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ladyandherbooks · 1 year

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Why You Shouldn't Be Worried About Runaan, Lain and Tiadrin's Return

Over the last few weeks I have seen many people being excited and happy for the return of Runaan, Lain and Tiadrin in the next season or 2. However I have also seen some people being very worried, believing that they cannot truly return and that freeing the 3 of them will only result in them being allowed to pass on into the afterlife.

So if you are one of those people allow me to reassure and convince you that this is will not happen and that everything is pointing towards a happy and permanent reunion.

Reason 1: Runaan's bound arm

Back in season 1 we saw the assassins bind themselves with magical ribbons that will not unbind until a target has been killed. Runaan and Rayla were the only survivors of this squad and see them both dealing with the tightening of the 2nd still bound ribbon. And while Rayla managed to get hers removed by Zym, Runaan still has his attached and even goes into the coin with his arm still bound.

This is important as the writers and animators would not have kept him bound if this was not going to be an important story point later.

And yes we did see the other assassins still bound in the afterlife and that they lost their final bindings after they saw Rayla has lost hers and believed that Ezran was dead. However the situation with Runaan is going to be very different because he isn't dead and because it may tie to another important plot point for Runaan.

2) Runaan's Future

In the Bloodmoon Huntress we get some important insight into Runaan's feelings towards his choice to become an assassin.

He has doubts about his decision to take on this role and it's duties and these will definitely be brought back into the story when he does return. This will also tie back into my first point about Runaan's binding as he could potentially lose his arm as there may no longed be any loophole that can save him as Zym is possibly too big to take it off safely.

This loss of a limb will definitely make Runaan question his future and what he wants to do now he has been freed.

And even if he does manage to keep his arm his role as an assassin may no longer be needed for this peaceful and unified Xadia that many are trying to achieve. These doubts and guilt that he canonically feels were not brought up on a whim and will be a major part of his arc once he has been freed.

3) Why aren't they dead yet?

It would have been very easy to to kill these 3. Lain and Tiadrin were frozen in ice and Runaan was chained to a dungeon wall. All were at Viren's mercy and he could have killed them easily but he didn't. They are still here, alive with canon evidence to back this up

Did Runaan's flower sink? Yes but pay attention to what Rayla said. It's still floating and the crystal is still glowing which means he still alive.

Another thing to consider is this line from Claudia in the season 4 finale.

If Runaan, Lain and Tiadrin were indeed just spirits and therefore dead in these coins then the lava should not be able to hurt them in the way that Claudia describes. Her theorising about some kind of extreme pain that the 3 of them could potentially endure could only truly happen if they still were alive. Lava couldn't hurt them if they were just spirits, it just wouldn't.

4) Rayla's reaction

Rayla is relieved, hopeful and overjoyed to have a chance to save and reunite. They aren't going to take that opportunity away from her and Ethari by sending them on a quest that will ultimately only end up in them saying goodbye to their spirits as their family leaves for the afterlife.

This would not only devastate fans but would 100% break the both of them in a way that they may never be able to recover. This storyline would also go against all the messages of love and hope that the show shares and champions.

5) Callum and Ezran

Runaan killed Harrow or at the very least Pip in Harrow's body. Callum and Ezran are now orphans and have spent the last 2 years trying to create peace betwen the 2 halves of Xadia.

Runaan returning and the quest to free him and Rayla's parents will definitely bring up some very complicated feelings for the pair of them, especially Callum who's feelings towards Runaan have already been introduced.

Callum has understandably, very complicated thoughts and feelings towards Runaan they would not have been brought up twice in the last year or so if they weren't going to be directly addressed and resolved. And you cannot achieve this with Runaan being a spirit, you need him alive and physically present in order to address this. And they will address it, because the pain is still there and because if they don't it will just fester and will affect the relationships that Rayla has with both Runaan and Callum. There is no way that Callum and Ezran can heal and move on and there is no way that Rayla and Callum will truly be able to be together if it isn't.

6) The Bloodmoon Huntress

Towards the end of the Bloodmoon Huntress we get this line from her:

"Be warned. Cross my path again and you'll see the full extent of what I can do."

"This I vow on Xadia herself." (Bloodmoon Huntress page 116)

We also get these line a few pages later about her return in the future.

Runaan: She will enchant another altar, I'm sure. But it will take her time and effort. Yet another thing to slow her down from returning to full power. (Bloodmoon Huntress page 119)

At this point in the story they have weakened her by injuring her, denying her the blood she craves and by destroying the altar that she uses for her Bloodmoon rituals.

She is also a very powerful and dangerous elf with a personal connection and feud with 3 important characters in Xadia, one of which is 1 of the show's main characters. There is a good chance that she will show up again in the show so that her feud with the Moon family can be resolved and that she, perhaps the second most dangerous and powerful elf in Xadia can be stopped once and for all.

And there you have it, all the hints and clues that have been established that point towards a happy and permanent Moon family reunion. I hope that this has reassured and convinced anyone that is worried about their fates that there is nothing to be worried about. They're coming back just wait and see.

#tdp #Moon family #Runaan #Rayla #Ethari #Lain #Tiadrin

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katelynsimpsince2016 · 1 year

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(My interpretation of Laurence is a very mild projection, I do know it’s not that solid if we’re going purely off canon.)

Garroth feels responsible and guilty for obvious reasons. Aaron died to save him, costing Aphmau her husband and Alina her father. And now Laurence is also gone, making him Aphmau’s (and by extension Alina’s) main guard. He is literally responsible for them but he also feels an obligation to take care of Alina because well, Aaron’s gone because of him. If it weren’t for Aaron getting him and Zane out of the irene dimension, Aaron would be there taking care of the both of them.

Laurence is very fond of children and because of his childhood, he’s naturally protective over them, especially over kids he thinks are his responsibility. He feels no differently about Lilth Garnet and Aphmau’s baby, but at the same time, the calling amplifies his jealousy and anger, making him resent them. So when he finally reaches his boiling over point and is faced with the options of risking hurting Aphmau, orphaning Lilith again, and killing a defenseless child who hasn’t even been born yet or leaving as fast as he can, he takes the latter. As much as he wishes he could meet Alina and be there to help and keep them safe, he doesn’t regret leaving because he knows it’s the best option. He can’t hurt them if he’s not around them. (Very much Never Love An Anchor vibes. “And you’ll never see the reasons I had for keeping my claws away when they were close enough to hurt you.”)

THISTHISTHIS. you are spot on !!

i totally agree with your interpretation of laurance’s relationship with alina and lilith. one part of him wants to get to know them and protect them but another part of him resents them and knows that he might hurt them if he got too close. i think he would struggle to be around alina especially as she obviously looks alike to aphmau and aaron. whenever he sees her,, he can only see them and it reminds him that aph chose aaron over him. that he wasn’t enough. alina is a constant reminder of the enigma that was aaron and it just causes a lot of complicated feelings for him.

when it comes to garroth i also think pretty similarly. he feels a great obligation to protect alina and lilith as he feels in debt to aaron. a man he barely knew,, only knowing through what others told him,, but does whatever he can to keep the two of them safe.

i also think he would become a parental figure for alina specifically once she gets older as he would be the main male figure in her life. in a post-shad world i assume aphmau wouldn’t be in the picture anymore as that’s what i kind of inferred from the events of mystreet season 6. alina would more so consider garroth her father than aaron because he was actually there. she knows that on a biological level aaron is her true dad but garroth was the one who protected her,, cared for her,, raised her. garroth would have very messy feelings about this. on one hand he understands why she views him as her parental figure and he just wants to make her happy. but on the other hand he’s very scared to take the role of a father and doesn’t wish to disrespect aaron

#that went on a bit of ramble at the end lol but i love love talking about garroth and alina’s relationship #messy father daughter relationships are my jam #also i kind of left lilith out in this a bit i haven’t thought about her much #will do soon !!#aphblr #aphmau #aphverse #minecraft diaries #aphmau minecraft diaries #garroth ro'meave #laurance zvhal

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twotangledsisters · 10 months

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🔮, 📺, and 🌙 for the ask game?

🔮- Something you wish had happened in the series?

This I could write suuuch a long list for!

So, without going too deep into stuff that I wish had happened to fix other mistakes... I wish we'd had an episode digging into Eugene's past.

I know we got extra backstory in regards to the Dark Kingdom but honestly, first time watching I thought it was stupid, felt like they wanted Eugene to be a prince for the sake of prince and princess because they never did enough with it for it to be worth it for me.

Now, I love it a lot more now but because of what the fandom did with it and not what the show did.

But I wanted an orphanage backstory! I wanted to know about orphan Eugene! I wanted to see a little Eugene and understand what had led him to become Flynn Rider. We got so many 'to survive on the street' and similar quotes, but I wanted to see it! I wanted to know!

I just feel like so much of Eugene's backstory we're guessing and that seems like such a shame when we got a three season show, so much time to give us more!

Honestly, there are other characters I wished we got more backstory for too but, Eugene and Lance I definitely was wishing for the most!

📺- Another show you’d like to see have a cross over with Tangled?

This one I've never ever thought about... What Disney shows are there?

You know what, Little Mermaid!

But not Ariel, some other side characters! Mermaids are confirmed in tangled, so why not? The Little Mermaid animated show holds a special place in my heart, show us some random character from that show only a handful of people would recognize and not believe their eyes. It'd be great!

🌙- Favorite Moon Character? (E.g Cass, Varian, Eugene.)

Well, boring as it may be, Cass is my fave for moon characters, Eugene coming in at a close second! And then Rapunzel in AUs third.

Although I'm not a fan of all the writing choices behind Cass' villain arc, her being the 'moon' holds a special place in my heart. Even when acquiring so much power, she's still second to the sun, still only shining with the light she reflects off the sun... The symbolism is soooo good! And she just gets so happy bouncing around with the stones. I can't help but enjoy that. Crossing the line is a song I hold close to my heart after 'waiting in the wings' tried its best to break it.

But of course, Eugene close second because the sun and moon imagery with New Dream! Plus, all Moon-Eugene fics have such amazing explorations of Dark Kingdom stuff and the drama! No matter what the reason he acquired it I can assure you there is one type of drama or other.

And Rapunzel in an AU setting, mostly just the aesthetic but there's also something very appealing about Rapunzel's gentle upbeat personality holding the power of destruction, you know?

Anyway, hope these answers were satisfactory! They were a lot of fun to think about so thanks a ton for the ask!

