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fuckyeahgoodomens · 3 months

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SFX Magazine Issue 368, August 2023

THEY’RE BACK – AND THIS TIME THEY’RE IN ALL-NEW TERRITORY. NEIL GAIMAN TALKS RETURNING FOR SEASON TWO OF GOOD OMENS

THE RASCALLY DEMON Crowley (David Tennant) and the neurotic angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) put aside their differences to pull off one doozy of a Hail Mary and prevent an impending Apocalypse in Good Omens’ first season. The task cemented the pair’s unconventional friendship. So what are divine beings, who have fallen out of grace with both Heaven and Hell, to do for an encore?

The answer lies with archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm), who shows up unannounced on the doorstep of Aziraphale’s London bookshop. Suddenly, Aziraphale and Crowley are caught up in a caper of biblical proportions – but also a more intimate tale.

“It’s a mystery,” showrunner Neil Gaiman tells SFX. “It kicks off a story that doesn’t have giant consequences for the universe, even if it does have consequences for Aziraphale and Crowley. We have a lot of the marvellous Jon Hamm, who is the angel Gabriel and turns up at the beginning stark naked, carrying a cardboard box with no memory of who he is. In the same way, it is about Aziraphale and Crowley having to get involved with humanity in a way that they haven’t before.

“They get dragged in slightly against their will to try to sort out the love life of Aziraphale’s tenant,” he continues. “Her name is Maggie [Maggie Service] and she runs the record shop next to the bookshop. You’ll see the coffee shop over the road, which is Nina’s [Nina Sosanya]. The relationship between Maggie and Nina is one that Crowley and Aziraphale try to fix, and mess up, because they are not good at human relationships, even if they can do miracles.”

Truth be told, Gaiman never originally intended this arc to serve as Good Omens’ second instalment. The TV series was based on Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s 1990 novel. The two collaborators had partially hashed out the details for a sequel to the fantasy comedy, late one night in a hotel room. This, however, is not it. Gaiman instead plotted a new narrative that could provide the connective tissue between the first season and a theoretical season three, if it happens.

“Because the hypothetical season three exists, there is a story that is there, and I didn’t feel that we could drive straight from season one into that,” Gaiman explains. “I knew what the stakes were. I knew what the parameters were. I also knew that I had David and Michael. I had the angels from plot number one.

I had demons from plot number one. And with anybody that I wanted to bring back, but didn’t have room for right now, I did not have to bring them back as themselves. “I had absolutely nothing for Madame Tracy to do in this plot, but I would be damned if Miranda Richardson wasn’t going to be in this. She is one of my favourite people in the world. She is hilarious and is so good. And I knew I was going to have a new demon replacing Crowley as Hell’s representative in London/ the UK. Miranda’s demon Shax is the best demon you could want.”

It’s late February 2022 and SFX is in Edinburgh for a set visit. A soundstage in Pyramids Studios has been transformed into a street in Soho. The visible local stores include the aforementioned book, coffee and record shops, as well as a magic establishment. In the middle of them all stand Aziraphale and Crowley, the latter in close proximity to his classic Bentley. It’s close to the end of the six-episode season, so exactly what the duo is discussing constitutes a spoiler. We can say, however, that Aziraphale has picked up the pace. Time is of the essence as Shax marshals her forces to descend on Aziraphale’s store and retrieve Gabriel.

“This is really Shax’s first time out on Earth,” Gaiman explains. “She is working very diligently and very hard in Hell for a long time. Now she is on Earth, trying to figure it all out. She’s just discovering what Crowley has known for 6,000 years, which is that if you’re a demon and come up with a brilliant plan to screw up the lives of humanity, people will get there first and do worse than anything you could have imagined! She’s coming to terms with that.

“She is having to deal with the first crisis on her watch, as well, which is the disappearance of the archangel Gabriel from Heaven. It would be fair to say that by the end of the story, she is leading as much as she can get from Hell’s requisition department – a legion of Hell – in an attack on a Soho bookshop.”

When audiences catch up with Aziraphale again, he’s enjoying his time among humans. He owns most of the block in a Soho neighbourhood, and he’s meddling in Nina’s love life. Meanwhile, Crowley has been living in his car, with his plants sitting on the back seat. He’s grumpy about his current status quo, but frequently hangs out at Aziraphale’s. The duo began as antagonists, but their history and blossoming relationship will be fleshed out in flashbacks.

“One of the enormously fun things I came up with is the idea of minisodes,” Gaiman explains. “They are 25-minute-long episodes within the episode. We have three of them over our six episodes. Each of them is like one of those chunks of episode three [in season one]. Whereas the longest one of those was four or five minutes, if that, these are full stories.

“You get to have the story of [put-upon Biblical figure] Job, and you learn Aziraphale and Crowley’s part in the story. Then writer Cat Clarke takes us to Edinburgh in the 1820s for a tale of body-snatching and attempted murder that the boys get involved in,” he adds.

“Finally, Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman reunite the League Of Gentlemen in a Nazi-period story that takes place very shortly after the episode in the church. That one was the only one I said had to be there, because I fell in love with our Nazi spies in the church. I kept thinking, ‘What would happen if they essentially came back as zombies, with a mission from Hell to try and investigate whether or not Crowley and Aziraphale were actually fraternising?’”

Gaiman admits that one of the greatest challenges has been filming Good Omens simultaneously with his upcoming show Anansi Boys. The two shoot within throwing distance of each other, but are both timeconsuming endeavours.

“If I could go back in time, I would go back to 16 September 2020, when Douglas Mackinnon [co-producer] and I got the phone call from the Amazon bigwigs to say, ‘We have good news for you and interesting news for you,’” Gaiman recalls. “‘The good news is we are greenlighting both Good Omens and Anansi Boys. The interesting news is you are going to have to do them both at the same time.’

“I would go back to then and I would throw myself on the call and say, ‘Neil, don’t! This is unwise.’ That we are doing them both together is great. The amount of sleep I am not getting is monumental and monstrous.

“It’s a little bit like childbirth, in that I managed to forget all the things that drove me nuts about the first one. Having said that, I managed to fix all the things that really drove me nuts making season one, which is great. We just have a whole new set of problems making season two…”

The Odd Couple - David Tennant and Michael Sheen talk character and sets for season two

Crowley and Aziraphale come off as the best of frenemies at times. Where do they stand with one other now?

DT: They are indeed. What’s different in season two is because of what happened at the end of season one, they no longer have head offices that they have to report to. They are in a very different position. Whereas before they were trying to get away with things, now they are kind of free agents.

MS: Although sort of fugitives as well. They are sort of in-between. But this amazing life they have created over a millennia, they are now able to enjoy in a slightly different way. They are not having to put on a front for their respective teams. There is a different kind of freedom.

DT: While at the same time being cut off, so they are also strangers in a strange land.

MS: That kind of connects them in a slightly different way. They have always been the only two beings who could understand each other’s position. Now they are pushed even closer together.

Now that they have the run of the place with no obligations, does that bring its own set of problems, being cut off?

DT: They have this sort of uneasy relationship. They are not entirely cut off from their head offices. Indeed, their head offices are quite keen to exploit that sort of adjacent connection, as we will see as the story unfolds. They exist in this grey area, neither the supernatural nor of the Earth.

MS: By the time we pick up their story in this series, they have appeared in time where they were kind of let alone a bit more. When we pick the story up, they are being bothered again.

The depth and the richness and the detail of what we are seeing on set here in Edinburgh is mind-blowing. How is it for you having it all in one place now, rather than having filming scattered around the UK?

MS: It’s completely changed the experience of doing it. Just being indoors… The Soho set on the first season was freezing cold.

DT: I was in a car park. Even inside the bookshop I was exposed to the elements! There’s a greater percentage of the show set here. There was a practical imperative to making it a manageable environment. If we had been in a car park, the elements might have impinged our ability to film.

Hellraiser - David Tennant is Crowley

You and Michael know these characters inside out. Do you have a shorthand?

It’s a hard thing to be objective about. Although I didn’t know Michael that well before we shot season one, it was always easy and exciting working together. It’s well-oiled now, for sure. It’s certainly fun to come to work. We enjoy bouncing off each other.

How comfortable are they about becoming involved with Gabriel?

I suppose Aziraphale is a much more enthusiastic detective. We are very much voting for the spin-off called The Azirafiles, which will follow this! As with most things, Crowley is reluctant to get involved or to exhibit any kind of energy or enthusiasm about very much. He is dragged kicking and screaming into this. Necessity forces him to get involved, whereas Aziraphale rather likes it.

Where does Crowley hang out these days?

He spends a lot of time in the book shop. He only has one friend. He can only have one friend. That is the great liberation, and also the great prison, that they find themselves in. They have no one else. They have come to rely on each other more than they ever did. And more than they care to admit.

Crowley is a rock star, in a way. Were there any particular musicians that inspired you?

Not consciously, no. The look was assembled accidentally during the first costume sessions. The Crowley of the book is of the mode when the book was written. He is more kind of Wall Street, the way he is described. We just decided that Crowley should always be of the moment he’s in. We were just trying to find a look that we felt fitted.

Divine Being - Michael Sheen is Aziraphale

How has knowing your characters better informed this series?

The first series was the first time we really properly worked together. It feels like we haven’t stopped working together since. Everything that has happened in-between plays into coming back to these characters. I am sure it is all feeding into it. It’s very difficult for us to know how that is informing the characters and their relationships.

With the flashbacks to various points in Earth’s history, is there a period of time Aziraphale enjoys the most?

One of the most enjoyable things for the audience and us is moving through different historical periods. It’s a great source of joy, and people thoroughly enjoyed that episode in the first series, so that has been expanded on in season two. But in terms of which Aziraphale enjoys the most, I think it’s not actually a period of time that we’ve seen him in on this series.

He would have been happiest at the end of the 19th century, in the Victorian era, which is considered the golden age of magic. He would have loved being with the greats like Harry Houdini. He loved the Victorian period. It was a great period of time for philanthropy and doing good works in a municipal way.

How has it been going from something dark like The Prodigal Son to a more whimsical show?

That’s the nature of an actor’s job. You go from one thing to another. In some ways, it’s even more useful to have big differences between the characters. What tends to happen, and I think most actors feel this way, is if you are playing one character for a long time, part of you yearns to play the bits the character doesn’t have. There’s a naivety and an innocence about Aziraphale. But at the same time, underneath that, there is eons of knowledge and experience.

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thesherrinfordfacility · 10 months

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Source

Transcript of main article under the cut:

THE RASCALLY DEMON Crowley (David Tennant) and the neurotic angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) put aside their differences to pull off one doozy of a Hail Mary and prevent an impending Apocalypse in Good Omens' first season. The task cemented the pair's unconventional friendship. So what are divine beings who have fallen out of grace with both Heaven and Hell to do for an encore?

The answer lies with archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm), who shows up unannounced on the doorstep of Aziraphale's London bookshop. Suddenly, Aziraphale and Crowley are caught up in a caper of biblical proportions- but also a more intimate tale.

"It's a mystery" showrunner Neil Gaiman tells SFX. "It kicks off a story that doesn't have giant consequences for the universe, even if it does have consequences for Aziraphale and Crowley. We have a lot of the marvellous Jon Hamm, who is the angel Gabriel and turns up at the beginning stark naked, carrying a cardboard box with no memory of who he is. In the same way, it is about Aziraphale and Crowley having to get involved with humanity in a way that they haven't before.

"They get dragged in slightly against their will to try to sort out the love life of Aziraphale's tenant," he continues. "Her name is Maggie (Maggie Service) and she runs the

record shop next to the bookshop. You'll see the coffee shop over the road, which is Nina's (Nina Sosanya). The relationship between Maggie and Nina is one that Crowley and Aziraphale try to fix, and mess up, because they are not good at human relationships, even if they can do miracles."

Truth be told, Gaiman never originally intended this arc to serve as Good Omens' second instalment. The TV series was based on Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's 1990 novel. The two collaborators had partially hashed out the details for a sequel to the fantasy comedy, late one night in a hotel room. This, however, is not it. Gaiman instead plotted a new narrative that could provide the connective tissue between the first season and a theoretical season three, if it happens.

"Because the hypothetical season three exists, there is a story that is there, and I didn't feel that we could drive straight from season one into that," Gaiman explains. "I knew what the stakes were. I knew what the parameters were. I also know that I had David and Michael. I had the angels from plot number one. I had demons from plot number one. And with anybody that I wanted to bring back, but didn't have room for right now, I did not have to bring them back as themselves.

"I had absolutely nothing for Madame Tracy to do in this plot, but I would be damned if Miranda Richardson wasn't going to be in this. She is one of my favourite people in the world. She is hilarious and is so good. And I knew I was going to have a new demon replacing Crowley as Hell's representative in London/the UK. Miranda's demon Shax is the best demon you could want."

It's late February 2012 and SFX is in Edinburgh for a set visit. A soundstage in Pyramids Studies has been transformed into a street in Soho. The visible local stores include the aforementioned book, coffee and record shops, as well as a magic establishment. In the middle of them all stand Aziraphale and Crowley, the latter in close proximity to his classic Bentley. It's close to the end of the six-episode season, so exactly what the duo is discussing constitutes a spoiler. We can say, however, that Aziraphale has picked up the pace. Time is of the essence as Shax marshals her forces to descend on Aziraphale's store and retrieve Gabriel.

"This is really Shax's first time out on Earth," Gaiman explains. "She is working very diligently and very hard in Hell for a long time. Now she is on Earth, trying to figure it all out. She's just discovering what Crowley has known for 6,000 years, which is that if you're a demon and come up with a brilliant plan to screw up the lives of humanity, people will get there first and do worse than anything you could have imagined! She's coming to terms with that.

"She is having to deal with the first crisis on her watch, as well, which is the disappearance of the archangel Gabriel from Heaven. It would be fair to say that by the end of the story, she is leading as much as she can get from Hell's requisition department - a legion of Hell - in an attack on a Soho bookshop."

When audiences catch up with Aziraphale again, he's enjoying his time among humans. He owns most of the block in a Soho neighbourhood, and he's meddling in Nina's love life. Meanwhile, Crowley has been living in his car, with his plants sitting on the back seat. He's grumpy about his current status quo, but frequently hangs out at Aziraphale's. The duo began as antagonists, but their history and blooming relationship will be fleshed out in flashbacks.

"One of the enormously fun things I came up with in the idea of minisodes," Gaiman explains. They are 25-minute-long episodes within the episode. We have three of them over our six episodes. Each of them is like one of those chunks of episode three (in season one). Whereas the longest one of those was four or five minutes, if that, these are full stories.

"You get to have the story of (put-upon Biblical figure) Job and you learn Aziraphale and Crowley's part in the story. Then writer Cat Clarke takes us to Edinburgh in the 1820s for a tale of body-snatching and attempted murder that the boys get involved in," he adds.

"Finally, Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman reunite the League of Gentlemen in a Nazi-period story that takes place very shortly after the episode in the church. That one was the only one I said had to be there, because I fell in love with our Nazi spies in the church I kept thinking, "What would happen if they essentially came back as zombies with a mission from Hell to try and investigate whether or not Crowley and Aziraphale were actually fraternising?"

Gaiman admits that one of the greatest challenges has been filming Good Omens simultaneously with his upcoming show Anansi Bays. The two shoot within throwing distance of each other, but are both time-consuming endeavours.

"If I could go back in time, I would go back to 16 September 2020, when Douglas Mackinnon (co-producer) and I got the phone call from the Amazon bigwigs to say, "We have

good news for you and interesting news for you," Gaiman recalls. "'The good news is we are greenlighting both Good Omens and Anansi Boys. The interesting news is you are going to have to do them both at the same time.'

"I would go back to then and I would throw myself on the call and say, 'Neil, don't! This is unwise.' That we are doing them both together is great. The amount of sleep I am not getting is monumental and monstrous.

"It's a little bit like childbirth, in that I managed to forget all the things that drove me nuts about the first one. Having said that, I managed to fix all the things that really drove me nuts making season one which is great. We just have a whole new set of problems making season two."

#good omens #good omens season 2 #crowley #aziraphale #good omens season two #not a shitpost but its good omens babyyyy #SIGH does this mean i need to edit my 40s meta AGAIN? im tiRED OF THIS GRANDPA #edit: missing page

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grunckle · 2 months

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Void Worms as the Demiurge and Iterator Inverses (And also clearing up some things about the Qualia post)

So, I'm going to be going a bit more in depth on the Yaldaboath-Void Worm comparison I brought up in my previous post. Here's the post for anyone who didn't see it already:

I also just wanted to expand upon some things and maybe clear up some confusing parts that I didn't cover in the original post.

But first I'll give a quick explanation on what Yaldaboath (who I'll just be calling the Demiurge from now on) is before drawing the comparisons. The Demiurge is a being in Gnostic belief that created the material world. He is often identified as the god of the Old Testament, and is malicious and inferior to the True God called the Monad, who is above all else.

Of course this is very simplified and I'm leaving a lot out, but what you should take out of this is that he created the material world.

