#And that's how you know it's a fairy tale!

[helluvaandhazbinarelife]

okay okay I love this and I hear you BUT, I really don’t see that song as satirical, honestly to me it’s one of the darkest songs in the show.

Little red IS, I believe, the most traumatized character in the show, you are so right, and yes, I Know Things Now IS her kinda brushing off the whole experience, but to me this is a critique of fairy tales that is played the most seriously. The whole song, and honestly, a lot of Little Reds story, feels like someone who has been through SO MUCH, deciding “I have no space to deal with that, so I won’t.”

Oh you get assaulted and eaten? Mhm, let’s move on. Oh your mother died and you don’t know why how or when? I guess we’re moving in with granny then. Or grandmas dead too? In the exact same way mom died? Oh lovely let’s just not think about that.

Little Red is such a sad character when you think about her at all, and I Know Things Now feels like the crux of that, of her avoidance of anything that could make her feel anything other than happy or angry.

So, as we know, Into The Woods is a satire. It is as some level making fun of fairytales. However, I actually think that the most satiric song in the musical is Little Red Riding Hood’s ”I know things now”. Let me explain.

As I said, a lot of the jokes in the musical are slightly making fun of the logic in fairytales, like ”You can talk to birds?”, or ”Two of her tears wetted his eyes and restored his vision”.

So why is Little Red’s number satiric? I mean, she is just talking about how she has learnt new things and will be careful in the future. Well, if we actually take a look at what happened to her, she might just be one of the most traumatized characters in the show.

First off, she is catcalled on the way to her grandma, I hope most ’ know that ”Hello, little girl” is supposed to have some weird sexual undertones since the story is about how kids should not follow predators. Right after that, she does not only find out how her grandmother is dead and eaten up, she also gets eaten up, just to come back.

Later in the musical, we even find out how her mom and grandma has died, and we can assume that both of them are her only guardians, because why wouldn’t she just move in with a father at the end?

However, after a day that would scar someone for life, the song ”I know things now” is basically just her brushing the whole situation off and saying to herself how she will do better next time. I think this makes fun of most fairytales since most of them do not really focus on how the character is mentally.

Rapunzel in the musical is also brings this up but in another way, she is actually a pretty realistic character in the show:

”You just locked me in a tower without company for fourteen years, then blinded my prince, and banished me to a desert where i had little to eat and again no company and then bore twins. Because of the way you treated me I will never ever be happy…”

Sry if this is too long but I never saw someone mention this but I love this musical and wanted to talk about how smart it is.

[witchofthesouls]

The whole humans into cybertronians thing, except after being turned into a cybertronian the human's organs stay the same. Either they're still organic organs if you like body horror, or the organs are now metal robot-fitting.

Either way, the medics were horrified and extremely concerned after taking their X-rays. Not only did they have no spark and no cog, but their inside is definitely not of a normal cybertronian's.

Chester, hear me out, what if that was the evolutionary advantage(s) as spawn of Gaea, who is of Unicron?

It would make a ton of sense, especially if the Quintessons had stemmed from Quintus, and they needed a necessary check to balance them out. Let's be honest... There are humans out there who are down to eat a sapient aquatic alien for the sake of seafood.

In short:

Cyber!humans to Cybertronians: weirdcore, potential fairy tale horrors

Cyber!humans to Quintessons: pure nightmare fuel

Plus, I don't know what's more horrifying: very adaptable near-Pretenders that look exactly like your species until innards are gutted or that the ex-humans have systems and organs that have been long phased out/ deemed 'obsolete' by Quintesson Occupation?

Noses as it hampered tracking and altered taste. 'Extra' filters were taken to forcibly slim them down and cleave away inner mass to create hollow spaces for Quintessons to comfortably ride.

All the security measures and suspension gear... are useless to these kinds of 'Cybertronians' as humans don't have a physical soul to physically touch, humans didn't model their society on transformation abilities, and humans are animals. Omnivore predators specialized in persistence hunting, environmental adaptation, and capable of utilitizing other species in mutual gain (i.e., domesticated breeds of animals and plants; relationships between wild animals and humans, like humans and honeyguides).

I hadn't had the chance to delve deep into this direction as I had ideas for a fanfic, but I hadn't really seen takes where ex-humans taking on more fantastical shapes of Earth folklore (i.e., centaurs, driders, fae, harpies, demons/yōkai, beasts) and how that affects a Cybertronian frame. Not to mention how humanity's quirks and genetics would carry over, especially how it could potentially conflict with established Cybertronian medical standards (and vice versa as the ex-humans need to get onboard that they no longer have a squishy body and Cybertronian medics freaking out on developing a standard of care for the new friendly cryptids).

On the flip side, maybe Cybertronians know what's up with an appendix?

[nothoughtsjustfic]

Poor, Unfortunate Soul - C.HS

🐚Who: Chwe Hansol (Seventeen) x female reader 🐚What: Fantasy au. Tentacle monster/sea witch Hansol. Mermaid princess reader. Inspired by The Little Mermaid. 🐚Word count: 3.1k 🐚Warnings: Morally dark character. Trickery. 🐚Summary: “Ever since you can remember, you’ve wanted to know everything you can about humans, wanted to know what it is like to walk alongside them. But you cannot physically do that. Lucky for you, you’ve heard talk of a sea witch who might just be able to help you. At least, you hope so.”

Masterlist

A/N- This is part of the dark fairy tales collab I’m hosting called Once Upon a Time! There will be many exciting fics to come so check out the masterlist for it to see what’s coming soon!

Thank you to darling @ddeonghwa-s for inspiring this idea by sending gif of Ursula when I said tentacle monster Hansol, it was the prompt I didn’t know I needed until I had it and now it will never leave my mind.

Humans have always intrigued you.

Ever since you were little, you’ve loved peering at them from behind rocks, hidden safely out of their line of vision to watch them with utter fascination.

Something about these creatures lures you in, makes you want to get closer and closer. Makes you want to befriend the interesting beings and walk alongside them.

Though there is a very big problem with that. An issue that you can’t simply flick your tail fin and fix. In fact, it’s the tail itself that is the issue.

You were born to the seas; with a beautiful, strong tail below your waist, not the two legs you yearn for to join your precious humans on their land, breathing nothing but the fresh air your gills aren’t designed to filter.

But you’ve heard talk of a witch who lives in the depths, hides in the dark of the caves and grants wishes to those brave enough to seek him out.

You know it’s risky, you know he will ask for something in return, but you think anything is worth even just one chance to be with your humans.

“Hello?” You call out tentatively as you hover by the entrance of the sea witch’s cave, still in the light filtering down from the surface far above, but you know the moment you enter that cave all light will cease to exist. Even now, hovering at the edge looking in, it’s as if even the light is afraid to reach past the threshold.

A part of you wants to turn back, wants to turn tail and swim as far and fast as you can. Yet a much bigger part of you yearns to step one of those strange human limbs onto dry sand, so you remain.

A voice echoes eerily from somewhere deep within the cage, somehow sounding so clear despite how deep he must be. “If you wish to do business with me, you need to come in.”

“Oh,” you breathe out, disappointed, but not truly surprised that the witch won’t come to meet you. You’ve heard he rarely leaves his shadows behind.

After taking a deep breath to full your chest with bravery you’re not entirely feeling, you swim into the cave.

“Where are you?” You call after timidly swimming forward almost blindly as you travel further and further into the cave with both arms out, one at your side so that your fingers can run along the rough cave wall to help guide you in the pitch black and the other in front so that you can feel anything that may appear in front of you.

“Keep coming, you’ll know when you’re here,” the witch chuckles, sounding like he’s right next to you yet so far away at the same time.

Seconds, or minutes, later, you realise that something is changing around you; the pressure in the water is a little different, a little heavier, as if full of magic you’ve never felt before.