#ask answered #ask game

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dairy-farmer · 1 year

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Hi! I love reading your work 😊. I have an idea 😃. Imagine Tim as a gold-digger. He's always been more into being filthy rich with practically no work. He loves being rich!! And then his mommy and daddy die and he can't access the trust-fund until he's 18. He can't handle that!! He's so used to expensive things, he doesn't want to eat cheap frozen meals you heat up in the microwave and drink alcohol from convenience stores!! So he decides, (Jason doesn't die here please 🥺) he's gonna bag a wayne (adoption or boyfriend, either way he is happy.) Or he'll trade his secret for a life of lavish.

no because listen if tim were only SLIGHTLY more selfish a lot of the bad things that happened to him would've never have occurred. tim is a very out-of-the-box thinker with a rich determination and a dedication to seeing things through. if he didn't have such a heart of gold he'd have lived a very different life and honestly tim could've been a very spoiled child (maybe he is in some ways that we don't see?). at 14 both his parents die and he has just enough ingenuity to fake a drafted will in his father's office about an uncle who will care for him. and tim's dad and lawyer had always been very close so even though the will isn't enforceable they put tim in the custody of his 'uncle' rather than the state.

but there is no uncle. and what little money tim found around the house and that he had tucked away will run out.

tim knows he won't survive until 18 with his usual standard of living (if he sticks to cheap boxed mac and drinks filtered water he'll make it but he'd rather DIE than do that).

tim knows he's pretty. he has a cute eyes and a nice voice and while his parents were out of gotham he'd sneak boys back to the house every other day.

tim would pick boys from the 'other side of the tracks' boys fucked hard, fucked fast, and bossed tim around because they loved riding the high of fucking some little future socialite and getting their dirty paws all over them.

gotham academy boys all loved to brag and the last thing tim wanted for the rumor mill to spit out that he was a slut that banged a different boy each week.

what could tim say?

he liked the way cock felt hammering into his little pussy.

tim doesn't mourn his parents in the typical fashion. he's sorry to see them go, he misses them fiercely but at the end of the day they'd never really known tim. and he hadn't known them.

tim was sure if they were still around they'd be in support of his endeavors. they'd always wanted the best for tim. indulged him and provided for him in ways most people could only dream of.

tim knows they loved him. as distant as they may have been. tim knows they wanted to provide for him and make sure he lived and safe and comfortable life, that much was evident from the amount of zeros sitting in a trust for him.

all he had to do to revel in that love was survive until 18 without giving up the life he'd grown used to.

tim was a little spoiled he knew that. you don't get used to the finer things in life and NOT come out a little spoiled.

if anyone could attest to that it was the waynes whose lavish and luxary never failed to astonish even the most seasoned socialite.

waynes.

well now there was an idea.

bruce wayne was still a bachelor. he had a son that lived outside the city that rumors said he was estranged from. he had another son that went to tim's school. jason todd. tim had heard rumors about him, he'd been a hot button topic when he'd been adopted.

but he was also a loner- he didn't even participate in afterschool extracurriculars.

tim has the beginning of a plan of an idea. he's a sad, poor (very poor) little orphan who is only scraping by with the yearly payout to his "uncle" for his care. he's a very pretty, sad little orphan with the best pussy the east of gotham.

tim knows that if his mother and father were around they'd smack him over the head and scold him to high heavens for even thinking of being a good-for-nothing golddigger.

but tim's in a sinking boat.

and if being a good-for-nothing is what we'll get him out of his leaking raft and onto the yacht passing by- he'll do it.

#anonymous #asks #answered asks

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nobodysdaydreams · 1 year

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I love the “Curtain/Nathaniel Benedict goes from scary villain to the society’s weird uncle” arc, but may I present the “They were family all along whether they realized it or not” theory:

What’s crazy to me about the show’s version of Nathaniel Benedict/L.D. Curtain is that despite his evil intention and manipulations, he, in a weird toxic way, has always actually cared about the kids. Obviously there’s the scene where Reynie says that he knows that despite everything Dr. Curtain cares about his son, which is the point in his speech when Nathaniel asked Reynie to stop talking because he felt a narcoleptic attack coming. But I don’t think it was just SQ that Nathaniel cared about. I think in some twisted way he cared about the other four kids too and might have even considered or thought of considering them family before season 2. (warning, long post, but hear me out).

Reynie/Sticky- Besides Sticky and Reynie the only other person we see Curtain have those weird manipulative dinners with is Garrison, who he describes as his “friend” (despite his obvious manipulations). Granted, maybe he does those fake-friend dinner manipulations to a lot of executives/messengers/employees and we just don’t see it on screen, but it’s never implied that he treats Jackson, Jillson, Jeffers, Marlon, or even Martina that way, and she was the top student at the institute. Martina also tells the boys that no one has ever made messenger as quickly as they have. Additionally, Curtain favored Reynie a lot before he realized Reynie was resisting the whisperer and thought Reynie was only trying to befriend his son to get ahead. Before that he gives Reynie and SQ speeches about other people trying to take advantage of/betray you and treats them very similarly. Curtain even tells Reynie that “he had limitless plans for him”. He also ends up favoring Sticky more than anyone. Curtain might have sent Sticky to the waiting room but that was before he became a messenger. And when Curtain hears Sticky’s greatest fear for the first time, his empathy and concern were genuine. Even when he finds out Sticky is working with Reynie, he still begs Sticky to get back into the whisperer even though he could just get another kid.

Kate- They make a point of showing that Curtain is impressed with the answers Reynie and Kate gave in class when he first meets them. Additionally, we see Curtain dismisses and mocks nearly every request brought to him by a student/employee regardless of who it is. So why would he listen to Martina and save Kate from being barged to (of all things) play tetherball which in no way helps with his plan? Curtain would likely not know the names of all students and leave that to administration, only monitoring the names of top students he’d use as messengers. Martina speaking with him was probably the first time he made the connection that his ex-possible friend/employee’s daughter was at the school. Regardless, it’s still the only time he listens to and respects input from a student/employee and on a surface level, it seems random and out of character.

Constance- He doesn’t do much with Constance other than comment on her psychic abilities at the end of season 1, but he’s still impressed with her power. If they stick to the books, he was also aware that an orphan psychic child existed that could mess with his plans and was at some point trying to locate her.

But more to the point: Why would Curtain favor the majority of the society like that? Is it really just because of their talent/usefulness/personal connections? We don’t get a lot of details on what Curtain wanted to use the children for besides starting the emergency, but honestly, as crazy as it sounds, I think he was planning to adopt them at various points in time. Curtain’s adopted SQ, so we know he’s adopted his ex-employees’ child before and might have tried to do so with Kate, but something went wrong and he couldn’t track her down until he found out she was back at the institute. (I don’t know if he would have still considered adopting Kate or maybe even all the children after sweeping them, but book Curtain swept SQ’s memories and show Curtain used dangerous fake happiness to get his brother back so it’s not totally outside the realm of possibility). Also, as far as Curtain knows, Reynie and Sticky are orphans around the age he and Nicholas were when they were looking to be adopted which is why he projects the conflict he had with Nicholas so strongly onto them (though he switches which one he views as himself in the situation). Even when he realizes Sticky betrayed him, he still begs Sticky to join him, stating that he doesn’t need Sticky, but wants Sticky to be a part of this, that he recognizes that Sticky is incredibly gifted (which goes with Sticky’s fear of not being wanted and Curtain’s already visibly upset at this point. Maybe even more sad than angry you can see he’s almost crying). As for Constance, her being a psychic child Curtain was looking for makes the “that little girl is psychic, I should have anticipated that” line make more sense because Nathaniel, on the verge of completing the emergency, was probably thinking to himself “See Nicky? I never needed you anyway. Soon I’ll have the world. And my own family” but after discovering his ex-employee’s kid, and the two orphaned messengers he connected with work for his brother is now thinking “Ugh, at this point Nicky probably has that psychic child too. Wait, that actually would explain how she destroyed my machine. Oh… of course. Of course Nicholas has every other special child I’ve ever looked for (besides SQ). Because Nicky always gets everything, doesn’t he?”.

Also: Curtain hates betrayal, especially when he feels like it’s from someone he actually did trust or care about. That’s why Curtain is so eager to sweep Milligan again, to get control over and admiration from his brother, to make Reynie squirm when he thinks he’s the spy, to brain sweep Kate, to put Sticky under artificial happiness and to “treat them without mercy”: because in his eyes, they betrayed and hurt him first, and they deserve what they get. Yet even in Season 2, when the children are his enemies, he still insists on calling them a society. Yes, he is trying to destroy them, but he also on some level recognizes that these children deserve admiration. This might be because maybe, despite his evil intentions, Curtain saw the same special thing his brother saw in these children and a big reason he is wants to destroy them is because he actually cared about them before he realized they were against him and is now so determined make them pay because of their loyalty and connection to Nicholas, his ultimate betrayer.

However, despite Curtain’s anger over Nicholas’ betrayal and all the horrible things Curtain has done to Nicholas, deep down, Nathaniel still cares deeply about him and wants his brother back, which is seen when he has a complete breakdown when Nicholas freezes. He is also distressed when Constance freezes, though it is more subtle (probably because others were in the room), but when she wakes up, Nathaniel looks genuinely relieved, is holding back tears, and unconsciously starts walking forward when he see them hugging each other. You can tell he wants to be a part of their family, and in a way, through their connection to Nicholas, he always has been. This is an interesting contrast to book Curtain who hates it when Nicholas calls himself his brother and uses the children as a means to an end, whereas show Curtain seems to really want and need that family relationship, but is struggling to obtain it in a healthy way. I’ve made like 50 posts already speculating what Nathaniel as their redeemed uncle would look like, so I won’t beat a dead horse but by golly is that the direction I hope they take this.

#long post oops #sorry I just have many thoughts on this storyline but I noticed this and I was like #wait… did … did Curtain possibly consider adopting members of the society in this version?#because the few clues we have about his character do point in that direction to a degree #AU where Sticky is overcome by the whisperer and gets adopted by Curtain?#AU where Kate is successfully adopted by Curtain after Milligan is swept? Or maybe after Curtain brainsweeps her?#AU where Curtain finds and adopts Constance and uses her to enhance the whisperer?#mysterious benedict society #the mysterious benedict society #tmbs #tmbs disney #tmbs season 3 #mbs season 2 #mbs season 1 #mbs season 3 #mbs disney #mbs #mbs s2 #nathaniel benedict #nicholas benedict #reynie muldoon #sticky washington #kate wetherall #constance contraire #ledroptha curtain #mr curtain #mr. curtain #dr curtain

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wordsandrobots · 2 years

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IBO reference notes on . . . character parallels and counterpoints

Spoilers for everything, warning for references to child abuse and other unpleasantness

Iron-Blooded Orphans is obviously chock full of parallels, similar situations repeating at different times and levels of society, under different circumstances, with different degrees of desperation. Some of this is prefigurative, in the way that tragedies are structured so you can see the disaster coming. Some of it is merely reinforcing the omnipresence of the series' themes.

