#black luce

[shakespearenews]

It is this idea of reanimating the archive, and the Black lives Habib locates within it, that inspires the work of the poet Caroline Randall Williams, which I have been teaching and writing about. Williams’ Lucy Negro, Redux, published in 2019 with the subtitle: The Bard, a Book, and a Ballet, tells the story of Shakespeare’s Sonnets from the point of view of a figure from the archives who has been called “Lucy Negro”, and whom some have seen as a possible model for the so-called “Dark Lady” to whom the later part of the sequence seems to be addressed. 

“In August of 2012, I got it into my head that Shakespeare had a black lover,” Williams writes, “and that this woman was the subject of sonnets 127 to 154.” Lucy Negro, Redux intersperses Williams’ poems about Lucy with a prose account telling the story of her meeting with English professor Duncan Salkeld and, consequently, with the figure of “Black Luce” in the archives of Bridewell prison. Interweaving archival narrative with original poems Williams recovers and reclaims an overlooked Black life from the English archive in ways that resonate with Habib’s own critical and creative project.

[lavenoon]

Gunmar the Black(light)

Because I cannot resist the purple, and what better way to make this guy more terrifying than making him glow with what kills (other) trolls?

Less glowy version below the cut:

[somefirewhiskeyfortheway]

[lunamond]

Rhaenyra‘s sons‘ illegitamcy is actually such a fascinating topic to discuss. Because on one side, yes, she should be allowed to have children with the partner of her chosing. But on the other side, the way she handles the situation, she manages to upset almost every cultural norm surrounding this issue, further alienating potential allies.

According to the social and cultural norms of their world, Rhaenyra and her sons are being valued as lesser for the circumstances of their birth. This a result of westerosi male primogeniture, which has to police woman sexuality in order to ensure that wealth and power get passed through the male family line.

Bastards born from the affairs of male lords are tolerated because they do not endanger the system of power, while male bastards especially are still marginalised (as seen with Jon) the father isn‘t subjected to any form of social scorn.

On the flip side, a noblewoman fathering a bastard is a direct threat to the system of male primogeniture. A woman will always know her biological children by the simple fact that she gave birth to them.

Men, however, don’t have this certainty. To ensure that their heirs are their own biological offspring they need complete insurence that their wives are soley sexually active with them, hence the policing of female sexuality and the obsession with female virginity.

This tactic is obviously not foolproof. A clever wife might still manage to have a secret affair and pass off another man‘s child as her husband's. This anxiety and continued incertainty is reflected in the social censure woman receive for acting as sexual beings and the severe social and legal punishment a wife who has been judged as unfaithful can face.

What makes Rhaenyra‘s position unique, however, is the fact that she is Viserys‘ heir.

So if the crown is to pass down from Viserys to Rheanyra and through her to her own heirs, why does Jace‘s legitamacy even factor into all this? Some people in the fandom make that argument: If Rheanyra inherits in her own right, why does it matter who fathers her children?

The problem with this is that even the Lords can‘t declare their bastard heir without expressed permission from the king. So, firstly Rhaenyra would need to publicly aknowledge her sons as ilegitamte for Viserys to legitamise them.

Secondly, even if inheritance in the male linegage is important, marriages in Westeros are still utilised to forge political and economical ties. Any Lord, who wants to make their bastard heir instead of the children born by his legal wife, will at best destroy any goodwill given by her family or at worst start a generations long feud.

Rhaenyra‘s position isn't as simple as a mere reversal of the genders. She can't just take the role of the Lord, she is still a woman and society will continue to treat her as such. Laenor is still bringing his own inheritance of Driftmark to ther union, separate from any claims Rhaenyra holds.

While she is lucky enough not to lose the Velaryons as her allies, it does lead to tensions surrounding the succession of Driftmark.

Another argument then is, if Laenor and Corlys aknowledge Jace, Luce and Joffery as Velaryon their blood shouldn‘t matter.

