#prestige cleaning services

[cleaningservicesflorida]

Things to Consider Before Selecting a Professional Cleaning Company

When it comes to maintaining a clean and organized work environment, hiring a professional cleaning company is essential. Not only does it improve the appearance of your office or home but it also creates a healthy and safe space for your employees and clients.

If you're based in Florida and are in search of a reliable commercial and residential cleaning company, here are some tips to help you find the right one:

Determine your cleaning needs

Before you start looking for a cleaning company, it's essential to determine your specific cleaning needs. Do you need daily, weekly, or monthly cleaning services? Do you have any special requests, such as carpet cleaning or window washing? By having a clear understanding of your needs, you can better communicate them to potential cleaning companies and find one that can meet your requirements.

Research and compare different companies

Once you know what you're looking for, it's time to start researching and comparing different commercial cleaning companies in Florida. Look for companies that have a good reputation and a track record of delivering high-quality services. Ask for references and read online reviews to get a better idea of what to expect.

Consider the company's experience and qualifications

When it comes to commercial cleaning, experience and qualifications are crucial. Look for companies that have been in business for several years and have a team of trained and certified professionals. This ensures that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to handle any cleaning tasks efficiently and effectively.

Request a quote and compare prices

After you've narrowed down your options, request quotes from the companies you're considering. Don't just choose the cheapest option; instead, compare the services and prices offered by each company to find the best value for your money.

Review the contract carefully

Before signing a contract with a cleaning company, make sure to review it carefully. Look for any hidden fees or unclear terms, and ask questions if you have any concerns. It's also a good idea to have a lawyer review the contract to ensure it's fair and protects your interests.

By following these tips, you can find the right commercial cleaning company in Florida that meets your needs and budget. Remember to always do your research and ask for references before making a decision. A little effort upfront can go a long way in ensuring you have a reliable and trustworthy partner for all your commercial cleaning needs.

[imchelseasmith]

Hiring a cleaning service can be a long process if you don’t know what to look for? Cleaning services are sought after by many people because they allow them to do other things while their houses or office get cleaned. You can do a variety of things to ensure you hire a cleaner that will provide you with the best services. Read this blog to know what should you look for before hiring a cleaning service.

[prestigeautobody]

You can visit to us today or can call/e-mail us now.

Call:   02 9906 2177  

E-mail:   info@prestigeautobody.com.au  

We’ll surely get back to you within next 24 hours.

[syrma-sensei]

→ Red Crown.

gif credit.

Pairing: Rhaenyra Targaryen x fem!reader.

Rating: Explicit.

Word Count: 800

Warnings: fxf, cunnilingus, infidelity, cursing...

Summary: The rightful sovereign of Westros is lonely abed at night. She yearns for her absent king consort's warmth. You decide to take matters into your hands and bring her some comfort.

You loosen the neat braid with heedful hands and Queen Rhaenyra's silver hair grazes softly against your fingers.

She's always both elegant and eloquent, but tonight, she was regal and imposing at the banquet she had with the dragonseeds whom claimed her dragons.

You pick up the studded hairbrush and start to splay comb her hair with reverence, before you set it aside and massages her scalp tenderly with your fingertip. “Mmm, just like that,” The Queen leans her head backwards at your touch.

She told you about the headache she was suffering after that supper. The weight of the crown, she claimed. But there's more to her ire. That insolent dragonnseed, the one Silverwing let mount her back. Ulf, you remember. You wish you could rip out his tongue and shove it down his throat that he dared talk to The Queen in such an impudent manner. You scoff internally at the idea of such a lowborn taming a god-like, fire-breathing creature.

However, Queen Rhaenyra was generous and sagacious enough to let Ulf’s impertinence slide because she believed it was gods willing that put him on the she-dragon’s back. And she's in need of dragons to fight this bloody war. She needs every asset she can get, especially in the absence of her husband, Prince Daemon.

You can't find it within herself to forgive the King Consort for abandoning his queen for The Seven know what. He left her facing the bitterness of her Black Council alone.

Queen Rhaenyra lets out an elongated sigh as you rub her scalp.

You've been assigned to be Queen Rhaenyra’s chamber handmaid, in Elinda’s stead, after she went on her secretive delegation to King's Landing. An assignment that holds a great matter of importance. You wish you were in her place. You wish you could serve your queen the way Elinda is right now. However, your duties are no less important than Elinda's. You make it a point to take care of your lady with utmost care. Everyday, you make sure she's eating well, and in top notch prestige; nothing less than the true protector of the realm should be.

Despite your best efforts, you still sense there's something The Queen is missing. And after days in her personal service, you figured out she misses her husband aplenty. The lengthy absence of her rock leaves the queen in confusion and great frustration.

“Mhm, that's enough.” She says in a soft voice, then prepares herself for you to dress her in her nightgown.

You nod, fetching the soft cerulean gown she prefers to sleep in. You're quick to notice her colour preferences. Rhaenyra always wears black and red at daylight, and blue with its vibrant hues at night. A Targaryen under the sun, an Arryn under the moon. You grow fond of the way she intimately attributes the houses of her inheritance.

With deft fingers, you unhook the laces of her black dress, then her undergarments. That's when you see streaks of blood trailing down her inner thighs.

“Gods be good.” She murmurs, “If only I had a cock instead of this heinous, bleeding cunt.”

Your eyes fly wide at her statement, but you don't answer her remark. Instead, you drop on one knee in front of her, dabbing a clean cloth on her thighs.

Your eyes can't but stare at her mound, where coarse silver curls are sprouting red from her moon blood. Your eyes look up at her face to see she's looking away, as if she hates it, hates what makes her a woman, what makes some people question her eligibility for the throne, her right to be her late father's true heiress.

You gaze down again at her mound, contemplating for a moment, before you kiss the spot above her slit.

The Queen gasps and glances down at you. There's a silent yet couraging glint in her eyes that tells you to do it again. And that's what you do.

You kiss the soft skin, letting her Valyrian curls nip at your chin. She moans when you swipe your tongue along her bloodied, wet folds.

“Ñuhyz jaehossa!*” She gasps again as the tip of your tongue flickers the hood of her clitoris. You taste the metallic hint of her blood on your tongue. Her Valyrian blood; dragon blood. You drink it as if it's sweeter than the Dornish wine.

She rasps something in her native language, before her arousal diluted her moon blood. And you clean it all.

After that you wipe your mouth with the same cloth and dress your lady in her gown. Then, you help her to climb her bed. The satisfied glimmer in her eyes tells you there will be a next time.

You can't wait.

*Ñuhyz jaehossa!: Oh Gods!

🐉 A Song Of Ice And Fire Masterlist

🐉 Main Masterlist

[tornrose24]

Thinking back to those RE AU doodles and my ideas that I shared with @artistcaptainbendy So I decided to compile the details as a small story. So due to favoritism, Scratch/Todd (AKA the Donna Beneviento equivalent) is first.

Want to read another background story of one of the lords? Click here.

//////////////////

The Ghost

It was because of a moment of despair that he agreed to the Cadou experiment, and it was by sheer luck that he survived and was granted an unusual power. It was because of this power that he was put under the service of the Father and given a title of lordship.

Before that, he was a complete nobody.

