mc-critical

[mc-critical]

I don't know why I am

The way I am

Not strong enough to be your man

- Not Strong Enough, boygenius

#so good #magnificent century #sultan suleyman #sehzade mustafa

[mc-critical]

I am not going to defend myself, Your Majesty. Whatever I say, your decision will not change anyway. I could calm you by denying it, but I don't intend to do it. Throw me into the fire like you did with your family and other people you loved. [...] So this is [absolute loyalty] why you killed them all? Hatice, Ibrahim, Mustafa, Çihangir...I remember how our father Selim Han died. He didn't die easily. God did not let him leave this world without suffering first. The same fate awaits you!

Fatma + roasting Suleiman to his face (and to others)

Happy (belated) Birthday Plami! @mc-critical

#ahhh thank you so much again! 💓 #I love this edit and Fatma is also great 😍😍 #her being the MC blood sultana furthest from the dynasty yet still endorsing some of it #acting as a transition of sorts to the greater ruthlessness of the period MCK is set in #it's interesting to analyze her relationship with the dynasty and how it shifts more subtly but importantly #her roasting SS also undergoes *some* evolution as you mentioned #so yeah #love this and love ya 😘 #magnificent century #fatma sultan

[mc-critical]

I need my golden crown of sorrow My bloody sword to swing My empty halls to echo with grand self mythology Because I am no mother, I am no bride I am King

(King by Florence and the Machine)

For @mc-critical

#ohh this is great and the song fits Kösem perfectly👌 #thank you! 🩷 #magnificent century: kösem #kosem sultan

[mc-critical]

If only you knew my dear

How I live my life in fear

- The State of Dreaming, Marina

For my dear birthday girl Plami @mc-critical ❣️

#awwww <3333 #hatice my love 💜💜 #this is just wonderful #and ya know what? #i've *always* associated just this song with Hatice #it fits it fits so well with her character and arc #thank you so much for this and i'm so happy to be your friend 🤗🤗🤗 #(i don't know how i've inspired this marvelous idea but i'm happy to have anyway 😄😆)

[mc-critical]

S3! Mahidevran sultan + The burden of love and duty

I'm ready to burn in hell to keep you safe.

Orla Gartland / Anne Carson / Japanese Breakfast / Benjamin Alire Sáenz / Margaret Atwood / Sarah Kinsley

#aaaaaahhh <333 #why did this fly under my radar I don't even know #but it's marvelous! #illustrates so much about Mahi and her struggles #it really manages to encapsulate absolutely everything #the past she's lost her strive to navigate a rocky present to achieve a better future #it's not easy but she has to it's the only thing left to cling to now #all the details and colors also <3333 #adore it sm #magnificent century #mahidevran sultan

[mc-critical]

Magnificent Century is such an interesting name for a show when you think about it a bit. “Magnificent” is the title Europeans had given to Süleyman, in Turkish he is the “Lawgiver”. And “Magnificent Century” as a name is seeing the time period in question from the perspective of the future, it is a name given by someone who knows that the subsequent centuries weren’t that magnificent. It is simultaneously both Eurocentric and nationalistic and pessimistic and also consciously more about historiography and myth-making than actual history. It does describe the show quite well.

#oh yes precisely! #I've always adored how there's both glorification and irony in the title #and this is also why I'm always rather irked with dubs whose title is something other than Magnificent Century #because it's *this* title that captures the best the whole essence of the show #not 'Süleiman' or 'The Sultan's Harem' (these are the most frequent titles in other dubs it's always a variant of these) #the latter of which is quite reductive I feel (okay yes the harem features a lot in the show and the intrigues therein sure take precedence #a lot of the time but it can't be reduced to just that especially given the tonal shift and transition to the throne war in later seasons) #while the former kinda gives the wrong impression as to how prominent exactly SS is (in the beginning of the story especially #where what mainly involves him are campaign subplots that are precisely that... subplots and of course he's there in the other stuff but #pretty much as much as the rest are there too. if people watching the show in their dub see the title they could think it's mainly SS and #his reign and his campaigns... it's not. now don't get me wrong of course SS is very central and at the end of the day it all still circles #around him. but not in the way this title implies i think. it's a better title than the latter and i get why some dubs would name the show #that. but it still sits wrong with me somewhat.) #magnificent century

[mc-critical]

