#BECAUSE ITS ACCEPTABLE FOR FEMALE CHARACTERS TO COMFORT EACH OTHER | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

horizon-verizon · 3 months

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I think that there is a line that can be crossed into straight up negligence from the disparity of intent vs how the scenes are written/what they convey within the context of other scenes.

You can definitely see a writer's intent through their work, but if they bungle their own techniques or if their lore's/premise's rationale is not logical or/nor consistent with their intent, then inevitably the effect of their writing is going to be different from their intent. And that will shape the message into a different entity of itself. Which happens in HotD, even though the writers wanted us to feel that:

Rhaenyra was being either rational or strong by her refusing to imprison Otto, being affected by Alicent's page, and not even thinking that the war she proposed to Daemon (epi 7) about...but then calls it "his" war (epi 10)...and the inconsistency has yielded so many different fan theories as to why she is like this in-universe-wise (from Daemon just trying to fortify the castle against any possible attacks to her trying to get Rhaenyra's non-conflict-having-self on her side) precisely b/c the writing is inconsistent and disallows the sort of rage to their Rhaenyra that in a person that actually helps to clear their mind

Alicent's motivations to attack Rhaenyra for years at the Red Keep, at first seemed to come from her hating that Rhaenyra for the act of sex itself, not the consequences Otto warns her of bc Alicent never actually says to Rhaenyra that she was angry at her for her kids' sake in that episode. We only have their confrontation, her fearing Rhaenyra lied/her talking to Cole, and her green dress "war" declaration later. If Rhaenyra had been found out without Otto lurking, wouldn't it be better for her son, as it makes him seem the "better" candidate, thus removing Rhaenyra as a threat to her kids? Then why does episode 4 Alicent get so angry? No, in episode 4, she's angry that Rhaenyra got to have sexual freedoms, as further supported by the contrast of her and Dameon vs Alicent and Viserys. In episode 8, after Rhaenyra mere apologizes for not seeing how Alicent has worked hard to "comfort" Viserys and run the castle (a Queen's duty), Alicent is ready to accept her as the next Queen and put aside her previous desperation/assurance that Rhaenyra is her children's inevitable enemy -> it reduces our ability to accept the depth of their supposedly close years-long bond and its dynamic from the get go. The relationship is supposed to underpin the emotional value of the entire show, but the writers have contradicted themselves every which way, in every scene and has never given us a real reasons why/how these two became friends wand why they ever valued each other in the first place

Perhaps all of these can be "fixed" with more scenes, longer scenes, less time jumps...but at the core:

the writers thought that what they presented as the final scene/the HotD canon universe was enough to establish their characters when it wasn't...we are forced to only access these published scenes as they are the only HotD "canon", the rest is subject to built on assumption of consequences and more liable to headcanons because we do not see specific actions in the time b/t jump cuts that lead to situations of the next episode

the biggest problem is that they think that taking away these women's ambition, removing a lot of their female AND male support, and removing their expressed fieryness that makes up a large part of their initial enjoyability -- you can't argue against sexism while using sexist imagery, logic, etc., which HotD has done

#writing #hotd critical #rhaenyra and alicent #rhaenyra targaryen #alicent hightower #alicent's characterization #rhaenyra's characterization #hotd #house of the dragon

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stardustizuku · 1 year

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Woah I absolutely love you analyses on MLB. What do you think of the female friendship in MLB?

This took way longer than originally planned.

Here’s the thing

I don’t think that MLB was that bad in season 1. And arguably, season 2 still has some leg to stand on.

And that carries on to friendships.

You see, we can break down friendships in this type of show into four.

1.- The vague friend group

This is one we see in most stories that DO NOT focus on team dynamics or getting to know a bunch of superheroes. Sakura Card Captor, for example, has the best one of these. They’re not meant to take center stage, but more like provide a sense of unity and calmness around the craziness that’s going on.

And while I cite CardCaptor, Creamy Mami also has it. And Sailor Moon has it in the very first season. Tokyo Mew Mew has two characters that fall here too.

This is where I say most of the characters in MLB fall to. If things had stayed here, I do not see a problem. The lack of depth isn’t a bug but a feature. While we can connect with them, their purpose, narrative wise, is to create fun scenarios and plot outside of the others superheroes.

But as things progressed they tried to make this sort of already bland group of characters into a cohesive united team. And it was never going to happen. Maybe if they had competent writers it could have worked, but it’s still unlikely a competent writer would have tried this.

The way you introduce characters is extremely important in the way that they’re perceived by an audience. If they entered the scene as a Vague Friend Group, it would be so hard for them to change into anything else. This is also why redemption arcs are so hard. It’s forcing your audience to accept a sudden change in the status quo. If that’s what you’re trying to do - it works. But if you’re doing it just to sell more toys…well it falls flat on their face. Not to mention, the classroom is not exactly filled with particularly interesting or cohesive characters. Their attitudes, relationships towards each other and Marinette change drastically from episode to episode. The only noteworthy rships are often time m/f, and the only f/f friendship we have that’s any sort of consistent or interesting is Juleka and Rose…who are dating.

I’m not gonna be the first to shit on a wlw couple specially when it’s probably the most interesting thing in this series - but it’s kinda weird how the only type of decent rship that the writers can do are ROMANTIC ones. Friendship seems like a fucking joke to these people.

Also they’re a LOT. Working with dynamics between characters is super hard, and the less characters you have to juggle with, you’re able to create better and closer relationships with each other. Having such a HUGE classroom be the center of superhero dynamic is plain lunacy. Unless this is the focus, and was intended as such since day 1, there was no way this was gonna work or be a natural transition from the 1:1 chat ladybug dynamic.

They work as a vague group of friends, but utterly fail as anything more. Both because of its size and lack of cohesion, or depth.

2.- The Friend (?)

This one is the civilian friend. The one who supports the heroine but never truly knows the identity of their friend. They’re there to provide support before the rest of the cast comes into the picture.

This is the Molly in Sailor Moon and Hitomi from Madoka.

They’re not really meant to be besties with the MC, even if they are so in name. It’s more of an extension of the aforementioned vague friend group. They mostly provide plot beats with a slightly more personal stake since this is someone the heroine has spent so much more time with.

THIS is where Ayla from Season 1 falls, and why I did not think she was too bad of a friend. She’s here really for providing comforting words when Marinette is down and a fun side story that doesn’t feel too disconnected from the main story.

However. The reason why these two worked was, precisely, because the focus of the show was the LoveSquare and Chat and Ladybug’s dynamic.

Sakura can have a relatively bland side friends (although they’re all fairly entertaining) because the main focus of the story ISNT them. It’s her Card Journey and interpersonal relationships with Tomoyo, Syaoran and Yukito.

Likewise, Molly is allowed to be a not so great friend, because Usagi has other friends.

If you want these characters to be the bulk of your interpersonal rships, you have to adapt them. Kaito St. Tail had only one friend, who actually falls with the Civilian. However, she plays a huge part of her story by being the one to send her on the missions. While her biggest rship was with Astro Jr, Seira provided a huge amount of emotional support and was given enough dramatic weight to be able to earn herself a recognizable spot. In any promo art that features the characters, she appears! Because she’s important!

But what they tried to do was expand upon these characters in a…less than ideal way.

First of all they tried to shift Alya from Friend (?), to Friend (tm)…

3.- The Friend (tm)

A Friend (tm) is the best friend. The gal pal. The one who is always there and even if it’s not outright stated - we know they’re the first one the MC will turn to if something happens.

Think Winx Club and who’s Bloom’s Best friend? Stella. Shugo Chara, who’s Amu’s friend? Either Nadeshiko or Rima (depending the season). They are part of the friend super hero group so the MC Can whole heartedly confide in them. Any problem that arises is one they instantly tell their best friend and they’re the mature one who help them get through.

And Ayla is not this.

Even as she transformed into superhero she did not know Marinette’s identity, so all emotional support she could have provided in that front was essentially flushed down the toilet. If at the very beginning, Ayla had been made aware of it, there wouldn’t have been an issue. After all, it would have cemented her as someone Marinette places a lot of trust into, perhaps even more than Chat, either bcs she was there when he wasn’t or only the fact she knows the “real” her.

Anyways, since that did NOT happen, Ayla failed as a Best Friend (tm), narratively speaking. If they had let it die there, it would have been awkward but not terrible.

But then in season 4 Marinette confesses she’s is Ladybug.

At this point, there’s no real connection with Ayla. Chat is someone who deserves to know her identity more, and someone who’s supported her for far longer in many more forms. It just doesn’t make sense for her to confess.

Except, of course, trying to shoehorn the Best Friend (tm) too late into the series.

This is all entirely from a narrative perspective, and does not begin to touch the fact that Ayla isn’t exactly the /best/ of friends.

Someone who trust Lila rather than her friend she’s known all year, someone who jeopardizes her best friend’s identity over her fucking boyfriend, who in her darkest hours isn’t there for Marinette, and that breeched her friends privacy to satiate her own curiosity over her secrets.

She has no leg to stand on to be the Best Friend (tm).

4.- Rival Friendship

Yeah this was sort of what I talked abt in the big Magical Girl Essay. This is actually, what I would argue, the most important friend character there can be in a magical girl setting. Not only does it serve as playful banter but as a contrast to the main character’s ideals and temper.

I tend to include any character that has a rivalrous rship with the MC, be it the villain or a fellow superhero. They don’t have to be the best of friends or be on super friendly terms, the only condition is that when one is in trouble the other jumps in to help.

Again, Utau from Shugo Chara, Rei from Sailor Moon, Mint from Tokyo Mew Mew, Fate from Lyrical Nanoha, Meimei from Sakura, Rue from Princess Tutu, they’re all good examples.

They bring balance. In some cases the MC already has a vanilla friend who’ll cheer them up by giving sweet advice. The Friendly Rival serves to knock some sense into our MC and give harsh but necessary advice.

This absolutely should have been Chloe, and it’s a role that I do believe is necessary in this show.

The way characters treat Marinette is…weird. In non-Lila episodes, in their eyes, Marinette can never do something wrong. Every decision she makes is the best she could have taken, it’s always correct. Only when Lila comes into the picture is she the one in the wrong to them - but not by the narrative. The narrative is always on her side, even when she’s done stuff wrong. Truly, Lila only serves as emotional torture porn, which is its own Can of worms we’re not touching today.

This is strange because even in Sakura (the most wholesome Can do no wrong MC) has moments where she has to apologize, or is in the wrong. When she fights with Kero, for example, it’s very much portrayed as an unreasoned response from both parties. And while Kero is being portrayed by the narrative as the one blowing it out of proportion, in the end it’s Sakura who makes a compromise by gifting him new “room”.

Marinette does not have this which makes it very annoying that she keeps getting away with things that are creepy or straight up wrong. The narrative is never willing to portray anything she does as anything other than ideal or silly. This is where someone who doesn’t coddle her, but rightfully calls out her actions from a place of love and care SHOULD come into play.

