Good Job Op!!! - Blog Posts
In which the Knight picks up some hobbies while waiting for Hornet to return from Pharloom and tell stories about her adventures
I love the use of shapes and proportions here! My blorbos⊠đđ„°
Dragon Age Origins All companions
he deserved a break this year. happy birthday <3
If I was feeling mean, I'd say that it's true no one cares about the Flash, but I feel more that despite the enthusiasm by the creators and actors like Michael Keaton and Sasha Calle, the fact that it was a mediocre superhero film starring a controversial" lead actor with subpar special effects probably had more of a bearing on why it didn't do so well beyond "women don't know who the Flash is".
The character had a who that ran (haha) for nine seasons, while not everyone watched that show (I know I didn't), the fact that it was an overtly not great movie (plus Miller's antics) more likely made people more willing to choose other more convincingly good films instead.
I think that James Gunn did mention recently that there are no immediate plans to have a new version of the Flash appear in the new DCU, but I think that considering Gunn's whole thing is introducing obscure comicbook characters and making the audience fall in love with them, a version that actually WORKS on screen will probably happen at one point or another (especially as they have already confirmed that Gorilla Grodd is a thing in the new DCU).
Just have it be Wally West when the Flash next appears, and pretend that Barry died. That's when Barry worked best as a character, when he was dead and not appearing in anything except in flashbacks. Or have a movie focusing on the Rogues and introduce Wally in that film as a heroic antagonist or something.
My brain upon seeing this: STEAMPUNK AU FANFICTION!
Me, who actually lowkey hates steampunk: but--
My brain: DO IT!
Me: OKAY OKAY--
Steampunk Ciel
This might be my favorite picture I've drawn of Ciel so far.
Oh no đ
Iâve been thinking nonstop about the time someone on ao3 mentioned that Maxim took on some of Rebeccaâs worst traits as a way to cope with (or that some of his own worst traits were exacerbated by) the abuse he endured by Rebeccaâs hand. And that honestly makes so much sense.
None of this an excuse for how he behaves, but I think it could be an explanation.
I mean, think about it. We know he has quite the horrible temper. In the musical Beatrice states that he was âthe same way as a childâ meaning that his anger issues have always existed in some way. Of course that is most likely true, but take that and add in years of emotional abuse and itâs certainly a recipe for disaster. What used to be an ordinary bad temper became something border lining on volatile over the years. We see that in those moments Maxim snaps at his second wife. In the musical, during the first boathouse scene, Maxim rushes after his wife who had run offstage in terror, as if he was about to hit her before ultimately realizing what he was about to do and stopping himself in his tracks.
We know that Maxim can be quite cold and distant when he wants to be. At times he is also super patronizing and mocking. In the musical itâs a bit less so (but even that has the âyou react like a childâ line) but in the book heâs constantly talking down to his wife. Perhaps he does so because Rebecca did the same to him? Of course, Rebecca definitely didnât compare him to a child as Maxim did to his second wife, but she could have mocked him with his insecurities (his obsession with holding up his familyâs reputation, his intense desire to be seen as a strong figure and the toxic level of pressure he puts on himself as a result).
And of course, we canât talk about Maxim or Rebeccaâs worst traits without mentioning manipulation and the abuse of power dynamics. And whatâs more is that both of them are fully aware that they are manipulating the situation. Rebecca sought to control Maxim by holding her affairs, Manderleyâs standing, etc. over his head knowing full well he either wouldnât or couldnât (or a combination of the two) divorce her. See the lyric in âKein LĂ€cheln war je so Kaltâ: âDivorce was taboo for the de Winter family. The family honor was worth more to me than my pride, and she relished in her triumphâ.
Likewise, Maxim knows full well that his second wife came from basically nothing. He knows sheâs financially dependent on him and that should their marriage fail in some way, she would have nowhere to go and no one to turn to. He even outright admits to her that he âdid a selfish thingâ marrying his second wife and that he âshould have waited and let [his wife] marry a boy of [her] own ageâ. He knows that he has (and arguably still is) manipulating the dynamics in his own favor until the very moment he confesses to Rebeccaâs murder and the power shifts from Maxim to his young wife.
Both Maxim and Rebecca know that they are absolute monsters. But itâs important to also note where they differ. While Rebecca revels in her absolute assholery and abusiveness, Maximâs situation is the opposite. He hates himself for his own assholery and has basically condemned himself to a suffering of his own making.