He had lived in the village all his life–his only friend had moved away in his childhood, and she had begged him through many letters to leave and join her. Yet his fears of the unknown kept him rigid and unmoving.

He was once a nobody, but now he was a somebody–someone who ranked above all the other villagers.

He was torn between enjoying the power and prestige while feeling even lonelier than before.

His feelings towards the others were mixed. The Lady–with her charm and kindness–was secretly his favorite. The Witch–with her care-free attitude and rebellious streak–would have been his favorite if she hadn’t distrusted him. The Scientist… was a complete moron.

He didn’t buy into the Father’s beliefs and words in the church–the other three didn’t either for their own various reasons. Unfortunately, they only had the illusion of power–the Father was the true ruler over all and ensured their roles would benefit him.

In his case? He had been forced to spy upon the villagers, the outsiders, and anything and anyone deemed a threat. He wouldn’t be in danger either–his body could stay at home while his soul could take on a ghostly shape and could be invisible to the naked eye. Of the other three, he had been tasked to spy upon the Witch, but she was too clever and too smart.

He lived in an enormous house granted to him, deep in the woods, beyond the cemetery, and near the waterfall. Few bothered him and he preferred it that way–after all, some habits died hard, and he liked being alone, even if it felt like a lie at times.

His introverted nature made him an enigma to others. He willingly attended certain events, yet kept to himself. Unlike the others–each of whom had a daughter by blood or by adoption–he had no heir to his family name, and there wasn’t any good romantic prospects for him in the village.

All the while, he was forced to live by a rule imposed upon him by the Father–to never reveal his powers to anyone. It was a rule he could live by, and for the longest time, he liked that not many knew of what he could do.

•••••

Eventually he was spotted in his ghostly form by a girl who wandered too close to the cemetery.

She was the daughter of a family that recently moved into the village–a way to ensure bloodlines could stay clean and untainted. He was on the way back on another assignment of spying on another when they crossed paths. She assumed that he was a mere ghost, but rather than be afraid, she reacted with joy. He was horrified to have been spotted, but more so when the girl insisted on befriending him, even if he never agreed to it.

No matter how he tried to force her away, she ended up coming back with food the next day. His weakness for food was what won him over, but the experience of someone treating him as an equal–not someone to be feared or ignored–was what drew him toward the girl. Like him, she too knew the pang of loneliness and losing friends, yet her compassion was not only new but also genuine. When she asked for his name, he instead gave her the childhood nickname his old friend gave him.

Before he knew it, a forbidden friendship grew between him and the girl, who he made her swear never to tell another soul about him. For once in his miserable life, he was finding something to look forward to–something to find joy–as he began to treasure the girl’s friendship and the small miasdventures they had. Ironically, the Ghost was more alive as a mere soul than he had ever been before in his life.

Yet he lied and claimed that he did not know of his past life, and when she showed interest in seeing his house, he panicked and told her that it was dangerous. When she invited him to her home, he told her that he could not meet her family, and she could not tell them about him.

He wanted things to be as they were–he wanted her to think he was the Ghost. If she knew his true identity, then she would never want to be around him. It would also put her at risk.

******

In the end, the friendship was discovered, regardless of all he did.

It was at a meeting with the Father and the others. The Father demanded to know what he had been up to with his gift and if he had been squandering it for petty reasons. He of course lied, but he was a terrible liar and they all knew it.

The lie had been exposed as the girl was presented before him–she now knew how dangerous they could be, but worst of all, she instantly recognized him and now knew he was one of them. She now knew who he really was–not a mere cantankerous spirit, but instead a man who had been gifted with an extraordinary power. A man who happened to be amongst the most powerful in the village.

He was presented with a choice as punishment–have her eliminated, or have her be given a cadou and accept her as his heir. Either one was a death sentence.

He chose the cadou.

*****

For weeks he wallowed in misery over all that happened and isolated himself even more so than before. He knew the girl would hate him forever if she survived.

Miraculously, the girl survived the operation. Furthermore her gift–while unexpected–was deemed useless to the Father who saw her as an unfit vessel. Unfortunately, she was to never leave the village.

Despite knowing the truth, and knowing what their friendship cost her, she still came back to her friend. She went past the cemetery, knocked on his door, and while he tried to protest and plead for her to leave, she firmly stayed and told him the thing he didn’t realize he needed to hear–

“I still want to be your friend.”

She forgave him, knowing that he was trying to protect her. She accepted him as he was, knowing that he was still the same person that she befriended. 

According to the rules, her being appointed as his heir meant that she could no longer live with her family and had to live with him instead. However, he ensured that she could still visit her family and that she would be provided for. It was not how he would have liked things to go, but as long as she was happy, then he was happy. He no longer had to hide any part of himself from another person and she accepted him flaws and all. He just hoped that someday he could atone for almost ruining her life.

With the girl in his life, the Ghost never had to be alone again.

[anamazingangie]

The Women Surrounding a Medieval Queen

This goes through the different types of maids that would serve a Queen, as well as the different duties and function of companions or lady's in waiting

This is something i've had in docs as a personal reference forever. I'm putting it here so I can link it on discord, but please note NONE of this information is my own, it has all been collected from a dozen+ wikipedia pages.

Overview of Maid Types:

Maids traditionally have a fixed position in the hierarchy of the large households, and although there is overlap between definitions (dependent on the size of the household) the positions themselves would typically be rigidly adhered to. The usual classifications of maid in a large household are:

Lady's maid: a senior servant who reported directly to the lady of the house, but ranked beneath the housekeeper, and accompanied her lady on travel. She took care of her mistress's clothes and hair, and sometimes served as confidante. .

House-maid or housemaid: a generic term for maids whose function was chiefly "above stairs", and were usually a little older, and better paid. Where a household included multiple housemaids, the roles were often subdivided as below. .

Head house-maid: the senior house maid, reporting to the housekeeper. (Also called "house parlour maid" in an establishment with only one or two upstairs maids). .

Parlour maid: they cleaned and tidied reception rooms and living areas by morning, and often served refreshments at afternoon tea, and sometimes also dinner. They tidied studies and libraries, and (with footmen) answered bells calling for service. .

Chamber maid: they cleaned and maintained the bedrooms, ensured fires were lit in fireplaces, and supplied hot water. .

Laundry maid: they maintained bedding and towels. They also washed, dried, and ironed clothes for the whole household, including the servants. .

Under house parlour maid: the general deputy to the house parlour maid in a small establishment which had only two upstairs maids. .

Nursery maid: also an "upstairs maid", but one who worked in the children's nursery, maintaining fires, cleanliness, and good order. Reported to the nanny rather than the housekeeper. The nursemaid would often stay with one family for years or as long as their services were needed.  .

Kitchen maid: a "below stairs" maid who reported to the cook, and assisted in running the kitchens.

Head kitchen maid: where multiple kitchen maids were employed, the "head kitchen maid" was effectively a deputy to the cook, engaged largely in the plainer and simpler cooking (sometimes cooking the servants' meals). .

Under kitchen maid: where multiple kitchen maids were employed, these were the staff who prepared vegetables, peeled potatoes, and assisted in presentation of finished cooking for serving. .