When Usagi doesn’t want to study, Amy happily tells her she’ll help, but Rei is the one telling her angrily that she has to. When Usagi is about to give up, it’s always Rei that yells at her to snap out of it.

Chloe should absolutely be this character. Someone who will tell her she’s wrong, especially in situations or arguments where Chat Noir can’t be the voice of reason - aka who she loves or her secret identity.

The fact that no such character exists is already making the story too saccharine sweet towards her. Even Sakura had Mei Mei, when Syaoran or Kero couldn’t be the ones to tell her to snap out of it (And also, Yue was particularly cold towards her but we’re focusing on girls rn shhh)

But because they ruined Chloe’s character we don’t have this.

And I do believe it has to do with the sexism of Thomas. Unable to picture friendship between girls as anything but unconditional kindness. I’m sorry but I’ve had extremely complex and fun friendship where we are both kinda mean towards each other. In fact, saccharine sweet friendships are the weird ones in my culture. It doesn’t help that the shows tends to portray the world in good or bad, depending on a singular action. You’re either a good girl or a mean girl. Any complexities are thrown out the window (although he’s more than willing to make adult men complex characters with good and bad in them so, yay, sexism!)

They tried briefly with Kagami too…but they fumbled it and it never gave anything. She was a love rival, they were friends, Adrien and her got together, they broke up, Marinette tried to help her and then…I think she joined a cult? I’m not sure I’m not up to date with the series. But it gave us so little of their actual friendship that it almost slipped my mind this was what they were trying to do.

That leads me to the most atrocious example of female friendship.

5.- The Devoted Lesbian

This trope didn’t have a place in Ladybug. None at all.

So, everyone knows the devoted lesbian. It’s the extremely queer coded friend that’s willing to do anything for the MC. Tomoyo from Sakura, Homura from Puella, to a degree Nanoha from Lyrical Nanoha, to a lesser degree Seiya from Sailor Moon Stars.

It serves a purpose to highlight the goodness of a MC, kind and nice to the point people fall in love with them. Sakura is the best example, but the devotion Homura has for Madoka also serves to highlight her status a goddess. In Nanoha, Nanoha’s obsession comes from the belief that Fate is a good person and deserves a better futures. And in Sailor Mook Stars Seiya offers an alternative to the loyal and devoted Usagi who’s still waiting for Mamoru. (I have to say maybe Utena has this too OBVIOUSLY but tbh I haven’t seen it yet so)

This is often a queer story. Even if Sakura and Usagi have heterosexual romances - Sakura isn’t straight and neither is Usagi. The stories play with gender and sexuality, and it’s ultimately about the relationships people have that deviate from the perceived normality.

Yeah, Ladybug has neither.

And they’re trying to introduce Zoe as this. Which is. Weird. Again, she’s supposed to substitute the Rival Friendship Characters, why on Earth is she a devoted Lesbian?

The reason why I call her this, is because inside the narrative she very much is - even if the writers are sooooo bad at writing women that it doesn’t come across as one to the audience.

If we still assume that Ayla is supposed to be the Best Friend (tm), and she still falls for Lila’s tricks - only someone who’s utterly devoted and believes wholeheartedly and unconditionally in Marinette can see through those lies. It’s something as crazy as fighting off Akumatization.

You can either see this as the writers trying to make Zoe the new Best Friend (tm)…but that’s somehow worse. It’s changing dynamics that have been here for close to 5 seasons. And AGAIN because of the weird way the writers see female friendship…I do believe it’s coming off as the devoted lesbian trope rather than the Best Friend (tm). Especially with how what’s little left of the fandom, are all obsessed with shipping Zoe and Marinette. This does not happen with the Best Friend (tm). It almost never does. Because competent writers make it clear that they’re just friends. You don’t ship Madoka with Sayaka or Mami (well you can but it’s not the majority) you ship her with Homura. And you don’t ship (I do but shhh) Usagi with Makoto or Mina, you ship her with Seiya.

Zoe is the Devoted Lesbian right now. The show absolutely does not need her. In fact I would say, it perishes what little hope there was for girl friendships in this series. It again hammers home that the only friends you can have are those who coddle you, adore you, or think you can do no wrong. And anyone who disagrees with you, even a little, is a terrible horrible monster (Lila), has the potential to be one (Kagami) or evil incarnate (Chloe)

I love girl friendships to death, and I’m always down for a good wlw story. But these characters are neither complex enough to have friendships with each other in a way that feels genuine, nor do the authors know how the hell girl friends work. Much less queer ones.

They should have never given center stage to them, not only bcs that wasn’t the focus of CHAT NOIR AND LABYBUG but also bcs they have no idea how to write compelling friendships.

To be honest, if they had been good enough to make this premise work, that’s to say the Chat Ladybug dynamic, there’s a high chance they could have created compelling friendships too.

Like, if they couldn’t pull of a romantic m/f rship with an entire fandom backing them and hyping them up? They could have NEVER pulled off anything. Period. It’s like failing Middle School Maths and trying to solve College level Calculus homework. The problem isn’t the equation, it’s that’s you’re bad it. And even if it were the equation, no one can tell because you filled the goddamn notebook with scribbles.

#miraculous ladybug #mlb salt #askloli #TLDR I hate how they write friendships lol #too sweet and cute for my liking with not enough queer subtext to make it palatable

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most-canon-non-canon-ship-poll · 11 months

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that boy is GAY

Why Mileven is shit - a submission-based essay, part 2.5/3

Mileven - a currently canon het ship from the Stranger Things fandom between Michael (Mike) Wheeler and Jane (Eleven) Ives/Hopper/Byers/IDK

Mileven is built with peer expectations, pressure, and heteronormativity at its core. It has steadily gotten worse over time as El and Mike have grown and both, in my opinion, realized that the relationship is not working but they still hold on to it because of the safety and familiarity it offers. That being said, it doesn't serve the main theme of the show nor does it add anything new or revolutionary to its genre (and we know the Duffers have been clear that Stranger Things is not Nostalgia jerk off bait or an homage, they take a lot of pride in it and wanted to create something new from something old, revolutionizing an existing piece of media). Mileven is, however, a poignant example of how homophobic people and people who are not comfortable, familiar, or accustomed to queer joy will immediately embrace it just for the sheer virtue of it being comprised of two good-looking, popular actors that are cis male and cis female. Aside from my personal belief that Byler is superior as a ship, I also think that Mike and El are the worst versions of themselves when they are together. They aren't honest with one another, they don't encourage each other's interests or try to understand each other better, and contrary to fanon belief, I don't even see a healthy foundation for a friendship there. This is due to the amount of force in their relationship - force from Mike to lie, avoid his friends, get snippy and short, hide away and tuck his emotions and personal interests deeeeeep down so he can be someone he is not (and just "grow up" because that is what he thinks he has to do now that he is getting older), force from El to try to be the perfect, happy, normal girlfriend. Heck, there has even been a ton of force from both of them not just to fill these conventional roles properly, but to say "I love you" which should NEVER need to be forced in a healthy relationship! Loving someone should be the easy part, that should be the thing you're excited to say when you feel it. So why is this such a problem between them? Mike cannot seem to climb this hill despite already blurting it in the heat of the moment when El was not in the room! (I do think this damage can be undone, but it will only get worse the longer they date.) I want Mike and El to have growth, self-acceptance, and ultimate happiness in the end - they will not and can not achieve this as a couple. Their relationship is so tightly woven in parallels to other failed couples or platonic pairings, and Mike's struggles with identity truly make no sense if he is just going to stay with El forever and have babies and live at the end of a culdesac (why all the contention with his own parents then? Why the tension between him and Will that just keeps growing and growing? Why all the queer imagery around his character and the tenderness he exhibits with Will? Why the built up frustration and frustration with Will? Why the DIRECT parallels between his interactions with El "You never say it/I say it" and Will - "I didn't say it/You didn't have to?"). They do not fulfill each other or love each other unconditionally, and I strongly feel that El is happier just enjoying the love of a family and unconditional friendship.

#propaganda #why [ship name] is shit #the (s)hit list #not a poll #anti milkvan #anti mileven #byler #kinda

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davekat-sucks · 5 months

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Related to that anon who didn’t like trans Vriska, I’m okay with trans Vriska, even if I don’t share that headcanon, but its existence in pesterquest perplexes me.

I feel like it’s another case of projecting human customs on an alien race because how does gender even work for trolls? I can understand gender dysphoria and not feeling like you belong in your body, and troll sexual dimorphism exists… exclusively at the breasts. Female trolls have boobs and nipples, male trolls are flat chested.

So I guess Vriska’s ideal dreamself/ post transition body’s one difference is chest bumps.

This only is in matters of Vriska’s personal physical transition, another thing is social customs. Alternian gender roles are nonexistent. The nuclear family or any form of human household doesn’t exist, they’re bug-children raised by animals that dragged them out of a cave that they had to compete for survival in immediately after hatching.

All male and female trolls are soldiers when they reach 9 sweeps, the only difference in their job is how they cull their opponents.

So Vriska, being a troll, wouldn’t have to do anything to change her social behavior to be more accepted as her transitioned gender, respect only comes to her from her aggression and blood caste.

And Vriska has a complicated relationship where she feels bad for killing Tavros and feels empty even for all the customs of Alternian culture she follows (not feeling comfortable following societal norms or roles is a very trans thing) while also worshipping her ancestor and exerting her independent will, especially on others to maintain her position of power in the status quo (which is a very uh, politically Conservative thing)

Third is her ancestor. Vriska wanting to be her ideal “girl self” by looking up to mindfang seems like a really cool angle to do a trans story! Being uncomfortable with yourself and told down about who you are but you have this role model you want to be so badly and “wouldn’t it be cool if I was a girl” or something or other.

But the thing is mindfang is Vriska’s ancestor who is almost 100% genetically identical to Vriska. There are a few minor distinctions between Vriska and Aranea, but being a different sex would not be a minor generic difference, it’s a whole chromosome apart.

So either both Vriska and Aranea are cis women or both trans women who in each of their timelines looked up to their ancestor and transitioned to look more like them. If anyone headcanons the latter go ahead but I think I vibe more with the former.

Overall trans Vriska doesn’t work for me because people are imposing a human identity onto a bug person. Being transgender as a troll doesn’t work the way a trans human does. Mostly I can see trans Vriska being for a power fantasy of a confident cocky trans girl who knows who she is and is proud of it. Sure she kills people and manipulates her friends, but as many Briska apologists have said before: “she didn’t choose to be that way, she was forced to be a murdering psychopath by an empire of murdering psychopaths. Also she’s a minor.”

Mostly people pick and choose the parts of Vriska that are cool and punk over the manipulative and self-destructive parts of Vriska so trans female Vriska fans can feel empowered and independent.

