#for crafting so many great female characters
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The thing that I appreciate the most about Story of Minglan is how pro-active its female characters are. It’s not just a show meant to highlight the exploitation and vulnerability of women in the context of the Song Dynasty society (although we certainly get to witness that); but one that lets their fierceness and determination and agency shine. It’s so remarkable that the majority of the plots in the show are centred around women and resolved by women. Even when it comes to the case of antagonists like Lin Qinshuang, Xiao Qin-shi, Old Madam Wang, the empress dowager etc, they are imposing figures with complex motivations that contribute to all the important developments. When little Minglan gets orphaned, it’s Hualan’s advice to Wang Ruofu that appeases the Wei family and Old Madam Sheng who steps up to take Minglan under her wing when her own father wouldn’t. When Molan has an affair, it’s up to Wang Ruofu and Old Madam Sheng to take the initiative to speak to the Liang family about a possible marriage. When Gu Tingye proposes marriage to Yu Yanhong, it’s her mother the one who needs to give the final approval and in the end cuts him off. When Qi Heng gets threatened, again it’s Princess Consort Yong pulling the strings. Consort Rong decides to murder the Yong Family (the family of the prince about to inherit the nation, mind you) to get revenge for the rape and death of her younger sister. Shulan’s divorce is negotiated by her own mother and grandmother, and not her father. When Auntie Kang is killed, it’s Old Madam Wang the one going to imperial palace to scheme against Tingye. Minglan gives up on ever expecting her father to give her justice so she steps up and takes extreme measures to get revenge for her mother’s death, and her contribution is what helps Yanran, Shulan, Kang Zhao’er, Zhang Guifen, and finally Old Madam when she gets poisoned. Even Concubine Wei, who always insisted on keeping a low profile, was ready to go to the Kaifeng Court to prove Xiao Die's innocence (so you see where Minglan gets it from). And Lady Bai was ready to divorce her husband and walk away with her children after finding out how she was used. Even that small moment of Mingyue asking to have her family’s slave contracts returned to them so she can escape being forced to become a concubine to a man she doesn’t like is so satisfying to see. It’s just so great to get a show like that that’s not just trying to make a point about the suffering of women, but actually lets its female characters be active participants in their own stories and take control of their lives instead of being subservient to male character, or reducing them to the role of the love interest or a passive sufferer.
#the story of minglan#cdrama#all the credit goes to 关心则乱 and the 2 female writers of the show 曾璐 and 吴桐#for crafting so many great female characters#minglan rewatch
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Replica Holiday Special Winners!
Happy Holidays everyone! It's that time of year and you know what that means! Time to announce the winners for the DTIYS Replica Holiday Special Cover!
I received so many wonderful submissions. Far more than I had anticipated! They were all so unique and creative and it was an absolute joy to look at each and every one of them! I really underestimated however how difficult it would be to choose with them all being so unique from each other. In the end, I decided to gauge the top picks on how well their cover captured the "essence" of what this Special is going to be like! Without further ado, here are the winners.
HONORABLE MENTION - @matchstique
Buddy! I love this piece so dang much! It has so much character and perfectly displays the wacky hijinks we can expect as well as the huge amount of stress our poor boys are under during these trying, pregnancy times. The movement and colors work so well and make me excited for what comes next! Seldom do I see pregnant females shown as the badasses they are, but you have gone and turned Cassandra into an absolute icon with this piece! Bless you!
3RD PLACE - @thegunnsara
Sara, the shear amount of craft you put into your art is STAGGERING. Every scuff on Raph's shell and wisp of smoke screams of a quality I can only hope to attain someday. I literally want to be you when I grow up! That said, the concept of this piece is also fantastic. One of the things I'm must excited about for this Special is getting to see Raph and Casey as they were and witnessing the strong bond they share. I love them dearly and this cover captures their strength and tenacity so perfectly. Gods among men.
2ND PLACE - @cupcakeslushie
Slushie, this cover is so damn fun and dynamic that I can't stop looking at it! Your attention to detail and composition are masterful and the fact that you could fit such a bombastic battle into such a limited space speaks to how crazy talented you are! You also do a wonderful job of retaining both the intensity of the apocalypse but also that playful edge that Rise always manages to retain! It's definitely the cover that would catch my eye on a shelf and make me want to turn the page to see what happens next!
1ST PLACE - @abbeyofcyn
Cyn, the moment I saw this cover, I gasped! It's funny because this is both a piece I could have totally seen myself doing had I done the cover, yet crafted in a unique way I could have never come up with on my own! On top of that, this slick composition scratches my little designer brain juuust right. The use of the hands motif is such a great element because to me, it encapsulates the conflicting themes of family/parenthood with the drama of what it means to be human. On top of that, having each character as one of the digits both connected to and encircling Casey is such a wonderful touch that really drives the symbolism home. Somehow, you managed to peer into the future and perfectly capture how the finale of this special is going to feel. Thank you so much Cyn for such a wonderful piece!
~~~~~~~~~
Now that I think about it, looking back on these winners as a set, all four them actually do an amazing job as individual covers for each of the four "acts" that will make up this special. That was not at all my intention, but it kind of worked out perfectly for that. Gets me all emotional!
I also definitely want to put a spotlight on the other amazing submissions, many of which made it SO close to the top slots! I was going to post these pieces individually but I was worried people wouldn't then go to their blogs to view the covers, so instead have a compilation and links to the full versions! Please check out everyones amazing covers and give them some love. They all worked really hard and it means so much to me. Thank you everyone!
@dreamundraws - LINK
@honeylief - LINK
@gemini-forest - LINK
@memorydarkness - LINK
@skullythefriendlyskullface - LINK
@v-albion - LINK
@its-wabby-stuff - LINK
@yris-latteyi - LINK
@reagi-df - LINK
@chaoscontrol50 - LINK / LINK
@murasakibonnet - LINK
@hitwiththetmnt - LINK
@xandriagreat - LINK
@karonkar - LINK
@sunydays - LINK (sorry my dear, yours did not appear on my hashtag reference at first! D: But still love it!)
@quailaz - LINK
@delicatechildwitch - LINK
Thank you again all of you! You all did such an amazing job!
#replica dtiys#replica#rottmnt replica#holiday speical#rottmnt#save rottmnt#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles#tmnt#not my art
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What would you say are the top 3 (or 5) strongest clues that say Elucien/Gwynriel are gonna happen? The ones that really feel so solid to you.
Ooooh, this is a good question.
For Gwynriel:
That Gwyn is the only character to treat Az's shadows as being separate from himself. It' like a guy who begins dating a girl who has children but he never pays attention to them versus the guy who goes out of his way to get to know the children, proving that he understands the girl and her children are a packaged deal.
That Az is not looking as Gwyn as someone in need of his protection. I'm sure there will be some of that in their book, mates always look out for one another, but there is a big difference between "we can do this together" versus, "I'll do it for you so you don't get hurt".
That Gwyn seems to have a bloodthirsty side to her personality, just as Az does. He can torture in a symphony of pain which means he has chosen to finesse his craft. He's not "let's get this over as quick as possible because I don't like it," it's, "I'm going to draw this out nice and slow and make it hurt in ways you never dreamed." I think he feels guilty about his enjoyment of it afterward because he thinks it makes him a bad person but I think he gets satisfaction from the actual act. Someone like Gwyn who was excited over the thought of the Valkyries cracking skulls and skewering their enemies is well matched for his brutality.
That Gwyn and Az seem to prefer a smaller group of friends over being extremely social, the life of the party. Neither seems to mind their alone time.
For Elucien, there are so many:
That Elain and Lucien share important core values. They are quick to apologize for failing others, they both prefer to avoid violence, they both enjoy being social and engaging with others. There will never be a time where they have to check up on one another, "I'm sorry, is this too overwhelming for you? We can head home if you need".
That Lucien has been loyal to Elain and only Elain ever since he found out who she was to him. No, he did not instantly love her but he chose to respect their bond while he took the time to learn about her whereas he could have easily continued his rakish ways especially after learning she was engaged to someone else. Loyalty to the FMC is sexy.
That Lucien was the one to meet Elain's father and live in the human lands. These are two enormous parts of Elain's past, things that mattered a great deal to her and it will only ever be Lucien who has insider knowledge of who her father was and what being human is about.
That SJM retconned Lucien's father so he'd have the power of the sun in his veins and had Elain constantly by the sunniest windows, as if any bit of darkness was abhorrent, claiming that she needs Sunshine.
That Elain has not yet touched or truly gotten to know Lucien. If the author wanted us to see why they were poorly matched, she would have shown them interacting. She would have shown that despite their best efforts to acknowledge their bond, they were just not fitting. Instead, she has Elain keeping Lucien at a distance book after book and I will never believe the answer to that puzzle is because "she doesn't like him," "she's clearly not interested." An author would more likely prevent two mates from interacting in a major way because she knows there is something there. She knows characters like Elain and Lucien need to remain apart because their chemistry will be obvious the second they start really talking.
