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imakemywings · 1 month

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Below will be fanfic recs for ASOIAF, 80 DAYS, THE BURNING KINGDOMS, and TOLKIEN. Once again, I’ve tried to break the Tolkien recs down by character groupings but you all know what a thankless task that is. (。・ω・。)

(Photo credit to Michael Anfang on Unsplash.)

Past fanfic rec lists

80 Days

One Must Imagine Sisyphus Happy by Prox - T - 11.1k - Fogg/Passpartout - Wonderful characterizations; the author really captures Fogg's voice and keeps it feeling in-character throughout his tribulations.

ASOIAF/GOT

It's a Long Way from the Red Keep by Storytelling_Necromancer - T - 703 - Cersei/Jaime - The Lannisters and the Folgers incest commercial. What more needs to be said?

The Burning Kingdoms

Cautionary Tale by @meadowlarkx - M - 1.4k - Malini/Priya, Mani Ara/Priya - Lark blows it out of the water with the character dynamics here, and Mani Ara preying on Priya post-TOS when she's vulnerable, particular wrt her feelings for Malini, feels so on-point.

Tolkien

Sindar

A Word and a Kiss by Miss Kitty - NR - 1k - Luthien/Thuringwethil - An oldie but a goodie–this take on Luthien and Thuringwethil has me foaming. Exquisite vibes!

Duet by @welcomingdisaster - E - 4.2k - Daeron/Maglor - Lena plays with a really interesting take on the emotional power of song on the singer in Tolkien’s verse. And some lovely Daemags sex!

Everybody Needs a Second Chance by myliobatis - G - 1.2k - Thingol & Turgon - This fic was just such a delight, a funny little fic about Thingol and Turgon meeting in Aman.

Interlude in a Minor Key by yletylyf - M - 2.5k - Aredhel/Luthien - Cute PWP with Aredhel and Luthien.

It Would Make Every Nightingale Sing by eye_of_a_cat - M - 6.6k - Elwing/Maedhros - The pairing is certainly unusual, but this author makes it work so well and follows such a captivating arc of development for it.

Love is Not Love Which Alters When it Alteration Finds by i_did_not_mean_to - E - 3.5k - Melian/Thingol - Delightful Thelian piece which just revels in the strangeness of their relationship and how much each of them enjoys it.

More Precious was the Light in Your Eyes by @searchingforserendipity25 - G - 1k - Daeron/Man OFC - Such a tender look at Daeron’s growth post-exile.

The Myth Hanging Heavy Over You by stormfallen - G - 1.1k - Elrond & Elwing - UGH so painful and tasty Elrond parental angst. I really love the framing techniques of this piece.

No Sacrifice Without Blood by everythingnumbs - M - 18.9k - Luthien/Thuringwethil - F/F LONGFIC! A tasty 18k of Luthien imprisoned by Celegorm and visited by whom she thinks is a servant of his…all the while plagued with unsettling and lurid dreams…

Stained Glass by @polutrope - G - 400 - Elrond & Elwing - Bittersweet tenderness when Elrond arrives in Aman and seeks out his mom. Love this for them <3

Untitled by @swanmaids - NR - Dior/Nimloth - I looove the uncertainty here where neither Dior or Nimloth really know what to expect from their experience with children because of Dior’s strange blood. Also, love the use of the Silmaril for their own needs.

Wildflowers: The Tale of Aredhel and Luthien by lightofthetrees - G - 10.3k - Aredhel/Luthien - A sweet AU fic where Aredhel escapes into Doriath with Maeglin, who grows up there instead of in Nan Elmoth. I really enjoyed the glimpses into their lives in Doriath and the ending suited them very well!

Wild-Wandering by Wood and Glen by @meadowlarkx - M - 1.7k - Daeron/Luthien - Beautiful writing which so brings you into the physical and emotional space of this tragic fem!Daeron/Luthien story.

Winter Glowed on her Leaves by BloodwingBlackbird - M - 1.2k - Galadriel/Luthien - Luthien is a powerful force on Galadriel and I love her as a perpetual “what-if” in Galadriel’s memory.

Woman Into Bird by arriviste - T - 6k - Earendil/Elwing - Beautiful, heartbreaking Elwing piece. The final scene is a gut-punch.

Noldor

Berries and Starlight by Narya_Flame - T - 829 - Indis/Miriel - Indis and Miriel out during the winter <3 Does an excellent job capturing the natural atmosphere and I love the energy between the women!

Crescendo by Gilithlin - E - 3.7k - Daeron/Maglor - Fantastic Daemags; I was just delighted with Daeron’s character portrayal here.

Fouled Water by @grey-gazania - G - Another touching look at Elves and the land they inhabit, and the tragedy of Beleriand.

Her That I Call My Own by LiveOakWithMoss - M - 644 - Indis/Miriel - Tasty Mindis smut with feelings <3

Glasshouses by @searchingforserendipity25 - 2.5k - G - Glorfindel/Turgon - Ahh such a sweet relationship here and wonderful characterization of both Glorfindel and Turgon <3

Indissoluble by @polutrope - E - 2.5k - Idril/Tuor/Voronwe - P does such a great job showing characters are are comfortable with each other and really beyond being embarrassed about their sexual foibles. This fic also does a great job balancing a committed three-way relationship!

The Kinslayer in the Woods by @elvain - T - 4.5k - Daeron/Maglor - Love this portrayal of Daeron, as well as the games he and Maglor play to avoid having to be who they are.

Life in Miniature by @thescrapwitch - G - 2.8k - This is SUCH a lovely little fic surrounding the memory of Gondolin in Aman. Author does an excellent job of weaving in the views and feelings of many characters and it feels so true to Elves’ strong memories, particularly to places.

Like I'm Set on Fire by corollaire - M - 808 - Indis/Miriel - Tasty Mindis oral; see Miriel on her knees for Indis.

One Whole with My Other by lonelyvisitor - E - 4.2k - Indis/Miriel - Now obsessed with the idea that Miriel and Indis are legally married to each other vis-a-vis Finwe. The author does a wonderful job with the feelings here.

Peaches We Devour, Dusty Skin and All by @niennawept - M - 2.2k -Aredhel/Elenwe - Some very tasty Aredhel/Elenwe! Their dynamic here is sexy and the pull towards each other warring with Elenwe’s goals for herself 👌

The Most Precious of Treasures by AroaceMoon - E - 651 - Celebrimbor & Sauron - SHIT this dialogue is tasty and ever so painful. Silvergifting.

The Love I've Found by Corollaire - 1.4k - M - Indis/Miriel - Modern AU Mindis fluff with bonus kid shenanigans from Feanor. It’s so cute!

Picnic by @swanmaids - E - 1.6k - Aredhel/Vana - Ahh! Here we get the Aredhel/Vana partner relationship to Celegorm/Orome and I love it!! Vana is so carefree and relaxed here, but still concerned with Aredhel’s feelings <3

Pity For Your Hurts by @thelordofgifs - 666 - G - Finduilas/Gwindor - Finduilas and Gwindor before his capture </3 This piece captures a very ~courtly love~ kind of feel in their relationship and despite differences, you can see how much they care for each other.

The Plans We Make, the Memories We Record by LadyBrooke - M - 1k - Indis/Miriel - Bittersweet Mindis (w/ hints of Finwe/Indis/Miriel) as these women struggle to move on in the wake of everything that’s happened.

Sawdust by @starspray - T - 559 - Findis & Finwe - I love this exploration of Findis’ relationship with Finwe! I feel like that’s one that isn’t often explored and it’s done very well here.

Shadow-Song by Arveldis - T - 730 - Finrod & Sauron - This ficlet does an excellent job capturing the power play between Finrod and Sauron, as well as making Sauron terrifying.

Shadows of Valiance by Midnightjynx1813 - G - 2.5k - Azaghal/Maedhros - Azaghal and Maedhros bonding! This author works poetry into the fic to great effect and I really enjoyed how much Maedhros comes to rely on Azaghal.

Sometimes Too Hot the Eye of Heaven Shines by @welcomingdisaster - M - 2.6k - Celebrimbor/Narvi, Celebrimbor & Sauron - Crunchy look at the dynamics between Celebrimbor, Narvi, and Sauron from Sauron’s perspective.

To Give Up Control by @jouissants - NR - Maglor/Uinen - Ahhh just delicious Maglor/Uinen…Alix’s descriptions are always SO vivid and beautiful.

Two Queens by LiveOakWithMoss - E - 262 - Indis/Miriel - Miriel sure knows her way around a strap.

Untitled by @that-angry-noldo - Finrod at torment with Sauron :’) Author really does well with Sauron’s otherworldly presence and the fear that causes.

Untitled by @jouissants - NR - MY FUCKING HEART. Five sentences and I’m gone. Finrod stop hurting me challenge 2k24.

Untitled by @tanoraqui - NR - Feanor & Fingolfin - Love that tasty angsty awkward post-rebirth Feanor-Fingolfin bonding.

Untitled by @polutrope - NR - Daeron/Maglor - Beautiful little Daemags fic…<3 Really enjoy the touches of Maglor’s nostalgia and I’m a sucker for him treating Daeron like a treasure.

Void-Junk by arriviste - G - 2.2k - It’s so juicy, Maedhros finding his way onto Vingilot.

White Flowers by @starspray - T - 841 - Aredhel & Turgon - Weeping once again over Nolofinweans, especially Aredhel and Turgon.

Men

A Monster in the Shadows by @hobbitwrangler - G - 3k - Eowyn & Theoden - Really cute but also heartbreaking bonding between Eowyn and Theoden, when Eowyn is new to Edoras and still recovering from her parents’ deaths :( Author does a great job capturing how that grief might manifest for a child!

Celebration by maitimiel - NR - Tar-Miriel/OFC - Crunchy tasty Tar-Miriel’s favorite handmaidens sleep with her ft. her and Ar-Pharazon’s marital issues. Excellent look at the dying Numenorean state.

Courting Gifts by Muccamukk - G - 1k - Arwen/Eowyn, Aragorn/Arwen - This is such a cute Arwen/Eowyn piece focusing on the cultural differences between Arwen and the Men around her.

Cousin, Sister, Lover, Queen by broken_pencils - E - 11k - Eowyn/Lothiriel - This one is so good and so bittersweet and hit so many real notes. I’m just aching for Eowyn. The author does a great job of balancing her inherent unhappiness as a lesbian in a marriage with a man with the deep platonic love she obviously has for Faramir, and Lothiriel is such fun in this.

Fade by Lady Ash - E - 6.2k - Denethor/Gandalf - Can I say something other than "Denethor/Gandalf BDSM relationship" that would entice you more?

Ode to a Nightingale by @maironsbigboobs - E - 1k - Aragorn/Arwen - Some light, fun, Aragorn/Arwen smut.

Plentiful as Sand is Plentiful by @searchingforserendipity25 - G - 675 - I so love this look at Aragorn and Elrond’s relationship <3

Shake Loose All Your Garnet Jewels by lastwingedthing - T - 2.8k - Arwen/Eowyn - Lovely lovely fic on “what if Arwen and Eowyn had been part of the Fellowship?” Absolutely cinematic!

Untitled by @swanmaids - NR - Annael & Rian - Rian :((( Her story is so sad and yet there are at times griefs that cannot be overcome and Heather captures that very well here.

Without Dawn, No Evening by pscoptera - M - 4.6k - Arwen/Eowyn - If you want a truly historic fic, this one was originally written before the Return of the King film had released. A really interesting look at Eowyn’s sexuality and desires with what feels like realistic muddling of the issues in her mind.

Hobbits

On These Hither Shores by Arveldis - G - 3.2k - Boromir & Frodo - Boromir and Frodo bonding (sort of)! This fic does a great job capturing their feelings.

The Power of Tea by @hobbitwrangler - G - 1.8 - Bilbo & Gilraen - Fantastic character dynamics! And Bilbo feels so in-character.

Twist to Uncoil by katajainen - G - 1.3 - Bilbo & Thranduil - Ahhh lovely lovely look at Thranduil and Bilbo’s relationship as Bilbo recounts his time living in Mirkwood unseen.

#fanfic recs #the silmarillion #lotr #80 days #tbk #got

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newbornwhumperfly · 10 months

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@whumpmasinjuly day 19! (list your favorite whump blogs)

@haro-whumps - their villains strike true fear into my heart and i absolutely adore the way they don’t shy away from the harsher, nastier sides of any of their characters (including the heroes), making whump that feels deeply complex and conflicting! i love their broken whumpees and sadistic whumpers and deeply human caretakers so much. galo and the group whumpee family are my first beloved whumpee ocs & ren lives rent free in my head as an all-time scary bastard! your ocs have such distinct personalities and struggles and you find such a way to make every single depiction of fear and anguish utterly unique, so every new whumpee feels fresh and exciting!

@much-ado-about-whumping - my goodness, what a fucking exquisite grasp of prose he has! i fell deeply in love with déomas from the moment i met the poor boy (as well your wonderful boy andreas) and every day am envious and admiring of bel’s skill at portraying complicated survivors! i love how you write aftermath as well, with the non-linear healing and gut-punch of lasting trauma making your whump work so unique to me! and god, if there is a mastery of non-con whump (and the realism and thrill and ache of all requisite traumas) you’ve truly grasped it with both utter sensitivity and delightful darkness (and also a profound rethinking of sexual trauma survivors for me in a very real way).

@whump-tr0pes - god, athena, so many books and every one of them rocked me to my core? your characters fucking challenge me so deeply and i love it, and your master of character development and change and growth and regression and everything is just…beautifully broken and incredible. your writing makes me uncomfortable in the best way possible and at the same time satisfied with every little arc - it’s such a gift!

@whumpthisway - first ever whump blog i followed three years ago, has been both a gateway to excellent creators and is very generous with tagging, something i deeply appreciate!

@whumpzone - cerys, your passion for engaging with your audience really warmed my heart when i started following you and i adore how engaged you made your audience feel to participate in your storytelling! you also have one of my favorite caretakers of all time in the wonderful linden! both your series are beloved rereads forever and ever, both of their storytelling progressing and developing so beautifully to natural endings. it’s so goooood.

@ashintheairlikesnow - a titan of this community, i am overawed by the sprawling scope and detail of her worldbuilding. her writing has reminded me again and again how good stories can be when you let your characters influence the world! your depictions of trauma and institutional abuse have impacted me and my thinking quite a lot, no joke, and you have a scary-good ability to capture banal evil.

