to the fact that he said family, aka Dean Annie Ruby who he has threatened before, and she took it to mean kids. I’m also holding on to the fact that Rio puts on masks. He puts on cold gang banger mask, he tries to manipulate and find new ways to incentivize beth. If you look at it that way, as him trying to get her to choose him rather than a plot of trying to get her to turn him in, it’s heartbreaking. He is so desperate to get her to pick him he literally pulled out his final option. His only remaining incentive that he hasn’t tried on her. EDIT: UNLESS Rio is playing Nick too. Because now? SS trusts Beth. And Nick trusts Rio. Nick thinks Rio and Beth aren’t on the same side. That Beth turned Rio in and Rio’s murderous over it. And Rio can use Beth to take Nick down without Nick seeing them coming. I hope they’re going for that. Because that would be genius. And would really be Rio 100 steps ahead, and would make the whole episode make sense in terms of his characterization.

- The arrest scene was heart breaking. The complete betrayal in his eyes was so sad. As others have stated, choosing to slam him on a table, while yes it is realistic to how he would likely be treated in the real world, was not necessary. He wasn’t resisting and was literally just standing there. Idk why the writers feel the need to be “realistic” in some moments and not in others. Poor choice. But what I did appreciate was him staring at Beth. Like she was forced to face him this time. With his face shoved against a table while she stands there being cuffed gently. She did that. She didn’t see him arrested on tv. She didn’t run away after shooting him. She had to stand there in his gaze looking at the betrayal on his face. Good. I’m sorry but she deserved it. She needs to face the damn consequences of her actions. Sorry I’m upset with her RN.

- At this point I believe Rio is in love with Beth. And it seems the writers are actually pushing metaphors and moments that make us sympathize with Rio and see Nick as the bad guy. I do think Beth will eventually get there/realize her feelings for Rio later this season but it might be too little too late. Time will tell.

Promo/Thoughts going forward:

- I like Phoebe and don’t mind her being around

- Rio and Beth on a bench again is good news to me. On the same bench.

- Idk if it’s a time jump but Rio comes in with a fresh hair cut, new wardrobe, and a tan looking like he just had a hot girl summer and is feeling great, over his ex, and is ready to fuck shit up.

- I want to see Rio remind Beth that she betrayed him personally. I want her to have to face that. It’s not just she betrayed him professionally. I want to see him reject her, I want to see her flirt or bat her lashes at him and him to be like nope sorry. Just for a minute though like just one episode lol. And only because I think it will make her realize her feelings for him.

- Beth and Rio v Nick please. Just give us something fucking new.

- These writers had an amazing path they could have gone down of the housewife partnering with a gang banger. It would have been fun, plenty of comedic gold available, and plenty of options for conflict between them and with external forces. And instead they chose this. I feel sometimes like this show would have been way better if it wasn’t on NBC. This story, this chemistry, belonged with writers who would realize its potential. That’s what I find disappointing.

#sorry i’m angry #gg negativity #I guess yeah it’s negative this time around guys #nbc good girls #beth x rio #gg spoilers #brio #good girls season 4

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cutegirlmayra · 4 years ago

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Hiiiiii, I rly like your writing X3 I was wondering if you’d answer this question: What is your interpretation of what SEGA is doing with SonAmy as of right now? Seems like it’s becoming more and more canon. I know you’ve done similar question before, but could you maybe just answer this for 2021? Thanks!💖💙

No problem! And thank you, lovely Anon~<3 I love writing for the feels~ But also for the accuracy to be as close as possible if I can manage it! First of all, they’ve always been canon? Maybe not ‘in-world dating’ canon but canon in the sense that they are a official SEGA advertised couple since the get-go.

Amy was created to literally be in the slot of ‘Sonic’s Girlfriend’ where she had feelings for Sonic and always a fun mystery as to decipher Sonic’s subtle ‘returned caring’ for her.

As for 2021 we are so FREAKIN’ HAPPY to hear that SEGA is FINALLY marketing the two and VISUALLY SEEING the sales of their ‘couple shirts’ and the like make some profit. Furthermore, we have long-time fans and professionals in the careers within SEGA also vocalizing that they don’t mind the couple and even support it. With less emphasis on the ‘fandom fanatics’ of the raging past and more so on the fantastic marketability and popularity the couple brings to SEGA’s exposing their main IP, it’s become almost common ground to expect more and more people liking romantic and suggested romantic couples in all ranging medias.

We need also mention the alarming rate of the worrisome numbers in Japan recently. Conducted studies have shown that most of Japan’s population is elderly, and in the very near future (About 5 years or so) a good chuck of Japan’s population will die. This means the Japanese Government is promoting more and more companies within both entertainment, advertising, etc. to be more ‘promoting family’ in their media. Japan needs more babies! And guess what?

Mario Odyssey comes out with a completely ‘Wedding themed’ video game.

Dramatic romantic underlying's in Zelda’s new game.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s focus on romantic underlying’s along with Cloud willingly saying (English version) “Do I have any say in this?” As though to fight the idea that romance can’t happen and-

Kingdom Hearts 3′s romantic underlying that literally has a song (Japanese) talking about rings and getting married called “Chikai” or also ‘Oath’ that in English is rewritten to a romantic song about going deeper into love called “Don’t Think Twice” but literally has the two ‘making their fates intertwined’ in a symbol of ‘romantic intentions’ such as marriage or even just fidelity in a relationship.

So? How does all this influence the latest Sonamy supersonic boom we’ve seen in the media recently?

Although Sonic is his own character, he’s also only 15 (But as many of you have seen in Anime, Japanese ages of appropriateness are different then our own cultures and societies) we see faint glimpses. In the mostly American-made Sonic Boom t.v series, the comedic moments of Sonic and Amy are very much to a genre of American audiences and how we view ‘funny love’ should normally be marketed as. (I don’t always agree with what they say, but that’s how they’re trained and believe the ‘trends’ go... so ... can’t argue with professionals? Eh? -I personally think they’re outdated *cough cough*)

Sonic is not one to express feelings in overly dramatic ways which is common place in American television and media, but he’s also got a ‘boy’s heart’ which means we won’t see a lot of things from him BESIDES ‘romantic underlyings’ that are probably going to be initiated and themed mostly and primarily in Amy Rose’s character (If at all shown or expressed.)

For these reasons, I believe SEGA is just hopping on the bandwagon and doing what they’re told, while also following the latest trends that the other big fellow companies are making a significant profit on. I know we wish and want SEGA to be ‘special’ in how they think, but they really are just a company that is trying to survive and outlast the competition.

It’s sad to think that way, especially when SEGA used to be so creative and always influencing the next best thing but that was YEARS ago and they’ve learned to tread water since then...

(Goku being a grandfather emphasizes family in this particular scene where they take his granddaughter before a big tournament fight to a fair/festival. We see Goku with his family too, or at least, a successful son with his wife and daughter, spending time with his Father-In-Law, and the like.)

We see it in Dragon Ball emphasizing family, we see it in more romance-themed animes (and those that have only recently done romance, when they--for the longest part--never indulged in such things before or previously) and we now see more japanese games and media centralized around that.

What does that mean for Sonamy? Hopefully good things! Because if you buy the merch, they’ll produce more content. It’s a basic ‘supply and demand’ formula. If the demand (meaning how much you spend and want Sonic and Amy couple merch) goes up, then they have to supply to keep their business afloat. If they don’t they sink, but that DOES NOT MEAN TO BE AGRESSIVE. It means just support when they do something you like, and positively, kindly mention what you liked and wish to see more of if the future allows. No one reads aggressive writing unless, they too--wish to be aggressive back.

SEGA’s had issues with aggressiveness before, please let them see that couples in the sonic world won’t have a negative impact on their branding with irrational and bad-media frenzies. (Now, after saying this, I know people will start to do just that, don’t feed fire with fire, just let the fire burn till it has nothing left to consume, and carry on happily posting fanart or fanstories of what you love. Ignore to extinguish, which is what SEGA will do to Sonic shipping fans if we don’t act somewhat reasonably, okay?)

My predictions are such: 1. Amy’s crush will sadly lessen in impact and become more of a novelty, something that is treasured when moments arise to reveal her crush on Sonic, which in my opinion, is not her personality, but due to the heavy influence of women’s portrayal (Especially in America) being overemphasized and not done well, this is how they will try and combat it... (No one does this right and you shouldn’t base a characters solely on political reasonings...) 2. Sonic will have moments of caring for Amy or doing something sweet that can and probably will be interpreted as ‘a couple moment’ but he’ll remain mostly about other things, and the ‘underlying romance’ will have to come through Amy Rose’s character. 3. SEGA will loosen some rules after seeing more and more of the productivity and trend associated with marketing romance, and to keep up with demand and growing times, will finally let small moments emerge between the two, but the fandom will not be satisficed since we will now be desensitized to overly avert demure and oblivious stereotropes that will date their characters. and won’t allow them to proceed smoothly into the new area of customers and audiences.

Children are becoming extremely observant and aware. They are clever, and they always have been. It’s time to market to Children and Young Adults, not babies.