So back to void worms, they heavily resemble the Demiurge in a few ways. Visually, they both share a long, serpent-like body, and glowing "halos".

But beyond that, they indirectly share a few celestial motifs. The Demiurge gave birth to Archons who ruled over different, "celestial spheres." Celestial spheres are a concept in Rain World cosmology, as it's mentioned in the Deep Pink pearl.

"On regards of the (by spiritual splendor eternally graced) people of the Congregation of Never Dwindling Righteousness, we Wish to congratulate (o so thankfully) this Facility on its Loyal and Relished services, and to Offer our Hopes and Aspirations that the Fruitful and Mutually Satisfactory Cooperation may continue, for as long as the Stars stay fixed on their Celestial Spheres and/or the Cooperation continues to be Fruitful and Mutually Satisfactory."

But, even beyond that, they straight up appear visually in the depths through Guardian Halos.

And then Gnostic celestial spheres for comparison.

Void Worms are also described as "stars" within ancient dreams and our own.

Now, this is only a tangential relation to the Guardians who also reside in the Depths, but there is one more thing that I believe cement the Void Worm Demiurge theory that is much, much bigger in the context of Rain Worlds narrative.

Void Worms have a lot of iterator parallels, which lead me and others to believe that they act as a direct inverse to Iterators. Iterators usher beings to ascend past their mortal confines, and Void Worms trap beings in the material world like the Demiurge.

The first of which are just some design similarities between the two. They both have round heads with bug-like eyes, and they both have halos.

Next, the scenes in which we see iterators and the void sea are very reminiscent of each other. There are thousands of iterators above, and thousands of void worms below.

Void worms have 8 arms/tentacles, iterators cans have 8 legs.

But probably the most striking piece of evidence for this parallel is the music that plays atop the Wall and in the Void Sea. They share the same musical motif.

youtube

And, as a quick fun side note:

It's pretty common knowledge at this point that Void Worm skin is corn, but whats less common knowledge is that it's also made of fractal patterns and neurons.

Basically I think all this points to Void Worms being iterator inverses and working like the Demiurge, manifesting the material world and trapping beings within it.

Now, just to clear up some things about my previous post. I don't think the rot itself is made from the ancients' mutated brain matter, but rather the method in which both cabinet beasts and the rot are made are similar. They're both made by taking neural matter, (Five Pebbles's brain in the case of the rot and the Ancients' in the case of cabinet beasts) and mutating it into something else. Its more just a conceptual comparison than evidence the two are related.

Second is more about personal interpretation, but I don't really think that each Void Worm we see is manifesting it's own world. All together they act as the concept of the Demiurge, manifesting one universe. Perhaps they're not even conscious about it, and experience a divine realm similar to us while they swim around aimlessly in the Void Sea.

And finally, adding onto my last point, that's why I don't think the parallels give a lot of insight into how the cycles work, other than that by entrapping creatures in the physical world those creatures are also subjected to the cycle. I have my own cycle theory that I believe works a bit better that I might post later. But yeah I just wanted to clear that stuff up.

#rain world #rain world spoilers #rain world lore #long post #void worm #demiurge #Youtube

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sgiandubh · 5 months

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Lights, camera, shit show

I was just cleaning my OL folders (all those Chinese paintings and scrolls do take a horrendous amount of space, heh) and I just stumbled upon something I completely forgot to share and discuss with you. I found this particular article during my solitaire lurking months and I remember being befuddled by it for a long time, then thought I've lost it for good.

I don't remember ever seeing it shared or discussed in here, either and if, by any slim chance, I am wrong, kindly forgive me. That professional website is now closed, but its content is still available to browse:

Anyway, there goes: https://www.studiodaily.com/2018/06/outlander-dp-stephen-mcnutt-asc-csc-saucy-scottish-show/

We discussed Terry Dresbach and her inebriated rants, Vanessa Woman's devastating impact on set as Intimacy Coordinator, RDM's jealousy and many other aspects of life on the OL set. Rumors likely to have originated there peppered our shipping trail like flickering lights in a sea of darkness. So yes, we dissected these things to death. But not Stephen McNutt's interview to Studio Daily, on June 22, 2018 - please keep in mind the date, it is essential!

Stephen McNutt is a well-established professional and a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), as he hails from British Columbia. He also has a consistent track record of previous work with RDM, both on Battlestar Galactica and Caprica (its prequel). Therefore, one has to immediately suppose he was handpicked and brought on set by the same RDM, of course: set a very low bar on your expectations, I am warning you.

By the grace of RDM, he was one of the main Directors of Photography for OL during Seasons Two and Three. IMDb is not the best source for corroborating things, because they credit him with 13 episodes in Season Two (including La Dame Blanche- he is the Blue Room guy!), but only one for Season Three (First Wife), which is completely wrong. I even had to check some opening credits on Netflix (at reduced speed, ugh), because he speaks at length of A. Malcolm, something that would have made little sense otherwise. He was there, of course: and his is a first-hand account, heavily loaded with both innuendo and TPTB bullshit, up to the point of complete incoherence.

We focus on the three final questions:

This is a study in bullshitology, right here. The question asked is very clear and very technical: how did you approach those famous love scenes?

The answer is a mumble jumble of retcon, deflections, slips and overall impossible scramble for a logical explanation. I am doing a line by line, because this is almost too good to be true:

'(...) But as far as Cat and Sammy making love (...)' : um, hello and excuse me, I thought the question was about Jamie and Claire?!? And then we are delusional and can't fucking separate, when your own henchman, the Director of Photography no less, seems to be totally unable to do so, too? Hello? Also: 'Sammy'? 'Sammy'? What. The. Total. Fuck, and I LOLed then and I am still LOLing now. Terms of endearment overheard on set - but no, here comes the 'friendship' shite, hitting the narrative fan with Mach 5 speed. Objective? Explaining in a plausible way the hugging and 'keeping warm'. And I am sorry, but this begs the question: what the hell did this man see on that set? And how many people did see the same, hence the need to release such a gratuitous lie, for pure retconning purposes?

'They are not an item at all - I think she just got married'. Oh, fuck my life, man: you are such a terrible, terrible liar! Remember, that interview was taken in June 2018: after the OZ EFH and just about when C. was gleefully answering 'oh, God forbid!' every time she was prompted by press about her marriage plans. How can somebody with a pretty high trophic level and personal rapport to both S and C be totally unaware about C's marital status at the time? How can a long time acquaintance and coworker of RDM say no both to a friend and to a current boss (same person, the worst case scenario) asking for a favor, in that particular context? It also goes to prove that the shit show plot mainlines never originated with S and C and that the Remarkable Week-end was already planned for quite some time. By TPTB. With the full knowledge of RDM.

Let's suppose Mr. McNutt was so deeply engrossed in his work as not to notice all the people who must have congratulated C on set. I mean, I know who our (spinster) colleague from Accounting is currently banging and that guy is (mercifully) not among our staff (I totally wish them well, btw). Maybe because nobody congratulated C on that fakegagement? Also, you know them well enough to confidently say 'they are not an item', but don't know she was not married at the time and state an enormity with the same confidence? What in the name of the hoo-ha did I just read, here?

'I was always in such amazement of that.' In amazement of exactly what, Mr. McNutt? Surely not a woman holding hands or keeping warm with her gay co-star on set, huh? I mean, I need the best American English dictionary, here:

Again: what the heck did this man see? What comments did he hear? Surely, 'amazement' is a very precise choice of wording, with particularly enlightening synonyms:

Hence the need to end the demonstration with a deflection: 'They would just have fun.' You know, there is no such thing as a virgin whore, Mr. McNutt: you either are in such astonishment or you think your pals, good old S and C, such a funny girl, were having, well... 'fun', what else? You can't logically have both in the same paragraph!

And there we go: 'a very collegial atmosphere on set'. The answer is pure fool's gold, if you ask me: 'Nobody goes to sit in a trailer or says they aren’t showing up that day. '

And I laughed. And I laughed. And I laughed. I really don't know what this man is talking about. I never heard McTavish telling S to get out of that trailer ('nephew'). I never read the 'two very loved-up birdies' in a trailer a-rockin' Anons. I never watched that 2015 Anglophile SDCC interview, when S mentioned listening in their shared trailer to Erasure's Oh, l'Amour and C immediately reacted ('oh, did you just admit to that?'). But unlike me, McNutt must have been legally bound by a big cojones Non-Disclosure Agreement and morally bound by loyalty towards RDM, his friend, boss and benefactor.

This. All of the above. This is the real reason for all the bullshit you've just read: explaining a real, shocking love story by socially progressive regulations, allowing the cast to be 'much more happy'. I would laugh some more, if this was not sinister and cruel, in fact.

It is Love. A deep, strong one. But the seeds of the adverse narrative were planted early and deep, forcing even decent people like this guy to lie and smear himself a bit in the process. What we see and hear now are but better worded and more refined consequences of that fateful January 2016 morning in LA. And since I am allowed the dubious luxury only a healthy distance in time allows, let me remind you a simple, fun fact about this interview who stated they were never an item:

About ten months after McNutt uttered these words, the fandom was hit by the Covfefe Pics.

I rest my case.

#shitshow #fandom

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islandoforder · 1 month

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Hi just properly scrolled through your blog for the first time and wanted to ask a question:

Re: Riz should be class president post from over a week ago - why should it be Riz over Kristen now that the class president position has stakes? Is it because of Kristen’s inconsistent access to her spells in case she needed to defend herself? I’d love to hear more about your thought process regarding this - assuming your opinion hasn’t changed since making that post.

My thoughts personally are that character-wise, it makes more sense to me for Riz to be the one strategizing as the campaign manager, because he’s the one actually finding a lot of the traps the Rat Grinders have put out for them.

Whereas Kristen makes more sense to me as a candidate purely because of her charisma and good radar for social bs - her weakness, of course, being that she’s a bit of a wild card in her choices regarding the campaign. But at the same time, she’s been able to get away with wearing a soggy salsa hat in front of the entire student body and still maintain some chance for the candidacy.

Obviously, I’m ignoring the more mechanical aspects of this comparison. If that’s what you were referring to in your original post idk then. I’m still wrapping my head around how Riz rolls so well now, level 10 dnd shit is way over my head.

Sorry if this was long, I just wanted to express my thoughts as well as hear yours! Idk how far away we are from getting back to the campaign to class president, who knows what happens after they get back from fallinel!

hi! sorry this is such a late reply, i've been away and i wanted to watch the new ep before i started posting about anything d20 in case of unintentional spoilers haha

so i think part of it is that, imho, brennan intended the class president arc to be riz's:

kipperlily is a rogue, v type a, and a narrative foil to riz, and this would have directly pitted them against one another

riz needed extra credit things for his college app, like being involved in student govt/being student president

there's also something about kipperlily being fundamentally riz but richer

kristen's arc was clearly always going to be about cassandra, trying to regain her favour, or increase her popularity, or resurrect her

nara is the kristen foil this season (once again, kristen but richer)

everyone has like an individual arc this season except for riz, bc his was supposed to be student president

beyond all of this, i don't actually think kristen is able to take the student president stuff too seriously - every time she tries, she ends up doing a bit instead, at the steel workers union, at the middle school, even at the party. i actually think if riz was the candidate, he would manage himself, in the same way that fabian wanted to be the party house and arranges that himself, and adaine needed a job and worked on and got that herself. so like i agree that he's the best campaign manager, but that doesn't preclude him from being the best candidate as well??

also, frankly, a lot of the good social graces kristen has had this year are from riz putting in the hard work - him joining all the clubs and making those connections, him taking stress to give her more popularity, his own popularity, etc.

like i'm enjoying the silliness of kristen's campaign, but i'm kind of with sklonda on this - riz would be a better candidate, and it is to some degree a shame that he's putting this much effort into running a campaign for someone else. if they legit need the student body president bc they'll become proxy headmaster, then i think a more serious campaign with riz at the helm and finally having his time in the spotlight is not a bad idea!!

#elijahtries #chatting away #riz gukgak #brian murphy #kristen applebees #ally beardsley #dimension 20 #d20 #fantasy high junior year #fantasy high #fhjy #like i'm def enjoying this unhinged and not always logical campaign but it does make more sense to be riz on a couple of diff levels i thin #it's too late now i'm p sure #but he does deserve it!!#kipperlilly copperkettle #brennan lee mulligan

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onemustalwaysbecarefulofbooks · 10 months

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Why I Dislike Rhysand, Part 2: #NotMyHighLord

Part 2 in the rant I have suppressed for the past several years. Rhysand Stans, be warned, this is not for you. Be prepared to see critiquing of SJM’s writing as well. Proceed at your own risk!!

I feel like this section of the rant is going to be the one that most people have seen, heard, or expressed themselves already. I myself have seen many posts and takes on this before. There will probably be the least amount of original ideas in this post. Nonetheless, I can’t turn down an opportunity to finally say it in my own words.

In Part 1 of my rant (and many other posts), I discussed how Sarah J Maas blatantly has an insane sort of obsession with Rhysand. It is impossible not to notice and acknowledge if you read the series from start to finish. All it takes is about 2 minutes listening to her speak about anything related to him for you to see it as well. He is unequivocally Her Favorite and she has demonstrated that by deeming him to be THE MOST of many different things, especially in comparison with others. I made a post last summer about how I really struggle to define what I think of Sarah as an author overall. She has given me some of my favorite fictional characters of all time, written scenes and exchanges between characters that I carry in my heart and soul and overall provided me with an endless amount of entertainment. On the other hand, a GLARING fault I find there to be with her is that she often writes in an extremely puzzling and contradictory way: beating us over the head with something about a character she presents as being true, verbally stated through the dialogue of characters or through the narrative of the story, while having these characters act and behave in a totally OPPOSITE way to the way they are being described by everyone. And this obviously contradictory behavior is never addressed by anyone in the story--or if it is, the ones calling attention to it are vilified and shown in a negative light, even though they are providing commentary on actions carried out canonly by these characters.

In the simplest form, it’s like this: The author creates a character who others routinely say is the most kind, unselfish, loving, and generous person to grace the planet. An opportunity will NEVER be lost to state these things, through the narrative and through the dialogue of other characters. The fandom comes to accept these things as totally canon traits. You hear the author repeat these same beliefs. The character becomes a favorite of the fandom, who praises him/her for being so kind and selfless. You get excited to read about such a character and open the book yourself. . .only to find scene after scene where the character acts in a way that is cruel, selfish, and arrogant. All while everyone else continues to laud them for being so wonderful. There is a direct contradiction between what you’re seeing and what you’re being told. Tons and tons of readers seem to find nothing unusual about this. You’re left with the feeling that you’re in some kind of insane asylum where nothing makes sense but no one questions it.

This is the feeling I get whenever I hear about what an amazing High Lord Rhysand is.

As we’ve established, SJM is obsessed with Rhys. Therefore, she automatically makes Rhys the best at whatever he does. One day I’d love to do a drinking game where we take a shot every time someone reminds us that Rhys is The Most Powerful High Lord In Prythian’s History (he should really just get that phrase trademarked at this point). But in addition to that, we are also often reminded about what a good, just, fair, and progressive beloved ruler he is.

Rhys as High King: he could think of no other male he’d trust more. No other male who would be a fairer ruler than Rhys. And with Feyre as High Queen. . .Prythian would be blessed to have such leaders. (Cassian, ACOSF, page 451)

There are a lot of ACOTAR lines that provoke actual visceral anger and disgust in me. This is probably in my All Time Top 3.

Yeah, Rhysand is SUCH a great High Lord!! Didn’t you know. . . there are no slums in Velaris!!

There’s just, you know, female mutilation going on in the mountains!

Where to even BEGIN unloading?

I guess I’ll begin here: One of the reasons I strongly dislike Rhysand as a character is because he’s a terrible High Lord.

(And what makes me infuriated and passionately dislike Rhysand is the fact that we are beaten over the head by what an exceptionally wonderful High Lord he is despite the glaring faults shown in the text).

I really really fail to understand how anyone can believe any differently, when it is canonly stated that two thirds of Rhysand’s court are hellish and terrible places. Women are oppressed and mutilated, people who are brutal and cruel are basically given free reign to do as they please, there is not an ounce of respect given to their so-called true ruler.

And Rhys, ��The Most Powerful High Lord in Prythian’s History” has done. . .nothing. Nothing to truly change either of these places.

Let’s start with Illyria.

We all know how horrible life is for Illyrian females. They are forbidden to train, are viewed as vessels for breeding, and have their wings clipped at a young age so they can’t fly. Cassian’s mother is raped by an Illyrian warrior and then worked to death, when her body is dumped off a cliff. Azriel’s mother has her young son taken from her by the male who sired him and relies on his mercy as to when he can be released from his literal prison cell to see him. Rhys’s mother was starving herself so she wouldn't get her period, which is when her wings would have been clipped when she was saved from her fate by his father’s mating bond. Emerie and her mother are horrifically abused by her father, resulting in her mother’s death. Emerie tells Nesta and Gwyn that he would slam her head into walls, crunch her fingers in doors, and that he broke her fucking back. Like most females, her wings are clipped so she’s unable to fly. Upon her father’s death, she gains control of his store much to the displeasure of her male family members who frequently harass and threaten her about it.