However, that is also not how westerosi society works. Because to them, blood does matter. Laenor and Corlys can claim them as Velaryon as much as they want. But as Varys puts it: „Power resides where men believe it to reside“, and as long as the westerosi people believe that blood lines are vital to the right to rule, the boys‘ right to Driftmark will continue to be questioned. Family names and blood lines are super important (and not just socially, considering how many magic blood lines exist in this world).

And to me it seems pretty clear that Corlys is aware of this fact as well, because he never publicly anounces that their blood doesn‘t matter, in fact he claims them to be Velaryon as Laenor‘s sons.

And this is ultimately the issue at heart of all the vitrol thrown at Rhaenyra. The reason she faces so much push back isn’t just because she had bastards but specifcally because she tries to pass them off as legitemate. With this she triggers the deeply ingrained social anxiety about women duping their husband and disrupting the blood line with their own kuckucks child.

It doesn‘t truely matter that her position is slightly different, because for one Westeros is deeply misogynistic. Even as a female heir she is still subject to the misogynistic standards put on women, because no matter her personal circumstances, their society is still built to cater to male power.

But even more damming is the fact that she ends up proving all these fears true, because she does take Driftmark away from a true Velaryon heir and gives it to Luce.

I think it is really fascinating (in a very concerning way), how some fans are so ready to take these societal rules as hard facts. Instead of thinking how they might reflect on inherently flawed systems of power.

As viewers we should be capable to recognize that these cultural norms are wrong. Jace, Luce and Joffery might be bastards but this doesn't devalue them as human beings. Nor does it impact their capabilites as future rulers. Nor does Rhaenyra‘s gender impact her‘s. There is nothing that make a trueborn man more worthy of ruling than a bastard or a woman.

But important to remember is also that Rhaenyra isn‘t going to make a better ruler soley on the virtue of being the firstborn or chosen by Viserys. Nor are her sons going to make better heirs because they are her children.

[valentinovamp]

Claire Luce (1930)

[lyranova]

Question for your mom: who’s her favorite and least favorite captain?

Hiya Luce!!

Okay, i had to show my mom the Captain’s because she couldn’t remember them all, but she was able to choose!

Her favorite Captain’s are Yami and William, but she eventually went with Yami because i told her she could only choose one 😆! She didn’t really expand on why, but she said she wished we would see more of William in the anime!

For least favorite she couldn’t decide between Jack the Ripper and Kaiser. She said Jack has his benefits but she doesn’t really like his vibes, meanwhile Kaiser…she said she doesn’t see much of him so she doesn’t know what he really does 😅 but like i said, she’s only seen the anime and doesn’t really delve much farther then that 😔.

[owlcryptid]

You never change.

[kingdarkblue]

El día del sol negro, eclipse solar 24 ✨☀️🌙

[werewolf240moon]

+ NeverenD + Chibi Lucy +

Lucy (or Luce, as you want) with the hung cat, NAO, the OC who is a recurring character in the story ! ^^

Credit goes to VanRah Deviantart @poizongirl

[lexxawhite]

💗💕

OF ❤️

[lavenoon]

Unfortunately, so can't any other monster

@naffeclipse Hi hello how are they gonna get out of this pickle and back into their vessel? I am SO normal about this chapter

[scribevirgins]

The OG six females.

[funky-sea-cryptid]

Magna for the bingo

the only man i would trust with my drink

[d-e-l-e-b-i-t-o-b-l-i-v-i-o]

[lyranova]

For the ship ask thing, what about Gauche and Grey?

Hiya Luce, I hope you’re doing well 😁!

Ah one of my top three ships in Black Clover and admittedly my OTP with the canon character ships 😆! They are a ship that makes sense and compels me. Their dynamic or trope “shy girl, grump (?) guy” is one of my favorites, and I love the idea that she helps him (along with the other bulls ofc) warm up to others and grow a bit more patient with people, while with Grey, Gauche (along with the other bulls) help her also open up to others and encourages her to become more confident in herself!

So for me they “make sense and compel me” 🥰!

[karihighman]

bringing back tracy tuesday & trasse tuesday🎬 behind the scenes photos via Brian Luce on IG