Because Elain can hear Lucien's heart and because she is the most beautiful female he'd ever seen. Because he knew she needed fresh air when every single other person in the IC just accepted her being cooped up in her room for weeks. There is a connection between Elucien that is never going away and it would ruin any other romance for either character. No matter what Elain might share with someone else, Lucien is always going to hold a piece of her that the other cannot touch.
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Ranking Men's Costumes in Period Dramas - Part II: The Good
Part I: The Bad
This is the second part to my ranking of men's costumes in Renaissance period dramas. I selected 10 shows and films which I think have great costuming for the female characters and ranked them according to their costumes for male characters. I have noticed that even when women's costuming is great, men's costuming might be absolutely dog shit. And that's very much what we saw in the first part, where I ranked the five worst entries. For some reason shows and movies are afraid to put men, especially the characters who are supposed to be cool, manly and hot, into historical costumes. And I'm not even asking for historical accuracy, I just don't want my male characters living in the actual 1500s in basically modern leather jackets and pants. Like I don't watch period dramas for vaguely historically inspired modern fashion, I watch it for the historical setting, which costumes help create. This time we will be looking some rare gems that actually imo have really good costuming even for the male characters. For the five best entries, we'll go from worst to best.
5. Eizabeth R (1971)
Elizabeth R is incredibly committed to historical accuracy in it's outfits, especially for queen Elizabeth herself, many of her costumes being directly recreated from her portraits. It covers the whole reign of Elizabeth, so this commitment is especially admirable as the timeline is more than 40 years, including a stark shift in fashion from less structured and more toned down Tudor fashion to the extremes of the highly structured Elizabethan fashion. It's not perfect, The hair is not always great and like many others they fail at French hoods, though they are not upward pointing or pseudo crowns detached from the hood, so could be much worse.
The men's costumes are also very good. They are faithful to history, they wear stockings, very short trunk hose, ruffs and even have some structuring in their doublets and jerkins. However, the reason this is not higher is that the men's costumes especially, but also many other costumes beside Elizabeth's are looking a little sloppy. There's some structure yes, but the men's silhouettes are just not bold enough and they end up looking a little costumy. Even the codpieces are shrunk so small I'm not even sure if they are the half the time. Cowardice. Here's two Robert Dudley's costumes and an actual portrait of him. I think the second costume is probably an attempt at recreation of that portrait, but it's just kinda halfway there.
4. Taming of the Shrew (1967)
This film is set in Renaissance Italy, the women's costumes fit well to 1520s-30s. They are honestly really great and cohesive. My only gripe is that their bodices have a very 1960s shape and the make-up is a little distractingly modern. But the costuming is not attempting to recreate historical accuracy, rather they took the historical silhouette and basic elements and crafted a very over the top but cohesive look. I honestly love these very much.
An interesting choice is made with the men's costuming, especially the main male lead, whose costume is based much more on the Renaissance German men's fashion of that period. His costumes resemble the over the top fashion of the German Landsknecht (first image below). In Italy (second image below) the doublets were also very voluminous and quite colourful but not to that extent as by the Landsknecht and literally no one, not even the other Germans, rocked that slashed style as hard.
This is not really criticism though. In fact I respect that choice a lot. His costumes are certainly not historically accurate, but they do fit the bombastic aesthetics of the overall costuming, they are loud, large and not afraid to fuck around. This man oozes sex-appeal much more than any character with some modern plain black pants and leather jacket. This is how you costume a Renaissance man who fucks.
3. Tulip Fever (2017)
I am stretching the definition or Renaissance here a bit, I admit. This movie is set during the 1630s tulip mania, by which point the remnants of Renaissance fashion had already been left to the previous decade. However, I do think most of the movies and tv set in Baroque era also struggle with the men's costumes. Though not as much, because black was fashionable for everyone, the cod piece was gone, trunk hose were replaced by more palatable Venetian hose, fashion was much more stripped down from embellishments, leather was not uncommon in jerkins and appeared even in doublets and hose and the Hollywoods beloved boots became as actual fashion items. The men's silhouette in this period is very silly in my opinion and people seem to agree because it's usually skipped in costuming, but overall the period seems to fit modern masculinity standards much more easily than Renaissance era.
But I just really wanted to include this because the costuming is absolutely stunning. I have not watched the movie and probably never will because the post production was an absolute mess and it apparently came out as just a bad movie, which is a shame, but the costumes are so good. The ruffs are perfectly crispy. The buttons are dense and look just right. The shoes, both boots and otherwise are exactly right. The fabrics are honestly perfect. The silhouettes are just as goofy as they are supposed to be. And the women too have perfect silhouettes. All the details are just simply perfect. You rarely find costuming this meticulously created with historical details and great construction.
Honestly these top three could all be the best one. This final order was decided purely on which costumes i like more. And while I love the women's fashion of this period, I think the men's fashion is kinda stupid and boring, so I don't like these costumes on aesthetic level as much as the top two.
2. Romeo and Juliet (1968)
This movie is a perfect counterpart to the movie with the worst men's costuming which I talked about in the first post, Rosaline. They are both set in Italy around very end of 15th century and retell Romeo and Juliet. Both have very good costuming for female characters but obviously I think differ greatly in the male character costuming department. Romeo and Juliet costuming takes some artistic liberties to create a heightened reality quite similar to Taming of the Shrew costuming, but follows history much more closely. The colors are bright, the hose are tight, the giorneas are voluminous, the sleeves are long and massive and the cod pieces are prominent. Even the hair is perfect, even for women, they even use hairnets. I imagine the hair was quite easy to get right as hairstyles in 60s and 70s were basically lifted directly from 1400s Italian hairstyles. The men are even wearing appropriate hats??? Amazing.
The costuming perfectly captures the era, but they still clearly had fun with the costumes too. Honestly even though I appreciate the meticulously recreated historically accurate costuming, like in Tulip Fever, I tend to like more costuming that does take some artistic liberties to create a distinct look and atmosphere for the movie or tv show. There's some small things they don't get quite right, like having standard lacing instead of ladder lacing, metal eyelets (which would become a thing as late as in 1830s) and most egregiously Juliet in one scene has this very dumb supportive undergarment without even shift under it (first picture below)?? The outer garments were supportive during this era, there was no such thing as supportive undergarment. Shift was the only undergarment. But I will forgive these errors because the costuming is overall so fun and gorgeous. And they did get some details so so right, like look at Romeo's arming doublet (second picture below)! It has Lombardian sleeves!! This was a very specific style of arming doublet for this era and place. However those errors does prevent it from taking the first place. Which leads us to...
1. Orlando (1992)
This movie has Tilda Swinton in flamboyant Elizabethan men's clothing. That's all.
Okay, I that is all that needs to be said, but I will say more. This movie spans centuries and shows excellent costumes from several different periods, but I will focus on the Elizabethan costumes only for the sake of this post. The costuming is not super historically accurate in all the detailing, and clearly not trying to be, but it is always impeccable. Even while it takes artistic liberties and the story has an immortality fantastical element it still captures the men's fashion's silhouette much better than any other movie or tv show I know of set in this period. It does that better than the "we recreated these portraits" Elizabeth R. But what really makes this the best in my humble opinion, is that the movie is not afraid of the effeminate and emasculated modern perception of Renaissance men's fashion, no, it leans into it. The thole story is very much about gender and gender fuckery. Tilda Swinton plays the titular Orlando who is a cis man in Elizabethan era, becomes inexplicably immortal and later inexplicably turns into a woman for the rest of their several centuries. He is the embodiment of "I'm not sure if they are a butch or a twink" and as a bisexual I can only be grateful. But in all seriousness I think the costuming and the casting (queen Elizabeth is also played by a male actor) are so perfectly utilized to highlight the arbitrary construction of gender without needing to say it explicitly.
Conclusion
I have some closing thoughts. I took on this task as a way to show a point, which is that for some reason in Renaissance shows and film especially men's costuming is piss-poor, even when women's costuming is great. Male characters tend to have very bad costuming in Medieval media too, though this is also an issue for female characters. I don't think I have ever seen a Medieval show or movie with truly excellent costuming for anyone. In Renaissance media the issue is clearly not lack of skill or knowledge, they choose to do so. My thesis was that the producers think that the Renaissance men's fashion is too effeminate and too unsexy for the hot male very heterosexual lead, who the mostly female audience are supposed fawn over like the female characters. I still think it's very true.