Instinctively, you slow down until you come to a complete stop and remain in place, left hand flat against the cave wall and the other gripping the shell pendant around your neck for comfort.

“Well, well, well, what’s our dear King’s sweet, youngest daughter doing in my cave?” He teases as you blink around, trying to will your eyes to adjust to the lack of light and find the man, wherever he may be.

You think he may be right behind you, but every time you try to detect him with your hearing alone, it seems as if he changes location from one syllable to the next due to the cave walls echoing his voice eerily.

“I hear you can grant wishes,” you respond, trying to sound strong and unafraid, but the almost condescending little chuckle he lets out makes it clear that he knows the truth.

“Not wishes, princess, I make deals. One thing for another.” Something brushes over your cheek; it feels smooth until it turns, and you feel a bump, but it’s gone before you can really understand what it is. “Whatever you want mustn’t have monetary value for you to come to me instead of your father to have him simply buy it for you. Or bully his subjects into handing it over.”

“My father is no bully!” You defend indignantly, turning to scowl into the darkness.

The witch laughs darkly. “You only see what you want to see, princess.”

“If that were true, I’d be able to see you right now.”

“You don’t want to see me, trust me.”

“I’m not the in the habit of trusting men I can’t see the eyes of.”

“You want to see my eyes, huh?”

It’s barely a second, only a blink, before directly in front of you, a pair of eyes appear like none you have ever seen before. The eyes have no whites, only a thin ring of a sickly yellow around the edges, the rest are entirely black.

A fearful shiver runs down your spine and the man laughs, eyes squinting slightly as his invisible expression morphs with his mirth. “Trust me yet?” He mocks and vanishes from your sight with a blink of his own eyes, melding back into the darkness enveloping you both. “What do you wish for, princess?” He continues on, giving you no chance to answer his first question.

“For human legs.”

There’s a strange pause, as if the witch is genuinely stunned by your confession before he speaks with an edge of curiosity to his words. “Human legs? Why would you want such a thing? You have the most beautiful tail I’ve seen on any merfolk, which says a lot because I’ve seen an awful lot of merfolk in my time.”

You’re used to compliments on your appearance, your richly coloured tail, yet something about the way the witch speaks his words makes your cheeks warm with a shy blush. “Thank you,” you whisper and divert your gaze downwards, even if you still have no idea where exactly he is to even attempt to make eye contact in the first place.

“You’re welcome. So, why human legs?”

“I want to go on land and walk alongside the humans.”

The witch bursts into laughter as if what you’ve said is truly the funniest thing he’s heard in a long time. “Oh, princess!” He wails. “That’s rich, really.”

“I’m being serious! They’ve always fascinated me, so I’d like even just once chance to be amongst them, see them up close and learn more of their lives and culture than I ever can from the seas.”

“Huh, I see.” He makes a considering noise. “It’s a big ask, changing your physiology like that, I’d also have to remove your gills and give you humans lungs or else you’d barely make it on land before suffocating.”

“Well if you can’t do it-”

“Hey!” He interrupts firmly. “I never said that; I just said it’s a big ask so it will have a high price. Are you willing to pay the price, princess?”

“Yes,” you don’t even hesitate in answering.

You’re so confident that he can’t help but laugh shortly, just a quick, little exhale of amusement, before talking. “That’s a lot of confidence for a princess who doesn’t know what she’s getting herself into.”

“I would do anything to have the chance to be amongst humans just once.”

“Anything, huh?”

“Anything,” you agree with a nod and finally remove your hand from the cave wall to let it fall to your side as you turn so that your back is to the rough stone.

For a moment, there is nothing but silence, not even the sound of the water naturally moving, it is so still that you feel like you’re suddenly not a part of your own body, like you are just an untethered consciousness floating in the endless abyss.

“Alright,” the witch replies and suddenly, the water starts to move gently again, bringing you back to yourself.

You let out a shaky, little breath and wonder if that was the witch using his magic on you. It makes fear spike in your chest at the thought of how much worse it may feel to have him cast a spell to allow you on land; you aren’t sure you can handle it, yet still, you persist.

“I know exactly what I want from you, princess,” he informs.

“And what is that?”

“Do you care? You agreed to anything.”

“I still would like to know.”

He makes a thoughtful noise before those eyes appear in front of you again, though this time you can see something beginning to glow just below them. His intense gaze remains unblinking on you even as the light grows brighter and brighter, until you can see the conch he is whispering into; a soft, eerie, echo that you can’t make sense of.

Not that you have the mental ability to try to decipher his quiet words, not when, for the first time, you can see the man in front of you, not in his entirety but enough that your heart skips a few beats.

The man is truly gorgeous; his features are strong and skin pale and perfect, framed by smooth, silver hair, which any of your merfolk brethren would enviously yearn to have on their own heads should they see it.

Though his beauty is what initially catches your attention, once the glow of the shell lights more than just his face and neck, you can see movement behind him. At first, you think there is another creature there, perhaps one of the pet eels you’ve heard he keeps, yet when you look over, you realise the dark length to not be a separate being but part of him.

Your wide eyes slide down his bare chest until they meet the barely visible dark smears along his taut stomach. As the light grows brighter still, your heart stutters for an entirely new reason.

This witch is not merfolk nor siren, he is not any sea dweller you have seen before, nor heard of living to this day. You don’t even know the correct term for what he is; his species is so old, so ancient that the true knowledge was lost centuries ago.

Even your father, at close to three centuries of age, has never met a being like this witch; a being with not a tail like all other higher sea dwellers, but tentacles.

“What are you?” You whisper, voice coming out unsteadily as you slowly remove your gaze from the writhing mass of dark appendages and to meet equally as dark eyes glued to you and reflecting the glow of the conch.

The witch whispers for a few seconds longer before lowering the still glowing shell enough to reveal his amused smirk. “Scared, princess?”

“No,” it’s not a complete lie, but not the real truth either and he knows it. The way he laughs, revealing sharper-than-normal teeth in his mouth, confirms it.

“Whatever you say, princess. Still want to do this?” He lifts the shell a little and raises a questioning eyebrow at you.

“Yes.”

“Alright, then say your name into the shell and the deal will be struck, there’s no going back though, so be certain.”

“You still haven’t told me what you want,” you remind, refusing to lean towards the shell, even when he turns the opening to you, the same place he had whispered the spell into.

“Your voice,” he answers simply.

“My voice?” You ask confused. “Why do you want that, out of everything?”

“What, can’t a man want the voice of beautiful woman to keep him company?” He goads shamelessly, smirking when you shyly look away. “Are you always this easy to fluster, princess, or am I special?”

“Will it be permanent? My loss of voice?” You ask, avoiding his question entirely because you don’t want to tell him the truth; that he is the only being who has flustered you in some time.

“No, I’ll return it to you when you return back to the sea after visiting the humans.”

“Do I have a specific time frame to be on land?”

“Until the following sunup after your human legs are fully in place, which will only happen when you’re entirely dry on land. The gills will leave as soon as you’re completely out of the water though, so bear that in mind,”  he warns, then taps a finger on the shell. “Come on, princess, I don’t have all day, I’ve got things to do.”

“It’s a little unfair,” you comment as you reach up to carefully accept the shell from his hands.

“What is?”

“You clearly know who I am and even if you didn’t, you will know my name in a moment, yet I don’t know yours.”

“You haven’t asked.”

“What’s your name?” Your immediate question makes him laugh softly, eyes crinkling ever so slightly and somehow, you think he grows even more mesmerising.

“It’s Hansol, my name is Hansol.”

“I’m-” you start to reply, to politely offer your own name in response but he puts one hand over yours on one side of the shell to guide it closer to your mouth.