@secretwhumplair - has an exquisite ability to capture fear, truly enviable how bone-deep their written terror strikes me!

@whumpster-dumpster - keeps churning out creative and inspiring prompts after all this time, i’ve gotten so many good story ideas from red!

@whumping-every-day - though absent for so long, i still absolutely adore her writing & her vampire whump (ash and callum) is absolutely top of the line in visceral brutality!

@whump-me-all-night-long - has such a good ability to balance casts of characters in her stories (my personal favorite being the jewelry box) with distinctive personalities and a wonderful imagination for new ideas!

@wolfeyedwitch - perhaps my personal favorite at writing superhero/villain whump and has such a great ability to capture the trope of team vs. outsider angst!

just a short list of the blogs that i bow in admiration and delight of every day!!! you all are so incredibly talented & i love you! 💖

#all of you get me through the goddamn day with your enthusiasm and excellence and kindness 🥰💖🥰#whump community #not whump #wij23day19 #whumpmasinjuly2023

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poeedamerons · 6 months

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It's not just that the book was better; there are movies and series that have successfully brought the book to life. Personally, I'm not a fan of the 'the book is better than the movie/series' argument because it's fundamentally flawed. The book will ALWAYS be better. It has the advantage of being the source material and allows for an in-depth exploration of characters, places, and situations, unlike a movie/series, which is restricted by screen time and budget. While this limitation poses challenges, it doesn't render the task impossible.

Adapting a complex book is no easy feat. While it may not be possible to capture all the intricate prose and rich details on screen, there are ways to work around it. Creating a coherent timeline, incorporating relevant flashbacks, building tension, mystery, and emotional impact are all possible. However, when you end up changing nearly everything from the original, the result is a feeble attempt at adaptation.

In my opinion and that of many others, "The Book Thief" was a satisfactory adaptation. Did they have to make significant cuts? Yes. However, they managed to preserve the essence of the story, its impactful characters, and crucial events. Some may disagree and consider the adaptation unsatisfactory, and that's understandable. Yet, I have yet to come across a single good review of the adaptation of "All the Light We Cannot See.

The book is undeniably brilliant, and there's no argument there, but this adaptation was more of a complete overhaul, incorporating some elements from the book. They completely mishandled the timeline, flashbacks and character backgrounds.

For instance, in the series, they introduce Uncle Etienne as a functional, Hugh Laurie-like character. However, just two (?) episodes later, they quickly unveil his traumatic experiences during World War 1 in a fleeting moment (I dont even remember if they mention the devastating loss of his brother). The fast-paced narrative hardly allows for the emotional impact that the book meticulously builds over time.

Contrastingly, in the book, we encounter Uncle Etienne as a deeply troubled and eccentric man who chooses to seclude himself from society for decades due to the severe post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his experiences in World War I. At first, readers might dislike his grumpy demeanor and distant relationship with Marie Laure, who relies on him as her sole family, especially given the uncertainty surrounding her father's fate. However, as the book unfolds, the profound reasons behind Uncle Etienne's behavior are unveiled, prompting a heart-rending realization that induces regret for any initial negative sentiment.

His reluctance to engage with the events of World War II is completely understandable, given that he is still grappling with the haunting memories of the previous war. His eventual decision to confront the Nazis (whom he despises) and assist the resistance by broadcasting crucial information represents a significant turning point in his character development in the book, and ONLY happens because Marie Laure gives him the courage to do so.

While it's understandable that the show couldn't depict this in detail, they could have easily tried. This aspect of the story could have been effectively conveyed and would have undoubtedly evoked strong emotional reactions. It had the potential to move viewers to tears. However, the series lacked the necessary emotional depth and character growth, ultimately robbing Uncle Etienne of the depth and richness of his life story.

Furthermore, the way the book leaves subtle clues for us to piece together the revelation that Uncle Etienne and his brother were the ones narrating the science broadcasts that Werner and Jutta grew up listening to is truly exquisite. This element could have been gradually unveiled to the audience, allowing us to savor the process of connecting the dots. However, I don’t even remember how this goes on the series as this was more a tale of Werner and his adventures in Saint Malo than anything else.

If you're watching the show and finding it difficult to understand why there are so many criticisms, it might be because they boldly labeled it as an adaptation, even though it hardly resembles one. It doesn't feel like an adaptation at all.

To you, Uncle Etienne might come across as a super cool character, whereas to us, he was portrayed as an utterly melancholic, and reclusive individual. He lived as if he were already dead.

If you're enjoying the show without having read the book, that's perfectly fine. How would you even notice the differences if you had no prior exposure to the story and characters? It's virtually impossible. However, once you do, you'll comprehend why it took Doerr ten years to write and why it was awarded the Pulitzer.

#all the light we cannot see #spoilers

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readitreviewit · 3 months

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Are you a fan of romance novels? Look no further than Kate Clayborn's latest book, "Georgie All Along." This book has received high praise from famous authors such as Jodi Picoult and Julia Quinn, and for good reason. It's an absolute gem. The story follows Georgie Mulcahy, a long-time personal assistant who has always put others before herself. When an unexpected event sends her back to her hometown, Georgie must confront the fact that her own wants and needs are a blank page. That is until she comes across a forgotten artifact - a "friendfic" diary she wrote as a teenager, filled with possibilities she once imagined. The diary's simple, small-scale ideas are a lifeline, a guidebook for getting started on a new path. As Georgie begins to make her way through her wishlist, she meets an unexpected roommate - Levi Fanning, onetime town troublemaker and current town hermit. Together, they overcome the pasts that hold them back. This story is a modern yet timeless love story, filled with rich emotion and charming characters. It's magnetic, witty, and expansive. The world is going to fall hard for this deliciously whimsical and captivating story, and I cannot wait to see it! One of the most admirable aspects of this book is the strong emphasis on self-discovery and putting yourself first. Georgie has spent her life taking care of others and almost forgot who she was in the process. It's a refreshing take on the classic love story as it prioritizes self-love and personal growth. It's a reminder that going back home is sometimes the best path forward and that planning is never as rewarding as doing. The chemistry between Georgie and Levi is palpable. It's a slow burn romance that feels organic and natural. The quirky dialogue and humorous banter between the two are a highlight of the book. It makes it impossible not to root for them. Kate Clayborn's writing is exquisite. She weaves a wise and witty novel that echoes with timely questions about love, career, reconciling with the past, and finding your path while knowing your true worth. Her character development is unparalleled, and Georgie's journey feels authentic and genuine, making her easy to connect with. In conclusion, "Georgie All Along" is an absolute masterpiece. It's a modern take on a classic love story, with its emphasis on self-discovery and growth. Clayborn's writing is flawless, and the chemistry between Georgie and Levi is undeniable. It's funny, heartwarming, and an absolute page-turner. This book will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside, making it a perfect read for any romance novel lover. So go ahead and dive in, you won't regret it. Don't miss out on the captivating story of "XYZ" - Get your copy of the book today or sign up for a 30-day trial of Audible and experience the tale brought to life by our talented narrators! Price: [price_with_discount] (as of [price_update_date] - Details)

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huanyukang · 5 months

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Blog 7 sources and significance

An analysis of props and scene design in "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace (2018)"

This 87 episode TV series tells the tragic love story between Ru Yi and Emperor Qianlong, and the fog of history creates infinite imagination for creators. Although the stories of Emperor Qianlong and Empress Ruyi in the Tv seires are mostly fabricated, art originates from life, and the plot design in the play conforms to the logic of character development and artistic reality (Yang and Chen, 2019). More than a dozen palace scenes were designed at a cost of billions of yuan, providing the audience with a unique experience.

Exquisite design of hairstyle and props (1) The meaning of flowers: In ancient China, flowers were used to describe beautiful women, and they also represented the image of women are gentle and beautiful. The two main types of flowers that appear in this TV drama are plum and skyflower. Red plums represent the elegant character of Ruyi. The green plum potted plant gifted by Emperor Qianlong to Ruyi, which looked like a withered branch after the two split, bloomed again after Emperor Qianlong's longing for Ruyi and his tragic passing. In addition, there are mostly scenes with snow, and there are many blooming sky flowers in these scenes, which symbolize the character of Ruyi's forbearance.

screenshoot of Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace (2018)

(2) The change in Ruyi's hairstyle design symbolizes her different levels The character design in this TV drama is also very beautiful, especially the hairstyle design of the protagonist Ru Yi. From the beginning of the first episode, Ru Yi's hairstyle was a long braid with very few decorations on her head. She only had a little peach blossom decoration, because at this time, Ru Yi was only in her twenties, and the makeup artist, through exquisite skills and handling of Ru Yi's hairstyle, made the actor in her 40s change from a visual appearance to a 20-year-old. After living in the palace for a few years, Ruyi's status also improved, so her hairstyle became more complicated. At this time, she no longer had the long braid style she used to have, but instead wore the exclusive "Qi tou" hairstyle of the imperial concubines on her head, and she wore decorative items such as jade butterflies, glass flowers, etc., all of which were made using traditional Chinese craftsmanship. Finally, when Ruyi became the queen, she wore a decoration called "Dianzi", which was like a hat. This unique hat was decorated with many phoenix shaped decorations, which also reflected her noble status. So Ruyi can also witness her growth from her hairstyle design.

screenshoot of Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace (2018)

youtube

RUYI ( ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE ) Youtube (2019). Available at:https://youtu.be/UszCzxcZ5Kwsi=_bP4ePDOStgKK4ko(Accessed: 16 February 2024)

2.Unique ideas and renovations in architectural space Ruyi is a pure and kind character in this TV drama, as she only pursues love with Emperor Qianlong and does not consider intrigues, which also leads to her tragedy. Although the plot setting of the drama is plain, the content is not vulgar and contains certain thoughts of Buddhism and Taoism. The philosophical thinking of emptiness and nothingness reflected in the plot setting is different from the simple and rough way of "tooth for tooth, eye for eye" in most palace fighting TV dramas (Xu, 2020). So the most complex and exquisite palace in this plot is the Yikun Palace, where the protagonist is like Yi. However, in history, the Yikun Palace in the Forbidden City of Beijing was not as complex and exquisite as in TV dramas. Firstly, in order to shape the image of the protagonist, the design of the Yikun Palace in TV dramas has doubled its area based on the historical prototype of the Yikun Palace. The entire palace, under the treatment of the TV drama's color scheme, is dark blue, representing the sinister and unfathomable nature of the palace, It also implies the final tragic love of Ruyi. Secondly, in order to demonstrate the identity of Empress Ruyi, the director designed a large white peacock woodblock behind Ruyi's throne, and the white peacock also represents the phoenix, symbolizing the majesty of the empress. Distinctively, there are many potted orchids placed in the Yikun Palace, and the entire palace design revolves around the theme of bamboo. For example, bamboo is carved and decorated on the screens in the main hall and on the curtains in the side halls. Bamboo represents noble character, which also symbolizes the protagonist Ruyi's adherence to pure love and kind and noble character in the dark palace.

In short, in this TV drama, the protagonist's props and scenes related to Ruyi are based on reference to the art history of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, and many innovative designs are made, which are worth appreciating by the audience

Reference:

Yang , J & Chen, W. (2019). Analysis of the artistic characteristics of the TV drama Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace. Audio-visual (04),93-94.doi:10.19395/j.cnki.1674-246x. 2019.04. 050. (Accessed: 16 February 2024)

Xu,W. (2020). Aesthetic analysis of the TV series Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace. New film and play (01),216-219.Available at:https://www.cnki.net (Accessed: 16 February 2024)

RUYI ( ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE ) Youtube(2019) . Available at:https://youtu.be/UszCzxcZ5Kwsi=_bP4ePDOStgKK4ko(Accessed: 16 February 2024)

#sources and significance #Youtube

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amplifyme · 6 months

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I’m back with a huge update~ :DDDD

TPOB Chapter 4, 5, and 6

Picking up where I left off:

WAIT SO NOT ONLY DID DIANA NOT GO WITH VINCENT BUT SHE WAS RETURNED LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED AND HAD BEEN DUPED ALONG WITH ELLIOT BY MITCH DENTON AND NOW SHE’S GOTTA SOMEHOW FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIND VINCENT--

AND CELINA FINISHED HER CATHY EXTRACTION AND VINCENT’S NOT DOING TOO HOT--

You could say I’m a bit invested in how this turns out. XDDD

"Do you ever forget, Father, that he's not like everybody else? You ever, I don't know, catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of your eye and it hits you all over again, how different he is?" The look she got in response was a curious one, surprised at first, then reflective as he took a minute to think over her question. He folded his half-gloved hands together and rested his chin against them, looking at her over the top of his glasses. "I suppose I do, from time to time. We've spent so long in each other's company - better than a third of a century now - that I suppose it's only natural I might forget. But I'm generally quickly reminded by something Vincent will say, or do, or perhaps simply by the way he'll hold himself: a certain posture. His utter stillness, the singular focus, his… unique talents and skills. His spirit, though, Diana, his heart, those things can never be forgotten. Loved that passage-- and definitely a hallmark of the series and its characters.

Diana and Father’s back-and-forth, her speech about the miracle of Vincent, that entire scene: exquisite. I enjoy so much how your D and Father have a deep sense of understanding and care towards one another, especially when V and Father are struggling through this particular plotline.

This description of Elliot was both sombering and, I admit, humorous: He was not a happy man, and his expression reflected it. He looked indignant. As if the thought of people like the Corbin family existing at all offended him on some deep level.

Vincent and the Other’s dialogue-- “I want!”-- is a nice homage to Nan’s work; and, I might add, a touch of something different. I haven’t pinned just what yet but will jot it down when it hits me.

VINCENT’S BACK; and there’s a pleased side to me knowing he hasn’t missed Jacob’s birthday. Aaaaaaaaaaand he’s been stripped to his basics, uh oh.

Interesting angle Celina is playing; we’ll see how that develops. >:))

Father and Diana talking some more, awww. Father truly is cynical-- interesting when compared to Diana (and her growth.)

Speaking of Father, his ping-pong eyes while Diana is figuring out Vincent was and Diana’s senses and anger and Vincent’s abandonment and anger as well as D and V’s slight falling out-and-in were great touches to end the chapter on~.

Also: medium silence. Nice.

Oh, I’m not done yet-- ONTO CHAPTER 5!