I think Beyhan won't prompt Hatice to seek revenge precisely because she likens her to herself a bit too much*. She knows that Hatice is still grieving, that her wound is way fresh and very staunchly stresses the fact that she needs all possible support she could be given in such a moment. To Beyhan, it's like Hatice isn't even in the state to act on her feelings, because the pain and helplessness are just this big, or at least shouldn't be in that state, because "she has responsibilities", "she has to endure" (E83). She can only dwell on everything and try to process it, rely on "time" to help her heal and take solace in her children just like Beyhan herself has. I feel the reason why Beyhan so firmly insisted for Şah to act before something else happens, before "the dynasty gets destroyed" is not just because she herself can't, but also because in Beyhan's eyes, Şah is the only one who can. If it's about the welfare of the dynasty, Şah is the one who should maintain order, as she is the person who positions herself as unaffected and capable and the rest are away in mourning, 'too lead by their emotions'. If it's about vengeance, Şah is the one who should pursue it for all of their sakes. And as to why she may can't, why she holds back, why she waits, Beyhan can think of one single motive: her sister is afraid to face Hürrem in order not to lose too and, in a more metaphorical sense, afraid to face the cumulative source of hurt itself (that includes his majesty), leaning on her own 'selfish' comfort instead. Just like Beyhan.

*after what happened to Ibrahim, as she understandably couldn't before, no matter how hard Hatice tried to empathize.

#yeah i get we can't be entirely sure since there's so much about Beyhan's inner life we don't know about #but from what we can extrapolate from canon... #anyway Beyhan is so interesting y'all #I had been thinking about this ever since the possibility came up here #I instinctively leaned towards 'no' but I didn't figure out exactly why until today #and since I'm on a Beyhan mood (thanks Sol! <33) I decided to add my two cents #hope this is okay #magnificent century #muhteşem yüzyıl #muhtesem yuzyil #beyhan sultan #hatice sultan #sah sultan

[mc-critical]

Minor Ladies Month - Beyhan Sultan × Quote

My mourning is over, sure, time has swept it away. But the heart can't forget some things, the heart can't forget even if you want to. I still do not have a husband, my children still don't have a father. Sometimes, they ask me "Why did our father die? Who killed him?". I become speechless, your majesty, I can not say a word. I can not say that my brother killed him.

#aaaah sol don't do this to me 😭😭 #she's so great and awesome I love her so much #the idea is wonderful the edit is marvelous and the tags are so on point! <33 #what happened to beyhan was indeed an omen for things to come later #and it's interesting how her mourning both parallels and contrasts Hatice's (but parallels MCK Gevherhan's even more) #and it's also interesting that she has shielded her children from that reality (I had *totally* forgotten that ngl) #it's really like what you mentioned about silence - it cuts so deep you can't speak anything out loud #only you feel it so strongly and since no one else could get it #the only thing you are left with is your last remaining source of comfort to latch onto #and you latch onto it hard and you can't talk about your experiences next to it perhaps not only due to how it would hurt them #but also due to how it would hurt *you* yet again if you recall it #recognizing that it's all still there haunting you even in that supposed comfort #and hence you don't let it out and don't do anything except hint at it in front of those who know about it #the 'i can't say my brother killed him' line says quite a lot about the way Beyhan views family also #family and dynasty and these values hold such power and weight to her actually that she can't even entirely *process* the fact that #her brother *her brother* of all people dealt her the most fatal blow #but this is still something she can't and won't ever take lightly so she disowns him as part of the family anyway #but doesn't really the rest of them as she still comes back as a support #and her actually believing in this sense of family and this unity in a sense and these values also explains even more her opposing Şah #as it's like she stands by when a threat (or perhaps *yet another threat*) is there to 'wreck' the status quo yet again when she's the one #who *can* actually act against her (unlike Beyhan in her mind most probably due to all the reasons you and I mentioned) #all in all Beyhan loves them so much and stands by them and what they and the dynasty believe in SO MUCH and YET.... #sorry for going on this tangent like that #but what I also adore about Beyhan is that we see so little but can extrapolate so much #it's like she's such a rich character with such a rich inner life and this is an *amazing* feat for merely a background character #and how she fits the themes and the acting with eyes you mentioned that help even more #aghhh #she should've gotten more screentime but a part of me kind of enjoys how much we have even with such little info and how it's like we've #merely just peaked behind the curtain #beyhan sultan

