#🌻 how do you rebel in a family of rebels

[shsl-analyzer-guy]

🌻

I see you have an EAH pfp so lemme ramble about something that bothers me abt the fandom I've noticed recently (I loooooved EAH as a kid)

regarding Apple White and her redemption arc, I find it ridiculous that to this day there are still people that insist she was the 'real villain' and completely misinterpret her character growth because of her ACCIDENTALLY freeing the Evil Queen from the mirror prison. Honestly genuinely how do people not see that her arc is meant to be that of a deconstructing evangelist? Maybe it's just because I grew up in the church but her arc and characterization seems so clear to me that I don't get how, after watching the whole show, people can still insist on her as the awful evil one

A) She was raised in a society and by a family that told her expressly that her behavior towards Raven and the other rebels in season 1 was not only appropriate, but morally correct. When we meet her mother in the show we can see her helicopter parenting specifically to make sure she's continuing to act this way, to the point where she has a popularity chart of the kids in her school that's updated regularly so she can keep tabs on Apple's every status at all times.

B) Growth in nonlinear. I don't know how else to explain that her shattering the mirror the Evil Queen was in (which, again, was an accident) was the fault of the Evil Queen for emotionally manipulating her because they made it pretty obvious in the scene itself that she was being toyed with. Also, that act doesn't actually contradict her assertion that Raven can choose her own destiny from the Wonderland special; even when Raven realizes that Apple freed her mom Apple straight up says the Evil Queen was promising everyone a happy ending. She was manipulated; she's not the evil conniving mastermind here

C) Her whole arc is meant to be a redemption arc. She's been led to believe by her mother, the school principal, every authority figure in her life that if everyone doesn't sign the Storybook, that everyone will die on the spot. When she says she doesn't want anything bad to happen to her friends in Thronecoming, she means that. She didn't have the benefit of meeting Giles Grimm like Raven and Maddie did, and faulting her for information she didn't have is a little ridiculous. Also, note that Thronecoming is what kickstarted her redemption because not only did she learn that the principal was a liar, but also met Giles AND saw that it wasn't just the Rebels who were being negatively affected by the stories; those who were happy to play along were being harmed too via Briar. Which is symbolic of the way people in the church are also harmed by its teachings, not just the people who reject it.

And like, obviously she's a flawed character, and you don't have to like her. I've just seen one too many people on tiktok yapping away about how she was "really a bad guy who got away with it" like. Have some media literacy I beg

[lemonhemlock]

Hi,I've recently discovered your blog and I Iove it.

I would like to know if you have any predictions regarding the second season of HotD. Do you think that the pessimistic attitude of many show watchers,especially TG fans, is warranted? Imho, if anything could irreversibly harm the greens is Rha*nicent. Not the ship itself, but the way the showrunners seem incapable of letting that ship sink after the time skip and are pushing it even after everything that has happened in season 1. Idk, the mere possibility of Alicent betraying her family and forsaking her children in any way to ingratiate herself to Rhaenyra is so illogical and outrageous, especially after B&C. The thing is, I'm almost certain that we are going to see a lot of Rha*nicent in the following season in some form and it could really irreparably ruin not only Alicent's character, but the greens in general. And, ofc, the show. What's your opinion about this and do you have any other predictions regarding the future seasons?

Thanks in advance :)

First of all, thank you, anon! 🌞🙏🌻

Preferences aside, I just think that white feminism sells in media. It manifests in tropes such as girlboss narratives (I know everyone is tired of this word by now), women warriors, female sexuality relayed through a male gaze-ish lens, overcoming adversity in an easily digestible way, scoring against some obviously misogynistic obstacle, framed in a way that appeals to a basic sense of justice etc. Lots of female characters that became popular in the last 15 years embody some of those markers, from Natasha Romanov to Katniss Everdeen to Arya Stark to Lagertha. And they're not even necessarily ~bad things~ or elements we shouldn't ever have in our fiction, it's just that this kind of tried-and-tested formula is what film executives think will bring them easy popularity and quick money.

Daenerys was such a hugely popular character that that it's to be expected (in this capitalistic hellscape we live in) that it would make monetary sense for HBO to try and recreate a straightforward empowerment narrative with the character of Rhaenyra. On paper, she has all the superficial storyline elements that could be converted into a blockbuster: powerful in some badass way (she is a competent dragon-rider), is A Rebel, owns her sexuality by sleeping with whomever she wants, which translates into 21st century mentality as empowerment, and has to overcome an obstacle posed by The Man.™ All wrapped up in a nostalgic package that reminds viewers of their beloved Daenerys.

