i'm thinking about quynh, and the ocean, and what it is to be vietnamese.
obviously i know that quynh as a distinct character from noriko from the comics was created because of veronica ngo's ethnicity, had they hired a japanese actress the character would have stayed the same. if they'd hired a chinese actress it would have changed again, maybe or maybe it wouldn't. we are often so eager for roles and representation that it stops mattering where you come from in asia, if everyone can choose to unfocus their eyes and blur us all together as one indistinguishable yellow, what can we do but adapt to try and make it work?
so yeah, i know it's just a coincidence of sorts, that quynh's from an ancient place that i could have called home, but there's something darkly fascinating to me about how she was taken from the other half of her soul, wrapped in iron and dropped somewhere in the ocean to sink and drown a million deaths for 500 years. it's interesting to me because in real life there are countless, literally countless, bodies lying somewhere in the space between south vietnam and the nearest land. they were fleeing from a war lost and a new government that had begun to tighten a stranglehold on their freedoms (i am south vietnamese, btw, i have my biases). one of those lost bodies could have been my father, and it's only sheer luck and maybe a merciful god that it isn't so. we don't know how many people drowned or were killed in their escape from vietnam. my parents have classmates who disappeared from one day to the next, never to be seem or heard from again. it's not always like this. my dad recently reconnected with someone he thought had died thirty years ago. i think what makes it worse is that you don't know and sometimes you never know what's happened. drowned, caught by the vietcong and shot, attacked by pirates, simply running out of food and drifting? we don't get to have answers. entire families are taken by the sea.
i love the ocean, but when i look at it, it's both haven and graveyard. when i swim in it i wonder how much of what i'm feeling is water and how much of it is dead. it is the world's biggest cemetary. i look and i think about how much of it could have been my father. how much of it could have been me.
veronica ngo is south vietnamese, and i can't speak for how much she knows about or feels, but quynh was an oddly personal role even just to watch. something about her under the water, drowning like all of those unnamed and forgotten people. in being separated, in forgetting what the earth feels like under your feet. in bottomless rage at the world. in wanting to go home, and it's funny that i say that, because i spent so long denying any emotional connection to the country of my parent's birth, but some part of me is always wondering about the person i'd be if they'd never fled.
i don't know what they're going to do with her character in the sequel (please let that sequel happen, please). a lot of the fandom has already slotted her away as Crazy Evil Lady in their minds, and maybe eventually i will too, but i can't let her go. maybe it's because i used to identify as wlw, maybe it's the religious hatred, maybe it's just because she's viet like me. i don't really know. she means a lot to me. i guess i'm just trying to figure out why.
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The Old Guard (2020)
In other words: the best film of the year. I’m so overwhelmed by this movie that I don’t know what to start with – I can’t even sleep at night after watching it because I’m too excited – but here are why I loved this groundbreaking masterpiece. *spoler alert*
- Luca Marinelli: OK I’m starting with him, because he was the first reason for me to watch this movie. I’ve been stannning him since Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (his acting is just INTENSE in this italian superhero movie, where he plays the villain, please try it if you haven’t), and I have never missed a chance to catch up with his new works ever since, so there was no way I would’t watch The Old Guard on the first day of streaming. Oh thank you Luca for leading me to do this. Grazie mille.
- And the whole cast: Charlize Theron from Mad Max 4: Fury Road, Kiki Layne from If Beale Street Could Talk, Marwan Kenzari from Aladdin, Matthias Schoenaerts from De rouille et d'os, Chiwetel Ejiofor from The Martian, Ngô Thanh Vân aka Veronica Ngo from Furie… gosh every single one of them is my absolute favorite! There is no greater joy for movie fans than getting a good movie with their dream cast. It’s a gift.
- Queer romance (in an action film!): I’m a great fan of big-budget action films, as well as I love LGBTQ+ films; but somehow I’d never even imagined watching a big-budget action LGBTQ+ film. I guess it was a result of watching tons of hyper-heteronormative big franchise movies such as — well, I won’t start the list because there are too many, maybe almost all pieces in the genre. However, thanks to The Old Guard it is recognised that we do not have to stand those dull heterosexual moments anymore to enjoy brilliant action scenes (yeah, this masterpiece does not show any heterosexual love on screen). We are saved.
