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the-hilda-librarians-wife · 4 years

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Another headcanon I have is that Johanna probably has known she has liked women most of her life but hasn’t had any connections to other wlw really. I mean, she has dedicated her whole life to her daughter and lived in the woods w her for at least a decade soOo. BUT...... what I am getting at, is I find it sweet, and comforting, that she meets like.... the librarian, obviously, and now she realizes how nice it is to be so understood by someone else.... and while I do think she probably just chooses to not assume someone else is wlw, I am a sucker for her just.... catching herself hoping. But my main point is her getting to the point where she gets to have a wlw friend, and then ha ha, friends to lovers happens, nice. If this makes any sense, I would love to hear your thoughts on literally anything in this ask. It ended up all over the place. Anyway, lonely wlw johanna rights, is basically what this ask is.

Hey there again, anon! Btw, thank you sm for that sweet ask you sent me, you’re so nice and I’m happy you like what I write🥺

Okay I 100% am here for Johanna trying not to give this part of herself any thought and then going “oh. I’m gay.” every time she looks at the librarian fkngjgngnngn. It’s just like you said, she’s spent her whole life focusing probably on her career and then on Hilda, and maybe she tells herself to keep it that way, because her daughter really is the most important thing in her life. But let’s build the picture here, she just moved back to Trolberg some time ago, Hilda spends less time with her because of school and friends, and suddenly she sees she can prioritize Hilda while still having her own life.

Aaaand that’s when I suppose she’d get closer to the librarian, and I love how you put it in a way that first Johanna realized her new friend understands her in a way other people didn’t, and then finds herself hoping that there’s one other way in which she understands her (also who wouldn’t want the pretty woman to be sapphic)

Since we’re already being very AU-ish here, I’ll continue down this path and suggest a little scene because this ask made me think about it and it’s. Very cute. Okay, imagine Johanna and the librarian having a conversation, maybe somewhere like a park or a restaurant, and the librarian is talking enthusiastically about something she likes. Johanna is listening to her with interest and then suddenly a little voice pops in her head and says “I wonder if she likes girls”. She startles and tries very heard to brush that thought away, because ya know. Sapphic women are told that if they like their friend they’re being predatory and this mindset can really stick with you. So for the rest of their time together (which Johanna unwillingly notices looks a lot like a date), Johanna is uncomfortable and feeling guilty that she even had such a thought about her friend.

This uneasiness remains even over the course of their next encounter, and the librarian obviously picks up on this. I imagine her asking Johanna what is wrong and Johanna being very flustered, and ending up saying there was nothing wrong (which would make the librarian just a bit sad, because her friend was be hiding something from her, which meant she didn’t trust her that much after all. But she respects it, of course). I think Johanna would realize the librarian’s disappointment and feel even guiltier, and then decide to get this over with in the most subtle way she could think of, which is simply asking her about her previous dating life. You know, like people who only just became friends do.

And then I picture Johanna becoming the 😳 emoji as the librarian talks about that one high school grilfriend she had, but says they broke up when she moved away to college or something. Johanna’s mind at this point would just be like. Blank. No thoughts head empty. She’d wondered if the librarian could be sapphic and she’d secretly hoped for it, but she hadn’t expected her to be! So she probably goes “wait... you like girls?!” and the librarian strikes me as the sort of person to lift an eyebrow and say “please tell me what I’m doing wrong that you thought I was straight” ckncjfngjgbhf

After this Johanna comes out too, and she’s so so happy to finally connect to someone like this, just like you said! And the librarian is thrilled not only that they have this in common, but also to be able to provide this sort of comfort to her friend and maybe she’d been wondering if Johanna liked girls too 👀

So time goes by and they get even closer until they both realize and accept that they have a crush on each other. The picture of both of them blasting “I wanna be your girlfriend” in their own rooms really amuses me xD

