#girlboss has concubines

[anti-chuck-noris]

No elder scrolls character is straight

#none of them. #this is not up for debate. #I genuinely can’t think of one character that would be heterosexual #maybe almalexia bc that’d be funny but ooc #girlboss has concubines #tes #skyrim #morrowind #the elder scrolls

[hils79]

Hils Watches Mysterious Lotus Casebook - Ep 38

I'm quite tired after a day of adventuring but @dancing-out-in-space and @hphaeton said this is a good episode and I deserve a treat on my birthday so let's do this :D

Yeah, girlboss your way into world domination with your enslaved malewife

I mean everyone else in this seems to be poly. Why don't you marry Di Feisheng and have Li Lianhua as your concubine

Uh...holy shit?

Is he going to rescue Di Feisheng?? :D :D :D

Di Feisheng: refuses speak or even to even open his eyes to look at Jiao Liqiao even after she stabs him Jiao Liqiao: Oh, btw, Li Xiangyi is also locked up here Di Feisheng: bitch, I will kill you

"Are you enjoying me chained up, bloody and sweaty?" Love that he knows Li Lianhua is there even though Di Feisheng has his eyes closed and Li Lianhua is hiding around a corner behind a screen.

Please say 'I'd rather have you'

They're going to hide...in the wedding chamber...

They're hiding in the wedding chamber and they're both in their underwear. I mean I know Di Feisheng can barely move but still!

Di Feisheng: There's a high probability that what I'm about to do will kill me Li Lianhua: How dare! I just saved you!

I am having a lot of feelings about the fact that Di Feisheng gave his energy to Li Lianhua and now Li Lianhua is returning the favour. They are inside each other now.

I don't think I have ever seen either of them smile and laugh so openly like this. I need to go and lie down.

IN A BRIDAL CHAMBER NO LESS! I'm fine. Also, I love that they have somehow managed to find clothes in their exact size and individual styles

There's only one bed. Just saying.

Dude you literally just had a moment about stopping challenging him to a fight

Are they seriously pausing their romantic alone time IN THE BRIDAL CHAMBER to solve a mystery

Oh no! I love him.

XIAOBAO IS HERE TO SAVE HIS MAN

DAMN SON

I mean every time he did anything you accused him of being evil again but yes you were right about him

The OT3 is a proper OT3 now with no hidden agendas or secrets between then. And I think Li Lianhua and Di Feisheng got re-married so that's cool.

#hils watches #hils watches mysterious lotus casebook #hils watches cdramas #mysterious lotus casebook #cdrama

[silviakundera]

silvia's drama watching queue for 2024: a somewhat random assortment of stuff that was rec'd and for some reason feels it might scratch an itch

in progress - started & I swear I'm gonna finish

* Empresses in the Palace - I'M DOING IT BABYYYYY. 9 episodes down. Yes, the emperor looks like your grandpa and so far has the personality of stale toast. But as long as I don't imagine him naked (no, grandpa, no! it's time for your nap!) then it has this vibe of those Masterpiece Theatre productions I watched as a preteen and I already am recognizing tons of famous tropes (some elements of Job of Imperial Concubine already 3x funnier). Also I appreciate a horror story with a high body count and we have 3 victims already 👌

* Derailment - Modern cdrama that I know is great. I'm 3 ep in, just gotta be in the right mood

* Legend of Fei - Wuxia; got distracted halfway through last year but love the 2 lead actors. Not their best work but still.

* Fireworks of my Heart - what if china did a modern Persuasion adaption but he's a fireman and she's a nurse, basically. kinda. idk man, it has those same vibes for me. I like both lead actors (yes I'm on the YY Can Act Sometimes, When He Feels Like It defense squad. fight me). I'm like 1/3 of the way thru, need to be in that melancholy romantic wallow mood. But mmm I do love second chance + pining.

* Secret Romantic Guesthouse - a wild kdrama appears! Historical drama about saving your inn from debtors by finding a missing royal & turning him over to be murdered. you know, just girlboss things. 💁 Some mystery, some romance. I like the FL. Not much slapstick humor or people screaming at each other so far, which will make me tap out. 4 episodes in and it's quite watchable. I'll probably finish.

not started

* The Left Ear because why not? teens being realistically messy 👌

* Go Ahead - so this may sound strange but I've been holding back on this one a long time, until my work hours were less insane & I can focus. Universally beloved, one of the top cdramas. I'll sink my teeth into this Modern in 2024.

* The Blessed Girl cause it sounds like my jam

* Fake It Till You Make It - modern romance that I've seen rave reviews for. Pretty confident I'll love it.

* Gone with the Rain cause dangermousie's posts seduced me. Costume drama.

* West out of Yeman/Parallel World - multi-verse modern with a lil sci fi? I love multiverse and time travel \o/

* Wonderland of Love - historical romance with generals and some court intrigue, a happy ending. On paper, my kind of stuff. But will I make it thru 40 ep depends on how much I vibe with the otp

Maybe

Choice Husband (12 eps romantic comedy, then turns into blood and manipulation? sounds intriguing)

Moonlight - modern workplace drama, editor/author. Reviews are mixed but I have affection for how cdrama scriptwriters will obsessively research a topic in the style of an AO3 fic writer. I expect to learn more than I ever wanted to know about the toils of being an editor.

Marry My Husband - I don't watch many kdramas but I turn up for tropey reborn every time. If they deliver on the promise of a ridiculous but entertaining romance revenge then I'm there.

