Moral Ambiguity Fan

A Blog devoted to all my favorite shows, movies, and books. I'm a huge fan of morally ambiguous characters and redemption arcs. I'm also a passionate fan of high concept shows with complicated mythology.

[kirythestitchwitch]

Reply to this post or DM @kirythestitchwitch for an invite! Would love to see more people in the community! Come talk theories, ships, and hopes for the next book!

[itsnotevenreallyfunny]

ok - so there’s this moment in This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me that’s really annoying to me:

TKWNW is set in a vaguely medieval but also very liberal in specific ways (women are equal members of society and queer people are accepted and normal, people of color are not oppressed, etc), but it’s still definitely a medieval (with magic) society!

there’s this moment, where Everard is teaching Maggie to stab someone with a dagger, and he says “stab lower. Most men will be taller than you, and if you stab right there, you’ll hit them in the femoral artery”

and I’m just like - “ Oh IM SORRY! I DIDNT KNOW THIS MEDIEVAL SOCIETY HAD FUCKING MODERN MEDICINE?!?!? SO GLAD WE’VE MOVED PAST THE FUCKING HUMORS!!! WEIRD HOW THEY DONT HAVE FUCKING SCENTED SOAP, BUT THEY DO HAVE BOTH THE MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE TO KNOW WHAT ARTERYS EVEN FUCKING ARE - BUT ALSO THE ABILITY TO DISECT BODIES, AND THEN FIGURE OUT THAT THE FEMORAL ARTERY BLEEDS OUT REALLY FAST!!!!

in the real medieval period, Europeans thought that the body was maintained by a balance of three “humors”. Warriors would probably know that the inside of the upper thigh being stabbed would be Really Bad, but they were NOT FUCKING CALLING IT THE FUCKING FEMORAL ARTERY! FUCK YOU.

[blacklister214]

I don't think he is saying "femoral artery." That's the English translation she's understanding, not what is actually coming out of his mouth.

[beastsovrevelation]

I'm still so mad Becca was blackmailed to leave Michael, because while I don't care that much about the pairing, I like watching Archangel Michael kiss women.

[blacklister214]

Personally I was offended at the reasoning of "If I expose you as sleeping with Michael you'll be a pariah." Michael the aloof but studly savior of the city Michael? I have to believe more people would be jealous than judgmental. Just saying.

I did however, like the overall path the relationship took, because it makes the first tattoo make sense. It appeared in Michael's presence, not as a warning to Alex about Michael, but as a warning Alex was supposed to relay to Michael about Becca. Classic prophesy shenanigans.

[scarlethero]

Thoughts on ep6’s cliffhanger..

Okay, so Daniel and Armand behead Lestat and Louis. I find it interesting that Daniel does Lestat and Armand does Louis. It’s very in line with each of their characters, each of them feeling closer to the one they don’t do it to.

At this point, Armand had tried everything to stop the concert from happening and the big GC of it all, but nothing has worked so far- so they have to resort to beheading Lestat to stop him… and even though Louis agrees with them about the concert, he would just make trouble over it if they didn’t also take him out at the same time.

I am a little nervous though, it might not be as easy to reattach Louis vs Lestat just based on their blood history and biologies and whatnot. So I’m def worried for Louis. And yeah, he’ll go back eventually but will he go back the same? What are the long term effects of this new trauma on his unstable psyche?

And as for Lestat, per the trailers, it looks like it’ll be the perfect battleground to finally hash out the long tables antics and dynamics and maybe finally be able to put some of it to rest. Sort some of it out. One can only hope.

And then we have Armand’s motives… I think the big reveal will actually be that he was simply looking out for them, and the “all of us” he said Lestat would get killed was literally only talking about the four of them. This is my hope at least, I’m hoping we’re able to finally put some of the villainy from Armand into perspective. Even just a little bit. He’s probably lying and manipulating Alex to do it (and Daniel too) but like… when did we ever say we want him to loose his whimsy? lol

As for Daniel, I actually think several personal revelations are yet to be made. 1) that Armand genuinely cares for all 3 of them and isnt doing this as torture and 2) that there are more to the 52 years of it all which will bitch slap him back into himself (and less of Armand’s willing henchmen). Aka I mean he finds out about more lost memories, this time about a fully involved romance with Armand in the 70s-80s. And also.. I mean, seriously, he’s “seeing someone”?? I know what the writers are doing to DM Nation with that line. No, I don’t think they’re actually romantically involved rn. Lmao. What a line. What a tease.