After a short time Narcissa ordered, "Give me your hand, child." Vincent obediently offered his right across the table, and she waved it away. "No, not the one that protects. The one that puts thoughts to paper: the heart's hand." He was taken aback by her words. Though it was possible Narcissa might know he was left-handed, he didn't know how she knew his right was his striking hand, the one that invariably brought the first of the killing blows. The attention to detaaaaaaaaaaaaail. I’m eating it up like popcorn.

I love how you describe what’s going in with Vincent from different perspectives, his, Narcissa’s, and Diana’s-- i.e. shrouding him with darkness or turning down Diana’s sense of him. Also, how you handle his distance from Jacob versus Nan’s scenario is fascinating, twisting the story left while she twisted it right. Wonderful how many layers can be drawn from a similar experience.

This small moment struck me while I read it because it’s so, so them: “...Consumed by rage and grief, I would have died of it and left my son an orphan, to be raised by a madman. Do you have any least idea, Diana, of all you've done for me?" She shrugged and almost let fly some stupid comment like, it was nothing, before she viciously gagged the impulse. Because it hadn't been nothing - and both of them knew it.

And this part: That wasn't what gave her pause now. It was what he'd said and the way he'd said it, looking back at her with unreadable eyes. It was the feeling it set off in her: like being given a commendation with one hand and a demotion with the other. Magnificent.

I’m… not laughing at what Vincent is going through, I’m not, it’s just… Celina shot herself in the foot, in a way, trying to become Catherine and wanting more from Vincent. It’s NOT funny, it’s not. And Celina obviously has more up her sleeve but I can’t help but laugh, a little; because compared to the intricacy of this plan, Lena’s perfume and flower wreath from Nan’s work was stunningly simple and even more effective and I can’t stop laughing just a little. But yes; this is going to be a doozy of a problem for Vincent.

And I appreciate that Diana is pulling no punches, but also that she’s reasonable. Losing a part of himself with Catherine but regaining it, in a way, through her legacy, then having it stripped from him and affecting his relationships and bond now is monumentous; and though Diana is an empath, she has never lost herself to the same degree he has. It’s (using that word again) interesting to explore this tragedy on top of her characterization and his and his past and their present.

This is just going to be a post where I repeat “I love this/that”, and I don’t care! It occurred to her it was nothing short of a miracle she'd somehow been judged exempt from his stalwart and unbending self-discipline. Which started her wondering why that was: why her and no one else, not even Catherine.

Diana finally realizing he really does love her amidst all the drama (and a regained healthy respect, which didn’t really bother her-- which, that is so you, that is so Diana) was the one ripe, juicy cherry on top of this rotting cake: it proves that there are salvageable bits that can be cut around.

Diana on a Kill Bill mission may not have been on my bingo card, but it isn’t entirely unexpected. Brb, going to grab another snack.

I’m back and snackless, let’s go--

Father and Vincent’s talk: as you say, layers and layers. Also: "It's a difficult question," Father ultimately decided. "I loved Margaret dearly, you know that. We had such little time together, she and I; and what I grieve most I think, as I look back on my life. But had things not happened as they did," he said, his eyes sweeping the room, "just look at all I would never have had. My home… my community. My family. And you," he said, his eyes lighting on Vincent and holding there, "you, most of all."Would I have Margaret back at the cost of the life I've built here? No, I honestly don't think I would.” Love that part.

Wait, this is scratching at my brain and I swear I’ve heard it or read it before: "Vincent, it is only when we try to grasp and hold the larger mysteries of life that we lose our ability to comprehend them: love; compassion; hope; death. One cannot hold in a fist that which requires freedom in order to be understood. Some things do not call for our examination but only… only our faith." If I’ve not, congrats on making me so completely doubt my own reality. XDDD (Beautiful passage, regardless.)

This, this, THIS-- It was a startling thought: that he'd been just as much an addict as Rolley had been, before he'd lost Catherine. When the Other within him had been called upon so often in defense of her that it'd grown dependent on the dark release it found in that protection, had begun to crave it even as he'd denied its growing influence and had stumbled blindly, desperately, toward even the smallest sliver of light within that massive darkness.-- made me rethink the entire series through new eyes; and I so pleased about that~!

Again, back to the love but who cares at this point: LOVE this passage: Diana respected him too much to deny his pain, or to soften the truth in an act of pity disguised as sympathy. So what she said to him was, "You're right: you couldn't." His eyes slid to hers. "But you were there when she needed you the most, Vincent, when it really mattered." She gripped his arm tightly. "Do you think Catherine would've wanted it any other way, up on that rooftop; that she'd have rather it be anybody else with her? Do you have any idea what a gift you gave her - to be there with her at the end? Most people die alone, Vincent. But she didn't have to; she was with the one she loved most of all."

Vincent returning to fight and not to give in took me by surprise as well; but I am absolutely flinging pom poms about and wildly cheering him on now.

THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING. Name drop-- also, perfect way to work the series, the poem, and this story together.

Vincent’s pit stops before meeting with Celina were excellent, yes. Particularly enjoyed you highlighting the metaphor that Diana knocked down Vincent’s walls, and that he’s the one that dwells on its significance.

And all of these excellent points that I hadn’t considered: As he was brought to his knees by the raw kinesthetic memory of catching Catherine in his arms as she'd collapsed, it occurred to him that Diana was right. He hadn't been able to save Catherine, but he had been there to gentle her fall. To hold her, as he had countless times before. To see in her eyes the reflection of their love. To experience the gift of it again; its very existence a large act of fate and faith that humbled him still. And he'd come just in time. The perfect time. Had it been any sooner, had the least moment been changed, his son may well have died, too. A sacrifice Vincent knew Gabriel would've been more than willing to abide, simply so he could declare himself the victor. And had he come any later, he would never have known about the child, their son. Would have been too late to hear Catherine's last words: affirmation, truth, a promise.

Poor Jacob crying. Also, Father LEAPING at the chance to rescue Vincent no matter the means and Diana now having to convince him not to act is poetry, it rhymes.

Reflecting on Celina’s She wanted only what she wanted. and comparing her to the growth-stunted Other made me pause. The difference, of course, is the Other is an expression of Vincent’s abandonment and want and Celina is a self-interested, calculated skinwalker wearing Catherine as a robe.

And, of course, for all of Vincent’s calculations he couldn’t calculate enough.

ELLIOT-- excuse me, Elliot tailed Diana around. I love that man.

The confrontation between Celina and poor Vincent and Diana-- great scene. Also, I didn't note above, but I thoroughly ate up that Vincent was/is aware of how others view his dangerousness and played it up to the guards and Celina.

Elliot getting to take out Celina-- chef’s kiss.

Vincent making new friends and Diana turned around in the tunnels and Elliot passing out and Father and V’s strays and V&D are going steady and TO EVERY CRAFT ITS PROPER MYSTERY!!!!!!!

Glided right into your acknowledgements and was nodding along with your “she’s still dead” exploration: when I read that back in Chapter 2, a part of me wanted to die laughing because because because. Never fails to still amuse me. ;))) And I loved reading your dedication to Nan, as well as the titles/subtitles trivia.

When I have the time to set aside, I’ll most definitely drop some more comments on Ao3 as a final way to work through my thoughts~.

Oh, one last thing! Most definitely going to either send or read bits to Sis (been keeping her up to date); and will send you her comments when she’s available (she's perfectly willing, enjoys that you enjoy.) I always pitch passages to her as “more Father… and also Diana”; and it works. >:DDDD

Overall, I had a fantastic time reading this-- beautiful work, beautifully executed, exquisitely written. I most certainly will reread in the future. :DDD

You can't see me, but I'm grinning ear to ear. I'm so pleased that you had a good time inhabiting my little BATB universe!

Just a few things below the cut.

I had such a blast writing the D & F scenes, and especially this one.

Okay, so my two favorite lines I gave Stosh: 1) "He was with you when?" when D is giving him the details of V's kidnapping. That line still makes me laugh like a fool and I wrote it.. 2) Telling Vincent "Besides, it's the least you can do, right? Since I seem to have made a habit of taking bullets for you." Again with the laughter. I need to write another V & Stosh fic. Maybe someday...

I always found it very interesting on the show that Vincent the lefty almost always struck first with his right hand. Maybe Buster is righthanded? Hmmmm. Maybe that was an Easter egg in Nan's Dialogues and the muse grabbed onto it and saved it for later.

I’m… not laughing at what Vincent is going through, I’m not, it’s just… Celina shot herself in the foot, in a way, trying to become Catherine and wanting more from Vincent.

Right?? But it's so in line with both Gabriel and Snow's personalities, too. They thought they were smarter than everyone else. Not a good mindset when dealing with V, who is a master strategist - not to mention still fiercely protective of Cathy.

Diana on a Kill Bill mission may not have been on my bingo card, but it isn’t entirely unexpected.

It's that darkness V saw in her, rising to the surface. And a good thing it did, in the end. And we've so often seen that sort of rage driving V, I thought it would be interesting to play with it in D, too.

To the best of my recollection, this is not inspired by anything besides the muse. It was part of the theme of the story that I tried to sprinkle here and there: that death doesn't mean the end of love, and that love is infinite and can't be measured, and trying to compare one love with another is a fool's game. And there was also the snippet of Dylan Thomas' poem that drove the trilogy and Though Lovers Be Lost, and eventually this fic: "Though lovers be lost, love shall not. And death shall have no dominion." That was the first seed that was planted in the garden that eventually became TPOB.

Good! I love it if something I write makes my readers see things in a different way. I'm pleased too!

Vincent returning to fight and not to give in took me by surprise as well; but I am absolutely flinging pom poms about and wildly cheering him on now.

Yay!! I'm glad I could surprise you now and then.

THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING. Name drop-- also, perfect way to work the series, the poem, and this story together.

That poem was the second seed planted.

Also, I didn't note above, but I thoroughly ate up that Vincent was/is aware of how others view his dangerousness and played it up to the guards and Celina.

There's the strategist again!

Elliot getting to take out Celina-- chef’s kiss.

It had to be him. I knew that from the beginning. He deserved the chance to redeem himself in his own eyes. And he took the painful choice away from both V & D, which I saw as a wonderful act of love and grace. Stosh is a good guy.

Vincent making new friends and Diana turned around in the tunnels and Elliot passing out and Father and V’s strays and V&D are going steady and TO EVERY CRAFT ITS PROPER MYSTERY!!!!!!!

Oh, you know I had to get that in there somewhere! And not to pat my own back, but I kinda love where it ended up going. This remains my very favorite happy ending of anything I've written. 😊

When I have the time to set aside, I’ll most definitely drop some more comments on Ao3 as a final way to work through my thoughts~.

That would be lovely. Thank you.

I look forward to reading Sis's thoughts, when (and if) she makes her way through "the best parts." 😁

Overall, I had a fantastic time reading this-- beautiful work, beautifully executed, exquisitely written. I most certainly will reread in the future. :DDD

I'm so, so happy to know this! Really, this has been such a gift to me. Thanks so much for your thoughtful and considered comments, as well as your constant enthusiasm. ❤️

Feel free to dive back into that BATB collection on AO3 when the needs hits you. There's still a lot to discover. Until the next time, my friend!

#ask and answer #beauty and the beast 1987 #fanfic #the possibility of being #discussion

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banapsha · 9 months

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You've reached Sam- Book Review

You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao is a book that will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions, leaving an indelible mark on your heart. This poignant and beautifully written novel explores the depths of grief, love, and the power of connection that transcends life and death.

The story revolves around Julie, who tragically loses her boyfriend Sam in a car accident. Devastated by the loss, Julie finds solace in Sam's voicemail, preserving his memory by continuing to call and leave messages. However, when someone else answers Sam's phone, a mysterious connection is forged, leading Julie on a journey of self-discovery and healing.

I was so sad, I wanted to assume Sam somehow lived. But Thao had other plans for me.

Thao's writing is heartfelt and evocative, effortlessly drawing readers into Julie's world of grief and longing. The characters are relatable and well-developed, with Julie's journey serving as a catalyst for personal growth and understanding. The author expertly explores themes of loss, acceptance, and the power of letting go, leaving readers with a profound sense of empathy and reflection.

You've Reached Sam tackles heavy subject matter with grace and sensitivity. It delves into the complexities of grief and the different ways people cope with loss. Thao's narrative invites readers to explore the stages of grief alongside Julie, allowing them to experience the range of emotions and challenges that accompany the healing process.

What makes this book unique is its exploration of the connection between the living and the departed. The mysterious interaction that Julie develops with the person who answers Sam's phone introduces a touch of the supernatural, adding a layer of intrigue and exploration of the unexplained.

I believe it was Sam’s ghost. Nobody can change my mind.

In conclusion, You've Reached Sam is a book that will resonate deeply with readers. Thao's exquisite writing, coupled with the raw emotions and relatable characters, creates an immersive and unforgettable reading experience. Prepare to be moved by the themes of love, loss, and the profound impact of human connections that transcend the boundaries of life and death. I have never felt heartache like did when I read this book. I could literally physically feel the pain.

You've Reached Sam is a beautifully crafted novel that will leave you reflecting on the power of love and the strength of the human spirit.

#book quotes #bookaholic #bookstagram #booktok #book review #booklr #books #books & libraries #bookblr #book reccs #book recommendations #books and reading #booklover #reading #mustread

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penguinsthoughts · 11 months

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Book Review: You'e Reached Sam written by Dustin Thao

Prepare to be captivated by a tale of love, loss, and the unbreakable bond that transcends death. In "You've Reached Sam" by Dustin Thao, the pages come alive with raw emotion, taking readers on a poignant journey through the depths of grief and the power of letting go. With its heartwarming narrative and unforgettable characters, this debut novel is a powerful reminder that sometimes, the most unexpected connections can bring solace in our darkest moments. Brace yourself for an immersive experience that will leave you spellbound and profoundly moved.

The story follows the protagonist, Julie Jones, who is devastated by the sudden death of her boyfriend, Sam. Overwhelmed by grief and unable to let go, Julie discovers an old phone that still has Sam's number saved. In a desperate attempt to reconnect with him, she dials the number, only to be surprised when Sam's voice answers on the other end. What follows is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the power of letting go.

At its core, "You've Reached Sam" imparts an important lesson about the nature of loss and the healing process. Through the protagonist Julie's journey, readers are reminded of the significance of seeking closure and finding the strength to let go. The novel beautifully illustrates that holding onto the past can hinder personal growth and prevent the exploration of new beginnings.