*Written above are my personal reasons – as many critics and audiences have already pointed out, The Old Guard is the first blockbuster movie to depict gay romance at the center of it. Refer to: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jul/10/the-old-guard-charlize-theron-gay-romance
- Female-to-female mentorship and more: In action films it’s very common that a young hero gets trained by a skilled, experienced elder – just as padawans are guided by Jedi masters – while the elder also gets inspired by the younger; but according to my observation this kind of relationship rarely happens between female charcters (exceptionally Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu in The Hustlers were a bit like this, but you know it was not an big-budget action movie). That’s exactly what happened between Andy, the eldest, and Nile, the newcomer – and I absolutely loved it. And of course I was fascinated by the strong bond between Andy and Quynh (two of the world’s most powerful female action stars together as partners; who could imagine this??), and the short but very touching conversation Andy has with a drugstore employee (played by Olivia Ross) who takes care of her in the most helpless moment. So we have learned what happens when a female director makes a blockbuster action film: we do not have to stand displays of misogyny, such as unnecessary conflicts between female characters or sexual objectification of female bodies. Make sure this will be the new standard of the genre hereafter.
*I’d love to also mention the marvelous fighting sequences (Charlize Theron with an ancient axe, yes) and the cool music in the movie, but I won’t go further because I do not have sufficient knowledge to talk about it. So, go see it yourself and please tell me what you think.
And the question is: will there be a sequel? The answer must be YES, sooner the better, and I wouldn’t say one sequel is enough. (Of course prequels are welcome, too!) I already feel terrible pain and excitement thinking about the villain of The Old Guard 2… but anyway, I’m ready.
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HPMA PROFILE: ASTRID REES
Profile Template by @hogwartsmystory (I’M SORRY FORGOT TO CREDIT YOU)
IDENTITY
Birth Name: Astrid Lord
Current Name: Astrid Rees
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Birth Date: October 10th, 1993
Species: Metamorphmagus
Blood Status: Half-blood
Sexuality: Lesbian
Alignment: True Neutral
Ethnicity: Vietnamese / Greek
Nationality: Greek
Residence: Ipswich, England
THE MAGE
Wand:
Hornbeam.
Dragon heartstring
14 inches
Pliable
Hornbeam selects for its life mate the talented witch or wizard with a single, pure passion, which some might call obsession - more kindly - vision, which will almost always be realized. Hornbeam wands adapt more quickly than almost any other to their owner’s style of magic, and will become so personalized, so quickly, that other people will find them extremely difficult to use even for the most simple of spells.
Hornbeam wands likewise absorb their owner’s code of honor, whatever that might be, and will refuse to perform acts - whether for good or ill - that do not tally with their master’s principles. A particularly fine-tuned and sentient wand.
Animagus: N/A
Misc Magical Abilities:
Caldwell Veer - Ability to HOST spirits. Spirits can possess her partially and fully and speak through her, even use her body regardless if she gives permission or not, and she is 100% aware of what’s happening when she’s possessed. This is more of a passive ability than anything without the spirit magic, and is more likely to work against her than work with her. While Perseus and Theseus can protect her from spirits with horrible intentions just fine, if she is without the control of her body for too long, she can be more vulnerable, and her Greek ancestors can often… get carried away while controlling her body.
Boggart Form: Herself staring out blankly with hollow eyes. She’s not doing anything. She’s not saying anything. She’s just standing there, like a husk.
Riddikulus Form: Laughter. Laughter spilling out from herself, eyes glinting, strong and proud. And in control of herself. Laughter, as she spun around and danced with glee
Amortentia: (What do they smell like?) Raspberries, roses and chamomile
Amortentia: (What do they smell?) Strawberries, honeycomb, lemon cheesecake, thyme and freshly cut grass
Patronus: Drakon
Patronus Memory: Unknown.
Mirror of Erised: A family that actually loves her
Specialized/Favourite Spells:
Non-verbal magic. Mute.
Curabitur verbum, a spell she created herself to summon words above her head to translate her sign language
Ebublio, learned as a just in case, and in an attempt to destroy a horcrux
Nebulus, learned to conceal her from sight if she ever needs to make a quick get-away
Relashio, learned because she hated being grabbed and will use it without hesitation
Sonorous, learned to project her classmates’ rude words and get them in trouble
APPEARANCE
Faceclaim: Veronica Ngo (base for artbreeder)
Voiceclaim: Phillipa Soo
Game Appearance: N/A
Height: 6’2
Weight: 170 pounds
Physique: Tall and lean, with muscles as someone who specializes with dual swords. She’s strong, and it shows. (varies as a metamorphmagus)
Eye Colour: Black, shining blue in the light (varies as a metamorphmagus)
Hair Colour: Black (varies as a metamorphmagus)
Skin Tone: Light tan (varies as a metamorphmagus)
Body Modifications: Ear piercings on both earlobes and three helix piercings. The helix piercings are gold bands that curl around her ear and the piercings on her ears are intricate crystals.
