burningdreambanana

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DETENTION | 2011 | dir. joseph kahn

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Josh Hutcherson as Clapton Davis in Detention (2011)

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Trick 'R Treat (2007)

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TRICK 'R TREAT michael dougherty, 2007

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Anna Paquin as Laurie in Trick 'r Treat

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Scream King - Bill Paxton

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Stretching it but Lufti could be Frollo

Magnificent Century and Notre Dame de Paris (the musical)

Nigar = Esmeralda

Gül Ağa = Quasimodo

Ibrahim = Phoebus

Matrakçı = Gringoire

Hatice = Fleur de Lys

This scene below = Belle

(This is for fun)

Matrakçı aiming to write Süleymanname/Gringoire telling the story (Les Temps de Cathedral):

Places of origins and sea/river (Bohemienne):

Is it worth going back to:

Hatice/Ibrahim and Fleur de Lys/Phoebus and “eyes like stars” and “courtly love” (Ces-diamants-la):

Matrakçı/Nigar’s and Gringoire/Esmeralda’s marriages on paper only:

Ibrahim stuck between his two selves represented by his wife and mistress/Phoebus stuck between Fleur and Esmeralda (Dechire):

(Continuation to be reblogged)

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I would actually love if Bihter had her own Youtube Channel:

Confession time: I married an old man just to spite my mother

My mother might be The Devil???? (Scary)

Things I didn't sign up for when I married a rich old man: his grown ass nephew is still living in the house!!! He should get a job!!!

Don't fall for "letting go" propaganda: how spite can motivate you to succeed

Fashion vlogs

Weird: some "fan" keep asking me if my sister and brother-in-law would consider an open relationship

I have followed this channel years ago as an Aşk-ı Memnu joke (the joke was that Bihter would follow it) and it is still hilarious.

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Michael J. Fox as FRANK BANNISTER in Peter Jackson's THE FRIGHTENERS (1996)

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The Jeffrey Combs effect is watching a movie where a character is objectively The Worst Man You’ve Ever Seen™️ and being like “Wow I am hopelessly in love with this guy”

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Colin Farrell as Jerry Dandrige FRIGHT NIGHT

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"Afraid I'd never come over without being invited first?"

Fright Night (1895) dir. Tom Holland

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The Lost Boys (1987)

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Macbeths and Nurlim (for @burningdreambanana )

(Yes I know the last images’ contexts and meaning are different, but the vibes are the same).

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I think the reason why I argue (quite provocatively and it's intended tbh) that Mustafa is "well-written", is that, while I understand and to a degree agree to the criticism levelled to his character, I found him such an interesting case of failing to write a hero, not just by making him boring but by actually giving him flaws, that he lowkey circles back to being interesting (it does require an exercise in death of the author and a bit of extrapolation, but I love these).

On Selim and Nurbanu, I agree about the vibes and like the comparison post you made, I think i'm just a bit sensitive about the subject though because of the amount of time I've seen people state that Selim and Bayezid would have been fine if only Nurbanu didn't mess with Selim's head, often from Hurrem fans who don't realize they sound exactly like Team Dynasty and they're "Hurrem controls Suleiman!!" bs

Hello! I'm sorry for the sparse interactions, these last few months have been something XD Going to the question:

Top 5 best written character in MC and why

I will make two separate lists:

The Top 3 best-written characters of MC are very clear and obvious (they are the three main characters). I won’t rank these three, because a week or so ago we had an argument about whether Ibrahim or Hürrem was better-written and I don’t want to have it again.

Then I will have a separate list of several secondary characters that are not as complex and well-written as the above three but are well-written in their own ways. And I won’t rank them either.

The Top 3:

Hürrem Sultan: A consistently-written, morally conflicted, determined and engaging protagonist who has clear and consistent goals but who also shows clear character development from the start to the end of the show. She is undoubtedly the star and the face of the show. I might personally find Ibrahim more intriguing, but I can’t find fault with Hürrem as a protagonist and it is valid to find her better-written.