Scullery maid: the lowest grade of "below stairs" maid, reporting to the cook, the scullery maids were responsible for washing cutlery, crockery, and glassware, and scrubbing kitchen floors, as well as monitoring ovens while kitchen maids ate their own supper. .

Between maid, sometimes known as a "tweeny": roughly equivalent in status to scullery maids, and often paid less, between maids in a large household waited on the senior servants (butler, housekeeper, and cook) and were therefore answerable to all three department heads, often leading to friction in their employment. .

Still room maid: a junior maid employed in the still room; as the work involved the supply of alcohol, cosmetics, medicines, and cooking ingredients across all departments of the house, the still room maids were part of the "between staff", jointly answerable to all three department heads.

A Closer Look

A lady's companion was a woman of genteel birth who lived with a woman of rank or wealth as retainer. Where ladies-in-waiting were usually women from the most privileged backgrounds who took the position for the prestige of associating with royalty, or for the enhanced marriage prospects available to those who spent time at court, a lady's companions usually took up their occupation because they needed to earn a living and have somewhere to live. A companion is not to be confused with lady's maid.

Like a governess, a lady's companion was not regarded as a servant, but neither was she really treated as an equal; however her position in the household of her employer was notably less awkward and solitary than that of a governess. Only women from a class background similar to or only a little below that of their employer would be considered for the position.

The companion's role was to spend her time with her employer, providing company and conversation, to help her to entertain guests and often to accompany her to social events. In return she would be given a room in the family's part of the house, rather than the servants' quarters; all of her meals would be provided, and she would eat with her employer; and she would be paid a small salary, which would be called an "allowance" – never "wages".

She would not be expected to perform any domestic duties which her employer might not carry out herself, in other words little other than giving directions to servants, fancy sewing and pouring tea. Thus the role was not very different from that of an adult relation in respect of the lady of a household, except for the essential subservience resulting from financial dependency. Lady's companions were employed because upper- and middle-class women spent most of their time at home. A lady's companion might be taken on by an unmarried woman living on her own, by a widow, a married woman who lived with her husband and sons but had no daughters and desired female company, or by an unmarried woman who was living with her father or another male relation but had lost her mother, and was too old to have a governess.

In the last case the companion would also act as a chaperone; at the time, it would not have been socially acceptable for a young lady to receive male visitors without either a male relation or an older lady present (a female servant would not have sufficed).

A lady's maid is a female personal attendant who waits on her female employer. The role of a lady's maid is similar to that of a gentleman's valet.

Traditionally, the lady's maid was not as high-ranking as a lady's companion, who was a retainer rather than a servant, but the rewards included room and board, travel and somewhat improved social status. In the servants' hall, a lady's maid took precedence akin to that of her mistress.

In Britain, a lady's maid would be addressed by her surname by her employer, while she was addressed as "Miss" by junior servants or when visiting another servants' hall.

A lady's maid's specific duties included helping her mistress with her appearance, including make-up, hairdressing, clothing, jewellery, and shoes.

A lady's maid would also remove stains from clothing; sew, mend, and alter garments as needed; bring her mistress breakfast in her room; and draw her mistress's bath. However, she would not be expected to dust and clean every small item, as that would be the job of a housemaid.

A maid, housemaid, or maidservant were once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, where the retinue of servants stretched up to the housekeeper and butler, responsible for female and male employees respectively. The word "maid" itself means an unmarried young woman or virgin. Domestic workers, particularly those low in the hierarchy, such as maids and footmen, were expected to remain unmarried while in service

"What the fuck is a lady in waiting, then?"

A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank A lady-in-waiting was considered more of a secretary, courtier, or companion to her mistress than a servant.

In some other parts of the world, the lady-in-waiting, often referred to as palace woman, was in practice a servant or a slave rather than a high-ranking woman though they had the same duties. In courts where polygamy was practised, a court lady was formally available to the monarch for sexual services, and she could become his wife, consort, courtesan, or concubine.

The duties of ladies-in-waiting at the Tudor court were to act as companions for the queen, both in public and in private. They had to accompany her wherever she went, to entertain her with music, dance or singing and to dress, bathe and help her use the toilet, since a royal person, by the standards of the day, was not supposed to do anything for herself, but was always to be waited upon in all daily tasks as a sign of their status.

Other functions historically discharged by ladies-in-waiting included proficiency in the etiquette, languages, dances, horse riding, music making, and painting prevalent at court; keeping her mistress abreast of activities and personages at court; care of the rooms and wardrobe of her mistress; secretarial tasks; supervision of servants, budget and purchases; reading correspondence to her mistress and writing on her behalf; and discreetly relaying messages upon command.

Ladies-in-waiting were appointed because of their social status as members of the nobility, on the recommendation of court officials, or other prominent citizens, and because they were expected to be supporters of the royal family due to their own family relationships. When the queen was not a foreigner, her own relations were often appointed as they were presumed to be trustworthy and loyal.

The ladies-in-waiting were headed by the mistress of the robes, followed in rank by the first lady of the bedchamber, who supervised the group of ladies of the bedchamber (typically wives or widows of peers above the rank of earl), in turn followed by the group of women of the bedchamber (usually the daughters of peers) and finally the group of maids of honour.

Ok here is where it gets confusing

First Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of the highest of the ladies of the bedchamber, those holding the official position of personal attendants on a queen or princess. The position is traditionally held by a female member of a noble family.

Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. 

The Maid of the Bedchamber was an office of high status selected from nobility. She had often been a maid of honour before she was promoted, because of birth or royal favor. Her tasks were essentially the same as the tasks of the maids of honour, though they were of higher status. 

A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. 

The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. 

Traditionally, a queen regnant had eight maids of honour, while a queen consort had four; Queen Anne Boleyn, however, had over 60.

A maid of honour was a maiden, meaning that she had never been married (and therefore was ostensibly a virgin), and was usually young and a member of the nobility. 

The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the household who would, by appointment, attend on the Queen (whether queen regnant or a queen consort). Queens dowager retained their own mistresses of the robes. (In the 18th century Princesses of Wales had one too).

Initially responsible for the queen's clothes and jewellery (as the name implies), the post-holder latterly had the responsibility for arranging the rota of attendance of the ladies-in-waiting on the queen, being in attendance herself on more formal occasions, and undertaking duties at state ceremonies.  During the 17th and 18th centuries, this role often overlapped with or was replaced as first lady of the bedchamber. In modern times, the mistress of the robes was almost always a duchess.

A brief overview of a medieval household and the male/king's equivalents.

[halliescomut]

Our Dining Table: Costuming Analysis

Alright…week 3..4?? of me begging you to watch Our Dining Table. No spoilers in this one, I actually wanna talk about one of my favorite underrated things in TV shows…wardrobe and costuming.

I’m going to be focused on the wardrobe of Minoru and Yutaka, but I’ll also touch on Tane and Koji (who I may also call Papa).

Wardrobe is one of the most fascinating things to me about film and television, but it is especially important in television (I think) because TV shows more often show a day-to-day story.  There may be time jumps, but in general you’re following these characters through daily life.  Character costuming is intended to not stand out unless that’s the point (see Tankhun) but instead add additional dimension to each character and enhance the information being presented by the script, actors, and director.

