if phoenix and zenith were chronically online what do you think they would comment as a hate comment need urgent answers thanks love you

Phoenix: Scum of the earth. Waste. Weakling. It is only due to the nature of this cruel and incomprehensible world that a stain such as you would continue to live when greater and more deserving heroes have passed. I wonder what crime your mother or father committed that such a coward might share their name. You are nothing. Whatever you may do is worth nothing. Also kys

Zenith: 340.1.2.9 i am in your walls

i coloured them in Ü

...did Kuwei get a share of the ice court heist money? I kind of subconsciously assumed he did without thinking about it, but they never say he does and the math doesn't add up. He was literally going through all of that for free.

kuwei yul-bo shows that it was indeed, a skill issue on leo valdez’s part

SOC and CK allegories for the queer characters (and other thoughts)

I was going to make a separate blog to yell about books but I decided to do it here.

I AM NOT DONE CROOKED KINGDOM AT THE TIME OF WRITING THIS SO EVERYTHING I SAY IS HAVING ONLY READ HALF THE BOOK SO FAR.

The Grishaverse doesn't seem to have any form of homophobia, but SOC and CK are chalk fulllllllll of what I can only see as plots that mimic queer experiences for the queer characters in the main group.

We have four queer characters (that I know of at the moment): Jesper, Wylan, Nina, Kuwei.

So let's start with the obvious, three of the four are Grisha. Obviously not all Grisha are queer, but all the Grisha in the party are. This gives them an automatic plotline of "hide who you are".

It could be said that since Nina is Ravkan she wasn't raised that way, and no, she wasn't. However since leaving Ravka she has been forced to hide for her safety, and not only that but she is frequently told she's "too much" which sounds a lot to me like what some people say about queer people when they think queer people should be less queer. Also Matthias is all about being "traditional" and "proper" and Nina's whole thing is that she is neither. Traditional and proper sound a lottttt like some people's arguments to be homophobic.

Jesper's I think is rather obvious. His father has a clear concern for his son being Grisha since it can put your life at risk. In Jesper's argument with his dad he goes off and asks his dad why did he never let him go to Ravka where he could be himself and learn about himself and his powers. Oh not to mention the fact that him and his dad talk around him being Grisha like it's some sort of virus that can be caught by simply speaking the word.

Kuwei's took a second to hit me but when it did I was like "ah yep, makes sense" and this is probably because it took me a hot second to realize Kuwei was queer. Yeah, apparently him being jealous that Jesper only looked at Wylan a certain way didn't tip me off... ANYWAY THOUGH. Kuwei is also told to hide who he is, but his dad goes the extra length of literally making a drug to help him hide himself. Is it giving anyone else Dorian's dad from Dragon Age vibes??? Blood magic for the gay son???

FINALLY, I will talk about my baby, the character I love more than anything else. Wylan. Here's the thing about Wylan, while I was reading SOC I wasn't sure if homophobia existed in this world yet and I was half convinced that his dad disowned him because gay. While his dad obviously didn't do that, I still think at the end of the day it portrays an experience that is very similar. Wylan is shamed, hidden, and ultimately his dad tries to have him killed, all because he can't read. His dad loathes him over such a stupid reason, especially since Wylan is absolutely brilliant at tons of stuff and the cutest lil guy. But I think it's that hatred of his son over something so trivial that really lends itself to being about something else entirely, Wylan being queer.

All four of our queer characters in the main group have different plots, but ultimately they all circle around the idea of hiding who you are and being ashamed of who you are. That sounds like a very common queer experience if you ask me.

I don't know if this was intentional or just a huge coincidence. As a writer myself I am all too aware of how easily accidental metaphors and symbols can happen. But I think about it a lot as I'm reading so I wanted to shout about it either way. I also have no clue if this is a common idea or not, I just know when I pointed it out to my friends who had read the books prior, one of who loves and reads them yearly, they both kinda went "oh damn, you right," but didn't see it before I mentioned it.

Anyway, if I missed things (or you wanna yell at me about how wrong I am, which is usually the more likely option) I'd love to know thoughts :)

AND BONUS THOUGHTS

This one is super obvious but I just wanna say it. Jesper is ADHD and no one will change my mind in the history of ever. This man cannot sit still, has been described as having limitless energy, and he seeks constant immediate gratification in the form of gambling and adrenalin rushes. COME ON MAN. I know I know, there's a lore reason, something something Grisha not using magic blah blah. No. No. He is ADHD and you cannot tell me otherwise. And I love him dearly.

Also, not a theory or anything but, y'all, I love Wylan so much. I just wanna give him a hug and a lollipop and tell him it's okay. He's so cute.

yeah i think this all rings pretty true. tbf it's easy to apply a framework of "power that is persecuted and therefore must be hidden" to a queer reading, but jesper's narrative with his dad is defenitely deliberate, what with the line "it's killing me...just slowly" (paraphrased). It's the way his father reacts at his core with the intention of protecting jesper, but he buys into the narrative that people "born as grisha" are predisposed to a life of pain and hiding, therefore telling his son to hide something about himself that is literally killing him. we are told that grisha usually have shorter lifespans if they are unable to use their powers, not being able to grow old and. yeah :(

actually going back to this, i only have one disagreement with this post.