One of the strengths of the book lies in its remarkable ability to authentically capture the full spectrum of emotions. Dustin Thao's masterful portrayal of grief conveys the intricate layers of anguish and the yearning to hold onto what has been lost. Julie's odyssey is profoundly relatable, allowing readers to empathize deeply with her pain and longing.

Thao's writing style possesses a lyrical quality that effortlessly captivates readers, carrying them through the narrative with grace. The pacing strikes an exquisite balance, offering moments of quiet introspection and contemplation, as well as instances of heightened tension and plot advancement. Through vivid and evocative descriptions, Thao paints a vibrant and immersive backdrop, intensifying the emotional resonance of the tale.

The characters in "You've Reached Sam" are multi-dimensional and endearing, contributing to the overall depth of the narrative. As Julie navigates her grief, she is accompanied by a cast of supporting characters, each undergoing their own trials and personal growth. The genuine relationships and interactions between them add layers of authenticity and enrich the story's tapestry.

Delving beyond the surface, the novel intricately explores themes of love, loss, and the process of healing with sensitivity and nuance. It emphasizes the significance of seeking closure, embracing the concept of letting go, and discovering the profound beauty in life's most challenging moments. Thao's storytelling encourages readers to reflect on their own encounters with loss and the potential for hope and rejuvenation in unexpected places.

While a few plot elements may be somewhat predictable, this minor flaw does not diminish the overall impact of the narrative. The emotional resonance and well-crafted character development compensate for any moments of predictability, ensuring a deeply affecting reading experience.

In conclusion, "You've Reached Sam" is an emotionally charged and profound novel that skillfully navigates themes of grief, love, and healing. Dustin Thao's debut showcases his exceptional storytelling abilities, immersing readers in Julie's transformative journey of loss, hope, and self-discovery. Highly recommended for fans of contemporary young adult fiction seeking a moving and thought-provoking read that lingers in the heart and mind. This book not only captivates with its powerful storytelling but also imparts an important lesson - that by acknowledging our grief, honoring our memories, and learning to let go, we can find hope, growth, and the capacity to truly live again.

Disclaimer: The photo above is not mine.

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sssaaarrraaat · 1 year

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Your Name

I swear, every movie that we watch for this class makes me cry. This film is definitely an emotional roller coaster. I notice three main scenes in this film. This included love, loss, and fate. The beautiful animation creates a lively and engrossing world with its rich colors and breathtaking scenery. The soundtrack is exquisite, and it perfectly matches the emotional tone of the movie. The music is similarly outstanding.

The characters are well-rounded and likable, with Mitsuha and Taki each going through their own growth and development throughout the movie. The romantic plot is handled sensitively, staying away from clichés and emphasizing the emotional bond between the two protagonists.

The topic of personal identity and how it is molded by our experiences and interactions with others is one of the movie's major themes. Due to their body-swapping experiences, Mitsuha and Taki, who are both having a hard time comprehending who they are and where they fit in the world, are able to see themselves from new angles and come to a better understanding of who they are.

The power of memory and how it affects our relationships and perspectives of the outside world is another important theme of the movie.

Taki's memory of Mitsuha is what enables their connection to remain even though time and space separate them, whereas Mitsuha's connection to her city and her ancestors is related to her memories and her comprehension of her family's history.

The topic of fate and its impact on our lives is also discussed in the movie. Although the movie finally makes the case that people have free will and can choose their own lives, it also admits the existence of uncontrollable factors that can have unanticipated effects on our lives.

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queermediastudies · 2 years

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Neoliberalism & Gay Market

From the early 1970s, global competition and falling profit rates stirred U.S. corporates to uplifts a pro-business activism, striving for more market share, corporate growth, and profitability. Then, pro-business activism became the foundation of neoliberalism. Neoliberalism aims to dismantle the limited welfare state, reducing the money spent on other social uses, in order to maximize corporate profit rates. In that case, neoliberalism adopts the logic of economic determinism, creating a vision of “competition, inequality, market discipline, public austerity, and ‘law and order’” (Duggan, 2002, p.5). And to reach the pro-business goal, neoliberalism essentially opposed the previous equitable, but more expansive downward redistribution of resources featured by progressive-left social movements of the 1960s and 1970s. In this sense, throughout the 1980s, the overall direction of social resource redistribution around the world has become upward, which means resources are concentrated toward “fewer hands at the very top of an increasingly steep pyramid” (Duggan, 2002, p.5). In other words, it transfers control of economic factors from the public to the very tiny proportion of elites, exacerbating overall economic inequality.

However, the development of neoliberalism requires the support of a compliant political culture that will reconstruct the everyday life of capitalism, support the upward redistribution of resources, and conceal the embedded social inequalities. Then, when we switch the gears to queer representation in the mainstream media, we can see that a lot of contemporary TV shows and movies do ostensibly promote the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters. Nevertheless, they tend to create a fantasy or illusion about what it would look like to be a “good” gay, a new normal gay, or an ideal gay. For example, they should be white, middle-upper class, highlighting how they keep their ‘place at the table’ by striving to be just like their straight middle-class counterparts, living in a monogamous relationship, and building up a (mildly dysfunctional) family (Joyrich, 2014).

The media examples that I bring are from Modern Family, an American family sitcom television series produced by the American Broadcasting Company. This TV show follows the lives of three diverse families, all branches of the big family linked by patriarch Jay Pritchett. Mitchell and Cameron constitute a gay couple family, and they are both middle-upper-class white males. Mitchell is a lawyer, and Cam is a coach at the school. They both have decent jobs and high social status. Their house is in the suburban area of Los Angeles. And their families are all middle-upper-class cis straight people living an affluent life with several kids.

The first clip shows Mitch and Cam’s wedding ceremony, where you can see how exquisitely decorated their wedding is. And their friends and families are almost all white, middle-class, cisgender, straight people who strongly support and love Mitch and Cam. At 0:53 of the clip, there is an interesting parallel between Clair (Mitch’s sister) and Phil (Clair’s husband), a heterosexual couple and a new homosexual couple. And then, Phil said, “They say the best marriages contain just a little bit of magic. Believe me, I know.” Then, he looks at his wife. It seems Phil and Clair’s heterosexual marriage is the prototype of the “best marriage,” and Mitch and Cam’s marriage will be a mimicry of this model.

youtube

The second clip shows the scene where Lily, a Vietnamese girl adopted by Mitch and Cam, wants to have a fake “wedding” with her dad. This family structure also implies that an ideal gay family is supposed to adopt a baby, which conforms to social expectations for heterosexual people. What I think is more interesting is that before Lily figures out her sexuality, since she is too young currently, her imagination of the perfect wedding is between a girl and a boy. Again, this TV show highlights heteronormativity and the “multicultural”, neoliberal “equality” politics, which serve the neoliberal hegemony (Duggan, 2002, p.7).

youtube

Through the examples, we can see that Mitch and Cam seem like they have the “right” and “proper” gender, class, and race, which allows them to look just like everyone else in the heterosexual-sitcom-textual model. This kind of representation "does not contest dominant heteronormative assumptions and institutions, but upholds and sustains them, while promising the possibility of a demobilized gay constituency and a privatized, depoliticized gay culture anchored in domesticity and consumption" (Duggan, 2002, p. 50). And that is called homonormativity. In other words, this kind of representation focuses on the success, acceptance, and equality of individuals, while overlooking the struggle and the marginalized nature of the overall queer community. Also, the representation conforms to the mainstream culture, heterosexual structure, and normative society, pulling LGBTQ+ identity works from the very margin to the mainstream. According to Joyrich (2014), “It puts the normative back into their homos.” It makes queers not that “queer” anymore.

Therefore, the neoliberal rhetorical approach normalizes gays, assimilates gays, which may somehow create a facade of social acceptance. Ultimately, the goal is to demobilize and depoliticalize the LGBTQ+ community, and to prevent any radicalization or progressive evolution of the queer text since it will redistribute the resources downward. Only in this way could the big corporates and the upper class make more money and sustain the upward redistribution of wealth, political power, and cultural capital.

References:

Duggan, Lisa (2003). “Introduction” and “Ch 3: Equality, Inc.” in The Twilight of Equality: Neoliberalism, Cultural Politics, and the Attack on Democracy, ix-xxii; 43-66.

Joyrich, L. (2014). Queer television studies: Currents, flows, and (main)streams. Cinema Journal, 53(2), 133-139. https://doi.org/10.1353/cj.2014.0015

#media examples #queermedia #queer media #lgbtq #queer media studies #queer #youtube #modern family #queer culture #neoliberalism #meme #tv shows #Youtube

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laoyangtutor · 2 years

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In the late 19th century and early 20th century, the United States, commercialization further development, consumerism initiation and growth. Cicero Delley's novel, "Sister Carrie", presents us with the "painting of the World" in Chicago, the great city of the Times, the heroine's personal experience not only bears witness to the American society of consumerism, but also shows the changing process of its moral concept in the ups and downs of big cities, which is not an overnight process, The mind from the struggle to the final calm numbness reflects the inevitable moral depravity. This article will take the moral as the center, unifies the time background, discusses the main character Carrie Sister's moral struggle.

The subject of the story takes place in Chicago, a big city rising. With the great Wheel of industrialization, Chicago, whether it is urbanization, population, or commercial level has been in the United States and the forefront of the world, is a well-deserved metropolis.

Big cities mean more opportunities, so younger sister Carrie's young men poured hope and vision into Chicago. As the story begins, Carrie's brother-in-law, Hanson, says, "This is a big city, you can find something to do within a few days, everyone comes here."

But great opportunities also hide great temptations, and the richness of the big city's material gives Carrie an extraordinary shock and excitement, and Chicago is like an ocean of limitless possibilities. In the face of all this, the fledgling Carrie could fall into the sea of material desires.

Consumption forms the core of urban life. The city's fast-changing goods, a dazzling range of clothing, exquisite luxury restaurants and gorgeous lights are waving to consumers, fashionable and convenient urban life is built on the basis of daily consumption. and commercialization in satisfying people's material needs, but also stimulated more desire, living in the city of people addicted to fame and enjoyment, greedy desire is infinitely magnified. So consumerism quietly arose, the American first thrifty simple Puritanism was replaced by materialism, the pursuit of bright and beautiful, the pursuit of fashion become mainstream. And here more is the conspicuous consumption, fashionable clothing, luxurious house is not only material demand, but also become a symbol of identity and taste.

Consumption has contributed to social stratification. American economist Veblen points out: Different social groups have different consumption patterns, the differences in consumption patterns reflect specific social groups, and the consumption patterns promote the stratification of social groups. The different consumption ability makes consumption this behavior has the class attribute, the upper class extravagant consumption is the lower people completely dare not think. This also unfolds at the beginning of the story, when Carrie, who had just found a job, invited Minnie and her brother-in-law to go to the theatre with a thrill of city life, but they responded coldly, because for them it was the entertainment of the upper class, not theirs. The city opens the door to welcome everyone, but it also builds an invisible "wall of wealth" between people and uses the power to categorize them.

On the whole, Carrie's heart experienced the longing, the confusion, the struggle, and the process of indulging in the pleasures, and the key to her whole life was the stage of her struggle, how to turn from an ignorant little girl into a mistress of dependence and use of others, Carrie was the last to succumb to matter in constant torment of self and moral struggle.

We can see that when Drouet met Carrie for the second time, and "lent" the 10 dollar bill to the unemployed Carrie, Carrie instinctively refused, suggesting that her upbringing and social experience told her that she could not do anything for nothing, and that Drouet understood it, and his intentions were by no means simple, Otherwise, Carrie would not have used the money to buy clothes but did not find a way for her to settle down the serious work, so he used a "borrow" word sly conceal the behavior behind the improper. Carrie, after receiving the money, was still disturbed, ashamed of her refusal to refuse, and returned it the next day, and it was evident that Carrie's heart was at first dominated by morality and reason.

There is a metaphorical meaning to the description of the dream in the book. Carrie's sister Minnie dreamed of a desperate plunge into the bottomless coal mine, and suddenly sank into the water, ignoring her call, in the end of her desperate plunge into Drouet's arms. "In this way, these fanciful dreams change in her weary mind, and scene after scene, the last scene made her cry, for Carrie slipped down from a rock, and her fingers did not grasp, and she watched her slip down. "The images of these dreams are related to the fall, implying that Carrie and her sister are drifting away, and have entered a dangerous situation that cannot be turned back."

After living with Drouet, Carrie lived a life of relative affluence, but still received a conscience torture. "' Look at the people around you! The voice whispered. Look at those decent people who despise what you do. Look at those decent girls, and once they know you're weak, they'll avoid you, and you'll fall down without a fight. At this time, Carrie, while enduring the moral condemnation, envied the richer living conditions, she could say that her moral outlook was already in the swing.

This state of Carrie changed after Hurstwood's appearance. Hurstwood's graceful manner, his charming voice, and his affection for the young and simple Carrie all gave Carrie the illusion of love. "She thinks more realistically about her future and feels more out of it." Hurstwood was the force that took her on the path of honor. Her strength is quite believable, and their recent development is free and without shame. She had no idea what Hurstwood was going to say, and she was only trying to treat his feelings as good things, and to get more beautiful, more generous results. "This is an important shift, Carrie, on the one hand, was a mistress of Drouet, betraying his feelings and Hurstwood, but could think that there was no shame, that Carrie had ceased to struggle, that there was not much weight in her mind, and that she saw more desires.

Henceforth, Carrie's balance of morals and desires had been evidently tilted, and she had been successful in the drama by chance, and she had increasingly despised Drouet, who had helped her in distress, to elope with Hurstwood, and to the story of the later Carrie, who had abandoned Hurstwood for the success of her personal career. Her moral outlook slipped and fell without knowing it. The end of Carrie's reputation, the dream of high life is always unhappy, because she on the road to success to give up too much important things.