#drama review #cdrama

[tiredbitchposts]

Idk if this is niche or a complete normal thought to have, but do y'all know those imperial harem novels? Yeah, so i actually do have a top three MXTX characters that i would like to see in one of those, like, would they fare well? I don't know but i want to see them inside the genre. First of all, Jin Guangyao, y'all can't look at me in the face and tell me this man is not a white lotus/green tea bitch, this dude would make killing as concubine, no joke, and i think he could become the empress if he does not girlboss a little too close to the sun this time. Second, Shen Qingqiu, this dude just gives of the vibes of a relaxed favored concubine, he makes a few friends inside the harem and with his servants, but he doesn't care for becoming the empress because his and his family's position is already good enough, he just wants to mind his business and do his own thing. Third, Xie Lian, if you tell me this man doesn't give of the vibes of a princess forced inside the harem of the enemy kingdom where she's neglected to hell and back i'll just know you're lying, he has the smallest budget inside the imperial palace and it shows

#Shen Qingqiu #shen yuan #jin guangyao #meng yao #xie lian #xie lan #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #scum villain #scum villans self saving system #tgcf #heaven official's blessing

[fincalinde]

thank you so much for all your great jgy meta! i know you mostly post about xiyao, but i was wondering if you had any thoughts on su she?

I'm embarrassed! I'm blushing!

Seriously thanks though. I'd write just as much meta about LXC on his own if people asked me about it, since neither character is represented in particularly grounded ways by fandom. But JGY is the one who is the recipient of a baffling amount of hate, so I do tend to write about him on his own more.

But OK, it's Minshan's turn. I'm sure you'll be astonished that I don't think I've seen much if any textually-grounded portrayals of SMS. I'm not going to write an entire thesis on how to write him in a way that's consistent with what we see in canon, but I'll highlight a couple of points I think are notable and should be taken into account when writing him.

Gaslight

I like SMS and I think he's actually really interesting. I really try not to look over the parapet much in fandom, but obviously considering my interests I've been exposed to a lot more material on the subject of SMS and JGY than the subject of SMS and LWJ. I think SMS' weird hate-filled parasocial obsession with LWJ shouldn't be neglected when writing him. SMS wants to be LWJ but he hates the idea of anyone thinking he wants to be LWJ. SMS founded his own clan which means he must have a wife and children (and concubines too for all I know), but if he's feeling gay feelings for anyone it's probably LWJ.

LWJ represents SMS' fragile sense of self; SMS doesn't simply want to succeed outside the Lan, he wants to be a better Lan than the Lan. But he can't admit that to himself, so he reacts with fury whenever the comparison is made. My personal read on SMS is that his LWJ obsession doesn't have a sexual element, but it wouldn't necessarily be inconsistent with what we do see of him. Still, I think the more grounded read is that his LWJ obsession is the mirror of his relationship with JGY. Don't forget, the Moling Su would have crashed and burned not long after being founded if JGY hadn't intervened and supported them. He is very happy to be JGY's subordinate because JGY treats him with respect (which I speculate also means politely never drawing attention to the fact that SMS is baring his neuroses to the entire world by cosplaying as LWJ). Meanwhile LWJ, who has never respected SMS and will never respect him, inspires the opposite: SMS is desperate to best LWJ despite knowing deep down it's never going to happen.

Gatekeep

Let's get this out of the way: the relationship between JGY and SMS is firmly situated in the master-servant dynamic. Suffice to say that SMS is doggedly loyal to JGY in a supportive capacity, and the core of their relationship is reflected in its origins: JGY as a benevolent master and SMS as a devoted lackey. SMS is loyal to JGY because JGY treated him with kindness and support at a time when he was extremely politically vulnerable. JGY's kindness towards SMS is a combination of his usual politeness, hospitality and excellent memory, and his political support of SMS is a savvy move of its own as it nets him an ally who is loyal to him as a person rather than to the Jin as a whole.

My read on JGY's tears when SMS dies is that they're sincere both in the sense that he'll grieve SMS and also that he's just lost his best and most loyal servant. There's no indication he's lost a dear friend, and it's important to also remember his casual 'thanks' when SMS offers to sacrifice himself. SMS is, again, making this sacrifice as a lackey not as a friend of equal standing or a potential lover.

I like SMS fine and I really like his relationship with JGY. JGY obviously trusts him deeply but they both appear happy with the master-servant dynamic and haven't in all their years of collaboration moved towards the kind of warm and intimate friendship JGY has with LXC. Knowing JGY's secrets does not necessarily mean being closest to JGY emotionally.

Girlboss

We get a lot of conflicting information in canon about SMS' power level and talents, so it's not surprising that portrayals of him in fandom vary from incompetent to underestimated genius. I think what can sometimes be missing from these reads is an awareness of context.

One of the main things I've seen raised as evidence that SMS is actually a gifted cultivator is his utilisation of the transportation talisman. Being able to teleport in this manner is very difficult because of the large amount of power it requires. So, fair enough, there's no doubt that SMS has access to a decent amount of raw power. He's prospered alongside JGY so it's not surprising he's been able to develop his cultivational reserves and/or strengthen his core.

This doesn't really indicate that his strength is exceptional, though. The way these moments play out, it seems that cultivators at or above that power level are around. This is an impressive feat but it's not an astonishing one. Portraying SMS as weak contradicts canon, but I can't see any evidence that he's exceptionally strong in the context not just of the jianghu but of the (for the most part) exceptionally powerful cultivators who comprise much of the main cast.

So SMS is definitely a reasonably powerful cultivator, which again is to be expected considering the resources available to him (education amongst the Lan, the patronage of JGY). But it doesn't necessarily follow that SMS himself is exceptional.

SMS and the Moling Su practise similar and/or identical techniques to the Lan and canonically are inferior musicians. There's room for some subjectivity here insofar as we know that at the Burial Mounds the variations in their playing are dismissed by the Lan as standard incompetence when what is actually happening is that the blended melody technique is being used to drain their spiritual power. I think this kind of thing is why SMS is read by some as being more gifted than the text initially indicates.

However. The disguised melody technique is a technique invented by JGY. JGY specifically develops this technique in order to blend Turmoil and Cleansing when playing for NMJ. I sincerely doubt that conveniently SMS came up with the same idea independently. It seems obvious to me that JGY is the one if not developing these specific variations and sharing them with the Su, then at least he has introduced SMS to the concept so that SMS can develop his own disguised melodies. The genius at work here is that of JGY.