"The Grishaverse doesn't seem to have any form of homophobia;" i was conflicted about this because on one hand, this could just be a product of bardugo having to work within our society's already-heternormative standards to give the story structure and make it understandable for readers, but on the other hand, i think bardugo deserves more credit than that. i think there are deliberate instances of the characters or society showing homophobia that add to the story's overall setting.

im going to list some examples here, and then maybe try to analyze why they exist in the end

example number 1:

(bear with me i don't have access to the first book currently) but jesper talks about "flirting with girls" while bonding with wylan, who is more of a stranger that the crows are holding at arm's length at this moment. after wylan asks "only girls?" jesper grins and amends his statement, saying no, not only girls. this could hypothetically just be a product of a society that accepts queerness but where heterosexuality happens to outnumber any other type of attraction, but this could also be jesper testing the waters because he knows wylan is a) a stranger and b) a son of a merch. i think that with the second interpretation we can set up the idea that queerness is generally seen as "less high class" and that maybe those in the crow gang don't really give a shit (and perhaps embrace it as something that seperates them from the upper crust), but wealthier people in power do in fact care.

example number 2:

wylan's status as van eck's heir is pretty important to the plot (and VERY important to van eck). i figure a society that puts so much weight on heirs and family name probably has difficulty being normal about relationships where reproduction cannot occur. although, wylan never "comes out" to his father and we can't see his reaction (and never really displays any anxiety about coming out as much as he displays anxiety about his dyslexia [?] being revealed) so that might be something that discredits this evidence. in any case, even if homophobia doesn't exist in this society to the extent that it exists here, i have not trouble imagning van eck mocking wylan for another thing he can't do (have a biological heir with jesper)

example number 3:

again, an example of how straight interactions are kinda seen as the norm (and again could be written off as them just being more common in this universe). however, the other point that matters is that matthias's society has specific standards for different gender roles. i don't think it's impossible for a society to have split gender roles while also being normal about gender-queerness, but i think bardugo also knows well enough that matthias's explanation of Fjerdan gender roles can be reflected in the Real World. i personally think that we are supposed to read his and the broader Fjerdan values as pretty sexist without necessarily drawing direct comparisons to any specific culture, even though one can be tempted to with the way the grishaverse nations are introduced. that all to say, i think Fjerdan culture, with the way matthias explains it, would not take too kindly to trans people.

fourth example, tw for sexual assault.

we as a society do not acknowledge how iconic kuwei is.

Bro finessed a kiss from his unrequited crush by being manipulative and did not really care when caught. AND HE KNEW IT WAS MEANT FOR WYLAN

not to mention his doodles of Jesper in the notebooks that he's using to try to remember all the stuff about this drug that his father created and then died.

Kuwei you're so iconic and I could never hate you. my favorite disaster of a fifteen year old

i keep forgetting to post on tumblr but here’s kuwei with fire type pokemon for @wafflesandkruge :)

[image description: a digital drawing of kuwei yul-bo sitting against a pale yellow background with a darker yellow diagonal square behind him. he wears blue clothing with fire embroidery on it. kuwei is east asian with tan skin, short dark hair, and golden eyes. he holds one hand out with smoke coming out of his finger with a cyndaquil resting on his arm. a charmander is asleep in his lap, and fuecoco is standing beside him and looking up at him]

I am cringe but I am powerful >:) These were meant to be quick little sketches but then I had too much fun w them and spent like 2 days drawing this oop

Explenations on cutie marks & other creative choices below:

Keep reading

soc doodle dump including them in animal crossing

I'm tired of wanting more

SOC and CK allegories for the queer characters (and other thoughts)

I was going to make a separate blog to yell about books but I decided to do it here.

I AM NOT DONE CROOKED KINGDOM AT THE TIME OF WRITING THIS SO EVERYTHING I SAY IS HAVING ONLY READ HALF THE BOOK SO FAR.

The Grishaverse doesn't seem to have any form of homophobia, but SOC and CK are chalk fulllllllll of what I can only see as plots that mimic queer experiences for the queer characters in the main group.

We have four queer characters (that I know of at the moment): Jesper, Wylan, Nina, Kuwei.

So let's start with the obvious, three of the four are Grisha. Obviously not all Grisha are queer, but all the Grisha in the party are. This gives them an automatic plotline of "hide who you are".

It could be said that since Nina is Ravkan she wasn't raised that way, and no, she wasn't. However since leaving Ravka she has been forced to hide for her safety, and not only that but she is frequently told she's "too much" which sounds a lot to me like what some people say about queer people when they think queer people should be less queer. Also Matthias is all about being "traditional" and "proper" and Nina's whole thing is that she is neither. Traditional and proper sound a lottttt like some people's arguments to be homophobic.

Jesper's I think is rather obvious. His father has a clear concern for his son being Grisha since it can put your life at risk. In Jesper's argument with his dad he goes off and asks his dad why did he never let him go to Ravka where he could be himself and learn about himself and his powers. Oh not to mention the fact that him and his dad talk around him being Grisha like it's some sort of virus that can be caught by simply speaking the word.