“In here, princess,” he reminds and taps the back of your hand softly with his index finger without removing his hand from on top of yours.

When Hansol leads the shell until it gently touches your lips, you expect him to remove his hand, yet his free one lifts to cover your other hand on the opposite side of the shell and for a second, you forget what you’re supposed to be doing.

Upon registering the cool of the shell against your skin, a few intense moments of simmering eye contact later, you focus on the conch instead of the witch, to whisper your name into the crevice.

As the spell is cast, you feel a low heat spread through your body, warming you within your very veins, from the tips of your fingers below his palms, to the end of your tail and back again. For those seconds of muted heat, you feel connected to the witch, like you are being tied together at the very centre of you, then it passes.

An ache blooms in your throat and rapidly grows into sharp pain that makes you gasp and instinctively attempt to move away, yet Hansol curls his fingers around your hands to press your touch firmer to the shell.

The witch leans forward, edges a little closer to you. “Shh, it’s okay, it’ll be over in a second,” he soothes and gently brushes his thumb against your skin.

Just as he assured, the pain only lasts a fraction longer before dissipating with a sensation like a pop in your throat.

Hansol watches intently until he’s satisfied the deal is struck securely, then he lowers the shell and eyes your parted lips. “Try to talk.”

You do; you open and close your mouth, will words to tumble past, yet not a single sound escapes.

The way Hansol’s lips twitch up in a satisfied grin makes something twist acidly in your stomach, something you don’t like the feeling of.

“Perfect,” he approves before taking the shell from your hands. “It’s done, there’s no going back; your tail will turn to human legs when you go on land.”

You light up and put a hand to his arm in silent thanks before making an attempt to leave.

Though something stops you; you barely make it out of the shell’s gradually dimming light before you feel a tug within you, like there is an invisible rope tied securely around your insides and preventing you from going further.

Utterly bewildered, you turn to look questioningly at Hansol where he’s still smiling, sharp teeth on display and dark eyes shining in the decreasing light.

“Aw, princess, you’re so cute when you’re confused,” he coos and lifts one hand from the conch to beckon you over with two quick curls of a single finger.

You don’t want to approach, you want to get your answers and leave, yet that rope tugs hard enough to hurt, rendering you incapable of not following the silent order.

“Oh, princess,” Hansol breathes out when you’re in front of him, close enough that he can reach out and brush the backs of his fingers over your cheek so lightly you barely feel it. A shiver runs down your spine all the same. “Did you really think I’d let you go after having you in my home and seeing your beauty so closely?”

Your eyes dart down to the seashell in his left hand then back up at him incredulously, hoping he understand your silent demand for explanation.

“Mm, the spell is in place, I didn’t lie about that; you will gain human legs once dry on land and all that, I’m a man of my word.”

The assurance means nothing when you can’t leave, and he must be able to read it on your face. You wonder if you are truly so simple to read that this man understands you so easily in such a short time, or if it is his magic at play.

Hansol chuckles and lifts the shell a little. “Our deal is kept in here, so are the terms of said deal; something you really should’ve listened to before agreeing, princess. I should be flattered that you trusted me so easily to take my word for it and not ask more questions. Either that or you’re all beauty, no brains. Sad for you, not for me, because now, thanks to your oversight, you’re tied to me. You, sweet princess are mine until the day I see fit to take you to the surface.”

Horror pools in your throat, spills down into your stomach and makes you feel sick as his words settle; the enormity of your mistake lands in your heart and causes it to crack open painfully in your chest.

“And how long will that be I hear you not asking because I own your pretty voice,” he taunts, then pretends to think, humming as his eyes roam your body up and down.

You can no longer see the full expanse of him, not with how little of the light remains, but he doesn’t have the same issue, clearly seeing your figure in the almost extinguished light and pleased by what he sees based on his smirk of approval.

“I think a few centuries might just about satisfy me,” he decides as a tentacle wraps possessively around your stomach, suctioning to your skin and marking a claim on you that is visible only to his eyes, it’s not anyone else will see you for a long time, after all.

The light from the conch flickers out, yet you can still see Hansol’s eyes as they lift back up to meet your terrified gaze.

“Oh, I’m looking forward to showing you exactly what I am, princess.”

In a blink of your own eyes, Hansol’s vanish, along with his touch on you, leaving you in the dark feeling entirely alone, even if you know he’s watching you.

That he’ll always be watching you.

Don’t forget to reblog if you liked to help spread the story and let others read it too! And don't be shy to leave comments or send an ask so I can see your thoughts 🥺 💖

Permanent taglist: @okiedokrie, @tusswrites, @svtiddiess

Special tag: @lovetaroandtaemin

[yearofthesnape]

You three and Dumbledore are the only ones around here who know I'm an Animagus. -Sirius Black, GoF ch. 27

The implication of this quote just hit me. In context, "around here" means at Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, which excludes Pettigrew and Lupin, but certainly does not exclude the current Hogwarts students (Harry, Ron, and Hermione - "you three") and faculty ("Dumbledore"), including Snape. However, Snape definitely does know that Sirius is an Animagus.

Snape is there under the Invisibility Cloak during Lupin's whole discussion in PoA of how he hadn't told Dumbledore that pertinent fact about Sirius Black. First "the bedroom door [...] opened of its own accord," due to Snape sneaking in; then Lupin tells his story; then Snape reveals that he has been listening. There was no other chance for him to slip in, nor can the door opening be otherwise explained, as Lupin (who knows the place better than anyone) confirms it is not haunted. Thus, Snape has to have heard all about the Animagi.

All of the characters in the GoF scene seem to have forgotten this, which perhaps makes sense, as Snape was invisible and thus didn't leave much of an impression. Also, Snape didn't hear specifically what animal any of the Animagus Marauders were, nor did he see Peter Pettigrew; so his fury at Sirius's "fairy tale [...] about a rat, and Pettigrew being alive" in PoA is perfectly genuine. What is not included in the "fairy tale" allegations, however, is the bit about Animagi. Snape believes that part.

Now, it would make sense if Sirius had said in the quoted GoF scene that only the Golden Trio and Dumbledore knew he could be a dog — but he doesn't say that. Apparently, the world at large is so ignorant of Sirius's Animagus ability — the press is so free from speculation as to Sirius's Animagus form — that Sirius is able to entirely forget about Snape and confidently aver that no one at Hogwarts knows. Perhaps he thinks Snape doesn't know.

The only way this could have happened is if, despite his high levels of animosity towards Sirius, Snape restrained himself from spreading the rumor that Sirius was an Animagus. There is no doubt that, if he had chosen to spread this rumor, it would have been effective. The whole school believed Snape's comment that Lupin was a werewolf, after all; while Lupin isn't a reliable narrator of the scene, Lupin's statement that Snape "let slip that I am a werewolf" hardly sounds as though Snape had to argue through proofs (as Lupin would surely have emphasized that if he had). All of Hogwarts was coming up with progressively more horrifying and unlikely stories of how Sirius had gotten in. The media and the Ministry wouldn't have minded a story that made them look less incompetent, which the revelation of an unregistered Animagus probably would have done. Snape himself believed that Sirius was a despicable man who had betrayed Lily to death and then hoodwinked Lily's son into covering up for him, as did everyone else who hadn't been consciously in the room for Pettigrew's transformation, except Dumbledore.

Except Dumbledore — I think there must be a scene Snape didn't include in passing along his memories, the scene where Dumbledore made him promise not to tell anyone that Sirius was an Animagus. Snape, as has been observed, was always very good at keeping Dumbledore's secrets, even about his own enemies. As we see later in GoF, under Dumbledore's influence, Snape even shakes Sirius's hand; I think no less than Dumbledore's influence would be required to get Snape's silence on Sirius being an Animagus.