Looking at Yutaka first, what we know about Yutaka is that he is fairly simple, not very gregarious, quite kind, and from a monetarily privileged upbringing. He works a steady job, I would imagine likely has a college degree, and while he may be a mid-level employee, he’s probably making a decent salary. His clothing you see throughout the show is often simple, we don’t see loud patterns or a lot of color, he generally sticks with neutrals across the board, which makes it simpler for him to build perfectly fine outfits. His clothing is generally very neat, seems to most often be natural fibers, making it comfortable to an extent.  It also appears to be more on the expensive end, not designer, but not Walmart.

So, what does this tell us about Yutaka? He’s not really interested in appearing fashionable, his clothing allows him to blend in, not be noticed, which we’ve seen is kind of his preference. He takes pride in looking well put together but doesn’t necessarily want to put in a large amount of effort. The natural fibers tell us that comfort matters a bit more than style, but also that he’s not going out of his way to buy something markedly expensive. Touching back on the expense, with his history and being from a fairly privileged family, my interpretation (which is based on experience with friends) is that he’s not seeking out buying expensive clothing for prestige, but more just shopping at the stores he’s used to going to, the stores his parents would have taken him to.  A secondary benefit is that he’s buying higher quality clothing that with care is going to last him a fairly long time, which means less having to shop for replacements.

Moving to Minoru, but also the Ueda family as a whole. They’re clearly a working-class family, but may not be financially struggling, but more just coasting to a certain extent. The family as a whole wears some brighter colors, mostly Tane by the simple fact that he’s a child and children’s clothing is often colorful. I’m not going to say their clothing is unfashionable, because that’s too much of a subjective term, but more I’ll say that it’s serviceable, especially the adults. Papa and Minoru both wear comfortable basic clothing items, rarely anything ‘fancy’. We don’t see slacks, or neatly pressed clothing, just comfortable basics. Minoru tends to stick with cargo pants, jeans and sweats, with cotton t-shirts and hoodies.  Any of these items could be looked at and seen as well used, or possibly even purchased secondhand. In Minoru’s case specifically, it’s likely that much of the clothing is pieces he’s had for several years, as he’s a young adult and isn’t having to purchase new items to accommodate for regular growth spurts.

So, what does this say about Minoru? Comfort is high on his level of importance with his clothing. While his clothing is always clean, not in need of repair, or clearly mended, which indicates that he takes care of his clothes, but also doesn’t feel pressed to make a single item last as long as possible. Again, with the natural fibers, which promotes the individual comfort of the wearer, but also conveys a sense of comfort and softness to the viewer. We’re far more likely to think of someone as comforting wearing a soft, worn sweatshirt versus an itchy wool sweater. By their ages, which are fairly similar, we do also see Minoru looking slightly more juvenile, which could be indicative of him continuing to wear clothing from his teen years because it’s still in perfectly good condition for wear. What look to be the newest items he wears are his coats and jackets and his uniform at the ramen shop, which you can attribute to a combination of outerwear generally being worn less often, meaning less wear and tear, and the likelihood that his uniform is provided by his employer, and therefore replaced whenever it’s worn to a point where they deem it unwearable.

Looking at Tane, his style matches that of his father and brother in that he’s seen wearing very comfortable clothes. There’s occasionally some mismatching going on, which for his age (I’m guessing around 6) could be just because he’s dressing himself or because Minoru and Papa don’t care if he’s mismatched…or both honestly. His clothes, noticeably to me, look to be slightly better quality than what we see on Minoru. They also obviously look newer, but Tane is likely only just getting to the stage where his growth has plateaued to the point that he might wear out an item of clothing before he grows out of it. I also don’t see much cohesion in the styles or themes of his clothes, which to me implies that they’re letting Tane pick a lot of his clothing in the store, versus them picking it out. Generally, when parents purchase clothing for their kids, they stick to the colors and styles that they themselves feel comfortable in. Going off Minoru that would mean Tane in sportswear like sweatshirts, track pants, etc.; maybe jeans but with limited funds, items with more give, would be preferable. Tane also has some ‘nicer’ clothing as well, not necessarily formal, but whatever the child equivalent of business casual would be (I would call them church clothes).

So, what can we read from Tane’s clothing? It’s in good condition, fits well, contains a few what I would call department store pieces, which are slightly more expensive than what we see on Minoru and Papa. This indicates he’s well cared for and that new good quality clothing for him is prioritized over other members of the household. The mismatching, and not so cohesiveness of the wardrobe overall indicates that he’s probably allowed to pick his own clothing and outfits regularly. In some cases, combined with other things, this could indicate lack of adult involvement, but here it’s mostly likely meant to imply that Minoru and Koji are encouraging Tane’s independence, and helping him learn to be self-sufficient (which is in line with general cultural norms of Japan).

Papa, or Koji, now we get to a little more fun. Of all the characters, Koji’s wardrobe and costuming is the most interesting to me and generally the most interesting to look at. His wardrobe, like the rest of the Ueda family is comfortable, well-worn, but also includes far more traditional Japanese cultural pieces than Minoru and Tane, who wear majority 'western’ styles. His clothing is often mismatched outside of the occasions where we see him wearing a full outfit. The styles we see of western clothing is along more classical lines, as opposed to ‘trendy’ pieces.

Looking at what this information is meant to impart, we see some repetition of course, the desire for comfort over being fashionable, serviceable clothing that shows wear as well as care. The inclusion of traditional Japanese clothing pieces emphasizes the generational divide, but also I think serves as an intentional counterpoint to Papa’s clearly accepting nature. As this is a queer story, the audience would have some concern over the possibility of him not accepting Minoru and Yutaka’s relationship. The mismatching outside of full outfits that don’t require decision-making to match, tells us that Koji doesn’t particularly care about looking ‘good’ especially while at home, as we actually only see him in the Ueda house. The classic styles of his western clothing I think serve a two-fold purpose.  The most important is I think an indication of how he is able to be both traditional and modern in his mindset. He can respect and appreciate the traditions and styles of his culture and want to keep those alive without perpetuating outdated discrimination. A common phrase you see in the western vintage clothing community is “Vintage clothing not vintage values”, which I think gets my point across a little better and definitely more succinctly.  The second purpose is that it makes it difficult to determine when a piece would have been bought. Take the polo shirt he’s wearing- the viewer would have no way of knowing if it was purchased in 1984, 2006, or 2019 outside of physically inspecting it (and having a remarkably in-depth knowledge of polo shirts).  We also wouldn’t know if it was purchased new, at a discount shop, or second-hand.

I’m going to make a brief stopover to talk about Yutaka’s adoptive family, just to give some context. All dress very similarly to Yutaka, expensive, higher-end clothing, but not ostentatious. They follow a similar muted color palette of mostly neutrals as well. I would note that Yuki’s clothing is more well-fitted than Yutaka’s perhaps not tailored, or not always tailored, but probably actively tried on in stores where Yutaka would likely just buy the size he knows usually fits and if it’s a little loose who cares. Bottom line is Yuki is a man who strikes me as someone who knows what his inseam length is while Yutaka may not even know what an inseam is.