Though there's an interesting trend I only noticed while doing this ranking; every entry (except the least bad) in the worst five list are from 21th century, and every entry (except Tulip Fever which is a little bit cheating anyway) in this best five list are from 20th century. I have some theories on why it turned out this way. First is that the studios have become increasingly more concerned with growing profits so they don't take risks and they put pressure on movies and tv shows to be as broadly appealing as possible. This means they can't just make period dramas for the core audience of period dramas, aka mostly women who are history nerds, so they pander to the modern sensibilities in costuming and not to the people who love to see actual historical costuming. Secondly, I think this might also tie to the broader conservative backlash against loosening of gender roles and broader queer acceptance. Among the core audiences of period dramas there are two distinct groups, queer nerds and conservative/centrist women, who don't want politics in their media, which is why they love historical stories because obviously queerness wasn't invented yet and people of colour didn't exist yet (they were and did). (They are not always this extreme, but you get the point.) As men wearing dresses has become a culture war issue, I think the studio executives are afraid that anything not masculine enough in modern standards might cause the more conservative audiences to turn on them. Even if they knew about the queer nerds, they wouldn't care about them.
This bears repeating: cowards.
As a thank you for reading all the way to the end I will leave you with the image of Tilda Swinton in mid 1600s men's clothing. You are welcome.
Part I: The Bad
#fashion history#history#historical costuming#costuming#renaissance fashion#renaissance costuming#film costuming#historical men's fashion
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I've seen people before saying that, in terms of presentation, NIKKE delivers it better than Arknights in telling what they want to tell. And I still see this occasionally whenever people start comparing stories in gacha games.
Looking at your post, seems like that wasn't a lie at all.
Right, this is an interesting topic for me, so let me give my two cents on this.
I would say that statement is generally true. Nikke's main strengths are its presentation and knowing how to leverage its strengths in general, but let's focus on presentation: It's story is nothing to write home to (note that I am up to Chapter 18), neither are its events (on this regard, take me lightly, I've only read three), but what Nikke wants to say, you will very clearly understand. It's good at telling its story. Sometimes the localization will have Localization Moments (Chatterbox is described as female in the first cutscene he is mentioned, male every time afterwards; there's a lot of clearly literally translated little expressions that make no sense in the flow of the conversations), but overall, even though you're looking at a story that in a lot of ways you've seen a lot of times, its particularities stand out because Nikke tells them properly, concisely, and clearly. Characterization is consistent, and there's a good amount of care clearly put into both consistency and overarching important parts of the narrative; a favorite example of mine is how, in the tutorial, if you pay close attention, you can actually see Marian's eyes glow red during her reload animation, foreshadowing something pretty important that happens with her later.
So even if the story beats are not particularly good or intriguing -- and sometimes, outright terrible, like in Chapter 18 oh god I hate Chapter 18 -- you at least can tell with clarity what's going on and why it's going on.
Arknights has the yang to the yin here, somewhat: The stories on Arknights tend to range from okay to great, and AK events have a habit of going pretty damn hard, either as a whole or at least parts of them. Sometimes, however, they have a weakness, and this weakness is that the actual story telling can be dense. Density is often attributed to good writing, but the truth is, sometimes, the text isn't advanced, it's simply clumsy, and the prose in Arknights is decidedly clumsy. But when you actually untangle the spaghetti of clumsy prose, you find some strong story telling, strong characterization, and topics you don't often find discussed in video games, less so in gacha. You kinda have to work for it, basically.
Something Nikke does good is also that it keeps its relevant cast at any given story beat low, giving it more cohesion, or rather, making it easy to stay cohesive, because Arknights can handle larger casts pretty well sometimes, but I'll be frank, the current main story has so many literal whos to keep track of that I'm supposed to be invested in that I don't really bother. I'm sorry, but I can't really feel a damn thing about Outcast when she showed up for a few scenes and then got nuked off by a contrivance while fighting some faceless nobodies we are told we should fear.
But on the other hand, Nikke narrative, again, despite its strong delivery, is still built on a feeble base for the most part. I only think of a few characters I care about in Nikke, because a lot of the cast is just fluff and Obligatory Archetypes (bunny girls, school girls, maids, etc), whereas in Arknights, I care about a whole damn lot of them, even those without events, because their files and modules paint a very integral and intriguing picture of them. Even smaller scenes in Arknights sometimes can have a big emotional impact, due to its extensive and well crafted worldbuilding and its clever use of its elements in every event, something Nikke cannot claim, because worldbuilding in Nikke is almost non existent.
They both have their strengths, basically, and it's fascinating to me, a writer, to take a deeper look at them.
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STEM SISTER SCUFFLE: ROUND 3 MASHUP 2
Ms. Frizzle (The Magic School Bus) vs Winry Rockbell (Full Metal Alchemist)
Ms. Frizzle is a Science Teacher!
Winry Rockbell is an Automail Mechanic!
Why you should vote for each contestant:
Ms. Frizzle:
"*gestures at entire magic school bus series*"
"Embodies the true spirit of scientific discovery: barely-contained chaos."
"She is very knowledgeable about a wide variety of sciences, and uses that knowledge to further the educations of many people. Teachers deserve the world; they do so much for so little in return. (shout out to Mrs. Goates)"
"She loves science and loves teaching kids about science. I love her. Idk I saw she only had one submission and that made me sad so now im here submitting her"
"She is an icon and has cool earrings"
"SHE'S SO COOL!!! She's so smart and so fun and genuinely just an icon. ALSO she has a little lizard on her shoulder. I saw an ask abt the submissions for Ms. Frizzle and the sender was the only person who submitted her.. I couldn't let this go. ALSO one of my professors irl called herself the irl Frizzle and she's a doctor of biology so make of that what you will"
Winry Rockbell:
"The best automail mechanic in the whole of Amestris: need I say more? She’s also the only person who can really get Edward Elric to listen / scare him"
"She's super smart and is crazy about mechanics, but she's also so kind and compassionate! She helped deliver a baby, she cares really deeply for her friends and family! She truly rocks!"
"i’m a biomedical engineer so she is the best women in stem"
"she’s extremely skilled and dedicated to her craft, her work is very high quality (she’s also the personal mechanic for one of the protagonists) and she has a dedication to improving the lives of the people around her in any way she can (and she has so much autism swag about automail, it’s a joy to watch). i love her your honour"
"She's so good and so fun and she's trying her best. She makes sure the prosthetics work and they're super plot important!!!!!"
"She can build and repair robot limbs AND attach them to human nerves"
"She’s only 15 and is repairing magic-infused heavy machinery for fun"
"Spunky, kind, and smart as hell... one of the shounen manga girls of all time."
"At age fifteen she could build a whole metal arm in 3 days (pulling all nighters)! She geeks out over the work of other prosthetics engineers and earned herself an apprenticeship where the shop's costumers began to prefer her after only a few months! She's kind but takes no shit and narratively symbolizes the goodness of humanity. also she read medical textbooks as a kid (her parents were both doctors) and was able to apply that knowledge for successful impromptu midwifery years later!"
"She is practically a child engineering Genius! Designs and makes prosthetics. She takes her work very seriously and geeks out over other people's designs. She is such a beautifully written strong female character that holds her own in a fandom full of amazing strong female characters and a great role model. She's Hella cute"
"She is considered a prodigy in her field, and is known as the “Automail Otaku” because of her unending interest of any machines and tools in the building and repairing of automail. She is incredibly smart, sincere, and passionate. She works hard for what she wants, is full of optimism despite what she has suffered, and is very loyal to her friends."
"built a fully functioning prosthetic arm for her friend when she was TWELVE basically by herself and has been his regular mechanic since. also heavily dabbles in the medical side as well as the mechanical side (for example: she successfully delivered a baby single-handedly at fifteen having only ever read about the subject before). she is so skrunkly she’s an icon a legend and she is the moment"
"Listen any girl who can master mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and biology in order to build prosthetic limbs by the age of 12 is Impressive. She’s the one that got me onto an engineering career path I’m very biased"
#stem sister scuffle#round 3#the magic school bus#ms frizzle#fullmetal alchemist#fma brotherhood#fma#fma winry#winry rockbell
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Oh yea this could be set up to be one of the goat villainess shows. Another great episode. Loving how intelligent the characters are so far and how strong willed Rishe is.
Rishe trying to secure her days off where she can laze around in advance is so real lol. She not worried about anything else but having a chill and relaxing life. After all the stuff she’s seen in these loops you can’t blame her. I really love how she’s determined to live this life on her own terms.
She may have died in those previous lives, but they weren’t wastes or failures. She learnt so many invaluable skills from them, like being able to craft an antidote for Arnold’s men which ended up saving the day. I appreciate the skepticism from his troops which is pretty realistic considering a simple noblewoman wouldn’t be expected to know how to make an antidote like that.
Got to see Arnold’s compassionate side during this scene too. He knows all his troops by name and backstory. Genuinely cares for his guys and his willing to fight side by side with them. Maybe he’s not as bad as he came off in the last loop.
😂 Rishe willing to take the dilapidated guest villa just so she don’t have to be around people and worry about getting dragged into stuff was hilarious. Cleaning>social interaction. She’s really determined to live a chill life.