It’s plain to see that these are not randomly occurring isolated situations. Abuse can happen anywhere, with anyone, but there is CLEARLY a cultivated system of abuse and oppression among Illyrian females. Rhys tells us that he has banned the clipping of Illyrian female wings and is slowly working towards implementing changes that will allow women to have more freedom and choices. He tells Feyre that the Illyrians are “slow to change” and that it will take a long time to completely undo the way they’ve lived their lives for centuries.

I’m sorry, I call BULLSHIT.

The attempts we’ve seen towards this so far in the story have been half-assed at best. Rhysand makes these laws but doesn’t put anything into place to actually enforce them. In ACOMAF, we get this from Devlon, the war lord who rules over the Windhaven camp:

“Another inspection? Your dog,” he jerked his chin toward Cassian, “was here just the other week. The girls are training.”

Rhysand’s strategy to prevent female wing clipping: Tell the violent sexist males with all the power in the camps that it’s banned. Send Cassian in once a week to check up on it.

That’s it.

Allow me to demonstrate how utterly ridiculous and contradictory this is.

In ACOMAF, we have the scene where the IC visits the Court of Nightmares (oh don’t worry, we’ll touch on this place in a bit). Right before their departure, Keir insults Feyre and calls her a whore. (Sidenote: no one should ever be called a whore and I am no way in the SLIGHTEST defending Keir but honestly, I don’t know what Rhys expected. It’s like when Rhys goes out of his way to act evil and do evil things and then everyone takes offense to people calling him evil. He dresses Feyre up in skimpy revealing clothing, has her sit on his lap on his throne, and proceeds to basically finger her in front of an entire throne room of people. It’s stated a million times that fae can sense and smell arousal, and both her and Rhys are both completely turned on by this. Feyre calls HERSELF his whore: “The High Lord’s whore. Who I’d become Under the Mountain--who the world expected me to be. The dangerous new pet that Mor’s father would now seek to feel out.” Like. . .buddy, you have her play and act the part of “The High Lord’s whore” and make a public scene in front of a man who has no respect for women, and then are enraged when he calls her a whore. What did you think he would do?? How did you think he would respond?? It’s almost like he was purposely trying to goad Kier into a reaction so he could punish him for it, honestly).

ANYWAY. . .Keir calls Feyre a whore. And Rhys loses his shit:

Night exploded into the room.

People cried out. And when the darkness cleared, Keir was on his knees.

Rhys still lounged on the throne. His face a mask of frozen rage.

“Apologize”, Rhys said. My heart thundered at the pure command, the utter wrath.

Keir’s neck muscles strained, and sweat broke out on his lip.

“I said,” Rhys intoned with such a horrible calm, “apologize”.

The Steward groaned. And when another heartbeat paused--

Bone cracked. Keir screamed.

And I watched--I watched as his arm fractured into not tow, not three, but four different pieces, the skin going taut and loose in all the wrong spots--

Another crack. His elbow disintegrated. My stomach churned.

Keir began sobbing, the tears half from rage, judging by the hatred in his eyes as he looked at me, then Rhys. But his lip formed the words, I’m sorry.

The bones of his other arm splintered, and it was an effort not to cringe.

Rhys smiled as Keir screamed again and said to the room, “Should I kill him for it?”

No one answered.

Rhys chuckled. He said to his Steward, “When you wake up, you’re not to see a healer. If I hear that you do. . .” Another crack--Keir’s pinkie finger went saggy. The male shrieked. “If I hear that you do, I’ll carve you into pieces and bury them where no one can stand a chance of putting you together again.”

Keir’s eyes widened in true terror now. Then, as if an invisible hand had struck the consciousness from him, he collapsed to the floor.

Rhys said to no one in particular, “Dump him in his room”.

Now. . .does this in ANY way, shape, or form seem like a man who has trouble getting people who are opposed to him to do what he wants them to do?????????

Rhys doesn’t even move off of his throne and he has Keir groveling on the floor with his arm shattered into pieces. It takes no effort whatsoever on his part. He is, after all, The Most Powerful High Lord in Prythian’s History, in case you’d forgotten. He later laments to Feyre about how ashamed he is for her to see “that side” of him. Feyre says:

“You’re my friend--and I understand that you’re High Lord. I understand that you will defend your true court, and punish threats against it.”

DO YOU SEE THE RIDICULOUSNESS AT PLAY HERE.

Sarah. You can not have it both ways. You can not have Rhys claim that he is “doing all he can” to defend the Illyrian females and protect them from the violent males in their lives and then simultaneously give us this scene. Keir hates Rhys’s guts and I’m sure would gladly not only refuse every order he gave him, but also run him through with a sword. Does it seem like any bit of this matters in this moment?

One of the responses to this I stumbled across on Reddit literally floored me. Someone brought up this very argument, that Rhys had more power to control the situation in Illyria if he really wanted to, and I saw several people respond with: “Well, if he literally tried to control them, either through physical intimidation or mind control, then he’d be a tyrant, and that’s not who Rhys is. That’s not who he wants to be. Is that really what you’re suggesting?? You want him to be a tyrant who controls people???”

Um. . .YES???

Like. . .do these people hear what they’re saying??? Do they understand the concept of “context matters”????. Do I want Rhys to walk around flaunting his power over innocent law abiding citizens of the Night Court who are minding their own business and not hurting anybody? Obviously no. But do I want him to use his power in a meaningful way to punish people who are physically mutating and beating women to death??? Hello??? The lengths some people will go to to defend this man is incredible.

What is the POINT of Rhysand having all this power if he doesn’t use it to defend the good and the innocent??? What is the POINT of him being “tHE mOsT poWERful HiGH lORD in PryTHIAN’S hIsTorY” if he sits on his power while innocent people in his court are being abused under his watch???

Spoilers for Queen of Shadows: To me, this is like someone saying Lysandra shouldn’t slit Arobynn’s throat in his sleep because it would make her a murderer. Is that what I want??? For Lysandra to be a murderer?? Does the average person deserve to have their throat slit in their sleep?? No. But does Arobynn?? YES.

These Illyrian males, if they are behaving in the ways we hear about in the story, DESERVE to have their asses handed to them by Rhysand! They DESERVE whatever punishment comes their way! Don’t want your arm shattered into a million pieces?? Don’t fucking mutilate and beat your wife!!! Easy as that!!

For real change to come about in the Illyrian camps, there needs to be a zero tolerance policy, with public punishment and humiliation, to send a message to everyone that this kind of thing will no longer be tolerated under any circumstances. There needs to be trustworthy people from Rhys’s court stationed there at all times to actually enforce this. I’m not saying that there wouldn't be things that slip past the enforcers, or that Rhys and the Inner Circle have the power to actually change the will and opinions of the males who do this kind of thing. They almost certainly won’t gain any respect from these males. But at the end of the day, it’s very simple. You don’t have to like it, or us, but you WILL stop partaking in this behavior. If you don’t, your consequence is going to be so severe you’ll spend the rest of your life regretting it.

One might ask, This seems pretty straightforward, why hasn’t Rhys attempted anything like this already?? If these males are willing to commit such evil deeds, why even waste his time at all with them? Who CARES if they go rogue and refuse to fight for him anymore? Could it possibly be because he needs the Illyrian soldiers as the main component of his armies? He doesn’t want to outwardly anger these war generals so strongly that they no longer cooperate or associate with him?

So, what you’re saying is. . .Rhys turns a blind eye to female abuse in his court . .because he needs the might from these people in his armies.

If I’m wrong and you have a rebuttal, I’m all ears. But I’m not really sure what other conclusion I’m supposed to arrive at. Rhys CAN control, humiliate, and intimidate powerful people who go against him. But he’s choosing not to do it here. . .why? Because controlling and intimidating people is bad?? Even if it’s directed towards those who are killing and mutilating innocent people?? I don’t understand and I don’t think I ever will.

Honestly, I thought the reason Illyria was being left as such a mess was deliberately done, because that was what Nesta’s story and arc was going to revolve heavily around. When they announced in that teaser way back in 2018 that she was going with Cassian to train in the Illyrian mountains, I was fully convinced that that was how she was going to “find herself”, by changing the lives of the Illyrian women and empowering them. I thought she would be a major catalyst in whatever happened there. And. . .that’s not what happened. Maybe that part of the story is still yet to be told, maybe she’s saving it for Azriel’s book or something. . .who knows. For the time being, I guess it’s just there for aesthetics, so the Bat Boys can have a tragic backstory. Still, even if it DOES change in later books, I would still be left wondering why Rhys, who Sarah claims is as different from the other High Lords as humans are to fae, didn’t do something about it sooner.

On the subject of Illyrians, let’s talk about Feyre and her shape-shifted Illyrian wings for a minute. I’m sure everyone knows what I’m going to say, and you might argue that this is a critique of Feyre’s character and not Rhys’s. I both agree and disagree with that and to explain my reasoning, we’re going to have to back up a little bit.

I made a post a couple years ago about how Feyre’s title as High Lady holds no real weight in the ACOTAR world and is nothing more than a fancy title and a sign of respect from her husband. Which is admirable in it’s own right, but it’s not truly what all the stans make it out to be. It’s stated as canon fact in the series that the High Lord is determined by whoever this mystical force (is it supposed to be The Mother? I don’t even know) in each court chooses. It’s not a monarchy. If I don’t like my High Lord, I can’t go out and kill him and declare myself the new High Lord. The magic of the court decides who it is. That’s how you end up having people like Tamlin, who have no desire to be High Lord become one.

Anyway, all of this means that Feyre is NOT equal in power to Rhys, no matter what title he gives her. Let’s pretend their dumb-ass suicide pact doesn’t exist and Feyre can live on if he were to die. If Rhys were to die, Feyre wouldn't continue on as the magical High Lady ruler of the Night Court, while they all just did without a High Lord. The magic would select someone else to be the High Lord, with no regard for her. Feyre is only “High Lady” because Rhys says she is. She has no magical tie to the Night Court. She is a ruler in title only.

Don’t like it? Doesn’t sound very feminist?? Yeah, I’d agree. And for some insane reason, TAMLIN is blamed for the lack of High Ladies in Prythian rather than, uh. . .the woman who created the magic system that made it this way!!!

(Seriously, the fact that Tamlin is shit on for telling Feyre there are no High Ladies is asinine. Tamlin is not giving personal commentary, he is stating fact. Remember how shocked everyone is when the IC shows up to the High Lord’s meeting in ACOWAR and Rhys announces that Feyre is High Lady? There AREN’T any High Ladies of Prythian! But in ACOMAF, SJM has Rhys tell Feyre that there absolutely are. This is what I mean when I say SJM makes Rhys say and do completely nonsensical things simply for the sake of inflating him as a character. Logic doesn’t have to enter the conversation, if it makes him look good, that’s all that matters. Even if it directly contradicts something SHE wrote!!! It’s mind blowing, honestly).

Wow, I got REALLY side tracked!! Anyway, you get the point: Feyre’s role as High Lady is really just a fancy title with no true magical tie behind it. But despite this, she is still Rhys’s wife, and therefore a certain level of respect is expected to be given to her.

And if I were an Illyrian female, I’d find it REAL hard to conjure up any of that respect.

In my opinion, SJM is guilty of not truly writing these characters with the scope that their immortality entails. Feyre is physically mature and an adult by human standards. But what constitutes an “adult” by fae standards? The IC is collectively thousands of years old. I find it hard to believe that they wouldn't have a hard time seeing someone in their early twenties as someone super young and naive. Especially if this someone wasn’t born a fae and was only transformed into one within the past couple years.

Think about it. . .how many times have you had a conversation with someone who is older than you, maybe by generations, maybe by just several years and they’ve made comments about how young you are, or how “one day you’ll feel differently” or “one day you’ll understand”. They speak with a wisdom that they claim comes from simply existing longer and going through phases of life you haven’t reached yet.

Now imagine somehow being over 500 years old and interacting with someone who is 21. They’d be an infant to you!!

My point in saying this isn’t necessarily to say that I think Feysand’s relationship is creepy because he’s so much older than her. It’s really to say that, as I’ve stated, you can’t really hold Rhys and Feyre accountable in the same way as far as being high fae leaders goes. She hasn’t been alive even a fraction of the amount of time he has and she wasn’t born a fae. This isn’t her fault and I don’t think it’s something she should necessarily be disrespected for. She’s definitely smart and capable of making her own observations and decisions but at the end of the day, I don’t think you can really argue that it falls back on Rhys to help to guide and navigate her through this political life they lead. Rhys had been leading a country for 500 years by the time Feyre was shitting in diapers. Their experience is NOT the same.

So at the end of the day, I think that Feyre’s use of Illyrian wings says as much about Rhys as it does about her.

Imagine the pain and the anger you would feel as an Illyrian woman to see your so-called “High Lady” flaunting the wings you were born with and using them to escape to the freedom of the skies, something you had been denied of against your will. She knows nothing of the trials and tribulations you face each day, the abuse you endure. She was not born into your culture, nor does she take the time to try and help you, or get to know you, or learn about you. But she shifts the Illyrian wings onto her back and takes to the sky to do really important things like have sexual intercourse with the High Lord above the most populated city in the court, while you remain trapped on the ground. Imagine the anger you’d feel at your so-called High Lord, who allows his new wife to flutter around Velaris on perfect un-maimed wings, while claiming he wants to advocate for and protect you but does the bare minimum.

To be clear: I most certainly hold Feyre accountable for this thoughtless decision. She is more than capable of deciding for herself what she feels is right and wrong. But as I’ve stated, I have a really hard time not also putting part of the blame on Rhys here. As I established, Feyre was not born into fae culture and she is a child compared to most of the fae living in the Night Court. Rhys, on the other hand, is over 500 years old, has Illyrian culture in his bloodline, and has been living among these people, leading them, for almost his entire life. I’d like to think he’d have the foresight to pull Feyre aside and explain to her that while she may not have initially considered it, it could be viewed as disrespectful and offensive for the Illyrian women to see her gallivanting around with Illyrian wings when most of theirs have been clipped.

If I were an Illyrian women, I think it would be nearly impossible for me not to feel a strong bitterness towards Feyre and Rhysand. One could make the argument that Feyre is young and naive and doesn’t truly understand Illyrian culture. The same argument could NOT be said about Rhys.

So thanks, High Lord, for flapping around shiny happy Velaris with your wife and her fake Illyrian wings, having kinky Illyrian wing sex, while doing the bare minimum to help and protect the women who were actually BORN with Illyrian wings.

Alright, moving on from that mess, let’s touch on the Court of Nightmares.

Now, a lot of what I have to say here is going to be the same as what I said about Illyria. But honestly, I feel like this place gets the even shorter end of the stick.

One of the most truly bizarre things to me in the ACOTAR series is this idea that the people of Hewn City/the Court of Nightmares are somehow just all evil malicious wicked people who are happy to live sequestered in this underground kingdom. This is a super weird notion and I’m not sure at all how Sarah validates it. Especially when a character like Mor exists. You’re telling me she was the only “dreamer” born into the Court of Nightmares? No one else is suffering the way she was? I don’t get it.

I’ve heard the argument made before that it’s quite possible that this kind of wickedness is specific only to Mor’s family. I’ve heard people say that we’ve never really seen anything in the Court of Nightmares other than the household she grew up in. So it’s actually quite plausible, people say, that the rest of the court is just a normal court, there’s no evidence to suggest that this kind of abuse is happening among the entire group of people. (They claim we are “reaching” for things to blame Rhys for).

Yeah, NO. Sorry, that’s just a willfully stupid take. Here’s what we hear about this place from ACOMAF:

“The nobility of the Night Court fall into one of three categories: those who hated me enough that when Amarantha took over, they joined her court and later found themselves dead; those who hated me enough to try to overthrow me and faced the consequences; and those who hated me, but not enough to be stupid and have since tolerated a half-breed’s rule, especially when it so rarely interferes with their miserable lives.”

“Are they--are they the ones who live beneath the mountain?”

A nod. “In the Hewn City, yes. I gave it to them, for not being fools. They’re happy to stay there, rarely leaving, ruling themselves and being as wicked as they please, for all eternity.”

That was the court he must have shown Amarantha when she first arrived--and its wickedness must have pleased her enough that she modeled her own after it. (pages 175-176)

Not enough to convince you? Here’s Mor explaining it in her own words:

“In the Court of Nightmares,” she went on, that voice falling soft and a bit cold once more, “females are. . .prized. Our virginity is guarded, then sold off to the highest bidder--whatever male will be of the most advantage to our families.”

‘I was born stronger than anyone in my family. Even the males. And I couldn’t hide it, because they could smell it--the same way you can smell a High Lord’s Heir before he comes to power. The power leaves a mark, an. . .echo. When I was twelve, before I bled, I prayed it meant no male would take me as a wife, that I would escape what my elder cousins had endured: loveless, sometimes brutal, marriages.”