#ask #testblog-54 #roquen meta

[mmkin]

Agamemnon and Clytemnestra

So I've enjoyed Greek mythology as a child, and I enjoy various iterations and retellings of the stories, in movies, TV shows, books, etc etc. But then the same goes for fairy tales as well as myths from other cultures. But anyway, this post is about Clytemnestra. I watched the movie Troy: Fall of a City on Netflix, read the novel Elektra by Jennifer Saint, and have come across discussions of Clytemnestra, some who think she's a girlboss, some who say she's a shitty person and personally I have a middle of the road perspective of her. I'm not badmouthing Agamemnon. The gods ordered him to sacrifice Iphigenia, this was not something he wanted to do, and doing so caused him much grief. Not sacrificing her was also not an option. Agamemnon was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place, because no man should have been asked to do that. But I can't blame Clytemnestra for killing him. I mean, come the fuck on. She was living life peacefully with her husband and children, and another one on the way. The pact the Greeks made with one another to not fight over Helen was working. No one counted on a non-Greek dude running off with Helen, and because of the vow he'd made, Agamemnon had to go do his duty. No one wants to see their husband go off to war. Goodbyes were had, and I am certain they were at least bittersweet. She faced what was possibly years of being basically a single mother. She couldn't Skype/facetime/text her husband. Then the summons come - Agamemnon has arranged a marriage for their oldest daughter, Iphigenia. And being a good wife, Clytemnestra brings her daughter to her husband, expecting to be the mother-in-law of a hero. Instead, her daughter has her throat slashed open, and Agamemnon and the rest of the Greeks continue their journey to Troy, leaving behind a shocked and grieving mother.

She's bound to have survivor's guilt for her part in bringing Iphigenia to her death. Mix that in with a immense betrayal of trust from her husband - because what parent wouldn't be reeling if their partner was responsible for the death of their child - and very possibly PPD because she just had her baby. Brew all that together, and living in a time where there was no such thing as therapy, and it's not hard to see why Clytemnestra evolved as she did. 10+ years is a long time for all of these emotions and issues to brew into a vengeful mindset.

I am not defending the way she treated her children. Mental illness is no excuse for abusing or neglecting your kids, but I do not blame Clytemnestra at all for taking up a new lover and then killing Agamemnon when he came home. I mean, he didn't seriously think he could lie to his wife like that about their child and then come home with a captive Trojan concubine? Haha come the fuck on. Clytemnestra reacted to the situation in what is pretty much a normal way, at least as far as Agamemnon is concerned.

#agamemnon #clytemnestra #greek mythology #mythology #the iliad

[dragongutsixofficial]

Aline is finally getting a detailed character sheet thanks to @onyxedskies's fe3h oc template !! = D best girl deserves the world

The others are coming soon (about damn time)

Character Info: Aline von Hresvelg

Names and aliases: 

        Name (English): Aline

        Full name (English): von Hresvelg 

        Aliases (English): the Helianth (spy alias)

Biological Information:

        Gender: gaslight gatekeep girlboss

        Race: Human

        Birthday: 01/26

        Fodlan birthday: 26th of the Guardian Moon

        Age: 23 before timeskip - 28 post-timeskip

        Relatives: older sister to Edelgard von Hresvelg , Adel von Hresvelg, Loki Blaiddyd von Hresvelg 

        Nationality: Adrestian Empire

        Hometown: Enbarr

        Residence: Garreg Mach Monastery

        Factions: Imperial army/Alliance (temporarily)

        Occupations: gardener, spy, big sister 

Backstory:

Early Life:

Aline is Edelgard's older sister, and her mom was a concubine of Ionius' that hailed from Duscur. Aline herself was far from being the first in the imperial line of succession before the experiments, being somewhat in the middle. Being raised in the midst of political intrigues with largely absent parents, all the siblings formed a very tight-knit group and once her little siblings came to the world, Aline herself picked up the big sister mantle.

The experiments her family underwent at the hands of TWSITD left her physically and mentally scarred and having lost most of the people she ever cared about, as well as with a deep hatred of anyone who ever allowed this to take place in the first place, including her own father. Perhaps even more infuriating was that now that TWSITD had a puppet they could put on the throne in the person of Edelgard, Aline was declared officially dead to clear up the succession line and only allowed to live so long as she was useful. 

Academy Phase:

When Edelgard came to her with her plans to dismantle the system, she was all in. Aline's main motivation has always been her siblings' safety and happiness, and that means she is ready to do whatever it takes for them to get that happy ending. Thus, though she has a very strong moral compass, she is a very morally grey character and is ready to stab anyone in the back if that means achieving her goal. Combined with her official death making things easier and TWSITD's help, who allow her to magically cover all the traces left by the experiments on her to avoid  any embarassing questions, she turns into an assassin and a spy for the Empire and gets hired as a gardener at Garreg Mach monastery at the start of the game, where she can befriend pretty much anyone and listen in on their secrets. 

Timeskip Phase:

After the battle of Garreg Mach, Aline settles in Derdriu as a gardener, where she stays close with the Golden Deer, who she spies on for the Empire. In the meantime, she volunteers to help Claude get war intel by putting the relationships she made with the staff of the monastery in good use- and takes control of a whole net of spies, thus controlling whatever info Claude gets on Edelgard's plans while covering her own tracks.

War Phase:

Aline remains in Derdriu until the Alliance falls, after which she joins up with the rest of the Imperial Army and joins the battle in an official manner. She also reverts to her real appearance.

Post-Canon:

After the war, Aline keeps watching out for Edelgard and helping out as much as she can. Later on, she moves to Faerghus with Loki, where they help rebuild the Kingdom as she gets to reconnect with her Duscurian heritage, something she could never do in the Empire. She becomes a real gardener, this time.

