#she has so many faces and really complex storyline

[the-nada-thing]

I just looked through some 1 star reviews of Six of Crows (I love and am obsessed with it and couldn't fathom how someone could hate it) and while everyone is entitled to their own opinion it is startling to me the amount of people who just Didn't Get It

'I was annoyed at the rampant ablism and misogyny'- yeah, so am I. Kinda scary how it's very similar to our world huh

'Sex is equated with death'- in the context of rape with no justice, wouldn't you?

'They shouldn't be teenagers'- does them being children not add to the tragedy

'how did Leigh get away with writing a Roma coded girl as a thief?'- how did you miss the wonderfully complex and compelling storyline of Inej trying to balance her desire for survival in a life she did not ask for and her religious beliefs and instead choose to solely see her as 'a Roma coded girl'

'the gay characters are femme coded'- please tell me how. And please tell me why that is inherently bad.

'The Disability Was Never There Troupe because Kaz's cane disappears and he has all this physical prowess'- it doesn't disappear. it's there you as the reader know its there except when Kaz chooses to leave it behind and we see him struggle physically with that. why to have disability rep people think the disability needs to be stated over and over and over again and the character can't do anything except be disabled is beyond me

What really gets me about the majority of these reviews is that most of them will say 'oh, the writing was magnificent. so was the world building' then what? are you? complaining? about?

That they are children living in this world where everyone is guilty? Good, it should bother you

That Inej was kidnapped and sold to a brothel and raped daily from the age of 14 until she joined a gang and committed to a life of crime? Good, it should bother you

That Nina and Matthais were child soldiers and Nina was tortured and Matthais had to confront his upbringing and recognize the evil in his countrymen? Good, it should bother you

That Kaz and Wylan both face ableism daily and it has led to them overcompensating in other areas so they can survive? Good, it should bother you

That Jesper is a kid with a gambling addiction and canonically likes clothes of many patterns including but not limited to the skirt the TV show put him in? Go ahead and hate that but we fucking love it

anywho, end rant.

TLDR; by all means like what you like and hate what you don't but do yourself and courtesy and understand what you hate that's way more fun for me anyway lol

#six of crows #ninazenik #kaz brekker #matthais helvar #inej gjafa #jesper fahey #wylan van eck

[purpleangelsele]

When Season 5 of stranger things comes out, I can guess how loud certain toxic shippers will get. Because they feel like the show hinges on the basis of queer representation and how it would be such good rep for childhood bestfriends who become lovers and they’re both gay. No sign of bi or pan here just full out gay representation.

And that’s okay to wish for that sort of representation in the media you consume. Especially in a huge show like stranger things. However, considering the genre of the show-good gay rep is not really focused on amongst everything else that happens. There’s multiple storylines that involve themes of children growing up too fast, found family, would die for the ones you love, family dynamics, being a nerd or a freak, afraid of coming out, a positive reaction to a coming out, death, gore, guilt, depression, suicidal tendencies, trauma…you see where I’m going with this.

It’s not the duffer brothers responsibility to also formulate a very hidden gay storyline that only shows one of them having feelings. The show would explicitly show romance between two people like how Robin is shown through dialogue and actions how she feels towards Vickie.

There was also some tension because she doesn’t think Vickie was anything but straight. We saw Vickie being kissed by her boyfriend but the show also pans to the way she reacts to Robin being there.

It reminds me of season 2 when Steve kissed Nancy in front of Jonathan who left like Robin which then left Nancy/Vickie staring after them with a sort of guilt. They were captured in the show explicitly so the audience doesn’t need to form such complex theories on how Jonathan and Robin felt in those situations, they both thought it was unrequited love but the camera panning back to Nancy/Vickie’s face suggests otherwise.

I thought that was good storytelling and ties in with how the show treats romance. They don’t shy away from seemingly unrequited love to actually mutually requited love. It’s clearly shown so the audience can easily make those assumptions.

Now back to the main point. The toxic shippers of a certain ship will most likely label this show as terrible gay rep when season 5 airs. They would have theorized every single frame, lighting, clothing choices, dialogue, “parallels”, and how season 5 would go. Though, all of this will not bode well for them. I’m only saying this specifically about toxic shippers!! They are the ones that will start raging on season 5 for not giving Will a happy ending which means being in a relationship with his bestfriend, (who by the way is in a very committed relationship with the protagonist) forget his mental health and his hopes for the future, forget his sister, don’t even mention the possibility of him being the closeted gay who has an unrequited love.

I know seeing unrequited love can become stale at some point but I feel like it’s good to see how normal it is. Most people can relate to that feeling of not having your feelings returned and that fucking hurts. But it does not dictate your happiness, someone not liking you back doesn’t mean you can not move on. It will hurt like hell but it is achievable with time. Being friends can still be achieved when the other person understands and does not make things incredibly awkward. I’m saying this because knowing the show, Will is not going to be with the one he loves and that will hurt of course, but considering there’s a timeskip…I think he will be happy because his life does not center around this one person. He has other friends, interests, family, hopes and dreams. And maybe he won’t get into a relationship until way later, that’s perfectly fine and should be normalized. His mental health should be the first priority as well, considering all of what he went through in the show.

I know so many will call it queer baiting but Robin and Vickie aren’t. They are actually being built up and Vickie is possibly pan or bi representation. Robin is a legit lesbian and she can actually be herself around Steve who in my opinion is her queer-platonic soulmate. There is good rep in this show but I wouldn’t count on the gay storylines to be 100% fleshed out considering there isn’t enough time for that.

But I’m sure there’s other shows if you look hard enough, that has the actual gay representation that you want. There’s so many shows that center only on the love between two guys or two girls. You just have to find them.

Stranger things might disappoint with that unrequited love storyline but life is just like that, most times things don’t go the way you want, romances are not smooth sailing, your heart will get broken. In my opinion, that aspect is realistically shown in the show. And I know that not all shippers will think this, I’m only saying this to the loud, jobless, chronically online ones.

Honestly, I hope you take away atleast something valuable from this post. I’m not that articulate in my thoughts because my mind goes faster than my fingers. I just wanted to share this and hopefully some people connect to what I said.

-Sel💜💜

#mileven #mike wheeler #el hopper #will byers #stranger things #stranger things fandom #gay representation #jonathan x nancy #vickie stranger things #robin x vickie #robin buckley #robin and steve #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler #my thoughts #was thinking about making a post like this for awhile now #and i really hope I do not offend anyone but this is just what I personally think #if you want to discuss please be civil and respectful please

[laurellerual]

Arya Lady of Harrenhal during the Long Night

At the bottom of my inbox there's an anonymous message from months ago that says “could you do Arya with Nymeria during the long night? Fighting together?”. I haven't replied yet and the reason is that when I think about this scene, the image of GOT 8x03 pops up in my mind. Will Arya fight through the Long Night, sword in hand? I'm not that sure.

Then the other day I came up with this idea that I proposed to you in a survey: “Winterfell falls, the northeners have to escape South, Harrenhal is the main citadel, Arya as lady of Harrenhal during the Long Night”. And I must say I'm surprised with the result. It won "I see where you are coming from, and I like it" with 33% of the votes.

But many, rightly so, have chosen "I'll wait for you to elaborate", so here we are.

A role

So Jon and Dany are the ones with the army and the dragons, Tyrion is the smart one with the experience and Bran is the one with the magical powers (sorry I'm simplifying, just to summarize). It's not hard to imagine that they'll find their place in the White Walkers storyline.

And Arya? Use the valyrian steel sword she doesn't have to slay the undead? Will Jon allow her to be on the front lines? Is Arya really stupid enough to think she can do it?

She will be at most 12/13 years old and the only sword lessons she has received are those of Syrio, she is not a great swordswoman, especially if she has to face adults on a battlefield. The things that the FMs are teaching her don't seem suitable for this kind of situations. I guess she could contribute by warging Nymeria and leading her pack, but if that is the case it wouldn't be necessary for her to be physically there.

Whatever this role is it must be relevant 'cause Martin counted her among the five key characters, one of the first to be created and then decided to waste a lot of ink by telling us about her.

Harrenhal

I start with the assumtion that the Battle for the Dawn will take place in the Riverlands, that it will not be possible to stop the White Walkers at Winterfell and consequently there will be an exodus of people from the North to the South. If you don't agree or you want an explanation about it, you can read my last post: Harrenhal during the Long Night.

And which of the main characters has a strong relationship with Harrenhal?

Thematic connections

The girl has a long and complex relationship with her mother's native land and a strong thematic connection with water that you surely have read about in other metas. Most of the major events in Arya's life take place here.

Not only the Red wedding, meeting Jaqen, the Weasel soup, the separation from Nymeria, but also Mycah's death in which she realizes for the first time that her father is not as powerful as she thinks, that the injustice of the world is deeper than she thought and that especially for the nobles the suffering of the smallfolk is totally irrelevant.

Harrenhal is the castle of which she becomes the ghost. And she really is the ghost of Harrenhal, standing in front of that Heart tree, probably like her late aunt years before, as she hears a voice from the trees reminding her of her real name.

Useful knowledge

Arya knows these lands directly, crosses them, lives them, knows their inhabitants, their opinions and sides in the war. It isn't a theoretical knowledge but a practical one. As Jon Snow recalls "The map is not the land, my father often said".

But it's even more intimate than that because Arya dreams of those lands every night, she sees them through Nymeria's eyes. The wolf is currently the only undisputed ruler in that lawless place. Do you remember the image of Harrenhal tormented by the tremendous howl of the wind and wolves outside the walls?