So, unfortunately, I expect them to continue to build on these marketable points instead of focusing too much on finesse details, such as how Rhaenyra's already immense privilege and power as a princess of the Realm and a dragon-rider negatively impact those around her, how she can be both victim and perpetrator, how she perpetuates the cycles of violence and abuse + her less than palatable traits. Certainly, I'm not going to stand here and declare that they WON'T touch on those aspects either, before even watching the new season, because that would be silly. I DO expect them to address at least some of those issues and I'm sure there will be many moments which I will enjoy and even scenes that will be well-crafted explorations into certain questions. I do like this show a lot, at the end of the day, and will probably love S2, as well.

But, overall, I can't say hand-on-heart that the marketable concerns won't prevail in the end either, and I expect the framing to fall in the direction of "yeah, she did some bad stuff, too, but ultimately Rhaenyra had the right of it and was Betrayed by power-hungry woman-hating misogynists". Which does get frustrating in this media climate, because it is essentially the same message being delivered without much nuance or refinement: women* can't ever be wrong, anything a woman does is automatically great and should be supported, all delusions are valid if they're produced by a woman etc. I hope to be proven wrong, but only time will tell. Which is not to say that we should go back to making pro-patriarchy and pro-gender roles stories, which is kind of the vibe I'm sometimes getting from some "anti-woke" HotD critical pieces. An intersectional HotD - is that possible? At least a little class commentary on these people.

(*Of course, this only applies if the character fits into, what essentially is, another type of Ideal Woman: the acceptable amount of progressivism deemed appropriate at the current time, with the acceptable attitudes and interests. But that's a discussion for another day.)

So this is where rhaenicent falls for me. I've always thought it was an interesting addition and the change never bothered me, but there is a certain point at which it becomes unbalanced and, as you say, illogical. When is love ever "logical", though, you might question? Well, I think the prospect of losing your children + grandchildren + father + brother vs holding on to an unrequited lifelong crush might knock some sense into someone. Realistically speaking, the vast majority of people would nope out of that equation and the choice would be clear. How much can you truly love a person at the expense of literally your entire family? (including your extended family, because the Hightowers in Oldtown risked their lives for King Aegon). The reward is also so small, what exactly would Alicent be trading for? Yearning gazes and holding hands? Rhaenyra has not exactly been shown to reciprocate these feelings post Alicent's marriage to Viserys.

I think that the showrunners are holding onto this aspect because they're trying to make Alicent sympathetic to the general public, who are mostly on Rhaenyra's side, as a result of the show's framing. So their logic is that the viewers won't hate Alicent as much if she displays how sorry she is for everything, how reluctant, how much she loves Rhaenyra. And they think that her contradictory actions are a fair trade-off. So I do expect us to get more rhaenicent in the coming seasons.

All in all, this wouldn't be so bad, because indeed it could be framed as very romantic, a lot of pathos, star-crossed lovers etc and human emotions are messy and complicated. Our desires can often be contradictory in nature. Literature and mythology are filled with passionate love stories that defy all rhyme or reason. Doesn't Jaime tell Cersei he would kill every single person in the world for her? I just hope it'll get the presentation it deserves, delving into the complicated nature of love and difficult choices, and not turn into "Alicent would sell out her kids to save Rhaenyra from her self-inflicted predicament, all the while Rhaenyra is not sparing her a single thought or concern".

[belong2human-kind]

Hey guys, Clara here!! How are you??

I'm here to talk about something more serious right now. But don't worry!

As someone who is deeply in love with the SW Rebels saga since even before the first airing and someone who has accompanied all of the development of this amazing expansion of the Star Wars' universe, I want to say that this is one of the most diverse community I've met, and this makes me really happy about how so many different beings share the same interest and passion for this show as I do 🧡

So.. my profile won't lie huh? I'm down for a ship of this show so so bad, and if you, person on the other side reading this, still don't know what I'm talking about, let me tell you: I'm a biig sabezra shipper and fan! Since the first time I saw these two interact, I feel in love with their dynamics. And as the show continued, the sentiment that they could be one of the healthiest pairings of the entire saga only grew more. I love both characters individually, Ezra and Sabine, and also love them as a couple.

Joining tumblr and being active here about them, I entered the community and even dared to share my weird thoughts and stuff and own creations about this universe I love so much. I was so so so motivated by amazing people who gave me support to show my little creations, and I made truly wonderful friends here on the ship community that I'll cary for life. I won't lie that I am very eager about this ship so whoever I see engaging in Sabezra, I tend to follow XD (I hope this isn't too weird heh ^^)

I'm here to talk about two things.

