A > E #IStandWithRayFisher

Episode 1 Opening scene: Feng Yixiao is already coming off as an incredibly convincing general to me. Iirc, she only made two moves the whole time, but that's what makes her presence and gravitas all the more unforgettable. Decisive. Efficient. Hyper-competent.

Her one and only responsibility as the City Commander is to defend the City and the citizens of Pingling, and all her efforts are focused on achieving that end and that end only: to force the enemy's retreat and to bring the battle to a close as quickly as possible.

Standing at the top of the city gates, we see how she quietly observes the battle unfolding beneath her, the way she silently identifies and studies her mark: the enemy general leading the opposing forces, the one most capable of influencing the tide of the battle, for good or for bad.

There is no warning or tell with her, even when the target is confirmed and she has assessed his speed and skill. She does not waste time or energy aiming for anyone else; no one is as important as the man in her crosshairs.

I really like how she does not show off her ability or alert the enemy to her presence with a grandiloquent introduction. She simply nocks her arrow, draws her bow, takes aim, and fires two shots in rapid succession.

There is only one chance to catch the enemy general off guard; she cannot afford to miss because she knows that he will not let himself be shot at again once he realizes that there is a god-level archer hiding in the wings, wielding a bow with a draw weight of over 200 pounds.

The first arrow is a distraction that serves its purpose exactly; the second is the kill shot, aimed straight for the heart.

Might I comment that it's so visually impressive how the second arrow is tucked that closely in the shadow of the first, we can barely see it appear on the screen; Feng Suige certainly never saw it coming until it was too late, flying in so fast and so hard that there was just no time for even his swift reflexes to react to the inbound threat.

No wonder that image of her in red, taking aim at him, is so deeply imprinted on him; his eyes, his mind, his heart (almost quite literally lol)

Brings to mind Bon Jovi's 'shot through the heart and you're to blame, you give love a bad name~' XDD

Fu Yixiao's character archetype reminds me of that phrase '刀一出鞘就必定要见血' - once a blade is unsheathed, bloodshed is imminent.

She does not draw her weapon callously, but the moment that she does, you WILL see blood.

BONUS:

Because they're not in good faith reminding us, are they? They don't genuinely think everyone discussing the way a character treats the people closest to them has forgotten that vampires kill people. We all know that, so why repeat it?

Well, I think it's often a knee-jerk defensiveness because if criticism of your favorite character feels like criticism of you for liking them, the instinct is to deflect and minimize. The only thing they can say is "Well, what about everyone else! Your fave is no better! Don't pretend you have the moral high ground!"

But liking a character doesn't require pretending they never did anything awful. You can acknowledge that a character is abusive, manipulative, or cruel and still find them compelling. Those things aren't mutually exclusive to me.

And saying "they're all serial killers" just ignores the level the story is operating on.

The reason none of us spends every episode mourning Random Victim #8,394 is because the show doesn't ask us to. The human victims are mostly nameless background characters whose deaths exist to establish stakes or reinforce the supernatural premise.

We suspend disbelief and engage with the story on the terms it establishes. A good contrast would be a novel where the audience experiences the terror of being hunted from the victim's perspective. It follows an ordinary woman with a full, rich life. We know her relationships, her fears, her ambitions. Then, one night, she's stalked and brutally murdered by a shadowy vampire we've never met before. In that story, the vampire is the nameless unsympathetic monster.

It all depends on perspective. The framing fundamentally changes how we interpret the kill.

In a vampire show, the narrative is built around the vampires. We spend time with them, learn their histories, understand their motivations, and watch them form relationships. We watch them fall in love, grieve, make mistakes, and justify themselves. The show is asking us to see them as our protagonists.