Loved the final conversation with she and Arnold on the balcony. His comment about her not needing to know all these skills took her back to her first life where her only value and purpose was marrying into the royal family and having a baby. No more. Now she’s her own person, living for her own interests which she’s discovered after living all these lives. By living 6 already, she’s finally got a chance to live a full one now. On her terms
Love love love a strong capable female MC, my fave genre. She and Arnold are a power couple both fully capable on their own, but even better together.
#7th time loop#7th time loop: the villainess enjoys a carefree life married to her worst enemy!#loop 7 kaime no akuyaku reijou wa
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PAC - Messages to improve your Summer/Winter Season
Navigation: ੈ♡˳Masterlist
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DISCLAIMER. These general free readings are made in good faith for entertainment purpose. This reading was done in mind with Summer for people in the Northern Hemisphere and Winter for the Southern Hemisphere.
How to pick a pile
When you have different cards to choose from in pile 1,2,3… look at each of those cards. Wait until someone reminds you of a memory. Perhaps a character’s outfit resembles one of your own. It is this pile that has its message. What if they all remind me of something? Go for the one with the strongest memory, one might look like her earring but another might be the favorite candy you got from your grandma when you vacationed at her house. But what if none reminds me of something? Take a deep breath and wait a little longer, without charging yourself or creating worries. Relax, some will awaken some memory in you, I promise! ..
Pile 1 - Kuromi
(Eight of Coins - Ships - 10 of Wands - Moon - The Moon - Lillies - Nightingale)
What you've been working on since the beginning of the year has been your work and your career, and that's why you've already made great progress in this regard. You've completed many plans and projects because I see here a person who engages in independent and primarily artistic work (if this doesn't apply to you, skip this part). You've already made significant changes to the way you approach your projects, perfecting them and improving their efficiency in terms of time and cost.
Your strength today lies primarily with women and the female audience. It seems that you make their work much easier by delivering practically everything ready. So far, this description has been quite general, but let me delve deeper. You have the ability to take sketches and text that people create and turn them into highly detailed images. You can deliver exactly what they want, even when they don't fully understand their own desires.
In the remainder of the year, you need to focus on enhancing your creativity, intuition, and subconscious. It appears that you have concentrated on improving the theoretical and logical aspects of your art, such as techniques. However, now it's time to reestablish your focus on the practical and emotional dimensions of your craft. Understand the messages behind your work without needing explanations or logical reasoning, as there are certain aspects that are purely emotional and not rational.
Pile 2 -My Melody
(The Fool - Mices - Two of Cups - Tree - The Hierophant - Whip - Turkey)
What you've been working on since the beginning of the year is exploring the possibilities at your disposal. You haven't limited yourself to a single plan or envisioned a fixed future; instead, you've been experimenting and getting to know a little bit of everything. You have conducted extensive research, seeking out both the purest and darkest aspects of each subject. During this period, you haven't settled for anything less—you have immersed yourself in the topic and then moved on. This research and exploration are closely connected to the magical, religious, and alchemical aspects of things.
Your strength lies in your ability to transform situations like turning water into wine. You have a knack for converting adversity into productivity and fruitful outcomes. For you, there is no such thing as a bad time. This ability is particularly evident when it comes to your parents and ancestors—you have a way of making their influence more adaptable.
In the remaining part of the year, it is important to focus and commit to a specific area. Although you have conducted extensive research, it's time to concentrate on a particular subject to delve deeper and produce something that can benefit you in the long-term future. You need to create a ritual, something you can talk about and engage with every day, starting from the moment you wake up in the morning.
Pile 3 - Hello Kitty
(Ace of Pentacles - Child - The Chariot - Bear - Four of Pentacles - Dog - Skunk)
You have been focusing on personal growth and the experiences that money can afford you. You have been meeting your child's wants and basic needs to a certain extent. For instance, if you can buy a snack, you go ahead and purchase it without holding back. However, you have imposed significant restrictions on yourself, and now you are starting to loosen up a bit. Additionally, you have been rediscovering and utilizing skills from your childhood that were once set aside due to financial constraints, but now you have the means to pursue them.
Your greatest strength today lies in your audacity and courage. Nothing and no one can stand in your way. You are also deeply connected to spirituality, particularly embracing a feminine and motherly energy. Your inner light and unwavering faith that everything will eventually fall into place are your sources of strength.
As you move forward in the remaining part of the year, it is important to focus on your economy and practice saving. Cultivate a greater appreciation and care for the possessions you already have. Lately, you have been driven by instinct, and it would be beneficial to incorporate a bit more rationality into your decision-making for the remainder of the year.
(CC) AstroJulia Some Rights Reserved
#astrojulia#witchblr#astroblr#astro community#tarot#tarot reading#tarotblr#divination#pac#pick a pile#pick a card#tarot witch#oracle reading
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So many people hate on ff13 and I'm baffled every time there's mentions of terrible writing and awful characters. I see those complaints parroted very often, yet I genuinely cannot comprehend what goes behind those opinions. It's so frustrating. I mean, everyone says the same thing; I can't help but think that maybe I'm the one that's missing something, that maybe the writing is indeed not good or that the characters aren't great either. I genuinely find the story really well crafted, especially when taking into account the depth that the datalogs hold, and the character arcs and relationships that are devoloped throughout the game are personally some of the best I've seen in gaming. I don't mind if ff13 isn't most people's cup of tea, that's fine. I just wish I could find someone that at the very least could explain their point of view in a respectful way instead of just calling the game trash.
I know right 😭 it's one thing if someone were to dislike the characters/story for how they're actually written, but the vast majority of people who I've seen complain are so insanely off the mark that it makes me wonder if they're deliberately missing the point just to have something to bitch about
Like it genuinely irks me just how much ff13 is shat on TO THIS DAY when so many of the complaints are just plain wrong to anyone who actually payed attention to the game!!! Again, personal opinion is fine and all, but the fact that the western ff fanbase has all but ruined 13's reputation over nothing is beyond frustrating to me
The only explanation I have for it is that the people who whine about 13 to that extent either didn't finish the game or didn't bother to pay attention to how the story developed, but even then I'm lost because why wouldn't they give 13 the same chance as any other ff game? Did they not expect much because of its reputation? Was the linearity really that blasphemous to them? Is it because of how differently it handles female characters compared to earlier games? Is it because the game doesn't spoonfeed information to the player outside of the datalogs? Would be great if someone could actually explain it properly for once lol
#sometimes i get moments like that too where im like?? is 13 actually terrible and am i just delusional???#but then i see some mf spew hate for it and remember that oh. right. most complaints are actually kinda dumb djdgjdhd#no but really im in the same boat as you#its actually dumbfounding how so many people can all collectivelly misinterpret 13's writing that badly#without any explanation on top of that#ask#anonymous#final fantasy xiii
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the witch and the bats ⠀♡
AUTHORS NOTE ; this is my very first fan fiction or anything close to it. I have written a handful of short stories before and am currently on a project so bare with me. ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE. You have been warned, and it is also 4AM as I write this. So please excuse any grammatical errors or general mistakes! I am open to suggestions as well some constructive criticism! Asks and Requests are open!
WARNINGS : None, this is just a short writing sampler. OC is a female assigned witch, though no name has been given to her character and no description of her body nor appearance is provided. Scenario / Blurp is based on the anon ask below !
An annoyed look casted over the woman’s features. Her small herb and floral potions shop sat in between two dingy and putrid clubs the incessant loud noises and oppressive smell of alcohol and sex that clung to the air, had the witch growing more and more tempted to simply turn in early return to her small cupboard-like apartment in the old bustling streets of New Orleans, but the thought had been quickly forgotten when she glanced at her watched and caught time of the hour. It was near closing time, finally. The new girl she had hired started closing down her small shop. The witch took this time to distract herself, she stepped outside to sweep the quaint entrance of her small shop, her eyes met by a familiar man across the road, the old prince of these streets had been roaming the city with his blonde counterpart, a look of trouble foaming both of their features.
she picked up her broom and made haste back inside her shop. “marseilla, you can head out for the rest of the night. I’ll be closing by myself tonight, dear.” she called to the girl───or rather young witch───who had so graciously stayed past her waging hours to help organize a bit.
the young witch had taken her leave just in time, right as her apprentice left the door’s top bell chimed. alerting the woman that she had guests.
“Well, if it isn’t the devil and his advocate, she spoke in reference to the golden blonde who had made his presence known, a sly smirk took form over the french man’s features. Her graze leaving his and falling onto her old friend, Louis De Pon Lac. She offered the man a kind smile, but only that. The night he had given up his humanity had been the last night the two had seen each other. That was months ago, and the witch had no desire to associate herself with the troubles of the night. “What brings you two to my shop?” Her tone was sharp, her head held high. She wasn’t planning on selling them anything.