It is also full of things that counterpoint those parallels, despite appearing superficially similar, throwing the themes into sharper relief by the contrast.

I wanted to get my thoughts in order about a couple sets of character parallels that form the core of the story.

Spears, axes and swords: Mikazuki, Ein and Julieta

Mikazuki Augus, as we know, is utterly devoted to Orga Itsuka, hanging on his every word and doing anything he says without hesitation. Orga uses him as a weapon, in pursuit of a dream of happiness, never stopping or backing down because he's got Mika at his side.

Except, this is almost precisely backwards. Mika is devoted to Orga and the dream Orga promised him, but in actuality, Orga hasn't got a clue what that dream actually looks like and is mostly trying to make Mika's dreams come true. Mika heads steadily towards what he wants do – be a farmer – while Orga only ever runs from what he has in the moment. And though Mika outsources his morality and decisions with no complaints, Orga is driven half-crazy by trying to live up to the impossible pedestal Mika has put him on. He's terrified by how far Mika will go, knowing Mika literally won't let him stop, and in this lies the root of everything that goes wrong for Tekkadan.

It is this dynamic that we see reflected in Ein Dalton and Gaelio Bauduin's arc throughout season one. Ein forms an explicit parallel to Mika: a low-born (half-)Martian, reliant on the orders of authority figures, ultimately surrendering to machine augmentation in order to win. They even get near-identical dialogue, variants on “What shall we do now, Orga/Specialist Major?” Crucially, like Mika, Ein is the one in the dynamic with the definite dream in need of fulfilling. While Gaelio gets his pride hurt by being trounced every time he tries to fight Tekkadan, pursuing them is just his job. It's Ein who is obsessed with revenge on Mika for killing Lieutenant Crank and the moral pretext of that obsession slowly drags Gaelio into its orbit.

Interestingly, Gaelio only ever displays admiration for Ein, with none of the fear lurking behind Orga's similar praise for Mika's determination and strength. For Gaelio, Ein is an exemplar of dedication the likes of which he has never seen before in an organisation populated by schemers and toadies. From his lofty position in society, he waxes poetic about Ein's positive qualities and has his world-view shifted by coming to understand what it is like to be an outsider in Gjallarhorn. Ein really does make him a better person.

But that admiration also blinds Gaelio to how over-zealous and misguided Ein is. He cannot see the things he should be wary of in his new friend. I think, as a character, he is capable of doing so – it tracks with what is established about him that he'd one day have a moment of realisation to the effect of 'I've fallen in love with a nutcase'. This being a tragedy, however, that moment is denied to him until it is far too late.

Ein dies raving to an indifference audience. For all their similarities, Mika cannot comprehend what Ein is talking about and so has no chance to end things peacefully, if de-escalation is even something he were capable of (it absolutely is not; have you seen this kid?). Ironic, given where Mika himself ends up – another parallel, though I imagine most people reading this will have more sympathy for our protagonist than his season one nemesis. And certainly Ein is the villain here. He embraces Gjallarhorn as a way to accrue the power denied him as a colonial citizen, turning on his fellow Martians and showing not one shred of compassion for their equally (if not more) dire situation. This is despicable. But I can't help feeling sorry for him anyway, or for Gaelio in lacking Orga's clarity on precisely what kind of person has latched to his side.

With Ein off the table and rebuilt into another piece of furniture for season two, his spot on the antagonists' roster is taken in an approximate sense by Julieta Juris. For several reasons, she initially appears to be another straight parallel to Mika.

First, she is more or less explicitly a child soldier. Ein can be hand-waved as being at least a sensible age for joining the army; Julieta is clearly either very young or very immature to be holding the position she does. Second, she's a supremely gifted pilot. Ein is merely dogged until he gets wired into a mobile suit; Julieta is actually capable of giving Mika a run for his money in her own right. Third, like Mika, she is written as being somewhat off in her social interactions. She relates to people atypically compared to those around her, showing both inappropriate candidness and misinterpreting things people say. Plus there's the whole 'how does this butterfly taste' moment.

(When I say this, I mean it's used in the story to convey that she's weird. Obviously there's an ickiness in this usage, one neither unique to this show nor something I feel qualified to discuss in depth there. But it's worth noting 'being off' is part of Ein's characterisation too, just hidden better until he gets incarnated as a giant red-eyed robot and his obsessiveness goes into overdrive.)

The key difference separating Julieta from Mikazuki lies in her relationship to Rustal Elion. Like Mika, Julieta devotes herself to someone else's cause, killing and suffering for it. But unlike Mika, for Julieta, it really is a case of having no dream of her own. As Amida highlights when they fight, there is an emptiness to Julieta's devotion to Elion. When Mika gives everything he has to Orga, it's out of a sincere belief Orga really can take him to the place where everyone is happy. I don't think anything Mika does makes sense if that's not what he honestly thinks. But for Julieta, following Elion is simply payback for being lifted out of a life of impoverishment. She knows – by the end of the series, if not before – that he isn't the kind of honourable adult she once imagined him to be. Yet she remains at his side, still assuming he knows best.

Compare this to the breakdown in Mika's demeanour when he thinks Orga might go back on his word. I could be wrong, but I think that's the only time in the entire series when Mika raises his voice. It's certainly the most outwardly emotional he gets. He near-on attacks Orga over the prospect of giving up. Of course he does. The dream Orga gave him, that he shaped for himself into a vision of being a farmer, peacefully raising crops, is something he fiercely wants to happen, for him and everyone else. Whenever he asks Orga what to do next, it's always with that goal in mind.

Julieta, meanwhile, merely waits for the next order. For all her talk of honing herself into the sharpest sword Elion has, she expresses very little interest in what she will be used for. Her devotion is the entire focus of her life and it prevents her from really growing as a person, no matter that she is more capable of interrogating and questioning the world around her than most of Tekkaan.

In their final confrontation, she can't understand why Mika keeps on fighting when it's hopeless, despite having shown a similar disregard for her own life in past battles. And I think that speaks to a sense in which she really can't conceptualise life without Elion's instruction. Mika chooses to carry Orga's vision forward after losing him because in all the most important respects, it was already his. I'm not sure Julieta could do likewise.

In summary, then, Ein provides a parallel to how Mika actually exists in his relationship to Orga, while Julieta provides one to how it appears. Julieta is utterly subservient to someone else's ambitions, while both Mika and Ein are by far the more influential halves of their respective relationships.

Hollow kings: Orga, McGillis and Elion

As I said above, Orga, bless him, hasn't got a clue what he's doing. He desperately wants something better for himself and his friends, but can't ever quite articulate what 'better' should be. We see him latch on to a series of different possibilities: the First Group, a family, a Teiwaz subsidiary, the people backing Kudelia's cause, kings of Mars. Each one of these comes from someone else and each one is a wavering mirage, always just past the next battle.

There's no insincerity in what Orga does, mind you. He is easily one of the most open hearted characters in the series, having no gear between 'indifferent you exist' and 'I would bend heaven to get you the stars on a plate.' Orga wants more than anything to give Tekkadan decent lives, where they'll never have to go back to the nothing they had before. Sadly, he's also the ultimate short-term planner, constantly revising where he's headed and letting others dazzle him into different conceptions of who he and Tekkadan should be. With the loss of one voice of reason after another, it's inevitable that things go off the rails.

One of those people telling him what he should be is the guy who, by rights, ought to be the main villain of IBO: McGillis Fareed. At first, McGillis is set up as a traditional Gundam enemy, manipulating both sides of the conflict for his own gain while wearing some funky headgear. He masterminds the deaths of several close friends, the obliteration of his adoptive father's plans and installs himself as one of the leaders of Gjallarhorn. You would be forgiven for thinking him Orga's counterpoint: the man with a solid goal who lies to everyone around him, manipulating without any genuine feeling at all.

Except, when we finally get his backstory, we discover that it's his smug, manipulative persona that is the act, carefully built over a life of poverty and sexual abuse. McGillis is, beneath the smarm and chess-mastery, exactly the same as Orga. A kid from the streets, running away from nothing, taking every chance he can get to become stronger and safer. As a result, everything he says to Tekkadan is absolutely, one hundred percent true.

I'm going to say that again for those at the back because this is absolutely crucial to everything to do with McGillis: he means everything he says about how inspiring and remarkable Tekkadan are. From the very first time he sees Barbatos in action, McGillis is enamoured with the idea this bunch of Martian kids can change the world, because that would mean that he can do the same thing. He is flat out in love with how Mikazuki fights and I honestly think he would have done everything he could to make Orga king of Mars if they'd won.

Which is plainly absurd. Thinking one group of mercenaries, no matter how talented, would tip the balance of power is as nuts as thinking the whole of Gjallarhorn would follow him for the sake of an old myth. It's a child's logic.

And, well . . . of course it is. See, Orga had Mika to help him through the misery of his early life. Whatever the horrible, terrible, not good outcomes of their co-dependency, Orga and Mika do genuinely care for one another. They drive each other forward in large part because of how much the other matters to them. But McGillis never had anyone like that. He was always alone, forced to fight only for his own survival.

Until, one day, he read a book.

If Orga has Mika than, bizarre as it sounds, McGillis has Agnika Kaieru, founder of Gjallarhorn and presumed Ars Goetia enthusiast. More precisely, he has whatever heavily editorialised version found its way into the official history. Sneaking out of his abuser's bed in the middle of the night, he comes across this text and it changes everything. Suddenly he realises that someone like him, with no one to rely on, can still reshape the world if he gains enough power. In that book, he finds his inspiration and a dream to chase.

Is that dream any more well-formed than Orga's? Certainly McGillis is capable of long-term planning. He wanted Bael since he was twelve and he gets it, finally becoming one with his hero. But what were the next steps? What did restoring Gjallarhorn to its original glory look like? He's very vague on the details, never committing to an actual description of what will change past him being king of the world. I suspect the truth is, he no more knows than Orga knows what 'that place' where he and Mika can belong will be like. These are two characters escaping horrible presents by aiming for the idea of somewhere else, be it an imagined future or an imagined past.

For the true counterpoint to these would-be kings, we have to turn to the man who actually does end up as king: Rustal Elion. Now, Elion spends much of his screen-time calling McGillis 'power mad' or some variation thereof, which is ironic given everything Elion does is in the name of preserving a status quo in which he is one of the most powerful people in the world. I say ironic, what I really mean is: fucking aristocrats, man. I've explored how I think Elion sees the world in fan-fic, but to summarise, he's your typical colonial officer, dressing brutality up in terms of the way things ought to be while showing nothing but contempt for anyone who dares disrupt an unjust order. He doesn't aim for dreams; he aims for exactly what he already has, with all the unequalled force at his command.