(Okay another scene I just thought about: the librarian is in the library listening to I wanna be your girlfriend by girl in red or Sleepover by Hayley Kyioko, either work, and she’s humming it under her breath, really silently. She’s either on the “I don’t wanna be your friend, I wanna kiss your lips” or in the “you wanna be friends forever, I can think of something better” when someone taps her on the shoulder and she turns back to find Johanna looking at her. This leads her to becoming a mess for the rest of the day because she doesn’t know if Johanna heard her or not)

Anyway, I’m not sure in this scenario who would give in first, but they are both smart women so I don’t think it would be too difficult for one of them to admit their feelings and then the other confess to feeling the same. And they would be the most amazing, adorable couple :’)

In conclusion: YES, LONELY WLW JOHANNA RIGHTS!! Especially if she turns into committed wlw Johanna! Than even more rights!!!!!! Thank you for the ask, I loved thinking about this

#fic writer brain cant help but make little scenes kgnfkgngj #im so sorry i was all over the place too #this time theres a cut because I spoke too much lol #wife answers asks #sketchbook ship #sketchbook ship hilda #johanna hilda

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moon-yean · 7 years

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Review: Maximilian

Sooo here are my lenghty (and gif-heavy) thoughts on Maximilian: Das Spiel von Macht und Liebe. Will contain some spoilers.

synopsis:

1477. When the Duke of Burgundy dies in battle, Mary, his only child, intends to rule over the duchy despite the rule of male succession. As the richest heiress in Europe, the sharp-minded young woman is coveted by many suitors. Mary resists the citizens of Ghent who, spurred by the French King Louis XI, try to force her into a marriage with Louis’ son Charles, a boy of poor health and a weak mind. At the same time, Maximilian of Habsburg, the young Austrian archduke, stubbornly opposes his father, the Roman Emperor Frederick III, who also wants his son to marry the young Duchess of Burgundy.

And so the conflict between France, Austria and Burgundy begins.

And in the midst of it all: Mary.

(you might have to wait a few moments before all the gifs in this post have loaded!)

Cast / Characters

Right. Let’s take a look at the cast and characters first (just some of them, the ensemble is huge).

I liked the whole cast so I don’t really want to single out a performance. Mary’s character starts out stronger than Maximilian’s but the focus shifts towards the end and he’s ultimately the one with the better arc (going from a stubborn hothead to someone able to take on responsibility). Hers is basically fulfilled once they get married (going from a stubborn ice queen to someone able to find joy in a fate she can’t change) which is slightly disappointing. They did a good job building her up as a strong character but it’s at odds with the realities she’s faced with - namely the pressure from the citizens and the role she is assigned as a woman. I really liked how the show highlighted how and why life might have been difficult for women at court, not just in the character of Mary but also in that of Margaret of York, her stepmother, or Johanna of Hallewyn, her lady-in-waiting/friend. It also becomes apparent in the scenes at the French court: King Louis XI even goes so far as to tell his daughter Anne de Beaujeau that he wishes she had been born a boy. Patriarchy can inconvenience men as well, in this case because Louis (and everyone else) thinks that his son Charles is an idiot unfit to rule which makes Louis and his wife desperate to have another son who can succeed him to the throne.

They have one, François, but - spoiler alert - he dies as an infant. The show takes a lot of leeway with the historical timelines but it does so to great effect, in my opinion. Making this event concurrent to the power struggle over Burgundy lends a lot more urgency and meaning to the proceedings: It’s crazy to think how much the consolidation of power hinged on maintaining a dynasty without a weak link in the chain; the pressure on every person must have been immense. We see this with Charles who is a brat but also a victim (the scene where we wets himself because they force him into a room with a woman to “become a man” is horrifying).

As for the side characters, I must admit that I really enjoyed the subplot with Johanna and Wolf and although I expected to ship Maximilian/Mary because they’re a historical OTP, I ended up more invested in their servants. They were cute.