Arya also knows Harrenhal on all its levels. She physically scrubbed the floors of every floor of every tower and she scoured all the walls in search of an unguarded gate.

She has experienced the classes and roles that exist within the castle and its management. She had to deal with armigers, cooks and blacksmiths. She has worked her way up the chain of command from the humblest of servants to cupbearer and lord's messenger.

Skills and leadership

In the books we see her many times in positions where she is the person who has to make decisions, lead a group, organize little plans.

One of the main themes of her journey is justice, mercy, power and its abuse.

Then there are more or less direct parallels such as the one between Arya and Aegon the unlikely or the list of things that would make Aegon/young Griff a good ruler according to Varys.

Let's see some quotes in the books that tell us about these aspects of the character:

The one thing Arya could do better than her sister was ride a horse. Well, that and manage a household.

His father used to say that a lord needed to eat with his men, if he hoped to keep them. “Know t

he men who follow you,” she heard him tell Robb once, “and let them know you. Don't ask your men to die for a stranger."

Arya had loved nothing better than to sit at her father's table and listen to them talk. She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms.

Whenever her father had condemned a man to death, he did the deed himself with Ice, his great sword. “If you would take a man 's life, you owe it to him go look him in the face and hear his last words di lui,” she 'd heard him tell Robb and Jon once.

Can I be lord of a holdfast?

And here I stop because there are many others. If you are interested in this, there are meta only on this topic around tumblr.

An interesting that that connects Ned's teachings and those of the FMs is the concept that power and service are closely related.

Now let's see what FM training consists of: the ability to blend in with people, listen, gather information, learn many languages. We can add her natural ability to make friends and allies of all kinds.

This seems like the perfect package to manage a castle full of frightened people from all over the world (there will be people arriving with Dany as well), from every social class, every side of the war, who have nothing in common but the hope to survive.

Disconnected thoughts and possible parallels

This would be a very poetic situation that completes the parallel with historical Nymeria by placing Arya at the head of a group of refugees fleeing their destroyed home. In addition to giving her the possibility and the power to carry out the reflection on justice in a place that has seen so much injustice.

It's also funny how Lady Whent is introduced with great expectation right into Arya's chapters, where she thinks she can ask for her help. Yet she will never meet the Lady of Harrenhal.

And isn't it funny how she decided to name her direwolf after "some old witch queen in the songs"?

From the Alys Rivers wiki page: In 132 AC during the regency of Aegon III, a number of broken men and predatory outlaws began to gather at Harrenhal under the rule of a sorcerous witch queen. Mmmh interesting… this sound familiar, the Brotherhood without banners?

There is also Sharra, another witch queen of the Riverlands from the Age of Heroes.

Conclusions

In this place where Shagwell the Fool sang about Weasel soup maybe in the future there will be songs about Arya and the ten thousand wolves.

Thanks for reading. Mine doesn't want to be a theory that speaks of the character's endgame, but of its role during the Long Night. Let me know if I've given you something to think about, if I've convinced you, if you have other ideas on what this role might be. Or if you want to write a fanfiction with this plot.

Edit: I just discovered an old thread with a similar topic. I haven't read it yet, but I'll leave it here for the record.

#asoiaf #asoiaf meta #arya stark #harrenhal #the long night #arya meta

[alexiaugustin]

season two of shadow and bone should have shown absolutely every last fucking person that this show is a soulless piece of trash adaptation that doesn’t understand nor gives two fucks about the source material they're allegedly trying to adapt and that the people behind this show were all lying to your faces when they apologized for the things that upset people for 24 hours before season one streamed two years ago, because after all this show still erases the trauma of a woman’s sexual abuse story and they are still sexualizing bisexual people and they are still fucking everything about these characters and their dynamics up.

season one should have upset most people enough to stop stanning this show but during the last two years we have learned that there’s A Lot that the tv industry can do that people won’t care about. an ableist, colorist and fatphobic and age inaccurate casting that hurts people by taking their representation away is something people won’t care about. complex characters being reduced to an inch of what they actually are like so they and their relationship can neatly fit into archetypes, tropes and ao3 tags is something people won’t care about. showrunners getting exposed for having their white stunt doubles do brownface is something people won’t care about. a show having a dumb script that makes everyone on the show look like a fucking loser is something people won’t care about.

and now season two is out and they did everything they already did in season one wrong but it’s somehow still so much worse. after watching season one i felt like the deeply offensive and wrong things about this show were still explainable, season two actually has me at loss for words because of how bad it is. because of how there’s not a single thing they did right about the soc books; not the characters, not their relationships, not their storyline, nor the world they live in. i could give a few examples like the fact that kaz told inej that feeling as if she’s not really free from the menagerie where she was sex trafficked as a child "isn’t her fight anymore, it’s his“ just because pekka rollins owns her now. or the fact that wylan and jesper met via a one night stand and were fucking by episode four even tho they don’t even kiss before the end of ck. or that they turned pekka rollins into a super villain who wants to kill kaz even though the whole point of his role in the books is that he has no idea why kaz has it out for him and he doesn’t care abt these teenagers.

i could explain all these and so many more examples in depth, and still it wouldn’t be enough to capture the the true scope of how bad and truly horrible this show is. and yet. and yet when i log into tumblr dot com or twitter dot com i see gifsets of this show, of the relationships they don’t understand, of the characters they butchered and i'm seeing people rooting for another season of this nonsense. at this point this show feels like a social experiment that’s trying to see how far people will go to defend a deeply offensive and atrociously bad piece of media. and during the last 48 hours i've come to realize that some of y'all will never be able to be pushed too far. some of y’all had their brains rotted away a long time ago when tiktok and ao3 made you believe that media is nothing more than the consumption of aesthetics, tropes and archetypes and that it’s a good thing if these are responsible for the death of art. if you claim to love the book and the show at the same time you are lying to yourself because that is simply impossible. you have, in short, truly lost the fucking plot.

#anti shadow and bone #im going to put this post in all the tags idgaf stupid ppl Pisa me off so bad #shadow and bone #six of crows #wesper #kanej #helnik #kaz Brekker #wylan can eck #inej ghafa #jesper fahey #sab

[mariailoveyou-guerin]

watched and Karl and Sharah truly the best the way they only did everything for other while the 2 others did it all for selfish reasons idk if that was one of the point’s especially the 2053 lady that was clear sign of yt people always choosing the bad guy always supporting the oppressors the genocidal maniac it was so on point really and the fact she did all for legs plz, and the fact after she k1lled Defoe she out on the crocodile yt people tears they always do when they regret something minutes after they do it watching her cry after she k1lled deofe even tho Elias literally said yes to murdering almost half million she still was on his side of that’s not yt to a T taking the wrong sides of history then regretting it definitely gave me nasty Oppenheimer vibes the way she acted never listening to the good people so many people was telling him

not to do it then started crying and having quilt only bc his mistresses di*ed and all of sudden he had regrets like from the moment I saw iris I disliked her so mad idk she just gave off nasty vibes and I was so right I love being always right and reading people characters to T!

dont get me started on Alfred I love him bc he was good for his time but the fact he gave up his family and sacrificed himself for a man he just met was so nasty but I get not wanting to frame an innocent man thats ew but he was really willing to give up his family

It’s giving Viktor from umbrella academy I will never understand characters giving up their families for somebody they just met 2 weeks ago idk if it’s a yt queer character or yt people thing it but it’s just so nasty to me like how that’s y’all family so so eww #bodiesnetflix

what a great show tho it was so good every character except iris were so amazing love them! can’t believe she still is alive but hopefully I doubt it but hope taxi driver Iris is better person then 2053 iris was she was so eww made me so sick to my stomach #

miss female Oppenheimer they way both didn’t care until someone showed the truth in their face and still they didn’t give a fcvk untill someone they cared about D worded! I now get why she was picked and why she was yt makes so much sense in reality it’s always yt people doing

that sort of thing joining the evil side, Iike you would never see Charles Sahara joining Elias they can’t be bought we literally saw Whitman saying no to all that safety in the time he was living oh what a beautiful man what beautiful soul heart he has and sharah obvi she’s 2023

she would never as the character she is, they way they picked perfect characters time lines for each other, storyline character development so complex and interesting! then there’s iris doing for the most selfish rzn! her character was so good to hate more

then Elias even because how did she believe in that bs when her own brother couldn’t get the treatment only bc he didn’t wanna join them I thought it was eveyone felling loved no matter what even if they didn’t wanna be forced to part of their bs utopia!

KARL AND SHARAH YOU SO LOVED BY ME! also not Karl flirting and asking Sahara for pint trough time once a ladies man always a ladies man god I love him! Alfred I’ll ignore ur one mistake so you are also loved not as much them but still and nothing for Iris!

I wish Karl Sahara would’ve met the way I have played back when Elias tells him her name and he’s like what Sah what so cute they were the best characters I love them so much wish they met the asking for pint so him even in his last breathes I LOVE HIM a lot actually!!