How they treat the people they're actually in relationships with becomes far more emotionally significant than how many unnamed strangers they killed off-screen that day. That's not because abuse is "worse" than murder. It's because those relationship dynamics are what the narrative actually develops and asks the audience to care about. That's where the conflict and emotional stakes are.

iwtv is the story told from the povs of victims. and it was amazing and well-written, but looking back at it now we can highlight some very important things: 1) the story is put under scrutiny of the in-universe journalist 2) the narrative constantly emphasizes the idea that victims weren't "perfect", that they fought back and there were a lot of complexity in the relationship dynamics 3) the narrative focuses on accountability of the victims, making them acknowledge moments where they made mistakes and did things they later regretted.

which sounds fine on paper, right? this is gothic fiction, that's what we do here, we look at uncomfortable things and recognize that abusers are not one-note caricatures, that things are complex and humanity is kinda fucked up.

except then they wrote tvl. and things are not looking good from the doylist pov.

here the writers made another set of decisions that played into very specific narrative. now that the season is told from pov of someone who abused main characters from the previous seasons, we see some interesting changes: 1) the story is not questioned or challenged by anyone in the narrative 2) the accountability is downplayed, the abuser suddenly has a lot of reasons "to act like that" framed in sympathetic light 3) people who abused the abuser are depicted as one-note caricatures 4) the victims of the main character are framed as selfish liars, cruel and shallow in their actions.

and here you could say "wait, maybe they're going full meta..." but we have another surprise: the writers didn't waste any time to confirm that their intention was indeed to punish the victims from iwtv, that these characters played their "victim cards" and that they were assholes for not being loving and caring enough to their abusers too.

The message of TVL:

This Power… it’s meant for women… and women alone.

This little girl has developed a painful skin disease after months of living in a tent under extremely harsh conditions. The intense heat, dust, humidity, and lack of proper hygiene and medical care have caused her condition to worsen. Her small body is now covered with painful rashes, and she suffers from constant itching and discomfort, day and night.

Doctors have warned that she needs urgent medical treatment before the infection becomes more severe. Sadly, her family cannot afford the cost of the medication or the care she desperately needs while struggling to survive.

We still have a chance to help—but time is running out.

⏳ Deadline: August 10

Your kindness can change her life. Every donation, no matter the amount, brings her one step closer to the treatment she urgently needs and gives her hope for a future free from pain.

Please don't wait. Help us give this little girl the chance to heal and smile again before it's too late

Shortly before the war began, I got married. My wife and I dreamed of building a peaceful life together, but those dreams were shattered almost overnight.

https://chuffed.org/project/190680-help-aham-jaafar

The war took everything from us. Our home was destroyed, and the car that was my only source of income was lost. In a matter of days, I went from being able to support my family to having nothing.

Today, my wife and I live in a tent. Even the small piece of land where our tent stands is not free, and the landowner asks us to pay rent every month. We struggle every day to find food, clean water, and the basic necessities of life.

As if losing everything wasn't enough, I was seriously injured during the war. A bullet struck my chest, and it still remains inside my body. I need surgery to remove it, but the operation costs far more than I could ever afford. Every day I live with pain and uncertainty, knowing that I cannot pay for the treatment I need.

I also had a fundraising campaign in the past, but unfortunately, I never received the support that was collected for me because I was deceived by the person managing the campaign. After that painful experience, I am now searching for a trustworthy person who can help me create and manage a new fundraising campaign so I can finally receive the support my family urgently needs.

I am asking for your help with humility and hope. Whether you can help by creating a fundraiser, donating, or simply sharing my story, your support could truly change our lives. Your kindness will help us cover our basic living expenses, pay the rent for the land where our tent stands, buy food and other essentials, and, most importantly, give me a chance to receive the surgery I desperately need.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for taking the time to read my story and for standing with my family during the hardest time of our lives. Your kindness gives us hope that we are not alone.

The Chuffed campaign I have linked is vetted

This campaign appears as #622 on this list created by @/gazavetters (But it is not currently accepting donations)

zhan zhao adventures:

Their co-worker with arthritis/hypermobility that always gets eye rolled for their joint pain: 🙃

Able-bodied: I'm staying in bed all day today because I got the flu so I'm really exhausted.