My ways to avoid this, predictions 1: New employees will surface that will start to get a name and reputation in the Sonic Fandom, along with youtube and internet stars who will influence certain marketing schemes (as is starting to appear now, and I feel will be just like ‘star marketing’ or ‘influencers’ that will be popularized in fandoms that companies will slightly make use of.) that will encourage new ideas and bring about a sudden ‘boom’ not expected. (Especially after the lull of the pandemic, I feel there will be an abundance of things happening in the upcoming years... but nothing right now, unfortunately, but at least they’re forced to focus on working on things instead of just releasing to keep up with other companies.)--In other words, they will incorporate new blood with the old, and they will lead Sonic’s IP into a ton of nostalgia and new beginnings that will actually stick and become Sonic’s new brand identity. (This will resonate with fans old and new, but still be a fresh leap into the future for the franchise and fandom.) 2. Sonic’s negative popularity will start to decrease, leading and paving the way for fame and possible adjustments such as more romantic themes to keep up with trends and Japanese Government demands (especially when the population starts to wither and it becomes an emergency situation to start encouraging family ties). Other than sonamy or romantic things, I believe new characters will pop up to ‘test the waters’ and see if we like romance intertwined adventures. 3. Villains will become more sentimental and caring, less comedically, they will be redeemable entities so that the company can market them more. This can also lead into funny romances that help other romances develop and have more meaning. (In other words, they’ll dig into their vault of familiar and new faces, go off the trend of ‘redeeming the villain’ and have more heart-to-heart moments that may inspire more canonical couples... especially if a newer villain were to have a crush that ended up helping two canon characters get together and leave the audience sympathizing more with the villain. This is an actual trend starting where Villains have more character and roles other than just being evil and staying that way till death. I suspect this will be popularized in American and possibly foreign media as time goes on.)

(I actually have a lot of the sonamy shirts lol But here’s an example of the villain actually helping the canon couple have more ‘romantic underlying’ moments together <3)

Those are my current predictions, though I admit that some don’t sound all that hopeful. But hey! All my hopeful and positive predictions have already come true XD Sonamy is being marketed, the new media (Sonic Boom at the time) had subtle but more forward comedic hinting (that I don’t feel went all that well? But eh, that’s just me!), and SEGA continues to try and reface Sonic which his brand doesn’t need. I believe they will still try and rebrand Sonic continually until something sticks for them that they like. Sonamy may go through many iterations, as they are still hesitant with it, and we see that by only marketing their ‘younger selves’ as in Classic Sonamy, and are too ‘shy and uncertain’ if backlash would happen if they advertised a more mature-looking Sonic and Amy marketing. Again, I don’t know if they’ll fully grow out of this, so I predict they won’t.

(I have this one but in black <3 <3 <3)

That’s it for now! My positive last comments would be the more we buy/purchase Sonamy merch, the more we’ll start seeing it in their media and entertainment products. Until then, do your best and write, draw, and review -kindly- to keep those articles of enchantment alive with the sweet sound of--”When will Sonic and Amy finally have a love song AMV moment for us?” lol

#cutegirlmayra ask #ask cutegirlmayra #sonamy #sonic the hedgehog #sega #amy rose #cutegirlmayra #sonic ask #ask sonic #sonamy ask #ask sonamy #sonicxamy #sega marketing #anime #video games #japan #sonamy predictions

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mc-critical · 3 years ago

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Hi darling, Idk if you talked about this before, but what do you think about Rumeysa (Mustafa's concubine)? Do you think they planned to make her Mustafa's wife untill the actress was changed? And also, if she would've become his wife, how do you think she'd act in comparison to how Mihrunnisa (queen) acted? We didn't really see a lot of her but I wanted to know what do you believe they wanted to do with her character

Hey, dear! 🤗 No, I haven't talked about Rumeysa in here. I'll cover the S03 one and the S04 one separately, because in practice, they're both very different characters.

I strongly dislike S03 Rumeysa as a character, to be brutally honest. She goes all good, nice and innocent, when secretly she's sneaky and even manipulative in order to fulfill her goals. The thing that annoys me the most is not necessarily her fixation on Mustafa and how she wants to get him, because after all, it's a harem and everyone wants to get him, but how nearly inexplicable her whole motivation is, in spite and outside of that.

I feel Rumeysa's arc could be split in two almost separate halves - her set-up in the harem (pre-E93) and her as a favorite in the harem. (post-E93). The most interesting things about her were precisely her set-up and backstory. The way she was sent to the harem, the way she was tied to signora Gabriella, the way both of them were about to reunite and when that happened, Rumeysa was just confused more than anything... The idea of sisters finding each other within these harem walls was fascinating, but that was seemingly dropped. I feel even from this point on that the show tried to make a case of a person who's been long in the harem and has lost the touch of a free life to the point of being afraid to leave, but her confusion on the signora and her refusal to go with her was the only part they pulled off. (not to mention they executed that concept much better with Sümbül!) Then begins the second half of her arc that went in another direction the writers didn't succeed to make me get. I didn't get why she wanted Mustafa so much. She said she wanted and appreciated Mustafa a lot and that was why she wanted to leave and this trainwreck began all of a sudden! That doesn't make any sense! She had no (or at least not pivotal) scenes with Mustafa before E93, she neither experienced a desire to get Mustafa, nor was it shown to the audience in any way before the convenient moment. Her build-up was never about Mustafa before then. Her arc was never about Mustafa before then. And yet Mustafa became the center of her character, to the point it's as if they were like: "let's have another woman for Mustafa, but this time with an even more overexaggerated you might think it was Turhan Hürrem-esque arc, so we can make her his full on woman!". She was paving her way through sneaky methods to the point of hypocrisy for no reason, she didn't even have much of a threat, either. Ayşe Hatun put pressure on her once in a while, but it felt understandable when she had a child from Mustafa and that, Rumeysa started acting this confident just like that. I get that in the harem you have to be sorta like that in order to survive, etc., but with Rumeysa that wasn't enough of a motivation! She seemed just fine under Mahidevran and taking care of Nergisşah before then, she could calm people down, what happened? And notice how in the second part of her arc these scenes were lowered to the minimum, or recontextualized, at the very least, so you can't buy anything with her anymore.

But wait, what if she always wanted Mustafa when she arrived? Then every moment of kindness she has shown, even to the little child, becomes even worse in retrospect, because it would either just suit her interest, either become a jarring contrast with what she has shaped up to be. But wait actually, that effect is achieved even without her arc being split in two halves! I would've sympathized with her much more if there was some additional motivation, like everyone else basically, but honestly, the harem excuse is all we could use with her and in her case, that just doesn't suffice, especially for such a big shift in storylines. And then after building up to a halvet, we had the halvet and it was over and left me very unsatisfied. (okay, that's probably because of the actress, but still)

She was screwed up spectacularly at best and downright horrible at worst. Her early concept was way too good to be left out like that and since that leaving out was maybe inevitable for the writers, they had to do this transition better and have the first half of the arc be focused on Rumeysa, as well as Gabriella, instead of making this whole line with her being Gabriella's sister she was searching for more of a plot twist than an organic build-up, because Gabi was the one click baited to want Mustafa! This character ended up being defined by her goal she was trying to fulfill and nothing else, not any redeeming quality whatsoever.

I think Rumeysa was the least suited woman for Mustafa, yes, even less than Fatma. Because if Fatma had some love for him and was genuinely trying to calm him down after Efsun at first, with Rumeysa we simply had steps to get him right from the start and an entire ordeal that wouldn't sit well with Mustafa. We didn't even know not only why she wanted Mustafa, but also what was it she had with Mustafa - was it love, was he just a vessel for her to rise in the hierarchy (that's probably it for me), what was next when he was all hers etc. We have no feelings, no insight here and Mustafa himself was only slightly intrigued at best. And even if she were there for the battle of the throne, she would definetly scheme even more actively than anyone else and that would seriously clash with Mustafa's desires. I don't think she would suit S03B Mustafa's level of maturity, either.

Yes, I would say S03 Rumeysa could very well be the endgame for Mustafa and become his wife if it wasn't for the actress leaving and stuff, because of how she was framed to succeed. This part of Rumeysa's arc existed in a vacuum, it was a tiny victory after a tiny victory due to sly thinking that she was always allowed to get away with somehow. Again, the way she was slowly, but surely getting her way reminded me of all the Hürrem-esque arcs in the series that did end up with these women becoming the total favourites and I wouldn't be surprised at the least if they kept that pattern of success with Rumeysa, since it was very present in her arc.

[While we're at it, I didn't get why Mahidevran believed her so much. On one hand, yes, character development, because, as seen with Mihrünnisa later, as well, Mahidevran no longer gets suspicious of the nature of these women and only intervenes when she sees a decision of Mustafa's regarding them that could potentially be dangerous for his future, coupled with the fact that Mahidevran values loyalty a lot and she has seen nothing but that with Rumeysa. But on the other hand... Mahi is usually so perceptive when it comes to women that could actually be problematic or dangerous for him and Rumeysa being the only exception then was as much character development and the chance of lowering her guard because of the calmer environment as it was.. way too convenient, since we saw Rumeysa was playing a game behind the curtain. Especially the situation when Rumeysa provoked Ayşe Hatun on purpose for Mahi and Musti to see and Mahi not listening to Ayşe or Fidan's warnings about Rumeysa, along with her fully adapting to the harem laws she was previously against and taking on her role as a Valide in Mustafa's harem, was almost like Plot Armor for Rumi similarly to how Hürrem acted accordingly when she saw SS listening to her in the candle mirror in E44, albeit in the opposite way. I view that as a clear recipe for narrative favor and I was appalled that it had to be with such a character.]

If S03 Rumeysa became his wife, I don't see her acting much like Mihrunnisa. First off, due to how her arc was framed, Ayşe Hatun would have very much stayed as an antagonist of hers (even though Rumi wouldn't view her as one in their confrontations) and would try to eliminate her in a secret, subtle and cunning way. While Rumeysa would definetly try her all to keep Mustafa safe and would try to win Mahidevran's support for the marriage the way Mihrunnisa did, Rumi would have more of an agenda of her own she would follow. I won't be surprised if she tried head down on the path to overpower them all in her influence of him, either. Mustafa and Mihrunnisa were partners more than anything, with the same ideals, aspirations and desires. They were very close in their way of thinking and how they would approach problems, that's why they had such a deep bond. S03 Rumeysa would get further and further away from Mustafa's personality as his wife and if the other S04 events are canon, she would probably indeed go and reveal Bayezid's marriage with Huricihan the moment Mustafa refused to and act herself instead.