This makes Lupin's statement about how Snape "— er — accidentally let slip that I am a werewolf" in PoA even harder to take at face value. If he were to let slip anything, surely it would also involve the murderer he believed was on the loose... and yet it did not. Snape had to have been released from Dumbledore's promise at that moment — perhaps in exchange for his new promise of silence?

It also gives more background to why, in OotP, Snape is especially annoyed with Sirius for getting himself recognized in dog form when Snape himself had worked so hard to ensure no one knew about that. (Of course, Pettigrew was the one who really made Snape's efforts fail, not Sirius, but I'd imagine the whole thing still rankled.)

[asnowperson]

Tanbi to Heroine - Literary classics adapted into shoujo manga

I want to talk about the book of my dreams: Mangaka! Sekai Bungaku - Tanbi to Heroine (マンガ化! 世界文学 耽美とヒロイン). It's a compilation of shoujo manga from the 1970s and 1980s which are adaptations of classics from world literature. Each manga has a little introduction about its artist, and the work it was adapted from. Thank you, our Tosho no Ie overlords.

It came out in 2022, and I'm so happy to own this book. After watching Aoi Bungaku and falling in love with what they did with Kokoro there, I've always wanted to see more anime/manga adaptations of literature. Seeing how authors/directors give the works their own interpretations while still staying faithful to the original work, and not trying to do a 1:1 adaptation can be great, as long as they don't jump the shark. Speaking of which, I even liked Gankutsuou despite the bizarre 3D space mecha fights because Edmond Dantès was still there. I can't get mad at it when the director gets the core of the work right.

Anyway, I want to present this awesome book and the manga collected in this volume!

Hagio Moto – Shiroi Tori ni Natta Shoujo (白い鳥になった少女)

Adapted from Andersen's The Girl Who Trod on A Loaf, and first published in Bessatsu Shoujo Comic 1972/12.

Hagio tells the story from the point of view of the girl who becomes a bird at the end of the tale, which is a very nice touch.

2. Mizuno Hideko – Cendrillon (サンドリヨン)

Adapted from Grimm Brothers' Cinderella, and first published in LaLa 1977/9 & 11.

With Mizuno's exquisite art, this Cinderella adaptation is the perfect fairy tale. On the first and last pages Hideko-tan breaks the fourth wall to give us information about the original work, and going "bruh, these are supposed to be tales for kids but some brutal stuff goes on in them. What's with all the mutilations and eye-gouging?!" It's adorable!

3. Maki Miyako – Hanakagerou (花陽炎)

Adapted from Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji, and first published in Big Comic for Lady 1987/2.

This excerpt is taken from vol. 2 of Maki's Genji Monogatari adaptation, and depicts a scene that doesn't exist in the original work: Hikaru meeting Lady Fujitsubo for the first time. I must say that all that Genji Monogatari Japanese went over my head ;_;

4. Miuchi Suzue – Takekurabe (たけくらべ)

Adapted From Higuchi Ichiyou's Takekurabe, and first published in Hana to Yume 1977/1 & 2. This story is actually part of Miuchi's Glass Mask. In the manga, it was acted in the third act, “Kaze no Naka wo Iku.” Compiled in vol.s 3-4 Hana to Yume comics version, vol.s 2-3 of Hakusensha Bunko, and vol.s 3-4 of the digital ebook.

Conveying the subtleties of the character through the way Ayumi and Maya acts is quite ingenious. We get adaptation-ception with this one, and I loved it. It really made me want to read the book to get to know Midori better.

5. Sakata Keiko – Okisaki to Nemuri Hime (お妃と眠り姫)

Adapted from Charles Perrault's Sleeping Beauty, and first published in Comic Tom 1989/1.

I haven't read Sakata's works, but she always strikes me as being the odd one in the shoujo scene. And this manga just strengthened my conviction. Her adaptation of Sleeping Beauty focuses on the ogre mother of the Prince, and her loneliness. Which is another ingenious way of going about adapting a fairy tale from a completely point of view. Her funny-looking art and humor adds to it.

6. Fumizuki Kyouko – Shiroki Mori no Chi ni (白き森の地に)

You get this color image I found online, because scanning this gorgeous double spread was impossible. And it's in grayscale in the book.

Adapted from Louis Hémon's Maria Chapdelaine, and first published in Bessatsu Shoujo Friend 1977/3.

I had no idea about this story, but wow, Hémon sure lived a life... This story that takes place in Canada feels really comforting. I'm surprised this didn't get an anime adaptation. Sure, it's not long enough for one, but it'd make a perfect comfort shoujo. "Comfort shoujo" as in people dying and the protagonist growing up after being hit by misery and having to make life-altering choices. I can see why this was popular in Japan.

7. Yamagishi Ryouko – Rapunzel Rapunzel (ラプンツェル・ラプンツェル)

Feast your eyes on this color Rapunzel illustration from the Yamagishi artbook I have.

Adapted from Grimm Brothers's Rapunzel, and first published in Bessatsu Shoujo Friend 1974/6.

Queen Yamagishi does not disappoint: We go full psychological and read about how parents ruin childrens' lives by projecting their shortcomings in life onto them, and their twisted sense of "love" can be worse than a sorceress's curse. Prince charming therapy time, baby!

8. Sato Shio – Bijo to Yajuu (美女と野獣)

Adapted from Madame de Beumont's Beauty and the Beast, and first published in Papermoon Shoujo Manga Fantasy Shoujo Manga – 1001 Nights (5.11.1980).

This short yet poignant adaptation really brings out the love in the story. She distilled the tale, and left what touches your heart the most in these 8 pages.

This work was also originally published in full color, and it's so gorgeous that I bought the book it was first published in. I hope to have it within the month.

So yeah, if you need to gift something to your old-shoujo loving friend, you now know what to get :)

[nesswritesnonsense]

This Isn’t Writing Advice, It’s a Cry for Help

I am so sick of reading writing advice. It’s always just write, write, write. But what if I don’t want to? What if I want to daydream about my stories until I’m spiraling into Fae folklore, casually coming up with a title, opening line, and outline for a monster smut novel I never intend to write? (Pixie Dust and Fairy Fucks)

That’s what writing chaos is—it’s starting a story with an idea that spirals into five unrelated outlines, naming characters after inside jokes, and abandoning plot structure entirely just to spite the "rules" of how things are supposed to be done. “Ooh, you have to learn the rules before you break them.” No, you see, I already understand exactly why the fictional protagonist of my fake Fae smut gets trapped with her domineering Fae lover. I did the research. I know the Fae lore to back it up.

But I’m not that type of writer. I don’t write about that. Or am I?

Let me break down the writing process—or, more accurately, offer a cautionary tale—in a way you’ve never seen before. This isn’t about structure or discipline—it’s about embracing the chaos, because that’s where my creativity thrives. This is the beautifully inefficient process that works for me—feel free to borrow it, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Proceed with caution (and maybe some emotional armor):

Existential Blank Page Panic:"What if I never have another good idea again?" The terror of starting. The blinking cursor feels like it’s mocking you, and you question why you even thought writing was a good idea in the first place.

Chaotic Word Vomit: Let’s just dump everything out and see what sticks." Ideas spill out wildly—some genius, some completely incoherent, some downright degeneracy (like Pixie Dust and Fairy Fucks, the smut that will never be written). But it’s all progress.

Procrastination Justified: "But first… let me clean my entire apartment." You convince yourself that everything else is critical to the writing process.

Research Rabbit Hole: "I just need to look up one quick fact…" 5 hours later, you’re an expert on an unrelated topic.

Outline Illusion: "If I make the perfect outline, this will write itself!" Spoiler: It won’t.

Epic Fuck This Moment: "Why did I think I could do this? This is garbage." Frustration peaks, and quitting feels inevitable. You beat yourself up and consider another hobby—and now you have an entire craft room that would put Michaels out of business.

