"To be loved means to be consumed. To love means to radiate with inexhaustible light. To be loved is to pass away, to love is to endure"

-Rainer Maria Rilke, Journal of My Other Self

For Fati's @empressofkabukicho belated birthday ❤️

Guzhuang appreciation month: favorite aesthetics

Wei Yanwan + aesthetics

I doubt I’m the first person ever to think about this, but think about how intentional Ruyi was in the last episode about making sure that Qianlong never whitewashes their history. Because she’s seen Hui Guifei, Jia Guifei, and even Chun Guifei in a very similar predicament to her when they were dying — alone and locked in their palace without the emperor’s favor only to have Qianlong posthumously award then even higher titles to seem like their downfall never happened. Empress Xiaoxian, whom Qianlong treated with such disdain and suspicion but he behaved after he died as if he was this devoted husband. Ruyi knows that Qianlong would do the exact same thing when she dies and didn’t want that happen to her.

I don’t think anything really redeems Qianlong TBH, but maybe the only unselfish thing he did was to not whitewash Ruyi’s history with him because he recognized that’s not what she wanted.

I'm sorry. You were trying to help me understand. No, I actually wanted to hurt you. Couldn't bear to see such dumb, beautiful happiness in someone.

POOR THINGS (2023) dir. Yorgos Lanthimos

I don't know why I am

The way I am

Not strong enough to be your man

- Not Strong Enough, boygenius

Legend of Ruyi + Wei Yanwan

The Iranian Regime is going to execute rapper Toomaj Salehi for supporting protests of Jina Amini’s murder by the regime in his songs.

Iranian activist Elica Le Bon says, “Iranians in the diaspora picked up on the fact that the regime tends not to execute people who become known to the international community. We have seen many examples of prisoners that were either released on bail or had their sentences commuted through our “say their names to save their lives” campaign on social media, using hashtags to garner attention for their causes, and even before social media existed, through getting the stories of political prisoners to international media outlets. Once reported on, and once the eyes shift to the regime and the reality of its pending brutality, realizing that the action is not worth the repercussions, we have seen them back down and not execute. For that reason, this is part of an urgent campaign for readers to talk about Toomaj as much as you can, using the hashtag #FreeToomaj or #ToomajSalehi. Every comment makes a difference, and if we were wrong, what did we lose by trying?”

Dorothy Tutin as Anne Boleyn + smiling

requested by anon

Xin Zhilei as Jin Yuyan Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace 如懿传 Ep 28

Hiya! Here's your Daily Reminder to Click for Palestine!

Thank you

Zhen Huan saying "I'm getting old, I need a nap" at the very end is so funny like girlie you're not even 30. But I hope she abuses the hell out of her "official" age being ten years older combined with sexist ageism. Just take naps whenever. Who's gonna question the fragile aging (28-year-old) empress dowager? She deserves all the rest in the world

I see your point and as mahi fan there's definetly a lot of aspects I would've liked to see more fleshed out in Magnificent Century, like Mahidevran's past before meeting Suleyman & some relationships like her friendship with Fidan, with Taslicali, with Ibrahim! or any other lady in Amasya, especially since apparently her historical counterpart befriended a female poet.

That being said, I don't think Mahidevran is that much of written in opposition to Hurrem here, they have their differences but these are not about playing the victim/victimizer roles, that both of them share because they finally got to be three-dimensional characters (with many writting flaws sometimes, but still). The show makes it pretty clear that the thing that made their paths different was Suleyman's love (& lack of), for which both sultanas were ready to get bloody, so not black & white morals either. They also don't play into the madonna/whore complex at all to me. And while I think there's some moments in which Mahidevran's character is sacrificed for Hurrem to shine, especially in their s1&2's fights, it still isn't enough to say she's just a character in her rival's story. Mahidevran is a protagonist of her own story in most of the series & I'd say she stops being it in s4 & part of s3, when she's mostly a part of Mustafa's story, her development & relationships that have nothing to do with Hurrem are a proof of this.

Of course, Mahidevran isn't as central for MC as Hurrem but well, we have to keep in mind this is a show about Suleyman's reign with a focus in his love story with his wife, the plots coming from the harem & later the war for the throne, so I think the screentime they gave her is fair. Would I have liked more? Absolutly, so I agree I'd love to see a story where she is the protagonist! I just think that didn't happen (outside of some fanfics) because she's just not as much of an outstanding & controversial historical figure as Hurrem is. You still can do lot of things with her as a part of the main cast or as a secondary character, and I think MC did a good work with it, Hurrem 2003 tried to do something but as Plami said, they didn't even get to explore their main character properly, and well... Roksolana's Mahidevran is there. I still have to check other Mahis, but yeah, to the moment no one made a version of her that's impactful enough as Nur's Mahi, and to me the very fact I still think about how cool it would be to know more about her means they -at least- created a very interesting character from an historical woman very little is known of.

head empty except the all consuming thoughts on how Mahidevran is done dirty in every single adaptation

Watch

c.1900

Indianapolis Museum of Art (Accession Number: 73.70.38)

Ivan the Terrible and His Son (1883) // Muhteşem Yüzyıl (2011 - 2014)

Legend of Ruyi + Bai Ruiji

Dong Jie as Fuca Langhua Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace 如懿传 Episode 8