𝐴𝑟𝑖𝑎 ⋆˚࿔

The Author is Dead | Unapologetically critical. Stuck in this #jinmao life 24/7

[deadsprout]

i dont want to be in a fandom that critisizes the choices of fictional characters like they are human beings. i want to see THEORY and ANALYSIS and STORY STRUCTURE and CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!! I WANT PARALLELS AND MOTIFS AND VISUAL CUES!!! They're not REAL they are TOOLS so stop acting like they are people who made bad choices and should be punished. of course they made bad choices!!! that shit is funny and cool to watch!!

[arekyve]

apothecary diaries becomes so much more interesting when you realise how deeply woven women are into the storyline. If you were to take out the men from the plot itself, i doubt much would change, there's still a good chunk of the story left without jinshi even being there especially in the latter half of season 2.

It's all the more fascinating when you realise that every subplot has a woman with harmful and bad intentions behind it only to find out she too was a victim of the system that the previous empress dowager implemented on the rear palace for her own son. The mother son duo haunt the narrative in the worst ways possible and when shisui said, "Insects can't survive the winter. They only leave behind their young." is exactly what happened to the inner workings of the palace that came from a place of politics and resentment and hatred that was handed down from one generation to another like a family heirloom that by the end you find out all of it does in fact point back to the traumatic mother son duo that ruled the nation some decades ago.

there's so much i wanna say and talk about but it's all just jumbled up but apothecary diaries is written in such a way that you come to realise that every single character is a victim to the imperial family and their reign, the previous one doing the most damage that seeps into the families directly serving the emperor. every single character has every reason to be vengeful and carry that hatred in their heart for the royal family, there's not a single character who's motivations were lost on the audience because everyone is just trying to be free.

[vitaaeris]

I find myself to disagree with parts of this—so much of TAD relies on putting focus on women’s lives that ABSOLUTELY IS true, however the narrative is, by principle, following along the destruction that is brought by patriarchy and monarchy, and how both these elements affect an entire society. And to deconstruct them we see the perspective of not just women but men as well, and how differently this society affects them. How can they deconstruct such oppressive system within their lives? How can Jinshi strive for a relationship with Maomao as equals in a world that will never see them as much? How can he break through the cycle of abuse perpetrated by his family, his grandfather to his grandmother, his father to his mother, and all of the girls and women forced within their harem? Girls who are victims of the imperial family and its members who have the freedom to cage everyone as they please, but they themselves are never free. They themselves are presented as both perpetrators and victims of their own making. Jinshi is a victim too, of sexual harassment and assault, not unlike Maomao—but he’s a man, how is that treated by others? By society? Is it different? Both these perspectives are essential elements to a story so deeply about patriarchy.

And when it comes to freedom then, of how “everyone is trying to be free”, who for sixteen entire books has been doing nothing but seek for freedom? To desperately seek to break the shackles that keep them tied down? Who if not Jinshi himself? Shisui and him are so beautifully paralleled. The both of them forced to come out of their fake identities that gave them comfort, a shield, to take on their true mantles from which they always wanted to escape from. The both of them who can do nothing but bow to duty, their families, despite their own will and desires. The both of them who blindly trust in each other through the affection they hold for Maomao. Shisui, who loses everything but gains freedom, and Jinshi who loses nothing but ends up more caged, more tied down, so ever far away from escape. It’s poetical in a way that cries to be acknowledged.

And hec, I said all this without even taking in account the essential role that Jinshi covers for Maomao’s own emotional development and healing—THAT cannot be taken away from her without having to rewrite the whole thing from scratch. This story treats his male characters so so well, it’s a disservice to dismiss it. And I profoundly believe that a story about patriarchy SHOULD focus on women first and foremost, but it will always be just so much more enriching if both genders are explored and put through a blender of narrative deconstruction. Apothecary Diaries does that beautifully.

Edit: I ended up talking more about Jinshi than I originally intended HOWEVER most of this applies to Basen as well (minus the freedom part he’s perfectly happy where he already is). Won’t elaborate further BUT! Everyone read The Apothecary Diaries volume 10 chapters 4 & 5 “Spring comes to Basen pt.1 / pt.2”. Changed my life. I love characters who take apart their self absorbed bigotry. Congrats to Jinshi and Basen for unlocking self-awareness.