S04 Rumeysa is barely there, but I like her a bit better. She is an entirely different character with her consistent worries for the future, her more caring and protecting nature and even Mahidevran's more "I'm fed up with all this" attitude to her. Even if we add S03 Rumeysa to the mix, we get at least more feeling out of her and what was she all about and we get some other contrasting facets of hers as a bonus: in contrast to Rumi calming Mahidevran down when Mustafa disobeyed SS's order in E91/2 (my favourite S03 Rumeysa scene, but it was also kinda ruined post-E93), now Mahidevran tells her not to worry so much. Thing is, S04 Rumeysa could very well work without S03 Rumeysa both because of the different actress and the different characterization that could only loosely recontextualize S03 Rumeysa at best, and since there was a time skip, some random concubine and favourite Mustafa slept with and she became pregnant wouldn't be out of the question at all. Yes, her death would probably have less impact that way, but nor could I ever bother with S03 Rumeysa, nor would it be weird because of her different dynamics, which made her look almost foreign in comparison. (that's not on the actress, both Rumeysas were great!) And it would be as impactful as it would've been for Mustafa and Mahidevran, because the loss of the child would be just as devastating for him and was still tied to the mirror of sin.

If S04 Rumeysa didn't die and became Mustafa's wife, I think their bond would be focused more on their future child than anything. Rumeysa would probably act similarly to S03 Ayşe Hatun, only in a more secure position, I see a lot of similarities there. I don't think their bond would be as deep, but they could have the chance to get close for a little bit. I see Rumeysa refraining from acting so much, because of her worrying for the consequences, but when that fear gets the best of her, she could take desperate measures.

#magnificent century #muhteşem yüzyıl #muhtesem yuzyil #rumeysa hatun #ask #queen-deter #that's basically why S03 Rumeysa annoys me so much #actually strongly disliking her is an understatement #i may overexagerrate but she indeed is one of my least favourite characters in the show #the interesting thing is that Firuze had similar problems with her ambiguity #but not only is she an antagonist rather than one we're supposed to root for in narrative #we see her helping nature outside of her plan which helps us buy it much more and actually be a more functional contrast #unlike rumeysa #and while she was written in two halves as well i'll probably call them pre-plan of twist and post-plan of twist #the build up was slower and more detailed since it was framed as a mistery we weren't supposed to buy #so her motivations were more interesting to decipher #and she had a personality outside of the schemes that could work outside of the planning issues #rumi is more like Turhan in comparison #a much softer version ofc but still

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five-miles-over · 5 years ago

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Why I Think ‘Gladiator’’s Commodus is a Better Character than Maximus

(Disclaimer: this schpiel is not intended to offend anyone, or any group of people. This is just a personal opinion I have based on the characters of the film, Gladiator. This has nothing to do with the historical Commodus. If you happen to disagree with some of the ideas here or might like to add on, I’m always happy to hear it. I welcome constructive criticism! Also SPOILER ALERT!!!)

So, without further ado...here are some of the reasons why I think Commodus is a better character than Maximus.

Tag list: @beautifulyoungprospect @captain-el-writes @jokerflecker @cruellytearful @dreamingmaria @cherrymoon75

(Note: When I talk about being a “strong character”, I don’t necessarily mean physical strength (I think I’ll leave that to your imaginations.) I think of strength as in emotional endurance and resilience combined with inherent good qualities present in both men. In addition, I factored in the ability to ‘win over’ the audience.)

1) Commodus is Self-Motivated

For this, I’d look no further than the scene in the first few moments of Gladiator, where Maximus checks on his camp and finds Commodus practicing with his sword. Aside from a little fanservice, I think this scene gives insight onto one of the ways Commodus acts upon his ambition. We (the audience) don’t see his father standing nearby or telling him to practice, thereby we can assume Commodus creates his own practice sessions.

And by the looks of his fighting (I’ve only tried fencing for a few weeks so pardon my ignorance), Commodus looks like he is actually interested in perfecting his performance. He genuinely wants to be a good fighter, knowing how important it would be in the future.

Compared to Commodus, Maximus constantly needs other people to stir him into action - be it his wife and son, Proximo, or Lucilla and the senators. Even when he’s put in the gladiatorial area, Maximus initially refuses to fight and has to be goaded. This is possibly the consequence of being surrounded by people all his life - he constantly needs somebody else to be the catalyst for his actions.

Commodus on the other hand knew he had to rely on none other but himself in order to get his things done.

2) He knows himself....and he stands up for himself

“You wrote to me once, listing the four chief virtues. Wisdom, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance. As I read the list I knew I had none of them. But I have other virtues, father. Ambition, that can be a virtue when it drives us to excel. Resourcefulness. Courage. Perhaps not on the battlefield but there are many forms of courage. Devotion, to my family, to you. But none of my virtues were on your list.”

For the record, ambition is a virtue when it drives us to excel. And in my opinion, it is a quality that Maximus lacks. I would rather trust a ruler like Commodus who had a clear vision of everything he wanted from his time on the throne, as opposed to someone simply thrusted the power of the empire with no intent (or possible idea) on how to rule.

The ability of Commodus to advocate for his own virtues makes him look better than someone like Maximus, who constantly needs someone to remind him of his abilities. While someone could call Maximus ‘humble’ for refusing to brag about himself, it is Commodus’s ability to fight for his rights that enables him to fulfill his lifelong ambition.

And it is only when Maximus decides to stand up instead of letting someone else control his life that he is finally able to get his revenge. By deciding to win the crowd using his ‘mercy’ and ‘defiance of killing’, Maximus is able to get closer to winning over Commodus.

Moreover, Commodus’s ability to fight relentlessly to get what (he believes) he deserves is something desirable in today’s day and age. People like someone who knows what they have to offer, and isn’t afraid to use their talents to get what they want.

3) He appears to have learnt from his father on how not to raise a child

When it comes to being a father-figure, he appears to have learnt some of the things what not to do based on his experience with Marcus Aurelius. For proof of this, watch how he interacts with his nephew, Lucius. He plays with Lucius, reads to him, and encourages him. (”A gladiator? A gladiator fights only for the games. Wouldn’t you rather be a great Roman warrior like Julius Caesar?”)

He never actively neglects him or berates him, like his father did. Most of all, once he finds out that Lucilla was conspiring against him, he made sure never to speak ill about her in front of Lucius. (Proof: the “busy little bee” monologue) Commodus wanted Lucius to have a mother he could respect, and he also knew when to separate politics from his family life.

(Also, side note to Lucilla and the conspiring Senators: don’t you all know better than to get an innocent child involved in political schemes that could endanger him? All he had to do was shout, “Maximus, the savior of Rome!” in front of Commodus.)

4) He wasn’t afraid to call out the Senate on their bullsh*t

“I doubt many of the people eat so well as you, Gracchus. Or have so such splendid mistresses as you, Gaius.”

Let me start with this: I admire sassiness in all its glory. And with Commodus particularly, I like the fact that he used witty retorts as a way to establish his authority in a room. It was the perfect, non-verbal method of saying ‘don’t mess with me’.

The Senate was elected to represent the Roman public, the majority of whom certainly did not fall into the aristocratic class of the Senators.

Commodus actually had a point when he stated this flaw- throughout the film, the Senate never really did anything to help Rome. All they cared about was gossiping about Commodus’s spending habits and plotting his assassination. Honestly, I would’ve ordered the Senate to be temporarily dismissed until those guys got their act together. The Senators needed to realize that they were elected to represent the people, not their own individual interests.

5) He shows instances of having excellent knowledge on being an emperor

For this point, I’m going to use the (deleted?) scene in which Commodus has two of his soldiers executed for lying about Maximus’s escape.

Many viewers use this scene as a way to emphasize how cruel of an emperor Commodus seemed to be. On the contrary, Commodus shows what an emperor is supposed to do.

To a ruler, lying is one of highest sins ever. Commodus himself explained it quite clearly in the film. “If they lie to me, they don’t respect me. If they don’t respect me, how can they ever love me?” The other point Commodus didn’t mention is, what’s the likelihood they won’t do it again? If a liar is allowed to go free, that makes the Emperor more vulnerable to further betrayal. So, to take no further chances, execution would be the correct punishment.

On another note, public execution is by far one of the greatest ways of establishing authority by intimidation. It was the one way Commodus could tell the entire kingdom what happens to people who lie to the emperor.

Most emperors, fictional and historical, would’ve seen this logic and followed suit during their own instances of betrayal.

Another instance is his organization of the gladiatorial games. His willingness to empathize with this particular aspect of the Roman people made him well liked among citizens - the very same citizens he is supposed to rule over as an Emperor.

6) Commodus had no allies throughout his reign...and still lived with his head held high

Being Marcus Aurelius’s only son may have gotten him the throne, but staying on the throne was all Commodus’s effort.

This guy had no allies throughout the entire film, no ‘personal cheerleader’ to encourage him. In fact he had the total opposite. He’s been criticized and belittled all his life, while Maximus was praised all the time - even as an emperor, Commodus was belittled by every one of the Senators. They never took him seriously or even considered Commodus’s ideas to be good in any way.

In fact, it would be plausible to say that Commodus was also his own enemy at times - fighting his conflicting urges, trying to create an identity for History to remember him by. (Should he be Commodus the Invincible or Commodus the Merciful?)

Nevertheless, he still keeps his head held high at the end of the day - never once do we see him attempt to give up the throne or drown himself in vices (like women, gambling, etc.) to try to escape from his duty as Emperor. He never lost his determination to be the best Emperor he could be.