Personality:

        Aline is a smart woman who can be as incredibly kind and compassionate as cold and calculating. She is a very social person and very good at keeping her emotions in check. But her number 1 priority will always be her siblings : though she might love people, she will not hesitate to stab them in the back if they are a threat- sometimes going overboard and driving people away from her. This is also in part due to her instinctive mistrust of other people after the experiments.

As such, she also works on being more vulnerable and rebuilding her faith in people, as well as growing into a reliable friend, as time goes on.

Gameplay:

it's better for everyone's sanity if i don't try to do stats i know nothing about ; but her class is Assassin, with proficiency in both the bow and the sword. Her physical defense is low, and her physical strength and endurance have their limits, but her speed along with her evading skills make her a dangerous enemy. She relies more on strategy than direct confrontation to win her fights.

Recruitment:

Aline is not recruitable (she works like Jeritza).

Gift List: she loves flowers and spicy food !

Meal List: anything spicy will do.

Lost Items:

Brown hair dye: A half-used bottle of brown hair dye. Who could it belong to ?

Horticulture book: A horticulture book that's covered in brown dirt.

Earring: A bronze earring that looks familiar.

Quotes:

In The Monastery:

Choir Practice:

I used to sing my siblings to sleep when we were younger, so I'd like to say I'm a pretty good singer !

Cooking:

I’d better warn you: cooking is where I release all of my pent-up anger.

Counselor:

I'd like to grow more varied plants in the greenhouse, from outside of Fodlan even. I feel that would be very beneficial to both our students and the staff. However, they sometimes strive in climates and soils very different from Garreg Mach monastery, and I am not sure I would be able to care for them properly.

Dining Hall:

With Loki: I'm glad you're enjoying all that new food you're discovering.

With Edelgard : One day, we'll gorge on sweets together. I promise.

With Adel: Don't play with your food.

Gift:

Favorite: Oh ! This is a very thoughtful. Here- have some flowers in return !

Neutral: Thanks. That's really kind of you.

Disliked: Ooooh... thanks.

Lost Item:

Not theirs: Mh. This is not mine.

Theirs: Oh. Thank you. I can't believe I let this lie in the open like that !

Tea Party:

General: Thank you for inviting me ! Mh… That tea looks delicious.

Favorite Tea: Four-spice blend

Favorite Teas: "Oh… that's my favorite. Thank you. How did you know that ?"

Observe: And what exactly are you hoping to find ?

End: This was… great. Next time i'll have your favorite tea figured out.

Group Tasks: 

Stable Duty (with Edelgard):

Aline: It's been a long time since we've been able to hang around like this. This is nice.

Edelgard : Yes. I'm glad we can both take our minds of this war, if only for a moment.

Aline: Someday Edel, we'll have all the time in the world. Promise.

Weeding (with Loki):

Loki: I'm not sure I want to do this. 

Aline : Here. I'll show you how to do it.

Loki: Nope, nope, I don't want to be covered in dirt. I'll stick around as… moral support.

Sky Watch (with Adel):

Adel: Come on Al ! This is the life !

Aline : Wait for me !

Adel: No, you'll have to catch us !

Results:

Good: Haha ! What do you think of that ?

Battle Quotes:

When selected: I won't let you down.

War phase:

Full health: Mh.

Medium health: This is getting tough… I'll have to be careful.

Low health: I can't give up now !

Critical:

War phase:

Don't underestimate me ! 

 For my siblings !

 You never stood a chance.

 I'm sorry it came to this.

Facing a named enemy:

Facing someone she betrayed : Look, I'm… I'm sorry for everything. Not that this will change what I came here to do.

 It comes to this at last.

War phase:

Mh. 

Oof ! That was a tough one. 

 Hope they're doing okay out there.

 Ugh. That's a lot of blood.

 I'm sorry.

 Well, now that that's dealt with.

Ally Defeats Enemy:

I'm proud of you ! 

Stay careful out there !  

 I'll be backing you up. 

  Slay !

  Wow ! Impressive !

You've grown so much... Not that killing is good of course, but you get the idea.  

Retreat Quote:

War Retreat: I wasn't enough to protect them…

#fe3h #aline von hresvelg #my oc #onyxedskies #thanks so much!!! #hresvelg siblings

[hurremshiv]

What are your thoughts on Safiye?

I think Safiye was an awesome and interesting character and we should have seen more of her life.

I think that Safiye was a really interesting character. It's very easy to characterise her as someone solely motivated by her own power, but she does also genuinely care about her children. As seen by both her reaction to Fahriye's death and her rescuing baby Iskender when Mehmet III took the throne. It's not explored as much as it could be, but Safiye is a deeply traumatised person and it's clear that the massacre when her son took power affected her deeply. This doesn't mean that she didn't use her children as a way to get power, but there's a lot of complexity to her there.

Her relationship to other powerful women is also very interesting. She admires Hürrem even though she never met her. And the version of Hürrem that she looks up to is very telling: her power, influence and ruthlessness. Something which is only one facet of who Hürrem was. Her core humanity was also always a significant theme for Hürrem. And while she hid that from others, she never tried to lose it altogether or give it up completely. Meanwhile her humanity is something that Safiye feels the need to bury far deeper than Hürrem ever did. Warmth, fire, love and passion were all key to who Hürrem was. Whereas Safiye boasts that her heart is an 'expensive stone'. Colder, less moved by emotions but worth more (in her view). This reflects how so much of Safiye's original identity has been lost. And that's not entirely her fault either. Mihrimah was using her in her scheme against Nurbanu. And because of this Safiye had to lie about her past: saying that she was a Baffo and a Venetian when really she was Albanian. So her whole identity as 'Sultana of Sultanas, Safiye Sultan' is something that she's built from scratch. And these experiences honestly make it understandable why she's such a girlboss rights activist. Because her whole sense of who she is is so tied up in that. So it makes sense that she's the most regal Sultana. I'm glad that the show writers made the use of her historical correspondance with Elizabeth I, and I'm glad that it fit so neatly into this aspect of her characterisation. And I think Elizabeth the cat fits this so well. Because it highlights this and also adds the associated connotations of royalty that a cat inherently has (they're related to lions, and cats just have an inherently regal air to them).