People projecting onto Vriska, want that same confidence of being a badass bitch and being able to do whatever the fuck she wants. That's why they want the trans label slapped onto her. If a character that represents that has much pride, that means they can motivate themselves too with it. Same applies to any character. They can like the personality, actions, and motives...but if they aren't one-to-one in terms of appearance, for some reason, they can't relate. Like let's say someone looks up to Superman. They like his heroism, personality, lore, etc. But they feel uncomfortable to dress up as him because he is not white or Kryptonian. So instead, they blackwash so then they can get that boost of good feeling about themselves to enjoy the character again. And even if a dark skin character DOES exist within a series, they always get criticized for either A. being a stereotype even when they aren't most of the time or B. they aren't the main main fan fave popular character (ex: Stardust Crusaders has 6 members with one of them being a dark skinned character, but people prefer Jotaro or Kakyoin and would blackwash them instead). They can't realize they can be just like Spanish community that doesn't need Spanish rep and love Goku from Dragonball Z as he is. Light skinned Saiyan and all. That the characters don't have to be EXACTLY the same as the audience. When it comes to headcanons onto bad guys or villains, in this recent times, it's been a double-edged sword because if people slap that label onto some big bad, whether it is from the creator or fanon, they get accused of being something horrible because it is X minority doing a bad thing, so they are either racist/homophobia/etc. And if they don't get that label, they are still accuse of them as that and say that even minority groups can still be bad guys too. Nobody knows what the fuck they want anymore. Too many people play it too safe these days.

#Homestuck #Homestuck fandom #Vriska Serket #fandom #fandoms

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tagalongifyoudare · 1 year

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The Fear of Repeated Disappointment

As I once again fall into my semi regular 911 spiral, I feel my anxiety continuing to rise, which sucks.

I am so scared that a similar thing will happen with 911, at least to some degree, that happened with Supernatural. Supernatural was my comfort show, my underlying obsession, a reassuring constant as new fixations came and went. I used to watch at least my favorite episodes every few months for almost 15 years. I have not watched it since watching the final episode. The way they ended it, invalidating so much love, resilience and struggle in the process hurt so much, I just don't know how to love it again.

I don't think this will happen 100% with 911 because it consistently has WAY fewer problems, and I have WAY more confidence in the writers/producers/etc. There are also so many more areas in which I trust they will end the stories well. AND I know myself well enough to know that if Buddie does not go cannon by the final episode of the show, a part of me will always be sad, disappointed, and upset when I rewatch it.

To me, it has always felt and looked as if Eddie was intended, since his first introduction to be the eventual and final love interest of Buck. (I have endless things to say about this, so hit me up if you are interested!) That being said, I think that up until the last few seasons, there is a strong argument for this just being "seeing what I want to see". NOW however, this no longer feels applicable.

I can no longer see a justification for them loving each other as only friends. I have friends who are more like family, as in, I would not be 100% surprised to be named as the responsible party for their child in the event of their death. I know what this kind of love is, what it looks like and it is NOT how they relate to each other, at least not any more. Both Oliver and Ryan are amazing actors, and have made these changes by choice. From what I know of them they are both good people, and would not knowingly lead on their fans...

It makes me feel torn constantly between optimism and pessimism, between hope and the realities of my experiences, between thinking the world can change, and feeling as if hate and ignorance will always win out.

Because for me, that is what it now comes down to. If one of them was female OR a bi or gay side character instead the two 'straight' leading males THEY WOULD BE END GAME. Without question. Without a doubt. No matter what. So, to me, it has now become a question of if a show on Fox will truly be the first show (at least in my knowledge) to have both of its leading "straight" characters actually fall for each other? I just don't know, and that is what scares me.

Based on my experience, they won't. And yet....they have handled so many stories that I thought they would do a poor job with, and they have done well. They haven't forgot about plot lines that I assumed they would.... I find myself trusting them more then I have with most previous shows, but still.... It just makes me wish I could trust that this world was filled with a little more love, acceptance and freedom...

I really really hope that 911 can do what Supernatural, Merlin, Sherlock and countless others have failed to do. I want it to give me validation, hope, joy. To say I will cry if it actually happens in an understatement. With so many heroes being revealed to be villains recently, it would be something quite spectacular to have 911 actually validate love coming in all different forms, at different times, and in unexpected ways.

#9 1 1 on fox #911 fox #911 #supernatural #spn #9 1 1 fandom #buddie #evan buck buckely #eddie daiz #oliver stark #ryan guzman

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sculptural-renaissance · 8 months

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SGU Week Day 4 (Yes, 4!!): Favorite Ship

This is my new OTP. Idk exactly what it is, but buddy, I will take my serotonin from wherever I can get it these days.

Just kidding, I know exactly why I enjoy this. Most of it is that I just really, really like Amanda (don't hate me; despite what my memes may lead you to believe, I am not a Rush Enjoyer, because I know he would make me cry every day if I had to interact with him lmao), but OH MY GOD am I a sucker for The Grumpy One Is Soft for the Sunshine One. I love seeing them feel so safe and comfortable together. I love the ease of their interactions. I don't think anyone cares about spoilers at this point, but good Lord, she almost killed him and he wasn't even mad 😂

I NEVER enjoy canon ships because they feel like forced hetero nonsense. Another reason I enjoy this pairing so much is that to me, a demisexual, it feels very much like a demisexual love story. Think about it. Falling for your best friend, pining for the same guy for years... that's not unique to us, but it's definitely part of the demisexual experience (I'm not a piner, but most demis I meet seem to be). Im aware that they were originally supposed to sleep together in Sabotage, but, again as a demi, I'm glad they ended up taking a different route. I don't enjoy seeing characters who barely know each other hooking up, not because I'm prudish, but because I have no investment in the characters. This... We had to work for this. 🥰

In searching for other fan content, I've discovered that Rush and Amanda aren't a well-liked pairing (go figure, I like a canon ship and it's one no one likes lmaooooooo). I've found that I see this pairing quite differently from its critics; to me, it felt very female-focused. Yes, Amanda clearly only exists to be The Main Guy's love interest, but I found that, apart from the fridging, the ship was very much focused on her desires. She was not a thing to be pursued. She had agency and took initiative. She felt like a whole person to me, not just a pretty doll.

I also enjoyed the hell out of the awkwardness. I don't get secondhand embarrassment. I get the opposite of that. I LIVE for cringe. fr what even was this scene???

"So, you wanna make out or something?"

"Yes, obviously, I fist bumped you. That's pretty much 1st base."

God what a fucking dork

"No, 3rd base is not when a man rolls up his sleeve so you can see his forearms."

I drew them~ They're gonna hold hands bang >:] As you can see from the date, I drew this last year, very shortly after watching Seizure for the first time (I colored it yesterday, though, for this). I liked this pairing right away, and honestly, I was hoping Rush would pay Amanda a visit on earth via the stones after Sabotage. I'm not exactly thrilled that the writers chose to go for two double-fridgings, but the computer ghost thing creates a lot of possibilities for fanfic. I'd also like to have seen them interacting on earth before the Icarus mission.

As a final thought, I also love seeing someone who has been so deeply hurt learning to love again. I'm so disappointed SGU didn't get more seasons, because this would have been interesting to explore further with Rush and Amanda as a proper couple once she got off her bullshit and accepted that he did love her oh my God Mandy he killed that guy for you don't stand there and try to tell him he doesn't love you godddddddddddddd

Anyway, here are some of my favorite meme comics I've made. ^^

They were close friends for years. You cannot convince me that she didn't know exactly what he was like, nor can you convince me that she doesn't love it. 😉

"I'm not codependent! I'm obsessed with you a normal amount!"

In my experience, the key to a successful relationship is to find your person, and then you just annoy the shit out of each other for the rest of your lives (consensually, of course).

I also fully believe that there is no way on God's green earth that Rush would ever willingly watch a Syfy Channel original movie.

He does like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid... Through shitposting with friends, it has become "canon" that Bonanza is one of like, 3 TV shows Rush actually watches. The other two are Nova and House. Amanda, who watched a lot of classic sitcoms with her grandparents as a child with no social life, is unfortunately not a fan of westerns.

That's okay. He can fix her. 🤎

I have an ongoing series (up to 5 parts now) where Rush Definitely Understands the Trolley Problem. This is the first one.

I should really post those here.

She knows his secret >:]

Jim-jams

Also this takes place in the future so they're married now shut up let me have this they're cute

God what a lightweight

That's okay nothing's gonna stop her from getting white girl wasted on Brody's moonshine #YOLO

This was inspired by a fun exchange I had with a friend. It's "canon" in my comics and in progress fic that Amanda watched Wormhole X-treme to prepare for working at the SGC (she is so normal), and read whatever mission reports she had clearance for when she wasn't doing Mega Serious Spaceship Work.

If Rush can bully her into watching cowboy shows, she can bully him right back into watching space shows. This will backfire spectacularly. 😂

#sgu week #Nicholas Rush #Amanda Perry #rush x amanda #they live in my head rent free #god they are CUTE #CUTE CUTE CUTE #stargate universe #shitpost #sgu shitposting #demisexual #i don't even exert effort to make these #my brain just does this #maybe sgu was cancelled but they live on in my head doing the absolute dumbest shit #and they are happy

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roobylavender · 2 months

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what are your thoughts on the naruhina dynamic? I adore hinata, we don't often get characters like her

i LOOOOVE naruhina omfg they were my day ones when i first got into naruto.. i used to enjoy fluffier ships at the time so they perfectly fit my modus operandi lol. i think it's a shame how underwritten their relationship is in main canon (in the sense that they don't get as much page time) because the set up is so good and the few moments they do share with each other are incredibly potent. the pain arc was utterly life changing for me and while i loathe the way the anime generally tends to portray most of the female cast this was one occasion where its expansion on the manga was actually so well executed and remains seared in my mind to this day (please watch from 2:06 of this amv it makes me feel CRAZY). unfortunately the ball was totally dropped with neji's death and instead of adapting hinata's full THREE page monologue to naruto the anime reduced it down to one line that she's consistently been mocked for even though her intentions in the aftermath of that event were so sincere.. i'm always baffled by people's hatred of her because they seem to act like she's timid or quiet on purpose as if she wasn't abused by her father for half of her life. and then they act like she's stupid and can only think about her feelings for naruto at the expense of everything else. but if it was anyone out there on the battlefield watching someone they love get absolutely pulverized would they not do something about it too regardless of their own ability in comparison? i don't think that moment ever came down to logic and i don't think it even had to. comparatively when she made a remarkable display of composure and emotional strength in response to her cousin's death everyone laughed at her for subsequently accepting the smallest bit of comfort (and don't even get me started on how neji fans feel about her generally.. they direct more hatred to that poor girl than they do her father lmao it's insane). it's simply bizarre the expectations she's held to and the consistency with which she's underestimated because she's capable of a lot emotionally and the development is there! and a lot of people act like if naruto really loved her he would have reciprocated during the main narrative but i always argue it was unrealistic for any relationship between the teen characters to be actualized during the main narrative because they were literally at war.. i'm an avid hater of the last admittedly but that's because i think it squanders the potential the main narrative immediately set up with naruto and hinata theoretically bonding over their grief and desire to take action to ensure nothing like what they went through ever happened again. i've always dreamed of post-war naruto commencing his education in leadership and diplomacy under tsunade's tutelage and that occasionally entailing long days in the library reading over historical scrolls and the like that happen to sometimes be on the same shelf as a scroll on the history of cursed seals, which of course hinata begins to look into after the war because she wants this branch clan business over and done with for good and if there's a way to remove those seals forever she'll find it. the idea of the two of them on awkward library non-dates that eventually segue into something more and develop a rapport and friendship between them that can bloom into love is simply so special to me like urgh they make me Weepy. i truly love them so so much and most of my naruto fanfiction is actually about them lol i do think a lot of it is cringe and over the years i tried to rewrite some of it but if you're interested in reading all of it is here