7) Your Hero is Only as Good as Your Villain Is

This is by far one of the most interesting parts about stories involving a Hero’s Journey archetype. Based on the types of things the villain metaphorically “throws” in the hero’s way, audience members get to see the hero’s adaptability and even the depth, or the extent, to which the hero is truly heroic (or not).

(Side note: this gif is freaking adorable. He looks like a (big) little boy enjoying himself. I once watched this on loop for a solid five minutes.)

In Gladiator, Commodus is someone that many love to hate, but also many love to sympathize. Commodus’s desires to be a successful (and popular!) Emperor and a devoted son are things people see within themselves as well. This complex mixture results in a character that needed something as unforgivable as patricide or incestuous-looking actions in order for the filmmakers to tell the audience, “You are not supposed to be cheering for him. You’re supposed to cheer for the vanilla, goody-two-shoes guy.”

However, with the amount of things Commodus does to seem relatable or even likable by the audience, Maximus is expected to do more or show more heroism and charisma to be really considered the ‘good guy’ of this story. It’s something that each and every viewer decides for themselves.

8) Commodus is more attractive than Maximus

Now, this is not a comparison between Joaquin Phoenix’s and Russel Crowe’s looks- I think “People” magazine can do a better job of this than me.

(My ex-friends fawn over Maximus, I’ve found friends that think Commodus is more gorgeous...the feud never ends, folks.)

Commodus is definitely more charismatic, offering plenty more for the attentive audience member to dissect in his personality. His actions and emotions attract viewers into asking questions and even creating their own theories to understand what makes him tick.

Maximus, on the other hand, offers nothing of that sort. His profile ends at just, “loves his family, wants to do the right thing.” This is the main reason I call his character ‘boring’ - he brings no element of mystery. With him, what you see is pretty much what you get.

So there you have it, everyone. This is why I personally appreciate Commodus as a character more than Maximus. Sorry I made this super long; I really like analyzing movie characters. I hope you liked reading this and I would love to hear your opinions. Feel free to comment or message me directly.

#gladiator 2000 #commodus #maximus #movie analysis #commodus rant

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bi-outta-cordonia · 5 years ago

Text

A Courtesan of Rome is ending, albeit hurriedly, but here’s the thing:

Xanthe was a waste.

We are given a book that is ultimately historical fiction, allows us to travel back in time to one of the most infamous moments of all time and, along the way, we play as a lone woman in a historical context who is given the power to change the world.

Along the way we meet a plethora of people, each of which plays a role in the story one way or another, with the exception of one.

Xanthe was sold to Lena as a little girl. She’s been trained to become a courtesan since she was a child. We are introduced to her as being a vapid and jealous woman, one who takes pride in her craft nonetheless but is in danger of being pushed out of the comfortable position she’s made for herself in Rome.

Think for a second about the implications behind Xanthe being trained to be a courtesan since she was a little girl. Sabina was married to Legate Aquila when she was between ten and twelve years old. There was an acute sense of horror that players were expected to feel for Sabina because, well, she was forced to become a child bride for the sake of her father needing to advance his political station. Her father used her as a tool, as something he could bargain with rather than love her like a parent would love their child. We felt bad for Sabina, we sympathized with Sabina,

So now think of a child being trained to please men. She has no family, no one to protect her, no one to fall back on if she messes up because she’s truly all alone. Her routine is entirely of her learning to become sexually appealing to men and, if she is not successful in doing that, she will be thrown out onto the streets and forced to fend for herself from others that would have no qualms with using her for their own gain.

She is a child when she’s forced to do this, she grows into a woman that then becomes exceptionally skilled at her craft. She learns the ins and outs of the types that frequently seek her out. She learns who the most powerful patrons are and learns how to charm them with but a smile and a few words. She has been training to do this since she was a girl, sold to the people who trained her as a slave meant to serve them and bring them money. She is forced to do this because she has no other choice.

Perhaps she grows into the role. Grows into the idea of having independence and a reputation better than most of the senators’ wives have. She is her own woman, allowed to purchase her own things, allowed to move freely within particular social circles, and all this is due to the fact that she successfully learned how to play the game and win. She’s thriving and it’s what she needs for the moment.

But then, here comes some other girl. She’s older by the time she arrives but the girl’s new owners are already fawning over her. They are providing the girl with every advantage, giving her the most powerful patrons. The girl is new, has only been training for a few years at most, but she’s receiving some of the better paying patrons who are supplying her with a lifestyle she was not raised to know.

This puts the child who grew into the woman in a dangerous position--by losing the wealthier patrons, she loses a good chunk of her income--she becomes useless to the owners and risks being cast away from a position she’s held for years.

This has been the core of Xanthe’s actual problem with us, not jealousy but fear, and I can’t honestly blame her for feeling that. We were a newcomer, someone who cared not for Rome or any of its trappings. Someone who didn’t care about wealth and power. We came to the scholae already outright rejecting Roman customs but Xanthe was forced to embody them as a child in order to survive.

Every thing she had been through, all that she had to become in order to simply live in Rome was something she endured as a child. Given that this is her history, it begs the question: why wasn’t she allowed the complexity and depth to be a voice for those that have long since found themselves voiceless?

She was a courtesan in Rome, a woman with no past, sold to Lena as a child, and she never gets a chance to interrogate the systems that bred her or the institution that used her in such egregious ways. She never got to ask “why did this happen to me,” never got to curl her lip in disgust as another senator palmed her dress, never got to seethe as another batch of young girls shuffled through the scholae in tatters with tears in their eyes as Lena explained what their new life would entail.

The idea that we had Xanthe here to be a complex character that let us see through the lens of history and realize that a lot of what people think of Rome as a civilization is just seen through rose tinted glasses. Rome had brutality of a variety--with Syphax we see the broken justice system, with Antony we see how easily and willingly those who had power would abuse it without hesitation, and with us as the MC we see how brutal and violent the campaigns were for those who were not Roman.

Xanthe could’ve been another voice, another look into the world of women and the society of Rome. We could’ve had the potential to open up to her and get her side of things.

We could’ve learned that she knew her parents. We could’ve cried when she described the first time she tended to a patron. We could’ve seethed with anger when she voiced her concerns for the other girls who got dragged into our mess after Legate Aquila ransacked the scholae. We could’ve helped distract a particularly difficult patron so she could breathe for a moment or pushed off a more powerful patron to her as a gesture of kindness.

We could’ve sat down with her and explained what Caesar did to our family, did to our homeland. We could’ve explained that we are not here because we choose to be, but because we had those choices taken from us by the Romans and their constant thirst for power. We could’ve been the lens from which she finally understood that absolute power corrupts and casts despair upon those who are not strong enough to deflect it. We could’ve seen her breakdown and throw amphoras, break mirrors, shred her clothes as she ranted about Rome, fucking Rome, Rome and its constant need to conquer the shiniest and prettiest new things.

We could’ve still had angry, vengeful Xanthe but instead of having her be a vapid airhead, she could’ve been so hurt and so distraught after we explained that Legate Aquila almost forced us to have sex with him had it not been for his wife who finally found the courage to stand up to him.

We could’ve had angry, vengeful Xanthe who told us that she would not forgive us for what happened to the other girls or to Syphax, but she would sooner risk death by spitting on the Legate for attempting to force us to do what we had been given the choice not to do with patrons.

We could’ve had angry, vengeful Xanthe who would tell us that we are insane for thinking we could possibly bring down a Legate but who would also go on to provide bits of useful information she gleaned from other senators in regards to Aquila’s movements.

We could’ve had angry, vengeful Xanthe who would butt heads with Lena and teach girls unconventional lessons that the older woman would never teach them; lessons that Xanthe would then teach MC in a few exclusive scenes once she finds out that Antony intends to give her as a gift.

We could’ve had angry, vengeful Xanthe who would still call us a fool knowing we plan to make good on killing Caesar and who would subtly stir unrest amongst her own patrons for the sake of taking vengeance on not just Caesar, but on Rome--for robbing her and other girls like her of their families, of their lives, of their personhood for the sake of building a utopia they never wanted to be a part of.

We could’ve had angry, vengeful Xanthe who still didn’t like us but respected us for having the courage to refute Rome at every step--for being able to grow up our own woman.

Instead, Xanthe remained vapid and useless, only meant to be the jealous and bitter rival who, in the grand scheme of things, did not really matter. Xanthe who was villainized at every step and Xanthe who we so boldly claimed we could’ve been friends with even though, at no point throughout the entire story, did we ever get an option to actually be nice to her.

But sure, we’ll let Madeleine have a redemption arc even though she spent all of The Royal Romance belittling us for being less wealthy than her, after she humiliated our closest friends, after she made us go pick up the wedding ring the man we loved was likely gonna slip onto her finger, and after she offered no apology to us for her past behavior whatsoever.

We’ll let Penelope just sweep the fact that she helped orchestrate a literal sexual assault on us so that we would be photographed in a compromising position and was absolutely rewarded for her efforts, a thing she did without a shred of guilt until after we put two and two together and confronted her about.

We’ll let Sebastian have a redemption arc after he literally stole money from the university he attended, money that could’ve helped pay for scholarships and other resources that different educational programs needed, which of course came before he tried to cut all scholarships that weren’t purely academic just to spite a few people he didn’t like, and of course again after he sabotaged the boiler in our house and could’ve seriously injured someone.

We’ll let Landry have a redemption arc after he gave the most superficial reasoning for why he decided to throw our friendship under the bus and did so by way of endangering actual patient lives by turning off our pager, taking our patients’ charts, and just flat out telling lies about us to the nurses which seriously damaged our ability to do our fucking job.