Orga and McGillis are actors, both less than they appear, constantly favouring how they think they should present themselves over who they actually are. In Orga's case, this manifests as trying to be like Naze and the other besuited big shots in Teiwaz, a no-nonsense boss who can make the tough calls. He feels he has to be, for everyone else's sake. He hides away his doubt and his uncertainty, his desperate longing for someone to please tell him what he's supposed to do, even though he has plenty of people around him who would be willing to help. McGillis starts out playing the roll of diligent son and dedicated officer, slowly revealing the ambition beneath. Only, that ambition itself seems more aspiration than truth: it's what he wants to become, the ideal he plucked out of mythology, and it shakes in the light of actually having people who give a damn about him. A poor boy with a storybook, his loneliness is how he defines himself and winning will only matter if he does it alone. He can't face the idea that might not be possible.

But Elion is exactly what he looks like: the consummate pragmatist, supremely comfortable in his position as a leader. Moreover, he's good at being what he is in a way McGillis and Orga can only dream of. Lethally stupid though he and this comment are, Iok has a point when he remarks on the fact Elion plans of what happens after the battle. Of course he does. He can see the big picture, divorced from the pressures that make it hard for others to grasp or do anything about.

I think that's why it doesn't trouble me overmuch that Elion swerves unexpectedly into democratisation in the epilogue. This is a man who will do anything to preserve his authority, including starting wars and breaking ancient weapons bans. A little adjustment to the existing system, introducing homeopathic traces of what McGillis claimed he was after, that leaves Elion on top, doesn't seem especially contradictory given the circumstances at the end of the series.

Because ultimately, Orga and McGillis are chasing ideals that they've shaped their entire sense of self around. They have to play those parts, not because the alternative is unthinkable but because they've lived it and it sucked. Orga has to give his family everything. McGillis has to be the singular great man of history. Anything else is a lethal failure. Elion has the luxury to reshape himself as events required. He can go from bombing children from orbit to signing a slavery abolition treaty because these are equally minimal costs in the service of keeping his big fancy chair.

If Julieta is an empty vessel of devotion in comparison to Mika, then Elion is the perfect inverse of Orga for her to attach herself to.

Concluding note: It's all in the presentation

Like my previous character interpretation, I don't really have a point to make here beyond that I find it interesting how this plays out over the series and, well, this is how I read what's shown on screen. All acts of reading or viewing are in part hallucinations, filling in what is not said outright, and I don't know for sure to what extent anything I have constructed here was intended.

That said, there are clear deliberate motifs that recur throughout the comparisons I'm drawing. The most blatantly obvious is Mika and Orga, Ein and Gaelio, and Julieta and Elion all consist of a short person in a (seemingly) subordinate role to a taller one. Then we have things like the way Elion and Orga both favour a coat worn over their shoulders when directing battles, and the way McGillis and Orga use their hair to obscure their faces at certain points. There are constant similarities in how one side of each relationship addresses the other, with the overarching theme of what it means to 'give everything you've got', and echoes of Orga's concern for Mika's deterioration in how Elion treats Julieta or Gaelio's fear for Ein after his injuries. And I think it telling that Orga and McGillis both meet ignoble, anticlimactic fates, the one succeeding with his aim as best he can, the other having it stripped away from him, piece by piece.

A parallel in a story is often more to show the tyranny of small differences than anything else. Switch any of these characters around and they might have done the same as the person they swapped with. Even those I raise as counterpoints are perhaps only so because of how they lived. It's a neat trick, evoking the tragedy that comes from missed understanding. And I personally think IBO pulls it off very, very well.

Other reference posts include:

IBO reference notes on … Gjallarhorn (Part 1)

IBO reference notes on … Gjallarhorn (Part 2)

IBO reference notes on … Gjallarhorn (corrigendum) [mainly covering my inability to recognise mythical wolves]

IBO reference notes on … three key Yamagi scenes

IBO reference notes on … three key Shino scenes

IBO reference notes on … three key Eugene scenes

IBO reference notes on … three key Ride scenes

IBO reference notes on … the tone of the setting

IBO reference notes on … a perfect villain

IBO reference notes on … Iron-Blooded Orphans: Gekko

IBO reference notes on … an act of unspeakable cruelty

IBO reference notes on … original(ish) characters [this one is mainly fanfic]

IBO reference notes on … Kudelia’s decisions

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oswlld · 1 year

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Eight (8) Shows to Get to Know Me

tagged by @talays-portkey ♥ ty for tagging me and having me walk down memory lane for the past few days (spent too much time in all the tags microdosing on my upbringing)

DISCLAIMER: i wanted to showcase defining eras in my life/made an impact in a substantial way; i’m also recommending an ep to watch with each one, which isn’t part of the tag format but imma do it

i. LOST (2004-2010)

this was my whole world for my entire hs existence and into my early college years. half of the shows listed here stems from my first love of the ensemble cast, their interwoven yet clandestine storylines, and the mystery box. at my first sdcc, half of the cast was present when they debuted p1 of the series finale (you’d think i was dead the whole time fksfsk;lv)

the jessi special: The Constant (04x05)

ii. Fringe (2008-2013)

yes, i faithfully followed jj abrams into another insane show. i think it actually altered my brain chemistry, rewired something in me, devoured a piece of me. once LOST was over and Fringe brought in the alternate universe, i dove in head first and never resurfaced

the jessi special: Making Angels (04x11)

iii. Doctor Who (2005-Present)

i think it was technically winter 2010 when i started binging this show because s6 was my first time catching it live (was young and naïve, i caught it on bbca lol) ive been on hellsite for almost two years at the time and fully became a fandom blog, so it was inevitable i would love this series. i think it was the first show i made gifs/edits for???

the jessi special: The Doctor’s Wife (06x04)

iv. Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012-2013)

oh look, my dna makeup shifts again. i actually started watching this show the week leading up to Darcy Day and can still vividly remember the migraines from binging 8-10min eps times 60ish worth of content. this show got me into writing my first fic, running an rp blog, creating instrumental playlists, making a DWxLBD blog, AND eventually flying my ass back to CA to meet the cast and beloved mutuals at VidCon

the jessi special: A New Buddy (ep56)

v. Orphan Black (2013-2017)

happy international women’s day to this show and this show only! i think of all the shows listed here, this is the first time since LOST i caught all the eps in real time from the very beginning. this was filling the hole Fringe was about to carve deep in me. but if you cut me open, you will find the beth-shaped hole that nothing/no one has been able to fill and likely will never fill til the end of time

the jessi special: The Collapse of Nature (04x01)

vi. Shadowhunters (2016-2019)

im willing to admit that the reason i got into this show was because of the wedding kiss haha i saw the clip, signed the adoption papers on the spot, and went on to write a 100K+ wip series. admittedly, i confess that this was a DNF and never finished the last season... i abandoned my boy.gif

the jessi special: Of Men and Angels (01x06)

vii. Sense8 (2015-2018)

a show about eight children than i gave birth to, that i raised on my own, that i will defend on my death bed and beyond??? that show sense8?? yes that show sense8. fun fact, when they did the screening of the finale in Chicago, the cast ended up sitting three rows behind me in the theater and i could hear them talking in between scenes the entire evening. wish i could bottle that feeling up

the jessi special: I Have No Room in My Heart for Hate (02x07)

viii. Bad Buddy (2021-2022)

and we finally made it to the current decade! its nov 2021, im fresh off leaving my previous job and still getting situated in my new position, yet this show was a siren calling to me in the dark mist of my life. i ended up saving the binge watching for the week of my bday and my whole life shifted again. it must have been so alarming on the outside, seeing me go from making 1-2 edits a month to 1-2 edits a day for almost THREE MONTHS. the fact that i still cont to avg two edits/week since then... oy lol

the jessi special: Ep10 (shocked pikachu.jpg)

and ill also throw some honorable mentions too: Chuck, The Good Place, Vice Versa, Twenty Five Twenty One, Once Upon a Time, and Elementary

now tagging @pranink, @icouldhyperfixatehim, @noxclara, @curious-earth (no pressure tho!)

#tag meme #tagged #this is jessi #i am a tree and these are the most defined rings #the ones people would study and say 'tf happened in this era'#now i feel obligated to make an edit for fringe #its the only show of the eight listed that i have never made something for #made a few LOST edits maybe two remakes ago #theres still some LBD edits in the archive tag #now all the new mutuals since bad buddy ended know me on a molecular level

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kaetor · 2 years

Note

Saw u getting a Tim song suggestion and I have a playlist for Tim Drake called Paranoia central that you can check out if u wanna. It consists of 9 songs.

They are specifically for whenever he gets unhinged or insane.

Bleed magic by I Don't Know How But They Found Me

Burn it all by Panicland

Choke by I Don't Know How But They Found Me

Medicine by Artist Vs Poet

Paranoia by Spencer Sutherland

Kill the sun by Motherfolk

All time low by Jon Bellion

Everybody by Spencer Sutherland

You're nobody till somebody wants you dead by Saint Motel

Also also what are your Tim songs? Or Kon songs? Or YJ songs in general?

You've been getting lots of recs but i'm curious abt your playlists too 👀

thank you for sending me songs i will listen to the songs :D

i have a single dc playlist titled 'bird boy & friends' with 6 songs on it because despite being such a music guy Im so bad at assigning songs to characters enough to compile actual playlists. which is why I'm always asking people to give me theirs. anyways songs on it. because there's only 6

Dearly Departed by Mariana's Trench-- every few weeks I watch this animatic by @/cryptocism again and then yell at my friends about tim and kon for like 3 hours. its like clockwork

Battle Cries by the Amazing Devil-- this is like my favorite song ever and whenever I get into something I hold it up to every blorbo so I can see if it fits anyways this is a tim & steph song specifically like preboot tim and steph. the line 'this is not a breakup dearheart, it's a season finale' and 'at the woman 50-year-old you will be proud to have known/for the person 15-year-old me would be proud to have known' it makes me insane

Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youths-- this is a red robin song tim in the first 12 issues of red robin is like this song

Welly Boots by the Amazing Devil-- this is a song about orphans so obviously its got whole batfamily energy. specifically I like to think about dick grayson and how he loses his parents and is taken in by bruce and then bruce dies and dick becomes batman and one of the first things he does to continue that legacy is to take in another lost child in damian it gives me very normal feelings

Best Tears by the Happy Fits-- this was a color palette song but the person was so right it has big kon energy

Just a Girl by No Doubt-- nother palette song. steph vibes

#cleb talky #dc

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mytragedyperson · 9 months

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OK tumblr apparently hates me because twice now I've wrote out a relatively long slightly ramble post and it's let me click post and then just not posted, and as far as I can see there not in my drafts so, instead of that post, I will be watching all the episodes of bsd 5 tomorrow and just noting down any thoughts I have, probably mostly appreciating Ranpo and making fun of Fukuchi, because that's fun to me. However there are 2 thoughts that won't leave my head and so tumblr gets to have them.