[blacklister214]

I agree Armand is trying to stop the concert, probably under orders from maker. I think he tried everything short of killing them, because he doesn't want to, but he caved under pressure when none of those things worked.

I believe Daniel is going to be responsible for saving Louis' and Lestat's lives, since he was recently educated that decapitation doesn't necessarily mean death. I think he will have called the Talamasca to rush in after they leave to reattached their heads.

I think Armand will eventually stand up for himself against Marius, after Marius comes after Daniel for his "betrayal." I agree the relationship was much more than Armand admitted to and Daniel is going to learn that before season's end.

[eurydicesforgiveness]

is the fact that armand is taking a lot of strong, deliberate actions this season making anyone else really emotional?

he’s finally doing what he wants and he thinks is right and I couldn’t be prouder

[blacklister214]

I have trouble believing the stuff in the park was Armand's idea. He's had the opportunity to kill Louis and Lestat for years. The idea that he's picked this moment for ultimate personal vengeance is suspicious in the extreme. When he does bad things, he generally has a way he justifies it to himself be it sacred laws or other vampires pressuring him.

I think his maker reached back out again and once more has Armand dancing to his tune. I doubt Marius wants the concert to go on, considering he seemed a very status quo kind of vampire. I think both of the moves Armand makes are on Marius' order to stop it from taking place.

[blacklister214]

Frances is the worst!

I know many people were not fond of The Forsytes (recent adaption) but if the goal was to frame the Jo/Louisa as the sympathetic star-crossed couple, they really nailed it, mainly because Frances Forsyte sucks.

She isn't just pressuring her 18 year daughter to marry immediately after coming out. She is literally bartering her child to a man June doesn't like and acts like a victim when Jo or June object. Frances freely admits to manipulating her husband for the whole of their marriage and doesn't care at all about his unhappiness in the role he's been pressured into. When Jo shares the news her first thought isn't for how he feels having children he's never seen or concern about their marriage. No, her ambitions for him are her top priority.

She schemes with her father in law behind his back to better control him. She bullies and accuses Louisa, despite the fact Louisa's kept a low profile for a decade and her reunion with Jo was bad luck. She doesn't tell Jo his children may be dying. She evicts Louisa, effectively taking away a single mother's ability to provide for her children. She refuses to let Jo even occasionally see his kids.

Her selfishness, greed, pride, and lack of compassion cost her her marriage, and I have next to no sympathy for her. The only reason I'm happy they married at all was that June got a decent, if imperfect parent out of the bargain.

[wistfulcynic]

my expectations for the forsytes were low going in, given the absolute hash debbie horsfield made of poldark but bitch what, and i mean this to sting, the fuck? That woman never met a complex relationship she didn’t want to flatten into its blandest possible version but giving soames and irene the soft romance treatment is a whole new level of missing the entire goddamn point. Some decisions you cannot walk back.

[blacklister214]

I didn't read the book or see the prior adaptations, but I gather you see much sooner the toxicity of their relationship. Had I been a fan of the original I probably would have liked the new show less. As a stand alone work however, I actually liked the way Soames and Irene were portrayed, precisely because you don't necessarily see that shit coming.

As someone not in the know I had some doubts about long term viability but I didn't suspect it was going to where it was going. He had a reasonable plan that incorporated both their dreams for the future. He understood who she was going into their marriage. He supported her. He promised her an out. I get why Irene said yes. This why domestic abuse happens, because going into the relationship it can very much feel like a grand love story. That's what's so terrifying.

[otherpens]

In the space of a very few minutes I rode the rollercoaster of delightedly discovering there’s a new Forsyte Saga adaptation and then plunging straight into hell as I sought out the trailer to watch because there are already romantic Soames/Irene fan edits on YouTube.