“I hear word that your crafts are quite extraordinary. I was simply in the market to get a certain… uh, Louis how is it you say it?” Lestat’s voice trailed off, his eyes wandering around the many trinkets and figures that were displayed on the many old and rustic shelves. He paced around the small shop, seemingly enthralled by everything that it had to offer. “Talisman.” Louis shortly replied. Unlike the other man, he remained still, unmoving from his original spot. His eyes were still locked on her────or so she thinks, she couldn’t really tell with the darkened eyeglasses the man now wore. His frame was still merely a few feet away from the witch. The only thing keeping them apart was her shop's front desk.
“ Ah ! Yes ! A talisman ! ” The blond yelled from somewhere in the back end of the store. The sound of his footsteps were light, and the cool breeze that flew into the shop by one of the many broken windows sent a shiver up the witch's back. “ You see my dear friend here has recently been through quite a lot , a loss in the family , and I heard those could be a great deal . ” Lestat had finally found his way back towards the store’s front. His piercing green eyes finally met hers, and as she stared through those orbs. She couldn’t find a single trace of a soul.
“ A talisman ? Interesting . ” She pondered. “ I’d love to make your friend here one but it takes quite a lot of time , a few days and I lack the resources to make one . Besides──” Before her rejection could finish reaching the air, Louis cut her off. “ Take all the time you need , I can wait . I’ll even pay double──no , triple . Just don’t . . . reject me . ” His voice was laced with what she could only compare to something a kin to regret, maybe even disparity. But whatever it was, it had made the woman look at the man as just that. A man───not the monster that he truly was. That he chose to become.
“ Fine. . . I’ll do it . But given your nature , I can’t guarantee its proper function . ” She still cared for him, but it was a carelessness that came as a result of shared history; as the two have known each other throughout their entire life and all of their childhood.
The night of her brother’s funeral. When she had seen runoff, broken, and uncommonly in the streets. She should’ve followed him, should’ve offered her shoulder to cry on, instead, she too had been driven by grief and secluded herself from the others. The witch had grown to regret that night deeply, but she was thankful for having the opportunity to repair her misdeeds, even if it was already a little too late to save him.
#iwtv 2022#amc iwtv#iwtv lestat#iwtv louis#loustat#louis de pointe du lac#louis x eader#louis de pointe du lac fanfic#lestat de lioncourt#lestat de lioncourt x reader#lestat de lioncourt fanfic#first fanfic#fanfiction#anon: witch oc#pls be nice#and share if you can
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Book recs: great, unique and creative worldbuilding in fantasy books
A note: this is very much a subjective list. I typically do not care much for historical medieval-esque settings (though seeing as I'm a big critical role fan, obviously there are exceptions), but rather prefer settings that mix up historical and modern, fantastical and scientific, and make up entirely new things and societal structures not based on our world.
Other book rec posts:
Really cool sci-fi worldbuilding
Mermaid books
Dark sapphic romances
Vampire books
Without further ado, let’s go!
The Unspoken name by A.K. Larkwood
Honestly there's so much going on in this one worldbuilding-wise that it's kind of hard to explain. Portals, flying ships, orcs, elves, creepy snake gods, cults, immortal evil mages who traumatize teens as their hobby. It's also very queer!
A Master of Djinn by P. Djèli Clark
Set in an alternate 1910's steampunk Cairo, where djinn and other creatures (among other things, creepy steampunk angels) live alongside humans. We get to follow an investigator as she races to catch a criminal using a powerful object to control djinn and stir unrest. Fantastically creative and fresh, and also features a buddy cop dynamic between two female leads as well as a sapphic romance.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Urban fantasy on a level of its own, where dangerous magic exists alongside humans. It keeps you guessing and much is left unexplained; if you want clear answers and explanations to everything you might be disappointed, but if you want a world that feels mysterious and dangerous and lived in you'll probably like it. It follows a baker who, after getting kidnapped by vampires, gets embroiled in a dangerous struggle.
Radiant (Towers Trilogy) by Karina Sumner-Smith
A strange mix of fantasy, sci-fi and post apocalyptic, Radiant follows a girl without magic in a world where magic is currency. Those with much of it live in magically floating towers, while everyone else scrambles to survive in the ruins of an old city left devastated from an unknown cataclysm. The setting is creepy and mysterious and leaves me itching as I want to dig for more. Also there are ghosts.
Three Parts Dead (Craft Sequence) by Max Gladstone
This is one of those books where you just kind of have to let go and go along as it throws you all over the place. I started reading it expecting an urban fantasy, but it is much more and wholly unique. It features a world where gods and magic are deeply enmeshed with society at large, and a base of much of its technology and progress. It doesn't quite feel historical, but also not modern, but rather like you took a fantastical world and let it develop naturally into its own contemporary era.
Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer duology) by Laini Taylor
One of my favorite things is when the mysteries of the world and how it works become part of the plot, with characters trying to figure out their own world. Strange the Dreamer is beautiful and complex and will hurt your heart. Personally I didn't care much for the central romance, but the wonderful characters, themes, mysteries and world make up for it.
The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach
Like Three Parts Dead, The Dawnhounds is a book where you just kind of have to let the story and the world wash over you. It skirts the line of scifi and fantasy, with a futuristic world of environmentally friendly mushroom houses and deadly fungi bio weapons next to literally god-given superpowers and near-immortality. It's really cool and unlike anything else I've ever read. Bonus: it’s also sapphic!
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance Trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin
Another example of a world that feels wholly like its own organically developed thing, with societal structures developed around the magical aspects and a presence of gods and demi-gods, many of whom walk the streets and will smite you if you piss them off.
Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows series) by Kim Harrison
Okay, here we have an actual urban fantasy. While I got a bit worn out by the many, many love interests throughout the series, the worldbuilding is simply phenomenal and relies heavily on a well-developed alternate history. Basically, magical beings such as vampires, werewolves, elves, fairies, witches, etc, used to exist secretly alongside us, but when humanity delved into genetic research instead of the space race during the cold war, an engineered virus ended up wiping a good chunk of us out and the magical beings stepped in to stop us from going extinct. Now in the modern day, we co-exist but tensions remain. Our main character is a witch who, alongside her roommates (a vampire and a fairy) solve mysteries and crime and end up unveiling secrets about their world centuries in the making.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
Another urban fantasy, this one aimed at young adults and featuring indigenous mythology alongside creatures such as vampires and ghosts. We follow a young apache girl with the ability to raise ghosts as she works to solve the murder of her cousin.
Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor trilogy) by Mark Lawrence
Honestly, most of what I've read by Mark Lawrence so far could be featured on this list (special shoutout to his Broken Empire trilogy!). We follow a young girl training to become an assassin in a slowly dying world, where ice is overtaking the land and only a small band along its middle is habitable, kept alive by a mirror in the sky sharpening the dying sun's light. Question is, how long will this machine last, and what even is it? Very dark but very good.
The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin
Listen, N.K. Jemisin gets to have two books on this list, okay, she is very good at what she does. In a world regularly torn apart by natural disasters, a big one finally strikes and society as we know it falls, leaving people floundering to survive in a post apocalyptic world, its secrets and past to be slowly revealed. We get to follow a mother as she races through this world to find and save her missing daughter.
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
AKA the book the killed me. Two boys travel throughout their land with the body of a god as her horrible, horrible children try to hunt them down. It's hard to explain more than that, but trust me when I say the narrative voice and literary techniques are incredibly unique in how they blend past and present, reality and story, lead and bystander. Truly an experience. Bonus: gay romance!
Wild Seed by Octavia Butler
Master of slightly fucked up romance, Octavia Butler knocks it out of the park in this story featuring two immortals struggling throughout the centuries. What do you do when there is only one other person remotely like you, and you simultaneously can't stand them and can't live without them? Apparently, you turn yourself into a dolphin for a while.
Birth of the Fire Bringer by Meredith Ann Pierce
Cards on the table, it has been a great many years since I actually read this, and just as many years spent meaning to read the sequels (I have a lot of stuff on my tbr okay, don’t judge me), but I do remember it making a great impact on me back in the day. Our main character is a unicorn! Fighting wyverns and gryphons! How cool is that!
Bonus AKA I haven’t read these yet but they seem really cool
The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao
From Goodreads: This Hindu philosophy-inspired debut science fantasy follows a husband and wife racing to save their living city—and their troubled marriage—high above a jungle world besieged by cataclysmic storms.
High above a jungle-planet float the last refuges of humanity—plant-made civilizations held together by tradition, technology, and arcane science. In these living cities, architects are revered above anyone else. If not for their ability to psychically manipulate the architecture, the cities would plunge into the devastating earthrage storms below.
Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
Urban fantasy but the vampires are aliens? Sign me the fuck up
The Gaslight Dogs by Karin Lowachee
From Goodreads: At the edge of the known world, an ancient nomadic tribe faces a new enemy-an Empire fueled by technology and war.
#thanks tumblr for fucking me over and posting the draft before i was done#anyway its finished now sorry for the confusion#nella talks books#long post#book recs
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Hi,I've recently discovered your blog and I Iove it.