Dreiser lived in the formative years of American urbanization, and he was born in a small town in Indiana, when he came to Chicago at the age of 15 to make a living. His own experience has made him deeply aware of the uniqueness of urban life and the advantages and disadvantages. With a grim eye to the commercial backdrop of a surge in desire and a moral landslide, he points out: "When people get used to throwing disposable goods, they mean they can throw away the intrinsic value, the inherent way of life and the stability of human relationships." "The writer is the supervisor of society, always can keenly smell the traces of moral decay." In the United States has just entered the bustling time to detect the moral ills of society, thinking about the meaning of morality. To this end, he discussed in detail the complex concept of "morality" in chapter tenth of Sister Carrie. "Although Spencer and our modern naturalist philosophers have all kinds of analysis, we have only naïve illusions about morality," he said. It is not just a rule of evolution. He is not just in keeping with the world, it is much deeper than we know. The first thing to answer is why does the heart tremble? Then explain the sad melody why can spread everywhere, spread unbeaten. Please explain why the rose can be a red light, whether it rains or not. The fundamental principle of morality is in these things. The author thinks that the morality is connected with the natural feelings of human beings and the beauty of things, emphasizing the complexity and profundity of morality. In the traditional sense, we regard morality as a kind of behavior norm that people in human society follow together, and morality arises from the relationship between people. But here, the Desai did not put the moral in the social environment, but to emphasize the common human mind, we will be moved, will be sad, will appreciate the beauty of things. So-called "Manto, Centon", the moral that Desai wants to express is similar to this "rationale" word. In the common feelings of mankind, this includes the most fundamental judgments of things, not after the analysis of social relations. But at the same time, if we do things blindly to follow the heart without thinking, selfishness and greed at this time will occupy the hearts of the people, therefore, the moral contains the beauty of the ingredients, it should be in line with the feelings of individuals, but also to be able to like the beauty of the beautiful things as the Rose

In the author's opinion, sister Carrie's moral loss is due to her wrong view of money. Scholar Walter Benn Michaels believes that a kind of money view of Desai is to treat money as "a kind of storage power" and therefore must be honestly used to pay, and never be used as a privilege. The demand for honesty in this view of money implies the necessity of morality. Carrie wanted the riches and leisure of the big city, and naively thought that "money itself is power", and that people with large sums of money are happy people. But that's just the material role of money, money itself is worthless, it's just a tool for value exchange, and it can be the basis of this particular tool is to exchange the integrity of both sides. Conversely, the money that is not earned by honest Labor denies the value of money in itself, let alone brings power and happiness.

Through "Sister Carrie", Desai pointed out that consumerism society's moral erosion, from the opposite direction, emphasizing the importance of morality. The full text does not spend too much text to describe the moral noble person, but let a group of people who disregard the morals to tangle with each other, until the end of the closing only Carrie glittering shell and empty heart, thus contrasting the moral value. The characters of the Desai are social representative, they symbolize not only a group of people, but the whole society. Judging from their age, there were young Carrie, young Drouet, and a steady and experienced hurstwood; From a professional perspective, it covers a variety of social divisions, such as factory workers, salespeople, hotel managers, actors, and so on, representing different socioeconomic strata, as well as a holistic picture of society.

The moral struggles of the characters in sister Carrie are the product of the American commercialized Society at the turn of the century, in the big Environment has the imprint of the Times, but Carrie's story is not far from us more than 100 years later, in China's economic take-off in 21st century, we have to take this as a reference to strengthen the construction of social morality, Avoid the tragedies of Carrie and Hurstwood.

The story of the big city of Chicago and now China's Beijing, Shanghai is very similar, with countless opportunities and a variety of fashion, so many young people in order to dream of "North Drift", their survival should also arouse Chinese writers and people's concern and thinking.

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readitreviewit · 4 months

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greensaplinggrace · 3 years

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do you have any darklina fic recs?

I certainly have a few! But first I want to clarify that I don’t really read fic when I’m writing it, and since I have so many fics in the works right now, I haven’t really been reading a lot of fanfiction. So this list probably won’t be as extensive as it could be.

Here are some other great fic recommendation posts, however:

DARKLINA FIC RECS by @vicioux

DARKLINA FIC RECS // part ii by @vicioux

Darklina Ruling the World Together Fic Recs by @clubofthestarlesssaint

Tumblr Ficlets

Aleksander’s First Memory by @kestrafagnor

Fivan Talk About Darklina by @jomiddlemarch

a little light in the great, big dark by @valkyrhys

Alina tells Mal she’s with Aleksander by @lorsanbitch

Darklina week day 5: intimacy & touch by @starlesscne

AO3 Fanfiction

if it ain’t me by larry_hystereks (Incomplete - 10/13 Chapters)

alina’s in her second year at Yale when she meets aleksander at one of his frat parties.

a hookup with the potential for more, only if alina wasn’t still struggling to piece herself together from last year’s breakup.

or: alina, zoya, their trust issues, and the men that fall for them

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I’m only at about chapter 6 of this fic currently, but so far it’s one of my all time favorite Modern AUs. The characterization for Alina and Aleksander is incredibly well done, and the entire fic itself is so feminist and queer in such a refreshing way. Aleksander and Alina are bisexual as fuck, both with their own separate complex lives, and much of Alina’s own traumas and relationships are explored outside of Aleksander.

There’s some Zoyalina, with Nikolina friendship and endgame Zoyalai. There’s some mystery and some tension, but nothing too extreme, and a lot of the fic is merely an exploration in growth and overcoming one’s history and learning how to move on in healthy ways. I love it.

She Wears a Collar (With My Name) by Ceris_Malfoy (Complete)

She is immortal, and whatever lingering hints of humanity she may have once had have long been bleached from her heart.

I will grant you one wish, boy, if it is in my power to do so. What does a Shadow Smith most want?

"You," he answers.

Written for Darklina Week 2021 - Day 2: Role Reversal

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This piece is just exquisite. This author’s writing style is one that I particularly enjoy. Their stuff is always so uniquely composed and crafted, and this one especially is a work of art. The way Darklina as a relationship is portrayed in particular is fascinating to me because it’s a role reversal but it’s still so complex. Aleksander’s character is nailed.

the bright sun was extinguish’d by athousandwinds (Complete)

Somewhere, deep in the dark forests of Ravka, a boy grows up on stories of Sankta Alina of the Wastes, the Sun-Scorched Saint.

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This fic is just straight up magnificent. It’s so engaging and I love love love the way a role reversed Aleksander who joins the army is portrayed. He reminds me so much of Demon in the Woods Aleksander, as if he’s exactly what a grown version of that young boy would be. When I say I adore his characterization in this I’m not lying.

If I wanted any completed fic I’ve read to have a second chapter, it would be this one.

Winter in the Little Palace by redisxwing (Complete)

Written for Yuletide 2020.

Baghra and Alina's wildly different perspectives on the Darkling, and how things could have gone if nobody listened to Baghra.

Warning: Baghra is written as a harsh and arguably abusive parent, and this is darkfic about that relationship, with a side of shipping. Everything is terrible (except the parts that are pretty much okay).

Canon divergence pretty much as soon as Alina gets lessons in summoning.

This fic is likely not compatible with King of Scars (or any subsequent work).

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As is said in the summary, this one makes Baghra a bit more extreme. If you’re a fan of Baghra, this fic probably isn’t for you. But since I’m not a fan of Baghra, I had no problems with it.

My biggest praise for this fic is in regards to the character interactions and the POVs. There’s a brilliant grasp of unique perspective and how to convey it, and that talent is carried over into the way character interactions are brought to life in the text. Also, there’s a scene where Alina gets kind of protective of the Darkling, which is one of my biggest weaknesses when it comes to Darklina.

Good Ideas by FelixRivers (Complete)

Alina Starkov had a very good idea. Aleksander Morozova would definitely agree. (or: Alina wants to go camping and Aleksander won't complain)

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This fic is just straight up adorable and hilarious. They’re such a cute couple and Alina’s POV is great. It’s just pure fluff and humor 💕

I’m not a bad girl, but I do bad things with you by SanktaJenya - @sankta-arya (Complete)

Winter had been hard on Old Baghra and Ana Kuya was worried about her, so she decided that Alina should make the trip to her cottage on the other side of the woods to bring her some food and kvas. On her way there, Alina meets a stranger...

Darklina Red Riding Hood/Company of Wolves AU

Darklina Week, Day 4, Fairytales

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This fic has a splendid grasp of tension and atmosphere. It’s very enchanting and dark and intriguing, and it nails those aspects with absolute precision. I love the style and the way the fairytale is incorporated into the narrative. It’s truly a masterpiece.

The Wretched by @aceofnowhere (Complete)

“We are strangers, but I want to help.” He growls at her, mocking and mistrustful. “I understand,” she said. “You think I am one of them. I certainly look like one of them. But I want to help you. Will you let me?” Prompt: fairytale. Alina saves a dragon.

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Okay so I’ve mentioned this one before as one of my Top 5 fics of all time and I still stand by that. I can’t even describe why I love this fic so much except that the pacing is amazing and the prose is stunning and the story is beautiful. Aleksander is a dragon and Alina is a witch, and their relationship is just so...interesting and fascinating and lovely. I would literally kill for this fic. There’s such a softness to it as well. Such a tenderness. Idk, I just really love it.

Show Me Who You Are (I Want To Know) by Ceris_Malfoy (Incomplete - 12/?)

Alina takes her future in her own hands and makes her own decisions.

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This is a great “what if Alina had stuck around after the reveal” rewrite. It doesn’t have Mal bashing and in fact still writes them as close friends, which is something I’m fond of in Darklina fics. Aleksander is allowed to be soft and Alina is allowed to be powerful, and I really enjoyed the take on their dynamics as a power couple wherein Alina is given a lot of control.

There’s something to be said for the way Aleksander is written in the scenes where he must be honest and earnest with Alina. I really enjoy the way they both come to equal ground, and I’m even more fond of the way Alina is allowed to grow darker without losing her light. She also engages a lot with quite a few other characters, developing tons of friendships and alliances on her own that help strengthen her as an individual character.

on this bridge between starshine and clay by @rhea-imagined (Complete)

"His breath narrows for a moment, his fist clenched tight before he forces himself to loosen it. She is his only opportunity for salvation, but vulnerability is not a cape he wears easily. “In those days, there was less prejudice against Shadow Summoners. But everyone fears the dark, in one way or another.” He does not look at her as he waits for the penny to drop, half-hoping it stays suspended in the air."

In which Alexander comes clean to Alina and tells her about his true identity in hopes that this will help convince her to take down the Fold.

A rewrite of the fountain scene in episode four, with a good!Darkling that is trying to make amends.

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This is my all-time favorite good!Aleksander AU. He’s kept in character despite the major changes made to his motivations, and Alina is given a lot more agency in her own story. It’s the first fic in what might become a series, but it can stand alone beautifully.

I love how Aleksander and Alina’s relationship is allowed to grow tense without breaking, and how it’s a clear sign of change but not abandonment. I love how both characters are able to think for themselves and become self-aware and are given the chance to think critically. I love the character interaction so much because it’s honest and fresh and engaging. Everything from the smallest action to the most off-hand thought is in character and meaningful and incorporated with an amazing style of writing. It’s a very refreshing piece, and the writing only makes it that much better.

Bunnies of a Feather Stitch Together by Ill_Ratte (Complete)

"Just as Alina called to the light, gathering and twisting it into a ball in her hands, the door swung open.

Kirigan blacked out the door frame. His appearance enough would have surprised Alina, but there was something clutched in his arm, something dark and floppy. It almost looked like the stuffed toys that had been passed around to the younger Orphans." - Alina and The Darkling bond over a love of soft things

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Soft stuffed animal shenanigans. Bits of trans!Aleksander, which I’m very fond of, as well as just a lot of fluff with a bit of something bittersweet and sad in a good way.

Half Lie by Ill_Ratte (Complete)

"Baghra always talked of the demon that had stolen her daughter." Or, Alina learns the hard way that the Darkling isn't the only one who deals in half-truths

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This one is trans!Aleksander, and it handles it in a very interesting way. It’s quite sad, and deals a lot with Baghra & Aleksander’s relationship through Alina’s POV. I want to give a warning for transphobia, because it does center around that a lot as the premise, but it really is worth the read if that isn’t a trigger for you. This is one of my favorite trans!Aleksander fics, and the way it handles emotion and grief and pain is quite extraordinary.

The CEO and Helioseismologist by mrthology (Complete)

Aleksander Morozova doesn't get sick. He's the CEO of one of the most successful companies in the world, one that he had built from the ground up with blood, sweat, and tears. He exercised daily (usually), maintained a healthy diet, and kept himself fit.

He wasn’t sick.

Too bad no one believed him. And too bad Genya decided to call Ivan to take him home before also calling Alina to take care of him.

Maybe, just maybe, being sick wasn't so bad. Especially not when he has such a wonderful girlfriend.

---

Both of the fics in this series are great, but I love this one in particular because I’m an absolute sucker for hurt/comfort. Anyone who’s been on my blog for a while knows that it’s my all time favorite trope to read, and this fic fits the hurt/comfort trope to a T in the best of ways. It’s very tender and in character, and Aleksander and Alina are so soft with each other. It’s adorable and really makes you feel for Aleksander, and the caretaking is done perfectly.

All the different layers of dark (thousand little suns) by Anuna (Complete)

One month after the Winter Fete, Aleksander returns to the Little Palace, and Alina has been missing him.

Episode five canon divergence in which Alina had never left Os Alta.

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This one is soft emotional hurt/comfort smut. They’re both so open and vulnerable with each other, and it’s so beautiful to read. I love the writing style and the emotion in this one. It makes my heart ache in the best way.

An Honourable Man by liviy695 (Complete)

A reimagining of the scene after the winter fete. Alina catches a glimpse of a caring Darkling after he returns from integrating the Conductor. Plus, no Baghra interference.

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This one is what it says on the tin, in that Baghra doesn’t interfere and they’re allowed to talk after the Darkling interrogates the Conductor. But more than that, it’s a great imagining of how a scene where Aleksander reveals Marie’s death would have gone. There’s a sort of quiet to it that I appreciate, with grief and solemnity weighed against care and vulnerability.

I see the real you (even if you don’t, I do) by Anonymous (Incomplete - 8/?)

A series of questionable decisions lead Alina to meet the Black General a bit earlier. Butterfly effect ensues.

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I’ve only read half so far (I hadn’t realized it had updated!! 👀👀) but I’m already in love with this fic. Alina’s dialogue and perspective is perfect, her relationship with Mal and the other cartographers is great, and I really enjoy how much personality she has. Aleksander is so smitten, but more than that, his characterization is soft but not weak. It feels almost as if he’s swept up by Alina, instead of the other way around, and I quite like that.

Of parenting by Anuna (Complete)

Alina finds out how her husband handled yet another parenting situation.

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This is pure adorable Darklina parenting fluff and I live for it. Yet it doesn’t lack depth and in fact explored Alina and Aleksander’s relationship with parenting quite well.

i have a longing by LRCee - @ladylyannastark (Complete)

“So, Alina Starkov, risk-taker, how did you end up being editing’s newest wunderkind?”