The Evolution of Yutaka’s clothing through the series

Yutaka’s sense of fashion doesn’t necessarily change, but you can see a progression in him through his clothing. We get a sense of two Yutaka’s in the beginning: work Yutaka and off-duty Yutaka. His work attire is as expected, your standard salaryman suit with an assortment of bland ties. Occasionally he wears a sweater as well, which makes sense as it’s winter. Off duty Yutaka wears jeans, though nice ones, not worn, no decorative rips, with sweaters and occasionally a button-up as well. We only see him in ‘comfortable’ clothing at home. The first time Minoru sees him in ‘comfortable’ clothing is episode 5, when Tane spills something on his shirt and Minoru gives him a sweatshirt to wear. Seeing Yutaka in that style of clothing is him becoming more comfortable with Minoru. He’s okay with Minoru seeing him at ‘less than his best’. We see it again in the next episode with Minoru coming to take care of a sick Yutaka at his home.

The ‘comfy’ clothes indicate Yutaka’s willingness to be vulnerable in Minoru’s presence. We also see a progression from mostly blacks, whites, and greys to more colors. We start with blue, which makes sense to me, as it’s not outside of Yutaka’s comfort zone, but it’s also a color we see a lot of in the Ueda house. This is a visual indication that Yutaka is not only welcome there, but fits in. He can belong there. I feel it also shows Yutaka becoming a bit braver over the course of the show as well.  In our most recent episode, we see our biggest leap-- THE YELLOW SWEATER. 

Interestingly he wears this sweater to his parent’s house. Seeing him in that space…he doesn’t fit in there anymore. That house is all cool-tone neutrals, but that’s not Yutaka anymore. He’s come to life. And do we even need to talk about the metaphor of him taking off the neutral greige jacket and showing that sunshine yellow underneath? Right before he reveals to his brother that he’s found his place, that he’s found himself??? He’s not going through the motions of trying to fit in, he’s not attempting to blend into the background. Oh! It’s beautiful!!  Not to mention we see Tane in yellow throughout the show, which I believe makes the yellow sweater a little bit of a nod to Tane’s youthful kind spirit helping bring life to Yutaka.

In a final wrap up I want to discuss what is one of my favorite things to see in serialized television and that is outfit repeating…or at least clothing pieces repeating. It’s not something you see a lot of in television, though you see it more in long running or serialized television in the west, because wardrobe and costuming can be expensive.  But I specifically appreciate it when you’re dealing with working-class characters. It’s impractical for a character who supposedly depends on their job to live to have an entire new outfit every single day.  Having limited wardrobes for characters and showing items worn repeatedly adds to the realism of a show. It also enables you to add personality. As in real life a character would wear their favorite items of clothing a bit more often. We see Yutaka repeat whole outfits, which probably means that he’s not really thinking about making unique fashion choices, but instead just knows what goes together to look presentable. With Minoru you see different items of clothing repeated but never a whole outfit (outside of his work uniform). But you also don’t see anything that looks contrived or like an attempt at a fashionable or cohesive outfit, which indicates a lack of concern about fashion, but also a lack of concern of other’s perception. He doesn’t care what other people think about the way he dresses; it just isn’t something that has occurred to him at all.

Well, I hope you enjoyed. I don’t know if this will have encouraged you to watch the show, but I certainly hope you will.

NOTE: Many pics were pulled from various posts here, and I wanted to give credit. Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4, Link 5, Link 6, Link 7, Link 8, Link 9, Link 10, Link 11, Link 12, Link 13, Link 14

[vacantgodling]

#12: Sir Keevan Guerra

Chivalry is a funny thing, one sought after by lords, and romanced by the common—but true chivalry is dedication, of which you have aplenty. The most decorated of men, your heart still yields to the gods, to destiny, to the care you have for your subordinates. It is that care that will snuff your light, but it is not a regret in fact, only an honor to be allowed to partake in chivalry’s greatest act of devotion.

“keevan” means hollow sound. “guerra” means war.

35, cis man (he/him), romance: yes, sex: yes, BUT only in a comitted relationship—he doesn’t do brothels or the like and prefers to know someone well before he gets into bed with them. preference: feminine, but he has a few exceptions to this if he is close enough with someone and wants to, ah, strengthen their bond

he stands at about 6’0” even, and he has long, deep auburn hair that reaches his midback. he usually leaves it loose instead of keeping it up, slightly for a twinge of vanity but mostly because his hair texture is quite loose so any styles that its tried to be manipulated in just kind of fall out. he has dark, serious brown eyes, but there are a few smile lines around them letting you know he smiles just as much. though he does tend to be clean shaven, occasionally in the early mornings he will sport a 5 o’clock shadow before he shaves. he has a powerful and near godly physique, one that people constantly swoon over, and he has a sharp, chiseled and defined jaw which makes him appear regal. his skin is a light tan.

as one of the top KNIGHTS in the kingdom of lathsbury, his prestige is nothing to sneeze at. but this isn’t like other knights where his rank was provided by paying off a favor for a favor, or appointed by some lord with no stakes or understanding of the role he plays—keevan is the top knight because he is simply that good at what he does. he is a master of many weapons, though he does fall back on his favorite, the sword and small buckler (not even close to as large as protector’s shields and he admires them for their tenacity), and he greatly enjoys horse combat, which is what gives knight’s their edge. his aim, battle strategy, and power are all top notch, but what he really enjoys is teaching others… though he is somewhat picky about who he will devote his true one on one energy towards cultivating. it’s for this reason that he hand picks both piper fairwind and saith praline to be his proteges—one more formal and on paper (saith, whom he has been training for near 7 years now) and the other a bit of a spur of the moment because he saw her potential (piper). when he’s not training others or dealing with noble matters (for he is a noble due to his rank as a knight), he is usually found providing judgement services in Easthollow, otherwise known as The Guild City, where all potential guilders must go to determine their aptitude and attain their guild license. he occasionally preceeds over the MBW and MBA trials, which is actually where he and piper first meet and hit it off.

keevan is many things but the best word to encompass all of it is simply: chivalrous. he is just, fair, and even tempered. he is wise beyond his years, but still young enough to be playful. friendly enough to get any and anyone to sing his praises with a simple conversation and an award winning smile, and generous enough to offer his hand, shoulder, ear, or services to anyone who may need him. the reason he’s a hit and popularly swooned after as, essentially, the catch of the century for anyone who catches his eye, doesn’t just have to do with his good looks—it has to do with his curteousness, his courage, his valor, and his honor; all of which precede him. despite all of these good things to say, keevan is quite humble. he still views himself as someone who is learning and always takes the opportunity to learn from people who are different from him (such as piper, or even saith), and to attune his attitudes and check his biases as he continues to grow. just—overall he is a wonderful man. everyone adores him and for good reason.

with all of these admirers (notably, one lady illiana aegos, who is determined to be the one to catch him as a prize), and people vying for his attention, you’d think it be difficult for keevan to strike up deep and meaningful friendships—and you’d be partially right, but he does have a few. firstly, he is good friends with lord kiba, and is personal friendly acquaintances with his father grand duke aran. while kiba was skeptical about keevan when they first met at The Knight’s Academy, kiba quickly warmed up to him and cites keevan as the only reason living in the palace would be worth considering. they share a similar sense of humor and are both kind of himboish around each other its very cute. saith is someone that keevan has known for a very long time, and in some parts, considers him not only as his protege and mentee, but as his closest friend. the two of them rely on each other more than anything and keevan feels as though he can trust saith completely, and saith would never do anything to betray that trust. finally, piper… its no secret, at least to saith, that keevan is undoubtedly head over heels for piper. in part it is because she is so different from him; where he is even and agreeable, she is reckless and brash. she isn’t afraid to be herself, and is the first person that’s ever rejected a compliment he gave just because she wanted to earn it. they’ve been growing much closer as they’ve continued to train and keevan would bond (aka marry) her tomorrow if she didn’t playfully say no—at least not until she feels equal to him. he’s happy with waiting; forever if he has to. its the type of affection that gives him butterflies.