She's also a deeply tragic character in her own way. The series opens with her having had to bury her true identity, (by implication) having suffered at Nurbanu's hands and lived through the cull of the heirs. And her death scene is framed as tragic and is probably one of her most humanising ones in the whole show. The point about her self-created identity gets emphasised by the fact that she dies as she takes the ring off her finger. Showing how dependent her identity and self-perception were on her status. And her whole speech to Kösem about the significance of the ring adds to this. And it shows how she also views the Sultanate of Women almost as a Dynasty in and of itself. Which emphasises her more regal attitude than hte other Sultanas as well. Which comes back again to that theme of how she has constructed her identity. And I'm glad that all of this was touched on because it gave such a sensitive approach to her death that I thought was very appropriate.

Finally, I do think she was somewhat done dirty because a lot of her life and therefore character growth happened between the end of MY and the beginning of MY:K. We never see her evolution from the concubine who's essentially a pawn in Mihrimah's power scheme to the powerful and ruthless Sultana she is in MY:K. I think there would have been a lot of complexity to explore there, and the fact that never got to happen did her a disservice. We were robbed of a Nurbanu vs. Safiye show.

#safiye sultan #magnificent century: kösem #magnificent century #answered #illusorybeing

[the-reincarnated-princess]

OK has anyone around read A Martial Master Wakes Up as a Concubine? OK some of the humor is a bit lewd but it is also SO funny like I was wheezing all throughout the 15 chapters that are up yet. And the plot has so many layers. Love triangle (with a twist). Secret identities. Bodyswaps. Courtly intrigues. Magic. I thought it was going to be just some Fish Out of Water/Girlboss/Harem story but it's just way more complexe and soooo funny again while avoiding showing anything (re: the slightly lewd humor, though that's not the only kind of humor in it).

I need to speak about it to someone. Anyway that's your formal recommendation to read it

#a martial master wakes up as a concubine

[lochnessies]

I guess my discomfort with the AM route could actually be summed up as

“I went straight from playing The Gayest House to the Most Heteronormative and Patriarchal House and even though it makes sense from a worldbuilding and storytelling standpoint, it still made for a very uncomfortable experience for me, the player.”

i’m not here to say what can and cannot make a person uncomfortable since that’s so heavily subjective and i personally also don’t like patriarchal undertones as well so i completely get it. however, i have always found it weird when people refer to the black eagles as the ‘gay house’ and act like that makes it superior to the others. i mean… i like edel, dorothea, and linhardt but their sexualities don’t make or break them for me as characters. and the ‘gayness’ of these characters only happen if you happen to s-rank them as the same sex and has no impact on the story. plus you can recruit 2/3 of them out of house and marry them there so it’s kinda irrelevant. the only house that doesn’t have canonically lgbt characters is golden deer and i’ve never seen people use that as a reason as to why they don’t like them. hell, i’ve seen people call them the ‘gayest house’ before. also blue lions does have a canon bisexual… mercedes. plus a lot of endings for the characters have a lot of homoerotic subtext… mercedes/annie, dedue/dimitri, dimitri/felix, sylvain/felix, dedue/ashe. opening an inn together, living together, being buried together, dying on the same day, loving a man more than his wife…. last i checked these are not very heteronormative things. quite the opposite actually lol

as for patriarchal…. are you sure you wanna say that about the kingdom rather than the empire? what makes the kingdom more patriarchal than the place that has a man drill into his daughter how to be the perfect wife, the emperor has lots of concubines, daughters are thrown to the streets, women are desperate for husbands bc it’s the only ways to gain stability, a woman used as a broodmare till it kills her, a noble woman with a crest can’t inherit her house and her daughter is almost forcibly married and raped to have children by her step father.

is it because a lot of the main characters for the plot are male rather than female? that’s not patriarchal it’s just slightly lazy bc patriarchy is systemic not a a problem of plot structure. once again, the golden deer only has judith as a female general/essential npc and the rest are men but i don’t see people get upset about that.

Imagine if I only played AM and I came away thinking this was a typical medieval fantasy where the men are all in leadership roles,

not all the men are leaders and some women are too. such as cornelia and edelgard and they hold a lot of it.

the women are all relegated to support roles and struggling against forced marriages,

no they are not. once again, edel and cornelia are major characters and definitely not supporting roles. also, nobody is being forced into marriage in the blue lions. ingrid’s father suggests suitors but she has complete control over saying yes or no. and in her endings she gets to be a knight. however, we do know forced marriages are a thing in the empire.

men act out their feelings with violence,

yeah, dimitri does get violent but it’s seen as extremely negative and as a sign of his poor mental health and lack of ability to rule at the moment. if this was a typical fantasy game then his violence would be praised and a sign of a warrior and king. dimitri has to let go of his violent impulses in order to become a good kings and as shown in ss/vw he will die if he continues down his self destructive path.

in azure moon byleth and everybody else is constantly telling dimitri to get his shit together where as cf everybody just vapidity nods along to edelgard’s violent impulses.

women in power are inherently suspect,

women are not inherently suspect due to their sex. they are suspect bc the main female characters are suspicious and they do shitty things that hurt the other characters and they are rightfully angry. hell, even male characters are suspect. for example thales and even dimitri himself is seen as suspicious during the academy arc.

hints of flirtation between women are aggressively shot down,

i assume this is about ingrid? i hate to tell you but rejecting somebody’s romantic advances isn’t homophobic and if you don’t respect people’s boundaries then i don’t want to be around you. all other female relationships are treated very well and the female characters admire and respect each other.

hints of feelings between men are treated awkwardly and uncomfortably.

once again, with feeling this time, opening an inn together, living together, being buried together, dying on the same day, loving a man more than his wife are not examples of feelings between men being treated awkwardly. hell, most of the deep and loving relationships are between men. some are strictly platonic (rodrigue/dimitri & gilbert/dimitri) and other are much more 👀. dimitri was even critiqued by some straight men bc he was so open about his feelings with bylad and many people read him as bisexual (my sister even hcs him as completely gay). he literally calls another man ‘irreplaceable’ and ‘cherished’ while he’s apparently shirtless.