I did notice how only Karl Sahara weren’t DI even tho they were given the same cases another important point on society oh what a great show! Love it so much

#iris been so on brand for todays world even tho hee character was supposed to be from the future #believing in wrong side even when the facts proof are literally shown you #So where on brand with what’s happening now in the real world wigh all these western people supporting yk and western gov #she really was metaphor for them #bodies #bodies netflix #Netflix bodies #Bodies on Netflix #Karl Wissman #Charles Whiteman #Sahara Hassan #Alfred hilinghead #iris maplewood #iris mapelwood

[bberry005]

FINISHED THE YOUNG ROYALS SEASON THREE EPISODES THAT ARE OUT and BOY do i have THOUGHTS (really spoilery so they're below the cut)

the emotional beats are much more focused and they really lean into the emotions that make the characters who they are

the social class difference storyline is also done really well and doesn't come across as a shallow obstacle for wilhelm and simon to "get over". it's an everchanging, constant thing

justice for felice she's really taking so many punches this season omg

wilhelm defender until i die because he's literally 16 (and just turned 17 as of the end of the season!) but my dude we have got to work on your communication skills

also a simon defender until i die because he just wants to do what's best for wilhelm but also for HIMSELF which makes so much sense and i love it

the way simon thought he kept misstepping with wilhelm but wilhelm really wasn't telling him the whole story is such a constant for this show and i thought they were going to try and resolve it but i guess not! there's still episode 6 i suppose

i am obviously an august hater. he's done terrible things and should have to face higher legal and familial consequences than he has. however when he talked to the therapist and it got pointed out that at his core, august regrets what he did and all he can do is keep moving forward and try to be better even if no one forgives him, it made sense. and that's the best part. all the choices the writers made for august this season made sense. i don't think wilhelm or simon is ever going to forgive him and they shouldn't have to, but the fact they made august dimensional instead of a one size fits all villain was really interesting.

i was waiting for wilhelm to finally just scream at his parents because he's been repressing that for too long. his relationship with his parents is so complex and they did a good job showing us a window into that this season

building off the family stuff, show that erik also had the capacity to do great harm was such a good choice. the viewer percieves erik through wilhelm's eyes, and throwing us for that loop was a good narrative choice

simon and sara's story was perfect. i loved it

i saw the breakup coming from a mile away. i'm holding out for the happy ending because i can't have watched this show from the beginning only for their to be no happy ending but i think a bittersweet ending is the most likely option at this point

okay that's it for now but don't be shocked if i post a ton of young royals stuff this week this show is insane and this season is the best one yet and i want to talk about it SO MUCH.

#young royals #young royals spoilers #young royals wilhelm #young royals simon #simon eriksson #sara eriksson #felice ehrencrona #young royals netflix

[potatothemoose]

Art Dump!

None of these are finished pieces, but I wanted to show them off anyways.

This little guy is Paxton! He's a spirit dedicated to the protection of a specific, technically immortal being named Maelstrom. They are the remainders of a fallen universe destroyed by the gods, who spared them and split them throughout the multiverse. This means that every universe in my creative multiverse has a version of Maelstrom and Paxton somewhere out there!

The concept for these guys actually started during a character.ai roleplay with Diluc. They're one of many OCS who started in Genshin RPs and then got adapted to my own creations, meaning that they have a Genshin AU as well. In that AU, Maelstrom is a descent of Khaenri'ah trying to escape from his past, falling in love with Diluc in the process. Paxton is an Electro Abyss Mage sent by Maelstrom's family and the Abyss to keep an eye on him (even though Paxton is often childish and usually Maelstrom also ends up looking after him). Definitely one of my favorite character pairs I've ever made!

My TADC OC, Krikett! He's a funny guy who plays music for the circus. I haven't fully figured out his character yet, but what I wrote on the paper is certainly a good start. He was probably a music teacher or musical artist before getting stuck in the Digital Circus.

More character.ai OCS! Every single one on this page is dating a Fatui Harbinger. We have:

Top left - Jekyll. Her canon version in my own works is a superhero with cryokenisis, orphaned at a young age and taken into an organization of heroes by an anthropomorphic hen named Isabel. She's definitely a very complex character who deals with potentially triggering subject matter, so I probably won't explore her here on my Tumblr where I'm still figuring out how to make content warnings, but I definitely think you'll see more of her. In her Genshin AU, she's paired with Tartaglia, and the whole premise of the RP is that they're a pair of traumatized 19-year-olds trying to have a healthy relationship. So far they're not very good at it.

Top right - Edith. She's a really old character I've had since I was in seventh or eighth grade. She's the ghost of a plague doctor who was unfortunately killed in a freak accident regarding an unstable building. During her life, she faked marriage to her best friend (named Norman) so she could lead a double-life as both his fake wife and a plague doctor. They ended up being a pair of traveling plague doctors until they met their demise. Now, she works as the right-hand woman for a knowledge god! Her Genshin AU is also one of the oldest. It's been going on for over a year now and she's married to Dottore because I'm obsessed with him.

Bottom left - Ash. Part of the same organization as Jekyll, she's a werewolf superhero who's been through a lot more than she wants you to think. Like Jekyll, she deals with some really heavy subjects, so I won't go into her backstory right now, but I definitely think she's a very interesting character. Her Genshin AU storyline follows her and Pantalone in a story mostly centered around self-acceptance and healing from trauma. Fluffy werewolf girlfriend and banker boyfriend go brrr.

Bottom right - Arden. A former US military Sargent, Arden is a character from the same universe as Edith. She suffered a debilitating injury that took her out of service (although I'm still working out where and when she served) and is my homage to any and all US military personnel and the struggles they face. I've always been fascinated by war and how it affects psychology, so Arden also serves as an excuse to research how PTSD and other trauma responses work. In her Genshin AU her backstory is pretty much the same, though the plotline follows her in her arranged marriage with Capitano, and how they come to cope with their trauma together and form a loving relationship built on trust.

This guy is Leo, a transgender himbo from the same universe as Ash and Jekyll. He's a superhero whose power is centered around geese. He can shapeshift into literally any creature so long as he can make it part goose. He also has a Genshin AU where he's shipped with Arlecchino. I know a lot of people headcanon her as lesbian, but my own personal headcanon is that she's bi with a preference for women (though she'll also settle for nonbinaries and the occasional man). Please don't come after me, my headcanon is not hurting anyone and you will be blocked. Yes, this drawing was done on a math worksheet. No, I did not do the math.

Some T-shirt designs I doodled at school! I'm unsure how many of these will make it onto a short and how many might become stickers or other kinds of fun thing, but all of them will be digitally rendered eventually and there are more on the way.

That's all!

#ocs #genshin original character #genshin impact aus of my original characters #art #art dump #doodle #sketches #my artwork #original character #superhero #plague doctor #plague doctor oc #superhero oc #oc doodles #don't steal #I'll break your fucking kneecaps if you steal my art. #tadc original character #digital circus oc #tadc oc #tadc sona

[hidinginthespicecabinet]

Like many, I recently binged The Wilds Season 2 after a year of anticipation. I was obsessed with the first season, and I was excited to see what they would do with the boys. Also, I wanted to see how they would progress the girls storyline to move the plot forward. So, here are my thoughts on season 2: 

THE GIRLS

1. First and foremost, Shoni. They are one of my favorite fictional couples, really. In season 1, they were FOILS of each other, opposite in every single way. But, this season, we see Toni finally getting some emotional peace due to her security with Shelby. This kinds makes Toni blend into the background more while the focus jumps back and forth between the girls and the boys. Shoni was a lot of fanservice, and I think it was executed well because it gave us a healthy, queer relationship that’s not ruined by the typical force of internalized homophobia. They broke up because of Toni’s natural stubbornness and anger towards the Martha dilemma. It wasn’t perfect and I think that’s what makes it so effective, especially because it showcased their love for each other in the small moments. Overall, I’m happy with how they played and explored Shelby’s fears and how they impacted Toni in small ways, eventually leading to their breaking point. I do think they are endgame and will get back together in season 3 but they’ll definitely milk their conflict. 

2. Leah. Leah. Leah. My one and only. I’m glad that they explored Leah’s mind in this season. We were able to see the effects of Nora’s manipulation and everyone’s lack of belief. Yet, although it weakens her in other’s eyes, it brings out her strength and ability to solve complex issues. She is a natural leader but is relegated to the sidelines in the island. I think in season 3, they’ll explore how Leah will handle a leadership role within the new control group. Also, she’s canonically bisexual, which is AWESOME. She is my star this season, along with Rachel. 

3. Fatin + Leah are my OTP. I love the way Fatin’s feelings for Leah are subtly revealed. There is just a softness with them this season that is unmatched. The “Ditto Bitch” moment is one for the books really. I do think they will get together but I think it will take Leah a bit more time to become aware of her feelings for Fatin. This is proved by the scene where she is submerged in her delusion, yet snaps out of it when Fatin screams. Her pull to her is there; it’s just buried deep. Idk, their dynamic just seems more poetic and satisfying than Shoni to me. Don’t come for me. 

4. The scene with Marty and the bunnies was haunting and soo important. It marks a breaking point for the girls. It also shows the impact survival has on Marty because she is breaking her moral code in so many ways and that’s the first time she has to face her actions without the lives of the others in the equation. It also reveals her darkness because her story is not talked about enough and her character serves as an innocent, comfort character in season 1. I’m anticipating the way they’ll explore the effects of her breakdown. Also, it directly contrasts to the boys. When they killed the panther, it was pure jubilance afterwards. It was a show of their strength and in a way, masculinity. While with Marty, the bunnies took her back to her old life and idk it was like she murdered a sacred part of herself in the process. She snapped and fell inward. 