Scarring: A large V-shaped scar on her back, and a scar over her right eye
Inventory:
Wand
Wood Carving tools
Thick sticks of wood
A knife
Two gold rings that can turn into her swords
A rose pin with a hidden knife
A handkerchief that she never touches with her bare hands
A hand mirror
Fashion: Black and red. She dresses like a goth, with ripped leggings and black attire, chokers, spikes, boots, and fingerless gloves. She wears bits of red, but her most obvious red clothing is her flannel, which she wears around her waist during hot weather. She would go for more simple and practical black clothing if she is in a school or home setting, but will relax into a more intricate clothing if placed in a formal and fancy setting. It is noted that she will never wear colors other than red, as she thinks it doesn’t fit her.
ALLEGIANCES
Hogwarts House: Slytherin
Ilvermorny House: Horned Serpent
Affiliations/Organizations:
Slytherin House
Chosens by Aphrodite
Olympia School of Magic (school by @kathrynalicemc)
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Professions:
Undecided
HOGWARTS INFORMATION
Class Proficiencies:
Astronomy: E
Charms: E
DADA: O
Flying: O
Herbology: A
History of Magic: E
Potions: E
Transfiguration: O
Electives:
Magical Theory: O
Ancient Runes: O
Quidditch: Chaser
Extra Curricular:
Quidditch
Gladiator Dueling Club (formerly; in Olympia)
Arts Club
Dungeons and Dragons club
Favourite Professors: N/A. No opinion
Least Favourite Professors: N/A. No opinion
RELATIONSHIPS
Father: Jacob Vincent Lord
Pureblood
Slytherin
Black hair, black eyes, light tan skin
Natural Legilimens
Researcher in mind magic and legilimency. Isolated himself away because of what happened during school, and handed the family to Rebecca.
Conceived her one day when he was venturing in Greece and had a one-night stand with a greek woman, who abandoned her at an orphanage
He has no idea of her existence. It is only when she showed up out of nowhere that he knew. He does try to be there but Astrid is distrustful of everyone around her so it’s awkward
Mother: Unknown Greek Woman
Jacob does not remember much about the women he conceived Astrid with, but he did remember she was a beautiful woman with dark brown curly hair and tan skin
Her intentions of abandoning Astrid at the orphanage are largely unknown, regardless if it’s good or bad but nonetheless, she was left there.
There is not much known about her, but what is known is that she is from a bloodline of two Greek heroes in greek myths, Perseus and Theseus, son of Zeus and Poseidon respectively
It is unknown where this woman is right now, but Astrid does not want to meet her, so it’s unlikely she ever will.
Love Interest: N/A
Best Friends: N/A
Rival: N/A
Enemy: Velia Caldwell and her followers
Dormmates: N/A
Pets: None
Closest Canon Friends: TBD
Closest MC Friends: None so far but do let me know if you want to be. Fair warning, it will take a while for Astrid to warm up to you
BACKGROUND/HISTORY
Before you get to know Astrid, you must get to know her father. Jacob Lord, the man who got expelled while searching for the fabled Cursed Vaults. Despite years after the Cursed Vaults were long broken, the trauma was still there, of being stuck in the portrait and putting his sister in danger. So, for the next few years after his sister graduated, he chose to isolate himself
His sister handed the Head position to him until he returned, and one of the places he went to clear his head was Greece. While at a bar, he met a woman that will later become Astrid’s mother. Months later, Astrid was born
She was abandoned at an orphanage, and as a child, she was loud and proud, never afraid to speak her mind. She was isolated and a loner, and years of bullying built up layers and layers of trust issues, and rendered herself mute. She stayed at this orphanage until she was old enough to attend Olympia School of Magic. She did not trust anyone, but slowly, slowly, she made herself a home at Olympia.
Until one day, one of the followers of Velia Caldwell traveling in Greece for a mission spotted her. While they can’t take their anger out on Rebecca’s children, they can take their anger out on Jacob’s, and so while she slept, she was taken from her home and to Britain, the memory of her life erased.
Led to believe she was given up to them, she lived in bitterness as she was treated as a weapon. They trained up her powers, and used her to summon spirits to her mind, and as her powers grew, her two ancestors slowly slipped into her mind, until the time was right.