“But then I began bleeding a few days after I turned seventeen. And the moment my first blood came, my power awoke in full force, and even that gods-damned mountain trembled around us. But instead of being horrified, every single ruling family in the Hewn City saw me as a prize mare. Saw that power and wanted it bred into their bloodline, over and over again.”

Is everyone sufficiently convinced now? Okay great.

And Rhys, by his own omission, allows them to “rule themselves” as a reward for not being foolish enough to challenge HIS authority.

But do they REALLY rule themselves?? Take a second and scroll back up to read the excerpt I already included where Keir calls Feyre a whore and Rhys absolutely wrecks him. Who does it seem like is really in charge here?

I’m sorry, I get viscerally angry over this. In the Court of Nightmares scene, Keir is written 100% completely and totally as Rhysand’s groveling little bitch. He is literally nothing compared to Rhys. Rhys is total power and domination. Seriously:

He led me the few steps onto the dais--to the throne. He sat, smiling faintly at his monstrous court. He owned every inch of the throne. These people. (page 409)

Before Rhys, Keir was nothing more than a sullen child. Yet I knew Mor’s father was older. Far older. The Steward clung to power, it seemed.

Rhys was power. (page 411)

This entire scene honestly disgusts me and is so stupid. Rhys swaggers in and the entire throne room drops to one knee in submission. It’s told over and over that he exudes raw power that no one there can even hope to compete with. We’re told he “owns” the people, that Keir is nothing more than a child compared to him. He snaps his fingers and orders Keir to bring Feyre wine and he does it! Mor calls Rhys “Your High Lord” when speaking to Keir. Keir “grovels” when Rhys suggests that the wine he brought them is poisoned. And then the ordeal where he starts shattering bones in his arm one at a time, forbidding him from seeking any healing on pain of death, eventually knocking him out.

SO IF THIS IS THE CASE. . .WHY. TOLERATE. KEIR. AT. ALL????????????????

If this is how easy it is to control this man, why on EARTH is he given one INCH of control in this place???? The whole scene loses its meaning entirely. . .why do they need to STEAL this orb from him?? In ACOWAR, why does Rhys need to BARGAIN with him about the use of his armies??? (at the expense of Mor’s feelings and security!!!!) Why are these people ALLOWED to treat females the way they treated Mor??!?

There are two answers here and both of them are shitty:

Option 1) SJM just wants to write scenes to fulfill her dark!Rhys fetish. She needs the Court of Nightmares for her Rhys aesthetic. That’s where the true reason for scenes like this begin and end. She wants to write scenes where we all marvel and swoon at Rhys’s “raw power”. We don’t need logic, it has no place here. We’re supposed to ignore everything else and just swoon over Rhys, as usual. We’re not really supposed to think too hard about Keir because he’s literally just a prop that is there for the purpose of having Rhys flex his power. It’s the epitome of wanting to have your cake and eat it too. She wants all aspects of what makes Rhys sexy and doesn’t care how she makes it happen. She wants the hot, powerful, wicked High Lord we got to see in ACOTAR, but she also wants the saint she made him out to be in the rest of the series. So we’re just supposed to ignore the fact that in making it plainly obvious that he is able to control these people means that he should be able to apply this to making innocent people’s lives better down there but isn’t.

Option 2) Rhys is deliberately allowing the wickedness and evil behavior to continue to put on a front for the rest of the world. He says that the Court of Nightmares is the version the outside world gets to see of the Night Court. It’s how Amarantha came to design her own court with it as an inspiration. It’s why everyone has such a negative view of the Night Court. Rhys is praised by the IC and pitied by much of the fandom for the “sacrifice” he makes in putting on this evil front and lets the world believe of him, in order to protect his “true” court--the Court of Dreams, the City of Starlight. I’m sorry, what sacrifice???? What is Rhys sacrificing of himself by doing this? He sits on his throne in total control and power while others grovel at his feet. I’m supposed to feel sorry for him that his reputation is being tarnished by the rest of the world seeing this while people like Mor are having nails driven into their bodies because they went against their family’s wishes regarding their virginity and marriage??? No, I’m sorry. The only people I feel sorry for are the people he is doing this on the backs of. Because the fact of the matter is: Rhys needs an evil court to put on this show for the rest of the world. And you can not have evil people without evil deeds. And you can not have evil deeds without victims. Evil people are evil because of their actions to other people.

So Option 2 is. . .Rhys is allowing people to be abused in the Court of Nightmares and not putting a stop to it because he needs an “Evil Court” smokescreen to protect his REAL court.

Again. . .do you see why I have such a hard time liking him???

Also, after ACOMAF the whole world knows about Velaris anyway. So there’s no need for a smokescreen evil court anymore. But has anything changed?? NOPE.

Not only that. . .but if this is the face he puts on for the people of the Hewn City, this is who most of the people there probably believe him to truly be. If another female, or anyone else really, is in a horrible situation like Mor’s, what would make them think that Rhys is someone they could approach or reach out to for help? They're probably terrified of him! The whole situation is just so fucked up and awful.

What’s also fucked up and awful is the fact that while all of this exists in both Illyria and the Hewn City, Rhys has a shelter/sanctuary in Velaris for abused women. Sorry, get your fake feminism out of here. You can’t stick that detail into the story and expect it to erase blatant abuse of women happening in two thirds of Rhysand’s court. . .under his watch!!!!! When he has the power to stop it!!!

I’ve heard many people try and make the claim that Rhys is written to be contradictory in this way to prove that he is a “morally gray character” and to that, I call total bullshit. For one, allowing the blatant abuse of women when you have the power to stop it isn’t “morally gray” , its borderline irredeemable. And two, I’ve said it before. . .listen to SJM talk about Rhys. Read the ACOTAR series. This woman is so far up his butthole, I’m wondering if he somehow offered her her own riverfront mansion. She honestly believes him to be God’s gift to humanity!!

So again, we’re back to my same age-old question: Is SJM a good writer or a bad writer?? I don’t really think it’s as simple as sticking one word on her writing to label it one way or the other. As I said, I’ve gotten immense enjoyment out of some of Sarah’s work and have been blown away by the places she takes her characters and stories. But in this case. . .it’s objectively awful. You’re giving me this character who you’re constantly telling me is good and righteous and incredible, beating me over the head with the level of worship he gets by the narrative, but then you’re making him do things that are like really blatantly terrible. And he faces NO accountability for it! Like???? You are the author??? You can control the things he does?? If you really believe that he’s that great, why don’t you just write him that way??? Why beat us over the head with how great he is, only to make him do awful things and then completely ignore them?? I’m telling you, it’s almost bizarre. . .like she’s seeing just how far she can go with what people will excuse. It's mind boggling!!

(Honestly what’s even more mind boggling is the sheer number of people who lap this up and accept it completely. For the life of me, I can not understand how people are so blind to this stuff!)

You can’t have it both ways, Sarah. You can’t tell us Rhys is the most powerful high lord ever born and expect me to believe that there’s nothing more he can do for Illyrian females and the “dreamers” of the Court of Nightmares. Especially when we’ve seen him demonstrate otherwise! Like I said earlier. . .if he’s not using his power for good, what is even the point of it??

So, to sum up: We are told over and over again how utterly powerful and incomparable Rhys is as well as what an honorable and giving High Lord he is. We see raw power displays from him where he swiftly and forcefully exerts brutal punishment on those who offend or go against him without so much as breaking a sweat. Despite this, he adopts a passive view on the Illyrians, banning wing clipping and the mistreatment of females but not doing anything to really enforce it, and continues to allow females in the Court of Nightmares to be abused and brutalized because he needs his evil Night Court aesthetic to protect the IC and Velaris.

My Ick Factor is OFF THE CHARTS.

And let me just end by saying….try and picture our Queen and Savior, Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius allowing the mutilation and abuse of women in Terrasen because “change is slow to happen”….and she needed some armies. AELIN WOULD NEVER.

It is a dream of mine to see her humble Rhys.

So, yeah. . .Rhys is a terrible High Lord. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

Part 3 is probably my most highly anticipated rant---we’ll call it “Let’s Talk About Tamlin”. Coming soon!

#acotar critical #acomaf critical #sjm critical #anti rhysand #illyrians #court of nightmares #morrigan

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milkywayes · 4 months

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dreamt a cipher

a shepard/garrus post-destroy ending longfic.

[AO3 link]

I’ve debated a while about when to start posting this. Now it’s the new year, and I’ve been working on Cipher for over a year and a half, and I’ve waited long enough to start sharing it with you all. I’ve decided it’s finally time to start uploading while I work on the final chapters.

I started writing this before I ever drew a single piece of fanart for Mass Effect. It’s all the things that were bouncing around in my head after choosing the destroy ending with a mostly-paragon Shepard—consequence and responsibility and self-recrimination; her relationship with Garrus and with herself; their ties to each other and how much weight they can bear; their differing perspectives and how they slot together—all that fun stuff—compressed into a story, a place, a narrative.

I believe in the power of love, and I promise a happy ending. They’ve just been taking the long way to get there. Feel free to yell at me in the meantime.

A huge thank you to @callista-curations for her meticulous and invaluable beta work, and to @that-wildwolf and @gammaraydeath for being the best hypemen I could ask for!

A more detailed list of warnings can be found on AO3.

I've posted the full cover art here.

────

Summary:

Pairing: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian Rating: M (subject to change) Important Tags: post-destroy ending - angst with a happy ending - slow burn (of sorts) - arguing - reconciliation - survivor guilt - minor original characters Her own personal Noverian peak. That’s what it was supposed to be. Nothing but the discovery: no distractions, no comfort, no windows looking out—no familiar faces. But it's starting to look like her winning streak might have ended in that pile of Citadel rubble, if it ever extended that far to begin with. ──── “How does the Earth idiom go? No use beating a dead—” A long-suffering sigh. “What was it again?” “A dead horse. And yet, you’re here. Beating it.” Pot, kettle. She wishes he’d just fucking say it.

-> AO3.

Read the start of Chapter 1: Constant Velocity under the cut!

────

The overhead lights flicker as they always do when the data screens are up and running. It’s not something one gets used to, even so. It stings at her ocular nerves—or something like that, anyway, somewhere along the delicate wires that extend from her eyeballs into her brain—but her focus on the data doesn’t waver.

“In that case,” says Shepard, squinting against the ache, “what we need is salvage from a relay outside the immediate burst zone. Four jumps away. Five, if possible. There’s no point to any of this if we can’t scrape together a control group.”

She glances back at Elsawy, who so far hasn’t made it more than a meter into the room. She nods without looking up from her omni-tool; orange shimmers off her shiny, black hair, giving her the uncomfortable air of a Cerberus operative. Not the worst comparison, except that Miranda would waste no time letting her know if her logic took a faulty turn somewhere. Elsawy’s just as likely to agree now and write a message detailing all her crap conclusions later.

Leaning her hip against the conference table, Shepard shifts her weight off her left leg, bites down on the sigh that almost manages to slip out. Once in the clear, she grouses, “Where the hell is Meyer? He’s the one that called this meeting.”

As it is, it’s three people in attendance and she’s the only one talking. She could’ve achieved the same results with a voice call from her quarters, where she could elevate her leg in peace and without witnesses. In the dark.

“Lab Two,” answers Elsawy, finally ripping her attention off the omni-screen and gracing Shepard with a second of eye contact. Maybe in another life she could appreciate the effort—Jesus, as if she hasn’t had her fill of lives already. “We’re close to a breakthrough on the initial output patterns. Sorry. He’s been feeding his data to me.”

“Right.” She blinks once, twice, in time with the flickering. It doesn’t help; it never does. “I’ll swing by later, then. Anything else he asked you to relay?”

“Just that, Commander.” Elsawy is mumbling just enough that her voice has to compete with the drone of the air vents. The translator takes a second to filter out and amplify it. The result is less than perfect: “More salvage—” bzzrt—“bigger picture, you got it.” She narrows her eyes, and Shepard raises a brow. “Left leg or—” bzz!—“left hip?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Commander.”

“It’s nothing relevant,” she says pleasantly, forcing herself to stand up straight again. There’s a brief tremor shaking up her hamstrings; she waves a hand to distract from it. In the frenzy of the lights, the movement looks jerky, nervous. She soldiers on. “Old field injury. Unrelated. Anything can set it off.”

Funny, kind of, since it’s that very leg that ends in the most perfect, cooperative example of a foot she’s ever had the pleasure of treading on. It’s cloned; a replacement. Not the only one either. They should’ve just done away with the whole limb, but she hadn’t been consulted. Same with her trick shoulder. Not even Cerberus had managed to get that one back on the straight and narrow.

“I’d rather you bring it up with the doctor,” replies Elsawy. This is, apparently, what it takes for her to finally speak at a reasonable volume. “If we manage to fill even one of the data gaps…”

“I know,” she says. “I know, and I’m telling you, it’s unrelated.”

-> continue reading on AO3

#mass effect fanfiction #shakarian #fanfic #shakarian fic #oh GOD. here it is. I'm BIRTHING this baby like Shepard birthed grunt #I'm so nervous but I am really proud of this story so Take it.#cipher tag

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lucyfloyenworkshop · 2 months

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Awakening the Dragon : Malleus Draconia Overblot Theme

It's been now one year since Diasomnia Arc, “Ruler of the Abyss“ began...

There so many things, too many topics that I wish to talk and write about. About the tribute to Eyvind Earle's art in the esthetics and ambiance of Briar Valley. About the connections between the Arc narrative and its inspirations. About Night Faeries folk and Silver Owl Knights. About Silver, Malleus, Lilia and all the others characters... For tonight I will write down about Malleus Draconia's Overblot Theme.

When the Diasomnia Arc pre-trailer was released, some notes of Overblot Malleus's theme can be heard. The complet musictrack had been finaly revealed during the first fight against Malleus. Even with the few notes in the pre-trailer, this music really give goosebumps. It is dark, eerie, dangerous and yet graceful and noble.

Diasomnia’s Chapter is an intense turmoil of emotions and, after all that happened in the Main Story so far, I realized that Malleus Overblot's theme not just represent the Arc's climax like it had being the case for the six previous Chapter. Not just only about an epic battle music, but also about a character.

[Beware : the following post content some spoilers for Chapter 7 : Ruler of the Abyss]

Featuring song and music

There is something about Malleus and music.

In his personal data, it's say that his “talent“ is stringed instruments's practice (ref. Twisted Wonderland : Magical Archives and in game data). According to his close relatives, such as Sebek during “Harveston's Kelkkarotu“ event, Malleus appear to be a really talented musician. And yet that aspect of Malleus wasn't fully explored in the Main, Events and Personals Stories. That was just a fun fact about Malleus's hobbies outside school or his daily royal duties.

Then came the performance of Malleus longside Idia and Azul during the Symphorium in the Halloween event Glorious Mascarade : Crimson Flowers and Bell of Salvation.

It's could be logical since Diasomnia Arc and Mascrade's events released their preview trailers around the same time. But nothing could make us suspected how much deep of that aspect of Malleus's character design is important. Not just as for characterization but also a tribute from Sleeping Beauty.

But to go with Chapter 7 and the Overblot's theme, let's return to the Symphorium, during its preparation as presented in Malleus's Mascaquerade Dress Personal Story [link]. Glorious Mascarade's iconic song Let My Wish Resound ( Twst wiki's traduction [link] ), is the gift of Night Raven College's students to the invitation for Night Bell College's Symphonium and its three main singer featuring Azul Ashengrotto, Idia Shroud and of course Malleus Draconia. In Malleus's Personnal Story, the trio are gather in Diasomnia Lounge for practicing. Both Idia and Azul (and even Lilia), are amaze about Malleus's singing skills. Not just because of his tense practicing, even outside his royal education as confirm Lilia to Idia. If Let My Wish Resound had a special signification for Malleus and his character (his desire and fear about connect with the Outside World and meeting other peoples), the fact that such song, and by extension the music, resound deep within Malleus.

In Chapter 7, that particular bond between Malleus and music/song is once again up under the lightspot, and even become an major element of the narrative. Just after he took his Overblot's form and cast [Fea of Maleficent] on everyone, Malleus start to humming a lullaby. The medley is the one of Once upon a Dream, Sleeping Beauty's famous and iconic song. There is many things that need to be discussed about that familiar medley and Malleus's story and personal journey and I will in the futur write a proper and complet review about. For now, we can notice that reference make not only as a tribute to the original animated pictures movie but also to Malleus's paradoxe as a character in that very sequence, and, even if it is more subtle, in the rest of the story. Indeed he is now a Dark Fea Lord, becoming in a way Maleficient just like Riddle with the Queen of Heart or Vil with the Beautiful Queen. And yet there is that lullaby medley, that medley which took after Princess Aurora's song. Malleus is depicted as both Light and Darkness, an impression that can be found in his Overblot theme.

The Choir and the Cello, picturing a story

There is two main musical elements in Overblot Malleus' track. The Choir and the Cello.