1. I am very thankful for the friends I've made on the ship community and the series community as a whole too. Also, the majority of people I interact with are absurdly amazing, kind and sweet, and as I said, it's really touching and heartwarming to me to know that such a different and diverse community is united by one specific passion about SW. You guys are amazing, stay awesome 🧡💜

2. This being said, unfortunately, things can get a little heated up about some topics, specifically the ones involving pairings. So, I'm here to talk/ask, all of the people who, like me, are part of this community, to just remember that, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter who you support your character with or without: we are still united by the same interest, this one being the love for those characters with such deep, unique and touching stories.

The Ghost Crew is a family, and we, the fandom, are kinda like a big one too. So what I'm here to ask is: Hey, be kind to each other 🌻 Different opinions exist, but this is not only fine, this is amazing. It'd be boring if everyone on earth loved Rebels or even my favorite ship, sabezra, because if everyone did then it wouldn't be something so unique and especial, and it is. As I said before, this community is so diverse! We can enjoy different things, we actually should do that! But, by the end of the day, we're just a bunch of people who love star wars. I think we can all agree on that ^^

That being said, I also apologize. I try to not engage with any hate spreading messages, and I know that there are quite a few here on both the shipping communities and the entire community too. Nothing can really justify being mean to someone (at least that's what I believe and try to hold myself on) but I know that we never know what's really happening behind the screen for someone, even if they share. Life can be tough, I know this myself. So I apologize for all of my friends and community colleagues that might have hurt on others, and also, apologize on myself as well if I did let this happen too. As much as I try always being kind, I'm still a human, with ups and downs and one that can make some mistakes too. I try my best to make people around me (physically and virtually) to feel comfortable and embraced because I think everyone deserves that. But at the same time, we can hurt people intentionally and unintentionally so easily :( So yeah, I apologize for that. And I hope we can interact with each other with kindness and respect. I think this is one of the most important things to do as a human: be gentle to others and the nature around you.

Uhh I speak so much :'n It's 2am now and I have class tomorrow, my adhd brain is still running on circles on my head LOL so I'll be off for now. Keep awesome guys! And stay safe 🌻

[quinnthebard]

WIP Wednesday

I’ve never done this before but here goes I guess?  Little bit of the next chapter of 🌻 sunflower 🌻 - Royalty AU, Q’wynn Behn / G’raha Tia (Allagan Prince!) 🌻 Prince G’raha can hardly believe what he is reading under the watchful eye of his parents. He’s certain they are looking for an expression of joy and gratitude at their forward thinking actions—ones he’s been aware of but didn’t anticipate to be fruitful. But instead, he finds himself disappointed. “But what if we don’t get along?” It’s blurted out before he can stop himself. Stupid question.  You know better. You’ve heard their speech. “You can and you will. It’s high time we’ve done this, son.” His father’s voice booms throughout the room. “Raha,” This time his mother chimes in, dropping the formal G. “We’re only doing what’s best for you and the empire.” “I see.” He doesn’t see, but ever obedient to his parents, he pretends. He’ll find other ways to rebel later. “I just thought that perhaps there was more than arranged marriages possible. Like…” “Love?” His father laughs out the word. “Life isn’t like the stories.” “What your father means is you’ll grow into love. Give her a chance. She seems like a lovely girl.” “I will. I swear.” And he will. He’ll keep his word and meet her, give her a chance. This time his father smiles. “Good. It’s for the best. You’ll see.” With that, the pair leave G’raha alone with his thoughts, for he is planning his escape from the palace for the day. If I’m going to be thrust into an arranged marriage, even for the good of my country, then I shall  enjoy my freedom while it lasts. When he’s sure his parents are far enough from his quarters, he swiftly stands and grabs a change of clothes from the armoire—something far less conspicuous than his normal attire he’s expected to wear within the palace. Once more, he listens for anyone nearby and once assured it’s safe, he swings open a window and climbs down the lattice along the palace walls. It’s a journey he’s more than accustomed to. Fortunately, very few people know exactly what the royal family looks like seeing as they live primarily secluded within their walls. It’s a boon on days like these when he sneaks out. He needs to escape the suffocating confines of the palace and he knows just the place. Which is how he finds himself at the flower fields, perusing the goods, and observing the workers. This is how he finds his newest interest by chance. A woman is there inspecting some flowers, sunflowers—his favorite, into her cart. In his excitement, he approached simply wanting to help but she turns with a bin full right into him. He’s flustered. In more ways than one. G’raha rambles as he frantically tries to assist, his mouth running faster than his brain and suddenly he finds himself looking at her and remarking on her smile. And what a gorgeous smile that reaches her verdant eyes. They awkwardly banter—surely not flirt. He knows better. He belongs to someone else, a stranger, but someone else. But then he forgets himself and makes a promise. A promise to find her later. Twilight descends as he wanders the streets of the capital of Allag, Mor Carraig. The gentle hum of people talking decrescendos as time goes on until the stars appear and the crickets begin to welcome the moon in the sky. But then, he hears something else join the chorus in the distance. Someone is singing and his ears flit to locate the owner of the voice that echoes in the night. Much like a siren calls out to sailors, he is compelled to find its source. Surely his luck couldn’t be that good? Surely the owner of the beautiful smile is also the owner of an even more beautiful voice? It grows louder as he approaches and he knows his ears have not led him astray. Pausing when he spies the building he believes houses the person singing, he’s bewildered to realize it’s a florist shop. It can’t be.