I don’t know how to explain to all the unsuspecting Bridgerton and Gilded Age fans how unfastened their seatbelts are and the monumental car crash that awaits.

[blacklister214]

I had no prior knowledge of the Forsyte Saga prior to watching, so my experience of S1 was interesting. At first I was just going, "cute, but doomed." I thought they were going to be a nice foil to Jo's/Louisa's story. Two people from different social spheres committing to a marriage that will ultimately fail because they want very different lives.

A nice contrast to Jo and Louisa, who would have been happy together despite the class gulf because they both are happiest outside traditional society. Still I thought Soames would have some conscious. I thought he would ultimately recognize he was hurting the object of love and free her, faking her death and letting go off a live her best life in Paris. However, from the second he called her his "favorite possession" I started yelling at the screen "Irene, RUN!" This man has DA written all over him!

[payidaresque]

ELEANOR TOMLINSON as Louisa Byrne in Forsytes (tv, 2025—)

[blacklister214]

Poor freaking Louisa. She takes so much shit. Boyfriend says he for sure will wait for her for a year, and is MARRIED less than nine months after. Raise twins for ten years on her own. Gets berated by woman she don't owe shit to. Is smack talked by a lot of assholes saying "we better buy her off, because she could leak the scandal "when she kept the secret for 10 years and in two weeks the Forsyte gossip bitches have told half of London. Is constantly accused of entrapping Jo when every single time it is him showing up uninvited and her asking him not to. Is asked to out herself to society wives and cross her fingers it doesn't tank her business. Is evicted by entitled bitch wife.

[brutal-out-here]

Saw one gif set from the forsytes and decided to watch it without knowing a single thing about it and man was I not prepared for just how messy that family is lol

[blacklister214]

Seriously, their instinct for self-destruction is pretty crazy! I mean Jo, I get because he's quietly had his finger on the eject button since before Louisa popped back up. He wants his life blown up and thus his choices make sense.

Frances though...for a smart woman she sure played this the wrong way. In pretty much every interaction she makes it super clear to Jo she is way more concerned about appearances and his accension to chairman than she is about him or their marriage. If she'd been a little less of a bitch, maybe told him when his kids nearly died or not evicted the single mom with two children, and greenlit some discreet visitation he probably would have stayed faithful and in the firm. She gave him the excuse he need to bounce with a pretty clear conscious. Stupid.

And Saomes...DUDE WTH? You are all in on your succession plan and then you marry someone who very clearly wants the opposite from life that you do. Then your psycho freak self can't honor your word that she can go if she's not happy. I spent every episode yelling at Irene to run. Gather up a good blackmail file, give it to the architect and the leave a letter to husband saying shit goes to the press if he comes after her.

[redrosecut]

I wouldn't be surprised if Frances and Jolyon senior end up having an affair. Their dynamic doesn't feel like just a caring father-in-law towards his son's wife and vice versa.

[yujeong]

After rewatching the scene of "Armand apologizing to Lestat" (lmao) in ep4, I got a sudden thought: Armand says to Lestat that after everything that happened in s2 and up until the Dubai interview, Armand was walking on eggshells with Louis, thinking that Lestat would appear and destroy what Armand had created. Is it weird of me to assume that a tiny part of Armand (or maybe a not so tiny part) felt relief after Daniel revealed the truth?

[blacklister214]

No, I think that's correct. The thing with Armand is he is terrified of being alone, so much so that he will remain in relationships that make him unhappy, see his relationships with the coven and Lestat. When Louis kills the coven Armand is forced to either settle for a relationship with Louis or go it alone. He knows the foundation is shit with his lies and Louis lingering feelings for Lestat. It's an exhausting way to live keeping the secret, navigating Louis' moods, keeping it perfect. I think he's distraught when it ends, but I think after some time he can acknowledge a weight has been lifted.

[torpublishinggroup]

“I’m capable—”⁣ “Three hours after we met, you sold yourself into slavery and then died.”⁣

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews is a thrilling fantasy adventure novel.