#outbox #as an aside you know how i started this saying i first loved them bc they were fluffy #as i rewrote some of my older naruto fics i angstified them.. bc there is so much angst in there if you really think about it #like they're two such deeply sad characters who manage to find healing in each other and there's so much trauma you can write about #in building them up to that moment where they find and take solace in each other #anyway. anyway. as you can surely tell i am compeltely normal about them

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ciaossu-imagines · 5 months

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Hay dear, i want to know do you still accept a request for Ronin warriors .if so i'm really like this mini event and i want to Involved in this event. May i request ronin warriors x female reader HAREM/REVERSE HAREM. I'm also love polyrelatioship just like you dear.💋💋😍😍. I wish you all the best 🎂🧁, thankyou for this incredible lovely event you organize.

I will definitely accept this request! It's so very rare I ever get to write for Ronin Warriors that I couldn't not take the opportunity! I hope you'll enjoy the AU I came up with, which did get spicy adjacent at points, to warn everyone. Thank you so much for sending this in!!

Okay, so right off the bat, I'm going to admit that for this particular AU, I went really self-indulgent, though not in the particular way that most people would take that. Don't worry, you won't find self-inserts or anything in this AU. It is terrifically self-indulgent for me though. Anyone close enough to me to have learned about my original stories, that I've felt comfortable enough talking about those with, will have learned that most of all of my original works are either erotica or young-adult fantasy novels, and that even my erotica tends to veer more towards paranormal based.

This particular AU? If I was to sit and write it out, I would classify it as supernatural erotica with splashes of political drama. I won't get really graphic in any of the descriptions, so I probably won't hide this under a cut, but there are definitely going to be hints of spice and sex, so for anyone uncomfortable with that, this might be one of my posts you'll prefer skipping.

Another way it's super self-indulgent? I'll admit that the whole idea for this world and the plot does come from a failed original work (I started writing it as a series, for anyone interested, but ended up hating one of my original characters who was one of the major love interests, and I've been in fandom long enough to know that for a large majority of readers, he would have been the most popular of the love interests and I just quit because honestly just can't think of writing for that asshole ever again). I've also used the world and plot in various little drabbles or mini-fics for other fandoms, though I don't think I've ever published them anywhere, so yeah…this is a recycled idea, and not a horribly original idea even on its own as the genre is full of things like it, and I feel a little like I might have jipped you poor readers by doing that but I just couldn't resist.

So, to get into setting this up proper! This very much takes place in a fantasy world full of supernatural/paranormal creatures. All the different races tend to live separately, each having their own lands, ideals, and such. Different races do not tend to get along, and honestly, there's a lot of tension and unease in this world. Each race believes they are the superior beings, the ones who should be in charge of everything and cold, civil fights are waged, along with actual battle, between the races on a pretty regular basis. We enter this world when there really is a huge potential of all-out war between everyone as the races are all competing to be really the one unifying race, leading all the others into their ways of life and overseeing the fantasy lands.

You, the reader, are one of the Fair Folk, belonging to a darker Court of theirs. Your race is one of lust, sex, gluttony, sin in all it's forms… hedonistic pleasure in all ways, really - those very basic and primal urges that exist among even the most pure of races really are not only yours to control and manipulate but where your race draws their power from.

You were born the heir to the throne for this Court, for this land, and overall your race had always largely stayed out of the battles and wars, had been pretty neutral ground, largely interested only in those hedonistic pleasures. That was until the last High Liege had gotten onto the throne. They'd really thrown your race into the battle, something many had disagreed with, and after a stunning loss against another land, with many killed from your race, it was no surprise that an assassination attempt had led to the death of the last High Liege.

We start the story with your coronation, accepting the throne and new position of the High Liege. And unfortunately, you're not entering a really good place as the one in power. The moves and decisions of your predecessor had brought attention to your race, which was largely ignored by the other races before that. There too much potential for your land to be taken over, for your race to become mere servants for another Court or another race in general. And, though you know your race is powerful, you have to accept that in terms of political power or brute strength, you have none. Your throne, your people…they are all very much in danger and the story is really you, as this new ruler, trying to gain alliances, joining with other races, strengthening your political power and really becoming a ruler that is not only protecting their own people, but beginning to take shape into that grand ruler over all (which isn't really a position you had initially wanted, and your end political game is really just for everyone to be able to live as they wish, in peace and prosperity, without threats on their own people).

One last important thing to cover before I get into the alliances and such you form over the course of the story. Among your people, there is a very rare gift and it's one you have. It's only those who do possess it that can become a ruler. I called it the 'mating-bond', just because I suck at naming things but you can, through the act of mating with someone, mark them as yours. There's no limit to the amount of people you can bond with. Through forming this mating-bond, you not only bestow some of your powers, in a much diluted form, to them, but gain some of theirs. It shows them as being under your protection and allied to you. It also forms a unique mental bond - those you mate-bond with will always be able to sense you, your moods, roughly your whereabouts, whether you're in danger or not, and with the strongest of mate-bonds, there is some limited telepathy between the mates. It's also said, though you don't know if it's true as you've never heard anyone speak of it, that with the strongest of mate-bonds, where both fully accept the bond and there are actual feelings attached from both sides, that those mates will each accept that they will die without the other, should the other die or break the mate-bond in some magical way. The bond is shown as formed through marks each mate will leave on the others skin, like a tattoo.

I won't assign you a mark throughout the story, just because I kind of love the idea of any of you who like this idea enough to kind of imagine things with it, as being able to choose your own symbol that you best feel represents you but will say your mark stays the same no matter who it is on, is really a reflection of who you are.

Now, if it isn't obvious, a lot of your alliances are formed through the act of mate-bonding. You seduce, charm, beguile those in power of other races, bring about the idea of forming an alliance, of lending each other your powers and to show you're serious, you do take these other rulers as your mates.

I like to think of Ryo as the first mate-bond you make. He's the head of one of, if not the, largest race, since he is the Alpha for all the weres. It was a position won through not only his brute strength and power, but his love for his people and he's highly respected. The Weres will follow his lead and you know that alliance will be the most beneficial for you. I do think it's not a quick alliance, you really do need to spend a great deal of time with him, to the point where both of you do start to develop actual feelings beyond just knowing the other could prove useful. When you mate-bond with him, his mark shows as a crescent moon symbol between your collarbone and left breast. I will also say, since weres mate for life, you taking other mates and performing mate-bonds with others is really hard, especially at first for Ryo. Out of all the others, he does take it the hardest and is the least able to accept it, though he does begin to do so throughout the story. It still bothers him every now and again, but he does learn to accept it because he does love you, and he even forms true friendships and his own alliances, outside the ones he's forced into because of your mate-bond with, with those you choose to mate-bond with.

The next four aren't in any particular order, just because that's the one thing I really couldn't figure out, is what order these alliances would best strategically make sense in. So please forgive that!

Okay, this might not make sense to anyone else but me but hear me out here because I really do strongly see Kento as being a dragon. He's a very powerful Earth dragon, has amassed a large fortune, and because of his power, wealth, and his own love and care for dragon-kind itself, he is the leader and representative for Dragonkind. He's the least resistant towards forming an alliance with you. While he enjoys battle, he thinks it should be for sport, not for war, and he sees the use in alliances. That, and he always enjoys making a new friend, be they of any race. He's surprisingly very much not racist, though several dragons do have the reputation for being so. It causes quite a bit of trouble with his own people when he does mate-bond with you, though he quashes it through a tournament where he shows exactly how strong he is and his grace and benevolence towards even those who go against him and once again gains the respect of his kind. I do say he's also the most open to you taking other mates and he enjoys meeting and interacting with your other mates the most. For those wondering, his mark shows as a spiraling black mark, almost like a dragon's tail, going from your right ankle up to your right knee.

Cye is, probably rather predictably, definitely the ruler of the undersea. Not only the creatures of the undersea, but the merpeople as well. In a little change from what you would predictably think of as merpeople, I do see these merpeople as being, yes, half fish in the water. They have the tails and the power to breathe underwater. Most of the mer's can only really stay in that form, except for the royal family, who are born with the ability to transform into a more human shape once they are completely out of the water, allowing them to interact properly with land-dwelling creatures. Cye is rather hesitant to form an alliance with you at first, but he admits that he could use the alliance. The mer's have been under heavy fire lately, seen as an easy target, and due to the largely pacifistic nature of the mer's, they aren't really able to protect themselves. After getting you to swear an unbreakable oath that not only you, but the other mates you have that he meets, will help him protect his beloved people, he enters into the mate-bond. It's not out of love at first, though I do see him as a romantic who does grow to love you rather quickly, though he is the most kind and gentle towards you, even from the beginning. He, much like Ryo, does have some issues with how many mates you have, has some minor jealousy problems, but largely stuffs them down and does his best to get along. I see his mark as being a scallop shaped seashell, delicate but colourful, along the nape of your neck.

I see Rowen as being really in a very similar situation as you in a way. The Elvish Prince, heir to that throne, he was raised very, very sheltered. He has no real knowledge, except from books, of the other races and has never interacted with anyone outside of his own race. While the Elvish were, at one point, a largely peaceful people and most do still prefer to just keep to themselves, hidden inside their lands and never venturing outside, Rowen's father and the King, had seen merit in more brutal methods and believed the only way for everyone to have peace were if the long-living and wise Elves took care of all races. Much like yourself, we meet Rowen in the story as a very newly crowned ruler after a civil war among the Elves, who had found themselves divided pretty well among whether to follow or force the King off the throne. Obviously, the King had been forced off his throne and Rowen, next in line, is set to take his place. With so much civil unrest still, the Elves are in danger, both from themselves and outside sources and Rowen doesn't know who he can and can't trust, even among those closest to him. I think I see him as being the last of your mate-bonds with those of different races, and seeing the wisdom in an alliance with you and those you've mated with, he does accept your offer of an alliance and a mate-bond. He is, he admits, really taken back by becoming part of what really is a huge polycule but he throughout the story does become a wise ruler with you by his side, does fall in love with you, does gain meaningful friendships and bonds with the other mates. His mark is a beautiful flower in bloom, going from the top of one shoulder and wrapping around your waist.