And yet, as he turns the corner and climbs the tree to spy over the fence, he spies her leaning out a window, watching the stars as she idly serenades them. His heart stops. His limbs still. He knows this song. Does he dare? He made a promise to find her and he felt so bold before but now he finds himself questioning everything. But her voice begins to fade as she turns from the open sky into her home and he knows there’s a second verse so he takes a leap and resumes the song. Pink Magnolia, blushing and coy Savors the sun while she shines You've got yours and I've got mine Together we glide through the blue-velvet dark and stars Suddenly, she stops, ears at attention and flicking this way and that. Gaining courage with each word, he approaches and the branch that would bring him closer to her window is thankfully sturdy enough to hold his weight. With great care and practiced balance, he approaches continuing his song as his heart rate picks up. She turns. Slowly. But her reaction to him is swift. Shock first which then turns into a broad smile as she recognizes him. It’s but a few more notes before she’s singing along, harmonizing on a whim. As if a spell were cast upon them, they cannot break eye contact. If they were to do so, the moment would break. So instead, they continue to weave the notes, words, and rhythm taking a song created by someone else and making it their own. 

[belong2human-kind]

Hey guys! Clara here again!! Please ignore any possible English fails here, since I haven't practiced as formal as I would lately, I think it might be kinda trashy, but hope you guys can get it hehe

I'm off tumblr lately because of college. Tumblr gets me veeery distracted so I needed to focus to study and take care of my family and my baby pets too!

Also! I got the opportunity to travel and meet new places from my country. Brazil has a bunch of flaws, but I love how rich we are in terms of environment. Since so young I was fascinated by the nature of my country, and that's what made me chose biology 🌱

I saw so many different life forms in this travel. I saw bioluminescence happening at night, in the sea inside the tunnels made from the mangrove trees, in front of my eyes, and I touched, and it was just... indescribable. Felt like magic. I already knew the process, I studied a lot about them (I love the protozoa group, this little ones made me more sure I'd follow my future career with a zoology mastering) but seeing it happen in person was enchanting. I couldn't take any pictures, sadly, because my phone isn't waterproof and it was too dark🥲 but I intend to travel back there to watch this beautiful phenomenon happening again, maybe with a camera. I saw lizards, crabs and so many birds omg, a lot or herons, including blue ones and owls too! This trip made me fall more in love than I'm already am with biology, because at the same time I was enjoying, relaxing and chilling just watching nature, I also got to use and see my knowledge, like study, like a practic class. I intend to visit as much states I can in Brazil then meet other biodiversity hot spots such as Australia, Caribbean and also Galapos Islands too.

Anyways, here are some updates! I still have a lot to catch up about Ahsoka, Rebels and everything about star wars that I love and have missed, but I'm not sure if I will be as active as before yet. I need to finish this period from college so prolly just after Christmas 🥲

Hope you guys are all doing great 🌻

[teathy]

OKAY HERE IT IS @ramblingghostboy

💊

Full name: Tyler Jones

Gender and sexuality: Nonbinary; Pansexual

Pronouns: They/Them

Ethnicity/Species: Caucasian, human

Birthplace and Birthday: California, July 6th 1999

Guilty pleasures: they fuckin love Reece’s peanut butter cups

Phobias: heights and knives

What would they be famous for: probably for being the next dodie

What would they get arrested for: caught with a pack of cigarettes and the police think their id is fake

OC you ship them with: mAriLYn GrEEnE

OC most likely to murder them: probably Eric or Marz (Marz just wants to knock some sense into Tyler)

Favorite movie/book genre: hmmm Whatever the Maze Runner (book) is

Least favorite movie/book cliche: the entire format of every romantic comedy

Talents and/or powers: can sing and play instruments! Also has a high pain tolerance

Why someone might love them: idk they kinda suck

Why someone might hate them: read above

How they change: SPOILERS

Why you love them: they are me. This is my self insert.