5. Rachel and Shelby. There is something so important in Shelby sharing her faith. Throughout the show, we see Shelby’s complicated relationship with religion because she finds comfort in it but it also hurts and rejects her. I feel like a part of her was trying to leave it behind when she started dating Toni, like she was shedding the mask, and that’s why she was nervous to share it with Rachel. I think she was afraid it would cause more harm than good. Yet, I think she understood that Rachel needed to latch on to something to feel better. Nora used to be her anchor and without her, she needs a tangible thing or idea, to tether herself back to life during her grief. Rachel was just wonderful this season, beautiful in everyway. 

6. Dot is such a comforting character to me. Yet, I’m disappointed that we didn’t see much of her character. I am glad that they showed that she is still grieving her dad and how Martha’s comatose state affected her survival instinct. I just wanted more of Dot and cheesy romanced novels. 

7. Last but not least, Fatin and the mystery of the island. You don’t understand how happy I am that Fatin was shown as a grounding character this season. All of her protective instincts just came out and she became the ultimate mom friend to all. I am especially excited to see her tell Leah that she knows she was right and how that’s going to alter their friendship. The fact that her main motivation was to tell Leah is heartwarming to an extreme. JUST KISS HER ALREADY... okay, that’s out of my system now. 

I was very satisfied with the girls this season... They needed more screen time though. :/ merp

#the wilds #shoni #leatin #leah rilke #the wilds season 2 #we need more of the girls #fatin jadmani #toni shalifoe #ahhhhh #thoughts #dead serious

[fancy-a-dance-brigadier]

For the ask game: Voyager and SNW

Feel free to do Ahsoka as a bonus! :)

Thank you for the ask friend! And OF COURSE I am going to do Ahsoka as a bonus because my obsession with that show knows no bounds.

Voyager

Favourite character: I am one of the 0.0000009% of the earth’s population whose favourite Voyager character is Kes. She stood out to me from the very start, and that VOICE my god. She’s the perfect blend of kind and gentle and good but also she can boil your blood with her brain and she eats bugs and reads autopsy reports for fun. Nobody does it like her, and I really wished the show had leaned into some of her more horrific qualities (which obviously they never would because this is 90s Star Trek we’re talking about). But she’s a monstrous woman to me and I love her for it.

Second favourite character: B’Elanna! So many of her focus episodes just hit different - she’s easily one of the most complex characters in the cast, and not only that but the writers actually gave her material that makes the most of that complexity. They do such a good job of exploring her inner conflicts and her complicated relationship to her identity right from the get go (I’m thinking about that season 1 episode ‘Faces’. They really wasted no time in making her so interesting). B’Elanna’s episodes seldom ever miss basically. Also I just love her attitude.

Least favourite character: uhh Q 😂 I know he only has three guest episodes in the whole show, but he makes me want to set things on fire. I do not know why he’s so popular, I do not find him charming at all! Even in TNG!!

The character I’m most like: Idk, I always struggle with questions like this, but maybe Harry? Idk a few weeks ago someone in the uni department I work in said I wasn’t a staff member even though I’m literally on the payroll as a staff member and it just felt like I was living the Ensign Kim fantasy.

Favourite pairing: What a surprise! My favourite pairing is between my favourite character and my second favourite character! Kes/B’Elanna truthers if you’re out there, we can’t let their lack of screentime win.

Least favourite pairing: uhh Kes/Neelix because I honestly think a chaotic sibling-type relationship would’ve suited them so much better. Just let them be adventurous spacefaring besties together, it would’ve made things so much less awkward!

Favourite moment: Ok this is hyper specific and I think I’ve mentioned it before, but you know the ending of ‘The Thaw’? Where Janeway literally kills fear itself and there’s that really striking visual of Fear fading into the darkness and you can only see the parts of his face that are painted white? Yeah, that lives in my head rent free forever.

Rating out of 10: Solid 8/10. Highly entertaining, but I’m not feral about it.

Strange New Worlds

Favourite character: Ortegas! Which is incredibly unfortunate for me because the writers just refuse to let her do anything. It’s been two seasons, where is my Ortegas focus episode??? She’s my favourite character based purely on vibes alone, so imagine how much more there will be to love when they. Y’know. Actually develop her backstory and personality.

Second favourite character: Ok this is really bad but I honestly don’t feel strongly enough about any other members of the SNW cast to have a character that stands out as my second favourite 🙈 They’re all lovely! I do generally like them all! But I just struggle to get invested in them the way I do with other Star Trek characters, idk what it is.

Least favourite character: Chapel 🙈 I think I’m mostly just frustrated by the way she’s written - I think the intention was to make her a stronger character than she was in TOS, but I can’t think of a single aspect of her storyline that isn’t directly connected to one of the men in her life. It’s more like she’s an accessory to Spock and M’Benga’s storylines rather than a character in her own right. She had so much potential, because I remember her being kind of goofy and fun and chaotic and unique in the very first episode, and that was great! But I think a lot of that has got lost amongst the pining for Spock and the wartime M’Benga angst.

The character I’m most like: Hmm Uhura maybe?? Just with the whole struggling to make meaningful connections to people thing. Also I too miss Hemmer.

Favourite pairing: I don’t really have any ships for SNW, but let’s just say Ortegas/Una in the Elysian Kingdom because that was immense.

Least favourite pairing: Spock and Chapel, but mostly for the same reasons why I’m frustrated with Chapel’s character in general. I think there are moments where it does work, and I’m not opposed to them existing as a couple. I just wish they could give Chapel more interiority so they could flesh it out a bit more. As it stands, the whole Spock/T’Pring/Chapel thing reads very much like a generic YA love triangle romance. Maybe polyamory could fix them idk.

Favourite moment: The ending of ‘The Elysian Kingdom’ just gets me man. It hits on similar themes as the DS9 episode ‘Far Beyond the Stars’ in that it really centres on the power of storytelling, and I just love how nicely those two episodes fit together (I mean the Elysian Kingdom book was literally written by Benny Russell!! Hello????)

Rating out of 10: 7/10. It’s a good show and I do enjoy it, but I just struggle to connect with it in the same way that I can with shows that I really love.

Ok I’m going to put the Ahsoka stuff under a read more because I don’t want to spoil anything for you!

Ahsoka

Favourite character: This is so hard because I love them all!! But I think I have to choose Ahsoka because she’s just. She’s so good in this. I know a lot of people think she’s out of character, but I couldn’t disagree more. She’s seen some shit! She’s gone through hell! Of course she’s going to be more subdued as an adult than she was as a teenager! She brings such a presence and a gravitas to the show that really elevates it. Basically I’m love her.

Second favourite character: Shin Hati my disaster daughter. I’m fully convinced that Baylan found her in a trashcan somewhere and was like “I want that one” because she just has this slightly feral energy that I’m honestly obsessed with. I’m really excited to see if the show expands on her character, because she’s mostly been running around doing Baylan’s bidding and getting into very hot lightsaber fights with Sabine. Give my girl some development let’s GOOOOO. (Also honourable mention to Anakin because that’s my GUY that’s my BOY)

Least favourite character: I honestly can’t think of one, I love everyone in this show to pieces. Maybe that Empire sympathiser dude that Ahsoka and Hera met in episode 2. Yeah, him.

The character I’m most like: Ummm Sabine because I too am very fond of cats and creatures that look like cats.

Favourite pairing: Does Shin/Sabine have a ship name? Idk if they do, but either way I feel very normal about them. Mostly because of the vibes, since they haven’t done much beyond beating the crap out of each other. I’m hoping they’ll actually get to have a conversation in the next few episodes, especially after what went down in episode 4!

Least favourite pairing: I don’t think I have an answer for this one? Idk I’m not quite deep enough in the fandom side of things yet to know what else people are shipping from this show.

Favourite moment: Because I am a very basic Prequel era/Clone Wars girlie I have no choice but to choose the entire section of episode 5 with Ahsoka and Anakin. Number one television event that makes me want to bite things, I’m still not over it, I’ll never be over it. It’s fan service but it serves a purpose in the story. Anakin was better than he’s ever been in anything ever. Temuera Morrison was there. I have no choice but to go insane about every single second of these scenes. And don’t even get me started on teenage Ahsoka that was HEARTBREAKING.

Rating out of 10: 10/10. It’s perfect. Star Wars hasn’t been this good in ages. I’m actually actively looking forward to each new episode as they release, which is very rare for me.

#Thank you again! #ask game #Star trek #voyager #snw #star wars #Ahsoka

[sugdenlovesdingle]

from duncan's newsletter:

(he's actually critical of ED?? I didn't know he was allowed)

How to get Emmerdale back to its best

I love Emmerdale. Its gorgeous and unique setting, its array of fabulous characters and gripping storylines over the years, and its ability to tackle serious storylines head on, and break format creatively, often set it apart from the crowd.

Over the last few years, the soap has dominated awards ceremonies, winning rightful acclaim for Meena Jutla’s (Paige Sandhu) reign of camp terror, Paddy Kirk’s (Dominic Brunt) depression and suicide attempt, and Marlon Dingle’s (Mark Charnock) sensitively handled stroke storyline.

And Faith Dingle’s (Sally Dexter) death scenes were undoubtedly the highlight of the anniversary month, bringing far more to the table than flying caravans and cows on the loose.

Recent castings have been spot on too – William Ash is right at home as the complex Caleb Miligan, and Louise Jameson is unsurprisingly a revelation.

Being able to secure returns for the iconic Kim Tate (Claire King) and Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) can also be chalked into outgoing boss Jane Hudson’s legacy.

After five years, she has stepped down, having achieved a great deal on the show.