Alina Starkov is rising in the publishing world. Singlehandedly responsible for editing (see: rewriting) the hottest book of the year, she lands a coveted spot at Morovoz Publishers. It's the position she's always wanted, at the biggest publishing house in the country. Life is perfect. That crush on her boss though, that's gotta go.

---

OKAY! I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH!! Let me tell you, as someone who is not too fond of Boss/Employee dynamics, I was very wary going into this fic. But boy did it deliver in a way that was perfect for me.

The relationship that develops between Aleksander and Alina is complex but healthy, and it never feels as if there’s too much of a power imbalance or anything that would make Alina feel forced or unhappy. The tension lies purely in how she fears others will perceive her, and not in how unhealthy her relationship with Aleksander is. For somebody who’s often attracted to unhealthy ships, I have to say that my favorite fics are usually ones that don’t have that type of dynamic between the characters. This fic delivers on that.

Also, Aleksander’s POV surrounding his struggle with his Russian heritage and his feelings for Alina is amazing, and has some of the best writing and characterization I’ve seen.

You receive: an evil demon; I receive: human souls by @aceofnowhere (Complete)

The next morning while she tried to tell herself it was a dream, that of course there wasn’t a fucking demon in her house, she found a note taped to her fridge.

“You might eat this shit,” it had written, “but I would like some fucking souls please.”

Darkling Week Prompt 7: free choice. Alina has a demon in her house.

This is absolute crack, and I have no idea what the fuck is wrong with me.

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May I just say that this is the most fun I’ve ever had when reading a fic. It’s interesting with a bit of mystery, and Aleksander as a little shit of a demon is hilarious. Alina in this fic is great too. It’s such a unique take on her POV, especially when you reread it after knowing the ending. 10000/10, this fic is brilliant in every way and I love it.

I had been lost to you, Sunlight by BrytteMystere (Complete)

A Girl became a Woman, became a Sankta, became a Goddess.

Or: An Immortal Alina calls upon merzost to reunite with the Prince of Shadows she lost long ago. She may have lost herself in the process.

But then again, maybe time and endless wars did that instead.

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You really just have to read this one to get it. It is utterly haunting and fascinating in the best of ways. The writing style is strange and novel and fits so well with the story being told. The composition of the fic as a whole is genius.

I Look Inside Myself (And See My Heart Is Black) by Ceris_Malfoy (Complete)

"When is a monster not a monster? Why, when you love it, of course."

Written for Darklina Week 2021 - Day 6: Favorite Quote • King & Queen • Monster

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Once more, this author comes through with an absolutely breathtaking writing style and story. The imagery is elegant yet brutal, simultaneously horrifying and glorious. There’s a certain way these stories are written, like fairytales, where the beautiful becomes the macabre and becomes ever more stunning because of it. It’s very dark but in a good way - an almost bewitching way.

Afterlife by @aceofnowhere (Complete)

“You are asking me to leave?”

“Not asking, shadow,” she said. “Telling. Time to get unlost, loser.”

Day 3 Darklina Week prompt: Modern AU (I mean, barely)

Alina expels ghosts from purgatory.

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@aceofnowhere once again bringing the best of the paranormal to the Grishaverse. Literally everything you write is amazing idk why I’m even pointing out individual fics when I could just rec your whole page. But anyways!! This is fun and interesting and Alina is a badass. Aleksander is, of course, compelling and dark and kind of a little shit, and it’s all incorporated seamlessly into an existential paranormal narrative.

Once Upon a Shooting Star by Ceris_Malfoy (Complete)

"But most of all, she was drawn to a vast darkness that reached out above all of them, a void so hungry for companionship that she knew she could fulfill."

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Let. Alina. Be. Feral!! Anyways, I clearly have a type when it comes to storytelling, and it’s whatever the fuck this person has got going on. Feral!Star!Alina is literally the light of my life. Her interactions with not only other people but the world in general are so well done, but my favorite parts about this fic are the numerous ways her relationship with Aleksander is described and depicted.

I love the dark and light imagery, especially with how it’s portrayed as them filling in the gaps of each other’s lives and supporting each other instead of trying to block each other out. There’s such clear passion and joy and love and devotion between them. The central focus of this fic is on her and Aleksander’s relationship, the interplay between them and their powers and the way her light fills his loneliness, the passing of adoration and trust and reliance between them. It’s very beautiful and I love it.

A Blaze of Light by Keira_63 (Complete)

They discover the Sun Summoner in the burnt-out remains of the Shu laboratory in which she has spent the last seven years of her life.

Or, the Darkling finds himself with a Sun Summoner whose greatest wish is to burn Shu Han to the ground. He is happy to oblige her.

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👀👀 Badass Alina and Badass Aleksander. The ultimate power couple, and Alina burning a path through Shu Han before they both burn a path through the world together. The darkness and rage in this one are handled very well, and the way that rage turns to coldness and then resolve is done so well. This fic is very cathartic and also very furious, and reading it is certainly a trip down emotion lane.

One more for the Road by Rist (Complete)

He returns to the war room shaken, and finds an Alina that cannot leave without at least having tried.

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This one hurts so much but its soooo gooood!!! Very smutty but also very tender and very bittersweet. Sad and soft all at once. I just... love the way Alina and Aleksander are written so much, and Alina’s complicated feelings for him are explored in such detail and depth. This one is truly worth the read.

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nellynee · 3 years

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The makings of greatness, or why, as a ride or die Treasure Planet stan, I’m glad there’s no Treasure Plant 2

You ever see somethings that makes you unreasonably angry? Yes I understand exactly what I’m saying, and how that indicates that my emotions and opinions on this are exactly that. Opinions. There’s a good chance I have some objective truths mixed in, but that does not make my opinions based on those truths truth. If you disagree or have different tastes or opinions or interpretations, cool, let me know! maybe you’ll change my mind. That being said.

The plot synopsis for the Treasure Planet sequel makes me angry. Not like, actively so, just annoyed enough to be in a bad mood. And now you guys all have to be in one as well. Why?

Reason 1, and probably least important: Disney sequel syndrome.

Ok so Disney sequels aren’t inherently bad. I’ll stan the Aladdin sequels to my grave, who knew Cinderella could world build, obligatory Rescuers Down Under (the first one was better) blah blah blah.

But there is an inherit problem with sequels in general, and that usually has to do with cast and crew. An original piece of fiction has to grab the audience yes, but there’s also freedom in that. Media touches people in different way. The worldbuilding can mean more to some than others. Some are in it for the animation, or the character developments, or relationships. What connects with one person won’t connect with another. The problem with sequels is that different people who worked out the original material might and usually do not work on the new. And those new people are already working on that new material with their own personal lenses and experiences and interpretations coloring the old. The reason sequels (and remakes, and big budget presentations of other materials like books into movies) tend to bomb hard is because you are essentially being forced to accept someone’s fanfiction into the canon material. Usually, there’s a pretty strong correlation between more successful franchises/extension material, works staying true to the core material, original crew working on the material, and the enjoyment of the audience.

And sources say very few of the original crew remained. Some yes, but mostly voice cast. Even worse, TP2 was a DisneyToon production, not even a mainline feature. Now I’m not saying the new people weren’t talented, or passionate about the project, or were lacking in experience. It doesn’t really matter if any of those things are true or not. It’s the warping of their personal lenses I don’t trust. Fanfic I can disregard, meta I can disregard. This would have been canon.

And reading the Artbook makes is abundantly clear that the parts that touched me personally would have been missing. The very core of Treasure Planet for me was the relationship between Jim and Silver (and their exquisite animation budget). However you choose to interpret that relationship, you can not deny that Treasure Planet is a powerfully emotionally romantic movie. It’s quiet moments and emotional resonance shaped my views of intimacy with a sharp and fine touch. Silver and Jim’s bond is as undeniable and powerful as it is compelling and awe inspiring to witness unfold.

And a lot of that is owed not only to the voice acting of Joseph Gorden-Levitt (Jim) and Brian Murray (Silver), But to animators Glen Keane and John Ripa, who were the head animators of Silver and Jim respectively. Not only did Gorden-Levitt and Brian Murray deliver stunning performances, but made sure to work together and jointly play off each other in ways most voice actors don’t have the opportunity to do. And the Masters Keane and Ripa took an already stellar and carefully crafted vocal rapport and took it one step further. I highly recommend the Artbook as a good read, both Keane and Ripa talk about the journey of discovering who Jim and Silver were with delight, acting out entire scenes together using their own body language to build the characters together, using the same animation reals to animate, tag teaming in and out of the program rather than do it separately, becoming so attuned with their characters attitudes and mannerisms that you can tell they poured entire pieces of themselves into Jim and Silver.

I’m not saying the Sequel would have been inherently bad because it’s a sequel, or because a new crew worked on it, but I am saying I wouldn’t trust it with a ten foot pole.

Reason 2: Thanks I hate it (I’m saying it’s inherently bad because the plot is bad and I hate it)

I’m sorry for the length, but for you to really understand just how bad this is, I actually have to pick through every single line and tell you why it fails critically at some junctures and where it would be so simple to fix. For those of you who were unaware that there was a sequel in the works at some point, I’m pulling these quotes pretty much wholesale from the AnimateVeiws article Buried Treasure: The ill-fated voyage to Treasure Planet 2, specifically the interview with Jun Falkenstein who was set to direct the now canceled sequel. Spoiler warning, I guess?

So, from the begining

“The sequel was to pick up where the first film left off, with Jim Hawkins going to the Royal Interstellar Academy. At the Academy, he is a hotshot “natural,” but he doesn’t follow the rules very well.” - Strong start but then dropped the finish. I think the interstellar academy would be a very compelling starting point. I see no fault in it at least, it’s a good opportunity to world build. Clemence and Musket like to make a point that Jim was crafted to connect with the emotionally wounded and distant youth in a age of divorce, so showing what happens when that youth hikes up their britches and gets to work can extend on that theme aaaaaaand you dropped it. Dropped that strong start. Yes, Jim was more than a bit of a bite back rebel in the film, but that was a reactionary response to the bad place he started in. Jim was abandoned, and tied his self worth into that abandonment. His kickback against society was a reaction stemming from an inability to see his personal worth and any sort of future he could craft from it. He outgrew this, his very character development was about this in the film. His character arc was about realizing his inherent worth, embracing a sense of confidence and learning what he could do. Even disregarding that, bonus material outside of the film shows that Jim has a very strong sense of respect for Captain Amelia, her military career, and the hard work she put into it, and he’s there on her recommendation. Why would he act out in this? He is a natural yes, but the film shows he’s incredibly sharp and intelligent, if unlearned, and more than ready to learn given opportunity.

“Hence, he gets off to a shaky start – especially with his classmate Kate, who is very smart and has a type A personality. Kate’s father is Admiral Blake, the Commander of the Navy. Jim and Kate vie for top of the class but have very different skills.” - So building off this to fix the problem before. I guess the dynamic they are going for is something like “the kind of a jerk hotshit hotshot who’s got it all figured out and the straight laced rule fallowing stick in the ass rival”? I’m not apposed to to a rivalry, but lets tweak this, given how “hot shot natural jerk” isn’t really where Jim settles at the end of the film. Jim is a natural talent, who excels under tutelage, but more importantly, he has practical experience. While the time period spent on the RLS Legacy is not defined, they do sail to a deep and unexplored part of the galaxy, probably well outside of regular settlements, so no small distance, though Jim is young enough that a very long period of time would be noted in physical growth. Given comparisons to classic nautical sailing of the source time, months, perhaps up to a year? That’s a long time to spend, learning the rough and tumble basics, tying knots, experiencing food and water rations, extreme temperatures, playing with the rigging and mechanical aspects of the boat. Jim knows what it’s like to actually sail. Meanwhile, this is the Royal Academy, who probably takes in upper class second born children and pumps out military accolades for well learned mathematicians and strategists. Jim doesn’t fit in because he can visualize, he can think outside of the box, he can weld a damn engine to a hunk of shrapnel and ignite it freefalling against a metal hellscape and outrace a boat in a high adrenaline situation. He adapts where the other’s frantically look through their notes for the answer. Worse yet, he’s poor and not classically educated. Make it a class issue. In this aspect I do like Kate. Being the Daughter of the Commander of the Navy, she probably has a very technical and far more expansive understanding of navel ships, particularly the running of them. In this way Jim and Kate are perfect foils. Jim representing the poor, instinctually and practically knowledgeable crew, and Kate the upper-class, technically knowledgeable command, a dichotomy representing the haves and have nots in their skills, experiences, an class.

I don’t want to post a picture and break the post, but I do love Kate’s design. I do recommend looking up the article and checking it out. that being said, being a feline species, they messed up not spelling it Cate.

“Captain Amelia is dean of the Academy, which has a brand-new vessel: the Centurion.” - I… why, why is Amelia the dean? Additional material shows that Amelia broke ties with the military because she didn’t like their rule stickling ways and red tape. Why would she want a red tape position? She helped with a war and then bailed first opportunity to become a freelance captain so she could fallow her own rules. Even if you don’t know any of that additional material, you do know that she is a freelance captain. Why is she dean? what happened to the old one? Are they dead? Did DisneyToon kill them? Did Disneytoon kill the old dean?

“Designed by Doctor Doppler, the Centurion is the fastest ship in the galaxy.” - HE’S NOT THAT KIND OF DOCTOR!

“B.E.N. is its pilot”. - NO

In all seriousness all three of those statements show a serious problem, in that none of those characters are in fact those things. Amelia I’ve already explained. But Doppler was a debatably youngish bachelor with too much money who was fascinated by astronomy specifically and who suffered from ennui. And BEN was a navigational unit, so maybe it makes sense for him to be a pilot, but why is a robot who was functioning under a galaxy feared pirate for who knows how long given any kind of agency over a brand new incredibly important ship? These decisions were probably made to incorporate as much of the old cast as possible, to not exclude fan faves. But any decision that makes BEN a prominent part of the plot and thus gets more screen time is a BAD one.