We’ll let all these people slide with the proper consideration to the plethora of conditions that give us a complex look at why they did what they did--Madeleine because she was byproduct of a loveless marriage and has never understood that people are driven by empathy rather than practicality, Penelope because she had anxiety and could never have survived in the court without a serious edge over her peers, Sebastian because he had a fucked up childhood, and Landry I guess because he’s not used to losing,

But we don’t have any room or sympathy in our hearts for the woman who was taken from her family as a child, sold into slavery, and forced to learn young how to shut her mouth and be pretty or else she’d be cast into destitution for the rest of her life? How sway?

#playchoices #choices #acor #a courtesan of rome #xanthe

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dwellordream · 4 years ago

Note

I’ve been reading haunt/hunt and I absolutely love how you wrote Nell and her story as well as how you flesh out all the female characters in your fic! So far chapter 45 probably made me the most emotional that I have a lot of feels about it. I’d love a Director’s Commentary and your thoughts writing it, especially the dream Nell has about Bethany and the whole grief and rage and pain that comes with it. Also, Walda’s side during her conversation with Nell would be interesting.. thank you!

thank you! I really dreaded all of Nell’s chapters at the Twins because I’d already gotten some backlash over the plot that culminated with Robb’s ‘death’ and her ending up a captive, and I figured frustration was just going to build the longer I spent writing Nell basically treading water at the Twins trying to figure out how she was going to escape. ultimately I’m pleased with how these chapters turned out but at the time I was always a bit anxious and tense when writing and posting them, because I was worried it was just going to be people in the comments going ‘this sucks. why am I reading this, again?’ (not that there isn’t room for criticism of those plot points, I think the pacing of Haunt/Hunt is a bit janky overall, but... not all that much I can do about that at this point haha) I knew the major setpiece of the chapter would be the sept at the Twins, the same one where Edmure and Roslin were just married, the same one that at the Freys presumably pray in... septs are always foreign places for Nell because she wasn’t brought up in that faith, never had a septa, and there was never a sept at the Dreadfort or Barrowton. the obvious contrast here is that the sept is a holy place but it’s also at the site of a massive betrayal, and in the midst of this service Nell is plotting and scheming. there’s also the fact that this takes place shortly after Joffrey’s death, and so the Freys are mourning one boy-king after having just slaughtered another. Nell is so shocked and in grief that she can’t even summon up much triumph at Joffrey’s death, as she acknowledges that they will just crown Tommen instead, who is just a child being manipulated by the adults around him. I think it also highlights a main point of the fic- Haunt/Hunt is not a retelling of the entire ASOIAF story, it’s just narrowly focused on the North and the prominent characters there. I feel bad sometimes because I sometimes think readers are expecting me to suddenly pivot to characters like Dany or Cersei or the Martells, and while obviously their actions have consequences for everyone in Westeros, they’re not really the focus here. finally we get to the convo between Fat Walda and Nell. Walda is obviously very wary of Nell, given recent events and the fact that she’s married to Nell’s father. Nell sees Walda dressed in Bolton colors and thinks about how she used to take such pride in her house, and how when she first met Robb she was pretty snotty and felt him childish and beneath her. she feels horrific guilt over even being married to Robb in the first place, wondering if he’d married someone else he might still be alive and winning the war. she also feels so lost without the one person in her life besides Dana who she felt like really chose her and loved her in spite of her flaws. Nell and Robb’s love story is really crucial to the story as a whole and it obviously still plays a major role even after he’s dead. we then flash back to Walda, who, despite everything that’s happened and her torn loyalties, does genuinely sympathize with Nell and promises to keep Lysara safe. Nell is less than impressed with this, but does warn Walda about Ramsay- although it’s not just from concern for Walda, but fear for Lysara’s safety. she also warns Walda that Roose loves no one and nothing but himself, and whether he treats her well as his wife or not, he can’t be relied upon to keep her safe from Ramsay. Walda does, to her credit, take Nell seriously, and reveals her pregnancy, while confessing that Roose hasn’t, in her opinion, been all that cruel to her, adding that he is a much finer match than she could have ever hoped for as a Frey. many people acknowledge that canonically Walda seems quite pleased with Roose as a husband, praising him in her letters and seeming eager to have children with him and rule the Dreadfort. I wanted to keep some of that while acknowledging that, well, this Walda was also friends with his daughter... who’s just been betrayed and imprisoned and had her husband murdered... and is about to have her daughter taken from her. Roose isn’t a good or kind person and I think Walda recognizes that while at the same time feeling that, well, he may be a murderer and a rapist and a traitor, but he’s not constantly bullying and insulting her, he doesn’t beat her, and any children she has with him will have a claim to the at-present most powerful house in the North. so is she in love with him? no. but she is used to having to be very pragmatic, given her upbringing. jumping to the dream sequence (actually the last time we’ve seen Bethany in a dream in this fic, I believe) it’s kind of a call to arms? it’s just the culmination of all Nell’s rage and pain and sorrow, triggered by the new loss of her daughter. she dreams she is back in her mother’s bedchambers in the Dreadfort, watching her waste away from illness, and for the first time she really goes off on dream!Bethany, voicing the pain and fury she still feels at being left motherless. to have Bethany die after promising Nell that they’d be happy and go live with her aunt if Roose died in the Greyjoy Rebellion was especially brutal for her. Bethany apologizes to her- something that never happened in real life, as Nell never had any adults apologize to her for her upbringing or the trauma she experienced- and encourages Nell to keep fighting and not give up, pointing out that she tried to teach her to be strong and determined, even in the face of evil. to be honest, “I died for nothing, aye,” Bethany acknowledges faintly, too shrouded in smoke to be visible clearly to Nell now, although her voice is longer than before. “Yet before I died I lived for you. I lived for a child I thought could be more than the sum of all my rage and pain and regret. A child I thought could grow into a woman who might do things I had only dreamed of. And I have been wrong on many counts, my Nell, but never that one.” is one of my favorite parts of the entire fic. I think the ‘oh, *insert character* died for nothing’ or ‘the moral of the story is the world sucks and kindness is weakness’ is something that gets thrown around a lot in the ASOIAF fandom, maybe due to the influence of the TV show, maybe not. but I really disagree with that. for all the horrible things that happen in the series I think the ending will be one of hope, not defeat or ‘accepting the world as it is’. change can happen and it can be positive, and not all sacrifices are in vain. Ned Stark didn’t ‘die for nothing’- he died to save Sansa’s life and he taught his children really important things about respect for others and keeping your promises and protecting those weaker than you. we see his influence in Robb always trying to do what’s best for his people, Sansa being kind to others in spite of her suffering, Arya still defending the weak even at risk to herself, Bran trying to use his powers for good, Jon always trying to make the hard but fair decision at the Wall. they may not always make the right choices and they do fail, frequently, but the point is to try, not to always be victorious. in the same token, Robb didn’t ‘die for nothing’ in this fic- he dies fighting a war to return home and help his people, he dies with Nell and Lysara’s names on his lips, he dies always trying to protect the ones he loves, and I think that’s the actual point, not that he was ‘stupid’ or that Roose ‘outplayed him’. life isn’t a game and it’s not supposed to be treated as such. what matters is what Robb did while he was alive, the people he helped and the lives he changed. Nell is 100% a better person for her relationship with him and the growth she went through as she matured and took on more responsibilities. she is 100% a kinder and more compassionate person because of her relationship with the Starks, and Dana, and her ladies at Riverrun. she had to choose to change and step into her role as queen, but Robb really gave her a lot of confidence in herself and her abilities. so yeah, I think the overall message of chapter 45 and the fic in general is “it doesn’t matter how you die, it’s how you lived.” Robb’s death doesn’t wipe out everything he did before that. the loss of Lysara doesn’t erase the love Nell feels for her. even when things look dire and life is shitty you can still take it one day at a time and keep striving for something better. Nell has to recognize that while Bethany’s death was painful and tragic and unexpected... she did help shape Nell into the woman she would become and her ultimate wish was not that Nell would be exactly like her, but that Nell would be better than her.

#haunt/hunt #ask #anon #ask game

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skepwith · 7 years ago

Text

Cat’s-Paw

[The White Witch tells her side of the story. Also on AO3.]

Winter is the best season. Everything is muffled and quiet. Sleighs skim across the surface of the snow, runners swishing and whispering under jingling harness bells. The hills and forests lie covered in white, and tiny animal footprints appear overnight. The land is sleepy, cozy. It knows it doesn’t need to get out of bed anytime soon. Maybe never. I wrap my land in winter like a baby is wrapped in swaddling.

I love my country, so it’s always winter here.

My Enemy does not love the quiet cold as I do. His eyes have never been burnt by a dying sun. He is restless, improving, on the move. He campaigns relentlessly for spring.

Not in person, of course. He wouldn’t get His paws dirty. Instead He undermines my reign in sneaky little ways. He sends messages to the trees, who whisper amongst themselves, call me witch and tyrant. He fans the flames of restlessness with stories of His future coming (He’s always on His way, never arriving). Foolish fauns listen and become obstreperous, robins grow unruly. Don’t even get me started on the beavers.

I am surrounded by ill-wishers and would-be assassins. Against these fanatics and malcontents I have taken strong measures—extreme measures, even. I would do worse to keep my country out of His jaws. The Lion will hold no sway in Narnia while I am Queen.

***

He walks to His death on soft, heavy paws, His mane hanging low. He has come alone, as promised, at the appointed hour. The crowd around me rustles and murmurs as we watch Him approach the Stone Table, meek as a lamb.

My people have gathered under a black velvet sky and a pregnant moon. Our congregation is a varied one, of all shapes and sizes, covered in fur, feathers, scales, and mottled skin, on black claws and bald grey feet and wide leathery wings. Male, female, both, and neither, we shriek and whistle and gibber, unable to contain our excitement. One of the minotaurs throws back his head and bellows joyfully. A ritual of this magnitude has not been performed here in many, many generations.

The Lion closes His eyes so He doesn’t have to look at us, the deformed and the defective. All my beautiful monsters.