So first of all I've seen manga panels of Dazai getting shot and presumably dying, which I guess is a spoiler but has also been all over tumblr and it looked like it was on twitter too. Quite frankly, I'm not buying it, and not just because I love Dazai and am living in denial. I've already been burned by BSD in this department of being convinced a character is dead and then bringing them back. I am, of course, talking about Margaret. I thought Akutagawa had killed her and then, a season later, she was brought back, albeit in a coma, to further a plot. Also this is Dazai, if anyone could come back from being shot in to head it's him. For all that he's suicidal and has no will to live, hes really bad at dying, which is good for those of us who like Dazai and I won't complain about that. The only people that have died and stayed so far are Oda and his orphans and Rando (I only watch anime). There may be others but I can't remember them. There were a couple characters who appeared in one episode and were killed off in the episode but everyone else has simply said no to death, which I can respect. Honestly they could get his body out of the prison and have a whole like funeral/memorial scene with all of the characters mourning him and I still wouldn't be fully convinced he's dead. So maybe it is slight denial but I stand by what I said.

My second thought was that I still feel sorry for Bram stoker. I dont care what terrible things he's done, he doesn't deserve the fate he's been given. I can just imagine Fukuchi going on and on about his plan, sounding so confident since he always has turn back time as a backup plan, and he just can't escape it. He's stuck forced to listen. That's the true evil right there.

Also I have a lot of thoughts about how Fukuchi is actually not a good villain, as in I'm not intimidated by him and don't truly see him as a threat. Like his sword is a threat, moreso when he weilds it, since he makes it more effective, but the guy himself? He should be more of a threat than he is. I'll address that tomorrow as I rewatch the episodes because its a big part of my mental commentary and making fun of Fukuchi hours. He might actually be one of the worst villains in the show. I'll address that on a later date. Another thought I'll be addressing tomorrow is my theory that Fyodor is the true leader of the Decay of Angels. Like if they had to listen to one of them regarding a plan they'd listen to Fyodor over Fukuchi. They just can't be bothered with Fukuchis attempts to murder or control them with the sword. Also, bing is my search engine and when I looked up who is the leader of the decay of angels? You know to double check it was Fukuchi, it had his name but the picture next to his name was Fyodor so do with that what you will. Anyway no more thoughts head empty.

Also if anyone has asks regarding anything to do with the BSD anime, I'd be happy to answer them because thinking about/discussing BSD is fun and I do have opinions on a lot of things

edit: change of plans. while i do still plan to do this it's gonna take a little longer. I have a blog, not a tumblr one, though, that I basically never use, so I'm gonna use that to note down any thoughts, opinions and just things in general that I feel like noting down. After I've done that, I'll share it here. Again, asks will be open and this will probably take me a while so, if anyone wants to discuss the BSD anime, feel free to send asks or messages or comment or whatever

#bsd #bungou stray dogs s5 #bungou stray dogs #bsd 5 spoilers #bsd manga #bsd manga spoilers #dazai osamu #fukuchi ouchi #bram stoker

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shannyh25 · 11 months

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Hi Anne Friends!

This is my original Anne Of Green Gables Fan Fiction story. I made the mistake by taking the previous story down off of Fan Fiction, fixed my mistakes I had made, and then re posted it.

I’m hoping to get some feed back on this story as well. I have 6 chapters for this story and they are all on Fan Fiction. I’m thinking of taking this story down along with a few others I have and start fresh on my stories. New ones. Something that people haven’t seen before that I wrote.

I say this because this story and another story I had did a update on. That can also be a mistake to I had made.

I’m trying to get reviews and feed back on my stories and it’s harder then I thought. So, that’s why I’m thinking of taking them down and starting completely new.

Would guys leave me some feed back on this story and the other one I posted? I would appreciate it.

Thank you!

Summary: Working at the orphanage while Gilbert is studying medicine in Halifax. Anne becomes attached to a little orphan name Ruby. When Ruby becomes sick, Anne asks Gilbert for Ruby to be his first patient. Eventually, Anne and Gilbert adopt Ruby.

Author's Note: This is my first Anne Of Green Gables story. I am re reading the books. I am only on book 3 and I am enjoying them! I would like to thank my new friend I met on Instagram for all her help on the story so far! She has answered a lot of my questions about the books/movies. Thank you again! I hope you enjoy the new story.

Chapter 1: Anne's POV

"Please Gil? Can't I work at the orphanage? I know what it is like living in one. I lived in one for at least three months. It's a dark and lonely atmosphere. Especially if you don't have any friends and don't know anybody. It will give me something to do during the day while you're at the hospital practicing medicine, please?" Anne begged.

Gilbert sighed and sat down on the chair. "Anne, sweetheart, what if you get attached to a child? I'm not sure if we can take care of one; I'm so busy at the hospital as is it. What if you find a child and want to adopt one? Would you quit your job at the orphanage?"

"Don't be silly Gil. Of course, we are in a good position to take care of a child. I have no intentions in adopting one just yet. I just want to help and make some kids happy, tell them stories and try to keep them out of trouble. I might even teach at the orphanage if I can." Anne said.

"Where did you hear the orphanage needed help?" Gil asked.

"While I was in town. I was at the post office sending a letter to Diana. I overheard one of the ladies in the post office say the orphanage needs help. They are awful low on staff. They probably have around 20-50 kids at the orphanage. I want to help with the younger children. Please Gil?" Anne asked.

Gilbert sighed. "Anne, I would love to see you work at the orphanage, truly I would. But they have an epidemic going on right now. We are so busy at the hospital. I don't want you getting sick. Children that young get sick a lot, especially during the fall and winter seasons. I don't want to see you get sick and end up in the hospital."

I groaned. "I won't get sick. Besides, you're the best doctor in that whole hospital and you will take care of me if I get sick. Please?"

"What if one of the children get sick? You'll want to attend to them. Take care of them." Gilbert protested.

"Of course, I'll want to take care of them Gil. That would be part of my job too. And if they have something that I can't handle, I can have you get them better. I'll even bring the child to the hospital so you can look after him or her" I begged.

Gilbert groaned and I could see that he was getting ready to give in. I just had to work my magic and imagination a little bit more.

"If you get sick, I won't forgive myself because I allowed you to work at the orphanage. And I would have to take time off of work so I can attend to you, not that I wouldn't mind that." Gilbert added.

I got up from the chair I was sitting on and walked over to my husband. " Gil, I'm not asking to adopt a child, not yet. I'm just asking to work at the orphanage. Just for a little while. I get so bored and lonely sitting in this place. My imagination can only do so much in this tiny apartment. I'll be home in time to still cook our dinner and we can spend time together in the evenings like we always do. I would just work from the time you leave to work at the hospital and I'll get off of work when you get off. That will give me plenty of time to cook dinner. I'll have the weekends off too and I won't work the holidays either. Please?"

Gilbert looked at me and I gave him a smile. He sighed and at this point, I knew he gave in. I had won this battle, even though there is an epidemic going on.

"Do you really want to do this? If you start feeling ill, I want you to tell me immediately. Don't even try to hide it. And, if it makes you feel better, I'll even check in with your chargers if they get sick. Do we have a deal?" Gilbert asked.

I squealed in happiness and almost knocking Gil out of his chair. He chuckled as he steadied me back on my feet.

"I know how hard it has been for you since we came here. I want you to be happy too, not just me. If working in the orphanage will make you happy, then I will be happy to have you help out there. Just promise me that you will try and take care of yourself. I don't want you to get sick." Gilbert said.

"Oh Gil. This makes me so happy. I can't tell you how happy I am. I promise I'll be home in time to make us supper and we can spend the evenings talking about our day just like we always do. Thank you Gil I want to bring some happiness to the children." I told him.

"Of course you will. I'm sure you'll find some little child that has as much as imagine as you do. Just don't get them in trouble." Gil said chuckling.

I gave him a big kiss and a hug. He chuckled.

"What if they don't like me?" I moaned into his shoulder.

Gil rubbed my back comfortingly and chuckled.

"Of course they will like you. They'll love you. You can keep the kids entertained for a few hours. You can read to them, tell them stories. The Matron will be lucky to have you, not to mention the staff. If this job doesn't work out, you can come and work with me. We have a few children that come into the hospital every now and then." Gilbert said.

"Can't you come with me? Please?" I begged him.

"I am sorry sweetheart, I can't. This is something you have to do on your own. I am having a meeting with the head Doctors and some staff members about the epidemic that we have going on. Our hospital is only so big. We are trying to figure out what do with the new number of patients that will be coming in and i think it will be soon I imagine. We want to discuss how we can help them and make them comfortable. You understand don't you?" Gil asked.

" I do. I just don't like the answer." I said.

" I'm sorry. You can tell me all about at lunch. You can come to the hospital and we can eat lunch together. My meeting should be done by the time your interview is over. " Gilbert said.

" I'll take you up on that offer." I said.

"Come on sweetheart. Let's go to bed. We both have a busy day tomorrow.

". Now, can we please go to bed? I'm exhausted and I have a long meeting to do tomorrow." Gilbert said.

"Very well. I'm going to soak in the tub first. I'll see if that helps me calm down. I still feel anxious and jittery. A good book and warm water might help me relax a little." I said.

"Doctors orders. Go and take your bath. I'll be reading in bed. Come on, let's go." Gilbert said.

Just like that, the two of them headed off to get ready for bed.

#anne of green gables #anne shirley cuthbert #gilbert blythe #anne of green gables fan fiction #writing help #writting tips #follow for updates #follow for follow

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passanima · 2 years

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tag from foot2rue is gay, here’s the receipt, season 2

1/ tag compliments jeremy (a new team member) and gives him an intense look. jeremy answer with a smile. seems relevant to me cause we were zoomed on their faces, making it into “a moment”, and if one of them had been a girl the animators would have done so in a flirty way

2/ in one ep tag’s “gf” spend time with the other girl of the group and because they don’t want the boys to bother them they lie pretending they’re going shopping. tag gets REALLY insecure about this, keeps asking his bestie "is she cheating? she's cheating i can tell. it's fine you can tell me, i'd understand if she was" even tho there’s no reason for him to think that. hmmm a bit like you're looking for an excuse, any excuse, to break up with her, and if she had another guy it would make things easier for you...