[xiaonme]

now why does maomao reject chues attempts to get her in cute lingerie. well. it's because she considers herself so unattractive that it'd be ridiculous to dress "that" up in finery 💖

[xiaonme]

re: the entirety of prev tags even if this screenshot doesn't show all of it -> here's my stream of consciousness

Why do people make these comments, I wondered.... and it is because Maomao's interests, approaches and personality seem so un-feminine to other people. If she had been born a boy she would have been seen as a weird mousy guy, like Lahan, but at least male Maomao would have been gender conforming....

As she is and as she has been, Maomao is this weird in-between where if no one knows it's her she can be seen as a "cold beauty from the pleasure district" (Jinshi buying her out), but then usually she's Weird Scrawny Girlthing to the people who know her.

Maomao probably doesn't care (she has heard it for too long and too often anyway for it to affect her) but when she gets rejected the one time she tries to express (sexual) interest, having made grand preparations and making herself look nice in a way that she thought would be appealing to the person she is interested in...........that must have hurt.

But maybe Maomao thinks it is natural, of course Jinshi wouldn't want to sleep with her. She is maybe a bit disappointed but not upset at him, and she doesn't seem to be for the next three novels afterwards.

[ After all, Jinshi is affectionate towards her with words and actions....and after she has heard all those comments for so long ...of course he would not want to sleep with her. He likes her, for sure, but maybe it was more conquest than it was actual desire. But then the carriage in LN14..........]

[hadalplumes]

Actually I'm willing to come here and argue the forbidden: but Maomao is not gender non-conforming (in interests sure, but not in outward presentation)

We already have such female characters in Ah-Duo, Suirei, and Miss Chue, who put on pants/men's clothing when work requires it/it's more practical (see in WC when they take horses to the village, I recall Chue was wearing pants, but Maomao not)

Like you could argue she's continuing to wear the socially acceptable skirts while in the imperial palace, but she also doesn't switch when she does get the opportunity, like on the road in WC1, WC2, and or literally any other time she was being an unsupervised gremlin

We have the scene of her wearing men's clothing in the first episode, but that's likely for safety (and I don't really recall it mentioned in the LN). She continues to wear her hair in a (simple) "updo" compared to the other three non-conforming women's basic ponytails which could be read as more masculine/neutral, she has beads in her hair and uses a ribbon to tie it up, which could count as a "cheap" accessory that won't draw eyes to her in the back alleys of the pleasure district

Just because she's not into frilly stuff (like the room the quack decorated for her in WC2) doesn't mean her (mild) fashion interest don't align more with traditionally feminine ones. I keep recalling the silk sash Meimei sent her to dance with and how Maomao regarded is in the end of season 1, because she obviously has appreciation for it as an accessory, but also for dancing as a craft/beautiful performance in addition to the unpleasant layers of it being brothel training

She's very diligent about body hair removal and the occasional incense when Jinshi starts gifting her some. Also in terms of manners, Maomao seems to generally be pretty graceful and makes note in her narration when she "doesn't care about etiquette now" or stuff food in her mouth unladylike, meaning she rarely breaks "protocol" and she's aware of it when she does

The criticism hurts not because Maomao isn't conforming, but because she is conforming, but being told it's not enough, and that her and Chue are just "a different breed" altogether

Her personality also plays a role. Women are supposed to be giggly and smiley and agreeable, and Maomao is none of those things. She doesn't talk a lot and her expressions are kept to a minimum (pretty much due to a lack of human interaction as an infant/toddler) so even all dolled up and prettified, there's that

[hadalplumes]

I fear people are getting so swept up in the #NoMakeup Not Like Other Girls #WomenInSTEM Maomao that they're ignoring the very real fact that she's insecure about not being perceived as womanly enough/at all

Just because her insecurity is not a core part of her personality taking up 30% of the show's conflicts, doesn't mean Maomao doesn't get upset at the "she needs to grow 15 extra cm in the chest" to her face or "we don't get any young ladies around the clinic lol" when she's at the clinic

It even plays a role in refusing to believe Jinshi likes her/is attracted to her beyond being a Freak™. Like I do want it addressed in the LNs as Maomao grows more comfortable and confident with herself

[evenmorebeetles]