Not knowing there’s a whole other route where multiple women are in charge,

just because a woman is in charge doesn’t mean she’s good at it and we know edelgard isn’t a good leader and is willing to stoop to the lowest of the lows. just bc she’s a lady doesn’t make her horrific actions suddenly #girlboss and #feminism

men pay women respect and never degrade them,

women are not above critique. and men don’t violent degrade women for no reason on blue lions (you could say felix and his ingrid supports but he’s a dick to everyone and sylvain whos a rampant misogynist regardless of route and the same could be said for lorenz on golden deer). also hubert does degrade petra and that’s a cf exclusive.

nobody ever suggests that there are inappropriate roles for any gender,

and i have good news! neither do blue lions! ingrid is wholeheartedly supported by her male peers and dimitri (by op’s definition a violent man) even wants her to be his knight and serve in his guard.

men are allowed to be soft,

dimitri, dedue, and ashe??? hello?!??

women are allowed to be aggressive,

ingrid and catherine??? hello????

everybody has at least one potential gay ending and it’s not treated as a shameful secret. 

i hate to be the one to tell you but none of the characters from any routes have explicate gay endings outside of the few with byleth. you can read into something all you want and make headcanons but that doesn’t change what is provided in canon. i find all the same sex endings in azure moon to have romantic undertones (outside of gilbert of course go home to your wife dude). and NONE of the endings are treated as a shameful secret. homosexuality is never talked about as being shameful in the game and that sounds like you projecting.

#asks

[dismyblog]

remarried empress could have just made rashta a noblewoman who got abandoned by viscount lotesshu's son when his father disapproved of the relationship.

i'm going to try and put this under a "read more" but im on mobile so idk if it will work

remarried empress is a very good story. yes the protagonist is an empress of a european inspired country and fuck noble system but in this case its a historical fantasy stand in for what its really about:

navier, a highly competent woman from a family with a history of highly competent women, working her ass of from childhood training to become the amazing and skilled leader she is and then getting cast aside by her husband and removed from her position because she wasn't like his mistress: cheerful, always smiling, adoring, beautiful, submissive, delicate, INFANTILE, and doing nothing but pouring praise and gratitude upon her man.

since its a romance story, navier is not hurting for love interests that actually value her skills and regal and offer her a way out as her husband and his mistress mistreat and humiliate her over and over but she remains by the emperor's side and shows a united front not for his sake but for the sake of her people and kingdom and because she knows the role of empress is what she wants and what fulfills her in a way no man ever could.

she only makes moves against rasta when she realizes that someone is blackmailing her, which could effect the emperor, which could, more importantly, effect her kingdom.

she only makes moves to take one of her love interest's offers and leave her husband when she finds out he's going to divorce her and take the job she worked so hard at her entire life.

it wasn't because she loved king henry, it was because he offered her the chance to remain a ruler first. if grand duke kaufman had come back to see her first she would have gone with him instead. being a leader is what fulfills her.

this is what makes navier the enjoyable protagonist she is. her goals in life come first and all she's looking for in a partner is someone who will help her reach them.

it wouldn't matter if she HAD turned out to be infertile. her skill at her job and the self worth it gave her far outweighed the fact that she was 30 and hadn't provided an heir yet. the eastern kingdom was only ass powerful as it was because she was such a great empress and partner to emperor sovieshu.

but all this is undermined by one thing: rashta is a slave.

and this isn't just some tasteless worldbuilding detail, its part of her backstory and her drive as a character. we SEE the horrors of slavery in the eastern kingdom.

and navier is the ruler of that kingdom. she's pure blooded nobility, descend from the upper class of nobles who have maintained and profited from slavery for generations.

there's not even an attempt to show navier is against slavery or doing anything to get rid of it. she just accepts that its the way things are and that a slave would never be able or worthy of taking her place.

she's the empress of this country. she complicit in this system. she the embodiment of "lawful good".

how am i supposed to simply see rashta as the greedy and power hungry mistress out to steal everything from navier with this? that's what the story wants me to think of her. that's how she's portrayed. a greedy woman that's desperate to be adored by everyone around her and the power that comes with it.

it doesn't work, the nobility of this country took everything from rashta down to her very freedom and rights as a person. all for their own gain. if she caught the eye of the emperor she deserves to take EVERYTHING she can from it and get all the comfort, luxury, and security she's never had. if she wants the throne she should take it. if she wants to secure herself by passing off the child she pregnant with as sovieshu's she should. if she wants to take the seat of empress for herself she should.

by not making rashta another noblewoman more equal to navier and instead making her a slave you turned rashta into a victim and navier into an indifferent ruler rashta has every right to hate.

it's taken us out of the story where "empress" and "concubine" was a historical fantasy stand in for "competent woman loses her job and husband because she "doesn't smile enough" and "seems cold" while her husband's mistress is "charming", "refreshing", and "adorably childlike" because she fits the ideal of the submissive infantile woman.

instead it makes them to much like their real life counterparts. it turns a great character like navier and makes her no different then any real world european queen. yeah "girlboss". great. still complicit in the horrors of slavery.

and rashta become someone who deserves not of the bad things that are going happen to her. her ending up scarred and locked in the tower awful not karma. her taking her own life is tragic.

i'm fully capable of seeing what the story wants me to see and appreciating the great character navier is so close to being. but then the story shoots itself in the foot.

and before anyone says anything. i know its a korean novel thats tackling the "historical european fantasy" genre. my points still stand. i really enjoy remarried empress but it's super imperialistic and the story and fandom does almost nothing to address it as they glorify navier and trash talk rashta.