Perseus woke up first, wielding her swords, and used them to cut through and kill. Theseus woke up next, advising her on what to do next. She fled through the floo, carrying the handkerchief the followers insisted on protecting, and landed in Ipswich
Shortly after, she was found by a staff of Hogwarts, and taken to attend Hogwarts, where the events of her meeting her biological family took place
PERSONALITY
Manipulative: In order to survive the orphanage and Velia’s followers, she needed to be manipulative. This is a defining trait of hers, as she puts on layers and layers of masks to hide. She can turn from quiet and calm, to cruel and merciless in seconds. She’s a good liar, and she knows how to use people and get them to do what she wants. Add it to her ability as a metamorphmagus, she can twist people and use them easily. It’s not to say she’s a bad person per se, she’s just a traumatized girl who uses this to defend herself, not that it’s an excuse if she ever hurts someone
Distrustful and Paranoid: With how much she’s been through, it’s honestly no wonder she’s built up trust issues. She doesn’t trust anyone around her, and it’s only after a series of tests that allows her to trust you. She can distrust the right person and be proven of her suspicions… or she distrust the wrong person, and it can lead to consequences
Reclusive: Combined with her trauma and her trust issues, she would rather stay away from people then to interact with friends. She’s quiet and she doesn’t mind being alone. She’s not sullen though, she’s just quiet, and a loner.
Self-Loathing: If there’s anyone Astrid distrusts more than anything, it’s herself. She does not think she deserves to be loved and upon discovering that she’s a lesbian, she believed that she doesn’t deserve that kind of love.
Protective: Those who pushed and pushed to gain her trust proved themselves as trustworthy, and Astrid is protective over these selected few. She keeps them close to her heart, and she can and will fight fiercely for them. But she knows what’s her fight and what’s not.
Intelligent: Astrid is smart. She needed to be. She invented a spell that allows her to communicate with others and she has no hesitation in using the magic she can use and manipulating it to something out of the box. She takes in everything that went unnoticed by everyone else. It’s not like it’s hard. Everyone ignores the quiet person
MISC
As stated before, Astrid is a selective mute. She doesn’t like to talk and prefers not to. She communicates through sign language, which she later makes a spell to help translate it.
Astrid struggles at magic. When it comes to a real fight, she’s more likely to use her swords or base her magic around them. Her grades are what they are because she worked to get them where they need to be but in reality she’s only average.
When it comes to learning new spells, she will have to practice them over and over again in order to get a handle on how they work, and due to being mute, she’s a master at non-verbal magic, so if she masters a certain spell, she can cast it without a sound or warning.
She’s ingenious enough to create a spell, but she needed the magic to make it work, so therefore she’s jealous of anyone who can get it on the first try.
She learned her skills in sword fighting from the gladiator duels at her former school and although her memories of her former life were erased, her body still remembers how to use her swords and she won’t forget it if she continues to polish it up. It’s her proudest skill
Her ancestors can only speak through her, not to her, and because she is very aware of what happens around her when she’s possessed, they often take over her body to advise her. Due to being children of Zeus and Posiedon, they would often argue over what’s best for her, and the constant switching of control leads to horrible headaches.
She hated her will being taken from her. It’s her biggest fear. That one day, it’ll be taken from her too long that she will forever become a husk, as that’ll happen if she’s not in control for far too long.
Astrid is noted to look a lot like her father, a fact that she resents once she finds out, not because she hated her father but because she couldn’t bear looking like someone who she believed had left her all alone. Once she finds out that he didn’t, she grows into it as time passes by. Her looks are the main reason how her biological family came to know who she is.
She has a wood carving hobby. She likes playing with her carving knife when she’s bored and when she’s struck with inspiration she can be seen whittling away at some wood. That’s why she carries it around.
Interested in Ancient Greece for very obvious reasons
The moment Rebecca saw her, she knew she’s Jacob’s daughter and was furious that he let her grow up without a family, as he knew what an impact it had on her. When Astrid is settled, Rebecca set off ready to make a man regret being born, only to realize he didn’t know
When it comes to her manipulation and masks, think of Claude from Three Houses, except she’ll be wearing a different type of mask, but the intention of appearing as someone you aren’t stays . Generally, she’s quiet (obviously) and she can be helpful, but she’s aloof. Of course, that is but a mask. Get past one and you’ll know she’s bitter, and she’ll want you to stay away from her. Get past another, you’ll know she’s a lot softer than you think.
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