[mc-critical]

Alize Gördüm as Nergisşah Sultan in Muhteşem Yüzyıl for #MinorLadiesMonth (with special dedication for @palaceoftears ♥️)

#cutie <3 #magnificent century #nergissah sultan

[mc-critical]

Rewatched the last Fatma scenes some days ago and I can't stop thinking of what would've Mahi told her after she lost her baby & attacked Ayse. Idk I feel sad that such opportunity to see what Mahi thinks of her s1 actions on s3 & how this makes her bond with Fatma was thrown away so easily. Pretty much like her miscarriage was never ever touched again during the series and this was a chance for her mature self to talk about it? Still even when we didn't get to see it, I think the way she wanted to handle Fatma's situation it's admirable and like one of the few cases when a concubine's mental health it's taken into consideration. Maybe that's what she feels would've helped her back on s1 (and she did experience how taking distance stopped her of being absorbed by palace stuff) and that's why she acts like that.

#yes absolutely #i'm not really surprised that we were stripped away from the opportunity to see Mahidevran reflect on what happened to her in S01 sadly #the miscarriage was just forgotten the moment it happened and then got just a single passing mention in E25-6 and that was it #and now with S03 it's like the focus lies more heavily on Mahi distancing from her past predicament and thriving in a new environment #so we see how she behaves now and this is how the contrast between her older and newer self manifests #leaving room for a subtler showcase of character development as so little can tell you so much #like her constant warnings towards Fatma for example #and how she tells her not to cry for it will hurt the baby in E71 #(and even her telling Taşlicali that she understands when he said that he 'sent a letter to his relatives' in E72) #(that's very besides the point but still I feel it's clear that there's something a little deep seated and personal lying there) #(just like with the Fatma stuff - it definitely fits the subtler showcase of development I mentioned) #I think all of this also has quite a bit to do with S03 Mahidevran being the closest to the ways of the tradition #her personal motives and goals align the most with it #so that combined with the less tension around her allows her to diligently exercise it and navigate everything with a clearer head #according more importance to what should be done to keep order in her son's harem and keep him out of harm's way #that line about Fatma in particular.... #Mahi has pretty much always had kind of a turbulent relationship with Fatma #first she viewed her ambition regarding Mustafa as her going too far #then she disproved of her direct and vocal stance against Helena due to it disrupting order #and then Fatma discarding litetally all the warnings Mahi gave her for the sake of that sadness and grudge Fatma felt #but this line reveals something crucual along with everything else: Fatma can be a nuisance but she's loyal and that counts #bringing forth the theme of loyalty from this season from Mahi's perspective as well #and of course Mahi would value and cherish loyalty even more now as she's faced betrayal before and actual loyal people must be there #though that sense of tragedy and loss is also there all the same and Mahi *has felt it* #it's way better someone Fatma relies on in a sense (and Mahi relies on her too) to talk to her than to leave her alone in her misery #it's all intertwined it's a thing Mahi feels she should do both to settle stuff as someone who literally has to as a harem ruler #before it gets worse and to be next to someone in their struggle in that human way #(i'm also wondering does this also feed into Mahi's post-Musti S04 mentality of staying strong in the face of adversity #while lifting others up? because she was affected by little Süli's death too as she wanted to seek revenge through Fahriye? hmm 🤔) #mahidevran sultan

[mc-critical]

November is Minor Ladies Month!

For the month of November, fymagnificentwomen would like to spotlight some of the less-celebrated women of Muhteşem Yüzyıl and Kösem, encouraging content that features characters with minor, guest, or supporting roles in the drama.

Who qualifies as a minor female character? For the sake of clarity, we’ll define minor ladies as those who are either not titled ‘Sultan’, or those who are but not listed in or directly after the opening credits. (An incomplete list of characters may be found below; questions concerning eligibility may be directed to the askbox).

Below is the list of some characters that you may use (for inspiration):

Sultanas and Imperial Mothers: Ayşe Hümaşah, Ayşe [mother of Nergisşah], Beyhan, Esmahan, Fatma, Nazenin, Nergisşah, Rana; Ayşe [daughter of Kösem], Fatma [daughter of Kösem], Hanzade, Hatice Muazzez, Kaya, Saliha Dilaşub.