Wanting to spend more time with her family, Jane is looking forward to a well earned rest – running one of the UK’s top shows is a more difficult job than people give credit for.

Soap bosses are held to such a high degree of scrutiny and standard, and if there is anything fans are not happy with, boy they let them know!

Listing the above paints an overall solid picture of Emmerdale and, despite dramatic reports, the show is far from being in crisis.

However, the recent resurgence of EastEnders has helped identify how refreshing shows can put them right back on the map.

There are many things Emmerdale needs to improve on – things have become far less character led, with an over-reliance on stunts and, despite my love for the clan, the Dingles.

The often ignored older generation, lack of fresh blood who aren’t connected to existing villagers, and some storylines that are starting to feel a bit of a strain are some of the factors that it is now a good time to address.

A new pair of hands and perspective on the steering wheel will bring new ideas to the table – there’s a reason why soaps benefit a lot from regular producer changes.

We all have different thoughts when it comes to our ideal soap. I have struggled with some aspects of the show for a number of months now, and have some thoughts on what could give Emmerdale its mojo back.

The community feel

The Man Club is evidence that Emmerdale still knows how to integrate the cast in a community way, but the show really lacks the warm feeling of community that it has previously been known for.

Character groups feel very separate – the Andersons are packed with potential but are generally isolated aside from Charles leading a wedding or funeral, for example.

Many characters have deep connections and pasts with each other but at the moment, much of everything is storyline led, with a definite beginning, middle and end.

A return to the focus on character, and the village itself, will make the storylines feel less plot, and more organic.

New blood

There have been some solid castings over Jane’s tenure, but very few who join the show unrelated to existing villagers.

Many of the links have been a bit contrived – Nicola’s attacker Naomi really didn’t have to be the same character as Charles’ daughter – and introductions such as Chloe and Tom have so far felt unable to hit the mark, with explorations into the connections themselves feeling very light.

Chloe rarely interacts with Sarah anymore, while Tom’s tensions with Jimmy and Chas were resolved extremely quickly.

Bringing in some fresh new faces or even a new family could buck this trend and inject some additional new life that doesn’t have to be an add-on to an existing story.

A big name casting a la Amanda Donohoe leading the Wyldes would also bring some solid attention and buzz.

Bring back Kim Tate’s edge

This is an ongoing bugbear with me – I long dreamed of seeing superbitch Kim Tate stalking the village and lording over Home Farm once more, so when I got my wish, I was delighted.

Her return was camper than a tent shop, and great fun but unsustainable, so it was understandable that Emmerdale had to tone her down to keep her around.

Kim was still mean but started to take on some deeper dimensions. Having a grandma instinct reminded us of her heart, and her friendships with Mary and Lydia are great.

But, over the last year, Kim has completely lost that edge that makes her Kim.

There is absolutely no way that Harriet and Caleb would escape her wrath like they have done.

Crossing Kim to such an extent would doom you to some hardcore revenge, but Kim seems to have just rolled over and taken the hits.

Let’s get her back to the middle ground. Keep the layers – but re-introduce her harder side too.

A leopard can only change its spots so much – Kim will always, and should always, be utterly ruthless.

Consistency

Emmerdale’s powerful storylines are its absolute strength. When the show tackles something serious, it really treats it with care.

The aftermaths and long-running focus on Marlon’s stroke and Paddy’s mental health have been sublime – with storylines only this week revisiting Paddy’s grief over Grace, while Marlon has anxiety over getting back behind the wheel.

And the fact that the Man Club continues to be a solid staple of the village is refreshing; the story could easily have fallen into the soap mistake of being done and dusted then forgotten.

But when the show tries to get across a message, things can get a bit jarring when combined with other stories taking the same issue a lot less seriously.

Just days after raising awareness that a single punch can kill someone, a scene showed Bob smack Liam in the face with zero consequence. So, how are we treating punches?

Bernice’s equally important menopause group ran concurrently with Paddy’s Man Club, but has been played for laughs, which has felt like a major mis-step.

And, after Noah faced pretty much zero ramifications for stalking Chloe and displaying incel behaviours, he became central to a story about his girlfriend Amelia being stalked by a creep.

Noah portrayed as a hero in this scenario leaves a bit of a sour taste.

The show needs to take care not to undermine its best work in this way.

They stick to their guns when seeing these stories through, so they also need to stick to the core message.

Redemption arcs

Speaking of Noah’s redemption, the show has had a bit of an issue recently of desecrating characters and changing their personalities – only for it to be reversed with the expectation that viewers should forgive and forget.

To be fair to the current team, this is not a new issue – it still annoys many that Kerry and Amy live care-free in the village – and judge the crimes of others – when they effectively got away with killing Frank.

Noah was a character that ‘learned his lesson’ and was re-established into the fold without much furore, but it’s pretty hard to forget in this Amelia love story, that he really was a very serious danger to women not long ago.

And the character of Chas is back to being a little bit sanctimonious about the bad behaviour of others – such as Charity cheating and Caleb lying.

It’s very hard to warm to Chas again after the way she treated Paddy without any real remorse.

If Emmerdale truly wants us to forgive these characters, the redemption arcs need to be deeper and longer, with a much more detailed exploration of the behaviours and motivations behind them.

LGBTQ+ couples

It was noted during Pride Month that three LGBTQ+ couples in Emmerdale split up in quick succession – which was not a good look for a soap that actually nails it with diversity in the show, and representation for the community, character-wise.

Not all that long on from the controversial Vanity split, couples with potential, most notably the moving Heartstopper-esque pairing of Arthur and Marshall – were dropped.

Arthur’s coming out was handled beautifully and in an understated way by Emmerdale, so I am still confused by why the relationship went south so swiftly.

There are hints that Nicky will embark on a relationship with Suni, so hopefully this can be reversed to an extent that there can be a bit of joy for gay characters.

We are still rooting for Mary – and just when is Ethan going to get something to do?

Dropped stories need addressed

Emmerdale has kicked off stories that have the potential to be very interesting – but some of them just go nowhere.

The Rhona and Gus plot – which explored the concept of Rhona being asked to help her ex with having a baby – was new territory, but it was over and done with within weeks.

It left a few loose ends, with the expectation that more was to come but, months on, there is no sign of that.

Where is Chloe’s dad, after all this time and mentions of him? And why drop the big ‘Kerry is her mum’ bombshell right as Laura Norton left?

It was simply left hanging, with zero aftermath.

Tone down the huge stunts

Emmerdale knows how to put on a spectacle – some of its stunts have gone down in history, such as the motorway pile-up and Meena’s burning maze.

But, and this is more of an ITV issue, ‘Super Soap Week’ has become a bit of a problem.

It’s now the expectation that some sort of stunt has to half-destroy the village and kill off residents in October, which makes it predictable and pretty unrealistic how disaster will strike the same time every year.

There is also the pressure on Emmerdale to up the ante and beat the previous year each time, which led to a week with simply too much – a storm, a cow stampede, a man impaled on a tractor, an exploding quad bike, a crushing under a caravan – it was out of hand and the effect is diluted.

Time was, even a car crash would be extremely exciting and considered an event but it can’t be the case any more.

So with stunts, let’s mix it up a bit. Have less, and when they do happen, do they have to be in October?

And, unlike the big storm which had pretty much zero consequence (Harriet and Liv who?), there needs to be a return to character before spectacle. If we are blowing up the village, the key should be on what comes next.

‘Life will never be the same again’ can only work if, well, life is never the same again.

Less of the crime stories

How many drug dealers can one village have? There has been a reliance on short term criminals arriving – very often to create conflict for Cain – and it’s not very inspiring to see Nate now caught in a gangster style scenario. Which, again, it looks like Cain will resolve.

Two dimensional thugs and gangsters are so un-Emmerdale. And done far too regularly now to have any impact.

Does anyone even remember Dawn’s ex’s short-lived reign of terror? Or the gunman who shot David?

Dingle domination

The Dingle family is a double edged sword. They’re one of soap’s most iconic families and that should never change.

But it’s rare to see a story that isn’t Dingle connected, leaving the likes of the Sugdens and Tates hanging about in the background.

Even Caleb’s war with Kim Tate quickly became more Dingle focused.

Marlon and Faith’s stories were impeccable and there is another topical story coming to the Dingles that will undoubtedly be fantastic.

However, we need a bit less Dingle overload, it is hard to keep up and there are too many Dingles for them all to be realistically involved in each of the arcs ongoing.

But with all that is happening, each member absolutely would be part of it in real life. They need some breathing space to give it more of a family focus rather than story after story – and so do we.

Bring back Meena

Well, I can dream can’t I?

 

#emmerdale #i actually agree with most of this?? #duncan making sense?? #what is happening??

[hamliet]

What your favorite thing about each qaf character?

Damn, good ask.

Uhhhh.

Honestly it's all gonna boil down to similar ideas: I like complexity and contradictions. They're the most interesting part of people.

Brian: Mr "Go After What I Want" selfish a-hole actually avoids what he wants. His development was top-notch. The paradox of supposed self-satisfaction that actually masks a deep, festering self-hatred will never not be one of my favorite character archetypes.

Justin: Mr Sunshine and Rainbows is actually a great foil for Brian because he, too, can be selfish and disregarding of other people's feelings, just in a far more socially acceptable way (when compared to Brian, that is). And unlike many other stories, QAF doesn't let him get away with it. His development? Also top-notch.