The way fandom treats Jinshi is proof of what I've been saying all along, which is that the whole baby girl force fem of male characters is all fun and games but one day there's going to be a man who presents feminine but desperately does not want to be, whose status as a man is a sensitive topic in canon, and rather than recognizing that and treating it with the sensitivity it deserves, fans are going to dismiss any dysphoria he might have because him being a bottom pussy boy that they can fetishize is more important to them

[ceruleanheaven]

religion is so fucking funny the world is just too beautiful there must be a higher entity behind all this. lets oppress women

[piolinpupart]

And she lets him get away with it too 😒

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[prettyasapic]

Jinshi and Maomao are gonna be so hilarious during Gyokuyou’s son’s reign. “This is the imperial brother, who we all agree to pretend is the imperial uncle because he’s too extra to rule, and his gremlin wife partner who will poison herself if left unsupervised. Together they solve all the nation’s crimes.”

[iridescent-glitter-dragon]

The way Lakan starts plotting vengeance on Jinshi for touching Maomao's shoulder three whole times during their shogi match, but in no version of the actual shogi match scene is such a touch even mentioned. Which says to me that neither Jinshi nor Maomao take much notice of such small casual touches. Which could mean nothing

[meowmeowsabortionclinic]

Lowlyyyy I feel so lowwwlyyy

A common quibble I have with a lot of KnH meta analysis is that even really good posts will end up saying Maomao has low status and little power.

It's actually very relevant that she does have considerable privilege in the setting. She's actively trying to stay ignorant about it.

Obviously she isn't royalty, but even from the first light novel, Maomao was hiding the fact she's literate and educated-- out of pride to not share her increased wages with her kidnappers. She also tried to stay hidden when she made that warning about the lead powder, not wanting any credit for that. Plus, she's very aware that her adopted father's nephew is insistant on claiming her as his daughter, she lays it out in Season 2 that challenging him directly is "refusing to run anymore."

Not only is she significantly more empowered than most of her peers at any given point, she is usually running from it.

Her issue is never wanting to be dependant on others, or have others be dependant on her. She doesn't want to communicate her feelings to anyone. She never wants to ask for help. She never wants to feel like she owes anyone.

Maomao is not submissive. Maomao is not beheadable. She insists she is, because that's emotionally easier than having to accept the mortifying ordeals of "You Need To Talk About Your Feelings" and "Your Actions Have Consequences."

"I am a base apothecary and i am of lowly birth" YOU ARE NOT BASE! YOU ARE IN FACT VERY HIGH ON THE PH SCALE! YOUR BIODAD HAS THE NUCLEAR CODES. BE FOR REAL

[sunniethunder]

very messy doodle of Them 🐸🐱

[soffomo]

Strike a pose!

[saltoncity]

im not a girlblogger im an ADULT. im a WOMANblogger this is WOMANblogging

[evenerr]

jinshi finally saying maomao’s name for the first time after they had that conversation where maomao told him she’d always see his as jinshi no matter who he was and he smiled? and then the next time they meet he calls her by her name?

further confirms in my head his adamance about not calling maomao her name when lady gyuokyuo asks is not only cuz of propriety but also as away to distance himself from her. and after her confession it is him letting her in

[hadalplumes]

It's funny how Maomao not pouncing on Jinshi in the early LNs or when he first wakes up is treated as a sign she's not attracted to him when like ??? no? She's just not a rapist?? Hello!?

[glitter50000]

ok so it’s all “we want pathetic men” this and “we want freaky characters” that but when I, Jinshi, walk in-

[mangomasquerade]

I honestly feel like a lot of Jinshi/Jinmao hate wouldn’t be as aggressive as it is if the haters realized/remembered that the anime is an adaptation of less than 30% percent of the LNs and that this is the set up for Jinshi’s arc. Ofc, ppl have the right to feel uncomfortable and dislike him no matter what, and there’s nothing wrong with preferring Shimao (I ship Shimao myself) but the sheer force of aggression towards fans simply enjoying themselves is unwarranted 😭 obviously this goes both ways, I’ve just noticed a lot more toxicity from Jinshi/Jinmao haters. Jinshi’s character is complex underneath the surface, he is a study on the cycle of abuse, what it means to inherit an abusive system and live in a suffocating identity that has exploited you since childhood while it simultaneously represents the stolen childhoods of so many others, etc. So, I really don’t think it’s accurate to say that ppl only love him bc he’s pretty and that we would all hate him if he weren’t conventionally beautiful 😭