Now, I feel the mate-bond with Sage is the one that takes the longest to happen. Sage is the Highmost Angel among that race. And let me make this clear, when I say angels, we're not going full biblical here. They aren't eternally pure, chaste, and innocent. These Angels can very much hold their own in terms of pure defensive and offensive power, but choose peace whenever possible. The only other neutral race besides yours in this world, the Angels try to just stay to themselves and watch things from afar. And though Sage sees your wisdom in reminding him that, as someone who is supposed to be from a neutral race yourself, if others see your race as a target or a threat, how long will be the Angels truly be able to remain neutral? If your neutrality as a race gets taken away by force, the other races will grow more emboldened and would target the Angels as well. And like I said, Sage sees the wisdom in that, but is not one to rush into things. He says he will consider your offer, but demands to travel with you and your mates before he accepts, so he can truly see the nature of you and those you surround yourself with. When he finally does grow to realize he loves not only you, but the freedom you and the others have given him, and when he does realize he couldn't imagine being without you or even the other mates, he does accept a mate-bond with you and his mark on you is a feather, going from your wrist up to your elbow on the inside of your arm.

Also, just because I am such a sucker for this trope. Anubis is a member of your race, a childhood friend of yours who grew to become your personal knight and bodyguard. I think the two of you have always had some degree of feelings for each other and have been lovers, since your race is so freely sexual, but the actual romantic feelings…you both felt them at times the other had given up on them and no longer felt them. On top of that, there really was the problem of being from two vastly different classes within your race, you the heir to the throne and him one of the more common people. An actual mate-bond with him? It would have been highly looked down upon, especially amongst your own race, and would have proved no usefulness in the matters of issues with the other races. He accompanies you throughout the whole story and he finds himself growing angrier and more jealous with each new mate you take. He does confront you about it eventually, once he wakes up to the fact that no, you had never been just a casual lover of his, he does love you and he becomes, in a night of fiery passion that neither of you can really control, your final mate-bond. He's the most jealous and protective of you out of your mates. His mark on you is a set of three small red stars, running along one of your cheekbones.

#replies #ronin warriors #headcanons #au headcanons #harem au #ryo sanada #sage date #kento rei faun #cye mouri #rowen hashiba #supernatural au #anubis ronin warriors

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carica-ficus · 11 months

Text

Review: A Day of Fallen Night

Author: Samantha Shannon

Date: 26/07/2023

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

________________________________________________________

After a little more than a month and a half, I have finally finished "A Day of Fallen Night" and it was truly a remarkable experience. I have read "The Priory of The Orange Tree" earlier this year and liked it so much that I wanted to read the prequel as well. What I didn't expect is that I would love this book even more than the first one.

"A Day of Fallen Night" is the second book of "The Roots of Chaos" series. It is actually a prequel to "The Priory of The Orange Tree", but the stories are not directly connected to one another. Instead, "A Day of Fallen Night" offers a deeper insight into the history of the world, dwelling on a particularly gruesome chain of events that conspired some 500 years earlier than the story in "The Priory of The Orange Tree".

The book follows several narrators who are faced with the looming threat of a dragon army. Even though the characters are worlds apart from one another, their fates are tightly interconnected by ancient forms of magic which gives them strength when they most need it. In order to persevere through the seemingly inevitable, fiery end of the world, they have to push through their greatest fears, learn to adapt and be ready to sacrifice what they hold most dear.

The pacing of the book is slow, but steady. There's a continuous build up of tension which follows individual characters and pents up until the very end. Unfortunately, there's not a true great event that brings all the characters together into a great battle, but that's not really what the book is about. There can be no grand finalé because the story is not finished; the same peril continues in "The Priory of The Orange Tree". This in turn makes the ending of the book seem quite anticlimactic, but not necessarily unsatisfying. The characters have their own challenges to overcome which are only loosely tied to the main adversary. Therefore, "A Day of Fallen Night" isn't about defeating the dragons, it is an insight to historic figures who have indirectly or directly influenced the final conflict with the Nameless One, the leading dragon, which takes place in the sequel.

The characters are a vital part of the story, and Shannon proves, yet again, that they are her specialty. Each one offers an insight to a different personality, culture, history and point of view, which help broaden the already fantastic worldbuilding. Even though there's much to love about most characters, Shannon's women are definitely her greatest asset in her storytelling. There's something so particular in the way she allows each and every one of them to be strong in their own way. A lot of authors fail to allow their female characters to be vulnerable because they fear it'll make them seem weak, but Shannon embraces this trait and uses it to her advantage, to show the true depth to her characters. Similarly, Shannon gives herself the freedom to write soft and caring men. Men who are both warriors, but also fathers, brothers, sons and friends. They are allowed to feel and to show those feelings to people they hold dear. Of course, Shannon is by far not the only author who builds her characters in this way, but it's worth to note because it gives them a certain kind of warmth.

Another great, important aspect of the book is its position of LGBTQ+ characters. Shannon doesn't allow the reader a single moment to doubt the integral part of the LGBTQ+ characters in the series. Their identities are simply accepted and, while not the main theme of the book, treated as equals. In hind sight, maybe they shouldn't be, given that the governing bodies mostly rely on immediate family as successors, but Shannon actively avoids acknowledging it as a problem. Because it doesn't have to be. There's other ways to approach this issue, and Shannon wholeheartedly utilizes them. Personally, it's incredibly comforting and satisfying.

The language of the writing is so beautiful. There's something very poetic in the chosen words, in the sentence structures, in the themes and the ideas of the book, which make the story completely entrancing. Although it consequently doesn't allow for fast reading, it makes the experience of the book so much more rewarding.

"The Priory of The Orange Tree" mostly focuses on themes like settling over differences (especially religious) and working together for the common good, while "A Day of Fallen Night" offers a counter view. There's no agreed cooperation against the enemy, rather, the characters mostly work on their own, until the very end when they finally start forming stronger alliances and working towards the future. Seeing as the threat they're up against is almost unpredictable, brings heat, destruction, disease and unnatural phenomena, and is unstoppable until it stands against a higher force, it's easy to draw the parallel to the impact of climate change and global warming in the real world. Shannon also puts a big emphasis on the importance of the new generation, approaching births as a symbol of hope and change. Although the book itself doesn't truly focus on this symbolic as its main theme, I couldn't help but draw such meaning through her words and find that it struck a chord with me.

"A Day of Fallen Night" is an epic tale with fantastic worldbuilding, memorable characters, high stakes, and gorgeous storytelling. It is an amazing addition to "The Priory of The Orange Tree" and a valuable extension in the "Roots of Chaos" series. I definitely consider it one of the most masterfully constructed novels I have ever read, and I warmly recommend this book to anyone seeking a tale about magic, dragons, witches, queendoms, and political intrigues, that offers strong characters, beautiful language and an unforgettable story.

#samantha shannon #a day of fallen night #adofn #reading #book #knjiga #recenzija #moja recenzija #writing #book review #čitanje #fantasy #the roots of chaos #roots of chaos #high fantasy #dragon #dragons

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yuukei-yikes · 1 year

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do you think shintaka ever sort out their codependency or does it just get worse

*cracks knuckles*

they do sort it out. but it's obviously not super ideal lol

in my sick twisted mind it is all stitched together with the mess of shinaya too. I WANNA WRITE A FIC SO BAD *banging table* i have this very specific relationship hell for shintaro thought out. *scratches head*

i talk a little bit abt it here and i think in other places but heh. honestly when i link to other posts its not rly like begging u to read them its more like a disclaimer that i might repeat myself which honestly i dont mind doing bc im crazy and im gonna talk abt the same things 1 billion times GLADLY. SO... >:3!!!! ITS MY TIME. have fun:

basically. so the usual right, takane feels like if she isnt watching shintaro all the time he could suddenly revert back to being a shut in and shintaro is comfortable having takane because she's familiar and the single constant in this life and all other lives in all other timelines. ene has always been there. takane = ene while a shock, to shintaro he can barely make a big deal out of it after retaining is activated bc he's seen it a million times. of course takane is ene. if anything the one needing closure over this reveal is takane.

i think post str shintaro is incredibly kind to her about it though. i think he feels immensely guilty for route xxx and is able to be openly thankful and they have a tender moment together. i think this single heart to heart changes everything for them. shintaro acts annoyed over takane's clinginess post str but becomes terrified when she's away, and sort of desperately looks for her the same way she does for him essentially reciprocating the sick need of each other, the difference is that he tries acting all cool abt it and making excuses while takane is sort of more direct abt like. HEY ARE U ALIVE??? JUST CHECKING IN LOLLL OK TALK TO U LATER ASSHOLE LOVE UUU!!! while shintaro's like ermmm...i was calling u cuz my comp is acting weird?? idk i tried some stuff but id rather u look at it to make sure. and takanes like LOL

like takane is totally delighted. shintaro isn't resenting her, he's gladly accepting her into his life and treating her like a friend and she KNOWS him so she knows that even if he says he wants her away the way he acts says otherwise. like she can read him like a book there is nothing he can hide from her, takane is able to see everything going on thru his mind. no one but her is more mindful abt everything that retaining eyes implies. maybe ayano, but we know which one shintaro is more comfortable about HEH. the fact takane is so direct about knowing about it and how hard it must be is also immensely comforting to shintaro (AGAIN ayano also does this but ayano is scary to shintaro) shintaro reciprocates takane's need for him again bc she is familiar and a comfortable constant but also because she is taking care of feeling all the heavy things for him. shintaro is desperate to stop feeling and takane is desperate to ignore her own feelings. but it doesn't REALLY work. shintaro still feels sad and broken and terrified. and takane still feels overwhelmed and in disbelief and unsure about everything. does this make sense.

takane's thing is like... okay erm. let's put takane under the microscope for a single moment. I'll try not to go TOO crazy.

ok. disclaimer. i could get very fun and nitty gritty abt the misogyny in takane's writing, how all her povs revolve solely around haruka & shintaro and essentially ends up being a female character who revolves everything around 2 guys, if not one the other and etc. but. i will not do that. i will just mention it there in passing and do what u do with it lol. that aside, basically takane is the kind of person who desperately focuses on worrying about someone else so she doesn't have to think of herself and her own problems.