Overthink Everything:"Is this comma necessary? Should I change my protagonist’s name… again?" You spiral into tiny details that don’t really matter.

Accidental Writing Moment:"I blacked out, and now there are words on the page?" Somehow, you’ve written something without realizing it. It’s not perfect, but hey—it exists.

Surprise Achievement Unlocked:"Okay, maybe I can do this." Euphoria hits—you made real progress, and it doesn’t totally suck.

Creative Delusion High:"This is the best thing anyone has ever written!" A fleeting but glorious moment of inflated confidence.

Editing Abyss:"I’ve read this sentence 47 times, and it no longer makes sense." Endless tweaking leads to self-doubt, and imposter syndrome sets in hard.

Disclaimer: I never claimed I was a professional, so if this so-called "advice" leaves you staring at a blank screen or suddenly pursuing a stained glass hobby, that’s on you. Chaos is contagious—consider yourself warned.

Identity Crisis Stage:"Wait… am I actually a writer?"You begin to question everything. Maybe you are good at this? Or maybe you’re just delusional?

Reset to Chaos: "Just kidding, back to square one." You realize writing is a never-ending cycle of nonsense. Whether you’re starting a new project or reworking the same one, the chaos continues.

[shatcey]

First of all, I wanna thank you for starting this brainstorm. I really enjoy reading your thoughts and comments, and I totally agree with all of you. But I have a bit to add (a bit for me, others may say a lot). Sorry about that.

But before I start… I love all the guys from the Alice's team. I have no prejudice against any of them. And I even spent quite a lot of time analyzing Will and Liam some time ago. So the antics of this character are not so alien to me, and I perceive them as individual traits.

But I never thought before that the reason people don't like them might be because of their team and not because of the individuals. This is rather unexpected way of thinking. Interesting, that's for sure.

Fairy tale

It was mentioned in the comments that the characters of this tale practically do not interact with each other if ever. It's hard to disagree with this. But… I came from a different angle.

It's a children's story. It is written about a child and for children. Our other stories are about adults. "Sleeping Beauty," "Snow White," and "Swan Lake." Yes, they are still considered fairy tales, but in the end… there's always a prince and a princess. And… you can guess what happens at the end. So… subconsciously, we expect mature content. And the villains in this tales are asking to be included in this finale. Am I the only one who thinks that way? If so, then ignore my last sentence.

I will not say that there are no children's fairy tales in which people could not…. imagine…. something… inappropriate. Like Little Red Riding Hood. Only the lazy one didn't think about the big bad wolf.

But Alice is too… childish… too colorful and crazy. I know that the story is based on a mental disorder, but it still seems too light. And there is no prince and princess in it… already not good enough.

And when we think about Alice's team, we subconsciously inevitably think about… the child. And… how to date them after that? It's a very strange feeling, you know… awkward.

So I think that the choice of a fairy tale wasn't that good. Will see which story they choose next, but I doubt it will be a story with a child in the lead role. It really doesn't work.

Connections in the past

Nagi mentioned that, I'll just add a little bit. They don't have a common past before Crown. But Liam has been with Crown for 7 years, so they have some common past with William… actually a lot, but the developers didn't tell us about it. And the time they spent together has not reduced the gap between these people. I see a problem in their character (more on that later).

And the developers could solve this problem with Chronicles. Even if they hadn't met in childhood. But they could. Both Will and Liam come from wealthy families… you can say from the same environment. They could have met somewhere.

If not. The developers could create some associations… from the past to the present. For example, there was someone that Harrison took care of as a child (I don't remember does Harry have siblings?), and Liam reminded him of that person. That's why he cares about him. Or something from Will's past that explains very clearly what he really thinks about all the guys from the crown. It's really hard to understand him, so… this would greatly improve the experience.

The associations that we build in our minds can be very unexpected… And it's not that hard to connect the characters, but… it needs to be done somehow. Otherwise they will just fall apart.

They don't feel like a team. And I see one of the problems is...

Self-sufficient

Both William and Harrison are exceptionally self-sufficient people. They don't need anyone. They don't have any flaws. I DO think so. And, on the contrary, we have poor little Liam, who has a lot of problems. It feels like the developers put everything they forgot to put into these two into the poor little kitten. Come here, little one, I'll protect you from these nasty people (a piercing glance at the developers). Yes, I will stroke your back so that no terrible nightmares can reach you. I know I'm talking to him like he's a child. Don't judge!

And who would have thought that self-sufficiency is a problem. If nothing is missing, nothing can supplement them. You all remember the joke about two cars, right? And so… combining them together is simply impossible by definition. Well, I have questions about Will's philosophy, but it's very difficult to use it in any way. And even more so with Harry. He is perfect both inside and out�� The only problem is his curse, which prevents him from telling the truth. Poor honest guy.

Non family type relationship

The relationship within Alice's team is strictly business-like. You can say that the same thing is inside the Jude-Ellis pair. No. They have a very strong bond parent-child type. Jude protects Ellis and takes great care of him. So, no… It's not strictly a business relationship.

You could say that Ally and Elbie have a working relationship. No, Elbie never thought of Ally that way. And they have a very strong bond, which resembles siblings who love each other very much. And Roger and Ally, in contrast… resemble siblings who are constantly fighting. And again… it's very family-like.

But… Alice's team has well-defined positions. William is a boss, and they respect him and trust his judgment implicitly. Harrison just follows his instructions, and poor Liam is an errand boy, he not only does everything for his team, but also does the same for other teams. Like I said, poor kid.

So… It's a strong bonds, but strictly working. Yes, Harry seemed to care about Liam as if he were his own brother. But the whole team still lacks a family vibe.

And we all love family vibes… they're warm… And the atmosphere here is very cold.

Personality

And that's the biggest problem. They don't like to share. And I'm not talking about food or… people. They don't share their problems, they don't share their fears. They are used to working alone.

And more than that… they don't share their emotions.

William, as Kate said on his route, sit on the throne and look at others. He doesn't let anyone get close to him. Even to the closest people, he doesn't really open up, they are used to seeing only his very strong self-control. And that's how he feels… strong and reliable. He feels like a god, perfect in everything, but… he still feels cold and emotionless. A real god who has nothing in common with mere mortals.

Harrison, because of his personality (he is an introvert), doesn't like to talk much, doesn't interfere in other people's affairs. He doesn't want to, it's too much of a burden for him. Harrison doesn't show much emotion... again because of his personality. It's not bad, it's just who he is.

And Liam is the most active of the three because of his curse, but he still doesn't fit into any group because of his inner struggle. He doesn't really show himself. Despite the fact that he seems to be as sweet and kind as Ellis, the impression is different because Liam is more chaotic in his actions, and this leads to mixed signals.

And how to build the team with that behavier? It's impossible.

Connections with other teams

As Nagi mentioned, we don't have much interaction with other teams either. We have very strong couples… Willy-Vivi and Liam-Harry, sometimes (quite often) they show Vivi-Harry. And that's it. It is quite difficult to imagine anything beyond these four.

Oh… I forgot about Roger. Okay… we have also a pair Roger-Liam doctor - guinea pig.

Yes, we know (have heard) that Ellis is on good terms with Liam. But they didn't really show it, so it's just a rumor. Ally is literally babysitting Liam. We see this on Liam's route, but nothing outside. We know that Harry considers Jude to be his friend. Why? What makes him think that? What happened between them? Jude obviously doesn't share his feelings. William and Elbie have many mutual acquaintances due to their noble backgrounds, but they didn't use that either. So… there are many ways to combine them more tightly and make them a real part of the crown. At the moment… they seem like outsiders…

That's not good, Cybird. Not good at all.