#long post #rambling about webtoons #spoilers? #im not tagging it for the main tag

[silviakundera]

Empresses in the Palace ep 13

I really like bestie Meizhuang's practicality and no-nonsense style. Too bad she's definitely gonna die (since her name isn't Zhen Huan). Honestly, she and ZH should be the perfect team: ZH is the right amount of paranoid and distrusting, bestie is more pessimistic and calculating. But I think the flaw is, they're too permissive of each other. I mean, they give advice but aren't adamant and demanding about it. If you're really gonna say you're sisters, BE BOSSY ABOUT IT. smh

Tapping in Ling Rong was smart. I never agreed with them not keeping her close.

Poor Fourth Prince. It's both a terrible idea to get associated with a kid the emperor hates... and I wish Zhen Huan could afford to openly care about him. Seems like a good kid.

ZH loosening up when she thinks no one is watching and being playful with her maid is THE SADDEST THING because you are struck that this is the real her. And she has to hide this person at all times and walk a tightrope in the proper concubine act. Even with Meizhuang she is all politeness, isn't so free & easy.

Meet cute with the real Prince Guo. Except this is a horror story, so no such thing. "You must not tell this to anyone. Otherwise, I'll have no burial ground for my body."

I love the old consort. She just straight up leaves the party all, 'I've seen enough drama in my day. Too tired for all this bullshit.'

If she can see it clearly, why can't the emperor? tbh I think he can too. It just doesnt threaten or affect him so he doesn't care.

Hell workplace dinner where everyone is drinking bored, so they've ganged on someone for entertainment. Everyone is salivating at the spectacle of the protagonist embarassing themselves. So of COURSE protagonist will shock everyone with their Secret Special Skills™. It's a very cliche trope but I think most viewers would have to admit that WE LOVE IT. We all eat this shit up with a spoon.

Ep 14

IM SCREAMING. Hua Fei, I pledge fealty. Marry me. "Consort Fleur, what is the matter with you?" Wavering, coughing, making indigestion faces: "I have no greviance over anything. I lost my composure because I was overcome with emotions watching Lady Sourire's performance." The emperor keeps being like, oh REALLY babe but you're basic. When did you start liking poetry? and babygirl puts her whole pussy into it. 👏👏 Girlboss gaslight gatekeep.

ZH really out here eager to co-parent with Meizhuang and ready to rush back from kissing the emperor's ass. I know she legit was into him (why??) at the start but I feel like reality has set in and she's just playing the part now. She's drawing her and Meizhuang's names together with a heart in her Lisa Frank notebook and planning how to spend their golden years together after they pop out a couple kids.

Hua Fei, the light of my life, breaks down the politics of it all. She's very savvy and will be a near impossible opponent to defeat - unless, of course, you have the protagonist halo. or if bro starts losing battles.

Empress pops in to remind us that being the CFO also sucks. Endless, tireless smiling and benevolence. You can't even throw a coquettish tantrum or two for the luz.

The ghost of the empresses's sister that the emperor loved most lingers yet again. Did the empress kill her sister? The thunder & lightening say yes.

The mess with Ling Rong's dad and the pull of Hua Fei's brother great examples of how the harem struggles aren't really about 'a bunch of sad women fighting over a man'. Being in the harem is entering a circle of power and influence. Yes, the concubines aren't supposed to 'discuss state affairs' but that's a rule made to be circumvented. Pleasing the emperor can make him reward your noble family and factions of the harem are connections within powerful noble families. Because Ling Rong is there, even though the emperor doesn't remember her name she has strings to pull. Whether it works out this time for her, it's a recourse she wouldn't have otherwise. And Meizhuang is able to go straight to the emperor's residence and get an update on the situation and counsel from the head eunuch. They have influence and control beyond what other citizens have.

[of course, we can't forget the prize for this hunger games is the biggest of them all -- NO, not some royal dick, but having your kid be the next emperor. Putting your family in the history books forever as part of the dynasty. Potentially changing history.]

[that's why I don't mentally categorise Story of Yanxi Palace as a harem drama. That's the setting, true, but Yingluo enters of her own will and it's due to her revenge quest. She isn't advocating for or protecting her clan and has zero intent to climb the ladder, but is acting in revenge of her sister, then her sworn sister empress, then her bestie. Then she inadvertently falls in love with her frenemy emperor (of all things!) and wants to accompany him, despite her terror of childbirth. She has no interest in the throne for herself, her clan, or her kids. She's playing the game all the wrong way, because she's not playing it at all - her goals aren't aligned to anyone else's. That is the delight of Yanxi Palace; she's dropped into everyone else's harem drama with a metaphorical sword on her back, the unpredictable engine of chaos in this carefully choreographed dance of waxing and waning power & influence.]

Empress really shows off her skills in this episode. No one actually knows how hard she tried for Ling Rong's dad but she has the position to get away with advocating, without losing much. And she gets their gratitude and steers them towards fighting my gf Hua Fei in her stead. Empress was the biggest winner in this incident.

ZH on her way there, as she expertly manipulates the emperor by commenting on state affairs without actually directly discussing them. She's smart to be hiding the depth of her education and only bringing it out when necessary.

Damn she's really playing the "you're my ✨husband✨" card for all it's worth. And we can see that, for now, it's worth a lot.

The maid making the play for the emperor's interest with the lotus blossoms is the Soon to be Evil half-sister, right?

#cdrama #empresses in the palace

[knightsquire]

What it is about clytemnestra that makes you like her so much as a character in myths? I'm not very familiar with her

Djjdjsje this is not gonna be very coherent or well said because I don't have my research up but I'm mainly drawn to her for her anger?