takane is dealing with... a lot. because she had given up on life. well life gave up on her rather. she was dead you know. she decides to dedicate herself to shintaro and shintaro alone. her purpose was being company for him and keep him moving. and all of a sudden she finds herself alive and having to face the life she unwillingly left behind, and everything that comes with that like. having a body, being honest with haruka, accepting her illness is a part of her, etc. i think takane deals with a lot of existential crisis LMAOO like she CANNOT BELIEVE she is real. she has 1 line saying she felt like the whole time she was ene felt like a dream and it felt like a relief to hear shintaro talk to her as takane because it made her see it really happened. and i took this line and RAN WITH IT‼️‼️‼️

shintaro needs to be needed by takane and takane needs to be needed by shintaro. lol. they got 30 mental illnesses💗 but the thing is. one has retaining and the other doesn't 💥

their relationships to haruka & ayano are important in this and play a huge part in it too not only because its REALLY REALLY REALLY funny for takane to ditch haruka all the time to go find shintaro's wallet or something and for shintaro to tell ayano ok u can sleep over tonight i practiced cuddling with takane so im all good to go like that wont make ayano scream in her pillow for the next day. like theyre so sick in the head. but anyways ITS SO mixed in with shinaya's sick as hell relationship that i already wrote like 80 posts about and im not repeating myself im just gonna assume u know what i mean LIKE THIS IS WHY I NEED TO WRITE A FANFIC whatever.

as that happens with shinaya (like actual dumpster fire sirens going off glass breaking trashcan falling over etc) takane has haruka. haruka has his own set of problems feeling not good enough for her + survival guilt (for konoha) + terrified of being alone again. but takane's aware of the codependent issue basically bc haruka keeps telling her even if not as firmly and she would need so it takes longer than ideal. it's like present in her mind that it's a totally fucked up way too feel. also haruka & takane are totally in the same page abt holy shit we're ALIVE?? AND WE HAVE OUR BODIES??? WE HAVE TO FACE OUR LIVES AND MOVE FORWARD?? WE'RE IN OUR TWENTIES??? AUGGHHHH lol they go thru it together MAN I LOVE HARUTAKA sorry im normal. i know jin is allergic to giving takane a problem that isnt related to a guy but to me she also goes thru the same omg im in my twenties thing as haruka. bc like. yeah hiyori and ayano were stuck in the daze too but haruka was also watching everything outside. like takane he was a painful bystander. even if takane's spirit wasnt in the daze she was still playing a sorta similar role outside. like u can watch but u can barely do anything!! because youre DEAD!! haruka&takane understand each other's struggles more than anyone else, and suddenly they're alive and also the oldest in the group and they're like. ok lol. let's fucking go i guess. haruka and takane existentialism crisis crying for 3 hours then having to pull themselves together bc they have to do groceries. the horrors are indescribable but we have to pay rent. i love harutaka *shaking*

and haruka is super comprehensive about takane's thing with shintaro even if it's mixed in with all his feelings of omg takane prefers him omg takane is super best friends with the dan who all probably resent me for replacing konoha omg im gonna be alone augghhh like lol he's GOING THRU IT TOO but!!! takane also helps him!!!!!! theyre there for each other!!! they dont weaponize these things against each other, in fact it brings them closer. total opposite to shintaro and ayano. so takane's getting out of this mindset before shintaro does and she is really self aware and slowly making progress and ermmm becoming a little pissed off abt how he takes her for granted. bc he does.

again. takane is a constant. that means she is always here. in shintaro and takane's relationships it doesnt go both ways how they help each other. they dont help each other, takane helps shintaro and thats it. ene's always been secretive and ene is always been ene and now ene is always been takane and while shintaro knows this he's also never... had takane as takane before? so even if she's familiar and accepting her helicoptering over him, he's also totally preoccupied with all his other issues to even think about takane's side of things. shintaro despite his babygirl tendencies is at the end of the day a very self centered person, its hard for him. i dont mean it to say he sucks or anything. i think its genuinely rly hard for him!! he's going through a lot!! and he's bad with people and words and emotions!! he doesnt... stop being self centered though. not for now at least. and takane isnt exactly begging him to help her or anything because HARUKA is helping her with her issues. while shintaro is trusting everything on takane, and ayano is begging him to open up to her, takane is trusting haruka and continuously lets him help her and also helps him with his stuff. like shinaya and harutaka are dealing with similar situations in TOTALLY different ways

so for shintaro to find out/realise takane is also hurting he's like oh my god im such an ASS because OF COURSE SHE IS!!! but he's like i thought letting her be insane abt me was enough help??? bc AGAIN he hasn't really recognized that it actually goes both ways and he needs her as much as she needs him. it only becomes apparent when takane is needing him less and less bc she's been healing outside of their fucked up dynamic and he's like wait a damn moment???!!!!! so he's like TAKANE why didn't u say anything!!! and takane's like erm idk. it just kinda played out like that it's fine haruka is there for me im working on it and stuff and shintaro is SOOO insane abt it because realising takane's been relying on someone else takes him out of this familiarity and he's like oh my god TAKANE IS ALIVE HARUKA IS ALIVE AYANO IS ALIVE OH MY GOD THEYRE ALL MOVING ON WITHOUT ME OH MY GOD and its so uncomfortable for him. its so uncomfortable to see takane with haruka the same way it makes him uncomfortable to be with ayano because it makes him so painfully aware of like. THIS IS THE GOOD ENDING. yknow.

anyways... shinaya breakup happens lol!!! takane is again here to pick up the pieces. and shintaro is SO broken over this that takane soooorta reverts back bc YIKES HES NOT DOING GOOD. shintaro is clinging on her so bad it makes him look stupid. like i said in the insane shinaya reply. being back to being despaired over ayano and crying on takane is familiar! self sabotage at its finest, its pain that he knows. new things he hasnt seen are terrifying!!! and this way.... takane is away from haruka, rather paying attention to him instead and he is dragging her down with him!!! its awful but its comforting to think for him like YES!!! TAKANE IS ALSO BAD!!! TAKANE IS ALSO STUCK WITH ME!!!! BTW THIS IS ALL ON AN UNCONSCIOUS LEVEL FOR SHINTARO LMAO.

but takane is AWARE... like yeah she gets he's sad over his breakup but takane doesnt TOTALLY revert back. like by this point its been a long time and she's totally aware of their codependency & working on it & already resenting a little how shintaro takes her for granted. and when it's been long enough and shintaro is still pathetically sobbing abt ayano, takane's been back in ene mode trying to distract him and cheer him up like always but she's like. man i have a job to get to. can we wrap this up for today. LOL LIKE takane has a fucking life so even if shintaro's (unconsciously) like omg yess its like it used to be, it isnt because takane has shit to take care of outside of him😭 she can be like. sorry man i gotta go i got a thing with haruka and shintaro's like ???? because... "normally" she would cancel on haruka for him and now she wont and shintaro's like wh??? and maybe he points it out and it REALLY pisses takane off LOLLL

ok so takane ticking time bomb abt to tell shintaro off + shinaya breakup + kanoshin insanity. *rubs hands together* shintaro about to accidentally finish destroying his relationship with takane that's already hanging by a thread. because he's dealing with all the guilt over his breakup with ayano and the newly found kinship with kano(+internalized homophobia) and he's like... so desperate. he's like. ok. there is 1 person in this world who will still have me and make me feel normal abt being this way.

sorry for shipping shintaka and being insane. shintaro wants to date takane. SORRY I KNOW its born from an insane fucked up situation and its truly the last straw for takane because she's like WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUIUUUT WHAT THE HELLLLLL bc shintaro's only going to her bc 1. to make me feel straight 💥 2. to make me feel valid💥💥💥 LIKE HES NOT THINKING OF HER FEELINGS AT ALL and i do think he'd fall for her in a little fucked up way like well idk??? i dont know but i definitely think shintaro&takane feel a very specific way abt each other and in his desperation shintaro decided to call it love LOL. takane would treat it sensibly if SHE DIDNT FUCKING KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON and she sends him to hell for it LOLLLL !!!!! this also distances haruka & shintaro because SHINTARO KNEW haruka is insanely self conscious and insecure and always treated the situation with kid gloves in fear of takane being like lol u dont like me hanging out with shintaro?? bye then. like he knows haruka has always been scared of takane choosing shintaro over him (even if not romantically) and then HE GOES AND DOES THAT AND even someone like haruka is like. bro... because listen by this point!!! haruka and takane have grown A LOT as people and as a couple while shintaro was stuck in this insane quarrel with ayano and himself and has his head so far up his own ass he couldn't see how horrible of an idea it is until he does it and ends up fucking up with friendship with both takane AND haruka. fun

SO............. umm. ur question. yes they do sort it out. shintaro has to grow a lot though. i think its his fallout with takane that is his last straw and he sort of realises he has got to make a change and accept this reality as terrifying as it is. its definitely a quartet fallout too. ofc they makeup!! ofc shintaro apologizes, of course they start talking again (i don't think they'd go long without talking btw i think takane's just like we. need time apart) and ofc they get to a point where the quartet is all together again even if shintaro and ayano are broken up, they get to be on friendly terms after enough time apart, and shintaro and takane can also be normal friends. they are still bestest friends but definitely more proper and shintaro now acts like a person to takane instead of taking her for granted and is there for her like a proper friend would be and etc. ofc it gets to that!!! but lol. isnt it so fun to have a circus first :3

THEY JUST NEED A BIT OF TIME APART..... but they are best of friends. they're one of a kind to each other💗 erm. Hi

#SORRY FOR GOING CRAZY AGAIN. WHATEVER.#ask tag #headcanons #shintaro: quit your job #takane: what #shintaro: break up with your boyfriend move back in with me.#ayashin divorce

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cburambles · 2 years

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Livid with the way the show treat the Velaryon family & Harwin as an afterthought just for the sake to rush to Daemon/ Rhaenyra, which also manages to bring a shit-ton of questions concerning character's decisions & how the writing room really need to have more BIPOCs aboard.

By skipping over the Daemon/ Laena's courtship, we have no idea why Corlys & Rhaenys would be ok with Laena taking off with Daemon knowing he's now a prince in exile. & Oh she was supposedly bethrohed to the sea lord of Braavos the episode prior, which you know could have been a potential political conflict but you tell me it got resolved offscreen. Ok then. & why Laena would be ok following Daemon around with their kids & being pregnant if they put out that she still cared about the importance of her noble & valyrians blood.

Apparently, monogamy culture, the idea you can have one true love when the average citizen might fall in love multiples times in their life & Rhaenyra being allowed to have only one female friend make it they had to put distance between her & Daemon/ Laena. And we're supposed to accept Daemon & Rhaenyra would be ok marrying together right after years where being far away from each other without bothering writing letters & after the many times he left Rhaenyra in vulnerable positions.

One thing that could have accentued the fact Alicent feels isolated at court was because despite the allegations of Viserys's grandchildren being illegitimate & everything, Rhaenyra, Harwin (who had the control of City Watch) the Velaryons & Daemon formed a constant & strong united front against her. Splitting the group like that, making Laenor an asshole who doesn't give a fuck about his kids but still get to name the newborn Joffrey without consulting Rhaenyra hurt the story & its characters. You tell me that he loves swordfighting but then wouln't at least bother to participate into the martial education of his sons ( & maybe would have helped Harwin to deck one or two on Criston for y'know, killing his lover 10 years ago & the unfair treatment of their kids) ?