I understand perfectly well that any or all of you may have a different opinion. I'm open to discussion and/or any criticism.

why team alice (as a whole) suffers compared to the others, other than the fact they r "starter routes"

DISCLAIMER: this post is not meant to undermine those who like team alice or any of the chars in that team; this is just a post i am making bc ive been thinking and theorizing a bit on especially why en doesnt seem to like will, harry, and liam as much as the other suitors as a whole. and i wanted to try to put it into words. but i'm also not really a professional when it comes to these matters, so take my words with a grain of salt. im open to hearing other opinions and welcome discussion, provided it remains civil!

long post + late night thoughts below

especially ever since i started translating, and after al's route release, i feel ive become more conscious of the concept of "favoritism". even in the source material, favoritism is present to an almost painful degree. like, it wont take you long to realize liam literally has no (solo) 95k stories, while jude has the most out of the entire cast. which then leads to the question, which i ask as neutrally as i can: why? why is liam so unpopular? why is will not popular? or harry? and conversely, why is jude and ellis so popular? why does team alice seem less popular than the other teams? after some thinking…

basically, my thought just all boils down to the "lack of chemistry".

i dont think the issue lies so much with the chars themselves. i feel a lot of community doesnt really hate them as chars, they just like the others more. all that to say — will, harry, and liam r all charming in their own right.

they r good-looking, kind to kate, they r intelligent, they r all affected in some way by their curse, and they all possess development arcs especially following their main story, which i feel may be a symptom of the "starter route syndrome". where their main stories may fall a bit short, they may make up for in basically all of the following events. they r all flawed, thus making them feel human and authentic.

as individuals, they r all actually quite well rounded, in my opinion.

but when you look at them as a team or group, this is specifically where they fall apart.

the thing is — its not just abt the individual. its also abt how they see the things around them, how they interact with them; you can have very well-made chars, but if they don’t interact with others, how can we, as readers, get to know them? and of course, when i say "interact", this includes other chars in the cast. they say dialogue can make or break, and while there r some things team alice does well in dialogue, i think in other areas it also falls short.

now part of it may also be that the team as a whole didnt know each other before they all congregated at crown, while all the other teams have known each other in some way in the past, with team snow white (and, i think swan lake) especially having an extensive history. so i think in this sense, there is some inherent disadvantage team alice faces here at play as well. but this is not the only factor, considering they actually manage to tie liam and harry pretty well together as a combo. their friendship feels quite authentic.

as for will…we dont see all too many opportunities for him to interact much with harry (if they do, harry is often with someone else, like liam). but we know they r probably on good terms, though harry sometimes may feel a bit unsettled,,? by will. but the key is: they just dont interact much as a pair. in this sense, there is little opportunity to develop them as a pair, thus integrating will as a whole into the team. as for will and liam? these two share more interactions, but said interactions r not always executed very well, in my opinion.

for example, will sort of treats liam like a cat. he even calls him a cat in dialogue. but thats all it seems to be between them. their dynamic feels somewhat flat, and it doesnt help that will is even opting to tell (rather than show) the reader what he thinks of liam, thus taking away the ability for the reader to dig deeper into their relationship. thus, it may feel harder to empathize, sympathize, or find it relatable — the chars dont reveal much abt each other. their dynamics feel surface level, so even though they have distinctive personalities, traits, and struggles, it feels like we r only getting half of them. bc again, much of how we get to know chars is their interactions, dialogues, and thoughts abt other chars, similar to how we cannot really understand ourselves without the presence of others (like the "looking-glass self" which sociologist cooley coined).

i probably sound like a broken record by now, but basically what i wanna say is there is not much of a good way to integrate will into the team — or the way they try to do so isnt done very well. the dynamic then may feel "incomplete", like drawing a half circle and attempting to call it a full circle.

to give a point of comparison, we can take a quick look at team snow white and sleeping beauty, looking at what made them relatively more successful compared to team alice. i wont be looking at team swan lake due to them being jp only chars (as of the making of this post) and also just not having much info on them. but, sometimes it does help to look at "successful" cases to better understand or feel what had fallen short.

TEAM SLEEPING BEAUTY

ok so, quick disclaimer: team sleeping beauty isnt really my strong suit (if yk me, im prettyy biased toward team snow white personally ndhjsffgjdjfjsg), so to speak. so if anyone else has anything to add here, feel free. but i will try my best.

basically, i think team sleeping beauty has one prevailing advantage over other teams, which is they r a two-man team.

they can keep the dynamic compact, if thats the word. there r physically less ppl to have to "integrate" into the team. in this team, it is centered around ellis and jude's relationship with each other. but to put it simply, they r foils — and the fact they use such a literary device in and of itself adds to their charm, specifically bc foils r meant to bring out each other’s similarities and differences…traits that we readers digest and can potentially empathize with.

one wants to make the other happy, obsessed with the notion of "happiness", while the other is basically cursed (as a byproduct) to never be the happiest. there is this theme of happiness revolving around those two, entangling them to a relationship that can inherently "never end". this in turn highlights ellis' tendency to "restrain" and jude's cycle of hatred. they sort of go together like yin and yang — two opposing forces who still end up working together. they have a distinct role to play in each other's lives.

on the other hand, team alice characters r sort of more independent from each other and feel a bit like a hodgepodge. this results in the reader potentially finding more difficulty finding how they may affect one another…risking their role as chars in each others stories being rendered vague.

and if the role of chars is hard to be established, it is easy for them to "fall out" in terms of the storyline.

TEAM SNOW WHITE

so here is the three man team that makes the three man team work. and the biggest thing that team snow white has that team alice doesnt is distinct, complex dynamics established between all three chars in the team. in other words, they have a "full circle" whereas team alice has a "half circle".

ALFONS & ELBERT: ah yes the pairing that would become a couple if they were not labeled as love interests for kate in an otome game /lh but in all srsness these two do share quite an interesting dynamic. they were sort of there to share each other's pain, and even just as chars, they seem to reflect things abt each other. for example, through elbie, we learn of how "hopeless" al can feel despite his smiley front; and through al, we see a lot of what elbie was truly seeking and why. and how, despite al being a mirror that reflects others' desires, elbie is the mirror that keeps al grounded to his self, and reflects what makes al as a char. they share a close relationship of "two lonely and broken souls finding solace in one another", but there is also quite a bit of subtext in the semantics of their dynamic and dialogue together as well.

ELBERT & ROGER: considering elbie's fear of doctors, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that, despite the fact roger had never actually laid a finger on elbie the same way his father's doctor did, elbie still feared roger, bc roger still embodied the concept of what had deeply traumatized him in the first place. roger had to go out of his way to earn elbie's trust (as a doctor), and they had gone out of their way to depict this. in this sense, through roger, we can see just how deep-rooted this trauma is and its severity — time cant heal all wounds.

ROGER & ALFONS: theres quite a bit to unpack with these two. they r deeply intertwined in each other's lives, whether they like it or not. its not that al gets along with roger or views him as a "friend", per se, but he finds it easy to place the blame of his suffering on roger, implies through subtext that he still holds some hope for roger that he can fulfill his goals, and shows his own version of an act of kindness by erasing his memories when he decided to, well, off himself. on the other hand, interestingly enough, roger is the one who basically took away al's childhood, but at the same time, in the present, he is the one who is able to bring out al's most childish side.

all in all, team snow white seems to rely a lot on subtext, which is another device to create mult layers and complexities in the dynamics created between all the characters in the team.

tl;dr: team alice has individually interesting characters, which is why they r not really disliked necessarily, but their interactions with each other as a team fall short compared to the other teams, which in turn has an impact on how "relatable" they may be perceived by the reader. and this is basically why i think team snow white and sleeping beauty r more favored than team alice as a whole by the (en) fandom.

wrote most of this on my phone nfjsjhfhsgs will end the essay here

[flowerandthesongstress]

[katabay]

mother, she killed me. father, he ate me. and my dear sister, she gathered all my bones--

ngl, I don't remember how I ended up reading the juniper tree, but after I did, I absolutely went and read all the other ones in the same narrative pattern. let's go cannibalism!!! three cheers for the horror of knowing!!!

so! once again, I'm thinking about antigone!! probably thinking about pelops too, in some kind of way, but mostly antigone.