[fandomconsumesme]

The insanity has struck yet again, and I have been hit with an idea for DTAMHD that will not leave me. So I thought I would subject all of you to it.

It comes in at the middle of the episode, the moment when the gang are finally using the pressure cooker, and Dennis has hit the end of the line. He’s standing at the beach, perfectly still, processing the most recent slight against him. It cuts to the pressure cooker, turned on. Back to Dennis, then back to the pressure cooker rocking a little. Back and forth, quicker each time until the pressure cooker blows up and smoke billows out, meanwhile Dennis runs into the water, kicking and punching and yelling, splashing everywhere. Cut to smoke clearing, queue hiding behind billiards table, and the gang comes out to check the damage. Mac goes looking for the diamonds, and holds up a piece of metal, saying he’s found one. The gang all tells him he’s deluded, but he insists, holding onto the “Diamond”. Dennis, still again, stares out and starts to bawl, mascara running down his face. ad break. Back to the bar, cleaning up damage. Dennis barges in, sopping wet, still with the mascara tears. he says that he’s realized he needs to be more appreciative of those in his life. He goes around, Kind of timesup-esque and says a good thing about each of the gang, expressing his appreciation, starting with Frank, then Charlie, then Dee, and lastly Mac. To Mac he says that he’s the most important person in his life, and it gets startlingly close to a love confession. He finally stops, and stands, even more pathetic looking than usual. Mac walks up and asks “do you want a tissue?” handing one over. Dennis reaches out to hold his face, and leans in, and… it cuts to black like in Risky rat because even in this ideal world, rcgm are jackasses.

(Extra points if Dennis is crying during the confession, and Dee isn’t paying attention because she’s making out with the waitress in the background)

It’s never going to happen, but that’s obvious, and all that has done has been making the eventual letdown greater. I love acting like this is prestige, and not the haha peepeepoopoo show. Also, credit to all of the much smarter people of sunnyblr who helped shaped this delusion, thank you for your service.

[wolveswatchspace]

A Beginner’s Guide to Buying Replica Watches: What to Look For

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[arbitrarygreay]

Gerit Deep Dive

The Gerit storyline is the only time that MFS appears to be a youth relationship drama like the Freeform shows that came before it. However, the fact that a storyline like it (a temporary love interest with DRAMZ) never happens ever again, combined with the prestige pedigree of the writers of the show, indicates that the Gerit storyline had a designed thematic and permanent character development purpose, nothing so simple as "a protagonist dates a jerkass."

And this will make the shippers really mad, but when I really looked at the structure of it, Gerit is a preview of the same patterns of behavior that Alder will exhibit (and therefore is also setting the stage for Tally's reactions to that behavior).

To begin with, we have to look at the implications of the fact that as of the time that we first met Gerit in 1x3, he had already completed a "trial run last season" with Hilary Saint, a trial run that was so successful that a handfasting was approved based on it. That looms over the background of all of his interactions during Beltane. Next, the very first scene of 1x5 features Tally noting that Gerit's actions during Beltane were textbook from the Codices. Presumably, these actions worked just as well with Hilary. So, Gerit is good at his job, of being a High-Atlantic man who serves the desires of the women according to the traditions of their culture.

And what were those actions during Beltane? Besides the more obvious Codices things like dick pic Tweets, Gerit praises Tally's dedication to service in the museum. He also claims that hanging out with Tally alone (instead of mingling with other witches) is special, a sentiment he repeats in 1x5 that he wants to be with Tally alone because Tally is a contrast to High-Atlantic behaviors (per 1x3, "Try growing up around them. The appeal doesn't last.").

Meanwhile, though, Tally is told to "trust the dance." If we come back to treating this storyline with thematic purpose, Gerit in this time represents Fort Salem military witch culture, and Tally has been told to trust it.

So, Gerit Buttonwood, High-Atlantic himself, following High-Atlantic seduction procedures to a tee, is nonetheless intrigued by someone who doesn't come from that tradition, someone who still chose to serve even when she didn't have to. Then, at the wedding, he says that he wants to be exclusive with Tally, despite having already put the lie to that by agreeing to handfast with Hilary (which is following his role as a High-Atlantic man). And this after Tally has already told him "Don't mess with me, Gerit Buttonwood."

The responsibility isn't completely one-sided, though. Tally is bulldozing over his chances to come clean, and Gerit has been raised to be subservient to the women's desires and demands. Furthermore, he is raised in a non-monogamous culture, so when he says "I love you. And you have to believe me, no matter what happens," that doesn't have to be a lie in a non-monogamous framework. Too bad he did also say "But I want to be with only you." That is non-negotiably a lie.

Thematic parallel: Tally's first stated opinions on Alder, from her debate with Raelle in 1x1. Tally acknowledged that Alder was "controversial", but what is her defense? "Part of what she said is agenda-less and true." So, treating Gerit as a metaphor, Tally knows that military witch culture (as epitomized by High-Atlantics) has its issues, but she believes that enough of what Gerit said (his confession of love) is agenda-less and true.

Also, consider the nature of Gerit's lie, which is what made Tally fall for him: that he wanted to be with Tally alone, not just mingling with other witches, as would be expected of him. Throughout the Beltane episodes, Gerit/Tally was contrasted against Abigail/Clive/Augustin, who represented what an uncomplicated version of the High Atlantic dynamic should look like (with no moral issues associated with their behavior). Simply being charming wasn't the thing, it was the idea that Gerit wanted to break from the standard witch culture for her that captivated Tally. Abigail was continually telling her that Tally herself shouldn't be seeking monogamy in the first place. The applications of this as a metaphor to Tally's expectations of Alder are obvious. And they were said outright in 2x8, too, where Tally's fantasy was that her connection to Alder was something special, not content with being just another Biddy like all of the others.

So I reiterate that the responsibility isn't completely one-sided, because what happens from here to the end of the storyline is about Tally. She is indeed devastated by learning of Gerit's marriage, because this is the first lie that she's been confronted with the truth of in the show. However, the moment she sees Scylla, Gerit is shunted down to, like, less than tertiary priority. Gerit was seeking her out during the crisis, but in the aftermath, Tally sees him holding to his duty of being at Hilary's side. So, Tally gives up and commits to her sisters.