Laenor & Laena are also the kids of Corlys & Rhaenys who are portrayed as politically savy & in an healthy relationship & you tell me that it wouldn't influence how their kids navigates court politics & how to conduct their relationships? Prior to marrying Rhaenyra, Laenor was Corlys's heir & he wanted for Laena to become queen. This episode should have been about how the factions started forming but instead everyone is isolated from each other so???

I can understand Daemon having an affinity with dragonriders but I don't think he would neglect Rhaena, knowing she could still potentially bond with an already living dragons like he did with Caraxes & Laena with Vhagar. Also if Daemon is away from court, how did he got the eggs for his daughters? Did Vhagar had a clutch with Caraxes? It also rid of one of the few of Daemon redeeming qualities that he cares fiercely about his family.

I need showrunners to understand death linked to childbirth also often happen after birth due to pulmonary embolism, hemorrhage etc... There was absolutely no need to repeat what happened to Aemma & knowing that Laena was portrayed by a black actress , she didn't need a " warrior" death to show of how much of a Strong black woman tm she is. She could still had have a peaceful dragon rider death by expending that detaillled book scene & having her ride Vhagar last one time if they just wanted & passing away with Daemon helping her instead of giving her a painful traumatic bbq death. Anyway I need for showrunners to understand that feminism for black women is different than for a white women, as our " strenght" is used as an excuse to abuse black women on a systemic level & thus deny the right to feel comforted, vulnerable, loved etc...

Also yikes to Laena accepting herself as a placeholder & fridging her because "Daemon deserved it" (when they didn't even took the effort to developp their relationship). Double-yikes.

How did Daemon suddendly manages to solves his problem of impotency?

Harwin last goodbye was sweet but also... don't do that when you're currently under suspicions of fucking a royal? Will Jace putting two & two about him being his father impact the story & his relationship to Rhaenyra or??

Beside that, Alicent, Larrys, Criston & Lyonel Strong moments were from great to OK. Larrys feels like what we should have got of Varys & Littlefinger. Alicent doesn't feel like they just made her into a Cerseï 2.0 while still retaining some of her book edge.

Also sad yeah for Heleana being neurodivergent into insects. Girl deserves going on bug catching trips instead of dealing with the shitshow that is KL & Aegon II who looks perfectly detestable in a fun way currently. Wasn't expecting Aemond being the one being bullied here at first & we can see Criston & Alicent will play a role into having the kids antagonizing the Strong boys afterwards.

But the quality of the story really dipped concerning the Blacks.

#hotd spoilers #fire & blood spoilers #laena velaryon #rhaenyra targaryen #laenor velaryon #daemon targaryen

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majicmarker · 2 years

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omg pls share ur other thoughts on chrissy’s tarot cards!! i loved that chapter it was so good 😭🥺💕✨

first of all, thank you so much!!! 🥰 🥰 cher willing, i'll have the next part up within the next few days!

(second of all, here's the fic in question for anyone who happens upon this)

THIRD OF ALL, onto the tarot reading i chose for chrissy (under the cut bc i get Very enthusiastic abt emotions so surely this explanation is going to get away from me):

most of her cards—whether the casually mentioned ones or her actual reading—are major arcana. again, as i state in the fic, these tend to speak to turning points in your life. and that's what i like to explore with chrissy, is this shift in how she feels about/treats herself, and how that positively affects the trajectory of her life.

her minor arcana cards indicate a person (eddie, in this case, for the ROMANCE), because with any romantic dynamic i write, i like to explore the effect they have on each other not just in their relationship, but as individuals. because, yk, whether we like it or not, for better or worse, we're all affected and shaped by the people in our lives. and personally when i do readings for ppl, i dig into the positive takeaways, bc otherwise i just don't see the point, plus this fic is first and foremost a romance, so that's the direction i went in here.

(man look at all those commas, run-on sentences my beloved)

SO ANYWAY.

the cards she happens to notice but aren't in her actual reading are the star, the devil, and the two of cups. they're similar-but-not-similar to her actual reading:

the star is generally pretty positive whether upright or reverse. essentially it speaks to your readiness for Full Self-Acceptance, Your Destiny, Your Soulmate, all that. (it's also my favorite and i'll name-drop it every chance i get. it's just. so affirming and romantic and a lot of things that i want for myself, and i think it's such an all-encompassing card for anyone who leans into the archetype of the romantic.)

the devil, in this case, would take its meaning from its reversed position: moving on from trauma or otherwise negative forces in your life. (i have. Very strong feelings about this card for chrissy's character overall, particularly in her relationship with her mom, the themes of which i'll explore more in-depth in my soon-to-be-posted multichapter.) ((it's also a super interesting card for eddie's character which, again, i'll probably dig a little deeper into in the multichap.))

the two of cups is one of the most positive cards for romance. it speaks to that sort of self-actualizing power achieved in a healthy relationship, the give-and-take, and foretells a deep bond that serves you as a couple and as individuals

now, as for her actual reading, i wanted to go as simple as possible for the sake of writing that scene concisely, without *too* much exposition that would make the dialogue unnatural (such a pet peeve for me), all that, so i went with a three-card.

there are. like. a thousand spreads out there. but generally (or the way i do it, anyway) three cards indicate a current issue, past influences, and what to do/future outcome. you really have to examine each card individually as well as how they play together.

for chrissy, we have:

the moon: pretty straightforward the way i wrote it in the fic. reversed means that your search for clarity, reason, whatever, will come to fruition so long as you keep honest with yourself and follow your heart. (it also encourages the strength/healing we find in female friendships, which is something that will become more prevalent in the next chapter.)

the hierophant: upright it means that you find comfort and a sense of self within tradition, in finding your people and building those traditions and community with them. reversed, as it is in chrissy's reading, it means you'll find those things when you ditch external expectations. in chrissy's case, i wanted it to indicate that she should keep the parts of herself that she genuinely likes, but that she can also find that authenticity by letting herself want things for herself, rather than only strictly doing what's expected of her.

the knight of cups: listen i usually hate person cards bc they can be tricky to suss out when i'm doing a reading for someone, but in this case it slaps. it speaks to chrissy's need for emotional support and just pure, i-like-you-because-you're-you adoration. personally i think we see that very much so in the canon forest scene, when eddie can Tell something's up and he does his best to, for all intents and purposes, be chrissy's knight in ripped jeans armor. he gives her the space to feel calm, because he's real with her—not in some bullshit tough love kind of way, but in this way where he's just like, "this is me being myself, you can be yourself, too." and, yk, even though i write no-upside-down aus, it's the ~essence~ of their relationship i want to dig into.

^ i also think the knight of cups really represents what chrissy Needs, and it's who eddie actually Is (whether blatantly or under the surface, depending on your take on him), so—much like the devil, funnily enough—this card works for them on a few levels.

......okay this took me perhaps an embarrassingly long time to whip up, so *sign of the cross, bc i was raised catholic and there's no gettin out* fingers crossed for an interesting read, but i'm gonna peace out now ✌️

#spoiler alert: it absolutely got away from me #mafiamoll #ask #eddissy #hellcheer #kattyshack fic #witch tag #welcome to hellcheer

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skaterfairy02 · 1 year

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An Ode to Yargı: Part 1

Yargı has been a life-changing show to watch. I haven't felt this way about a tv show - in any language - in a long time (or ever? if i think about it).

TV shows are unique in that they are vulnerable to being driven by ratings. Depending on the country, TV shows are either renewed season by season based on ratings and revenues and may only have 1 season of 16-17 episodes (most K Dramas), or in the case of Turkish dizis (like Yargı), driven by the ratings of each episode. Let me stop here and provide a disclaimer: I am not Turkish, I haven't been watching Turkish dizis for very long, and I probably don't understand the intricacies and complexities of how the Turkish dizi industry works. I only started watching dizis after stumbling upon a youtube fan edit for Nazli & Ferit from Dolunay during the COVID-19 lockdown in Spring 2020. The rest is history. However, it's not hard to see that because dizis mostly depend on the ratings of each episode, the story which the writers set out to tell can suffer as a result. This is not to say that dizis are the only tv shows to fall victim to this pattern. Even with season-by-season renewal, American shows suffer from this phenomenon as well. The first couple seasons of a show might be amazing with very crisp writing, but then the show steadily declines in the later seasons, show-runners change, cast members leave, and you really question why you're still watching the show. Since diving into dizis and learning the bare minimum about Turkish ratings, it seems this phenomenon is just more underscored.

But Yargı has been a game-changer. It's been absolutely beautiful to watch the writer's story play out so far, with so much attention given to all the details, and the actors have truly done an amazing job bringing it to life. At 17 episodes (over 34 hours!), I am still just as excited for the next episodes as I was when I watched the first couple of episodes. It's been extremely comforting to hear the writer (Sema Ergenekon, who is amazingly talented and a genius honestly) openly say that she has the story and the rest of the episodes mapped out, indicating a strategic plan with a definite endpoint. I don't think I could handle a situation where the show was extended for no reason and the plot stretches and suffers as a result. Yargı has truly earned its viewers' trust.

However, beyond the trust that Yargı has earned from me, the show and its fans are also teaching me a lot and subtly causing me to examine my own internalized ideologies, in a way that I can easily say few shows in the world have done for me.

On the surface, I find myself relating to Ilgaz and Ceylin and their struggles in ways that are more obvious. Ilgaz is the oldest and nothing but perfection has been expected of him. When he tells his father Metin (I lovingly refer to him as Metinhoe/Metintrash) that he had to grow up so quickly and was never allowed any mistakes, it really resonated for me. Ceylin, on the other hand, has been trying her best to sustain her family despite their trials and tribulations, and her strongest familial bond is with her younger sister, again reflecting certain aspects of my own life.

However, the beauty of Yargı is that the characters are much deeper than what we are initially exposed to, and more human than what most shows allow of their characters. The best example of this is Ceylin. Ceylin is a flawed character. She is scrappy and resilient, as life has forced her to be, and goes after what she needs, though not always in the most acceptable way. But she knows who she is and does not pretend to be anything else. I am actually so in awe of this characteristic of hers. She is also loving, supportive, compassionate, empathetic, merciful, and forgiving, but is convinced (thanks in large part to her family) that she isn't deserving of fulfilling and loving relationships, so she runs away from things. When women talk about wanting to see flawed female characters, THIS is what we mean. Ceylin's flaws are authentic, born out of her life experiences, and while inconvenient at times, they are highly relatable and honestly endearing because of that. She is NOT flawed for the purpose of being endearing to the male gaze (NOT a manic pixie dream girl or any of her variants). I love Ceylin and who she is because she inspires me to be strong, even when mistakes are made and life is going off the rails. Ceylin is beautiful because of who she is, not in spite of it, and it took seeing this character for me to realize how true that is for us as individuals - that our flaws don't necessary diminish us or make us less worthy of love.