Sophocles’ Antigone (trans. Ruth Fainlight & Robert J. Littman)

& ofc, Catullus 101 (trans. Anne Carson) :)

[catkindness]

разрыв-трава

[valentinsylve]

Thank you for the tag, @wellntruly! Due to the fact that I lived my life as a fool, I didn't write down all the films I watched for the first time in 2024. However, I can post my top nine first watches with little blurbs <3

Hagazussa: A Heathen's Curse (Feigelfeld, 2017) Folk horror film, but the horror really figures most in the isolation of the main character amid the German Alps during the early modern era. Cruelty and ignorance are monsters. Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (Pasolini, 1975) The Girls, Guts, and Giallo podcast patreon tier I'm on has extra screenings, and we were treated to a small antifascist film fest on November 7th. I'd been a bit afraid to watch this, but now I can say that it's the best film I saw all year. Notorious for its relentless depiction of rape, forced coprophagia, and other tortures by a powerful few against a captive group who are systematically and brutally un-personed, it is equally beautiful and important. Quietest, most chilling Carmina Burana jumpscare. This will become a rewatch for me. Straight on till Morning (Collinson, 1972) I love a creepy connection between two deranged freaks who want to live out their childhood fairy tale power fantasies. Salvation! (Beth B, 1987) It's the 80s! Things are zany! Televangelism! Rampant sex! Trash maximalism! Obscure alternative tunes! Viggo Mortenson and Exene Cervenka! The cinematography and design are really fantastic. Ganja & Hess (Gunn, 1973) I watched this twice and it's the kind of material that takes multiple viewings, so we'll be back. Trying to describe this movie is a challenge for me. It is immersive, surreal, political, erotic, existential. Marlene Clark is an utter icon, glamorous, haughty, witty and daring, and when she shows a bit of vulnerability? All those qualities captured my heart completely. She deserved more roles and accolades. The Color Wheel (Ross Perry, 2011) This is a gem. Uncomfortable in many ways -- the brother and sister leads are both obnoxious characters. Their relationship is the point, though, and wow does it pay off. I was deeply moved. The incestuous romance develops with surprising tenderness given how abrasive the duo can be. American Fiction (Jefferson, 2023) I went into this film knowing nothing about it, and it was solidly amazing. Funny and bleak. You get the broken lovingness of families and a scathing satirical treatment of racism in the publishing industry. Design for Living (Lubitsch, 1933) What a romp! Everyone knows about this one on tumblr, because it's a Pre-Code throuple romcom. Delightful chemistry between Frederic March, Miriam Hopkins, and Gary Cooper. Everyone should watch Lubitsch romantic comedies. The Destroying Angel (De Rome, 1976) From the brief age of arthouse hardcore gay pornography, this is a lurid, trippy sex tragedy very loosely based on a tale of terror by Poe. A priest takes leave of his vows to explore his desire for abjection and transcendence through sex with men. He also tries some mushrooms, to varying effects. I found it unsettling and hot. I want a proper recording of it, but have had no luck finding one. If you get the pinklabel streaming service, you can watch it.

This was fun, and now I'm making sure to write down a list as I watch movies in 2025.

I'd love to know what everyone's favorite movies are, blurb or photos not necessary!

I was tagged by @memory-for-trifles for my top first-time watches in 2024 of movies not from 2024, and also by @door for my nine favorite movies of the year, which I am combining to nine non-recent releases. Thank you buddies!!

Also NOT thank you, as it seems I watched 190 new to me, pre-2024 movies last calendar year, and rated fully 45 of them five stars.

....so here is a representative nine categories (blood! tears!!), and then the whole list of older movies that fucking rule.

: :

Powell & Pressburger: A Matter of Life and Death (1946) Pre-Code: Trouble In Paradise (1932) Screwball: It Happened One Night (1934)

Western: Dead Man (1995) Marty: Mean Streets (1973) Agnès: Le Bonheur (1965)

Historical: The Leopard (1963) Satyajit Ray: Pather Panchali (1955) Noir: Out of the Past (1947)

: :

Top 45 Non-2024 Movies I Watched in 2024 [alphabetical]

A Matter of Life and Death (1946) Powell & Pressburger Ace In the Hole (1951), Billy Wilder All About Eve (1950), Joseph L. Mankiewicz Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) John Sturges Daisies (1966) Věra Chytilová Dead Man (1995) Jim Jarmusch Cat People (1942) Jacques Tourneur It Happened One Night (1934) Frank Capra Johnny Guitar (1954) Nicholas Ray La Ronde (1950) Max Ophüls Laura (1944) Otto Preminger Le Bonheur (1965) Agnès Varda Little Women (1994) Gillian Armstrong Mean Streets (1973) Martin Scorsese Metropolitan (1990) Whit Stillman Miracle on 34th Street (1947) George Seaton Nights of Cabiria (1957) Federico Fellini On the Beach (1959) Stanley Kramer Only Angels Have Wings (1939) Howard Hawks Out of the Past (1947) Jacques Tourneur Pather Panchali (1955) Satyajit Ray Queen Christina (1933) Rouben Mamoulian Sunset Boulevard (1950) Billy Wilder The Age of Innocence (1993) Martin Scorsese The Awful Truth (1937) Leo McCarey The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) William Wyler The Big City (1963) Satyajit Ray The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962) Karel Zeman The Heiress (1949) William Wyler The Lady Vanishes (1938) Alfred Hitchcock The Leopard (1963) Luchino Visconti The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927) Alfred Hitchcock The Manchurian Candidate (1962) John Frankenheimer The Philadelphia Story (1940) George Cukor The Red Shoes (1948) Powell & Pressburger The Servant (1963) Joseph Losey The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) John Huston The Wind (1928) Victor Sjöström They Shoot Horses, Don’t They (1969) Sydney Pollack To Be or Not to Be (1942) Ernst Lubitsch Trouble in Paradise (1932) Ernst Lubitsch Ugetsu (1953) Kenji Mizoguchi Wait Until Dark (1967) Terence Young Wings of Desire (1987) Wim Wenders Zodiac (2007) David Fincher

Honorable Mentions

I had technically watched Casablanca (1942) and Brief Encounter (1945) many, many many many years earlier, but I rewatched both of them this past year as an adult, and guess what: five stars

Tagging @passingknightly, @knighthooded, @camestela, @bakingblues, @forshesajollygoodfellow, @alpineshepherdlass, @valentinsylve, and anyone else who enjoys a MOVIE

[manderleyfire]

– What's keeping us apart ain't even real, your daddy, his religion, it's got nothing to do with us. – It's not just his, it's mine too. I've got the same spirit in me, why don't you see that?