Except, now Tally is the one caught in a lie, because she is stuck between her orders from Anacostia and the ideals of unit sisterhood. In some respects, she should understand the situation Gerit is in. Not that she is thinking about him. In 1x6, the only mention of Gerit is by Glory. Like Tally bulldozed over Gerit in 1x5, now she comedically bulldozes over Glory, as well. But what is the subject of that ramble? Justifying to herself how she can continue to lie to Raelle, through her duty:

The whole point of being a soldier is to defend our nation with all of yourself, even the parts of you that are ambivalent. It isn't your fault, per se, if you can't tell the whole story. If you can't be completely honest due to circumstances beyond your control, simply don't focus on it. Focus on what you can do and not what you can't. And if you've already done everything you can do, if you're doing your duty, then you can just forget the rest and trust that it will all work out.

A speech that Gerit probably told himself, too! But it also sure sounds like a line of reasoning Alder herself would proudly spout, doesn't it? Can you imagine Tally saying this about Liberia? The sweet sweet ironic preview.

So, in 1x7, when the men make their return to Fort Salem, Tally is all in on trying to live up to her Alder-esque model of soldierly behavior (which Gerit is modeling, too). But she's also firm in her decision to dismiss Gerit. She's got the same confident smirk of defiance when Glory asks what she'll do about Gerit that she does when arguing with Alder in 1x10 and 2x8.

Gerit apologizes to her! (A thing that Alder never does before S3? I'm still making my way through transcripts, but that's one of the big things I'm checking on.) And what he says next is just the facts. (With Hilary watching the two of them from like six feet away, mind you! He mentions kissing at the wedding! Hilary totally knows at this point and she and Gerit probably already have their agreement! Nothing he says in this scene implies that Hilary doesn't know or disapproves!) We see Tally subtly waver for a second before Glory rescues her. One can easily parallel this moment to when Tally talked to Alder in the Tarim cave in 1x10, when Alder also swayed her by simply being sincere about her feelings. It's the same camera angle on Tally, certainly.

When Tally next meets Gerit, we get another scene where Tally rambles about her concerns that are not about Gerit, to his face. She muses that friends share secrets and burdens, words that she will also associate with Alder in S2. (Not to mention an implication that perhaps Tally was so swayed by Alder's 1x10 cave speech because it felt like Alder was sharing her dreams/secrets/burdens with Tally in that moment.) In this moment she is clearly talking about her own failure to be honest with Raelle (and also therefore not being able to relieve Raelle's burdens about Scylla being alive). Tally tried to justify it to herself in the previous episode, but is clearly not buying it anymore now.

And when Gerit cluelessly tries to claim that Tally can share with him, Tally again flashes that "I have written you off already" face at him that she used when pushing her protesting mom out of her room in 1x1. Gerit's next words are instructive. "You can tell me everything or nothing, it doesn't matter. I'm here for you." This is not about friends or love, it's a statement of fact about his role in military witch culture. The men are there at the service of the women. They are there for them, even if the women give them nothing. Clive and Augustin said the same to Abigail earlier. And so, Tally, trying to live up to the justifications of a High-Atlantic soldier (All Secrets Keep), reacts by treating this man like Abigail treats hers. She tells him nothing, and uses him for sex.

(Meanwhile, Abigail is unable to treat Adil the same way because Adil doesn't belong to that culture, and instead challenges Abigail back.)

Next, Tally is confronted with the fallout of her own being Gerit-like, when Raelle finds out about her reporting of Scylla during Citydrop. It is here that Tally regains her personal sense of justice. She concedes to both Raelle and Abigail that following Anacostia's orders to stay silent was something she regrets, but she is adamant that protecting her sisters was the right thing to do.

So, she has no bones about talking about how dishonorable their actions were in killing the hostages. She's not going to try to convince herself that it wasn't wrong. In 1x9, she stews in resentment about Alder lying, being used, about it not being why she joined the service, being "involved in something deeply unjust", contrasting it against doing good. Apparently, stopping the spread of Spree munitions doesn't count as doing good. In contrast to her words from 1x1, part of it being agenda-less and true is not enough.

In the wake of reconciling with Raelle and Abigail over her lying to them on Anacostia's orders, Tally has decided that she will never sit back again. If she has done something wrong, then "we have to do something. […] I can't hold on to any more secrets. No more secrets." To the point of breaking chain of command.

After talking to Petra, they're in a limbo of what will happen next. Tally has done something, but hasn't actually affected any real change. So she's still stuck in part of her rationalization from 1x6. "Focus on what you can do and not what you can't. And if you've already done everything you can do, if you're doing your duty, then you can just forget the rest and trust that it will all work out." And in this state of emotional conflict, what is Tally doing? Continuing to participate in what she believes is adultery, under the justification that "I need this." ("this" being "complicated") Going behind the back of another soldier for the sake of using an asset for her own purposes.

Tally is still trying to somewhat follow High-Atlantic military witch culture, despite having found her resolve in other areas. The next scene makes it clear that she never got her hopes back up after the wedding, because she reiterates to Gerit that "this is an all sex, no‐talking thing." Talking, of course, being the thing reserved for friends. So Tally has still mentally written Gerit off, objectifying him as a means for her to forget her actual woes. Tally was steaming about being used by Alder, but here she is, using Gerit herself. And since she didn't know that Hilary knew, in her own mind Tally was complicit in betraying Hilary, going behind her back. As well, being so frustrated that Gerit set up an encounter knowing that Hilary would be back early implies that Tally wanted to keep them a secret, indicating that Tally felt shame about it. Contrast all of this to how Abigail shamelessly had sex with Raf at the wedding even after he disclosed that he was there with someone else (which is not morally incorrect because of the non-secret nature of the non-monogamy, as confirmed by Charvel's description of her future handfasted life).

As we know, this "insatiable" encounter is then what pushes Gerit to work with Hilary on the threesome scheme. Which, honestly, I don't think Gerit did anything wrong there? Tally has written Gerit off. Gerit isn't a fool. He's recognized that the chance for romantic love (to be exclusive, against High-Atlantic custom) with Tally is dead. So, Gerit falls back on said High-Atlantic custom, which is for men to objectified in a non-monogamous framework. See again Raf and Abigail at the wedding. Tally has told him that they're not friends, they don't have talking privileges. Why wouldn't he think that therefore she is following the rest of the framework? Because Tally is kind of doing that, at this point.

Note that the end of the Gerit storyline comes before President Wade's address. Tally still thinks that she's committing adultery with Gerit. But upon being confronted with the reality of transparently participating in High-Atlantic non-monogamous custom, Tally finds that she can't go all of the way. She drags back up old resentments that were previously forgotten (if only ambiguously forgiven). She not only brings up Gerit's omission of his engagement, but also goes back to the first accusation around his following the Codices playbook of seduction, as if that was an inherently bad thing to do. Despite this appearing to be a chance for everything to be transparent and truthful, Tally instead decides that she is not compatible with "this way", and that Gerit should not have accepted her attempt to push herself into that mold. She acts as if Gerit should have pushed her to be true to herself instead of rationalizing herself into adultery. That is the final sin that she charges him with: not the lying, but not knowing her.

And so, in the wake of having re-discovered her moral core, that is the Tally that witnesses Alder Puppetting the president. A Tally that has decided that she won't bend to the High-Atlantic ideals of All Secrets Keep is the one that doesn't hesitate to throw her accusations at Alder's face in Tarim.