I would like to know if you have any predictions regarding the second season of HotD. Do you think that the pessimistic attitude of many show watchers,especially TG fans, is warranted? Imho, if anything could irreversibly harm the greens is Rha*nicent. Not the ship itself, but the way the showrunners seem incapable of letting that ship sink after the time skip and are pushing it even after everything that has happened in season 1. Idk, the mere possibility of Alicent betraying her family and forsaking her children in any way to ingratiate herself to Rhaenyra is so illogical and outrageous, especially after B&C. The thing is, I'm almost certain that we are going to see a lot of Rha*nicent in the following season in some form and it could really irreparably ruin not only Alicent's character, but the greens in general. And, ofc, the show. What's your opinion about this and do you have any other predictions regarding the future seasons?
Thanks in advance :)
First of all, thank you, anon! 🌞🙏🌻
Preferences aside, I just think that white feminism sells in media. It manifests in tropes such as girlboss narratives (I know everyone is tired of this word by now), women warriors, female sexuality relayed through a male gaze-ish lens, overcoming adversity in an easily digestible way, scoring against some obviously misogynistic obstacle, framed in a way that appeals to a basic sense of justice etc. Lots of female characters that became popular in the last 15 years embody some of those markers, from Natasha Romanov to Katniss Everdeen to Arya Stark to Lagertha. And they're not even necessarily ~bad things~ or elements we shouldn't ever have in our fiction, it's just that this kind of tried-and-tested formula is what film executives think will bring them easy popularity and quick money.
Daenerys was such a hugely popular character that that it's to be expected (in this capitalistic hellscape we live in) that it would make monetary sense for HBO to try and recreate a straightforward empowerment narrative with the character of Rhaenyra. On paper, she has all the superficial storyline elements that could be converted into a blockbuster: powerful in some badass way (she is a competent dragon-rider), is A Rebel, owns her sexuality by sleeping with whomever she wants, which translates into 21st century mentality as empowerment, and has to overcome an obstacle posed by The Man.™ All wrapped up in a nostalgic package that reminds viewers of their beloved Daenerys.
So, unfortunately, I expect them to continue to build on these marketable points instead of focusing too much on finesse details, such as how Rhaenyra's already immense privilege and power as a princess of the Realm and a dragon-rider negatively impact those around her, how she can be both victim and perpetrator, how she perpetuates the cycles of violence and abuse + her less than palatable traits. Certainly, I'm not going to stand here and declare that they WON'T touch on those aspects either, before even watching the new season, because that would be silly. I DO expect them to address at least some of those issues and I'm sure there will be many moments which I will enjoy and even scenes that will be well-crafted explorations into certain questions. I do like this show a lot, at the end of the day, and will probably love S2, as well.
But, overall, I can't say hand-on-heart that the marketable concerns won't prevail in the end either, and I expect the framing to fall in the direction of "yeah, she did some bad stuff, too, but ultimately Rhaenyra had the right of it and was Betrayed by power-hungry woman-hating misogynists". Which does get frustrating in this media climate, because it is essentially the same message being delivered without much nuance or refinement: women* can't ever be wrong, anything a woman does is automatically great and should be supported, all delusions are valid if they're produced by a woman etc. I hope to be proven wrong, but only time will tell. Which is not to say that we should go back to making pro-patriarchy and pro-gender roles stories, which is kind of the vibe I'm sometimes getting from some "anti-woke" HotD critical pieces. An intersectional HotD - is that possible? At least a little class commentary on these people.
(*Of course, this only applies if the character fits into, what essentially is, another type of Ideal Woman: the acceptable amount of progressivism deemed appropriate at the current time, with the acceptable attitudes and interests. But that's a discussion for another day.)
So this is where rhaenicent falls for me. I've always thought it was an interesting addition and the change never bothered me, but there is a certain point at which it becomes unbalanced and, as you say, illogical. When is love ever "logical", though, you might question? Well, I think the prospect of losing your children + grandchildren + father + brother vs holding on to an unrequited lifelong crush might knock some sense into someone. Realistically speaking, the vast majority of people would nope out of that equation and the choice would be clear. How much can you truly love a person at the expense of literally your entire family? (including your extended family, because the Hightowers in Oldtown risked their lives for King Aegon). The reward is also so small, what exactly would Alicent be trading for? Yearning gazes and holding hands? Rhaenyra has not exactly been shown to reciprocate these feelings post Alicent's marriage to Viserys.
I think that the showrunners are holding onto this aspect because they're trying to make Alicent sympathetic to the general public, who are mostly on Rhaenyra's side, as a result of the show's framing. So their logic is that the viewers won't hate Alicent as much if she displays how sorry she is for everything, how reluctant, how much she loves Rhaenyra. And they think that her contradictory actions are a fair trade-off. So I do expect us to get more rhaenicent in the coming seasons.
All in all, this wouldn't be so bad, because indeed it could be framed as very romantic, a lot of pathos, star-crossed lovers etc and human emotions are messy and complicated. Our desires can often be contradictory in nature. Literature and mythology are filled with passionate love stories that defy all rhyme or reason. Doesn't Jaime tell Cersei he would kill every single person in the world for her? I just hope it'll get the presentation it deserves, delving into the complicated nature of love and difficult choices, and not turn into "Alicent would sell out her kids to save Rhaenyra from her self-inflicted predicament, all the while Rhaenyra is not sparing her a single thought or concern".
#not only that it would make little sense at this point#it would be an unsatisfying story if you ask me#are we really putting alicent in the cuck chair and calling it a day#ask#anon#hotd meta#hotd speculation#anti rhaenicent#anti rhaenyra targaryen#<- for filtering#alicent hightower
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The Power Fantasy vs. The Mary Sue
I think one phrase we need to work back into discussions around stories and story crafting in general is, "power fantasy."
And I think in the course of discussing power fantasies, we can reexamine the term, "Mary Sue" which traditionally only referred to original characters put into an established universe who was unrealistically capable at saving the day and winning love. Because clearly the definition has expanded beyond that in how it's used, and I would argue, the new definition of a "Mary Sue" is: "A power fantasy that the viewer does not find exciting or personally relatable."
I think fear of creating a "Mary Sue" has stifled some creators (particularly female-identifying ones) when it comes to including power fantasies in their stories. Because it's ok and even the point for fiction to contain a power fantasy! A power fantasy is something cool or desirable that does not happen in the real world, or doesn't happen regularly, happening to the protagonist in a way that allows the audience to enjoy that experience vicariously.
Let's get into some examples of what I mean:
A good example of a power fantasy might be the elemental bending of the series "Avatar: The Last Airbender". It is objectively cool to be able to cast magical elemental spells by doing martial arts, which are also cool.
A romantic power fantasy that we see very often is, "This love interest is very powerful and dangerous towards everyone else in the world, but they are sweet and loving with the protagonist and would never ever hurt them." Someone like a mob boss or an assassin or even a literal demon who finds love with the protagonist and turns those qualities to their defense. "Beauty and the Beast" is an example of this trope but it can take many forms.
Another power fantasy might be to take a complex political or military situation and saying it can be solved by an individual with a single heroic act.
For example, destroying the Death Star in Star Wars, something that's accomplished by young protagonist Luke Skywalker who is fresh off the farm, being enough to defeat the Empire (in the first film, before the trilogy was fully planned), or killing Emperor Palpatine at the end of the trilogy. (Yes the expanded universe adds nuance to this, but within the films themselves, these single events are defined as decisive victories.)
Another example might be how throwing the One Ring into Mount Doom is enough to end the threat of Sauron's evil in Middle Earth forever.
A power fantasy might be the ability to magically gain a lifetime of skills, such as downloading Kung Fu in "The Matrix" or a magical serum making Steve Rogers into a super soldier in "Captain America", or any number of "chosen one" stories where an otherwise unremarkable but relatable individual is suddenly thrust into a world of adventure and magically granted the abilities needed to navigate it.
And in more personal stories, the idea that that a single gesture or speech or demonstration could be enough to change the attitude of an authority figure, or a loved one, or a group, is a power fantasy. Not that this can't ever happen in the real world, but it is a power fantasy to say that a single impassioned speech can bring an end to widespread bigotry, or that winning the big game will earn the protagonist the love and respect of a distant parent or a potential romantic partner.
There's nothing wrong with power fantasies. Power fantasies are enjoyable, they are often the meat of the "so what?" of a story. Adding a cool power fantasy to your world like can be the hook of the story, or the spice, or the whole story could be nothing but layered power fantasies, in fact a great many really good stories are!
Where power fantasies fail or are leveled with the accusation of being "Mary Sues" is when the audience does not find the power fantasy relatable or exciting.
In fanfiction, Mary Sues/self insert characters are often created deliberately in stories that extremely personal to the writer, who is often a beginner. These characters and their stories are not intended for a wide audience, they're merely a written expression of a daydream the writer has. That means that they're not meant to be widely relatable. The author just wants to imagine being the 10th member of the Fellowship of the Ring and having Legolas fall in love with them. Others might find it "cringe" but the fiction is serving its purpose in bringing joy to the author. It might just not be widely popular.