But Maximilian/Mary were cute as well. I just think that the build-up was better with them than the pay-off.

Script

I’ve already said that I liked the writing for the characters so let me just add a few words about the writing in general: There were some clunky bits of dialogue but overall it was pretty decent for German screenwriting which might be because it was actually written by an Austrian (this is an Austrian-French production after all). They often create better-flowing dialogue. I liked that there was a good amount of humor in it, especially when it comes to the culture clash. The first feast with the Austrians and the Burgundians is hilarious. The only dramatic scene that really stands out to me in terms of writing in retrospect is a scene that I have already alluded to: The one where we learn that the baby boy of King Louis XI has died.

The writing in that scene is very simple. But together with the imagery and the music, it creates an incredible atmosphere. We see smoke billowing into the dark sky. Then we see burning wood. A beautiful but solemn choir is singing. And then we hear Anne de Beaujeau’s voice and later see that she is talking to her sister Jeanne de Valois (I tried to translate it but it still sounds a bit clumsy in English, sorry about that):

It’s impossible to recreate the impression that the scene leaves. But there are several bits of concise and poignant writing in the script. Moments that lend some weight to the story. What they also do: Prevent the antagonists from being painted as villains. Yes there are antagonists, mostly King Louis XI and his henchman Philippe de Commynes, but they are allowed to have solid reasoning and understandable motives. The Austrian court is just as dark and uninviting a place as the French court, in fact, it’s a lot darker and more “primitive”. Frederick III is presented on the same level of ambiguity as Louis XI. Two old monarchs trying to save their legacies. The younger characters are allowed to serve some heroism but even they struggle with circumstance and how it shapes the decisions of an individual.

On that note: All the political maneuvering is well-done in the script but I could see people getting confused by the different factions and settings. Which is why I thought that the slow pacing of the first episode was good. But the show can’t maintain it. The build-up to the meeting of Maximilian and Mary is amazing and they meet late. Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave much time in the last episode to show them getting to know each other and fall in love. The scenes that they have are well-done but the pacing over the whole mini series is just uneven. That’s a shame and makes me wonder if some stuff landed on the cutting room floor. (Like, I wasn’t expecting a huge battle as the climax but they should have done juuust a little more and even if it had just been more impressionistic shots; too much fade to black and time-jumping towards the end.)

Atmosphere

What I really loved was the whole atmosphere: The gloomy cinematography, the music, the costuming… for me it struck the right balance between being gritty/realistic and distinctly historical and pretty (which is not to say that it’s historically accurate because I don’t know about that; but historical fiction is more about feeling than fact anyway). I just wish they had distinguished the different geographical locations better visually. Sometimes it was a bit difficult to keep up with what was happening and where. Ghent was done best imo.

I also loved the POV perspective with which the sword fight was filmed (which was the best action piece... fitting, since Maximilian was the “last knight”).

Here, have some more impressions:

This mini series is just beyond gorgeous. Very dark in many places which makes gif-ing a bit difficult but still, amazingly filmed. I’ll probably repost some of these gifs as separate gif sets because otherwise it’d be a waste.

Conclusion

I REALLY RECOMMEND THIS, despite a few shortcomings (that mainly have to do with - not enough time -).

In Germany, it will air on ZDF on consecutive nights from 1-3 October 2017 at 10 pm! If it’s not been shown in France yet, keep your eyes peeled, because I’m sure it will be (half of it was filmed in French and it’s a French co-production so... one would hope so). A German-language DVD will be available on amazon.de starting on 4 October.

#maximilian: das spiel von macht und liebe #maximilian and marie de bourgogne #medieval #15th century #mary of burgundy #maximilian of habsburg #meta #mini series: maximilian (2017)#mine: musings #mine: gifs #*pd #*pd: german #*pd: european #honestly the subtitle is the stupidest thing about this #so i tend to ignore it #everything else is A+#the last episode just needed some more minutes

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