You want to know why Inigo Montoya remains such an iconic and beloved character even 35 years after the Princess Bride came out?
It's because he's one of the few characters in fiction who has a story where he has dedicated his life to revenge, his whole motivation is about getting revenge....and he gets it! and then he isn't empty or despairing! he doesn't regret it! he's totally satisfied!
because so many stories about revenge or rage are about characters "seeing the futility of their actions" or learning "their desire for revenge has only made them the monsters they hated" FUCK THAT.
Inigo Montoya kills the man who kills his father, is allowed to live in the narrative after and be happy about it and it is so satisfying. it's fantastic. it's iconic.
let more characters rage against the world, bring it down with bloodied hands, and let them be FUCKING RIGHT about it. Let them celebrate their success with sharp grins, and let them live happy, full lives where they always remain proud/fulfilled for what they've done
soooo, on a vacation trip a week ago, I stumbled over @xiranjayzhao's Iron Widow in a book shop in Copenhagen and devoured it last weekend. It was quite the fun read. (And I am not that inclined to mechs 😄 but the rage filled female power fantasy and the setting felt rather refreshing to me)
And after finishing the book I had to get at least some art out of my system. As usual it didn't end up what I really intended it to be in my head initially, but also, as usual it has to suffice for now or I'll never post it.
If I had a dime for every ultra-badass, powerful, genderqueer Asian (anti)heroine who is on a path of vengeance against men who wronged her and who fights using an extraordinary weapon made of exaterrestrial material, I'd have two dimes, which isn't a lot but it's awesome it happened twice.
All of these edgy science fiction / fantasy novels about overthrowing evil empires and then becoming the very thing that you sought to destroy and the main character ending up as bad as the regime they overthrew and all that, you know?
You could very easily make a dramatised version of the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, transplant it into generic fantasy evil empire world, change the names of the historical figures to fictional names, and all the tumblrinas would eat that up.
Picture this: Napoleon Our protagonist is born the second child in a large family on Corsica generic fantasy island, is sent to a military academy in France evil empire, and begins to rise through the ranks of the army. A revolution occurs, in which the French evil empire monarchy is overthrown, and our protagonist, a supporter of the revolution, fights for the revolutionary government against royalist uprisings and the first coalition other evil empires. Along the way, our protagonist becomes increasingly powerful, as well as being an absolute slut. After a series of military campaigns, our protagonist, seeing the corruption of the directory new evil government, stages a coup and becomes first consul generic fantasy leader. However, over the course of the book, our protagonist has acquired a huge ego and lost many morals, and ends up themself the emperor of France fantasy kingdom. "Morally grey" shenanigans ensue. (Of course, our protagonist would have many many love interests, such as Josephine de Beauharnais hot milf, Jean-Andoche Junot hot best friend, and Tsar Alexander I enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-again.) (Main character would be characterised as being the most pathetic little person to ever exist who is frequently bullied for being quirky and not-like-other-girls)
i think the funniest story i have about my adhd memory is that once right after the mulan life action was released id gone on youtube to find out what actual Chinese people were saying about it and I found this one video on every single cultural inaccuracy in the movie and at the end of it they advertised their book and I was like that sounds interesting and ill read when it comes out and 3 years later I find the book through completely unrelated means and immediately flash back to when xiran made a whole ass youtube channel because they hated the movie so much and wanted to drag it through the dirt. and I knew. i knew I had to read that book simply for the level of pettiness that they displayed that day. so I got an ebook and now 6 months from that incident later I'm finally buying my physical copy.
So at least the fucking live action mulan movie did something right.
Ps: go read Iron widow by Xiran jay zhao for queer people being angry and taking down the government!
One more for @xiranjayzhao's Iron Widow, because when I read the descriptions of Yizhi's tattoos I knew I had to draw it. (I think there were other flowers mentioned, but my copy is back home so I couldn't look it up). I am rather happy with this turned out. :)
As excited as I am for the PJO show I am going to ALWAYS beg people to pirate it!! Every single time!! I love the series just as much as anyone but I'm not gonna pay for these piles of shits!! Yes I'm also talking about Rick!! Him being "Neutral" about the Palestine Genocide is absolutely disgusting!! The idea that people don't care that innocent lives, including infants, are dying day by day is honestly concerning for them!
That being said there are many other authors who do support Palestine 100%!!!
. Andrew Joseph White - Author of "Hell Followed With Us" + "The Spirit Bares Its Teeth"
. Xiran Jay Zhao - Author of "Iron Widow"
. Aiden Thomas - Author of "The Sunbearer Trials" + "Cemetery Boys" + "Lost In The Never Woods"
All books are very Queer and POC also so you'll be supporting those communities as well!!
Please please please feel free to add any authors you can think of that support Palestine!! FREE PALESTINE 🇵🇸!!!