3/ not really about him being gay but there’s an ep literally called "too many dads for tag" where he looks for his bio dad (context: tag is an orphan), and i just find it interesting that at no point does he wonder about his mom. dude wants a father figure so bad

4/ tag’s bestie get a gf for like two day and tag gets REALLY upset about it. framed like the problem is that he's not serious about soccer but considering it’s not the first time tag react that way about gabriel getting a gf/crush...

5/ tag ditched his gf AGAIN. after that, a day or two later, he ask to spend time with her and you see how happy it makes her, she's all "oh it's been so long since it's been only us! what did you have in mind?" with a flirty face... and he. ask to train. she thought it would be romantic but no. she get righfully mad and tag DOESN'T GET IT

6/ whole ep was about tag and jeremy challenging each other over and over again to know which one is best, which led to the both of them ignoring their gfs as this is more important, and we already had flirty vibes about these two that lead me to believe at least tag as a crush on him on a similar level as the rival he had in season 1

7/ when you compare couples, tag/éloise and jeremy/samira, it’s... like, really sad? it was obvious from the first ep they were in that jeremy and samira will date cause boy and girl who integrate the group at the same time... but surprinsingly it wasn’t handled as badly as i expected. not amazing, but they had a cute ep that gave a reason for them to be a couple and i was like “ok! good enough!” which um. just makes tag/éloise worse actually cause they never have real full cute moments? when the writers try there’s always subtext to it or the scene previous that makes it look bad. and they always fight + tag keeps ingoring her. so, jeremy/samira not the most inspired couple, but compared to tag/éloise they’re like... almost well written

8/ tag and the “gf” fight (as always) because éloise is annoyed at him for being stubborn, for dumb reasons too (i’m with her on this, the boys were being ridiculous in this ep, but also really didn’t like how it was framed as a boy vs girl thing where girls are implied to be inherently more mature than boys... you could make something out of that plot but they did not) and they stop talking for a while until tag agrees he was being dumb. then she says to him “this is why i like you” which made me say ugh aloud cause. the writers tried to make this cute but did it badly which just added to them actually having no reason to like each other. because the trait éloise complimented him on? he does not have it. tag didn’t think by himself and realize he was being unfair and then apologized. no, he was just pushed into it, rather agressively too. so he just gave up. she likes him because he eventually gives up i guess! real messy writting

9/ éloise parent’s invited a family friend(?) over, a guy who is HUGE. now, some teenagers look older than they are but this guy looks to be in his 20s so... when he “flirts” (very agressively and scary close to sexual assault) with éloise it’s just a very bad vibe. and tag, instead of asking if she’s ok, gets jealous and ignores her of course. this is not the first time the writers went for a jealousy plot but this one is very creepy with the guy being (visibly at least) so much older than her, how she pushes him away and scream, but NO ONE in the team seems to care or worry

outside of the creepiness of this dude, what’s fucked up is the MOMENT the guy is introduced, even before he start doing or saying anything, éloise turn to tag and says “this is not what you think” correctly guessing he was gonna make a big deal of it (and at that moment there’s no reason for him to either) which is just. so sad for éloise, and only props tag as this shitty boyfriend. but because we’re meant to ship them anyway the writers later have éloise call him “awesome” without reason to and you know... just after he had his jealousy bit and decided not to speak to her for days. what’s awesome about that, i’d like to know. later he’s so mean to her he makes her cry

10/ same ep, tag then start hanging out with this group of older dudes into roller skating, who teach him their ways (both in sport and philosophy of life) and tag is so at ease with them that for 3 days he completely forget about his gf and team. like they’re GONE from his mind. he also look at these guys like it’s what is missing in his life, which more than a gay thing (tho them living together as a found family could be read that way) makes you feel for tag cause family is what he’s longing for. and in general, an assurance that he belongs where he is/who he’s with

#I rant about stuff #foot 2 rue #this is so funny to me

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kinetic-elaboration · 2 years

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July 12: Orphan Black 5x10

And so I have finished Orphan Black. The final episode was about what I expected: it finished up the cliffhanger, killed off the last of the bad guys, and established what everyone was up to afterwards, ending on a generally happy ending.

By this time, and not only because I took a few weeks’ break between ep 9 and this one, I don’t really care about any of the antagonists anymore. Also, while I knew they’d spend a while on Helena giving birth (she’s only been pregnant for 3 seasons lol), I wasn’t really so into watching that, so I was happy when all that was done. (I did like that Art was there with her and Sarah though.)

Stuff I liked from the ‘epilogue’ portion:

That everything wasn’t automatically perfect, and we do see Sarah struggling both with S’s death and with establishing a ‘normal’ life for herself and her daughter for, really, the first time.

Helena living in the Hendrix’s...garage I guess?? and that awesome yard space with lights that was between the two houses.

I knew she named her kids Arthur and Donnie and I don’t usually like that naming-after-another-character thing but in this case I kinda did? Mostly because of the line “it’s time you take the names of real men.” Also, Arthur and Donnie earned it.

That all of the characters got their little mentions or appearances at the baby showers, including people like Colin, Adele, Charlotte, etc. (Is Charlotte Art’s now???)

That the clones had a little talk about motherhood and their anxieties about it because even though that doesn’t speak to me personally, fertility and parenthood has been such a big part of the show, it was fitting.

The outfits, especially Cosima’s dress.

Alison and Donnie’s final scene. Where are they the best couple??

Stuff I didn’t like so much:

I’m never really a fan of ‘the whole show/book/movie was actually written by one of the characters’ trope. It was wild when I read The Outsiders in the 6th grade. I’m past it now.

Cosima and Delphine still together. I know! I know! Obviously they were going to be but ughhhh.

NO CAL. Technically he and Sarah didn’t really break up so where is he??? My two other Valid Couples were in the finale (Felix/Colin and Donnie/Alison) and it was so close to a three-for-three.

I get why Rachel’s story ended the way it did and it probably would have stretched credulity even more than some of the Supremely Happy Ending stuff did to have her join Clone Club at literally the eleventh-and-a-half hour, but I’m still bummed out that she just... disappeared into the ether at the point where I feel like she could at least START to bond with her sisters. There are so many kids in this family. She wants to be a mom. She’s finally earned her redemption and her place in the family. Maybe if she, like, just stopped in or something? I was never a Rachel fan but I still kind of wanted that for her.

Overall, though, everything was tied up very well. Perhaps too well? But at the same time, I respect it for not going grmdark and tragic at the end. It really said: these characters earned 15 minutes of a cute little garden party together, and you know what? They did.

#the year 2022 #2022: fandom thoughts #2022: orphan black

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afirewiel · 2 years

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i love the whole "step dad = dad who stepped up" thing, and when you think about it, that's what colbourne is. he is not actually related by blood to either augusta or leo but he takes care of them and by the end of season 2, it's more than just providing for them. now thanks to charlotte's influence he also takes their emotional needs seriously and tries to be the loving dad/uncle/stepdad the girls deserve. i love him so much is what i'm saying

I could talk about this all day, everyday. The thing is, I have men in my family who stepped up and raised their stepchildren, children from their wives' previous relationships. But! This is not what Colbourne did. Leo was not a child Lucy had before she met him. No. She was a child Lucy had with another man while married to Colbourne. Colbourne is raising the daughter his wife had because she cheated on him! That is a whole other level of goodness. I can't imagine anyone in the 21st century doing that. No one in 19th century England would have asked that of him. He could have dropped her off at an orphanage and no one would have batted an eye. But by keeping her and giving her his name, he insured that Leo would have a good life and be respectable in society. Some might claim he only did so out of a sense of guilt, but you cannot tell me after that scene between them when he promises to be a better father, that he doesn't genuinely love Leo as his own child and would do anything to protect her. She is his daughter because he chose her!

As for Augusta, she's only his niece through marriage, not blood. And again, no one would have expected him to take in his unfaithful wife's niece when she was orphaned. Yet, he did so! The only reason he wasn't the most engaged guardian was because he believed they were better off without him. He kept the girls at arms length for their sake, not his. But once Charlotte made it clear that that was only hurting them, he started being more active in their lives and is trying to do the best for them.

He has gone above and beyond what anyone would have expected of him! He is truly the most honorable, amazing man in this series, if not all of fiction. But what really saddens me is that he cannot see himself as such. He is full of self-loathing and distain. He deserves the world yet believes he deserves nothing. He pushed Charlotte away because he believed she deserved better than him and that he would only hurt her. A belief helped in no small part by Colonel Lennox and his poisonous words.

I love Alexander Colbourne so much and I cannot wait to see him and Charlotte get the happiness they deserve.

#sanditon #spoilers #alexander colbourne #heybourne

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hamliet · 3 years

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The Crows Summon the Sun

Or, Hamliet’s review of Shadow & Bone, which gets a 4.5/5 for enjoyment and a 3.5/5 in terms of writing.

The true heroes of this story and the saviors of the show are the Crows. However, the problem is that the show then has an uneven feel, because the strength of the Crows plotline highlights the weaknesses of the trilogy storyline. But imo, overall, the strengths overshadow (#punintended) the weaknesses.

I’ll divide the review into the narrative and the technical (show stuff, social commentary), starting with narrative.

Narrative: The Good

It’s What The Crows Deserve

I went into the show watching it for the Crows; however, knowing that their storyline was intended to be a prequel, I wasn’t terribly optimistic. And while it is a prequel, the characters have complete and full arcs that perfectly set them up for the further development they will have in the books (which I think should be the next season?). Instead of retreading the arcs they’d have in the books, which is how prequels usually go, they had perfect set up for these arcs. It’s really excellent.

Jesper, Inej, and Kaz are all allowed to be flawed, to have serious conflicts with one another, and yet to love each other. They feel like a found family in the best of ways. Kaz is the perfect selfish rogue; he’s a much more successfully executed Byronic hero than the Darkling, actually. Inej is heroic and her faith is not mocked, yet she too is flawed and her choices are not always entirely justified, but instead left to the audience to ponder (like killing the girl), which is a more mature writing choice that I appreciated.

Jesper is charming, has a heart of gold despite being a murderer and on the surface fairly greedy, and MILO THE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT GOAT WAS THE BEST THING EVER. I also liked Jesper’s fling with Dima but I felt it could be better used rather than merely establishing his sexuality, like if Jesper and Dima had seen each other one more time or something had come of their tryst for the plot/themes/development of Jesper.