🌱

Full name: Circe

Gender and sexuality: Cis female; dunno 🤷‍♂️

Pronouns: She/Her

Ethnicity/Species: Caucasian, Touched Witch

Birthplace and Birthday: time doesn’t exists 🤷‍♂️

Guilty pleasures: probably hot cocoa with the tiny marshmallows, except in this world, the marshmallows are kinda like a pick-me-up, so you shouldn’t have much. But Circe is a bad bitch.

Phobias: I think shes afraid of becoming her great great Grandmother, being bitter and evil and hateful.

What would they be famous for: Shes kinda already famous, her great great grandmother was the Black VVitch

What would they get arrested for: Running around with the Cursed Ones, theyre kind of rebels :/

OC you ship them with: Amelie Maganti, the leader of the Cursed Ones

OC most likely to murder them: hm probably her step brother

Favorite movie/book genre: doesn’t read many books, but it’d probably be plant books and books about botany

Least favorite movie/book cliche: most likely... when everyone gets a happy ending

Talents and/or powers: Her veins are plants! It’s hard to explain, but she can conjure any plant using her blood, like, she could cut her hand and make a thorny vine come out, or have her blushes turn into lil flowery blushes

Why someone might love them: she’s great, she’s a little haughty since her family is a “Touched” one, but she’s really smart and hard headed and WILL defend herself and others. She’s not afraid of any physical threat

Why someone might hate them: like I said, she’s haughty and extremely privileged, so it takes a lot to get used to her.

How they change: She understands that she is NOT her grandmother, and she doesn’t have to be anything like her family says she has to.

Why you love them: idk I kind of hated her, but her design is so refreshing and I forgot how much I love her story

🌻

Full name: Cecil ?

Gender and sexuality: Cis Male, ???

Pronouns: He/Him

Ethnicity/Species: (yet to get there), Human

Birthplace and Birthday: uhh, he’s 17 but idk

Guilty pleasures: people doing his hair?? Touching his hair?? PLAYING WITH HIS HAIR?? good shit

Phobias: GOD he’s afraid of his dad and every male adult in general

What would they be famous for: He likes to sew, so possibly becoming a fashion designer? Or like, your local charismatic tailor that everyone likes and he’s kind of a small town celebrity

What would they get arrested for: hmmm I’m not sure? Probably get wrongly accused of something his brother did (they’re identical twins)

OC you ship them with: no one yet...

OC most likely to murder them: Felix... His bully...

Favorite movie/book genre: Fantasy, such as Chronicles of Narnia, or Horror, like Misery.

Least favorite movie/book cliche: I think the enemies to lovers trope (a/n, I love this trope)

Talents and/or powers: he’s really good at sewing! He really loves it, he loves creating

Why someone might love them: GOD he’s a doll. He’s so nice and kind, soft spoken, just the purest cinnamon roll

Why someone might hate them: He’s perceived as a pushover, and his family is pretty well off, and people don’t really like that, especially his bully Felix, who wants to “put him in his place”

How they change: I haven’t gotten there yet...

Why you love them: he’s just the polar opposite of Oliver (his twin brother), and I love how, despite growing in the same house, Cecil remains a good boy while Oliver becomes icky

🍋

Full name: Annabeth Vargas

Gender and sexuality: Cis female, bicurious

Pronouns: She/Her

Ethnicity/Species: Caucasian, human

Birthplace and Birthday: July 11th, 1998

Guilty pleasures: her boyfriend oml she loves him so much

Phobias: spiders

What would they be famous for: A really respected ballet dancer

What would they get arrested for: she’s already been arrested she is in custody of the STATE

OC you ship them with: Nathan

OC most likely to murder them: Jamie Shope...

Favorite movie/book genre: SHE LOVES STUDIO GHIBLI

Least favorite movie/book cliche: the manic pixie dream girl :/

Talents and/or powers: she dances! Ballet! Really well!

Why someone might love them: she is really kind, even though she can be rude.

Why someone might hate them: She’s rude when she feels threatened. Her mom and step dad taught her that.

How they change: hm spoilers, but uhh she used to be a Hetalia oc

Why you love them: she was my first oc man, she’s like an old friend

💊🌱🌻 and 🍋 for your OCs?

oNE SECOND IM ON MOBILE LEMME GET THE FORMAT