The art featured in this image is by Luisa Preissler.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT

Maggie awakens in the familiar world from her favorite unfinished fantasy series. Despite her initial efforts to get home, she finds herself drawn into the lives of the motley crew of characters she’s come to love and care for. With her extensive knowledge of its plot, setting, and characters, she navigates the world of Kair Toren and attempts to save  her new friends from the inevitable war and ruin on the horizon.

[celluloidbroomcloset]

Look, man, I've always enjoyed Good Omens (have DEEPLY mixed feelings about it now, but that's not the show's fault), but, no, Aziraphale and Stede Bonnet are not the same character, please stop.

[youngdeerengineer]

I read the book, never did watch the show, but yes, thank you, "The characters in all the shows are the same character!" sounds like a dystopian nightmare to me.

[celluloidbroomcloset]

It's...honestly, just feels like fandom's attempts to pack characters into the same narrow boxes so that they can be swapped in and out for AUs and fanfiction, rather than engaging with what the show is doing and saying. I do think there are some elements of GO and OFMD that gel together and it makes sense why there's some overlap between fans (I do not understand about HR, that feels like the continuity is a very broad "fans of yaoi"), but it's a disservice to both characters and their performers to try to make them into the same person.

[sparklywaistcoat]

I wonder how much of this is an artifact of shipping culture, where the characters are dolls to be swapped around and manipulated at will, rather than individuals with their own personalities and histories.

[celluloidbroomcloset]

I think at least some of it stems from that, yeah. I've seen discussed, both here and elsewhere, being a "fan of fandom" rather than being a fan of particular things. I think a lot of fandom culture is connected to that, people being more interested in being a fan than in the specific show/film/book/whatever they're supposed to be a fan of.

[blacklister214]

The idea that they are the same character is bonkers. Yes, they are blond, like books, enjoy fine dining, fancy dress, and are the nominally "nice" and optimistic half of the ship. But consider:

Stede's goal in life is to be a pirate. The first person he kills, he feels very little remorse over. He gets the fancy folks to burn their boat to the ground with a little smile on his face. He's always constantly telling his partner he is perfect and he accepts him, just as he is.

Aziraphale tells one lie to save the lives of three children and thinks he is going to Hell. Despite his love for Crowley he's always slightly looked down him for being a demon and is delighted at the opportunity to "fix" him.

Forget human vs angel, their values and goals are WILDLY different.

[blacklister214]

Wicked For Good: Poor Wizard Choices

SPOILERS

I'm pretty disappointed with Wicked for Good's handling of the Wizard. I said this in Part 1, but it bears repeating, they needed the Wizard to do things to make the ending work.

First he needed to bond with Elphaba. Second, he needs to be conflicted. Why? Because if those two things aren't true, his ending sucks. Morrible gets prison for the rest of her life. The Wizard gets to go back to his home world. These are not equal things. His suffering therefore needs to be emotional. He must be devastated he killed his daughter. He must feel guilt for his actions against Nessa and the animals.

First mistake, they had him happily playing with his trains. That's not sorry. That's not lonely. They could have had him holding Elphaba's figurine, looking sad, hoping she would arrive. It wouldn't be crazy for him to expect her, on the day of her best friend's wedding.

Then they had him share his and Elphaba's bonding song with Glinda. When the cages are discovered, he takes responsibility rather than passing the buck to Morrible and/or offering to release them later to exile them.

They DID have a promising scene where he seems upset when Dorothy and co. arrive. The scene was a perfect opportunity to flesh out that relationship with Morrible and create a little reflection for the Wizard. He could have been snarky her after he executes her plan and Morrible could clap back at him. She could have called him sentimental and remind him of the evil choices he made to get himself to this point. Enter the Wizard's drinking (which we saw).

Unfortunately the very next time we see him he is once again cool with murder! His excited "do you have her broom?!" ruins the prior scene's set up. He is supposed to be upset Elphaba may be dead BEFORE he finds out they are related. The shared bloodline is supposed to be the icing on the cake, not the whole cake!

[little-cute-pink-horrible-being]

Hello to my fucking favorite shot of Wicked for good.