Nina and Matthias’s backstory being in the first season, instead of in flashbacks, really works because it automatically erases any discomfort of the implications of Nina having falsely accused Matthias that the books start with. We know Nina, we know Matthias, we know their motivations, backgrounds, and why they feel the way we do. It’ll be easy for the audience to root for them without a lot of unnecessary hate springing from misunderstanding Nina (since she’s my favorite). Matthias’s arc was also really strongly executed and satisfyingly tragic. Their plotline was a bit unfortunately disconnected from the rest of the story, but Danielle Gallagan and Callahan Skogman have absolutely sizzling chemistry so I found myself looking forward to their scenes instead of feeling distracted. Also? It’s nice seeing a woman with Nina’s body type as a romantic and powerful character.

Hamliet Likes Malina Now

Insofar as the trilogy storyline goes, the best change the show made was Mal. He still is the same character from the books, but much more likable. The pining was... a lot (too much in episode 4, I felt) but Malina is a ship I actually enjoyed in the show while I NOTP’d it in the books. Mal has complexity and layers to his motivations (somewhat) and a likable if awkward charm. Archie Renaux was fantastic.

Ben Barnes is the perfect Aleksandr Kirigan, and 15 year old me, who had the biggest of big crushes on Ben Barnes (first celebrity crush over a decade ago lol), was pretty damn happy lol. He’s magnificantly acted--sympathetic and terrifying, sincerely caring and yet villainous in moments. Story-wise, I think it was smart to reveal his name earlier on than in the books, because it helps with the humanization especially in a visual medium like film. Luda was a fitting (if heartbreaking) backstory, but it is also hard for me to stomach knowing what the endgame of his character is. Like... I get the X-men fallacy thing, but I hope the show gives more kindness to his character than the books did, yet I’m afraid to hold my breath. Just saying that if you employ save the cat, if you directly say you added this part (Luda) to make the character more likable (as the director did) please do not punish the audience for feeling what you intended.

I also liked the change that made Alina half-Shu. It adds well to her arc and fits with her character, actually giving her motivations (she kinda just wants to be ordinary in a lot of ways) a much more interesting foundation than in the books. Also it’s nice not to have another knock-off Daenerys (looking to you Celaena and book!Alina). Jessie Mei Li does a good job playing Alina’s insecurities and emotions, but...

Narrative: The Ehhhhhhh

Alina the Lamp

Sigh. Here we go. Alina has little consistent characterization. She’s almost always passive when we see her, yet she apparently punches an officer for calling her a name and this seems to be normal for her, but it doesn’t fit at all with what we know about her thus far. Contradictions are a part of humanity, but it’s never given any focus, so it comes across as inconsistent instead of a flaw or repression.

I have no idea what Alina wants, beside that she wants to be with Mal, which is fine except I have no idea what the basis of their bond is. Even with like, other childhood friends to lovers like Ren/Nora in RWBY or Eren/Mikasa in SnK, there’s an inciting moment, a reason, that we learn very early on in their story to show us what draws them together. Alina and Mal just don’t have that. There’s the meadow/running away thing, but they were already so close, and why? Why, exactly? What brought them together? The term “bullies” is thrown around but it isn’t ever explored and it needed to be this season. If I have to deal with intense pining for so many episodes at least give me a foundation for their devotion. You need to put this in the beginning, in the first season. You just do.

A “lamp” character is a common metaphor to describe a bad character: essentially, you could replace the character with a lamp and nothing changes. Considering Alina’s gift is light, it’s a funnily apt metaphor, but it really does apply. Her choices just don’t... matter. She could be a special lamp everyone is fighting over and almost nothing would change. The ironic thing is that everyone treating her like a fancy lamp is exactly the conflict, but it’s never delved into. We’re never shown that Alina is more than a lamp. She never has to struggle because her choices are made for her and information is gifted to her when she needs it. Not making choices protects Alina from consequences and the story gives her little incentive to change that; in fact, things tend to turn out better when she doesn’t make choices (magic stags will arrive).

Like... let’s look at a few occasions when Alina almost or does make choices. For example, she chooses to (it seems) sleep with Kirigan, but then there’s a convenient knock at the door and Bhagra arrives with key information that changes Alina’s mind instantly despite the fact that Bhagra’s been pretty terrible to her. If you want to write a woman realizing she’s been duped by a cruel man, show her discovering it instead of having the man’s abusive mother tell her when she had absolutely no such suspicions beforehand. There’s no emotional weight there because Alina doesn’t struggle.

When she is actually allowed to carry out a bad choice, the consequences are handwaved away instead of built into a challenge for her. Like... Alina got her friends killed. More than once. I’m not saying she’s entirely to blame for these but could we show her reacting to it? Feeling any sort of grief? She never mentions Raisa or Alexei after they’re gone, just Mal, and I’m... okay. They were there because of you. Aren’t you feeling anything? Aren’t you sad? The only time Alina brings up her friends’ deaths is to tell Kirigan he killed her friends when they were only there because she burned the maps. She yells at Kirigan for “never” giving her a choice, but she almost never makes any, so why would he? Alina has the gall to lecture Genya about choices, but she herself almost never has to make any.

Which brings me to another complaint in general: Alina’s lack of care for everyone around her when they’re not Mal, even if they care for her. Marie dies because of her (absolutely not her fault of course) but as far as we know she never even learns about Marie. She certainly doesn’t ever ask about her or Nadia. Alina seems apathetic at best to people, certainly not compassionate or kind.

The frustrating thing is that there is potential here. Like, it actually makes a lot of psychological sense for an orphan who has grown up losing to be reluctant to care for people outside of her orbit and that she would struggle to believe she can have any say in her destiny (ie make choices). It’s also interesting that a girl who feels like an outsider views others outside her. But the show never offers examines Alina’s psychology with any depth; it simply tells us she’s compassionate when she is demonstrably not, it tells us she makes decisions when it takes magical intervention to do so. It’s a missed opportunity. This does not change between episodes 1 and 8, despite the episodes’ parallel structures and scenes, which unintentionally reinforces that Alina had little real development.

Inej and ironically Jesper and Kaz embody the concept of “mercy” far better and with far more complexity than Alina does. The Crows have reactions to the loss of people who even betray them (Arken, etc), learn, and course-correct (or don’t) when they are even loosely involved in having strangers die. They’re good characters because they change and learn and have their choices matter. When they kill we see them wrestle with it and what this means even if they are accustomed to doing so. Jesper can’t kill in front of a child. Kaz wonders what his killings do to Inej’s idea of him.

Narrative: The Mixed Bag

Tropes, Themes, Telling vs. Showing

So the show’s themes in the Alina storyline are a mess, as they are in the trilogy too. Tropes are a very valuable way to show your audience what you’re trying to say. They’re utilized worldwide because they resonate with people and we know what to expect from them. The Crows' storyline shows us what it wants us to learn.

Preaching tells, and unfortunately, the trilogy relies on telling/preaching against fornicationBad Boys. It’s your right to write any trope or trample any trope you want--your story--but you should at least understand what/why you are doing so. The author clearly knows enough about Jungian shadows and dark/light yin/yang symbolism to use it in the story, but then just handwaves it away as “I don’t like this” but never does so in a narratively effective way: addressing the appeal in the first place. If you really wanna deconstruct a trope, you gotta empathize with the core of the reason these tropes appeal to people (it allays deep fears that we are ourselves unlovable, through loving another person despite how beastly they can be), and address this instead of ignoring it. Show us a better way through the Fold of your story. Don’t just go around it and ignore the issue.

The trilogy offers highly simplistic themes at best--bad boy bad and good boy good, which is fine-ish for kid lit but less fine for adult complexity, which the show (more so than the books) seems to try to push despite not actually having much of it.

Alina and Mal are intended to be good, we’re told they are, but I’m not sure why beyond just that we’re told so. Alina claims the stag chose her, but in the show it’s never explained why at all. Unlike with Kaz, Inej, Jesper, and hell even Matthias and Nina, we don’t see Alina or Mal’s complex choices and internal wrestling.

Like, Inej’s half-episode where she almost killed the guy they needed was far more character exploration than Alina has the entire show, to say nothing of Inej’s later killing which not only makes her leaps and bounds more interesting, but ironically cements her as a far more compelling and yes, likable, heroine than Alina. We see Inej’s emotional and moral conflict. We can relate to her. We see Kaz struggling with his selfishness and regrets, with his understanding of himself through his interactions with and observations of Inej, Alina, the Darkling, Arken, and Jesper.

We don’t explore what makes Mal or Alina good and what makes them bad. We don’t know what Alina discovers about herself, what her power means for her. We are told they are good, we are told she knows her power is hers, but never shown what this means or what this costs them/her. Their opportunities to be good are handed to them (the stag, Bhagra) instead of given to them as a challenge in which they risk things, in which doing good or making a merciful choice costs them. Alina gets to preach about choices without ever making any; Inej risks going back to the Menagerie to trust Kaz. Her choices risk. They cost. They matter and direct her storyline and her arc, and those of the people around her.

Production Stuff:

The Good:

The production overall is quite excellent. The costumes, pacing, acting, and cinematography (for example, one of the earliest scenes between the Darkling and Alina has Alina with her back to the light, face covered in his shadow, while the Darkling’s face is light up by her light even if he stands in the shadows) are top-notch. The soundtrack as well is incredible and emphasizes the scenes playing. The actors have great chemistry together, friend chemistry and romantic when necessary (Mal and Alina, the Darkling and Alina, Kaz and Inej, Nina and Matthias, David and Genya, etc.) All are perfectly cast.

The Uncomfortable Technicalities Hamliet Wants to Bitch About:

The only characters from fantasy!Europe having any trace of an accent reminiscent of said fantasy country's real-world equivalent are antagonists like Druskelle (Scandinavia) and Pekka (Ireland). When the heroes mostly have British accents despite being from fantasy Russia and Holland, it is certainly A Choice to have the Irish accent emphasized. The actor is British by the way, so I presume he purposely put on an Irish accent. I'm sure no one even considered the potential implications of this but it is A Look nonetheless.

The Anachronisms Hamliet Has a Pet Peeve About:

The worldbuilding is compelling, but the only blight on the worldbuilding within the story itself (ignoring context) was that there are some anachronisms that took me out of the story, particularly in the first episode where “would you like to share with the class” and “saved by the horn” are both used. Both are modern-day idioms in English that just don’t fit, especially the latter. The last episode uses “the friends we made along the way.” There are other modern idioms as well.