However, this reputation of Mary Sues being these intensely personal stories that aren't trying to balance relatability in pursuit of a wider audience have somewhat muddled the discussion around what the accusations of something being a Mary Sue are actually saying. Because what they're saying is: I don't find this story relatable.
Rey in "The Force Awakens" trilogy was roundly criticized as being a Mary Sue. I like to use her as an example because it's one of the most public discussions of late that used the word, and because I understood both sides of the accusation.
To be sure, an element of the accusation was sexism. Because Rey's story wasn't all that different from many male protagonists and yet many male viewers found her power fantasy unrelatable because she's a woman.
That said, her story was also somewhat sloppily constructed when compared to, say, Luke Skywalker. Luke Skywalker was a well-constructed power fantasy because he did things that the viewers wished they could do: like be plucked up from their boring job on the farm to because a cool fighter pilot trained by a space wizard with a laser sword that once you mastered it you'd magically know how to use perfectly because of the Force, and in the process, Luke got to hang out with cool people like Han Solo and Princess Leia and literally save the universe. These are cool, fun things that you average kid would love to do!
Rey's story was muddled. She was given all the same magical powers and many of the same story beats as Luke Skywalker, but it wasn't in pursuit of a coherent power fantasy, not for women who might relate to her, nor that men in the audience might not personally relate to but could at least understand wasn't for them. No one bothered to ask a female fan of Star Wars what they wished they could do if they were in the Star Wars universe. Because I imagine being the secret descendent of Palpatine (???) wasn't one of them.
But this shouldn't mean we can't have women in Star Wars who get a bunch of magical powers and save the day! And that was where the discussion broke down. Power fantasies are good. Sometimes, power fantasies aren't relatable to the person calling a character a Mary Sue. Sometimes, it's because it's not meant for them.
For example, I think that Maverick in Top Gun is an unbearable Mary Sue, because I don't find the desire to become a fighter pilot who saves the day all that compelling. But I at least understand the power fantasy isn't for me.
The key is to make the power fantasy fun and relatable to the intended audience. The key is to understand the power fantasy being created. When trying to expand to a broader audience and tell a good story, the power fantasy usually also needs to be roadblocked by some obstacles or rules, or there need to be tradeoffs, but they are usually things that the audience also finds exciting.
Like: you get to be a super cool fighter pilot, but first you have to go to fighter pilot school, where you'll meet tons of other beautiful and cool people, which is also a power fantasy, and then you get to be a magically gifted and skilled fighter pilot who saves the day!
Or: You get to be a crime-fighting badass who saves the day while dressed up like a bat (for some reason) but first you have to travel the world and learn martial arts and go on a bunch of adventures before you're skilled enough to do it.
That said, sometimes an element of the power fantasy is that the character just naturally achieves it! There just usually has to be other tradeoffs. Like Neo can learn Kung Fu with the touch of a button in The Matrix, but now he has to use these skills to fight some serious bad guys before he gets the praise of everyone around him, just like Captain America and the serum, he now has to go save the day before he can get his parade. You don't get easy powers and widespread adulation at once, that feels cheap. That's why the Mary Sue showing up and impressing the Fellowship with her magical skills before she's done anything to actually help them feels cheap.
Mostly, the point of this essay is to help those, like me, who grew up around accusations of all original female characters being Mary Sues to help overcome this knee-jerk fear and understand when the criticism was valid and when it was just sexism. There should be more female power fantasies in mainstream fiction! There should be just as many as there are male power fantasies! But, sometimes male and female characters can be Mary Sues, which is expressions of power fantasies that feel unearned, or unrealistic, or just not fun for the audience.
Sometimes it's not fun for the audience because they don't relate to the fantasy being explored, and that's ok! The power fantasy is still allowed to exist! Because my god, if I have to sit through yet another magical white guy chosen one who is super cool and saves the world and gets the girl, viewed totally uncritically as the Mary Sue it is, we can at least create the versions that speak to a wider range of personal experiences than that.
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🤷🤷I just see friendship 🤷🤷
"Vassa is like Jesminda!"
Jesminda had been all laughter and mischief, too wild and free to be contained by the country life that she’d been born into.
Only a few years older than me, but … young-feeling. Coltish. Fierce and untamed, despite her curse.
I think some feel "wild and free" is comparable to "fierce and untamed" but Lucien describes Jesminda as laughter and mischief, which is playful. Feyre's opinion of Vassa reads as a strong, bold warrior, untamed in a feral sort of way rather than a full of life sort of way.
A cruel smile curved Vassa’s mouth.
“We shall discuss this later,” she declared. “Along with the threat my fellow queens pose.”
Either she didn’t know or didn’t care that I was also a queen in my right. Nesta smirked. “Good luck with that.”
Vassa rolled her eyes
(Do those things sound like the way Lucien described Jesminda?)
Lucien, surprisingly, was chuckling, his shoulders loose and his head angled while he listened.
Lucien is a very compassionate friend and enjoys having fun. His reaction to Vassa is not special to Vassa and he's canonically observant and a good listener in general. Which we'd seen plenty of throughout the series. The only reason it's been missing from his character as of late is because of his current situation, having been uncomfortable in the NC, SA and chased out of Spring.
But Lucien grinned at me. “Much better.”
A cork popped, followed by the sounds of Lucien chugging the bottle’s contents and chuckling with a muttered “Brushed.”
Lucien remained sitting on the blanket and lifted the bottle of wine in salute. He took a slug from it as he sprawled on his back and gazed at the green canopy.
Lucien smirked. “Apologies, Feyre.”
A valiant effort,” Lucien said with a smirk.
“Ah.” Lucien chuckled. “Well, Tam’s not the only one who gets to perform the rite tonight. Once he makes his choice, we’re free to mingle
“I see,” I lied, not quite seeing at all. Lucien chuckled, sensing it, and I glared sidelong at him.
The look he gave me was more contemplative than any he’d given me before. “I know far too many High Fae and lesser faeries who wouldn’t have seen it that way—or bothered.” He reached for something at his side and tossed it to me. I had to fight to stay in the saddle as I fumbled for it—a jeweled hunting knife.
Lucien gave a slight nod and leaned back in his chair—to listen, to observe.
Tamlin didn’t take his eyes off me as he said to Lucien, “Get. Out.” There was enough violence in the words that neither Lucien nor I objected this time as he slipped from the room and shut the double doors behind him. I speared my power into the hall, sensing him sitting on the foot of the stairs. Listening.
And when I grew bored with studying and fighting … I learned what I could of the land from its people. Learned about the people, too.”
of all the sounds that Lucien so carefully sorted through while he kept watch. His attention slid to me at one point and lingered. I dreamed that he removed his cloak and added it over my blanket.
Lucien squeezed our linked arms as we rounded a hedge
Lucien loosed a heavy sigh and slid an arm around my waist, the other threading through my hair to cradle my head. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I’m sorry.” He held me, stroking soothing lines down my back. / I peered into his concerned face.
“I have an old friend at the Dawn Court. She’s skilled at tinkering—blending magic and machinery. Tamlin got her to craft it for me at great risk.” A hateful smile from Jurian. “Does your little mate have a rival?” (<- note how anytime Lucien shows respect for females someone assumes it's something more than it is?).
Not to mention, Lucien and Feyre's friendship will probably never be what it once was, what with them belonging to different courts. Whereas SJM gave Feyre her Mate in Rhys, she also gave her male friendships in Cassian and Az. Lucien has lost Tamlins friendship and Feyre's to some extent so his getting along with Vassa seems to be SJM setting up a new group of friends to carry his story forward, male and female alike. It's important for him to develop a support system with friends (i.e. Vassa and Jurian) before he develops a romantic relationship with someone.
She had teased him, taunted him—seduced him so thoroughly that he hadn’t wanted anything but her.
He’s voluntarily living with them these days, and not just as an emissary. As their friend.”
Vassa rolled her eyes, then looked to Lucien, who sank onto the sofa beside Jurian. Like the Fae male had settled similar arguments between them before. But Lucien’s attention was upon Cassian.
Cassian’s heart strained at the pain etching deep into Lucien’s face as he tried to hide his disappointment and longing.
I don't know about you but it doesn't sound like Vassa has convinced Lucien he doesn't want anything but her.
Also.... Vassa wants to be in the Day Court, living with the Fae? Because she's cursed during the day?
A once-proud queen—still proud, yes, but desperate to reclaim her freedom. Her human body. Her kingdom.
Both trying to lead the humans who occupied the sliver of land at the southernmost end of Prythian. Left ungoverned for so long. Too long. No king or queen remained in these lands. No memory of their name, their lineage.
“Vassa and Jurian are two sides of the same coin. Mercifully, their vision for the future of the human territories is mostly aligned.
Where are there any hints that she's interested in ruling over the Fae? That she plans on abandoning the humans?