“The pirate Ironbeard desires to commandeer the Centurion. This ruthless villain is relatively all iron – almost nothing of whom he originally was, inside and out, is left.” - On the one hand, I have a weird feeling that this would somehow violate the 30-70 rule. Buuuuut on the other hand, the Artbook does describe the decision making process of what and how was mechanical on Silver (my favorite tidbit was the wheel on his head representing his constant thinking and assessing) and states that that they in a way represent the pieces of humanity he gave up looking for Flint’s Trove. Extending that to a pirate who has given up everything could be a powerful thematic tool if used right (or intentionally)

“He leads a group of pirates to hijack the Centurion while Jim and Kate are aboard.” - ok, yeah, I’ll buy that. If they are butting heads constantly, I could see them sneaking off to the new piece of hardware to one up each other on who knows their stuff, or maybe bond over wanting to learn about the said new tech and being frustrated with restrictions.

“The Navy can’t catch the Centurion, due to the vessel’s speed and armor.”- sure

“Jim and Kate escape the Centurion. Jim decides he needs a pirate to help catch pirates. They find his old buddy Long John Silver in the Lagoon Nebula, where he is running a smuggling ring. “ - So what Jim just goes “I know just the pirate to help us” and then finds him? That journey of itself deserves it’s own movie, anything less is a disappointment. Alternative. Jim and Kate escape onto a particularly lawless planet. Jim has some tricks to keep them safe and fed, maybe he even excels in ways he’s been straight up stop gapped at the academy. Maybe his knowhow is appreciated by others who society also rejects. But Kate is a frustrating fish out of water, getting offended and worked up over things that are big deals to an average citizen but not criminals and pirates. But such reactions are putting them in danger and she needs to get perspective fast. It’s plausible maybe that Silver tracks them down through interesting rumors, but more than that, let it be fate. Neither having any idea the other is there till the second they see each other. Bonus points if Jim and Kate get in a bind and Silver is the leader of the harassers. Better yet lets add some thematic mirroring not only to the scene where Silver saved Jim from Scroop, but directly contrast it to the scene where Silver doubled back and down against the notion of caring for Jim when called out before the mutiny. *kisses finger* Touching and hilarious.

“ Silver agrees to help when he hears about the Centurion. “ - Silver agrees to help when he hears about the Centurion without Jim even having to ask. Storywise, lets make some kind of deal over how Jim, an upstanding enrollee of the academy, apparently is chummy with a pirate. Tension doesn’t just have to be external, and Kate is the daughter of the Commander of the Army. Maybe she’s recognized and this gets them in trouble. Maybe Kate has issues with her identity outside of her father’s career and need to learn a lesson about being outside of a rigid social structure?

“Jim and Kate receive a tracking signal from B.E.N. – who is currently hostage aboard the Centurion – and follow via Silver’s creaky vessel. They discover the Centurion docked near the Botany Bay Prison Asteroid. “ - While being the fastest ship yet is a good excuse for wanting it to get stolen, my suspension of disbelief breaks a little at any ship, let alone a creaky little pirate vessel, catching up to the fastest ship yet, or the tracking signal being the only way to track it to a guarded prison. Seeing as how I’ve written BEN out of this scenario lets fix it. After the events of the movie, the Royal Military swoops in after to confiscate the debris of Treasure Planet. For those in the know, canon lore states that the Planet was a giant computer, and it and the map were the byproducts of an ancient and advanced civilization. Studying the debris led to the Centurion, notable not for it’s speed, but for it’s stealth. It can cloak itself. Which is why no-one can find it. Meanwhile Silver lets it slip that he snagged the map from it’s pedestal as they escaped the planet as a souvenir. (handwave why the portal was still open with a “the whole thing was exploding, the computer froze). The map is able to track the remnants of said planet, aka the Centurion, meaning Silver has the only means of tracking the cloaked ship

“Ironbeard is using the Centurion to disable Botany Bay’s security systems. Jim, Kate and Silver sneak aboard the Centurion, where Silver reveals to Jim that he wants to take the Centurion for himself. He asks Jim to join him.“ YES. YES YES YES YES YES YES! Understanding that Jim’s decision to not go with Silver in the first movie is key here. He rejected Silver’s offer the first time because Silver had shown him he had intrinsic value, and Jim finally felt that the natural gifts he had were worth cultivating, that he did have the chance to explore who he could be on his own terms. Jim was comfortable being on his own, because he felt capable. Now, Jim and Silver bring out the best in each other, and the time apart has done them harm. Jim’s strings of social rejections are starting to fell like a glass ceiling he can’t overcome, and is finding more and more comfort in being a big fish in a pirates small pond, and the emotions of of being wanted that come with Silver is a powerful drug. But it’s a one way ticket away from any opportunities he could work towards, not to mention his barely repaired relationship with his mother. Meanwhile Silver has been slowly slipping back into the colder, more selfish self he was, a necessity for his lifestyle, and doesn’t want to loose his connection to Jim and what Jim brings out in him, but is still far enough gone to make the offer and try for the boat anyways, even if he knows it’s not what’s best. It’s an emotionally compelling decision. You want them to say yes, you know they shouldn’t

“Kate overhears this and is horrified, especially since the two have, of course, started falling for each other during the adventure.” - Hate. this I hate. Leaving shipping to they way side, what’s that “of course”? why do they have to fall for each other? Why the Disneytoon sequel love interest? I have a feeling her characterization would come at the cost of it. Why can’t they be rivals? why can’t they develop a mutual respect outside of attraction? Why can’t they both learn an individualized lesson about finding their own place in the world outside of social constraints as foils without macking? I hate this concept. Kate overhears, and is horrified, because Silver is a Pirate which is actually in universe get yourself hanged offense, and Jim is considering this, and they are going to steal a VERY IMPORTANT BOAT and and leave her stranded in a dagerous prison, and are making an objectively morally bad decision.

“Ironbeard discovers the intruders, charging into a fight in which Silver is injured. Meanwhile, the other pirates throw down ladders to the prison below, allowing swarms of elated prisoners to climb up into the ship. Silver, Jim, and Kate exit the Centurion amidst all the confusion. However, Ironbeard shoots down Silver’s ship. They plummet to the prison asteroid below, crash-landing” - cool. Drama. But for my purposes, lets tweak it so Silver isn’t injured yet. But I really want to emphasize that this attack does not interrupt before Jim can react to Silver’s offer. Even something as tentative as “I’m not sure” has consequences. None of this “misunderstanding” BS.

“ Kate is angry at Jim and storms off. “- again, make it clear that Jim showed a real chance of agreeing to steal the ship. if she’s angry before he had a chance to answer that’s contrivance for drama’s sake. Give her a reason to be mad

“ Jim is about to blow her off as well when Silver tells him to give her a chance. He reveals a part of his past through a flashback, when a young (non-cyborg) Silver screwed up a relationship with the love of his life – a decision which directly led to his life of piracy. “ - nope. nope nope nope . I’m gonna put a big old * here because this is reason number 3 why I hate this potential movie, and I will get to that believe me, but here’s me, putting a pin in it. That being said, have Silver selfishly try to double down on getting Jim to join him in a three way argument instead. This is the conflict of the film. Kate, who was learning to grow outside of the strict restrictions of her life and do her own work, make her own way, is being rejected. She is as morally repulsed as she is hurt that she wasn’t included, and hates herself for that hurt as well. Jim is torn between the freedom of what he could be after the academy paired with the strict social constructs around it, and the freedom of a life “full of himself and no ties to anyone” but running from the law and the two friends they represent. Silver is the aggressor here. He likes Kate, he does, but he loves Jim and only has one place in his heart, and has spent his life being selfish. There’s already a crew on board, and Iron beard is hooked into the Centurion. With having the only other means to navigate, they take down ironbeard, the rest will surely fall in line. This is paydirt. A fantastic ship, a bloodthirsty crew, and Jim.

“Silver has a very dangerous cargo with him that he had been trying to smuggle and sell for a fortune, which has the power of a neutron bomb. Jim, Kate and Silver reconcile and work together to fix Silver’s ship and prevent the Centurion, filled with the most evil pirates in the galaxy, from going on an insane robbing-and-killing spree. At the last second, Silver reluctantly gives up his “retirement fund” in order to destroy the Centurion, with Ironbeard and all the pirates on board.” - this entire section needs rewritten. That’s a mcguffin Silver put it away. I have retconned the mcguffin to be the old map, so that is now moot. Now to not blow up the ship. Afterall, Silver and Jim have both already overcome what Treasure Planet represented with it’s destruction. Rather, B plot

If we are that desperate to have past characters in, let’s have Amelia and Delbert back home. When the Centurion is captured, Amelia immediately volunteers to fallow, feeling responsible for Jim and secretly pining for some adventure. Delbert feels the same, and he to a bit of an adrenaline junkie after the events of the first movie, but they have the children to think about and only one can leave. Delbert is the one chosen to help by the navy officials searching for the Centurion. While Amelia bickers with the Admiral Blake over his pragmatic but emotionally distant decisions over the situation of his missing daughter, Delbert is an astronomer, and is blah blah blah science meta, fallow the flashing and bending lights around the cloaked ship to find it. As in Delbert is helpful. Amelia in a reflation to Admiral Blake, is torn between her family and commandeering her own ship to help. Blake is frustratingly headstrong in his decisions, and the script makes it seem like that emotional distance is disinterests, but reveals to the audience that it incorporates a great deal of suppression of his anxieties and worries over his daughter, and trust in her abilities, though he has issues expressing this pride to Kate herself. Amelia, Delbert and fam make what is probably a poor decision in commandeering a ship and leaving on their own to track the Centurion, the navy hot on their heels.

Back to A plot, the navy is approaching. Jim has to make a decision. He is the only one who knows how to unmask the ship using the old ones tech without training, as it’s based off the map. While Kate and Silver are distracting iron beard, he has to either steal the ship and sail off, or uncloak it for the navy. Iron beard is taken down, but not without Silver getting injured. Jim decides that Silver’s life is worth more than anything, and after agreeing with Kate that she’ll commandeer a doctor and wont let Silver die, uncloaks the ship. The Centurion is retaken in a blaze of naval glory that is the action climax. The pirates fight back up are over run. Maybe Kate gets taken hostage as the Admirals daughter, as an opportunity for a resolution with her arc as Blake’s distant daughter, though obviously said resolution comes at her showing her abilities in taking care of herself and the practical skills she has learned.

“Silver again parts from Jim and Kate, telling them to take care of each other. A few years later, Jim and Kate graduate with honors, while a proud Silver secretly watches from the shadows, smiling” - Boooooo. Kate and her dad make up, and she challenges him that she’s going to one day Captain the Centurion, with him understanding that she needs less a mentor and more an emotional support while she works her way up the ranks. She invites Jim to be her first mate, to which Jim accepts as a navigator, (a thing I’ve pointed out to be his real strength in another post). But to Silver, who has been “pardoned” for his part in retaking the Centurion, the movie hinting that he to would be on the eventual crew there I fixed it fic to come I s2g.

yeah there’s a lot of good there, but it’s so easy to fix the bad it’s frustrating. which brings me to

Reason 3: that little pin

Nope nope nope I’ll tell you why.

First of all, sources like the artbook say that Jim is so Important to Silver because he’s the first person Silver has ever let become important. he’s specifically stated to have no family, never married, no children. And that’s something he cultivated actively. His life of piracy, his metal limbs, his loneliness and moral failings were all gleefully accumulated for one reason and one reason only

Treasure Planet.

Treasure Planet was the great love of Silver’s life. It was a lifelong obsession. It destroyed his body, took his youth, his opportunities and nearly his life. He broke Jim’s heart over it.

And he let it go. For Jim.

And Jim understood this

This is the crux of treasure planet’s very themes. This is where Jim found self worth. Another person finally looked at him and said “you matter, you matter more than anything. I like being around you and I choose you first.” and it made Jim realize he’s someone worth choosing.

The treasure was EVERYTHING to Silver, and Silver let it go, for Jim.

That one line there, attributing the start of Silver’s fall to a girl? that actively retcons the entire theme of the previous movie. IT rewrite the emotional linchpin of Silver’s sacrifice of the gold. And actually fuck that. right into the ground. I do not accept. I do not pass go. I refuse. Fuck you non existent movie. That makes me mad. every single time. Hate I shall never let go.

#Disney #Treasure Planet #Jim Hawkins #long john silver #john silver #long post #meta #god I hate this non existent movie #This outline is the closest I've ever come to writing spitefic and its still up in the air #Treasure Planet is such a romantic movie and you come into my house and try to shred the emotional core and themes by recontextualizing?#fuck off #Fuck I love Treasure Planet #sequel synopsis can die in a fire tho

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thejudgingtrash · 4 years

Note

Annabeth is a good person,but not a nice or pleasant one,IMO.

YES.

That’s it. That’s the post. Pack it up everybody, we just cracked the case and cleared up one of the most compelling fights in the PJO fandom since forever. Good job everybody, clap it out and there’s the door! Don’t forget ordering the drinks at Starbucks, Mitch! They’re on me!

Okay, but on a more serious note: YES. YES EXACTLY.

And before some of you roll your eyes or grab your pitchforks – put your biases aside and hear me out for once. I like Annabeth. She’s my in my top three characters only second to Percy himself. I love Percabeth. It’s my favorite ship in the entire series and to be frank, the only ship that I care about PJO wise. Hell, I spend my time creating my own headcanons or writing my own fanfics with Percabeth being the star in them.

But that is not to say that I’m unable to see how certain things have developed over the years or where they stand now in regard to Annabeth. I’m not here to ignore things that have been said and/or done due to or in the name of Annabeth and I’m not here to vilify anyone that doesn’t like her. And I’m here to admit that I’m guilty of some of the things that may be addressed in this meta essay that you will read in just a second. However, I try my best to assure you, that I’m for once able to recognize my own bias.

Warning: a monster essay lies right upon you.

This should count as a paper of its own.

Back to the statement on top: I would go out even further to reframe your claim, anon:

Annabeth Chase is a good character but not a nice or pleasant person.

Annabeth is a wonderful character but she isn’t a nice one. Or at least not nice to everyone. She is (construction wise if I dare say) the best character out of the series. She has her positive traits (she’s caring, she’s emotional, she’s encouraged and volunteers, she fights for what she believes in, she forgives (even if doing so begrudgingly)) but she also has her negative traits (she’s stubborn, she’s brash, changing her mind takes forever, she is prejudiced, she baits others). That balances things out. She is branded as the intelligent kid but does irrational things (like I’ve just said a) she’s a kid and b) she’s not a robot). She should probably know better, but we all make mistakes and hopefully grow and learn from them. The clouds in the sky do blur and cover our visions sometimes.