Melanie: I love Melanie. She presents herself as a cold-hearted lawyer, but she actually has one of the biggest hearts in the series. Melanie is very much like Brian, which is why she hates him so much lol. But like Brian, she's willing to sacrifice herself to save her loved ones and desires no credit or compensation for it.

Lindsay: her compassion and kindness. I love the moment when she goes off at her sister's wedding, though, because it was a perfect moment of growth for her. She'd been through so much and was always smiling regardless, and in that moment, the woman who always valued her image did one of the most gauche cultural taboos you can do and we cheered her for it.

Debbie "Good Ally and Mother" Novtony--her identity gets so wrapped up in both that she actually starts being a terrible mom (over Ben) and flawed ally. That's the point of her character, and it drives me crazy when I see people saying "I can't stand her because she's not actually perfect as a mom or ally!" Like yeah, that's the point. That's why she's a great character. QaF isn't here to preach or shine up characters as role models or idols, not even Debbie; it's here to demonstrate messy humanity.

Ted: the drug addiction plotline really got to me. It was humanizing, ugly, and hopeful all at the same time. Ted had been self-destructive throughout the series despite preaching about projecting a good image and saying he wanted to better his life, so this was a fantastic way to explore this and force him to face his self-destruction.

Blake: how deeply he cares for those around him, including Ted, but not remotely for himself. Even when he leaves Ted in season 4 post-recovery, while he says it's to protect Ted's recovery, it's also because Blake doesn't trust himself or like himself.

Emmett: Baby. Emmett is in a sense the best qualities of everyone else: caring, generous, and much more communicative than the others. Like, no one in this show asks for what they want/need except Emmett. This is why it's so interesting that his final romance in the show is with someone who wants to keep Emmett as a side-piece (Drew).

Michael: he communicates in fantasy, and is honestly a great, complex character capable of being just as immature and whiny as he is of being brave and a superhero in real life. He's arguably at his worst at the start of season 3 when he says that horrible thing about Justin dying to Brian, but by the end of the season he's arguably at his very best: breaking the law to protect his promise to Hunter.

Ben: Just like Michael, he communicates in fantasy and has to accept reality. I love the steroid storyline, which I didn't expect to. His commitment to care and compassion is also a favorite part of his character for me, as is how he can truly challenge those around him to be better. He has high standards for those around him but doesn't put people down for not reaching them--except himself, when he doesn't reach his own high standards.

Hunter: his snark. No but really, also, his great foiling with Brian, Justin, Michael, Ben, and more: he acts like he doesn't care but he truly, truly does, and he deserved his happy ending. More HIV+ stories that aren't about death please.

#ask hamliet #queer as folk #qaf #britin #brian kinney #justin taylor #ben bruckner #hunter novotny bruckner #michael novotny #debbie novotny #emmett honeycutt #ted schmidt #blake wyzecki #lindsay peterson #melanie marcus

[icarus-suraki]

I've been thinking about a post that's been circulating here about the subtle racism present in Western/white danmei fandom (which is definitely there, whether one realizes it or not). And it reminded me a lot of 1990s anime fandom.

First, for the record, I'm white. Just so we're clear. Okay, moving on:

The DIC dubbed version of Sailor Moon was broadcast when I was 13, in 1995 (and I jumped right on it too). Around that same time, the SciFi channel was showing a handful of animes in rotation on Saturday mornings. There were a few dubbed anime and even fewer subbed anime on VHS at Blockbuster. 9 times out of 10, no one ever really knew how to pronounce "Neon Genesis Evangelion" or "Urusei Yatsura." And the general perception of "anime" in general was that it was raunchy at the mildest and only got progressively more pornographic from there.

But as these things started to appear in the US and be available to a wider audience, all these racist stereotypes of Japan and Japanese people started to surface too. To quote someone from the time, "Isn't manga the kinky stuff Japanese businessmen read on the train?" That was the perception: it's all dirty. (Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, Ronin Warriors and some other early arrivals helped with that some, because they were clearly children's cartoons. But then we had to deal with the whole "children's cartoons" issue when looking at NGE and Miyazaki's movies. But I'm digressing and glossing over whole decades of localized anime.)

tl;dr: in the early and mid 90s, if you were a fan of anime you were very much a consumer of a "foreign" product.

So we loved it but there was a very steep learning curve when it came to actually understanding what we were watching, especially as the internet got bigger and better and we learned that, wait, there are outer senshi? There are whole other storylines?

And there was an entirely different visual language and cultural foundation to these shows (and later movies and manga and so on). Why the heck does she have a giant drop next to her head? Why is she holding that piece of paper? What does it mean to work at a shrine? A shrine to what? What's the deal with the cherry blossoms? Why does he have an expression like that on his face? What does it mean when the characters do this? And this was in the 90s, so the internet then is not what it is today. We had to fumble our way around and learn the details of these "foreign" cartoons, while contending with the stereotypes other people (usually adults lol) had about Japan, anime, and Japanese people. But we did learn! We'd read, we'd hit up the internet as much as we could, we'd talk to one another, we'd go to events and conventions and just try to pick up as much as we could. Because we were curious! We wanted to know!

We were lucky because within a few years we had Princess Mononoke in movie theaters (not many, but some) and Cowboy Bebop popped up and Gundam Wing came along and the internet got better and anime stopped being such a fringe interest and now there's better information and understanding (at least a little).

That's a long story to say that the Western danmei fandom needs to do the same thing: get down into the cultural source and learn stuff.

You have got to acknowledge that you are engaging with works from a culture that is not your own. You can't just slap Western concepts onto it and try to shove an entirely different culture into the framework of your own culture. That's not going to work. And, no, you won't understand everything right off. There's layers in here and you have to acknowledge that and start learning.

You're engaging with concepts and worldviews that are almost certainly not the same as your own, my fellow white danmei fans, and you have got to realize that. Step back from your notions and your expectations and, yes, your racism and stereotypes, and start looking at the complexity of an entire culture out of which a character you love has arisen.

Once upon a time, someone here on Tumblr wanted to do a presentation about how "magical girl" characters like Sailor Moon and Sakura Kinomoto were inherently feminist. The problem was that this person never even considered the ways "feminism" might look or be discussed in Japan. This person was imposing Western feminism on characters that were created entirely outside that worldview/mindset. Don't do that. It's unfair to the creator, it's unfair to the creator's culture, and it actually kind of stifles your opportunity for learning.

Will I ever understand Japanese culture as well as a Japanese person? Absofuckinglutely not. But I know more than I once did, which means I can enjoy more aspects of animanga than I used to. I can get more of it and I'm less likely to misinterpret the creator's intentions. I'm not that great at it and I love a good translator's note, but I can get more of some of it.

So dig in to the cultural foundations and stop shoving Western cultural concepts onto works that weren't created in that milieu. (Yes, I said "milieu!") Get curious! I am begging you to stop assuming and get curious! Ask yourself "why?" and then get to researching!

For your first assignment, stop writing fanfic where Lan Wangji sounds like a robot. He uses short, perfect, referential phrases because he's elegant and educated. In English, the most elegant characters use elaborate language. Not so in many Chinese works: the fewer and more perfectly chosen the words, and the more meaning lying within those words, the more refined and educated the character is. It's like he's so good with language that he doesn't even need to use it anymore.

At least, that's my superficial understanding at the moment. I've got tons more to learn.

So let's get learning and stop shoving our expectations, assumptions, worldview, stereotypes, and cultural baggage onto works that exist and were created outside all of that. Let the works stand on their own and learn their foundations.

#noises from issy #western danmei fandom #oldtaku #just some thinky thoughts #also i accidentally minored in asian studies #because i just got interested in japan and japanese culture #so you never know what might come of some learning #get curious #start learning

[coe-lilium]

Copy-paste from this Reddit thread:

1. Potentially plot related:

Daniel Weymen (The Stranger/Meteor Man) said that his character had a "deep source of purpose,... a primal need". The character also seems to have very few lines. You may draw your own conclusion what that says about who he actually is.

Apparently the Harfoots' storyline is pretty isolated from the other storylines since they never met the cast from other sets (with maybe one exception?). The Stranger also apparently stayed with them, at least during the first season.

2. Cast/characters related:

The theatre/stage background of some of the actors (especially the actors of Celebrimbor, Elendil, Pharazon, The Stranger/Meteor Man) really shows. Their voices and the way they use their voices are just different, and it fits their characters well. Lloyd Owen (Elendil)'s voice, just wow! I want to listen to this man reading all of Tolkien's books.

Charles Edwards (Celebrimbor) is knowledgable about the lore. He not only knows the Tolkien books, but also what Christopher said about his dad's work. He became a big fan of Tolkien from a very young age, he would copy the Elvish script, he even wrote his own LOTR play (he has a deep background in Shakespeare)! I feel like he's a great pick for a complex and tragic character like Celebrimbor, even though his appearance may not match people's imagination.

Robert Aramayo (Elrond) started out not knowing that much about the lore (he didn't know the First Age stuff), but after he got the role, he started reading everything to the extent that people on set would consider him a sort of expert. I really liked his motivation for doing this: he said that he felt Elrond would eventually become such an accomplished lore-master that he had to read a ton of Tolkien lore to become the Elrond he plays.

Trystan Gravelle (Pharazon) has a great grasp of the lore. His explanation of Numenor's politics and what mortality means for Numenoreans and how Pharazon fits into all this told me that Pharazon is in safe hands.