Under the cool moonlight, our torches send shadows leaping and clawing in all directions. At my nod, the hags Agda and Oona emerge from the darkness and take their positions, hobbling with what dignity their age will allow. Their limbs are like sticks, their skin all ash-dusted wrinkles, their hair white clouds. Agda’s eyes are milky and Oona cannot hear, but they move unerringly to either side of the Table. No one knows if they are sisters or lovers—perhaps both—and no one but I knows their age, for they have been around as long as anyone can remember.

The two hags raise their thin arms above their heads. Orange torchlight ripples across the slab’s pitted, rune-carved surface. “Let the sacrifice be laid upon the Stone Table!”

The Lion is seized and bound with ropes. He offers no resistance.

***

His own rules were His undoing. He loves making rules: thou shalt this, thou shalt not that. It was one of the first things He did when He came to this world, back in the beginning.

When there was nothing here but darkness, He sang the world into being. So they say. I tell you this: worlds come and go all the time. They die and are reborn every minute, without His help or anyone else’s. A gardener can prune a tree, but that doesn’t make him its creator. My Enemy is a horticulturalist of universes—He guides them, shapes them, but He does not birth them.

I was here, at the beginning. I saw it.

I had just clawed my way out from amidst the death throes of my own world. It was ancient, glorious, venal, and complex—a civilization collapsing under its own weight. None of my people escaped with me; I am the last of my line. When I came into this new world, I was reborn. Everything here was fresh and fertile, humming with generative energy. But there was no chaos, no wild growth, no mutation. He was a strict midwife. He harnessed this world’s power carefully. Imagine, if you will, a butterfly bursting from its chrysalis…into a terrarium. Such was my arrival in Narnia.

No sooner had he brought forth the world’s creatures, fully formed, from the earth, than he began to lay down rules: man to obey Him, wife to obey husband, animals to obey man. It was an old scheme, and one I’d seen before. My foremother Lilith left a similar prison to consort with wilder gods—or demons, if you prefer. I come from a long line of tricksters and trouble-makers. In my family, to see a rule is to itch to break it, an urge as undeniable as the madman’s compulsion to shout obscenities in the middle of church.

My Enemy set the rules and laid the pieces on the board, claiming the white ones as His own. There was nothing for me to do but choose the black. For Him warmth and courage and nobility, goodness and beauty, everything bright and pure. For me, all that He did not want: the dark, the cold, the damp, that which is awkward and ill-formed, the crooked and bent, the hidden, the despised.

What a fool He was to cast such things aside! They have their own power, too.

For many centuries I lived in the shadows of His world, learning how to shape their magic and letting them shape me in turn. My blood turned as chill as the cold that fed me, my skin as white as the snow which followed in my wake. As I grew more powerful, the kingdom’s dissidents flocked to me—those who were punished and shamed by His laws, and many more who did not care for the rule of man. By then Narnia had been governed by a long line of human kings, as He had decreed. The Lion Himself was long gone. He liked His subjects to make their own mistakes, the better to scold them for it upon His return.

When we took power, we executed the king and his entire line to ensure humans would never oppress us again. And not one of that cursed species set foot in Narnia thereafter, until the boy.

I first spied him from the seat of my sleigh as it sped through the forest. He was standing in the snow, gaping witlessly at me as we passed. Rather small and easy to miss, yet utterly outlandish. I called at once to my driver, Ulli, who pulled the reindeer to a halt.

The boy stood uncertainly at the edge of the track, shifting from one foot to another, until I beckoned him and he stumbled through the snow. He wasn’t much taller than Ulli, with short, fair hair and pale eyes. He didn’t look like a harbinger of doom. I rarely pay attention to prophecies of my own destruction—there are so many, all invented by my enemies—but if certain predictions were to be believed, this boy was a dagger pointed at my heart. But only if he hadn’t come alone.

“Come, sit beside me,” I said to him, patting the sleigh’s plush red seat. “You must be cold.” In fact he was shivering, hardly surprising considering how totally unsuitable his clothes were for our climate. His trousers were absurdly short, showing his knobby red knees as Ulli helped him into the sleigh with a wary smile. Ulli knew how dangerous this creature was as well as I.

I wrapped the boy in a corner of my white fur cloak and conjured him a hot drink and his favourite dish. Turkish delight, he called it, a vile-looking sugared jelly in garish colours—revolting. He ate greedily, and talked with his mouth full.

“We all thought Lucy was lying about the wardrobe. Fancy her being right all along!” he said, speckling my furs with chewed-up bits of sweet. His expression turned sulky. “I suppose now I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“There, there,” I said vaguely. “And who is this Lucy?”

“My sister. She’s the youngest. She’s all right, if a bit babyish, but Susan’s no fun and Peter’s an utter prig.”

So there were four of them. Two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve, as my Enemy likes to call them when he’s feeling particularly pompous. One for each of the thrones at Cair Paravel, the stronghold of the old regime. My fingers clenched at the fur in my lap.

The boy prattled on. His sister, it seemed, had been here already and made contact with a faun called Tumnus (no doubt one of my Enemy’s sympathizers). I bit my lip until I could taste blood. The rebellion had already begun.

“You must come visit me at the Winter Palace,” I told the boy, whose name was Edmund. “Bring your sisters and brother. All three of them, understand?” No use hoping they wouldn’t find their way back to our world. This “wardrobe” business had His paw prints all over it. “If you come and live with me, I will make you a Prince, and you will rule as King when I am gone.” It was an absurd promise, but he seemed to have no trouble believing himself destined to rule over a foreign land. “Don’t forget to bring your brother and sisters.”

I sent him on his way before the magic of the food could fade.

Ulli turned the sleigh homeward at once. It slid to a halt inside the Palace gates, the reindeer panting a mist around their antlers. I leapt to the ground and strode across the courtyard, along the path between snow-draped statues. At my arrival, a great white bear lumbered to her feet and shook the snow from her fur, while a pair of ravens circled overhead, crying a harsh greeting. More of my people flowed down the wide steps as the Palace doors swung open—a white tiger, a fur-clad giant, several chattering foxes. One of my servants, an incubus, appeared under the shadow of a stone stag and bowed.

“Summon Maugrim at once!” I commanded.

Maugrim is—was—my Chief of Police, the descendant of a skilled general who had helped me overthrow the old regime. He arrived promptly in the Great Hall, flanked by Ash and Shadow, his second- and third-in-command. All three bowed low, muzzles close to the ground. They were panting but not winded; a wolf can run all day without tiring. Maugrim was the largest of the three, with long, lean haunches and a thick grey coat. “What is your command, my Queen?” he asked.

“Find the faun Tumnus and bring him to me.”

It didn’t take him long. Maugrim was clever and efficient as well as beautiful. The faun was brought in trembling, his delicate hooves tripping on the flagstones. With minimal prompting, he confessed to fraternizing with the human girl—high treason. It’s always unsettling to look into the eyes of someone who would gladly see you dead, and your country in ashes around you. I wish I could say it was an unfamiliar experience.

Pulling my wand from inside my sleeve, I added another statue to the courtyard.

They’re really starting to clutter up the place.

That night Maugrim and I lay sprawled across my fur-heaped bed, his coarse grey coat against my cool white skin. We fed each other from a platter of raw seal meat, rich and fatty, and when the platter was empty I pushed my fingers between his fangs so he could lick off the blood. He met my gaze, his eyes gleaming, and his jaws widened into a sly grin. I laughed and ran my fingers through his fur, and he licked me with his hot tongue.

Our sin was threefold, by my Enemy’s reckoning: fornication (for we were not married, as He considers it), sodomy (since we never felt the need to limit ourselves to the missionary position), and lying with animals (was it still bestiality if neither party was human?). And a fourth, the sin of Lilith: woman on top, literally or metaphorically. For a being without sex, He is rather obsessed with it. He scrutinizes His subjects’ bedroom habits as jealously as a breeder tracks bloodlines. What worse chaos than a world of mongrels? I could tell Him impurity is inevitable, but He always chooses order over entropy. And desire is so dreadfully unruly—it delights in flouting His rules. No wonder He disapproves of it so strongly. No wonder I enjoy it so much.

It was Maugrim who brought me word of the human boy’s return. Alone.

At my orders, the wolf led him into the Great Hall. Shafts of cool moonlight fell through the high windows and glowed on the ice-smooth flagstones. Maugrim’s footfalls were quiet as snow, save for the clicking of his nails. The boy’s steps echoed loudly. His clothes and hair were wet, for he wore no coat. He shivered, and his breath made little moist clouds in the air.

“Where are the other humans?” I demanded.

“They’re not far, I swear!” he said. “They’re stopping quite close. At the Beavers’ house. When I left they were having a good old jaw. They’ve probably not even noticed I’ve left.”

“I see. How long do they intend to stay there?”

“Not long, I think. The Beavers said they were taking them to the Stone Table, whatever that is. To meet with a…a Lion. Called Aslan.”

I surged to my feet and slapped the name right out of his mouth.

Maugrim set out for the Beavers’ house immediately. “If they have left,” I told him, “make for the Stone Table and observe the enemy’s movements. We will rendezvous in the shadow of the hill. If you overtake the humans on the road, kill them.”

He collected Ash and raced off. The boy watched me with wide eyes as I ordered my travelling cloak brought to me and the reindeer harnessed without bells. “Come,” I told him and did not turn to see if he followed.

Ulli brought the sleigh around. Tiny flakes of snow had begun to fall, melting quickly on the deer’s dark, wet noses. “In with you,” I said to the sullen boy, and he climbed in as before, hunching his shoulders miserably. It was not the warm welcome he had expected—the more fool he!—and by now it had doubtless occurred to him that he had betrayed his siblings for nothing. No one forced you, boy, I thought. You have only yourself to blame.