Ironically, Mrs. Danvers said it best: âHeâs made his own hell, and he has no one but himself to thank for itâ. Was Mrs. Danvers just trying to get under the new Mrs. de Winterâs skin and hit her where it would hurt most? Yes. Was it said out of bitterness over Rebecca being replaced? Yes. But was she correct in her assumption? Also yes.
And of course, the key difference between Rebecca and Maxim is that all important shift in power. Rebecca held the power for almost the entirety of their relationship, and Maxim sought to take that power back through any means necessary resulting in Rebeccaâs murder. When Maxim eventually confesses to said murder, it serves as an act of giving up that power he had claimed by killing Rebecca. He can no longer hold the weight of it because he knows he is damned and thus power transferred itself to his second wife. Where he was previously codependent on Rebecca, his second wife became codependent on him upon their marriage, and ultimately he became codependent on his wife upon his confession.
This is where the adaptation of Rebeccaâs traits begins to fade. Maxim becomes basically a shell of himself, barely keeping it together through the rest of the story if not for the influence of his wife. He becomes as reliant on her as she had previously been reliant on him. This toxic cycle is only truly broken with the burning of Manderley. Only then are they equals. Only then do they begin to truly grow.
Rebecca, on the other hand, never got that chance. It was taken from her by the very man she had ill used. She knew that her âpregnancyâ was a lie. She knew that her cancer diagnoses would damn her to a slow and painful death. Did that stop her from perpetuating the cycle of abuse? No. Instead she continued with it until her last breath, passing the torch to Maxim in the process.
Maxim certainly was no innocent. He perpetuated this toxic cycle as well. The only difference was that the person he passed it onto ended up not only breaking the cycle, but also gave him the opportunity to heal from it. He knows he isnât worthy of it. We as the reader/viewer somewhat know that too. And yet the second Mrs. de Winter unknowingly grants him this post Manderley fire. Maxim has the opportunity to redeem himself where Rebecca did not.
Whether he takes the opportunity or ultimately succumbs to his inner demons (figuratively or literally) is completely up to the one consuming the story.
Personally my opinion is ever changing. While the optimistic part of me believes that he does work to better himself and ultimately succeeds in doing so, the realistic part of me wonders whether thatâs the case. Of course, when I am of the realistic opinion I donât think he reverts back to the traits he took on from Rebecca and those that were made worse during his relationship with Rebecca, but rather he wallows in a state of being that is just numb to it all. He is stagnant in his recovery because he believes, he knows, that he is beyond help. Things donât get worse, but they certainly donât get better either.
Ultimately Maxim de Winter is a character that foretells the tragedy of abuse and how the cycle of abuse can continue in ways that those trapped within it donât comprehend until itâs too late. He is and isnât a victim. He is and isnât a perpetrator. We root for his relationship with his second wife on our most hopeful days and yet we donât on our most cynical. He is an asshole. He is a dick. He isnât exactly the best of men. And yet he is also broken. He is lonely. He is lost.
He finds what he is looking for in the end to an extent. A love that, while not exactly the healthiest, sets him on a path to becoming a better person. The relationship between Maxim and his second wife is in a way just like the drive leading to Manderley itself. Constant twisting and turning, plenty of bumps in the road, obstacles that temporarily prevent them from moving forward. And the beauty of it is that they do, in their own twisted way. They move on from the cycle of abuse they started in, however irreparably damaged and emotionally numb Maxim may be by the end.
âLove that liberatesâ. Iâve seen plenty of debate over whether that signature line from the musical is applicable to the story of Rebecca and the journey the de Winters take. My two cents is that it is, although the love itself isnât what liberates the de Winters, Maxim in particular. Maxim may delude himself into believe that the love his second wife shows him despite his crimes is what liberates him, but while it certainly sets the foundation for their liberation from the cycle, in the end it is he who must crawl out of the hell he created for himself. No one can pull him out of it but himself.
Greetings IHNMAIMS nation, itâs my pleasure to announce *unfolds rolls* that the papercraft for AMâs monolith is available!!
You can find both the guide and the templates on the link included below, and on the pinned post at my profile.
This papercraft has 2 versions of the monolith itself, and 3 versions for the rocks/base. Sadly, my printer doesnât have much ink left in it to allow me to test the other versions, but I trust they will come out just fine. I initially wanted to include an additional model of his headcanon-ed body, and while I do have a rough idea, it still needs time for development so I will release it later.
As always, feedback on the papercraft and guide is greatly appreciated! Let me know of any errors or suggestions you have for further improvements. Have fun!