Annabeth had clashes with other characters or was about to have fights due to her stubbornness or jealousy (Rachel, Reyna, etc.) and has of course her problems with the mortal world and her family but she also found new friends, some things cleared up throughout the narration and she was/is quite popular in Camp Half-Blood.

The thing is: she doesn’t have to be nice or pleasant (as a character). Or at least not all the time. Her character is humanized. That is what or who she is. Human. She does stand out as a character, not just because she’s the (future) love interest. She feels like someone you could meet in real life and either adore from the top to the bottom or declare as your biggest enemy. And that’s totally okay if you lean either way – liking or disliking her. Or even feeling indifferent about her. Also great!

To say that she has been the best character that Riordan has crafted is easy to say, because she has been sculpted after Riordan’s wife. He had a model he could rub some of real-life events or traits on. That’s not the problem. The problem truly doesn’t lie on Riordan’s side for the most part for once.

The problem is inherently on the fandom’s side. What the fandom does, how it acts and how it treats Annabeth as a character is the problem. The problems vary but it’s mostly the mischaracterization of Annabeth, starting fights and fan/ship wars, internalized misogyny (in some cases) and how some of the Annabeth stans lash out (ha, got firsthand experience in that field among many of my friends and mutuals!). There is a reason why many people are wary of people that have Annabeth or Percabeth related URLs.

The fact that we see Annabeth mostly through Percy’s lens and (until the Heroes of Olympus saga hits) we never really see her in chill everyday situations is essentially Riordan leaving the back door of the house open, ready for all of you asshats to rob his mansion in Boston. Because a frame on a character means that we don’t get to see the character in its entirety (unlike we do with Percy in PJO for the most part). That means a bunch of stuff is left open for interpretation which is the reason why Annabeth gets so many polarized headcanon and opinions tossed around. I think that is one of the true appeals of Annabeth. You can add on stuff and it necessarily doesn’t have to contradict itself.

We have people calling her abusive due to a (n admittedly stupid and unnecessary) judo flip and we have people that act like she’s never done anything wrong. People sorta use this excuse to form and shape Annabeth however they want and distort her characterization.

People in the fandom act like Annabeth is some weird prized possession. We perceive Annabeth mostly through the eyes of others (Percy, Apollo, etc.) and when we had some sort of insight in her ways (MOA, HOH) it felt… weird? Somewhat? Like Riordan left two bullet points of her characterization and told the ghostwriter: aight, fuck it up, gringo, see you on Tuesday and greet Fred the next time you see him for me.

There have been many posts lately (by Tharini, Simi, Sawasawako, Jewishpercy and Annie I believe?) that HOO Percabeth felt weird. That they felt weirdly constructed, that there was no conflict, no growth. It felt stagnating, like we’re turning back. We had five books prior where we had Annabeth and Percy slowly shifting from disliking to liking and crushing each other. True development. And when we finally got the cake it felt… dissatisfying. Like the cheap box stuff and not the delicious exquisite taste that we were promised.

I said it previously in my Percabeth ship roast, but let me repeat myself: many Percabeth related things are straight up fanon. Some of it is very old fanon so that’s been unable to distinguish unless you’ve read the books recently and subtract nearly 99,9% of things you see on Tumblr (and occasionally the other shitty parts of the fandom like Reddit, IG, Twitter. Although they mostly steal and recycle tumblr stuff oh well. But back to the topic).

The way people treat Annabeth is so strange. She’s either an innocent fluffy smush baby that’s never harmed a fly and all that she wants for Christmas is being Percy’s lapdog or she’s the devil incarnate, broke into your house, killed your parents Batman style, kicked your puppy and didn’t flush the toilet on the way out. I think this is what mostly makes people hate her or the ship Percabeth. And both extremes are wrong and right at the same time? She is multifaceted so both stereotypes are true and untrue and sorta cancel each other out in the same way.

The true reason why people dislike Annabeth is because the stans are doing the most. (The haters as well, don’t get me wrong, but oh boy. Piss of a stan and you’ll know what I mean). That isn’t inherently new. Are you guys old enough to remember the ship wars that have happened cross platform? Perachel vs. Percabeth? Oh boy, oh boy. I saw some kids on tumblr a few months ago trying to infiltrate both tags and start shit (and also fail). The fact that Rachel still gets used as the bitchy (ex) girlfriend in fanfics? It’s 2020 guys. I know this apocalyptic year is far from perfect and over but I think we can let this trope die, right? Right? I thought we’ve established that Rachel is a pretty chill charcter by now… right?

If you posted your stuff on FFN back in 2010-2013 and it wasn’t the typical cutesy Percabeth story (Goode High, the gods read TLT, punk/prep Percabeth, college AU, etc.) people would’ve come for your fucking throat. Not because the story or the narration was shit. But because the pairing wasn’t Annabeth and Percy (in the sense that Annabeth had to be paired with Percy. I mean Percy gets shipped with everyone and their mother but for Annabeth it was strictly Percy. As annoying as this whole Connabeth thing is – the people behind it actually had a point. She never had a different love interest unless it’s a Percy centered story and he goes off dating Athena, Artemis and Zoe at the same time for some odd reason. Yeah, FFN Percy ships are something). Or it wasn’t the action filled canon compliant story or it wasn’t an AU that was popular.

People were really stubborn, snobbish and wanted their stuff in the four five boxes that were the most popular ones and that’s it. People have been bullied off the site in many fandoms, so it’s not a PJO-only thing but it’s still sad that it happened. (Off-note: most of these FFN tropes are still alive and well and thriving on AO3. Don’t be so snobbish and pretend that every piece you’d find there is a holy grail. There’s a lot of trash you have to waddle through. Same with Wattpad, Tumblr or anywhere else where fanfics get posted. Also had this discussion with Annabeth stans. Sigh).

And Tumblr back then? Forget it, wasn’t much better.

That view has sorta changed (at least for people that have been in the fandom for several years or have managed to find a way to navigate through it) but some of the negative sentiment from back in the day has survived. Be it by new fans coming in or from old fans that never let their stance die. The aggression feels differently and somewhat not. (I don’t know if the anon function had been abused that much back in the day. I was an observer not a participant in the fandom).

Crack a joke at Annabeth’s expense (Kal’s famous “Annabeth is a Republican” post or Dee Dee’s and many others “Annabeth has the education of a second grader, chill with the college plans, girlie” stance) and you have people insulting you, making callout posts, unfollowing and blocking you (based on only that? Okay, honey), making aggressive counter-posts, etc. in a minute. If you respond with “It’s a joke, it’s not real” you have a 50/50 chance of either getting blown off or embarrassing them so that they apologize for once.

This isn’t just about jokes. You can make a headcanon that’s not the cozy cute convenient mainstream saga and people would react the same way. Or art piece (no, not including the whole Tannabeth Blackchase shtick done by Viria and others) or fanfics.

People project so much onto the unfinished canvas that is Annabeth Chase that any form of negative sentiment as little as someone not liking her to straight up criticism, regardless of how tiny it may be, seems like an affront. Like an invitation to a fight. Like an insult to them, their character, everything they believe in. Let me state something:

You are NOT Annabeth Chase. Annabeth Chase IS NOT you. Annabeth Chase is NOT real. Her feeling cannot be hurt. Someone criticizing, disliking, joking about her or even insulting her will not bother her. Someone making a statement about her is not an insult to YOU.

Let me repeat that:

Annabeth Chase isn’t real. Annabeth Chase isn’t you.

So think a little before you act? I get it when you’re a kid and new to fandoms or haven’t been up with fan cultures in the past and are back in the scene. But if you’re in your late teens or even older as an adult and you’re unable to understand that you aren’t what you like – you aren’t the extension of a fictional character – I feel incredibly sorry for you. Because that’s just incredibly sad. Someone disliking something you like isn’t an attack of your character. It shows you that you are you and the other person is a human just like you. That they just have different taste. Disliking something you like isn’t a crime, you know? But me feeling sorry for the way some of y’all act won’t mean that that’s even remotely okay. Especially if you’re no longer in the intended audience for PJO age wise and should know better.

This isn’t a “white stans” only thing. I’ve seen and witnessed firsthand how people of color, mainly women of color, act the same or not even worse when it comes to her character. People have projected their problems and real-life occurring events into her character (I’m sure that she isn’t the only character nor that this is the only fandom where this is happening) and in some cases like I’ve said cannot separate their own personality from the fictional world. Fights with woc happened because of Annabeth fucking Chase. So many things have happened in the fandom the past few months, mostly due to people being forced staying at home because of the quarantine but I’d say it’s 10% on quarantine and 90% on people for acting up like this.

So here’s a little story: There was the act of Riordan blowing the fandom up because of his own stupidity and being unable to apologize for his mischaracterization and lack of research (the whole Piper fiasco) back in June (?) and admits the upset fandom, people on Twitter, Tumblr and Discord legit thought that none of that mattered and that the outcry was destroying Annabeth Chase’s birthday. That’s right. People thought that Annabeth Chase’s non-existing birthday because she’s a fictional character had a higher priority than the rupture and prevalent racism in the fandom. Okay. This isn’t a great look, Annabeth stans. And this of course pissed a lot of people off. I made a post about it and someone not only berated three other people on said post but no, we had a mighty argument which had disrupted many friendships in our circle which haven’t recovered until this very day. We both had our parts in it and no one is innocent. But the cause of this still remains Annabeth Chase or how people prioritize her non-existing well-being. Anyway. I’m getting agitated just thinking about it.

Let’s go back to the characterization thing with Annabeth. Let me remind you:

Annabeth Chase is an asshole. There I’ve said it in a post ages ago (too lazy to look it up, sorry) and I’ll say it again. And that’s not me insulting her. That’s me actually loving that about her. Annabeth is one of the very few unapologetic female characters that really showed all young readers across the world that you can be a girl, a badass, smart, strong, standing up for yourself and what you believe in. You don’t have to be nice. You don’t have to hide your feelings. You don’t need a man in all cases but it’s also okay to accept help and defeat.

A large reason why I think she’s an incredibly important character in children’s literature/YA because many other novels (mostly (sadly)) have the “Oh, I’m a white skinny dark-haired girl that likes unconventional things like READING. I’m not like the other girls, that take care of themselves and pamper themselves by enjoying shopping and wearing make-up. No, I’d rather be one of the boys but a sweet cute little boy and not the jock fuck that drank vodka shots out of a filthy shoe once. Despite me calling myself hideous every man in a 10-kilometer radius falls in love with me and tells me I’m oh so sexy and by the way I’m only 16 years old” shit going on for no goddamn reason.

Yes, I do blame Twilight for this mostly in recent years, but this trope isn’t by any means knew. Pretty sure that you could even use classics as Pride and Prejudice and dissect them in the same manner (Bold statement: Lizzy Bennet is the OG Bella Swan. There. Go fight somewhere in the corner, people). The new wave of YA focuses on girls belittling themselves and only starting to believe in themselves because someone else (mostly the male love interest) tells them they’re worth it. And these books hit the mainstream because they’re incredibly bland and picture perfect white.

With Annabeth it’s different. She shows up for the job and is done with it. (Brie Larson would probably be the perfect in real life version of her. You either like or dislike her. Or you really don’t care). That is what is so refreshing about her. Her unapologetic nature. Can it be off-putting? Yes. Is it annoying? Yes! Hell, every time I read The Lightning Thief, I want to rip her goddamn head off. And it’s just so well written. Her shift from mistrusting Percy but secretly still believing in him to her opening up. Wow, Riordan did something right there.

Annabeth Chase isn’t a young character. She has existed along with PJO for 15 years. She’s on her way to the second decade. I’m pretty sure that with the success of Percy Jackson (and Harry Potter) many lives have been warped and shaped.

But when I say the problem lies mostly in the fandom, it doesn’t mean that Riordan’s completely innocent. The only problem that I have with Annabeth lies not truly with her but the fact that Riordan is only able to produce three variations of female characters:

The sweetheart (Hazel, Silena, Calypso, Hestia)

The strong feminist (Annabeth, Piper, Thalia, Reyna, Artemis)

The bitch (Drew, nearly every female goddess in the goddamn Riordanverse next to every female monster)

And these female characters only know three endings:

End up married with a mortgage, three kids, two dogs and a cat somewhere in Connecticut by the age of twelve

Get dumped into the hunt

Chill on Mount Olympus and only come down to be a nuisance and/or give a cryptic message before going back and doing a godly rave party or something

We know Annabeth as the badass strong female first (or the bitchy character we’re supposed to actually like. Choose your approach), the blueprint so to speak, so some of the other characters feel almost pale in comparison and almost not needed? Doesn’t mean that other characters can’t behave similarly, but it feels kind of redundant especially if their character arcs end in a rather anticlimactic way (Thalia, Reyna). The new additions are the much needed woc as the main story with PJO was inherently white (anyway stan black!Percy and Grover, folks). So it’s not to bash on the new characters, it’s more Riordan’s fault more than anything.

Since Riordan only knows three female character arcs it feels like he tried to copy the formula several ways with different nuances. Some more or less successful. This is where fandom actually comes in handy and helps create more distinguished and fleshed out characters in form of headcanons or fanfiction.

But even in these cases people still make it about Annabeth when it’s time for characters of colors to shine. Remember that whole spiel and discussion that broke out when people (Kal, diver-up, Caitlyn, Bee, reynaisalesbian, etc.) joked about or criticized that Annabeth thinks that she’s having it harder because she’s a blonde? In front of Hazel and Piper? If she would’ve been a real person that’s an invitation for getting decked. And then all hell broke loose because Annabeth stans couldn’t accept the fact that in the real world and/or in fictional worlds the woc/coc have it harder? That the white woman wasn’t the victim that needed the coddling? Yeah, that was mad pathetic.

I hope you people get my point?

Well fuck. I wrote so many things and have the feeling I’ve said nothing. Anyway, I hope I made sense. This is way too long.

TLDR: Chill about Annabeth please. She’s an important character but that doesn’t mean that everyone has to like her, regardless of being a character in the books or a reader/fan of PJO in real life. She isn’t nice or a sweetheart all the time. She also isn’t the monstrous asshole that some try to make out of her.

Peace out.

#Mel answers #pjo #percy jackson #Annabeth chase #percy jackson and the olympians #Percabeth #pjo Meta #Heroes of olympus #hoo #trials of apollo #toa #hazel levesque #piper mclean #reyna avila ramirez arellano #rachel elizabeth dare #pjo fandom #coc #rick riordan #riordanverse

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