A lot of female characters that I'm drawn to is because of their expression of female rage, esp in Greek myth, like Medusa and Medea.

Clytemnestra is this woman who had to marry one of the arguably worst men in all of Greek myth and then had to sit by while he sacrificed one of their children to the gods so that the Greeks could have safe passage over the sea to fight in the Trojan war. He was then away at war for 10 years, leaving her alone to rule their kingdom - which, she wasnt respected for because she was woman.

While away, Agamemnon repeatedly slept with (and notably raped) other women and girls (which, arguably, most men in Greek myth did) and took the Trojan Cassandra as his concubine. This is largely excused because ancient women were treated mainly as fair game and spoils of war. Meanwhile, Clytemnestra had an affair whilst her husband was away for ten years and suddenly she's the bad guy.

When Agamemnon returns with Cassandra, Clytemnestra has plotted to kill him and she does. (She also kills cassandra which is bleh but then the myths are written by men - and she is then also killed by her son because apparently she is in the wrong for killing her husband even though the men can kill whomever they want) Clytemnestra sees the man she had no choice in marrying - a man who she knows is abhorrent and whom she know killed her daughter and has been unfaithful and has hated her so - and she put him down.

Basically, not to go off on too much of a tangent because I won't shut up sjbdjsj, she is such a symbol of female rage, female revenge and grief and hurt and also power. Pure Amy dunne coolgirl gaslight gatekeep girlboss potential

#leo answers #im SO bad at articulating myself #but omg clyemnestra original cool girl #clytemnestra #greek myth tag

[unchecked-too-long]

Recent c-drama watch updates

Sorry I got lazy and took forever to write this but!!! I now have TWO c-dramas to report! Praise me!!! :'D

jk anyway as of recent I've watched "The sword and the brocade" and "The imperial coroner" and it's safe to say I loved one of them a lot more than the other :')

Spoilery (but not really, at least partially because they're so poorly written) reviews ahead:

Starting with tsatb (shortened because I am not writing that title out over and over again):

It was okay. I really, really loved some parts. I also hated some other parts. Quite a bit of it was unfortunately very skippable. bad summary ahead with my very ungathered thoughts:

It's basically about this girl called Shi Yi, a girlboss who is actually a proletariat girl because she's worked as an embroiderer and her bourgeoisie family hate her because of her lower status. Except they can apparently put that aside when they need her to keep up two different relations with other rich families to get her dad a position in court. So yeah stuff happens, her mom dies, she gets married of to the better rishta because her cousin is bad at schemes and also an idiot, except she doesn't care because she only put up with that rishta in order to find out who killed her mom. Also she's 15 when the story starts, 16 when she gets married and 17/18 by the end. Yeah.

her now husband looks constipated, is tired of politics at court, and does not really enjoy coming home to find more politics and arguments and has become very distant as a result. he's like 30 something or 40 with two kids and 5 previous wives (3 concubines, 1 dead wife), all of which were settled more or less without him having an opinion in it.

their age gap, the lady not putting in any effort at home or in her rship, his distance and shit involvement at home obviously causes problems, and i liked how they dealt with it (mostly). also loved the roles the other concubines played, whether as villains or just as characters affected by the leads. did not like the mom. she could've avoided so much trouble so easily for them but noooooooo. lol.

Some people didn't enjoy the Ou family as villains but I'd disagree as they were honestly a very classic set. I just felt bad for the younger son mans did nothing wrong ever and still got the shortest end of the stick.

there's a total of 45 episodes of this ancient chinese saas bahu drama, and i'd like to call it a brainless watch. you'll probably end up rooting for the main couple. the kids are cute too.

7 out of 15 sheep as rating.

-

As for "The Imperial Coroner":

It was lots of fun. The romance doesn't really become a heavier theme until the second half, and the no side characters are unreasonably given less time than they deserve to shine on screen, and they honestly all did. "Fun, with lots of healthy relationships, and well wrapped up" is probably the best short description I can think of.

Our leads are Chu Chu, a coroner who comes to Chang'an to work and get a certificate, best girl with the best name, the best family, and heart, and Xiao Jinyu, resident gold fish, handsome judge prince combo, and little brother and baby boy in general. Chu Chu has a classic paindu vibe and I was actually really afraid they were going to keep her simple and stereotyped but thankfully we avoided that. She's smart, understanding, and straightforward. tbh the lead couple started giving me sona chandi vibes at some point ;u; well. Jinyu also follows a similar trend, where his straight forwardness isn't used as an excuse to have him act dumb except a few times, and his reliance on his team to work on his cases is often showed, as is his care and gratitude towards them. He's a good kid.

Prominent side characters include, Jing Yi and Leng Yue, childhood friends to the prince as well as subordinates, Xiao Jinli, a general in the army and the prince's twin, and Wu Jiang who is the princes deputy and also a close friend. The characters families also regularly make appearances and play roles in pulling the story together, especially our leads parents and family, including Princess Xiping and her husband Xiao Heng (accidental cupid), Ministers Jing Zhi, and General Leng Peishan. The entire Chu family too (Chu He is the He Ziqiu of this show bdjsksj).

The story goes from case to case, most of which are connected, to unveil a rebellious conspiracy and a race against time to save the day.

Also I'm pretty convinced the emperor and Jin Bao (young eunuch dude from later half of the show) are smooching.

Anyway the show has 36 episodes, and even with it's shortcomings that i'm still too in love with the show to mention, will hopefully keep anyone watching engaged and rooting for the leads. They're adorable. Also Jing Yi's parents are actually the best couple of the show.

13 out of 15 sheep. (would probably be 15 if i'm being extraaa biased lol. Most of my reviews are entirely personal though so yeah.)

#c drama #brocade heart like jade #the imperial coroner #bibo watches dramas