Kuwei's took a second to hit me but when it did I was like "ah yep, makes sense" and this is probably because it took me a hot second to realize Kuwei was queer. Yeah, apparently him being jealous that Jesper only looked at Wylan a certain way didn't tip me off... ANYWAY THOUGH. Kuwei is also told to hide who he is, but his dad goes the extra length of literally making a drug to help him hide himself. Is it giving anyone else Dorian's dad from Dragon Age vibes??? Blood magic for the gay son???

FINALLY, I will talk about my baby, the character I love more than anything else. Wylan. Here's the thing about Wylan, while I was reading SOC I wasn't sure if homophobia existed in this world yet and I was half convinced that his dad disowned him because gay. While his dad obviously didn't do that, I still think at the end of the day it portrays an experience that is very similar. Wylan is shamed, hidden, and ultimately his dad tries to have him killed, all because he can't read. His dad loathes him over such a stupid reason, especially since Wylan is absolutely brilliant at tons of stuff and the cutest lil guy. But I think it's that hatred of his son over something so trivial that really lends itself to being about something else entirely, Wylan being queer.

All four of our queer characters in the main group have different plots, but ultimately they all circle around the idea of hiding who you are and being ashamed of who you are. That sounds like a very common queer experience if you ask me.

I don't know if this was intentional or just a huge coincidence. As a writer myself I am all too aware of how easily accidental metaphors and symbols can happen. But I think about it a lot as I'm reading so I wanted to shout about it either way. I also have no clue if this is a common idea or not, I just know when I pointed it out to my friends who had read the books prior, one of who loves and reads them yearly, they both kinda went "oh damn, you right," but didn't see it before I mentioned it.

Anyway, if I missed things (or you wanna yell at me about how wrong I am, which is usually the more likely option) I'd love to know thoughts :)

AND BONUS THOUGHTS

This one is super obvious but I just wanna say it. Jesper is ADHD and no one will change my mind in the history of ever. This man cannot sit still, has been described as having limitless energy, and he seeks constant immediate gratification in the form of gambling and adrenalin rushes. COME ON MAN. I know I know, there's a lore reason, something something Grisha not using magic blah blah. No. No. He is ADHD and you cannot tell me otherwise. And I love him dearly.

Also, not a theory or anything but, y'all, I love Wylan so much. I just wanna give him a hug and a lollipop and tell him it's okay. He's so cute.

yeah i think this all rings pretty true. tbf it's easy to apply a framework of "power that is persecuted and therefore must be hidden" to a queer reading, but jesper's narrative with his dad is defenitely deliberate, what with the line "it's killing me...just slowly" (paraphrased). It's the way his father reacts at his core with the intention of protecting jesper, but he buys into the narrative that people "born as grisha" are predisposed to a life of pain and hiding, therefore telling his son to hide something about himself that is literally killing him. we are told that grisha usually have shorter lifespans if they are unable to use their powers, not being able to grow old and. yeah :(

this MAY be a hot take as i see people saying the opposite a lot but i don't understand why people don't like kuwei. "he was so rude for no reason!!" first of all no he wasn't second of all, he was a 15 year old who had just been imprisoned, had just lost his father, was dealing with what was probably his first crush on a guy (i mean it's unclear but i doubt he had much social interaction as a kid so he probably didn't really see kids his age to develop a crush on), and was living in fear of persecution. like sorry he pretended not to speak kerch so he wouldn't have to be in conversations and flirted with his crush, jeez.

ive read these books like. years late. but now im just scrolling through tumblr and fr people hate that guy?? the tag's mostly populated by posts just defending him from presumably old fandom sentiment. tbh i think he works fine as a maguffin and also although jesper is the "designated funny character" i think kuwei's actually more of a comic relief device than him bc he's like. a tertiary character who doesn't require flashbacks for characterization

also he is funny as shit. chapter 24 funniest thing i have ever read. him sitting in pretending not to know kerch too well is hilarious.

nevermind i scrolled a bit more and found the posts. people really just be saying words

i just wanted to draw stroopwafels for the first day of crowtober

this MAY be a hot take as i see people saying the opposite a lot but i don't understand why people don't like kuwei. "he was so rude for no reason!!" first of all no he wasn't second of all, he was a 15 year old who had just been imprisoned, had just lost his father, was dealing with what was probably his first crush on a guy (i mean it's unclear but i doubt he had much social interaction as a kid so he probably didn't really see kids his age to develop a crush on), and was living in fear of persecution. like sorry he pretended not to speak kerch so he wouldn't have to be in conversations and flirted with his crush, jeez.

ive read these books like. years late. but now im just scrolling through tumblr and fr people hate that guy?? the tag's mostly populated by posts just defending him from presumably old fandom sentiment. tbh i think he works fine as a maguffin and also although jesper is the "designated funny character" i think kuwei's actually more of a comic relief device than him bc he's like. a tertiary character who doesn't require flashbacks for characterization

also he is funny as shit. chapter 24 funniest thing i have ever read. him sitting in pretending not to know kerch too well is hilarious.