We rode swiftly through the forest. The whisper of the runners, the creak of the leather harness, and the blowing and panting of the deer were the only sounds under the darkness of the muffled trees. Dawn broke, and soon the sun rose high enough to pierce the branches. Heaps of snow began to slide off green needles, landing with wet plops. I pushed my collar off my neck, where the hot fur clung uncomfortably. More tree branches slipped off their snow, one after the other. Meltwater trickled. On the forest floor, the snow had thinned in places and left balding patches of earth. The sleigh skidded, stuttering before righting itself. A few moments later, the runners caught on something and the sleigh jerked to a halt. Ulli coaxed the reindeer as best he could, but it was no use. We were stuck.

“Curse this thaw!” I said, grinding my teeth. “We’ll have to walk. Cut the reindeer free. They know their way home.”

Slush and mud sucked at my boots as I walked. My cloak hung heavily from my shoulders and its hem was soon matted with dirt. Even after I removed it, my armpits grew damp and sweat gathered beneath my breasts and trickled down my rib cage. Ahead of us, the human stumbled; his hands had been tied behind his back. Ulli poked him with the whip until he righted himself. He had stopped sniveling hours ago. Maybe I would have felt sorry for him if my situation had been less dangerous. Maybe I wouldn’t have.

Ulli grumbled as we walked. He’d had to sling his beard over his shoulder to keep it from trailing in the slush. The air smelled of dirt and crushed grass. A patch of yellow and purple seized my eye—a cluster of crocuses beside the forest track.

“This is no thaw,” said Ulli darkly. “This is Spring.”

“Shut up!” I snapped. A strange, rapid-fire season was unfolding all around us. Oaks and aspens burst into leaf with painful speed. Tulips jostled primroses in their haste to shoot from the ground. As the temperature rose, I felt my powers start to wane. It could mean only one thing: the Lion really had returned at last.

I called our march to a halt in a cool, shadowed valley of fir and yew trees at the foot of the hill. As soon as we stopped, a dark shape hurtled into our midst. It was Ash, her sides heaving and froth falling from her panting mouth.

“He’s dead!” she wailed. “My Queen, Maugrim is dead!” Her legs trembled as she gasped for breath.

“Tell me,” I said in a voice I did not recognize as my own.

“The eldest human killed him, ran his sword right through Maugrim’s heart. They are at the Stone Table—three of them—with Him and His rebels.” Her report unravelled into a howl of sorrow.

I cannot shed tears: I am not human. This doesn’t mean I feel any less. A gaping cavern opened around my heart, as Ash’s high, keening howl rose to meet the falling darkness.

Maugrim, my beloved! My beautiful, brave, clever wolf!

But one cannot mourn in wartime. “Summon all our people to meet me here,” I told Ash. “The time has come to fight.”

She bowed her head, and as it rose, her eyes fell on the boy. “Him!” she growled, muscles quivering. “It was his kin who murdered my captain. My Queen, let me kill him to avenge Maugrim!”

“No. Custom must be observed. Leave him to me. You have your orders, Ash.”

With another bow, she loped off to raise my army.

I contemplated the boy, whose head hung low and whose eyelids fluttered. His own danger had barely penetrated his exhaustion. He was of little use to us now, since his siblings were within my Enemy’s protective paws. But no matter how many rebels took the Lion’s side, He still had four thrones to fill to complete the prophecy—four, not three. The boy could be of use to us yet.

Still, there are ways to do such a thing. The Stone Table was best, but any altar would do in a pinch. “There,” I said, pointing to a flat white stone under the shadow of an oak. Ulli tied the boy to the tree while I bared my arms and sharpened my long stone knife. The shadows grew thicker as the sun crept below the treeline.

I threaded my fingers into the boy’s fair hair and pulled sharply, forcing him to raise his chin. His throat was very pale in the twilight, and within it his pulse beat like a bird caught in a net. I looked down at him with new respect. He had been profane, but now I would make him sacred.

Just before blade met flesh, the rebel party fell on us like a whirlwind. Unicorns, centaurs, and eagles trampled into the clearing, beating the air with their wings. My knife was knocked from my hand. I drew my wand, but even I could not bespell them all at a single stroke. Instead I made myself and Ulli indistinguishable from the trees and rocks. They unbound the fainting boy and carried him off to the enemy camp to be reunited with his brother and sisters. Had I fought, I probably could have stopped them. But why bother? The boy was mine, by my Enemy’s own laws.

For Him the loyal, for me the traitors. Edmund had betrayed his own kin, ergo his life belonged to me.

The next day, the Lion and I came to an agreement. Side by side, a stone’s throw from the Table, we stood under the flapping banners of His pavilion and watched the sun shining sharply on the white-capped sea. A week ago, this bay had been ice-locked, and white bears had roamed it freely. You would never know it now, if you didn’t remember how it used to be. Across the bay, Cair Paravel stood on its lonely cliff. I wondered if He’d sent someone round to wipe the cobwebs off the four thrones.

“You know the rules,” I told Him, rather smugly, I admit.

“Yes, Jadis,” He said with a heavy sigh, as if I was a great disappointment to Him.

“It’s your game,” I said tartly.

He turned His heavy head towards me, His expression grave. “It is more than a game, my child. It is the battle between Good and Evil.”

“Yes, but which is which?”

His head shook sadly from side to side, to show how my sophistry wounded Him. There never was any point in arguing. “Just give me the boy!” I snapped.

He sighed mightily and, looking out to sea, said, “I would like to propose a trade.”

Rather than lose the human child, He offered to take his place. How He loved the little children! And children they stayed, no matter how long of limb they grew or how broad at hip or shoulder. Pity the one who decided to grow up, only to be barred from Paradise.

Four children and no Lion. Without Him, I could defeat them easily.

“Agreed,” I said.

***

He is silent now, lying motionless as the flickering torchlight glints off His golden fur. He has not spoked a single word, but His face is sad and patient, as if He would forgive us, if only we would ask Him to.

How infuriating His arrogant piety is! “Do you think you came from nothing?” I ask Him. “You are a born creature, like the rest of us! What lionesses fed you? Hunted for you and gave you the largest share so you could grow up big and strong?”

Cries and jeers echo my words. “Let him be shorn!” I cry. An ogre produces a pair of silver shears and begins to cut the coarse, golden-brown fur of His mane. It falls onto the scarred surface of the Table in hanks and clumps, until His head and shoulders are as close-cropped as the rest of His body. Maneless, He looks smaller. I bend to His ear and whisper, “You are a lioness now.” He will take this for humiliation. He’ll never understand I mean it as a compliment.

I raise my stone knife high, to the moon. Silence echoes across the clearing.

I plunge the knife, swift and true, to His heart.

Jubilation erupts around me. The sacrifice has been successful! The old traditions have been honoured! My people dance and caper, jostling me, but I hardly notice. Tears run hot and salty down my face. The world is mine now. I am safe.

At least, I will be when the humans are dead.

My forces attack the rebel encampment immediately. We fall upon them with an avenging fury, and they scramble to defend themselves. Their banners and shields are golden in the torchlight, with a red lion rampant, naturally. Unicorns, leopards, tree-people—I brandish my wand and turn half a dozen of them to stone at a stroke. They resist us valiantly, but they’re losing all the same.

The boy Edmund comes at me like a mad thing, fighting with all the fanaticism of the newly converted. But instead of lunging for my vitals, as I expect, his sword sweeps into my wand, severing it neatly in two.

I scream in rage and draw my knife. “It doesn’t matter how hard you fight,” I hiss at him, “you will always carry that selfish, frightened boy with you, no matter how many times He forgives you.” I slash at him until he falls to the ground, bloodied, but before I can kill him, his brother attacks.

His sword screeches wildly against my knife, steel against stone. I parry, scattering sparks. He staggers, recovers, and we circle each other slowly. So this square-jawed, pink-faced human is Peter. He may be the eldest, but he is still very young. It’s plain this is his first battle, and I imagine he would probably be sick if he could. I might almost feel sorry for him, if he hadn’t murdered Maugrim.

“Go back to your country, Son of Adam,” I say. “This is not your war.”

His jaw remains as square as ever. “My brother and sisters and I will sit on the four thrones at Cair Paravel as Aslan has ordained,” he says. “And we will liberate Narnia from your tyranny.”

“Narnia doesn’t need you, you insufferable idiot!” I look forward to killing him.

We trade more blows, faster and faster, until I can almost taste my victory. And then he looks behind me, and a new expression comes over his face: hope. Relief.

Dread seizes me. I look over my shoulder.

He is rising over the horizon like a sun, a battalion of supporters roaring behind Him. Somehow, His mane has regrown overnight. His brightness hurts my eyes. He gives me a headache.

He comes straight for me, haunches rippling, moving at immeasurable speed. Cats are sprinting hunters. In seconds He is upon me. I raise my knife and scream a curse.

His paws land heavily on my chest, and the muddy earth rises up to strike the back of my head. My crown is jarred loose, and I see it rolling away. Pain drives through my body in a dozen places. My breath is a wheezing gurgle: His claws have pierced a lung. Where is my knife? I can’t feel my hand to know if I’m still holding it. He has me pinned to the ground with His enormous weight, as trapped as any mouse. We are nearly nose to nose, His soft and dark, mine white and pointed. His sweet, warm breath washes over me.

“There is still time, Daughter of Lilith,” He says gently. “My forgiveness is without limit. Repent, my child, and let me save you from your fear and anger.”

I know this story. You Fell and broke, and only He can make you whole again. But the cost of redemption is obedience.

I try to speak, but my lips make no sound. I want to say, You cheated, Aslan. It doesn’t count as a sacrifice if it doesn’t take.