IT’S STARKOVA and Other Pet Peeves Around the Russian Portrayal

Russian names are not hard, and Russian naming systems are very, very easy to learn. I could have waved “Starkov” not being “Starkova,” “Nazyalensky” not being “Nazyalenskaya,” and “Safin” not being “Safina” as an American interpretation (since in America, the names do not femininize). However, “Mozorova” as a man is unfathomable and suggests to me the author just doesn’t understand how names work, which is a bit... uh okay considering a simple google search gets you to understand Russian names. They aren’t hard. I cannot understand why the show did not fix this. It is so simple to fix and would be a major way to help the story’s overall... caricature of Russia.

Speaking of that... Ravka is supposedly Russian-based, but it is more accurately based on the stereotypes of what Americans think of Russia. Amerussia? Russica? Not great.

The royals are exactly what Americans think of the Romanovs, right down to the “greasy” “spiritual advisor” who is clearly Rasputin and which ignores the Romanov history, very real tragedy, and the reason Rasputin was present in the court. The religion with all its saints is a vapid reflection of Russian Orthodoxy. The military portrayal with its lotteries and brutality and war is how the US views the Russian military. The emphasis on orphans, constant starvation, classification, and children being ripped from their homes to serve the government is a classic US understanding of USSR communism right down to the USSR having weapons of destruction the rest of the world fears (Grisha). Not trying to defend the Soviet Union here at all, but it is simplistic and reductive and probably done unconsciously but still ehhhh.

However, I’m not Russian. I just studied Russian literature. I’ve seen very little by way of discussion of this topic online, but what I do see from Russian people has been mixed--some mind, some don’t. The reality is that I actually don’t really mind this because it’s fantasy, though I see why some do. I'm not like CANCEL THIS. So why am I talking about this beyond just having a pet peeve?

Well, because it is a valid critique, and because it doesn’t occur in a vacuum. The Grishaverse is heralded as an almost paragon for woke Young Adult literature, which underlines itself what so frustrates me about how literary circles discuss issues of diversity and culture. Such praise, while ignoring its quasi-caricature of Russia, reflects a very ethnocentric (specifically American) understanding of culture, appropriation, and representation. All stories are products of their culture to various extents, but it bothers me on principle what the lit community reacts (and overreacts sometimes?) to and what people give a pass to. The answer to what the community reacts to and what it gives a pass always pivots on how palatable the appropriation is to American understandings and sensibilities. There’s nuance here as well, though.

I'm not cancelling the story or thinking it should be harshly attacked for this, but it is something that can be discussed and imo should be far more often--but with the nuance it begs, instead of black/white. But that’s a tall ask.

#s&b #hamliet reviews #shadow and bone #six of crows #kanej #jesper fahey #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #alina starkov #malyen oretsev #the darkling #darklina #malina #aleksander kirigan #netflix shadow and bone #s&b review

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carmensbroom · 3 years

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I've once again had 6 hours to process everything I saw in season 4 so I'm just gonna say my thoughts on it (hold onto your fedoras again folks)

first off, WE FOUND OUT GRAY'S LAST NAME?? I was so shocked and happy at the same time I love how everyone asked for player's real name and we ended up with gray's surname for some reason shsjsj. NOBODY ASKED FOR THAT BUT THEY DELIVERED ANYWAY

ALSO GRAHAM IS AN ORPHAN?? my precious boy *throws mommy's boy headcanon out the window*

the second episode really had me shipping carmivy they're so cute we got a girl's trip and I'm all for it

I think I may now be a dash haber stan but let's not make a big thing of it

also ivy eating the chocolate in the middle of a mission deserves an honorable mention because of her cute little tongue (I'm weird okay djsjsjs)

zack trying to bond with shadowsan and him having none of it was delightful

that fucking robot god damn bellum really thought of everything didn't she every time I thought it was gone it made a come back I literally said out loud "carmen is so fucked"

I SWEAR TO GOD EVERY TIME GRAY TALKED ABOUT CARMEN I KEPT THINKING HE WAS GONNA SAY "BECAUSE I LOVE HER" IN WHICH CASE I WOULD HAVE DIED AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY

yall have no idea how relieved I was when I found out that photo of julia was her and her (presumably) mother and NOT a boyfriend sjsjsjs

catch me making a headcanon that julia has a single mom because her father disowned her for coming out as gay based on that picture alone 😭

I'M SORRY BUT THE AMOUNT OF FLIRTING BETWEEN CARMEN AND JULES?? PLEASE THEY'RE SECRET GIRLFRIENDS JUST ADMIT YOU CENSORED THEM AND GO

OKAY BUT WHEN THEY WERE IN JULIA'S OFFICE AND CARMEN SAID "WAY TO FOLLOW YOUR HEART JULES" AND SHE WAS LIKE "YOU REMEMBERED" I LOST IT WHAT DID CARMEN REMEMBER JULES?? DID THEY HAVE A CONVERSATION OFF SCREEN? MAYBE I'M JUST A BIG HUGE LESBIAN BUT THAT'S A BIT GAY LADIES

carmen getting all worried when julia wasn't answering her phone was the blessed gay content I signed up for PLEASE THEY CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER SO MUCH

never thought I'd say this but I loved devineaux this season he was funny, he improved his treatment towards julia (I don't recall him officially apologising I must have missed something djsjsjs)

the only thing I didn't like was it kinda seemed like they were trying to hint that chase and jules were into each other and I didn't really vibe with that

all that shit with dr bellum and the crown for cleo really had me thinking cleobellum was gonna be canon what a clown I am (seriously tho the way she lost it when the crown got stolen GIVE IT BACK IT BELONGS TO HER WIFE)

look all I'm saying is: tigress new outfit in the egypt episode was hot

HER FACE AT THE END AFTER SHE GOT TRAPPED WITH ALL THOSE BUGS

I wish julia and gray could have met there's so much friendship potential there 😭

is player... is he a bit 💅 I SEE THAT PRIDE STICKER ON YOUR LAPTOP YOUNG MAN YOU'RE NOT SUBTLE

ngl I nearly teared up when player finally met carmen in person

I'M SORRY BUT JULIA'S BLUSH IN EPISODE 7 PLEASE SHE'S SO SMITTEN WITH CARMEN IT'S BRILLIANT

EVIL CARMEN WAS REALLY SOMETHING ELSE I WAS SO SCARED SHE'D BE STUCK LIKE THAT FOREVER

I mentioned this in another post but when julia was like "don't you remember me? I'm your girlfriend friend, jules" I NEARLY FUCKING CRIED THEY WERE GETTING KINDA CLOSE AND THEN CARMEN GOT MIND WIPED

JULIA TOPS JULIA TOPS I SAID IT ALL ALONG AND IT'S TRUE SHE REALLY PINNED VILE CARMEN THAT'S TOP BEHAVIOR (also this now makes carmen a bottom I don't make the rules)

kinda shocked that paper star was hardly here I don't stan her so it didn't bother me much but still it was just strange they didn't use her this season

when shadowsan whipped out the last doll and carmen had all those flashbacks to when she was at vile I nearly started crying AGAIN

I LEGIT THOUGHT CARMEN HAD KILLED GRAY DJSJSJS AN ELECTRICIAN GETTING ELECTROCUTED THAT'S SOME IRONY RIGHT THERE

gray really confused me towards the end he kept switching sides every five minutes for the whole season I wasn't sure whether to trust him half the time dhshsjs

THE LOOK ON CARMEN'S FACE WHEN SHE THOUGHT SHE'D KILLED GRAY WAS SO HEARTBREAKING AND THEN SHE STARTED CRYING OH MY GOD I'M SORRY BABY

the way she's always been against hurting people/taking lives and then she ended up hurting all the people she loves (she nearly killed zack for god sake) really hit me hard

gray's ending was... kinda weird I understood the parallel of him not wanting to complicate carmen's life like she said about him in season 2 but it was still kinda strange that they didn't have one more conversation or get any closure

I'm obviously kinda upset that carulia wasn't canon they had so much potential imo and the show isn't about romance anyway BUT I'm happy with the content we got and THEY FLIRTED SO MUCH THEY'RE CANON IN MY HEART

THE TEAM RED GROUP HUG KILLED ME IT WAS SO CUTE

kinda annoyed that carmen just straight up left zack and ivy she really just left a note and said YEET

ivy's voice crack when she read the note got me all choked up

ngl I'm still not entirely sure how it ended I had to rewatch it a few times to understand what they were trying to imply sjsjsj

would have loved to know carmen's given name but at the same time she's literally THE carmen sandiego that's who she is, it would be silly to go by a name that she doesn't connect with just because her parents gave her it

her mom being a regular citizen was kinda bittersweet I mean a plot twist would have been good but at the same time it would make the story even more complicated

*dreams of a spinoff movie where we get better closure on everything*

ACME IVY ACME IVY I'M NOT AN IVY STAN BUT DAMN IF I AIN'T SIMPING FOR ACME IVY

I know carmen didn't want revenge but I feel like chief got let off with killing her father way too quickly if I'm honest sjsjsj

JULIA BEING IN CHARGE OF FINDING CARMEN'S MOM OH MY GOSH

I feel so bad for laughing when julia got knocked out the way the cloth fell on her head sent me but when the pole hit her head I was like "OKAY I TAKE IT BACK THIS ISN'T FUNNY ANYMORE"

was not expecting julia to physically fight anyone I mean she's always been so calm and collected and then this season she was like fuck it might as well hit a few people before we finish forever

wishing carmen and jules could have hugged or had a scene together where they talked about stockholm but I won't complain it wouldn't have really made sense anyway considering they were cool with each other at the university

so glad the trailer was misleading about the coach brunt situation I really didn't want her to get a last minute redemption

another honorable mention: cleo snapping at julia "DON'T YOU DARE IMPLY THAT I AM COMMON" sent me djdjs she was just stood there like "I am but a humble history lesbian leave me be"

I think that's everything I'll probably add to it later if I think of anything or I might make a part 2 djsjsjs (I've been writing this for almost an hour now 😭)

overall I enjoyed it from start to finish. I haven't really cried about it ending yet I'm still processing everything but I'll probably have a little sob when it finally hits me djsjsjs

CARULIA NATION WE BASICALLY WON NOW EXCUSE ME WHILE I REWATCH ALL THEIR SCENES TOGETHER AND MAKE IT MY ENTIRE PERSONALITY

#wow this ended up being way too long #I was trying to go in order of what happened but I kept remembering other things so it's juat a big mess dhshsjs #anyways carulia is canon because I said so #really hope we get an animated movie or another short in the future #cs spoilers #julia argent #carulia #julethief #gray crackle #gray cs #chase devineaux #carmen sandiego season 4 #carmen sandiego

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