If is true that in the previous Overblot’s theme, a kinda choir is used in the medley, but its seems to have for fonction to put some extra more tension in the music like we can see in many soundtrack from cinema or video-game, but in the others Overbolt's theme, the choirs doesn't lead the medley. The instrumental instruments does.

But that was before Vil's Overblot and Mascarade Event’s theme, where the chorus and choir became the main leading of the music. In a kinda latin language with Dies Irea's leitmotif, choir become the medley's core and identity.

In popular culture, the choir is generally used as reference to Medieval Age’s music and its esthetics, real or dreamed . From Historical productions such as in Kingdom of Heaven (a Historical Movie setting during the early years of the Crusades) to Fantasy realms Lord of the Rings’s trilogy, we can tell that kinda of music had a special power to increase emotions and ambiance in a song.

In Overblot Malleus's theme, the choir became an extension of the Dragon-Fea’s power and personality. Giving to his character so much strength and presence, just like with Davy Jones's organ and it make a tribute to Sleeping Beauty’s soundtrack. One of the particularity of this Classic Disney Animation Picture, it's one of the very few movie from Disney's Silver Age, than doesn't have song like we see it in Cinderella or in Alice in Wonderland. As explained by cinema historian, Charles Solomo, in the documentary Picture Perfect: The Making of Sleeping Beauty [link], those kind of “Broadway like song“ doesn't fit to that world made of the gorgeous detailed background designed by Eyvind Earl or the music score inspired by Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty Ballet. Only songs in the movie are Once upon a Dream and choirs. Theses ones can be found in several track in the score. One of them, “Aurora's Return/Maleficent's Evil Spell“, is in my opinion, one of most powerful and representative of that directive for Sleeping Beauty's music. At one point of track a eerie and dark voice can be heard and as its materialize Maleficent's presence when Aurora is hypnotize by the curse.

Those choir segments supporting the narrative and characterizing each protagonists. Just like it's happen with Malleus's Overblot theme !

In Malleus's Overblot theme, alongside the choir, the second main leading instrument is the cello. The using of that particular string instruments in the track make a easter egg to both Malleus’s personal talents as to Diasomnia Dorm's music theme.

Cello, as other stringed instruments, are very often used in movie, video-game or musical composition because of a rich palette of tones and sounds that those musicals instruments can create and so increase emotions. Notes created by cellos are know to be rich and deep, and how depending how it played, it can express joy and light ambiance as epic, nostalgic world, mysteries or tension and terror.

The slight presence electric guitar (recurring in the Overblot music track) give an extra sensation of danger and tension in the medley, but without shadowing the leading of the chorus and the cello. It sound like lightings bolts, and each time the electric guitar is heard it increase choir's powers in the narrative of the medley with attacking notes. Giving the feeling that we are caught into a storm.

Conjuring the Dragon

As we start listening Malleus Overblot's theme, we fall into some dark or gothic fey world, more that Diasomnia Dorm's. Despite the presence of a electric guitar sound, the music had the same feels as Maleficent's themes from Sleeping Beauty. In fact the very first notes are very similars or at least sharing the same tones than some of Maleficent's leitmotif in “Aurora's Return/Maleficent's Evil Spell“ or in her music entrance.

The musictrack is divise in five segments. First, it start with a very aery voice sound, as we can found in mysterious or dark music track and then the storms began, leading by the choir. With the cello and the electric guitar, its give at that moment (and is reinforce in game by the image of Malleus in his Overblot form), that we are facing some kind of powerful Lord or a Dark Dragon. Malleus had a very complex personality and as far we know, at his core, ins't a evil character. But he is a Dragon-Fea and he had dark powers. If someone put in danger the persons he will care about (friends, family...), he will riposte with all his might and once of thoses times where Malleus's powers are show as dangerous and dark because its are beyond mortal understanding and standard, not as evil. It's true that consequences of some Malleus's actions are terrifying because of his non-human nature and can show him as the Dragon, the most dangerous foe of tales and legends, as the storm parts of the Overblot music despict it.

And at the middle of the music track, just between the two storms part, for a brief moment a calm, noble music segment is played. Its the same medley than the rest of the track but the tone is completely different as tone and ambience from what had been previously heard, even if there is still a certain tension in it. In fact Malleus Overblot's theme where there is a such calm. Yes it's true that in Leona Overblot's theme there is a kinda of “pause“ in the music but the same amount of epic tension. It's sound like if the character taking a short break, checking if everyone is is okay before return to battle. In Malleus's if we got same general medley but the music tale an other aspect of that character, of that Dragon, at the opposite of the Dark Dragon previously depicted. In that segment, the cello leading the music instead of the choir which became calm like lamentation, giving a powerful, melancholic and noble ambiance to the music before the storm restart and end once again on the eerie voice and notes.

That melancholic noble music caught in the storm show all the balance between light and dark that Malleus carries with him during his personal journey. Give him an aura of nobility and danger as we can found it in the Malzeno's theme or Elder Dragons ( Amatsu, Alatreon or Shagaru Magala) from Monster Hunter for exemple.

Right at the beginning and at the end of the track we got some slight but clear notes of piano. Like cello, that chordophone instrument (musical instrument that use both stringed and percussion (ref, Britanica)), can create intense and emotional ambience. It's true that I wished to heard some organ note in that music track, which could fit to the medieval gothic leitmotif of Diasmonia Dorm but I think it would change the characterization of Malleus in the music track. Organs are, in popular cultures and soundtracks very very bond to the figure of the Evil Lords such as Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time or Dracula in his many adaptations from movies to video-games or it played by shady antagonists like Davy Jones or Erik, the Phantom of the Opera. Even there it's cannon that Malleus know to play organs (Endless Halloween event), it's a piano. To listen those cold and sad notes, featuring a eerie voice, as opening and ending of Malleus Overblot's music theme, give us the ton of the music but also of the character it depicts. In plus to reinforce the feeling of melancholy, its contrast with the storms that reign in most of the track. Like the calm noble leitmotif, the piano show the “softer“, tragic and lonely side of Malleus beyond his dangerous and scaring first apparence and nature as a Dragon and a Dark Fea.

As I was writing that post, I discover that during the battle between the Knight of Dawn and Maleonora, Malleus's Mother, the Overblot can be heard and that discovery make more deeper to Malleus. Making it more personal to Malleus than it's already etablished in the music itself. Far more than I originally suspected.

During the last showdown between the Knight and Maleonora ant their tragic ending, the use of the Overblot's theme don't make that scene feels like one of Maleficient in the original picture or only reflecting the way the Humans sees Maleonora. As a dark witch, a monster.

The Overblot's theme show her as royal princess, a Crown-Heir and a mother that will do everything in her power to protect her people, the persons she love and her child. Between him and his mother there is big similarities, and not just physical. Malleus had indeed inherited some of Maleonora's traits, but in his heart and his general personality, Malleus is more close to his father Lord Revan, as it's confirmed by Lilia.

"Just like his father, he is a kind person who ins't able to be ruthless“ "(Episode 7 Ruler of the Abbys Part 6, chapter 99)

At the end, that Overblot's theme not just a dungeon's final boss theme or a musical representation of the Arc's aesthetic.

Even more than Diasomnia bgm, this is Malleus Draconia's Theme. Not just his Overblot. His theme, as character, like we discover in both Diasomnia's trailer and Twisted Wonderland's Story. That music score give us more clues about who Malleus really is.

That music can be seen as the refection of Malleus's complex personality. Noble and benevolent, fierce and powerful ..

Both the Greatest Foe than the Devoted Protector.

Thank you for reading this review/analysis about Malleus. I hope you enjoyed it :-)

Lucy Floyen

Musictrack link : [Twisted Wonderland BGM - Overblot Malleus] (Soundcloud)

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland bgm #twst bgm #malleus draconia #malleus overblot #malleus bgm #fiction and lore chronicles

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celluloidbroomcloset · 6 days

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The more I think about it, the more I do wonder if some of the source of the more problematic ships/fan headcanons surrounding Izzy is based in the concept of love/sex as a reward for service or suffering. (Note: I am not at all saying that what follows is 100% correct - mostly just proposing a hypothesis. I'm riffing on @naranjapetrificada's post here, but I didn't want to go off on a treatise on someone else's post that wasn't even directly about this.)

Izzy’s world is upended with Stede’s appearance. He goes from being the trusted second in command to Blackbeard to being thrown off the ship (by his own making, already). All of his suffering (in his own mind) can be traced back to Stede and consequently Stede and Ed’s relationship. The narrative forms him as an antagonist not just to Stede but to the narrative's central concern, the entire reason for telling the story: the Stede/Ed relationship. He is the opposition of the healthy, happy, queer couple, and at each turn, he suffers for it.

In Season 2, his suffering is compounded to the point that he loses his leg in a really traumatic way, at the hands of a man he claims (in the same episode) to love. This leads into his being offered grace by the crew and the start of some shedding of his toxic masculinity (which has been the real enemy all along). And this is where I hypothesize that some fans start shaping him into someone who is now deserving of a reward. Izzy has changed! He’s grown! He’s doing better! Doesn't he *deserve* a reward for that?!

One of the forms that this reward must take is love/sex - and since the focal point of the entire show, as well as the causes of Izzy’s suffering, are Ed and Stede (the happy queer relationship) then his reward must be one or the other, or both. Having suffered and having come to better terms with his gender and sexual identity, he deserves the reward of romantic love and/or sex.

This is all, of course, not right, and the show never even hints that love or sex should be treated as a reward. Neither Ed nor Stede show any desire to provide Izzy with this reward (and honestly, I don’t think that Izzy the character expects that either, even if his fans might). But I do think that some of the anger and some of the “fix-it” mentality of the fandom subsection comes from the fact that Izzy’s character growth is not rewarded by romantic love or sex. (This ignores as well that he does find love in other ways, via his friendship with the crew, but this is also not typed as something he DESERVES or is rewarded for his good behavior.)

Stede in particular, I think, becomes a focus of the combined fan ire and desire because (in their minds) he was the original catalyst for Izzy’s suffering, he has obtained the reward of Ed’s love (thereby depriving Izzy of it), and he can be fitted for the enemies to lovers arc (plus he’s white and there’s undoubtedly racism at play here, as many have discussed). This might even be extended to Ed's love for Stede: that Ed was in some way rewarded for becoming better, that Stede's love healed him and therefore Izzy—who is so much more deserving, right?!—should also be offered that love.

Again, this is all based in toxic, erroneous assumptions both about the characters, about the show, and about love and sex, but all those assumptions have been made by stories in the past and are baked into a lot of mainstream culture.

The "fix-it" nature of ships like Stizzy and Steddyhands come down to some fans believing Izzy is not being granted his just rewards for his suffering and character growth in the form of love and sex specifically from the lead couple who have caused his suffering.

At least, that's what I think is going on.

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd meta #stede bonnet #edward teach #not gonna tag the other guy right now #fandom critical

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cialovesklopp · 11 months

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𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 ➺ k.mbappé

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 — when your whole career is crashing down, one finds out that tequila and an unknown man become your best friends.

𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 — kylian mbappé x amara imani (oc)

𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 — 6.6k

mon amour — masterlist

where did it all go wrong? amara imani truly didn’t know. her life went from a fairy tale to a nightmare in the span of a few weeks, and now she was back where she started. nowhere.

how could she have gone from loving her life so much and being proud of the person she had become and all that she had achieved to having to hide herself within the four wall of her apartment and not being able to recognise her own reflection.

everyday another new version came out, the same story just with a different title and a little bit further from the truth than it was before. all about the same cheating scandal she witnessed unfold with her very own eyes. yet she never saw it coming.

some could say love made her blind. no, it didn’t. it made me stupid amara thought. now all that so-called love had left to offer her was a broken heart and a shattered reputation. and she cursed love with every fiber of her being for realizing that she had been played by an below average man for the last two years.

hiding in paris hadn’t actually been her original plan but after having to cancel her tour, she had thought that in the french city, people wouldn’t recognize her as much as they did in the usa. she had thought wrong. paparazzi in paris were just as ruthless as they had been in new york and los angeles. even in paris, she wasn’t able to hide her face and get a break from all the drama without being blinded by flashing lights everyday.

amara had been lucky that grace had some extended family in the french capital that had been nice enough to let the singer stay in their modest cottage apartment till the newspapers and celebrity magazines stopped twisting the narrative to make amara look like the villain in her own relationship.

was amara hurt by her boyfriend cheating? not really. she grew up in a third world country where there was a lot more to worry about than a boy breaking your heart. it was her dignity and ego that was screaming pain.

he could have done it privately, spare her the humiliation and stress of the whole world finding out at the same time as she did. she would have preferred finding their text or photos - it would have hurt less. but no, he wanted to leave a mark before he left.

he cheated on her with the same person he told her not to worry about. her insecurities and jealousy fits were all in vain as it was always about her. and left amara wishing she had listened to her gut.

nearly two years gone. text messages he had sent her were still saved in her phone even though she had blocked his number. the good moments were forgotten and only the bad ones remain.

at least in this little bar she had been offered her peace. the small vintage club was located a little bit more outside of paris, meaning only locals know about it. amara had instantly fallen in love with it as soon as it caught her eye. the flowery design and plants that decorated the outside along with comfy armchairs and small coffee tables made it perfect for amara’s much needed self-care day. what she loved the most about it though was how by night, the dreamy cafe turned into a night bar yet still was filled with comfy, modest glow. le claire de la lune always knew how to cheer her up.

she lost count of how many she had downed but it was clear that she had passed the tipsy stage. it was an average day, with clouds blocking the sun of paris, and yet even with the cool air hit her, she still felt a fuzzy type of warm due to all the alcohol flowing through her system.

the chances that someone recognized her in this small bar were low, yet she still refused to take any risks and opted to leave her sunglasses on. she gratefully reached for the drink she had ordered, flashing the waiter one of her famous red-carpet smiles. sipping on her drink, she went through her phone but stayed away from her social media. checking the time again, she looked on her phone for any new messages and yet everything looked the same as she had left it fifteen minutes ago.

are you still coming?

so sorry, don’t think i will be. it’s better if we don’t meet up now.

so you’re ditching me?

with everything that’s going on at the moment with you, i think it’s better if we hold our distance

don’t call me ever again

“asshole” she muttered, putting her phone away again. why couldn’t anything go to plan, she cursed, finishing her drink in one shot. the only thing that never disappointed her, tequila.

ordering another drink, she failed to notice the dark brown eyes that lingered on her. it was clear to everyone around her that she was past the normal stage of drunk. if she drank any more, she would pass out sure enough. but amara didn’t care anymore.

she used to. but now she couldn’t be asked. she was past the point of always carrying herself, her own image while evan got to do whatever he wanted because he was a millionaire heir. but she also didn’t see the point anymore in caring. everyday that went by, her reputation got dragged deeper into mud by every news article - everyone was making money off her, except herself.

she took her sunglasses off, dragging her hands down her face in frustration. she wanted to cry. but like ariana grande had said, there were no tears left to cry. she was drained. she had cried it all out after she found out her boyfriend cheated on her publicly. and the stress of having to cancel her tour because of a mental breakdown didn’t make it any better. she didn’t have tears anymore to cry.

“it’s not fair,” she muttered drunkenly. the bartender watched her helplessly, not really sure what to do with her. at her request of filling her glass, he complied, preferring to just do his job and not meddle into his customer’s life.

“can i help you?”

amara jumped slightly which caused her to lose her balance and grab the stranger’s arm to find stability. she truly could not hold her drinking sometime. she let go of the unknown man’s arm, mustering him strangely. he was handsome, that could be said.

“if you can give me back my self-esteem and my reputation then yes, but since i doubt. no you can’t.”

she stood up swiftly in a rash movement but this time her legs did not obey, with the amount of alcohol she had drunk and gave out under her. to her luck, the man had put his arms around her waist, catching her quickly before she could land on the cold floor.

“i’m kylian,” he introduced himself, placing her carefully on the chair next to him. “and i really doubt i could help you with that but my mother always told me, sometimes even only listening is helpful.”

amara’s eyebrows furrowed, confusion appearing on her face. who was this man? and why was he so nice to her? she thought about leaving but some of her dignity was still left — and losing it in front of a stranger was not in her plans so she sat quietly next to him.

“i heard what you said earlier. about something not being fair. do you want to talk about it?”

she rolled her eyes, not even bothering to acknowledge him. she couldn’t lie, he was attractive and handsome, but the alcohol was clouding all her judgment. if she still had her reputation, she would have probably asked him out or flirted with him, but right now — honestly, all she could feel was annoyance and tiredness.

“don’t you have anything else to do instead of bothering me?”

he chuckled, shrugging carelessly. “well, i was here with my friend but he kind of dumped me because he found someone more entertaining than my company.” he pointed with his finger to a black man, currently flirting — that’s what it seemed like in amara’s perspective — with a brunette woman. amara had seen her here when she had come in.

she laughed and held out her hand, waiting for him to grab it. he seemed surprised at her swift mood changement but nevertheless, accepted her handshake. “welcome to the club of being dumped. i got dumped twice in the span of two weeks.”

her last sentence must have probably lit a light in kylian’s head, seeing his expression change. it must have been dark from her side perspective and the moment she had turned to his, the light fell down completely on her, making her immediately recognizable.