Lloyd Owen (Elendil) also gave a nice explanation of Numenor's history. He also made a great meta joke when he was chatting with Isildur's actor. He said: "Isildur is not a problem child in any way shape or form."  But of course we all know how Isildur caused a lot of problems down the road lol. He went on to say: "All I can say is, don't always blame the parents." It probably takes a decent level of familiarity with the lore and maybe also the memes to slip in an offhand joke like that.

Ismael Cruz Cordova (Arondir) spent many hours working with others to create a new Elvish fighting style that combines dancing and Brazilian martial arts and more. His fellow actors said he was in the stunt gym all the time. He also said he would sneak into other sets of the show to have a peek (they're technically not allowed to do that). I found that pretty funny.

Daniel Weyman (The Stranger) had very few lines, so he had to rely a lot on non-verbal acting. But according to one of his fellow actors, he was so good that in one scene his acting made her cry without saying a single word.

Owan Arthur (Durin IV) has a ton of energy and fun. He's just the kind of person you'd immediately want to have a beer with. Great pick for a young Dwarf prince. Go listen to his story about how his beard and costumes would get in the way of him eating and going to the bathroom. It's hilarious!

Sophia Nomvete (Disa) attended the audition 2 days before she gave birth. The costume department custom made her costumes so she could get out of them easily to breast feed her baby on set. She just looks like a regal Dwarf queen.

Benjamin Walker (Gil-Galad) has a good sense of humor while maintaining a sort of deadpan face, which is surprising but awesome.

3. Production and details:

There are Tolkien experts on set in case people need to consult them on lore. Sometimes people would also argue about the lore on set to try to get everything right.

Most of the Numenorean and Elf actors had to take calligraphy lessons with Daniel Reeve (the artist who designed the awesome calligraphy and cartography in all the PJ movies) so they can actually write correctly. Emma Horvath (Earien, Elendil's invented daughter) had to spend 3 hours with Daniel Reeve every week to learn how to write and draw because her character is an architect. Apparently Daniel Reeve also had to invent a brand new alphabet for Numenor.

The actors (especially the Numenorean and Elf ones) put a lot of care into the pronunciations of words and language in Tolkien's books. You can hear it when they speak. It sounds pretty Middle-earth already.

Numenor has large practical sets that you can explore and interact with: full alleyways and flowers and everything. They even had incense burning in some places presumably so the sets have the right smells even though the audience can't necessarily see that.

The Harfoots have mobile proto "hobbit holes" they carry with them on carts when they migrate. The carts have everything in them that you can probably live in them.

The person that designed Galadriel's armor said she's gonna really make the cosplayers have to work hard for this one. I thought the mental image of the costume designers consciously competing with cosplayers was pretty funny.

They imported giant rabbits from Europe so they made the Harfoots look small. Also, potential easter egg for Radagast's rabbits?

Obvious caveat: it's possible (even likely) that most of the questions were sent to the cast in advance. But I feel that you can still learn a lot about the show and the cast from the Q&A sessions.

#lotr on prime #rings of power #the rings of power #amazon lotr #*aggressively shoving some positivity into the tags*

[dreamingsushi]

Eternal Love - Overall Review

It took a few years in the making, but there we are and finally I finished my recaps of this series. It was somewhat challenging since I knew all of the major events to happen, yet I had to make sure not to include them in any of my recaps before it actually happened. My fingers might have slipped here and there, but I truly did my best.

Plot

It’s quite the feat to manage summarizing the story of this drama in a few lines without revealing everything. Let’s just say that this about a love story between two immortals, spanning on three different lives. There is a lot of trials, a lot of pain, but also a lot of magic, in any kind of way you can give to this word. Since elaborating on the plot line itself would risk giving away spoilers, which is not the point of this review, I will focus on the characters and their relationship.

We can all agree that Bai Qian/Si Yin/Susu is the main character of this story. She's there from the beginning to the end. I would like to mention the complexity of this character. At times she's quirky, at others she's an elder that no one would dare confront. What I liked about her is that she's very consistent in her character. She's a proud lady and she won't take being insulted, although she's actually a softy deep down inside and can't really hold a grudge for real, it's only to keep face. She's also extremely loyal. I loved that we got to have a strong lady as a main lead. A strong lady that hates to depend even on her partner, even though she relied maybe a little too much on her master, but that's a different story. She made sense, from A to Z. She wasn't perfect, no she had plenty of flaws, but that's what made her even more relatable and actually admirable. Her relationship with Yehua sometimes evolved weirdly, it felt maybe like we could have used a little more development, but at the same time... it wasn't illogical at all.

And I can't talk about Bai Qian without mentioning Yehua, right? Seriously, that character is everything. I loved how we portrayed his struggles, why he strives so much to please everyone and do the right thing, all the time. It was painful, yet blissful to see his growth, seeing him discover love and happiness along the hardships. The guy was obviously a little too powerful, but I liked the openness he had about his feelings towards Bai Qian, how he was set on one thing and wouldn't change his mind. He needs still to learn about communication, because that would have solved many issues and saved a lot of tears on my part, but he's still young. 70 000 something years old, that ain't that old right?

The one part of the storyline that I really didn't like is the one between Donghua and Fengjiu. My problem isn't that their love isn't fated to be fulfilled, but rather that it's pathetic. To me, Fengjiu liking Donghua doesn't make sense. It feels more like a fan who is mistaken between feelings of love and feelings of admiration. I'm also not a fan of people hanging on to others, even though it's not meant to be, it's just annoying. She kept clinging onto him and I just don't appreciate seeing women portrayed that way.

But let's talk about one my favourite pair of characters: Zhe Yan and Bai Zhen. Those two. Seriously. Who wouldn't like them? It's obvious that they are a little bit more than friends, even though it is never openly said in the drama. But they just fight like an old married couple all the time. I think one of my favourite moment is when Zheyan makes a new arm for Yehua, arguing that it would look bad on his wedding day with Bai Qian if he only had one, and that just totally made sense as an explanation to Bai Zhen, who also agrees. It's just lovely how they always think of each other, in every circumstances. Plus, even though most of the time they are rather carefree, they both are really powerful characters and I think without their help, our main characters would never have found each other.

Li Jing is also a character that has shown a lot of growth during the drama. Perhaps under the influence of Bai Qian. He really broke my heart, because he did try his best, even though that wasn't enough.

Now let's mention the two ladies antagonizing Bai Qian: Xuan Nü and Sujin. Whereas Xuan Nü is pitiful, Sujin is despicable. Both ladies got to grow up next to people who were important, but the first one was always remembered of her low status, while the other one felt entitled to everything. They both tried to take away the men from Bai Qian and both failed. And I must say, I really liked Xuan Nü's character. To be more correct I guess, I must say that I liked disliking her. She's ready to do anything to get whatever she wants and gets delusional in the end. Basically, she created her own hell herself, crafted it one piece at a time. Her downfall was slow, painful and led her to lose her mind. That was actually fabulous in way. On the other hand, Sujin character's didn't impress me as much. She's just a spoiled lying brat who's used to get what she wants, on the pretext that her family died for the celestial group. She has always coveted what doesn't belong to her so yeah. They just made her into an ugly character that didn't have much depth. I don't like female characters like that, because I think it puts woman in a bad light.

Over all, the plot was pretty decent. I remember though when I tried to explain it to my sisters, they thought I was crazy for watching something like this haha. I mean, stuff happens in Chinese dramas sometimes, it's okay. It wasn't perfect and some stuff were very frustrating, but it's an overall 8/10 for me.

Acting

Here, I would say I'm biased. I'm a huge Yang Mi's fan. She's just great. So to me, she did an awesome job, with all the little habits the character has. She keeps pushing them forward and it looks natural. I loved the subtle differences between Susu and Bai Qian, coming from her memory loss. Loved also when she was acting as Xuan Nü stealing Bai Qian's face. You can see that she's talented and polyvalent. There's not a time I didn't believe that what happened. was real.

And I can't say one thing wrong about Zhao Youting's acting either. He was beyond expectations, as Moyuan and Yehua. How much his gaze would mean a lot, you could know what he felt just through his eyes. Both Yehua and Moyuan weren't very expressive characters, mostly cold to anyone but Bai Qian (as they should), but it didn't feel like the usual "I'm trying to look like I'm cold so I'm just not acting". There were nuances all along, making it alive instead of zombie like. You could feel all the warmth those two characters had to offer once they started liking someone. Especially as Yehua, who was a character that grew up with so much pressure on him.

I'm not going to spend too much time on the other characters, because otherwise this review is going to be overly long. However, I still have a few actors to praise. Both Sujin and Xuan Nü did an amazing job, especially Xuan Nü towards the end, when she was on her downfall and getting crazier by the day. Those two ladies, albeit having a not so nice personna did a very good job. They made me feel exactly how I should towards them. Pity, hatred, resentment... All of that. The actor for Siming was also hilarious, while very good at the more serious occasions. Loved loved Alan Yu as Bai Zhen, but this guy is just so precious, I always want to pinch his cheeks in general, but even more so in this character. Do I have to mention baby Ali? That child is soooo adorable. Obviously, they were pretty young back then so it wasn't perfect, but it felt so naive and real, I loved it. Even though I am not a fan of Fengjiu, Dilraba Dilmurat did an awesome job. She's a master at pouting while still looking adorable. We could feel all the melancholy of her character from her unfulfilled romance. She did great also looking all feisty for her aunt when she felt she was being bullied.

The only character I wasn't so fond of his acting was... Gao Weiguang as Donghua. Whereas Zhao Youting portrays beautifully a cold character, it didn't make the cut for me in Donghua's case. It felt very awkward for me. Not to say he didn't do a good job, it's just that compared to Zhao Youting, it didn't stand a chance.