The implications of this for S2 are obvious. It is because of the Gerit ordeal that Tally so quickly flips on Alder, instead of spending more time waffling around in angst. She has already personally experienced lies of omission, being swayed by partially agenda-less and true appeals of sincerity, being the perpetrator of lies under orders and duty, being used, and doing the using. So now, Tally knows deep to her bones that it isn't her. That is why she can jump straight to taking the initiative in digging for the truth, and working to undermine the situation.

Note that in 2x4, despite having started to dig into Liberia, Tally is still supportive of Alder's speech at the testing center. What actually happened to make Tally storm into Alder's office wasn't Liberia at all. It was that Alder lied to the public that it was the Spree that attacked the testing center, not the Camarilla. It was because Abigail said that part of why she was vulnerable to attack was because Alder told her to stand down on the matter in 2x1.

It's because Alder followed the same patterns of behavior as Gerit, and that Tally loathed herself for trying to follow: hiding behind established customs/procedure that praise a devotion to service, a habit of not telling people big things, going behind fellow soldiers' backs, using people as assets, putting Tally's sister at risk, justifying it all as needing to do things because the situation is complicated, doing her duty and forgetting the rest.

(And then, of course, in 2x5 Alder completes Gerit's final sin of not knowing Tally by impugning Tally's motive in asking for answers. After that, for basically the rest of S2 Tally faces Alder with that "I have written you off" face.)

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VM Franchise:Amateurs and professionals upside down

Fics on AO3 making Logan Echolls a good guy:he becomes a philanthropist in ways that showcase character development(getting into a position of power and prestige and using it to help the same kind of poor people he screwed up in his youth and/or using it to fight the corrupt elite) or that faced the same struggles as his(abused kids). Besides,he gets to make genuine connections - including people with good moral compasses - and making efforts into not being the same old jackass and is a much healthier person overall.

Canon VM making Logan Echolls a good guy:hE's iN the ArMeD fOrCeS bEcAuSe iT sTaNdS a ChAnCe To HeLp PeOpLe(but there are no hard calls,much less a corrupt elite using it to get even more money and power) aNd rIdEs a bYcYcLe(never mind that all kinds of pollution are much more complex problems than that). To the writers' credit,tho,Logan is shown as struggling with trauma and mental health. But he doesn't grapple with the ethics of whatever he's doing.

Even that could be interesting,tho. The contrasts between Logan's being nicer and healthier but still morally apathetic and ruthless,and between Veronica's leaving a clean but morally bankrupt lawyering firm to dig up the dirt in Neptune "accepting the mud and the tendency [she] has the tendency to find [herself] rolling in it" while Logan gets to be on an ultra-dangerous version of said lawyering job and not giving a shit about/learning to ignore the unsavory bits about his service(bonus points if he bonds and takes care of his fellow officers and subordinates in the battlefield but still is morally apathetic about everything else). That would've been a more believable source of conflict between Logan and Veronica in s4 without butchering either character,IMO. Alternatively,he has a similar arc to Veronica's - using the Navy to run away from the clusterfuck that's Neptune(bonus points if he imagines the armed forces as flawless because of his veteran grandpa),finds out the Navy has a very rotten side and becomes disillusioned with the whole thing. However,unlike Veronica,Logan fights the corruption on the inside. Perhaps,there's even a spin-off focusing on Logan Echolls fighting corruption in the Navy AND honouring the good people inside it,not to mention it's importance and grey areas.

[bleachbleachbleach]

1/8 - 1/14/2024

Ha! I wrote very little this week. I ended up spending most of my time dealing with airplanes, then got home and dealt with mice (I am at war), so I was like, fuck it, I am tired, I'll focus on reading, then. So I read a few chapters of Bleach, and a few chapters of fanfic. And a lot of nonfiction while standing in lines at customer service desks in the airport. I didn't read any nonfiction I really liked while standing in lines for customer service desks in the airport, BUT I wanted to share some of the spoils of "nonfiction in 2023" at large--in particular, those that make me think about craft (AKA writing fanfic).

1. Succession

While circumnavigating the United States, I ended up watching/sleeping through almost the entire first season of Succession, which I'd never seen. It wasn't interesting to me, but it was very good. It's known for its piercing witticisms, but where I thought it really excelled was in its deeply unpolished, inarticulate dialogue (and the performances to back it up). It takes the in-lived-time, verisimilitude-of-actual-speech to an extreme, even within the genre of TV (and of prestige TV, which I feel like is less pressured to be 'approachable') and I love it. I'd previously read this article about the writing of Succession, which is about the inimitability of the collaborative, creative process vs. AI. While my fanfic technically only has one author, I feel like having ~come of age~ writing for a TV fandom, an addition to having my primary motivation as a writer be "hang out with my blorbos," has influenced my writing process in that I think of it a lot like this--running lines with them, blocking out the scenes in different ways as though in rehearsal, inviting their personalities in as co-writers. So I really enjoyed that article's encapsulation of a particular writing process!

2. Flipping Grief

Like I said, I read a lot of nonfiction--usually longform journalism or essay-style creative nonfiction. And a narrative convention that is VERY popular is to present a niche topic and then cross-pollinate it with a parallel personal narrative. This is as common as, say, coffeeshop AUs in fanfic. And while an understandable impulse, and one I think has a lot of potential, if you read enough of them just doing the thing isn't enough, and it becomes too easy to see the bulging seams where the two narratives don't hold together, or are stitched too obviously.

Flipping Grief, written by James McNaughton and published in Guernica (2023), is the opposite of that. It's an example of a common trope done extremely, extremely well, and it's one of my Top 10 articles I read last year. It's about predatory real estate flipping practices; it's about a brother's death by overdose. The two are connected by a phone call--the author is predated upon while mourning his brother--but the two narratives wend together in so many ways, and in so many ways that do not force the connection or seek easy metonym, clear parallelisms. Just stunning. Where writing is concerned, it's an example of something at the top of its genre, imho, but I think also a reminder that there is room in this world for messiness and elusiveness and the refusal to tie things together by virtue of their Symbolic Relatedness.

3. Against Aboutness

This last piece I think deserves its own post, because I love it to pieces and I draw something new out of it every time I read it. The first time I read it, the note I wrote was, "I feel like this is the kind of article you read and feel viscerally as your brain expands--hard to pin down rationally (first word that came to mind) or practically. But it's also not meant to be read instructively, at least not in that way."

Against Aboutness, written by Yiyun Li and published in Harper's (2023) is technically a BOOK REVIEW, LOL, for Elizabeth McCracken'. It follows the vein of this post--a love song for the inarticulate and refusal of clean parallels--in that Li loves McCracken's work because it resists the impulse to define what something is "really about"--to say this is a story about trauma, or womanhood, or grief. It's the lit crit impulse, to identify themes and bring them out, but perhaps not the frame of mind that either the writer or reader needs to inhabit unilaterally or universally. And of course it's against the vein of this post, because I went ahead and told you what the pieces above were "about" just as naturally as breathing, haha.

I'll stop there for now, because now I really do want to give this one its own post, but here's a line I think about a lot:

If you take your characters’ feet for granted—if you haven’t washed and bandaged your characters’ toes, if you haven’t placed their feet on yours to lift them upstairs—perhaps they have a right to refuse to come alive. You’re stuck with sentient and bodiless beings: egos, ghosts, cyphers, fragments of an insufficient imagination.

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