“je suis désolé pour ce qui c’est passé.” the footballer replied solemnly, falling back into his native language. but that didn’t bother amara — it had been too long since she had spoken french, a part of het missed speaking it. “ you didn’t deserve that.” — i am sorry for what happened

his words seemed sincere. a change from all the things that she had heard or been spoken to. she had to watch all the people, who she had considered friends, drop her as quick as she could count just because they deemed their images more important than her. it had truly been a stab in the back.

he didn’t have to say it out loud for them to know what he was referring too. after all, one would have to live behind the moon to not have heard from the whole imani-henderson scandal. one, that seemed to get worse from day to day. “guess you kinda caught me. yes, it’s me, amara imani hiding from the world and getting black-out drunk. what’s there to save anyway.” she exclaimed desperately, shrugging her shoulders, "everybody's talking and talking behind my back. they have no idea how i feel at the moment... a few months ago he acted like he planned on proposing and the moment i go on tour our couple falls and he cheats on me with that brunette nepo-baby that probably never had to work for anything in her life. and to top it all off, they have the audacity to destroy the very thing i hold closest. it’s not fair.”

her voice broke down and she probably sounded a bit watery but as said, she had no tears to cry anymore. pain and hurt outweighed sadness and anger. her reflex made her want to grab her glass but she remembered she had already finished it. she stared at her reflection, lifeless, black eyes staring back at her.

kylian had been in many situations but dealing with a fellow a-list celebrity who was drunk had never been one. as much as he wanted to help, he did not know what to do. especially because he knew that if it was him in that situation, he would have probably wanted to be left alone. but he also couldn’t get himself to leave her like this here -- he preferred to stay.

“why is being a celebrity so hard? it used to be my dream, inspiring people like me that the world is open to them. and look where i am now?” she questioned rhetorically, “ i’m the one who got cheated on. i deserve to be the scorned woman but instead i’m turned into an animal at the zoo, the paparazzi will turn their flashlight on at any chance they get. i’m human too.”

she sighed heavily but for some reason it felt good. ranting to someone about her life -- to someone she didn’t know and who didn’t hold any expectations on her. except for her mother, no one really knew how she felt, no matter how many people tried to put themselves into her situation.

“it’s crazy how much i understand you.” he revealed after a moment of silence, “sometimes the media put things about me in the press, i didn’t even know about myself. i remember how hard it was after i chose to stay in paris. they were literally tearing me apart.”

“but i’m sure you didn’t run away and hide from the world till your pr-manager tells you it's safe again, did you? that route is only reserved for amara imani because she apparently destroyed a relationship.” amara commented dryly. a lump formed in her throat, her stomach feeling heavy because of their topic. she swiftly ordered another drink although she had promised herself to stop the drinking. she was way past drunk.

his body hesitated but he still placed his hand on hers. she relaxed immediately at the sensation — his hand extended warmth and the feeling of heat spread instantly through her body. “i can assure you it’s not the end of it. you will shine again.” he tried to lift her up and removed his hand, amara’s hand still vibrating from the contact.

a soft smile spread on her lips, probably the first since days; a true genuine smile and it was to a stranger she had known for about twenty to thirty minutes. again, she finished her drink in one big sip and placed the glass down before starting to collect her things.

“it was very nice talking to you but i need to leave.” she murmured melancholy. tiredness was also an effect alcohol had on her. instead of making her all energetic and giddy, even the strongest vodka only made her tired. emotions would be running through her body on their highest, with very sensible hormones to the point it tired her out and she passed out from sleep. “i don’t know what I’m still doing here.”

“you are way too drunk to leave now. you can’t even manage to stand up alone.” he objected, raising his eyebrow. it was true, the only reason she had even been able to stand up and call the waiter, was due to her gripping the marble counter with her hand firmly.

“i will be fine. you don’t have to worry.”

“i don’t think my conscience could sleep if i let you home like that.”

“like i said, you don’t have to worry about me.” she reassured him, letting out a chuckle that came out more like a yawn. if she didn’t leave any minute, her body would not hold out on her. “at worst case, if something should happen to me, you’ll read about it first thing in the morning because it will be plastered everywhere.”

laughing lightly at her own joke, amara’s heart lightened as she saw kylian’s face turning from creased with concern to graced with a bright smile as he laughed at her. she scanned his face, taking in every detail of his face, memorising it all as if she was about to take a test on it. she was truly scared, she would forget it all tomorrow.

she immediately noticed the two small dips on either of his face that connected to his smile. amara didn’t know whether they were dimples or not but she couldn’t care less in this moment. all that mattered at the moment was that he was smiling which made her face loosen as a smile fought its way onto her lips too.

he stood up from his stool and reached forward to take amara’s purse. “come on, i’ll bring you home.”

“firstly, you don’t have to and secondly you don’t even know where i live.”

he waved dismissively at her, “two problems with a very easy solution. so how about you tell me your address so i can actually bring you home and sleep at my home with a good conscience that a drunk woman made it back safely?”

“for all i know, you might as well be some creep called kylian who just wants a good picture for the next scandalous issue. i heard they’re paying good for everything that futures me.”

“ouch, and i thought we had bonded,” the french attacker joked, putting a hand on his chest to show his false heartbreak. “but if you want a whole resume of me, then so be it.”

“my name is kylian mbappé, famous star football player and also a celebrity. and i am not out to get a picture of you for your next scandal. wouldn’t serve me anything.” he stated, typing his name into his phone to show it as further proof.

“that’s what they all say.”

“if you need extra reassurance, my driver would gladly be your witness, in any case”, he argued, trying to reassure her. tiredness was practically written on amara’s face and he didn’t know how long she would still last. “just give me your address. i promise, i won’t sell you out to the press.”

another yawn escaped amara’s lips. “well, as much as i would like to give you my address i can’t.”

if he was frustrated, he didn’t show which amara admired him for. evan had hated her stubbornness. “well, what do we have to solve this time? i told you three time already that i don’t plan on doing anything. i have some dignity.”

“i can’t give it to you because i don’t know it myself. my phone is dead and i can’t remember it anymore. i have only lived there for—,” she yawned, “two and a half weeks. and my head is starting to spin.”

“how did you even plan on getting home in the first place?”

she seemed to be thinking about his question, but her eyelids also fell rapidly and kylian noticed that whenever she blinked, her eyelids would stay closed for an extra second. he knew that feeling just all too well.

“you could sleep at mine,” the words left his mouth before he even had time to think about their weight. he was just as surprised about his offer as amara but he didn’t show it. “i have an extra bedroom, you could always sleep there. it’s cheaper than checking into a hotel right now.”

as much as she hated feeling like a burden, she knew he was right. it was well past midnight and she doubted that any hotel right now would open their doors just for her. in addition to that, every muscle of her body yearned for sleep.

he held out his hand, which amara grabbed thankfully, knowing she wouldn’t have the balance to stand upright. as they walked through the club, heading for the backdoor where kylian’s driver would wait for them so they wouldn’t catch any unwanted attention, amara started to snuggle up a bit into his side. by the time the driver arrived, she was already completely on his side, her head laying on his shoulder.

he helped her, holding her hand as they got into the car. he greeted his driver with a nod, mouthing a silent apology for waking him up at that hour. he didn’t say anything about amara, which kylian was thankful for, not wanting the singer to feel like a burden.

it wasn’t a very long ride, but long enough for amara to fall asleep and claim the back seats as her bed, extending her legs over the seats.

what exactly he found so endearing about watching a person sleep was still a mystery to him and yet he couldn’t keep himself from smiling at her completely enamored. seeing her breathe so calmly as she slept, put a smile on his face. after hearing just how horrible the past few weeks had been for her, all he wanted was for her to be able to finally catch a break.

he knew just how many sleepless nights she must have had, staring at the ceiling or turning around in the bed because fatigue just refused to take over your body. flashbacks of the past days would reminisce in the brain and especially the painful emotions were at their highest during these times. having gone through all this, he was happy that she was sleeping so soundly.

kylian had been so deep in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed they had arrived already. he was brought out of his thoughts by his chauffeur, tipping his shoulder to get his attention and asking him what to do with the woman sleeping on the backseats.

“laisse, je vais m’en occuper,” he had responded to his driver. — leave it, i’ll take care of it

after countless attempts to wake her, kylian gave up and just let her sleep and deep down he was content with himself for his decision. who would dare to wake her after she had finally managed to get some sleep, knowing just how many sleepless nights she must have been through with all the drama?

so instead, the french striker put her carefully, with the help of his driver, into his arms and chose to carry her to bed instead of waking her. she was light, not as light as a feather as some like to say but she wasn’t heavier than other people he had already carried.

he is definitely grateful, the media weren’t able to catch a glance of them because he did not know how to explain to his pr-manager how he managed to be pictured with a drunk, passed out amara imani in his arms.

arriving in the luxurious yet comfy apartment that his mother decorated for him, he headed directly for his bedroom. he laid her softly on the bed, making sure she didn’t wake up though it seemed to him that she was sleeping like the dead at the moment. even the apocalypse happening probably wouldn’t wake her.

kylian was unsure whether he should change her or leave her in her clothes. her outfit was not too uncomfortable that he would feel the need to change her but he knew that skinny jeans and a short crop top weren’t exactly the definition of comfy. he took off her heels softly and decided to leave her like this, scared of stepping over boundaries.

with a last glance over her to make sure everything was okay, he left his room and got ready for the guest room. why he didn’t think of putting her there didn’t even cross his mind, for him it was an obviousness. it felt natural for him even though they had never met in real life before.

with a gentle smile on his face, he finally found sleep after spending thirty minutes thinking about his day and how it turned out.

it was the scent of breakfast that woke amara up from her deep slumber. the moment she left her state of reduced mental activity and her body got control of her conscience, her head began pounding, throbbing with high frequency.

she turned around, trying to extend her comfort but it turned out to be useless with a big headache preventing her. her eyelids opened slowly and closed in the same tempo once they made contact with the bright sun shining through the windows. the curtains which were drawn in front of it barely made an attempt to stop the powerful sun from shining through.

again, the scent of breakfast made its way into amara’s nose, a loud grumble of her stomach following next yet she had no desire to leave the bed. her body snuggled against the big, cloudy duvet that she covered it with and her head felt like paradise, laying on the comfortable big pillow.

as she felt another sharp pain in her head, she decided to stand up and realised she was not in her new parisian apartment she had recently rented, looking at her surroundings. instead of her usual marble nightstand, where a candle and a box of tissues were located, she was met with a white night stand that contained her purse and phone.

instantly, memories of the previous night rushed through her mind at the sight of the black hermes clutch she remembered having worn yesterday. amara also noticed that she still wore yesterday’s clothes which filled her body with relief. she had excluded the scenario of having slept with someone -- for that her left bedside was way too tidy and she had slept too messily -- but was grateful, she hadn’t done anything stupid last night.

removing the big, white sheets from her body, amara stood up, incapable of calming her desire for food down anymore. especially when it smelled like pancakes and waffles, her typical hangover food. she tip-toed through the room, spotting her high heels next to the bed as she looked for a place where she could charge her phone. she found success in the corner next to the nightstand and plugged her phone in before leaving it like that. either way, amara was sure that it would collapse again from all the messages that would be flooding her notification centre.

she followed the smell of food that brought her to the kitchen finding the man that had been kind of enough to let her stay. he was standing behind the stove, moving to the music in his airpods, as he flipped the pancakes. amara remembered only bits of him last night, the strongest information being his smile.

kylian looked up and greeted the singer, standing at the dining table in the kitchen with a smile. he reached for his phone next to him and stopped the music playing in his headphones to give her all his attention. “bonjour madame dormir,” he joked, and amara immediately noticed the two small dips that formed around his smile that were so attractive to her last night. and still were.

“bonjour ky-,” she started, embarrassment visible on her face as she failed to remember the name of the man that had been more than kind to her. she searched her mind for any memory or hint of his name but came up empty which kylian found highly amusing.

“it’s kylian,” he replied, amusement clearly visible on his face.

amara slapped a hand on her mouth to stop herself from laughing but only managed to hide the small chuckles that left her lips. “i am so sorry,” she mumbled, apologizing.

he waved dismissively, not caring about her failed attempt to remember his name. truthfully, he hadn’t expected her to remember anything, after all he had seen the amount she had drunk yesterday.

“don’t worry about it,” he assured her, grabbing a glass and filling it with water. along with two painkiller pills, he handed it to her which she took gratefully but couldn’t contain the surprise at his behavior. she finished the glass of water in one big gulp, her head immediately feeling relieved after the intake of medicine and took place at the big kitchen counter.

“so, i didn’t really know what you would like for breakfast but I guess, you can’t go wrong with pancakes and waffles, right?” he chatted, his good mood clear in his voice as he handed Amara a plate of pancakes with fruits as side. she hesitantly accepted the plate, not because she was wary of the food but more because she wasn’t used to this treatment.

In nearly two years of relationship they had had, evan had never acted the way kylian did. whenever she would come home from a night out with friends or family, he would watch her suffer in silence and continue on with his day. not that she expected him to do so but it would have been nice to know your boyfriend cared after seeing his girlfriend hungover with a headache.

she hadn’t been very subtle with her reluctance to take the place as kylian asked her after it. she shook her head dismissively, soft smile gracing her lips. “it’s just, I’m not used to this. ev- he never did this for me. I would have to do everything.”

“he’s an idiot,” kylian commented dryly. “he doesn’t know what he’s missing.” he added before finally starting to eat.

it wasn’t an awkward silence between them. they were comfortably eating in each other’s presence after such an eventful night. amara enjoyed her breakfast to the fullest as well as this uncomplicated time. she knew the moment she stepped into out of this apartment, she would clash with reality again and brought back to her current life.

looking at the time, amara was shocked to see that it was already half past twelve. she wasn’t in a hurry but also didn’t want to extend her stay. she couldn’t avoid reality forever.

“you didn’t tell me what exactly made you think paris could be your escape place,” kylian began, trying to start a conversation. amara groaned, knowing she would embarrass herself again with her answer.

“well, i was on tour like i said before all this happened. and my next show should have been in Nice — actually it was in Nice. so we went there, i performed and then i had a mental breakdown and couldn’t perform anymore. i had to stop my performance and later then stop my tour because the media was destroying me. but grace, my pr-manager and best friend, thought i couldn’t stay in nice so she placed me in paris, organized everything and practically send me there. i’m just trying to make the most out of my situation at the moment.” she explained, somehow embarrassed about the way she sounded. “or maybe, that’s even the end of my musical career.”

“you shouldn’t say stuff like this, people might think you believe that,” kylian advised softly, “if i said stuff like that after every loss, i would be fresh meat for the wolves. you need to carry yourself, be confident. the mind is as important as your own image.”

“easier said than done.”

finishing her food, she stood up and headed for the bedroom in which she had spent the previous night in. she passed several pictures, hung up in the hallway that her eyes lingered on. she envied the smile he was pictured with, lifting the world cup. or the way the twinkle in his eyes shined through the picture as he held the ligue 1 cup he had won with his team. she remembered the way it used to be her.

the girl who couldn’t believe her dream had become true. they had called her the next beyonce, the upcoming queen of pop/ rnb because she liked to mix both styles in her song. back then it had been everything to her. she had poured everything into her first album and it had won her a grammy. she had carried that spark into her relationship but a year into it and it had extinct.

she had to admit to herself that the critics were right about her second album. it was mediocre in comparison to her first one. the songs were not dull but they also didn’t bring out the usual effect that was normally carried through her songs. it hadn’t flopped but it also hadn’t been what she had imagined. she had disappointed herself and that always hurt more.

amara picked up her charger and purse and put on her high heels, ready to leave. as she walked through the floor, she stopped again in front of the picture that had instantly caught her attention when she had walked through the hallway the first time.

just the way he seemed so happy, pure happiness radiating from the picture. it was nearly embarrassing that she couldn’t remember anymore when she had been this happy. he had a firm grip around the trophy, the golden medal around his neck overshadowed by it. she felt the way her face loosened, a fond smile appearing slowly on her lips.

“beautiful right?”

she flinched, turning around swiftly to find kylian leaning at the door, arms crossed loosely. he had a smirk on his face, amara didn’t know whether it was because he surprised her or because he caught her staring. “we had actually won the ligue four games before but it’s always another feeling actually holding the trophy. c’est un sentiment extraordinaire.” -- it’s an incredible feeling

“i remember holding my first award.” amara told him, smiling just at the thought of that night. “i was so nervous and it was a bit heavy so it actually fell out of my hands. it was just so surreal.” the sound of her laughter reminded kylian of music. he didn’t know if it was a singer thing that your laugh had to be melodic but he didn’t care. if he could, he would listen to the sound of her laughter everyday.

they walked back to the living room and amara took place on one of the small armchairs that was seated next to a big plant. she looked out of the big window, in awe with the view. for the amount of money he must have paid for this apartment, the view was certainly worth it. from her location, she was able to see the most beautiful things that made paris the so-called city of love. amara recognized the eiffel tower in all its beauty, rising magically into the sky.