Pargalı Ibrahim: The character in MC that demands the most analysis imo. He has an obvious identity crisis, but the way this dilemma manifests in his actions is very complicated. He has an engaging negative corruption arc that is obvious to the average viewer in broad strokes, but also his motivations in every action he takes is debatable and ambiguous. His monologues are lengthy and can be grating in a first watch, but they also are rewarding and rich if you are interested and pay attention to everything he says.

Sultan Süleyman: Just a very good portrayal of a monarch who struggles between his conscience and his fears. Halit Ergenç gives the best acting performance of MC and one of the best acting performances of Turkish Television.

Honorable Mentions (Again, not ranked. I will explain who some of these are since you haven’t watched past Season 1):

Sadıka/Viktoria: Sadıka’s arc was a bit stretched out in length and didn’t have enough consequences for the general plot, but as a character I can’t find fault with her. She had clear goals, she was morally dubious but also was devoted to the people she loved, her arc was the only instance of the show criticizing the consequences of the Ottoman conquests, and even the most heartless viewer would pity her in the end. A good side character.

Şah Sultan: A clever sister of Süleyman’s who tries to make her husband the Grand Vizier after Ibrahim’s death. She has a complicated sibling relationship with Hatice whom she is jealous of but whom she also loves and is protective over. She is said to have been in love with Ibrahim in her youth and this is probably true, but the show doesn’t make too much of it - making Şah the only woman involved with Ibrahim whose soul wasn’t sucked by him. She is overall one of the least pathetic female characters in the show. She is morally dark grey, her superiority complex regarding being a member of the dynasty is clear compensation, she is both cool and a loser in the way best characters are. Her relationship with Hatice is probably the most complex sibling relationship in the show. Her last confrontation with her disgusting husband is maybe the most feminist moment of the show (and it was taken from history). She is the only major female character who has something romantic going on with a eunuch. Overall she is a well-written intriguing character who serves her purpose in the narrative.

Lütfi Pasha: Şah Sultan’s fundamentalist misogynistic husband. One of the clearest villains in the show but he is a consistent, realistic, well-written and well-acted one.

Gül Ağa: A eunuch in Season 2 who quickly becomes the main henchman of Hürrem and who is in love with Nigar. Just a delightful character. He is a comic relief but has just enough depth and class awareness to be occasionally something more. He definitely puts a smile on your face and he is one of the reasons why Season 2 is my fave.

Rüstem Pasha: The evil husband of Hürrem’s daughter Mihrimah and the main Grand Vizier of Season 4. He is often considered a “cartoon villain” but I disagree. I think he is evil, but in a very realistic and consistent way. There is never an action of Rüstem’s that I don’t believe in.

Kara Ahmet Pasha: A character in Season 4 who is the Grand Vizier for a couple of episodes. A fun and well-acted character who serves his purpose and leaves an impression.

Şehzade Selim: The son of Hürrem and Süleyman who ascends to the throne at the finale. He isn’t interested in power but is in the throne war because he doesn’t want to die. He is considered inadequately masculine by everyone around him and is dismissed. He is not a good person and he is willing to play dirty but he is not totally lacking in conscience. He is also a devastating portrayal of alcoholism. He is a well-written and complex character. Him and his partner Nurbanu have a fun Macbeth - Lady Macbeth energy.

Hatice Sultan: I do genuinely find Hatice overrated and not as well-written and psychologically complex as her many stans think. But she is still a mostly well-written character with a consistent psychology. She is a good portrayal of a mostly good heart being corrupted by excessive immaturity and entitlement. Her relationship with her mother is very well-rendered and is possibly the highlight of her character.