Ilgaz is also a beautiful character, but one I have more questions about and am still understanding. I think this is because I have so deeply internalized the way male characters are generally portrayed that whenever Ilgaz does something outside that structure, I have to grapple with it and it takes me time to understand it. Ilgaz has been living a life in golden chains, but chains nonetheless. His parents worked hard to help set him up for a respected career as a prosecutor and as we learn more about Ilgaz, it's obvious that just because he is a very respected prosecutor -- and he is morally upright, dedicated to doing his job well -- his family (see: Metinhoe/Metintrash) expects his personal life to be equally black and white and by the book. However, when his life intersects with Ceylin's, we start to learn what Ilgaz himself values. Yes, he values integrity, honesty, and hard work, especially with regards to his job and the law, but he is also very loving and supportive. Unlike his father, he does not believe that integrity, honesty, and hard work are mutually exclusive with expressing compassion and understanding, especially when life gets hard. Like Ceylin, he seeks to understand his loved ones and does whatever is in his power to help them. He is the exact opposite of a toxic man.

Edit: Yargı is now on episode 51. Since then, a lot more thoughts have been thunk, so I will write a part 2. However, the overall message is still the same, watch Yargı for clear skin.

#yargı #yargi #ceylin x ilgaz #ceylin kaya #ceylin erguvan #ilgaz kaya #turkish dizis #ilcey #thoughts #quality show writing #flawed female characters #an ode

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thefanficmonster · 2 years

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Never Satisfied [Chapter 10]

Corpse Husband x Original Female Character

Warnings: Language

A Collaboration between Vy & Ashens

“i can see the sunrise in your eyes“

It must have been around 2 or 3 AM when they had finally fallen asleep. Corpse, much to his own surprise, didn’t find himself repeatedly checking the time on his phone like he usually does. Instead, he spent every moment talking with Cora in hushed whispers, little giggles passing between them and exchanging soft ghosts of a kiss every once in a while. He wasn’t sure who fell asleep first - they both felt their eyes go heavy and their mumbles faded into silence, the exact moment blurring in his mind. He, however, was the one to wake up first, his usual sleeping pattern taking form as per usual, not allowing him long slumber if any at all. When his eyes fluttered open, he felt a weight on his chest and was briefly concerned he had woken up into a bad day of anxiety. Instead, he found himself cradling a smaller figure to his chest, arm looped around her lower back as she slept peacefully. His delicate touch combed her hair out of her face, not wanting to wake her up before she was ready to face the day on her own accord. It was one thing to see the peace in her face while she slept on his lap. But here? With her cradled in the crook of his arm, asleep on his chest?

He could have sworn his heart ached with joy.

This can’t be real.

But it is, even if it wasn’t, he would be prepared to accept this reality as his real one. Because here, in this new reality they’ve created together, he feels something he hasn’t felt in a long time. He feels happy. Truly and utterly happy.

He brushes his thumb across her cheek, eyes half lidded as he watches her content smile become more prominent with each passing second. As gentle and calm as he tried to be, it isn’t long before Cora’s voice startles him from his trance, still not quite yet aware of his affectionate gaze.

“You’re staring…” She murmurs so faintly he almost misses it.

“Sorry…” He replies with a mumble, drawing his hand away as a blush creeps to his cheeks. Before it could get far, she reaches out and takes hold of it, tucking it back in its previous spot as she snuggles closer into his chest.

“Mm...time is it?” She whispers, smiling softly as she rubs her nose against his knuckles.

He sighs softly, looking up to the ceiling. It takes him a moment but he soon realizes they;ve found themselves in a deja vu similar position.

“...I can’t tell, you’ve taken me hostage again.” He whispers into her hair, smirking against the bird’s nest it had turned into as she slept.

She shifts a little, winding her ankle around his. “Guess it doesn’t matter then. Time is just a social construct anyway, right?” She replies, sighing happily, evidently ready to doze off once more.

Corpse, whether he likes it or not, comes to terms with the fact that he isn’t going to be moving anytime soon yet again and lets his own eyes flutter closed, keeping Cora closely cuddled up against his side. She’s warm, the blanket draped over them leaving him in a cocoon of comfortable coziness.

“Guess not…” He whispers, kissing the top of her head before sinking back into sleep along with her.

A couple hours pass. In that time Corpse has gone from having Cora tucked up against his chest to having her tightly wrapped up in his arms, face pressed into his shoulder. She has looped one arm over his waist and the other under his neck, legs tangled together as he murmurs into her hair.

He has to admit, as he feels the grogginess of having just woken up start to leave him, this is one of the best nights of sleep he’s gotten in a long while. Maybe it’s because of the warm body next to him, or maybe it’s because he finally feels safe enough with someone beside him. He doesn’t think that he could really explain it to anyone, but having another person there was more than he needed.

Black curls shuffle against the pillows as he tucks her in closer which initially would seem impossible considering their bodies are already flush against one another. Cora shifts and stretches in his hold before squeaking. It was one of those good stretches, the ones that made your body shiver with delight. She rolls away from him, briefly leaving him with a twinge of emptiness in his chest but it’s quickly extinguished when she rubs her face and reaches out to pat his chest.

“You slept well, Hades?” She sounds groggy, the slumber as hard as a rock having rasped her voice a tiny bit. She tilts her head to look at him, eyes lidded with a lazy smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. It’s a beautiful sight he finds himself so entranced by, that his own lips quirk a little before he leans forward to touch his forehead to hers for a moment. That’s good enough for him, the feeling it provokes in his chest much alike the one that blossoms when their lips touch.

She runs her hand through his dark curls and forces herself to sit up, his shirt hanging off one of her shoulders as she blinks sleepily. Corpse is in no rush himself, choosing to lay there and continue observing her, taking in the elements that compile her beauty: hair messily tousled following the long night’s slumber; how his shirt looks on her, like it always belonged there to begin with, like he’d done it injustice by wearing it himself. He could keep going but when she looks over her shoulder and catches him staring he looks away, a blush creeping onto his cheeks.

She grins and ruffles her hair to help undo the knots that have formed before scrunching her face at him. “You gonna lie in bed all day? Or are we going to get breakfast?”

He smiles and shifts so he too can sit up, legs hanging off the bed as his palms roughly rub his face. Once he’s sure he got the crud out of his eyes, he stretches his arms high above his head and arches his back before sighing. “It’s too early for you to be this awake.” He grumbles, rolling his shoulder to reawaken it after having been used as a pillow for so long.

She snorts and looks at her phone before lifting her brow and showing the screen to him, “Dude, it’s almost 11 AM.”

“Yeah. Too early.” He grins, his smile softening and he moves to stand up, wincing a little at the sudden discomfort in his neck and shoulders. Must’ve slept funny, he thinks to himself, fucking nerves. Subtly rubbing his joints so Cora doesn’t notice, he glances down at his carpet and nudged the pair of socks he’d been trying to force on her feet out of his way. “What do you think about grabbing brunch since it’s too late for breakfast now?”

“Brunch, huh? Are we fancy now, or what?” She teases, grabbing her clothes from where she’d tossed them on the floor. She wanders out of the room and makes her way to his bathroom and this time, she shuts the door.

While she’s inside, Corpse changes into his usual attire: black jeans and a simple black shirt, accessorizing with his go-to chains before stuffing a mask into his pocket and yanking on his favorite hoodie. Cora returns from the bathroom a moment later, her hair looking like it had been combed through with her fingers before getting pulled back up into a messy bun. Watching her carry his clothes with care made his heart flutter in a way he has never experienced before. She has folded them neatly and is now offering them back to him as though they were a holy item.

“Thanks for letting me borrow these. Maybe next time I come over I’ll bring my own pajamas.” She says with a beaming smile, one he returns without missing a beat.

Taking the clothes, he looks around as if he isn’t sure where to put them. A moment later, he decides the foot of his bed would be good enough at the moment.

His gaze travels down to the floor and he stutters a little as he says: “I-..um…I’m gonna….go piss.” He motions at the bathroom timidly as if he’s expecting her to be taken aback by the fact that he has bodily functions he needs to get taken care of..

Accordingly and casually, she shrugs and laughs before jokingly patting him on the head, pushing up on her tiptoes to do so, “Go for it Cujo, unless you plan on going into the back yard, then I’ll have to hook a leash on ya.”

His face flushes a deep red and he shuffles away and into the solace and privacy of his bathroom, closing the door behind him and leaning against it. She was just joking. She was just joking. Fuck me she was JOKING, he swears and scolds himself, a hand threaded deep into his mop of curls as he exhales deeply. Turning back to face the door, he locks it and begins his usual morning routine.

With that said and done, he steps back out in the hallway in a matter of fifteen minutes. Glancing to the right, he sees that Cora hadn’t gone back to his room. Moving further down the hall he catches a glimpse of her sprawled out on the couch with her legs over the armrest, tapping away on her phone while lazily kicking her feet.

When he emerges from the hall, entering her view point, she lets the phone drop to her chest and smiles. “Ready to get some grub?” She hooks her knees over the edge of the sofa like it was a set of monkey bars and reaches down to grab the edge with her fingertips and heaves herself up into a sitting position, looking up at him.

Damn that was some impressive core strength

Corpse hesitates, but before he could say or do anything, she reaches up and loops his chain around her fingers, pulling him down for a soft tender little kiss. His hands flex, gripping at nothing, hanging awkwardly at his side for a second before moving up as if he’s going to place them on her shoulders or cup her face but immediately drops them instead. What the FUCK am I supposed to do with my hands!? Before he could figure that out, she breaks away and hops up onto her feet, fingers still curled in his chain, the entanglement allowing her to pull him along behind her as she walks out of the room. “How does Waffle House sound?” She asks, sparing him a brief glance over the shoulder without letting her walking pace falter.

He follows like a lovesick puppy, lips still tingling from her kiss, creating a sensation he’s far too focused on to coherently reply so he finds himself nodding in response as he mutters a small, uncertain: “Y-yeah.”

Equipping his shoes, wallet and eyepatch, he throws on the hood of his hoodie and gives the curls that stick out from underneath it only a brief thought before he looks over at Cora who’s already pulled her shoes on. He catches himself as his gaze travels up the length of her legs, stopping at the short black shorts clinging to her upper thighs. She has omitted the fishnets she’d worn the night before, choosing to shove them in her hoodie pocket, but has left the suspenders to still hang around her thighs.

“Ready?” She asks with a bounce to her stance, smiling widely like an overly-excited child.

He nods, opening the door for her and following her out.

@vixenl @annshit @wineandionysus @wiseflamingoqueen

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