“so… how long do you plan on staying?” kylian asked, taking place next to her. he was dragging out her stay while amara was reluctant to extend her stay. although they had only known for a couple of hours, there was chemistry between them.

but he wasn’t the only one not wanting to leave. not when he felt so warm, his apartment felt like home. she felt a sense of belonging even if she had only spent one night.

“don’t really know. a month, a week -- it all depends on how long the media are gonna paint me as a whore and homewrecker.” she replied emotionless, “i mean, i’m not even on social media and i still know what people are saying about me.”

a hint of bitterness followed her voice as she spoke, the resentment against the negative terms she had said were clear in her voice. she swallowed the lump in her throat, not wanting to seem emotional again in front of him.

“so… what are your plans?”

she shrugged, chuckling at her own reaction. “music, music and maybe if i have a bit time left, more music.

“remember to write a song about me okay?” he suggested in a snickering tone.

she was about to answer but her phone screen lit up, notifying her that grace had called her several times last night and had just tried again to reach her. she sighed, knowing what this would be about. at kylian’s questionable glance, she turned towards, sighing again. “probably a call to tell me there has been new press. maybe this time they’re saying that I deliberately destroyed their couple? who knows at this point.”

amara stood up, grabbing her purse as she got ready to leave. by now it was surely past two. “i really need to leave now. i’ve already extended my stay by long now.” she said kindly.

he wanted to protest but who was he in her life to stop her? he had only known her for a few hours, he wasn’t in any position to beg her to stay. so against his will, he accompanied her to the door, he was surprised at himself, it had never been this hard to let a person go. not even the one night stands he had actually felt a connection with. she was different.

she would have probably stood there forever, staring into his eyes. even though they were dark, amara was able to separate the black of his pupil from his dark brown irises. the sound of her phone vibrating again, brought her out of her trance.

“well, i guess i really need to leave now. thank you so much for letting me stay here again, you really saved me yesterday. would have been really difficult for me. and breakfast was amazing.” she thanked him, taking him into her arms for a quick hug.

“it was nothing, don’t worry.” he retorted dismissively but amara shook her head firmly, contradicting him.

“no, it’s not nothing,” she objected, “you took me, a stranger, who was drunk, in and let me add, you let me sleep at yours and made me breakfast in the morning. that’s not nothing kylian. i’m very thankful for this.”

she was about to turn and press the door handle, to leave the apartment but she decided against.

“you know, i could always give you my number,” amara suggested slyly, grinning brightly, “that way, we can arrange for part two of this.”

“i also think you should give me your number. after all, i have to reach you somehow in case to remind you about my impending song.” he replied, smiling at her and amara found herself falling again for it. the way his smile and the two small dips that formed around his cheeks always were always able to make her swoon, should be studied.

the singer grabbed the first thing she saw in her view that she was able to write with and grabbed the striker’s arm, writing her number along with her name on his forearm. amara

he looked at his arm, amused at the black ink and smiled even brighter when he noticed the little heart next to her name. amara reached forward and pressed a soft kiss on kylian’s cheek, inhaling the smell of his cologne as her skin made contact with his.

“i hope you call,” amara added. the smile that graced her lips was mesmerizing. kylian was used to see it on tv, maybe even on the red carpet but he would have never expected that it would happen here, in the hallway of his apartment. that he would receive her hundred million dollar smile right here.

“i promise i will.”

with a last wave, she left his apartment to go handle the chaos in her own life.

he hated watching her go and just wished that she would stay. he walked back to his bedroom and let himself fall on the bed. opening his phone, he quickly realised that his phone would probably become his best friend in the coming days with her number still written on his arm.

he typed her number into his phone and saved her contact under amara, adding the small heart as she had done on his arm. somehow looking at her profile picture on messenger or stalking her page in instagram filled his heart with a sense of innocent amore.

was he attracted to her? yes. but was that the reason that kylian was so taken to her? no. she was nothing short of perfect (even if she would wholeheartedly disagree). and kylian couldn’t fathom for his life how someone so angelic ended up with a sleaze bag like evan henderson.

he knew it was a long shot but he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that she was his at the end of the day. that all her songs from now on would be about him, and they would never be sad or heartbroken, because she would always be happy with him.

kylian was determined that all his goals would be dedicated to her, that they would be each other's safe space, home bestfriend and lover. and that he would never hurt her like evan did. maybe she hadn’t been as lovestruck as he had been, but he would wait for her, he would be patient. because she was worth all the time in the world.

kylian:

hey

amara:

you actually texted

kylian

je le t’avais promis, n’est-ce pas?

amara:

well, the official rule is to wait three days after a date before you text

kylian:

three hours, three days, its all the same

so when am i getting that song?

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yournextflame · 2 years

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Lost echoes of English translation

So here I want to discuss what was lost in translation of Marika’s echoes. English is not my native language and my grammar is quite terrible, but I hope result will be comprehensible enough to understand.

Let's start with the echoes from the Church of Pilgrimage and Third Church of Marika. They are extremely important to the narrative as they are explaining the origin of Tarnished, a reason behind Godfrey’s banishment, how the grace works and Marika’s goals. Sadly, they are often overlooked and English translation did them no favor.

My Lord, and thy warriors. I divest each of thee of thy grace. With thine eyes dimmed, ye will be driven from the Lands Between. Ye will wage war in a land afar, where ye will live, and die. Well? Perhaps that might serve you in lieu of a maiden's guidance.

Then, after thy death, I will give back what I once claimed. Return to the Lands Between, wage war, and brandish the Elden Ring. Grow strong in the face of death. Warriors of my lord. Lord Godfrey.

The choice of pronounce is interesting. Marika referers to Godfrey as お前 “omae” ( 我が王よ、王の戦士たちよ。お前たちから、祝福を奪う), a derogatory form of “you” in Japanese, this pronoun is widely considered rude and usually used for inferiors or enemies (”omae wa mou shindeiru” meme). In some cases it’s used by teenagers or family members (by the head of the household), however, in pre-Edo Japan “omae” was actually a polite form of you. Notably, she calls Tarnished omaetachi, plural and a bit more polite form of omae.

But both Radagon and Godfrey are “omae”. She doesn’t value one over another, she uses for Godfrey the same prounonce as she uses for Radagon when she calls him a dog instead of leal hound in JP. In the end they are her tools and treated as such.

A bit of offtopic, but I noticed the raise of “poor Marika was forced by the Greater Will to banish her beloved Godfrey for his ties with the Crucible Knights” and I just can’t.

Not only Godfrey’s banishment is temporary, but Godfrey couldn’t be exiled for his close relations with Crucible Knights because Crucible Knights themselves weren’t exiled in the first place. They are still in Leyndell, no one of them was sent away with Tarnished. Some of them abandoned their duty after the Shattering, but nothing in lore suggests that they were ostracized by the higher ups. Various decriptions are mentioning that Gelmir soldiers rebelled against Rykard, Cuckoo’s Knights turned their backs against Rennala, Carian Knights followed Miquella, but nowhere it is mentioned that Crucible Knights were banished from Leyndell forces.

Back on the rails.

Really didn't like the choice of translation here. 赴くままにエルデンリングを掲げるがよい was translated as “brandish the Elden Ring”, not only EN misses 赴くままに “following this way” part, which is quite important since we are talking about Elden Ring, an object which shape dictates laws of reality, and 掲げる is nowhere as offensive as “brandish”, it’s “to raise up” or “to put up”. The same verb is used for the description of Dectus Medallion (２つの割符を合わせ、掲げること) and what are we doing with it? We are raising halves of the Medallion and mending them together.

- Marika never wanted to give up on the Elden Ring, a creation of the Greater Will (Elden Stars: It is said that long ago, the Greater Will sent a golden star bearing a beast into the Lands Between, which would later become the Elden Ring)

- she expected that Elden Ring will be repaired in the end and in a certain manner (if you look at the grace before Godfrey’s bossfight the grace claims Tarnished as a target. I assume she wouldn't want Tarnished to win because Tarnished has a freedom of choice in the end - 3 different mending runes, Age of Stars, Frenzied Flame, unlike Godfrey who will do exactly what she wants)

- she lowkey hints that she is going to shatter the Elden Ring by saying that it should be mended for some reason in the future

I guess that “with thine eyes dimmed, ye will be driven from the Lands Between” is what make some people think that Godfrey and Tarnished were exiled by the third party because EN uses passive verb “will be driven”, while in JP it’s clear that Marika herself dimmed the eyes of Godfey and Tarnished and sent them away そして、その瞳が色褪せたとき、狭間の地を追放する. Marika never speaks about her actions in passive form, she is always in charge and controls the situation. “I will banish you from the Lands Between” instead of vague “will be driven” (presumably by someone else).

tl;dr: Godfrey’s exile isn’t a punishment, it’s a part of Marika’s machinations. She wants to create an army of the strong, immortal warriors for her future plans.

Just to be clear, in this post I’m talking about goals that are mentioned/estabilished in dialogues or descriptions. I’ll try to keep at bay theories and headcanons.

What Marika wanted before she got locked in the Erdtree:

- to create Tarnished

- to shatter Elden Ring/repair it again

- Tarnished were supposed to slaughter demigods and a god. (Your kind are meant to challenge them. To slay them. The demigods. And their a god/ Use my masterpiece to slay a god.That is all that I have lived for. And my promise to Q-queen Marika. - master Hewg) It’s never specified, who is a god in question - Marika/Radagon, Elden Beast or any of ascended Empyreans. It’s worth noting that Tarnished mission doesn’t revolve about killing only a god, demigods, Marika’s children and faravaway descendants, should be killed too.

What Marika wanted after she got locked in the Erdtree (questionable):

- set the Erdtree aflame and burn the impenetrable thorns

I put this one in questionable category because there is no direct confirmation that Melina is Marika’s daughter/collaborator, even though eveything screams about it. However, I believe that Melina was created in response of Radagon blocking the Erdtree with his rune:

(while browsing Melina’s dialogues I’ve found something interesting, Melina refers a person, who blocked the Erdtree (Radagon) as a “husk of a self” in JP or “husk of Erdtree’s being” in EN, which almost confirms my old theory that “Radagon of the Golden Order” we are fighting is animated corpses, this is why he doesn’t speak, use magic or drop the remembrance)

The consequences of the placement of this rune on the Erdtree are outstanding to at least and deserves their own post, here I want to mention the most basic one: it leads to the destruction of the Golden Order.

The Golden Order was created by confining Destined Death. Thus, this new Order will be one of Death restored (Mending rune of Death Prince)

I also can’t get over the comedy of Morgott religiously protecting Erdtree for centuries because he naively believes that Erdtree blocked itself (The Erdtree wards off all who deign approach) without knowledge that Erdtree is blocked by Radagon.

And this rune sends Two Fingers into “404: The Greater Will not found” mode until the end of the game. Also, the sealing of the Erdtree is contradicting with Radagon’s attempt to mend the Elden Ring, but it’s an offtopic.

Let’s talk about echoes again, here is a line from “leal hound” speech in Queen’s bedchamber.

O Radagon, leal hound of the Golden Order. Thou'rt yet to become me. Thou'rt yet to become a god. Let us be shattered, both. Mine other self

さあ、共に砕けようぞ！我が半身よ！

Come, let’s shatter together. My half-body!*

Direct translation is half-body, but 半身” used by native Japanese speakers talking about the D twins, “other half” or “other self” still works. But the most notorious change is that it’s another example when Marika uses passive “let us be shattered in EN”, while in JP she invites Radagon to join her. I’m genuinely fed up with “Radagon was sent to control Marika” plague of headcanons, there is nothing that suggests his control over her at least from Marika’s POV. It’s the opposite, he is “omae”, Marika’s subordinate, he is 黄金律の犬よ, a dog of the Golden Order, her dog, considering that she is a god of the Golden Order. She doesn’t hide from him that she is going to shatter 砕けよ the Elden Ring, even more so, she approaches him about her plans and expects that he will participate or more like obey her order.

(”dog” in a major insult in many Eastern countries, for example in Genshin Impact it’s censored in chat)

お前はまだ、私ではない。まだ、神ではない。

This quote (you’re not yet me, you're not yet a god) is pretty much the same in JP, but I’ve found it’s interesting that Marika calls Radagon half-body, but doesn’t consider him as a god. “Gods” in Elden Ring are vessels of the outer gods or the Elden Ring, in the end we can see Elden Ring in Radagon’s body, he became a god, but prior to it he was a half-body and not yet a god. It’s confuding, yes. Him not being a vessel of the Elden Ring implies that he had physical autonomy and was separate from Marika, however, she calls him a half-body.

Hear me, demigods. My children beloved. Make of thyselves that which you desire. Be it a lord. Be it a god. But should ye fail to become aught at all, ye will be forsaken. Amounting only to sacrifices…

I was surprised to find out how many people in Western fandom view this quote as a motivational speech. In Chinese and Japanese there is no way to read this quote as something positive, Marika doesn’t aspire her children to become something (ie “follow your dreams”) like a caring mother or gives them a freedom of choice, she limits their options to “Elden a lord” and “a god” 王であれ、神であれ, very specific positions in Elden Ring verse. Even then she has an army of Tarnished with a task to wage war on the Lands Between and a smith, who was cursed to forge a weapon against demigods and gods. Makes me wonder if she encourages her children to fight each other on purpose, following good old “divide and conquer” rule.

(However, she doesn’t reinforce them to become Elden lord)

To be fair, EN ignored もう “soon”, so maybe she expected that the strongest demigods are going to succeed her as a god/elden lord, but they failed and she decided to become a god once again. (Remember that before the Shattering Two Fingers began to pick new Empyreans to replace her?)

Wait, didn’t Marika discovered dark secrets of the Golden Order? Isn’t Erdtree is a parasite that syphons souls to the alien invader the Greater Will? Isn’t Marika a savior from an evil cosmic horror?

Greattree doesn’t exist.

The Greater Will... granted souls.

…すべては、大きなひとつから、分かたれた分かたれ、産まれ、心を持った

けれどそれは、大いなる意志の過ちだっただから、戻さなくてはならない

All that there was divided from the One Great. Divided, born and given heart. But it was a mistake of the Greater Will (Hyetta)

(Seriously, what’s up with EN constantly describing something without involvement of the subject of sentence? EN sounds like “fractures and births” happened without the Greater Will, it completely misses the point of the conflict between the Greater Will and the Frenzied Flame, the followers of the latter believe that creation of individuality, disparity and kokoro was a mistake because it’s the root of the suffering. It’s a a reference to Gnosticism)

Okay, here is a famous echo from Minor Erdtree Church:

I declare mine intent, to search the depths of the Golden Order. Through understanding of the proper way, our faith, our grace, is increased. Those blissful early days of blind belief are long past. My comrades; why must ye falter?

“depth of the Golden Order” isn’t a thing as well, 黄金律の探究を、ここに宣言する Marika does a research of the Golden Order, but in a less formal way.

JP: あるべき正しさを知ることが、我らの信仰を、祝福を強くする

Marikas promises that she will increase the grace of the people, who will follow the right way, while in EN “the grace will be increased” (by whom?) English translation and removal of Marika’s agency, name more iconic duo. She basically encourages her comrades to follow her teachings, she is a religious leader, a god after all. While without a context this quote may sound like something motivational (see: “children beloved”), you should remember that the Golden Order founding rule is “there is no god but Marika” and her religion was becoming more and more fanatical over the course of history to the point when incantation book of Two Fingers became a heresy. The blissful early days weren’t half as bad.

I’m not going deny that in way this quote sounds like Marika has certain doubts about the Golden Order, but the thing is that the Golden Order is her creation and in the end it’s just one many Orders that can be created with the power of the Elden Ring. The Greater Will isn’t representative of the Golden Order, it’s about Order in a more broad sense.

Even Marika understands the difference:

The Erdtree governs all. The choice is thine. Become one with the Order. Or divest thyself of it. To wallow at the fringes; a powerless upstart

我らの律の一部となるか？それとも律の外にあり・・・

Genuinely speaking, I have no idea, who she refers in that quote from Grand Lift of Dectus, but maybe it doesn’t matter. She tries to estabilish(?) political alliance, if you can call it one, considering that she is talking from a position of power. EN creates an illusion of freedom (”The choice is thine”), while in JP this quote reads more like: “Join our Order or die in the ditch”, where she views Order as the source of her power.

And the last one, the echo from the First Church of Marika:

Hark, brave warriors. Hark, my lord Godfrey. We commend your deeds. Guidance has delivered ye through ordeal to the place ye stand. Put the giants to the sword and confine the flame atop the mount. Let a new epoch begin. An epoch glistening with life. Brandish the Elden Ring, for the Age of the Erdtree!