Overall, this drama gets a lot of point for the acting. I didn't even mention all of the wonderful characters, because there are just too many to talk about each of them. However I would say a majority did a stellar job. So this gets a 9/10, losing points for some of the side characters that were a little less enticing.

Soundtrack

I think it is no secret that I just looooove Eternal Love's soundtrack. Both the opening and the ending of the drama are on my playlist, I almost never skip it when it comes along and they both figure on my KTV must sing list. It's just beautiful, it pairs well with the drama and the story. What else can I say?

But it's not all about the opening and the ending. Whenever there was music in this drama, I couldn't help but be delighted. It always was most fitting to the actual action right at that moment. It was perfection. Whenever I heard the notes starting to play, I was right into the feels, it set the tone for whatever was happening. They did an awesome job in my opinion.

Overall, this is a 10/10, it was just perfect. I couldn't ask for anything better than that.

Aesthetic and costumes

So this being an older drama, it's going to lose a little bit of points here. Not because it's bad, it's just... old. If I did my review right when it first aired, the score might have been different, but how well.

Let's first talk about costumes. I would say I loved most of them? It wasn't all perfect, but the costumes really fitted each of the characters personality, and very well at that. I especially enjoyed Yehua's costume and his head pieces. Lexu and Sujin were also beautifully dressed all the time. I think they had the most intricate costumes of the drama. Perhaps alongside with Xuan Nü as she was queen of Yi. I wasn't such a fan of Bai Qian's clothes half of the time. I liked her monocolour clothing more than the multicolour ones. Sometimes the colours kind of didn't fit together and it bothered my eyes. I also couldn't help but think that her headpieces must have been very uncomfortable. But one thing I really liked was the consistency of the hairstyles for the Fox tribe people. Their hair were pulled back in a similar manner for all of them, except Fengjiu and Bai Zhen, for some mysterious reason. I also liked the general simplicity of the costumes for most characters. As much as I like beautiful clothing, I enjoyed that instead of focusing on what they were wearing, I would focus more on their facial expressions and their body language.

About the visuals... There were beautiful scenes (especially in Kunlunxu, Qingqiu and the Peach Blossom forest), but the unfortunate thing was that most of it were painting or pictures and we could see quite clearly the cut around the actors. It wasn't very seamless and kind of ruined part of the thing for me. Also, the beasts and creatures looked really cheap. Probably because they weren't as advanced in that field. But if I look back, it wasn't that much better in Till the End of the Moon which is much more recent. So overall, they really didn't do too bad, right?

So overall, this would be a 7/10, but mostly because it didn't age that well. It's pretty impressive for back then and this is actually a pretty good rating in my opinion.

Should you watch this drama?

I 100% recommend to watch Eternal Love. I think it belongs to the classics in terms of drama, even though it's not that old. It has everything a good story needs. The character development is super interesting. The acting is superior. The story is enticing and of course, there are some toxicity as to be expected of something a little older, but it's not overly present compared to other dramas. Actually, toxic traits during the relationship was something to work on. Seriously, this is a solid 9/10, I watched it twice and if I ever have some more time, I would rewatch without hesitation.

List of full recaps

All / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30 / 31 / 32 / 33 / 34 / 35 / 36 / 37 / 38 / 39 / 40 / 41 / 42 / 43 / 44 / 45 / 46 / 47 / 48 / 49 / 50 / 51 / 52 / 53 / 54 / 55 / 56 / 57 / 58

#eternal love #yang mi #zhao youting #dilraba dilmurat #gao weiguang #xuanhuan #xuanhuan drama #costume drama #cdrama #c-drama #chinese drama #drama review #drama recommentation

[sasorikigai]

✨ x ♾️ (I think you’re a phenomenal writer and your really bring Hanzo to life with your writing! You converted me to be a Scorpion girlie!)

send ✨ if you like my writing and feel free to tell me why !! the rpc is in serious need of some positivity. || @hexsreality || accepting!

I always have LOVED Hanzo's story (even though I have never played the MK games), because it adds depth to the Mortal Kombat narrative, and I think he is the most complex and relatable character out of all the roster! Not only his tragic backstory (the pain of losing his family and clan) is a relatable source of emotional turmoil, but mostly his primary motivation throughout the series being vengeance, which makes him such a compelling character as he struggles with the internal conflict of whether his actions are justified and whether there is a room for redemption. As a writer, I find this struggle to be such a human emotion; as many people (including me) face difficult decisions in the pursuit of justice or personal vindication.

Also, despite his vengeful and impulsive nature, he has extremely strong sense of honor and loyalty. His commitment and love for his family and protecting his clan showcases a more compassionate side. Having deep and profound canonical relationships with Kenshi and Takeda Takahashi and Kuai Liang (not only in MK game storyline, but in comics and animated series) adds further duality and complexity, as he navigates between his desire for revenge and his sense of honor. I also love his character not entirely being black and white. He is prominently an antihero seeking justice for his fallen clan, and while his methods can be ruthless, blurring the lines between good and evil, he is often found grappling with complex ethical choices as his actions create a multi-dimensional character with whom people can empathize and understand.

Long story short; while I am not as familiar with Wanda's entire story arc as I am only familiar with some Marvel movies, I can definitely say the exact same about your portrayal of Wanda Maximoff as I have went on about Hanzo being a complex and reliable character. I think you convey that complexity which Hanzo and she share remarkably and flawlessly, and I admire that you don't shy away from exploring her darker side as well. Thank you for writing with me as always, and no matter what the verse we write and the different relationships (even different point in our 'main threads,' so to speak) we explore, I will always treasure our interactions!

#✗ breathing iron and rust (outofkombat) #(sorry for responding to this so late!) #(but definitely I have the same sentiment) #hexsreality

[twogyuu]

TW: this is just word vomit ahead bc episode 4 of 'youth of may' made me feel and think so many things :') nobody cares but this is my dumping grounds of feels for entertainment so-

FIRST! The dichotomy between the two male leads - SO WELL DONE!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 It was quite simple really - they kind of set it up like a one-variable experiment? They both treat Myeong Hee similarly, but how they see her is what makes the first lead "better" than the second lead. They both like her; they both buy her gifts; they both try to know and cater to her likes/dislikes; they're both kind and dependable.

However, what sets Hee Tae apart from Soo Chan is that Hee Tae sees Myeong Hee as a "dynamic" being with feelings and decisions to make - and even if it hurts him, he respects what she wants. That's not to say Soo Chan isn't respectful and is an "asshole" - he is very polite and considerate. However, he never really asks her how she feels or what's on her mind. He merely sees her as his little sister's "poor" but kind and cute friend. She's bold and seemingly strong like a "wild flower" - someone who endures life and puts up with it all without complaint.

Where Soo Chan falls is that he fails to recognize that Myeong Hee isn't perfect and comes with a baggage that money and lavished living won't fix. As boldly as she is and as "complacent" as she seems, it's not truly how she wants to live but because of her social status and the wrong blame that was placed on her in the past, she feels like she has to keep quiet.

On the other hand, it's clear that Hee Tae knows this girl got hurt somewhere along the way even if she won't quite tell him. She wants to do things that she's told not do, but she holds back for the sake of her friends and family. It's why he pushes her to admit how she feels and what she wants. For once, he's that someone that will listen to her and wants to push her to pursue what she wants.

Episode 4 only scraped the surface of Myeong Hee's dark past, but I think it's foreshadowing the very real and unfortunate distinction between rich and poor in terms of injustice. The other kids were well-off, so they got away with protest/"propaganda" scut-free. Unfortunately, Myeong Hee ended up being the scapegoat and shouldered the burdened of all their consequences, which is her life went downhill in high school. She was an easy scapegoat: a poor girl with nothing to her name - what did she have to lose? (a lot - shocker.)

Perhaps this is just a personal thing, but I don't quite understand why Myeong Hee sticks around Soo Ryun if Soo Ryun was part of that crowd hat threw her under the bus. As the story goes on, I just feel myself disliking her character more and more . . . Ofc, she never does anything inherently wrong, but she continues to abuse her privilege and status to strike/revolt without facing the consequences like her less well-off peers. It feels like a kid playing king without knowing the burden of carrying the weight of the crown, ya know? Yet, you can't get upset with her either because it's partially her dad pulling her out of trouble and you know she has good intentions . . .

As cheesy as some scenes are in this kdrama, I can't deny the complexity of the characters is really well-done (for now - hopefully future episodes don't fuck this up LOL) and that's what keeps me hooked. None of them are perfect nor is one decision "right" relative to another.

The inner conflict as an viewer in wanting everyone to be good, but also knowing they are very human, flawed and emotionally impulsive, and knowing well this is all about to be fucked real soon is weirdly satisfying.

Edit: I forgot to mention to - the storyline between their younger brothers is also really interesting. You can just see how at a very young age, each of them start to see social status in their lives and each othee, and how that affects how people treat them, what they can/can't have, etc. To be excited about your dad buy to counterfeit Nike shoes at the flee market, but to only be told they're "cheap" and not worth the same when the look the same - my fucking heart ached for Myeong Soo 😭 I'm rooting for them to be friends LoL, but the balance is sensitive and can go very wrong if tipped the wrong way.

Anyways, I'm done now 🥲

#twogyuu:strugglin' #youth of may #im about 2 years late on this one but oh well lol #this drama got everything my angsty heart is looking for