Why are people so certain Lucien will be the one to break her curse? Do they think his abilities will trump that of Helion? Or is it possible that it's not a spell which can be broken by Feyre, Helion OR Lucien?
“Can you break my curse?” “I—I don’t know how to break those kinds of spells,” I admitted. Her face fell. I added, “But … we can try.”
I’d never seen such spell work. I’d sent my power over her, Helion too, hunting for any possible threads to unbind it. I found none. It was as if the curse was woven into her very blood.
It sounds like Lucien isn't the key to breaking Vassa's curse at all. My money's on Elain but, that's a whole different theory.
"But Lucien blushed over Vassa!"
Did he though?
“You sound like an acolyte.” Lucien blushed, glancing at Elain.
Is it not possible that Lucien is blushing because he's embarrassed that Feyre is reading into the friendly respect he has for Vassa in front of HIS MATE? Someone who canonically shows respect for females? As we've seen Lucien do time and again? (“I gathered that much after you took on Dagdan and walked away from it.” “I had the element of surprise on my side.” “No,” Lucien said quietly as I reached for a foothold in the next boulder. “That was all you.) Instead, people believe that he's blushing because he developed a crush on someone he only just met after rescuing her from her imprisonment? As they marched to war? While getting to know his Mates father? 🤔
Let's not forget Feyre blushing for Az:
A shake of the head. “You’re an artist—it was your attention to detail.” I blushed a bit at the compliment, and braced my hands on my hips. “Well? Do we jump into the skies?”
Blushing does not always indicate romance and there are other examples of this throughout the series.
The fact is, there is only one female Lucien responds to in a way he's never responded to any other female, one female he longs for regardless of being around other females (despite living with Vassa for a year). Only one who is "the most beautiful female he'd ever seen" which makes him feel guilty because he once thought the same of Jesminda, yet another female has now been given that title.
Why would someone even want Vassa to be with a male who has thought / felt the exact same things that both Rhysand and Cassian thought / felt for their mates?
#elucien#pro elucien#elain archeron#anti vassien#vassa acotar#elain and lucien#jesminda#lucien vanserra
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Favourite Female Tolkien Character Poll - Round 1, Match 1
Character information behind the cut! Add your own advocacy for your fave in reblogs!
Míriel Therindë
The greatest fabric artist and innovator among the Noldor, and the mother of Fëanor. Her death from overwhelming weariness shortly after Fëanor’s birth leaves her husband Finwë distraught. When she chooses to never return from the Halls, Finwë remarries - much to Fëanor’s discontent, as it means Míriel’s decision not to return will be irrevocable. After Finwë’s death and her reunion with him in the Halls of Mandos, she wishes to return to life, and Finwë chooses to remain dead to allow her to do so. She is grieved by what has passed since her death, and rather than return among the Noldor, she enters the house of Vairë the Weaver, and weaves tapestries of all the history of the Noldor.
She was a Noldorin Elda of slender and graceful form, and of gentle disposition, though as was later discovered in matters far more grave, she could show an ultimate obstinacy that counsel or command would only make more obdurate. She had a beautiful voice and a delicate and clear enunciation, though she spoke swiftly and took pride in this skill. Her chief talent, however, was a marvellous dexterity of hand. This she employed in embroidery, which though achieved in what even the Eldar thought a speed of haste was finer and more intricate than any that had before been seen. She was therefore called ‘Therindë’ (Needlewoman).
[After her return from the Halls of Mandos.] Míriel was accepted by Vairë and became her chief handmaid; and all tidings of the Noldor down the years from their beginning were brought to her, and she wove them in webs historical, so fair and skilled that they seemed to live, imperishable, shining with a light of many hues fairer than are known in Middle-earth.
Nerdanel
A great sculptor, and the wife of Fëanor and mother of seven sons. She is known as Nerdanel the Wise, and is the only person whose counsel Fëanor ever took, but later in his life during the Unrest of the Noldor his deeds grieve her and they become estranged; she does not go with him when he is exiled from Tirion, nor when he leaves Valinor, and instead lives with Indis, whom she is friends with. During the Flight of the Noldor she pleads with him to leave at least some of their sons in Valinor, but he rebuffs her.
While still in early youth Fëanor wedded Nerdanel, a maiden of the Noldor; at which many wondered, for she was not among the fairest of her people. But she was strong, and free of mind, and filled with the desire of knowledge. In her youth she loved to wander far from the dwellings of the Noldor, either beside the long shores of the Sea or in the hills; and this she and Fëanor had met and were companions in many journeys.
Her father, Mahtan, was a great smith, and among those of the Noldor most dear to the heart of Aulë. Of Mahtan Nerdanel learned much of crafts that women of the Noldor seldom used: the making of things of metal and stone. She made images, some of the Valar in their forms visible, and others of men and women of the Eldar, and these were so like that their friends, if they knew not her art, would speak to them; but many things she wrought also of her own thought in shapes strong and strange but beautiful.
#favourite female tolkien character poll#miriel#nerdanel#the silmarillion#tolkien#history of middle earth#i may have gone overboard on the info!#two artistic geniuses!#I CAN ADD CUTS IN THE APP NOW THANK YOU TUMBLR STAFF!! 👏
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Indecent: The story of Sholem Asch’s controversial play, The God of Vengeance, and the passionate artists who risked everything to bring it to the stage. The story—about the daughter of a brothel owner who falls in love with one of her father’s prostitutes—was polarizing even at its first readings, with many of Asch’s fellows arising him to burn it. Nevertheless, it achieved great success on the stages of Europe and in the Yiddish theatre scene of downtown New York City. But when an English-translation was attempted on Broadway, the play—featuring the first kiss between women on a Broadway stage—proved too scandalous for the general public, and the entire cast was arrested and charged with obscenity.
Arcadia: The show takes place in a single room on the Coverly estate in two separate times: the Regency period and the present. 1809 finds a household in transition, where an Arcadian English garden landscape is being uprooted to make way for picturesque Gothic gardens, complete with hermitage. Meanwhile, brilliant thirteen-year-old Lady Thomasina proposes a startling scientific theory that is only starting to be figured out more than 200 years later. In the present day, we find two competing scholars researching the world of the estate in the Regency Era.
Propaganda under the cut!
Indecent:
Best, most emotionally resonant play I have ever seen performed. It recounts the controversy surrounding the play God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch, which was produced on Broadway in 1923, and for which the producer and cast were arrested and convicted on the grounds of obscenity. In God of Vengeance, the brothel owner's daughter falls in love with the female prostitute. Vogel's play goes far beyond recounting the censorship. It's a complex story that follows the show's playwright and performers and how their relationship to the material changes from the plays original run, to the Broadway censorship, to the Holocaust. It focuses on the need for hope and love.
A troupe of ghosts rise to keep alive the story of author Scholem Asch's most controversy play. In three languages & innumerable roles (including a turn by Katarina Lenk in the 2017 Broadway production) the lovers in God of Vengeance preserve for the stages of eternity one rain-soaked & sacred night. Meanwhile Asch, once a passionate defender of the plays love story against intracommunal accusations of fueling antisemitism and well, indecency...he gets quieter as Lemml becomes the stage manager of a story whose ending he will always forget. The play that convinced me that I could & would read Yiddish theater.
A breathtaking play about art, censorship, and Jewish lesbians, by THE Jewish lesbian. "He’s crafted a play that shrouds us in a deep, deep fog of human depravity: then like a lighthouse, those two girls. That’s a beacon I will remember."
Arcadia:
it's the COOLEST. it's an exploration of entropy and how time scrambles popular perception and desire derails supposedly perfect plans and how knowledge makes its way through the years as sources get lost.
it's about math and also lord byron is a character and there's a turtle
This is his best play (and pretty accessible for Stoppard). It’s an exploration of humanities vs. science, chaos theory, the interpretation of history, and also a love story.
This is such a beautiful play about academia and how we do research and understand the past. And it's about love and friendship and biases and egos and so much more.
THOMASINA: Oh, Septimus! -- can you bear it? All the lost plays of the Athenians! Two hundred at least by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides -- thousands of poems -- Aristotle's own library!....How can we sleep for grief?
SEPTIMUS: By counting our stock. Seven plays from Aeschylus, seven from Sophocles, nineteen from Euripides, my lady! You should no more grieve for the rest than for a buckle lost from your first shoe, or for your lesson book which will be lost when you are old. We shed as we pick up, like travellers who must carry everything in their arms, and what we let fall will be picked up by those behind. The procession is very long and life is very short. We die on the march. But there is nothing outside the march so nothing can be lost to it. The missing plays of Sophocles will turn up piece by piece, or be written again in another language. Ancient cures for diseases will reveal themselves once more. Mathematical discoveries glimpsed and lost to view will have their time again. You do not suppose, my lady, that if all of Archimedes had been hiding in the great library of Alexandria, we would be at a loss for a corkscrew?
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