Glinda sits on a throne made out of lies, of anti-Elphaba propaganda. Yes, she is pushed onto it by Morrible, but why is the poster pile make such comfortable of a seat? Why was it right behind her to fall on? She helped shape it that way, and when she is confronted with the reality she can't do anything beside sit on it with an angry face. Morrible doesn't need to make new threats, she just tells Glinda to do what she already does. And Glinda does not have a good rebuttle.

[blacklister214]

It's such a powerful moment that we didn't need Girl in a Bubble. Wake up and smell the complicity Glinda, you sit on a throne of lies!

[demonfairyprincess]

Just watched the second Wicked movie, so here are my unorganized thoughts:

As Long As You're Mine is very horny. The whole time I was thinking, these two are really about to fuck. And then they did! Good for them.

Madame Morrible has the best outfits. Everytime she appears on screen, she's slaying in a new cunty dress. Love Michelle Yeoh.

That said, Elphaba's sleveless outfit? Muah. Chef's kiss. AND it parallels Glinda's blue-and-pink dress with the sheer sleeves.

On that note, No Good Deed was SO GOOD. The MOST cinematic song in the movie, powerful performance, and the ending shot is stunning. I wish Cynthia's voice was a little more belt-y but I think that's artistic choice.

For Good is one of my favorite songs in any musical, hearing it always makes me bawl like a baby and this time was no exception.

Gelphieryo for the win. Polyamory could have solved not all, but at least some of their problems.

Glinda was a lot more take-charge at the end than I remember her being in the stage musical. The shot where she has Madame Morrible taken away feels a little villanous. It seems like Glinda at the end is a benevolent dictator, focusing on benevolent but the dictator part is clearly there too.

Glinda inviting the Animals back into Ozian society feels too simple and easy for me, all that propoganda and cultivated prejudice can't be forgotten just by Glinda being nice. Especially with the themes of mob justice and the rise of fascism so present in the rest of the movies. But "people are so empty-headed, they'll believe anything", so maybe anything can happen if Glinda says it to happen.

I didn't really like either of the new songs, maybe because they're new but I thought they were both just kind of boring. No Place Like Home I think is a little better. I liked the theme of mirrors shown in the cinamatography of Girl in the Bubble, but other than that I did not care at all about it.

There is a LOT of dialogue that's referencing lines from various songs, and some of them are fun and cute while some of them feel shoved in there trying to be clever. It happens so much it does start to grate, especially when they repeat the same words and phrases over and over.

Very much enjoyed the scene where Glinda and Elphaba fight. The Girls Are Fighting!! Very fun

[blacklister214]

Yes, As Long As You're Mine is very horny. Though I definitely have some notes. First they spend way too much time not even glancing at each other in the beginning. Second Elphaba's wearing that dress and we barely get to see it because she pulls that grey thing on over it almost immediately, which wasn't really the mood. It seemed like they only did it so Fiyero could take it off her. Personally I was hoping he was going to do her hair instead. Finally, those spenders should have stayed on his shoulders for much longer. She should have at least the opportunity to grab them and kiss him. Also its pretty presumptive at that point in the song to assume his pants are coming off tonight. Given their respective levels of sexual experience he should be taking his cues from her.

Anyone who says that the three of them did not love each romantically, was not watching the movie I was watching. It is only the political climate that messes up everything for them.

Yes, definitely a dictator, though that makes sense, because she needs to slowly transition the population back to sanity. It's why I had a hard time buying the immediate acceptance of animals back into Munchkinland. A subtle nod at them followed by the exposing the crimes of the organization pointing at Morrible who went behind the poor Wizard's back. Pardons, pardons for everyone.

I didn't hate Girl in the Bubble, but I also don't think it added much, given its similarities to Thank Goodness. No Place Like Home I did think was a good addition, because it addresses the questions of why oppressed people shouldn't just flee their oppressors. I did however not love them dragging the lion out of no where to turn the animals against Elphaba. A flying monkey attack and the sorry we have families excuse would have been preferable to me.

Agreed. It was a lot and I only loved "You deserve each other"

Yes, very fun!