導きに従い、よくここまで戦ってくれた

EN is at it again, “you followed my guidance” instead of someone else’s guidance. Marika leads her army by her own volition, EN makes it sounds like she was ordered to do it.

エルデンリングを掲げ、我ら黄金樹の時代を！

The first echo in chronological order mirrors the echo from the Church of Pilgrimage, Marika uses “raise Elden Ring” when she leads her army to fight the Fire Giants and eventually estabilish the age of the Erdtree; she uses the same wording when she sends Tarnished far away with a goal to return them back, fight and raise Elden Ring (again).

In this one and a previous echo the Golden Order isn’t mentioned, I assume that it wasn’t estabilished during war on Giants.

Here are my final observations:

The overall tone is very different, in JP Marika speaks like warlord from medieval Japan, she is a military dictator, who bosses everyone around her. EN refined her speech pattern like a lot, it added flowery old English, which is not bad in terms of autentic fantasy atmosphere, but often portrays her like a passive bystander or a subject of someone else’s actions. Is this the reason behind fandom’s obsession of turning Marika into innocent damsel in distress, who was oppressed in fifty different ways? I mean, I can’t say that EN translation is bad, it has a different purpose than 1:1 accuracy, but in terms of lore and characters portrayal it’s quite questionable.

Well, it’s over, if you read this, thank you and sorry for my grammar again. I hope it was helpful.

P.S. Thank you @subterranean-subalternsmall for pointing that “半身” used by native japanese speakers talking about the D twins, “other half” or “other self” is still a way to call Radagon

#elden ring #marika #queen marika #radagon #godfrey #morgott #melina #elden ring lore #lore theories #tarnished #longread #JP

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jessaerys · 6 months

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if i'm being totally honest part of the reason why m-ttm-llo gets on my nerves (well it gets on my nerves in a fun angry dopamine hit kind of way. i love getting mad about it the stakes are SO low and a girl’s gotta get their hatearade somewhere) is because i AM a void-cigarettes-sex-drugs-cars-violence girlie. it's my hardboiled inner monologue i have a phd in griminess i love to write characters smoking seventeen cigarettes in the rain and shoving guns inside mouths phallically. so it's not like i don't GET the appeal because i do. it's incredibly easy to write, it’s universally sexy, it is flexible and forgiving — grittiness comes pre-packaged with a veneer of depth because (well we don’t have time to get into the history of american media). unfortunately underneath all of the fanon heavy lifting it is all aesthetic dust bunnies without substance when half the ship is an original character (matt is whatever you want him to be and the usual characterization of ‘just some guy’ appeals to the quintessential teenage boy next door who’s a bit witty trope to counterbalance mello's, well, everything) and the other half of the ship is more often than not wildly mischaracterized because if we know one thing from canon is that mello’s life revolves around beating near. our blessed understanding of mello's place in the narrative vs their barbarous creative liberties. like! what about black vs white what about being two halves of the same thing what about together we can surpass him. what about my brother broke my rib one morning and gave me half his orange in the evening. what about the machiavellian seedy underworld disgraced heir in all of his grimy fucked up fallen-from-grace streetsmart glory lifting his eyes up to a cold sterile skyscraper that fades into the clouds and the pristine boyking held prisoner within it wanting nothing but to stain the throne his entire world revolves around with his ugly fierce humanity; to break into the prince's tower and grind his face in the dirt, to free him, defile him. what about having known a boy only to be blinded years later by the knifeedge divine wrath of a naturalborn godkiller instead, pointing a gun at him anyway. look at me, why won’t you look at me. what about i don’t know where you end and i begin. what about then i guess i’m going to have to do it, what about the point where mello becomes aware of his place in the narrative and runs towards it to the bitter end. what about the relentless adversary turned unholy disciple by the festering devotion he could not excise. turned dirty-handed enforcer paving the way for the godtouched oracle to accomplish what neither of them ever could on their own and in that way finding release and grace. the softness and despair of adding up to a greater whole and yet both dying for it, one in body, the other in spirit. what about cain and abel. stick figure violence what! about! cain! and! abel! where was i going with this post it got wildly out of hand. oh yeah stream i'm your man by mitski on itunes

#SORRY #DEATH NOTE

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nightswithkookmin · 1 year

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Okay I'm finally ready to move on from this.

I have been blogging about almost every concept Jimin drops but I have been reluctant to share it because it's just missing a vital piece of myself. Usually when I write, I enjoy what I write and every feeling and emotion I express is real and authentic. So imagine me trying to write something fun and positive while feeling like crap within?

I'm grateful for every single one of you. My instinct was to disengage and disconnect but talking to yall and seeing your attempts to cheer me up- cheered me up. Lol. I don't know why I thought avoiding people and dealing with things on my own was the only way to cope. yalls way equally works too. Works better I'd say.

Thanks for not pushing though and having the grace to let me be when I needed to be alone and not punishing me when I returned to talk to yall.

This is new to me. Well not new new, I do that for others it's just people don't do that for me very often so I don't bother to make friends at all. I'll give and not bother to take nothing. I love you guys for this

I won't feed into the negative. As I said OP isn't the first or last person to pull a stunt like this. I'm aware of others. I don't say anything about those because I can tell from the manner in which they engage with my content they simply just want to amplify my voice and my words.

To such people it's not about me or them, it's about Jimin. Jimin is at the center of their thoughts and actions. Some even say in their posts, I wish Jimin could see this message. And while they fail to credit me for whatever reason, I still feel my work is honored and respected because it is being used the way I intended it to be used.

I don't write these word for no body but Park Jimin. He is the one I adore, he is the one I extol. And if you are going to borrow my words to extol him and honor him then I don't think it matters of you credit me or not. We are all just fans of the same man. We can lend our voices to each other.

Taehyung sees Army's posts and art about Jimin and he saves them and shows them to Jimin. He wants jimin to know people love you, people support you and I think that is truly encouraging for JM himself. There is a while trail of moons on JM's back because Tae chose to amplify someone's fanart.

Jimin does the same thing with Jungkook when people mention him in his lives. He wants Jungkook to know he is being loved on and that I feel motivates and encourages Jungkook.

But for you to take words that are not yours and present them as yours implies you want to be centered and credited for those words. Which invariably means it's not about Jimin or the writer behind those words, it's about you and your need for attention and I find that dishonorable.

It's even more bizarre and disconcerting when you feel you have to go out of your way to deplatform the original creator in order to center yourself.

This is the problem I grapple with in this community. People are constantly trying to deplatform me and claim authorship of my work at the same damn time. And they do this by deliberately concocting lies, stories, misconstruing my thoughts and my words, taking things out of context and massacring my reputation.

It's always, look she said this about Jimin. She hates Jimin. She shades jikook. She is an anti. I hate her guts because she is not an actual fan of the boys. Yall should hate her too. She's creepy. She's the end of days.

So when such people see something they know go against their rhetorics and narratives about me they try to either suppress by discouraging people from engaging with it while they turn around and steal those words as their own to make themselves look good.

And they are not vilifying me because they genuinely believe I'm bad or that I hate these boys. No. They only do it to elevate themselves. Someone has to be bad so they can be good.

It's always, she's bad don't follow her, but look I'm good and nonproblematic and you should follow me not her.

Jealousy is a disease and I won't call anyone jealous.

But also,

I remember, I used to be friends with some people before Tumblr and they are quite "big jikook" accounts. Well some have left the Fandom but still. We would talk about Jikook nonstop and we'd discuss moments and scenes i loved and I'd always tell them, this happened here that happened there and they would download the video and make edits based on my suggestions and share them.

I knew nothing about video editing- still don't, and frankly I don't care to learn. I love writing more.

But when they learned I was doing Tumblr, they turned on me quick. Suddenly they were the ones trying debunk my theories, and when they couldn't they would create their own versions of the videos I had already made or actively try to suppress my content by disparaging me and making up stories.

Suddenly it was, she's trying to compete, she's trying to take z away from us. It was an unending cycle till eventually I stopped making my own videos- well I still make them I just don't share them🥴

There's a popular jikook account who even told me blog analysis are unneeded and that what they did was better than mine because they were providing "actual evidence" and not just opinions and assumptions etc.

And yes they said it to my face as friendly advice😆

Same advice I heard from people who thought I shouldn't be pointing out Jikooks "ground breaking scenes" because it makes me come off creepy🙂

They would rather I told them so they made the edits on their accounts cos they "love me and hate to see me get hated on" out here ☹

Okay besties, and while you're at it why don't you fuck my girlfriend for me cos rubbing vaginas together is really breaking my back👉🏾👈🏾

The elitism in this community is real and they don't like to hear it but gag me and I'll shout it out of my ass

Creators in this space can be very competitive and often envious of others and they try to weaponize their platforms to take out anyone they deem a threat to their delusional high ranks in the-- who-gives-a-fuck-Karen- it's-not-that-deep-sit-down

When you hear them talk about "young impressionable minds" that's when you know they've gone and filled their bellies full of themselves.

Anywho, my reaction was not just because some random person stole my whole blog and made it theirs. It was more a trauma response to the constant vitriol, vilification, malicious attempts at deplatforming me, the constant micro and macro aggressions and the vicious gruesome mental attacks I endure out here.

But I'm good. ✌

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talkingparrotkee · 9 months

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How I wonder...

What did Riri feel and how was she treated after Ramonda's death? She is another tragedy barely spoken about, let alone explored by the Wakanda Forever fanbase or even narrative itself. In all honesty, it kind of bums me out. Riri often plays a second fiddle and isn't given her independent dues with her true character appreciated. Her along with many other character arcs and traumas aren't as independently delved into like Shuri or Namor's.

Don't get me wrong, I love the attention Shuri and Namor get as a fan of them and even the pair "nashuri" (it's full of entertaining complexities). However, I think there is plenty room for more of these characters to get magnifying spotlight. I strongly believe that some fans should certainly give them more grace too (rather than putting them at the expense of Shuri or Namor and using them as their props), but I digress.

I can imagine Riri Williams suffering from imposter syndrome and survivor's guilt. Mix this in with her overwhelming sense of homesickness and self-blame that probably just became amplified as the movie progressed.

I could see Riri collapsing again out of fatique before waking up sore in a medical bay. I can imagine her half-awake, seeing blurry yet familiar silhouettes off to her side. Her hearing muffled voices and ringing in her ears. I can see her being treated as a ghost for the most part after she fully awakes with her basic necessities met. After all, Wakanda had a lot more things to tend to. Broken infrastructure, search parties, citizen patients, a dead queen... Resources had to be channeled elsewhere.

Not that Riri minded, of course. On top of all that, I can envision her trying to shrink herself and stay out of the way, plagued with remorse, floating in a sea of confusion.

Riri is also not present at the funeral.

All in all, Riri reminds me of middle child syndrome, which especially stands out in a crowd of characters experiencing atleast elements of eldest child syndrome (Shuri, Okoye, Namor...).

Despite the fact that this all more or less regards Riri and seemingly orbited her, she was farthest from the center. How can it be that these things had something to do with her yet at the same time it was all besides her?

Yeah, she made the vibranium detector and didn't have foresight, but the idea was planted by her professor (an authority figure she is supposed to trust). The FBI stole her work and later wanted to hunt her down again because she was the only one they had capable of building that machine. The American government also wanted to use her as a guise for destabilizing Wakanda. Namor wanted to cut off every loose end to ensure Talokan's safety, which happened to include her. Halfway in, it was revealed that it really wasn't about Riri (by Namor's own words), but what she was unknowingly a catalyst key for. Riri was, in the words of Letitia Wright, alao the reflection of T'Challa's choice, hence why everyone fought so hard for her.

Even in the original script, we see Namor stating that he would kill a thousand scientists if it meant protecting his people. So what would be one girl? When facing off Shuri, Namor dismissively points out that her death was already set by the creation of her detector. This is an ominous, but true point: if not him, someone else would seek her head in due time, and for far less noble means.

Ultimately, Riri was at the wrong place at the wrong time unknowingly rubbing elbows with the wrong people. It was always beyond her yet still had her strung along. Her only crime was ambition and brilliance. How messed up is that?

To fully understand the gravity of Riri's circumstance, let's go to the very beginning...

92%: The first wave that crashed down onto Riri was when the Princess of Wakanda unexpectedly came to her dorm. She thought her extensive efforts to prove herself as a young black woman living in the United States of America finally paid off. Riri thought she was being recruited to the Wakandan outreach program. Every time her brilliance was recognized, she couldn't help but puff out her chest!

This almost naive excitement of hers went down the drain as what she thinks is a "recruitment" is a "search and rescue" (originally kidnap and ship off to Namor somewhere off the coast of Madagascar, probably ending in eventual death for her 😟) mission. Shuri gives her a blunt, "no" with a face (ouch!) before telling her that she must evacuate and go with her (a stranger, at that point, Princess of Wakanda be damned) as she's in grave danger. Okoye didn't help matters at all, wielding a spear and threatening her cooperation.

How foolish she was, Riri would go to think later.

78%: We arrive at her garage. We see that Riri is cautious to have strangers in her personal space, with all her inventions, life work, and sentimental belongings such as her father's car vulnerably on full display. Then Shuri starts touching things. Riri, who already is on edge, snaps a bit. Shortly after, the police and FBI are brought at her door, danger she knows all too well...

64%: One moment Riri is flying through the air thinking they're safe, the next everything hurys then goes black. Then she wakes up underneath the ocean in a dimly lit cenote, flanked by spear-wielding aquatic smurfs. Riri suffers a panic attack.

The only "familiar" face and person she knows who probably doesn't want her dead is Princess Shuri (who is as lost as Riri is). After she narrowly pulls herself together, they are separated (there is no strength in the little numbers they had now).

53%: How did Shuri's "underwater date" go? Did they do whatever royals do and make up? Drink some fancy smancy tea and let bygones be bygones? Is this another Beauty and the Beast, best case scenario?

Hell no. 🫤

Now Namor is talking about war with the surface world (including the United States, which is her home nation. Oopsie). Shuri ceremoniously kept the tidbit of Riri dying from her. How nice.

42%: They take a breather getting served food. Their nerves are frazzled with Shuri racking her brain for their next move, but what alerts Riri next are shouts and shots. A dead guard lays on her right. Shuri is being held by the formerly nice, now scared handmaiden about her age (confirmed in the script) with a knife held threateningly to Shuri's body. Riri barely understands the tense situation, words are exchanged in foreign languages she doesn't know, and shortly afterwards, the maiden is fatally shot, helplessly clutching her wound in pure terror after crashing into one of their beds.

"You don't understand!" Shuri shouts, voice thick with panic. "This means war!"

All she knows is that Nakia, who she also doesn't know, is right and they should go. Now.

Riri and Shuri are clutching to Nakia for dear life, swimming through dark waters, leaving death in their wake.

32%: All of this chaos is a whirlwind in the 19-year-old's mind. She is caught between political unrest and war between two of the world's most powerful nations. Riri had her share of adventure. Not even the grandeur of Wakanda she once could only dream of can enchant her to stay. All the wants to do is go home. All she wants to do is see her mother she was forced to leave behind. She is a fish out of water being thrown in an environment she knows jack about.

Afrer the responses the Queen gives her, she knows she cannot go home.

Then suddenly, an attack rings out. Riri is terrified. Riri doesn't know what to do, but she does what she can. And that isn't enough.

21%:

Riri sees Namor angrily glaring at her. He's probably replaying the dying handmaiden in his mind. He already was after her before, so there is definitely no words to save her now.

Before he can get too close, Ramonda intervenes, blocking her view as if she was her own child.

"Go, child!"

The last thing Riri saw was the warm queen's hand outstretched to hand, the waterbomb, glimpses of an enraged Namor, and destruction. Everything went dark, her body heavy. when she was pulled to the light, she's coughing up water. She sees the cold queen beside her, still as a rock, and a Shuri's excruciating cries.

The queen was dead because she protected her. Shuri, kind Shuri, strong Shuri, was left broken and orphaned.

11%: I am sure Shuri was holed up in her lab the majority of the time. It must have taken Riri all that she could to put her immobilizing fear aside to join Shuri-Wakanda in a battle they may not come back out of alive.

2%: Riri sees Shuri and Nakia talk about cardiac arrest drinking some odd purple herbal substance. She sees Shuri steeling herself, and mirrors Nakia in providing any comfort she can aa she sees her friend struggle against the Heartshaped-herb's side effects. In the midst of battle, she faced Namor (the person she was running and being sheltered from) head on, powerfully murmuring, "for the queen."

Even at the end, Riri remarks that she was helping Wakanda clean up her mess. So yes, she did place a fair amount of blame on herself.

I loved to think and touch on Riri's psyche. It helped me garner more appreciation for her character. The way that she still stepped up to the plate and strived to make herself useful was admirable. The way she didn't cave and still retained with a degree of warmth-lightheartedness after the hell she went through is astonishing.

I can't wait to see her spread her wings and gain her name in Ironheart.

#riri williams #black panther #wakanda forever #bpwf #deep dive #character appreciation #marvel mcu #shuri riri #princess shuri #queen ramonda #riri mcu #ironheart

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