Cariyes and Favorites: Ahsen, Ayşe [season 1], Cihan, Dilşah, Efsun, Elif, Esma, Firuze, Gülbahar (Olivia), Gülezar, Gülnihal, Helena, Nadia, Nazlı, Nilüfer, Nurbahar, Olga, Rümeysa, Sadika; Afitap, Elanur, Eycan, Firdevs, Gülbahar’s Girl Squad, Katerina, Mahfiruz, Nihan, Sanavber, Şayeste, Şivekar, Yasemin.

Palace Staff: Afife, Canfeda, Daye, Fahriye (Diana), Fidan, Gülfem, Gülşah, Gülşan, Melek, Nigar, Rakel; Cennet, Dudu, Ester Kira, Gölge, Lalezar, Madame Marguerite, Meleki, Menekşe, Narin.

Beyond the Palace: Anna Jagiellon, Armin, Aybige, Cehver, Eftalya, Elenika, Esmanur, Gabriela Sfenzi de Feo, Gracia Mendes Nasi, Isabella Fortuna, Isabella Sforza Szapolyai, Monica Gritti, Rita, Saliha, Silvia, Zeynep; Akile, Catherine of Brandenburg, Falcı, Kalika.

Content featuring relationships with major female or male characters is welcome, permitting there is equal focus on the minor character.

Finally, don’t forget to use the tag #minorladiesmonth to share your creations as part of this month’s event!

#once again great idea Jo! #hope i get inspo for something till the end of the month #magnificent century #magnificent century: kösem #minorladiesmonth #signal boost

[mc-critical]

Just thinking how Hürrem was given freedom by Suleiman, which literally did not mean a change in her life other than prestige brought by marriage - she continued to be mentally dependent on him and got absorbed into the system even more… Suleiman’s rejection of Mahidevran, which also contributed to him refusing her freedom (yes she never stood a chance because he never loved her and his favoritism was what decided fates in that system in the end), actually freed her in the long run mentally and emotionally. It was the moment she decided to give up on him and slowly walked towards her full mental independence. And while she still had to obey certain rules imposed by the system due to her having her prince, upon his death, she stopped giving shit and finally voiced all the anger about Suleiman and the system. She lost all the “golden cage”, but she gained freedom from constraints of mind and emotion that the system put on individuals. She was free to get most reflection about the system & form critique of it without being an active part of it any longer. A sad freedom but the truest one any of these women got.

#❤️❤️❤️❤️ #magnificent century #sultan suleiman #mahidevran sultan

[mc-critical]

One thing you need to give Sultain Suleiman though - he was "fair" in that he screwed over everybody in the end.

#yup #YUP. #magnificent century #sultan suleiman

[mc-critical]

Ah, now looking through the reblogs again, it seems that @faintingheroine specified who inspired the post. Can we end this already, pls?

Dear MC fandom:

You can hate on female characters too

Kind regards,

A proud hater

[mc-critical]

Minette, girl, this is just a general post, they're not slandering me in any way. 😀 This is a position on MC's female characters that @faintingheroine has pretty much always had, it's just now she made a seperate post about it. Besides, I've never said anything about never hating female characters (I also haven't posted since forever), so I don't see how I could have inspired the post. (and I don't make anything of the Mahidevran remark either, @desmoonl is just not a Mahi fan and that's totally fine, btw.)

Dear MC fandom:

You can hate on female characters too

Kind regards,

A proud hater

[mc-critical]

Hehe, I'm still here, just lurking... 😋😋

I just didn't react to this when it was posted, because well, it's a meme, and tbf, I really don't have the strength to initiate discourse at the moment (rl and stuff). As for Mahidevran's whole personality revolving around her being petty and entitled, why argue when I have a blog full of Mahidevran metas that delve into why it's not quite like that? 😜 I feel like I've said my share (at least until I find something new and/or start actually rewatching the show tho), so at this point I just move on when I disagree with something.

'Mahidevran and Hürrem were both evil and made mistakes'

#magnificent century

[mc-critical]

"literally though - pick a fucking lane"

And this is still the Firuze arc, by the way! (well, their conversation in the scene wasn't about Firuze, but about Mustafa's actions towards Helena and Mahidevran's upbringing and E55 comes up again and Hürrem says that all she's gone through is because of SS and then SS replies, but still??) So that makes it even worse and screw him!

'You're not the reason for everything I do' says the man who is doing this specifically in order to hurt his wife'

#magnificent century