Of course He knew all along. He knew what He was—and wasn’t—offering me under His pavilion on the hill. Knew I would accept, knew He would defeat me in the end. It was all part of His plan. I was just His cat’s-paw. I have been all along.

I take a deep breath, and spit in His face.

He rears back, affronted. The golden fur on His cheeks and muzzle is spattered with my blood. He wipes it away quickly, licking His paw and running it across His face. When He licks it again, my blood will be inside Him, tainting His perfection.

I smile one last time, blood seeping between my teeth.

He licks, wipes.

Licks, wipes.

Cats do so hate to be unclean.

#Narnia #fic #Jadis #The White Witch #Aslan is a patriarchal douchebag

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247krp · 7 years ago

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— Rejoice, little lambs! We have recovered our own Oh Yijoo, spotted prancing about in the Southwest Side. I remember seeing her with The Empire back in high school, but I’m not here to spill yesterday’s tea. So straight to the rundown: can you say exuberant and cunning? Apparently now she spends time as a news anchor and TV presenter, and keeps skeletons buried at Prague Tower, 702. But those won’t stay hidden for long, if you and I have any say on it. Welcome back, Sunshine Barbie; we missed you so.

In case you don’t remember the devil’s name, here’s to refresh your memory:

With her willowy physique and chiseled features, eyes followed Oh Yijoo wherever she went. Life was a breezy walk in the park for her. She always get what she wanted; things fell on her laps even when she didn’t ask for them. There were other people like her— beautiful, charming and cunning beyond their years. They were known as The Empire. At one point, everyone worshipped the grounds they walked on.

She was ambitious for the spotlight, and the position of news anchor suited someone like her. So when her classmates busily crammed for exams or schemed to buy their ways into prestigious universities, she was perfecting news reporting and interviewing skills, with the help of several top professionals. Not to mention, with her father and brothers all being Korea University alumni, there was already a seat reserved for her.

Nevermind the memory lane though, the present is always the ripest fruit:

You must have seen her. She is the news anchor on your television at 7PM every night. Her eloquence and composure at the news desk, as well as her winning smile that garnered her the title of Miss Korea Mi in 2013, quickly catapulted her to fame. Oh Yijoo, the most popular news anchor in the nation, the number one female that girls in 20s aspire to be, the perfect daughter-in-law that mothers want to have.

Rumor has it that she will soon become the news anchor for the 9PM prime time news. Not only that, she is also ambitiously expanding her territory out of the newsroom; already has hosted several lifestyle and entertainment talk shows, talking face to face with many big names that some can only dream of meeting. Some are saying it’s all because she’s part of the 1%, which Yijoo won’t deny, she did pull some strings to get where she is. She is smart and talented and knows how to take advantage of the opportunities and resources that come her way. Anyone in her shoes would’ve done the same thing, she believes.

But we are nothing if not open books – my job is to ensure you get to the best pages:

♥︎ — hearts govern the first period of our lives and the first season of the year – spring. family, love, home, relationships, emotions, and children all fall under the domain of hearts.

With three older brothers in line for the throne of the media empire that her father builds, she’s made aware of the role she plays early on— a darling princess who captivates people with her effervescent presence, nothing more.

Clad in a red chiffon dress tailored for her by the designer, she glides through the lush garden with poise beyond her years. Heads turning as she makes her way to the center, where an imposing middle-aged gentleman stands along with an elegant woman and three dashing young men. Giving her father a kiss on the cheek, she takes her place next to her third brother Kihoon, linking her slender arm with his, completing the perfect family portrait for the world to see.

As her father addresses the smartly-dressed crowd gathered in the family estate with a speech, she turns slightly to smile at her parents and siblings. At one point, the man shares that behind a successful man is a loving and supportive family, and he’s so pleased that his wonderful family can all stand with him here today. The patriarch then grabs his wife’s and the eldest son’s hands. Big smiles plaster on their faces, but if one observes closely enough, they can see the young male’s subtle uneasiness. Though everyone is overjoyed by the occasion to notice that, only she sees it. His eyes shifts and locks with hers.

Are you alright? She mouths.

He nods, giving her a reassuring smile.

Though both of them know he feels like a misplaced puzzle piece that doesn’t belong in here.

♣︎ — clubs govern the period of life after childhood when we are sent off to school every day. it is the second season of the year and represents the summertime of life.

Crisp late summer air wafts through the field, cooling the earth after months of searing heat. Changing of the season reflects the vibe between them. Placid but thick with subsequent tension from the conflict.

The bell rings when she pushes the cadet blue double doors open, students in pristine uniforms spill out of classrooms, flocking into the corridor. She trudges toward a wall of lockers, leaning against the cold metal surface to heave out a breath.

“Hey,” A silvery voice reaches her voice. “where were you? Did you skip?” Her best friend asks as she unlocks the locker and tosses books inside.

“I was in the infirmary. Cramp.” Yijoo pouts, rubbing her abdomen. The girl throws a sympathizing glance at her.

Yijoo’s expression changes when a familiar face passes them. She chews on her bottom lip, trying to contain the irritation bubbling up inside.

How dare she walks around with her head high, not feeling one bit remorseful and ashamed of the sin she committed! It’s true that they each have a part in the crumbling of The Empire, but what the girl did is most unforgivable.

She kneaded her temples with fingertips, following her friend to the table they usually sit at during lunch time. “Ouch!” She yelps, colliding into the other girl when she stops dead in her track.

Here he is in the company of several classmates. Eating and joking merrily as if nothing happened. Yijoo rolls her eyes at the sheer audacity that she witnesses in the span of minutes.

“Let’s go to the courtyard.” Her friend says quietly, turning on her heels. Yijoo sighs, shooting a look of disdain at him before she stalks off.

As soon as the two girls are out of earshot, spectators eagerly whisper to each other about what just happened in the cafeteria. So the rumor is true, the invincible and untouchable quartet is breaking apart.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

♠︎ — spades is the suit of wisdom and wisdom can only be obtained through experience. though a clubs may have wealth of knowledge, their knowledge is, by definition, inferior to wisdom.

“Never show your face in front of me, your mother, brothers, and sister again. I don’t want to hear a word about you. From this day onward, your surname doesn’t mean anything, you are no longer an heir to my fortune.”

She perches by the doorframe, watching Kijoon silently packs few clothes, books and other items into a duffle bag. “Oppa…I’m sorry…” She says, her voice hoarse and thin. He zips the bag up, glances his room one more time before he walks toward the door.

“Oppa.” She calls out again. This time, he responds by spreading his arms out. Yijoo hug his lean frame tightly, tears streams down her cheeks. “I’m going to explain everything to dad! It’s not your fault, I’m the one who deserves the punishment!” She cries, then pulls back, intending to find her father and rights the wrong.

Kijoon tugs her back, calloused fingers ruffling her hair. “It’s not your fault, Joo. Don’t ever think like that. I was fully aware of the consequences when I did it. You always know how unhappy I’m here, don’t you? I’m not cut out for this world, I won’t ever live up to dad’s expectation.” He bends down to be on the same level as her head, taking a good look at the only person he genuinely cares about in this house.

“It’s the best for everyone. Kiseok is far better suited to take over dad’s business. My position is not here, it’s somewhere out there.”

She knows he’s absolutely right. She even has wished for him to escapes the confine of this gilded mansion before. So he can go to a place where he isn’t suffocated by the weight of the crown on his head, to a place where he can simply be a man named Oh Kijoon, not Oh Kijoon the heir of Wooseung Media Corp. But now that it is really happening, she doesn’t want him to go. She can’t picture what it’d be like without him by her side. It’s always been him and her against the world, who is she going to rely on now?

♦︎ — diamonds represent the harvest season, both in the year and in our life. it is the suit of values and accumulation of value, material or otherwise, but too often the “otherwise” is overlooked.

“Do you think the title of Miss Korea Mi is the reason of your success as a news anchor?” The interviewer asks pointedly.

The underlying implication of the question doesn’t escape her. He’s really saying that she is only popular because she is easy on the eyes. It’s astonishing that this is the editor of a magazine with a major female readership.

All of his questions are monotonous and shallow, utterly incompetent at the job. He mistakes one of her experiences as an MC for Music Bank instead of The Entertainment Weekly; doesn’t know the most basic information about her ( “Oh, your major actually was journalism?” ), which he can easily search up on the internet. And the snarky little comments he slips in between the conversation doesn’t hide his contempt toward her.

Yijoo’s smiles, masking her vexation as contemplates the response to the highly subjective question.

“How often do you see a woman and recognizes that she’s a Miss Korea right away? That doesn’t happen unless you have the knowledge beforehand, right? Not to mention I’m only one of the four semi-finalists, so it’s actually more common when most people don’t know that about me.” It’s amazing that the smile never falters once. “Rather than being the factor to my success, it’s more of a bonus. People have positive impression of Miss Korea, so when they find out that I was Miss Korea Mi, it helps them to view me in a more positive light. Though ultimately, it’s my ability and hard-work that makes me a successful anchorwoman.”

I don’t just sit there and smile prettily for the camera, you misogyny asshole!

When the horrendous interview finally wraps up, he reaches out for a handshake, Yijoo complies graciously, though she definitely will have to disinfect her hand thoroughly after this.

“It’s a pleasure to chat with you.”

“Likewise. Though may I give you a little advice?”

He nods with a sneer. Swiftly, she leans in a little too close for comfort, whispers in his ear as he freezes on spot. “It might be worthwhile to do homework before the interview.” She pulls back, smirking at him. “Because then you’d know that I do in fact have a journalism degree from the Korea University. Also, you’ll find out that I’m the daughter of Oh Youngwoo, Chairman of Wooseung Media Corp., which I believe owns the publishing house of the magazine you work for.

She puts his business card back inside his shirt pocket. “Good luck. I think you need it.”

#247: accepted

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