Alice Englert and Walton Goggins in Them That Follow (2019), dir. Dan Madison Savage & Brittany Poulton

[vaguely-concerned]

Origins is of course the DA game most closely in conversation with and playing around with Tolkien (right down to the walking talking poetree haha) -- and even more so than most works in the larger western fantasy tradition derived from Tolkien's work that DA:O also hails from and owes a lot of its Stuff to, what makes the game so great to me is that it's doing so very deliberately, and is subverting and deconstructing those tropes and entrenched ideas in some very interesting ways without at all denigrating what it's commenting on. (it doesn't have the almost disdainful undertones of the vein of fantasy that seeks to make the world more 'realistic' ala the more tedious reactions to G.R.R.Martin's work, for example, despite having the darker fantasy bent to it.) among other elements it adopts, what I find the most fascinating is the choice to use the same literary device/conceit Tolkien did in ostensibly only having in-universe biased sources and works to deliver the world through (which I feel is an underappreciated thing about his approach but is part of what makes his world so enduringly compelling and real-feeling -- the feeling of real scholarship devoted/applied to a made-up world. the grounding effect of a good diegetic footnote about source criticism, truly).

many things to be said there, and I'm glad each following game has taken on different perspectives and lenses and traditions to view the world of Thedas through because if you stick with that one too closely for too long I fear we could teeter precariously close to Pratchett's famous and bitingly accurate accusation of most modern fantasy of that era just being about rearranging the furniture in Tolkien's attic lol. and while you could accuse DA2 (my perfect wife who has never done anything wrong in her life to be clear) of many things, that's not one of them, they are pulling on some completely different strings for that one and both the game and DA overall is better for it, to my mind. as so many things in this series: worth staying with and exploring for an installment even if it might get stale if all of it was like this! people are understandably sad about the elements from previous games that they liked which were lost along the way, but that capacity for reinvention is to my mind a huge strength of dragon age as a whole.

(I think Veilguard is coming in as a close second in Tolkien conversation-ness if only in outlining/revealing the worldbuilding that indeed may have been planned since DA:O around the animosity that SHOULD by all rights exist between dwarves and elves in this universe (as per Tolkienesque tradition standards). but doesn't really because you see: politics and the many pitfalls of conservation of knowledge over the ages. our ancestral enmity got semi-intentionally lost between the floorboards of history and you know what. maybe for the best. the humans are already up to so much shit you gotta keep your eyes on them at all times you can't be brawling with each other in the deep roads while they're still around getting up to their nonsense or they'll just pile up even more of it)

[measureyourlifeincake]

my stp brainrot has combined with my casual interest in historical dress youtube and I decided to draw the Princess in a more historically-inspired outfit than her original design

If anyone's curious, her outfit/hairstyle is supposed to be from around 1828 ("around" bc my main reference/inspiration was definitely from 1828 but I had so many tabs open with different inspo images from nearby years and I don't remember which ones I actually used. also did you know it is surprisingly difficult to search for royal portraiture from a specific year) because based on some cursory googling, it seemed a lot of the elements of her canon base dress (off-the-shoulder, sweetheart neckline, poofy sleeves, straight waistline around the natural waist, skirt that isn't super full/poofy) seemed historically plausible for that time period

I also drew her hair in a more historically-accurate style for the period (but don't ask me exactly what's going on there because I'm not entirely sure myself) but I kept her canon tiara because it seemed plausible enough. anyway this was really fun to do!!!

[johnfkennedaddy]

I'm glad you asked! It’s every character.

Kevin’s is the most obvious— his own heartbreak led to cynicism that has reduced wedding culture, and therefor any effort of his job, as exclusively transactional. Which is why the reveal of article is particularly cruel to Jane, who is hyper aware of this attitude and is herself self conscious of her contrasting deep faith in a fairytale love.

Tess clearly had a different relationship to their mom than Jane, given her willingness to alter her wedding dress. Having lost her mom Tess puts a lot of the angst she would probably reserve for her to her older sister. She competes with Jane because she doesn't think she can truly push her away. But because of this she's also terrified of a sudden loss leaving her so anxious to attach to someone she's willing to not only cruelly decieve them but betray vital truths about herself to maintain a relationship with them.

Jane’s ability to look at her life and call herself satisfied has largely been ruled by the faith she developed in love stories— that she would get her happy ending. That means she knows the emotional beats in every love story perfectly and knew exactly how to pull off ruining the rehearsal dinner and ending the relationship. The love that she had for both Tess and George that prevented her from saying anything to begin with, to protect them, should have amounted to wanting to pull them aside privately to tell George he's been deceived, but she in her sense of justice and pursuit of a happy ending drives her to option of nuclear humiliation for two people she does genuinely love.

George’s values depicted in the movie (environmentalism, veganism, humanitarianism) and gentle natures shows us he's extremely conscious of his own ability to do harm that's why for him the cruelty turns inward. He's even, perhaps, a little self isolationing. because why else would a guy like that even be single? he's not unintelligent and knows a lot about his own values and how they are articulated among those who share them— he would know Tess wasn't quite on message. But as shown when George kisses Jane at the end, he too believes in a fairy tale and wants a magic happy ever after and is willing to find it with someone just going through the motions— a cruelty to himself

And that's what you missed on 27 Dresses (2008)

no because I do think that 27 dresses is a movie about the cruelty to which loneliness will drive you but I think the social network is a romantic comedy

[bookshelf-in-progress]

I know you've retold these before, but if you want to do one in the form of a flash fiction... My request would be The Goose Girl or Twelve Dancing Princesses.

I've pondered over a few possibilities for this prompt. This morning, I came up with an idea for a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling that had me bolting out of bed to start writing. I don't know how to end the story, but I like the setup, so for the sake of sharing something, I thought I'd at least share what I have here.

*

The Unseen Soldier

Edmund slipped through the city streets, nimbly dodging around the people who couldn't see him. His pay jingled in his pocket--a gift from a generous shoemaker who'd been grateful for the invisible help--but no one heard. No one looked his way. No one ever did.

At the corner sat a ragged beggar child. Edmund was careful with his money now--he could never be sure of getting more--but he dropped the largest of his coins in her tin cup. She looked up--astonished at the miracle, confused when she couldn't see her benefactor--but didn't meet his gaze.

Edmund always noticed beggars now, after the one who'd cursed him. He'd been young and thoughtless then, newly released from the army with a pocket full of pay. A night in the tavern--celebrating the war's end--ate of most of it, and he stumbled into the streets at sunrise wondering how on earth he could make his money last.

He'd stumbled over the beggar woman, then pretended he didn't hear when she asked for a coin. He had none to spare; he had to look after himself.

Then she proved herself a fairy in disguise and pronounced his doom.

Because you have made yourself blind to the needs of others, this is your curse: to wander the world unseen until you give yourself entire to another.

An unbreakable curse, he'd found--a princess might marry a man sight unseen, but people of his own class liked to see their husbands before they wed.

So he wandered, scrounging where he could (never stealing--a fairy who cursed a man for ignoring a beggar would undoubtedly do much worse to a thief), sometimes doing odd jobs for men willing to arrange his hire and payment by letter. Doing unseen good where possible--at first in the hope that he might be observed by another fairy who'd reward him by lifting the curse, but then because he could--he could see the invisible problems, and give his help without shaming those who received it.

A hardscrabble, desperate life. Sometimes a satisfying one. But--more and more as the years went on--unbearably, unspeakably lonely.

The sun rose higher. The crowds increased. Edmund slipped into the doorway of an abandoned shop and considered waiting out the morning rush. Then he noticed that the entire crowd was drifting in one direction.

This was too much for an invisible man to resist. Edmund drifted at the rear of the crowd until the mass of people pooled around a fountain in the middle of a city square, where stood a royal messenger making a proclamation.

So declared the king: his daughters were wearing through their shoes every night, though the doors of their bedchamber were locked and bolted. The princes set upon the problem had all failed to solve the mystery. So the king decreed that any man who, in three nights' time, could solve the mystery of where the princesses went at night, could have his choice of one to wed.

The crowd gasped. Murmured. Chattered. Shared gossip and rumor. Wondered who'd be daft enough to take the challenge--princess or no, the men who'd tried to solve the mystery before had died.

But at the edge of the crowd, unseen by all, Edmund smiled.

He'd found the way to break his curse.