Nigar Kalfa: Yes, Nigar is not a very consistently-written character. Her character suffered many blows: Her relationship with Ibrahim was clearly not planned from the start, her arc of rising in the Harem was cut so that this relationship could happen, the show can occasionally use her as a plot device, and she took the biggest hit from the writer change. But she is still a memorable and extremely poignant character that did become her own entity and occasionally went toe to toe with the main characters. Even her inconsistent writing can be considered a strength if you decide to read it as a tragedy of moral deterioration or to go meta and read it as a servant character becoming too big for her shoes. Just like her lover Ibrahim, she is open to many readings and rewards analysis and attention. She is the side character that is the most “her own person”, she is the servant character that is most “her own character”, and she is at the heart of what this show can say about class. She is extremely important for the plot of the first two seasons. She is a double of many other characters. Love her or hate her, Nigar in some ways makes the first two seasons of this show. A Magnificent Century without Nigar would be like a pudding without sugar. And no, I don’t think Ibrahim’s character arc would be as effective if his mistress was any other character either. You can take issue with parts of Nigar’s character writing, she is not consistently well-written, but… she is Nigar: The architect of Hürrem’s success, the woman who caused Ibrahim and Daye Hatun to betray their beloved dynasty, and the female character in Turkish television who had a memorable wet dream. You can’t ignore her.

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I agree with almost all of these (though I would personally include Mahi and lowkey and controversially enough Mustafa but I have more to say on the matter in an upcoming post), and I'm also glad I'm not the only one who found Gul Agha a better character than Sumbul (which I still find to be a great character).

I guess I remain the only one who thinks the writing for Nurbanu was very clever, I wouldn't put her in top 3 (which I agree is Hurrem, Ibrahim and Suleiman) but tbf she only had one season, while the others had 3 or 4.

I also don't think the Lady Macbeth comparison fits completely (though it is a valid parallel to a degree) both because Nurbanu isn't just driven by ambition but also because Selim is the first one to open the subject of fratricide with her, even straight up exagerating stuff to her by telling her his siblings were trying to kill him (though ofc Nurbanu leans into it) and I think many people tend to gloss over the fact that he was already quite determined to take the throne (and to play dirty for it) even before he even met Nurbanu.

Hello! I'm sorry for the sparse interactions, these last few months have been something XD Going to the question:

Top 5 best written character in MC and why

I will make two separate lists:

The Top 3 best-written characters of MC are very clear and obvious (they are the three main characters). I won’t rank these three, because a week or so ago we had an argument about whether Ibrahim or Hürrem was better-written and I don’t want to have it again.

Then I will have a separate list of several secondary characters that are not as complex and well-written as the above three but are well-written in their own ways. And I won’t rank them either.

The Top 3:

Hürrem Sultan: A consistently-written, morally conflicted, determined and engaging protagonist who has clear and consistent goals but who also shows clear character development from the start to the end of the show. She is undoubtedly the star and the face of the show. I might personally find Ibrahim more intriguing, but I can’t find fault with Hürrem as a protagonist and it is valid to find her better-written.

Pargalı Ibrahim: The character in MC that demands the most analysis imo. He has an obvious identity crisis, but the way this dilemma manifests in his actions is very complicated. He has an engaging negative corruption arc that is obvious to the average viewer in broad strokes, but also his motivations in every action he takes is debatable and ambiguous. His monologues are lengthy and can be grating in a first watch, but they also are rewarding and rich if you are interested and pay attention to everything he says.

Sultan Süleyman: Just a very good portrayal of a monarch who struggles between his conscience and his fears. Halit Ergenç gives the best acting performance of MC and one of the best acting performances of Turkish Television.

Honorable Mentions (Again, not ranked. I will explain who some of these are since you haven’t watched past Season 1):

Sadıka/Viktoria: Sadıka’s arc was a bit stretched out in length and didn’t have enough consequences for the general plot, but as a character I can’t find fault with her. She had clear goals, she was morally dubious but also was devoted to the people she loved, her arc was the only instance of the show criticizing the consequences of the Ottoman conquests, and even the most heartless viewer would pity her in the end. A good side character.

Şah Sultan: A clever sister of Süleyman’s who tries to make her husband the Grand Vizier after Ibrahim’s death. She has a complicated sibling relationship with Hatice whom she is jealous of but whom she also loves and is protective over. She is said to have been in love with Ibrahim in her youth and this is probably true, but the show doesn’t make too much of it - making Şah the only woman involved with Ibrahim whose soul wasn’t sucked by him. She is overall one of the least pathetic female characters in the show. She is morally dark grey, her superiority complex regarding being a member of the dynasty is clear compensation, she is both cool and a loser in the way best characters are. Her relationship with Hatice is probably the most complex sibling relationship in the show. Her last confrontation with her disgusting husband is maybe the most feminist moment of the show (and it was taken from history). She is the only major female character who has something romantic going on with a eunuch. Overall she is a well-written intriguing character who serves her purpose in the narrative.

Lütfi Pasha: Şah Sultan’s fundamentalist misogynistic husband. One of the clearest villains in the show but he is a consistent, realistic, well-written and well-acted one.

Gül Ağa: A eunuch in Season 2 who quickly becomes the main henchman of Hürrem and who is in love with Nigar. Just a delightful character. He is a comic relief but has just enough depth and class awareness to be occasionally something more. He definitely puts a smile on your face and he is one of the reasons why Season 2 is my fave.

Rüstem Pasha: The evil husband of Hürrem’s daughter Mihrimah and the main Grand Vizier of Season 4. He is often considered a “cartoon villain” but I disagree. I think he is evil, but in a very realistic and consistent way. There is never an action of Rüstem’s that I don’t believe in.

Kara Ahmet Pasha: A character in Season 4 who is the Grand Vizier for a couple of episodes. A fun and well-acted character who serves his purpose and leaves an impression.

Şehzade Selim: The son of Hürrem and Süleyman who ascends to the throne at the finale. He isn’t interested in power but is in the throne war because he doesn’t want to die. He is considered inadequately masculine by everyone around him and is dismissed. He is not a good person and he is willing to play dirty but he is not totally lacking in conscience. He is also a devastating portrayal of alcoholism. He is a well-written and complex character. Him and his partner Nurbanu have a fun Macbeth - Lady Macbeth energy.

Hatice Sultan: I do genuinely find Hatice overrated and not as well-written and psychologically complex as her many stans think. But she is still a mostly well-written character with a consistent psychology. She is a good portrayal of a mostly good heart being corrupted by excessive immaturity and entitlement. Her relationship with her mother is very well-rendered and is possibly the highlight of her character.

Nigar Kalfa: Yes, Nigar is not a very consistently-written character. Her character suffered many blows: Her relationship with Ibrahim was clearly not planned from the start, her arc of rising in the Harem was cut so that this relationship could happen, the show can occasionally use her as a plot device, and she took the biggest hit from the writer change. But she is still a memorable and extremely poignant character that did become her own entity and occasionally went toe to toe with the main characters. Even her inconsistent writing can be considered a strength if you decide to read it as a tragedy of moral deterioration or to go meta and read it as a servant character becoming too big for her shoes. Just like her lover Ibrahim, she is open to many readings and rewards analysis and attention. She is the side character that is the most “her own person”, she is the servant character that is most “her own character”, and she is at the heart of what this show can say about class. She is extremely important for the plot of the first two seasons. She is a double of many other characters. Love her or hate her, Nigar in some ways makes the first two seasons of this show. A Magnificent Century without Nigar would be like a pudding without sugar. And no, I don’t think Ibrahim’s character arc would be as effective if his mistress was any other character either. You can take issue with parts of Nigar’s character writing, she is not consistently well-written, but… she is Nigar: The architect of Hürrem’s success, the woman who caused Ibrahim and Daye Hatun to betray their beloved dynasty, and the female character in Turkish television who had a memorable wet dream. You can’t ignore her.