#I haven't read metamorphosis btw lol

[dorothytheexplorothy]

"this is probably one of those books where everything is a representation of something significant in real life". yup! they're called feelings. the characters have emotions and interactions based on what they experience. those are a metaphor for real life feelings!

you know that dreary, painful, depressing feeling you experienced reading the book? that was you, on some level, engaging in a constructive way with the art. you describe the plot of the book as "pointless" due to the lack of explanation behind events and, perhaps inadvertently, almost juxtapose that with the uncomfortable aspects of dreariness and death; this must've added to your frustration. do you think the author deliberately left the book in this frustrating state, to add to the message? if not, in what ways do you think the "pointlessness" changed the message of the book, and was the intended message hurt by it?

your sense of empathy has sharply noticed that Gregor would probably feel frustrated and confused at having turned into a bug without explanation. in fact, it seems like the way Gregor would feel about his situation is exactly how his family feels about him - now that he's a bug, they eventually came to see his existence as "pointless", leading them to just let him starve. do you think Gregor's family were acting in a fair way towards him? if so, what would Gregor say about that? if not, what should they have done instead, and why? what message can be inferred about the nature of care and love?

the themes of a father complex and the artist's struggle don't resonate with you, and that's ok. and you're right that the novel can be interpreted however you like - no one will stop you! so: when in your life have you felt pointless? have you ever felt frustration at things that are happening to you without explanation, or out of your control? how did you react? what would you do if you suddenly turned into a bug, like Gregor?

you don't have to relate to Gregor's point of view - after all, it seems like it wasn't an easy situation for his family either. how would you personally feel if your son or brother turned into a bug? would you also be scared, or compassionate, or angry? has someone ever inconvenienced you unintentionally? how did that make you feel? how did you react?

anyway. it's ok to not like a novel, whether it's a "classic" or otherwise. the thing is, they seem to think the work didn't engage them, while at the same time describing in detail the ways it affected them emotionally. this suggests to me they don't think their emotional experience "counts" as engaging with a work, which is unfortunate. ironically, this paints a view of the world where their worth is completely determined by externally measurable virtues, like actions and abilities. I'd be curious to hear where their apparent belief that a work should be judged purely on its external events, rather than the internal emotional processes of the characters, originates. if they were suddenly turned into a bug, and had nothing of material use to offer anyone, do they think they'd still deserve to be cared for? I think they would still deserve that. do they feel like there's a sense in which they might one day become "useless", and what kind of feelings does that possibility raise for them?

I think they're really showcasing some impressive emotional perception and literary analysis skills, and I think it's a shame that they don't feel like those skills are valuable - or maybe they don't feel like those skills would be received and validated for their value

goodreads reviewers aren't human

[m00nslippers]

Would you happen to know some fics where Jason got turned into a cute animal(like a puppy or hamster or bunny or anything, mini action-figure sized Jason is great too) Any pairing or gen is good. I don't even know what tag to search lol. Thanks a lot! Just ignore me if you haven't seen them, wouldn't want to take up your time:)

Actually, I do know one!

The Dog Days of Summer by chibi_nightowl, It’s JayTim and Tim and then later Jason, get turned into dogs. The breed Jay turns into isn’t one of the cuter ones but it’s still got a cute dynamic.

I know I read a fic where Dick was turned into a black kitten and Jason adopted him before, and also I know a fic where Tim turns into a tiny dragon, but Jason doesn’t usually end up as a cute animal, sadly, he’s always like…a werewolf or a hell-hound or something. It would be awesome to read a fic where he’s a fluffy fox (a Todd is a male fox, btw)!

If you want to try searching for more fics, on AO3, the tag you might try is ‘Animal Transformation’. That covers pretty much any animal metamorphosis type thing.

[alphonseelriic]

Good week to you Sofia!

I'm so proud of you for doing well on such a hard final and feeling good about it! Congrats! 😄

Omg that sounds like a perfect summer day tbh, being able to hang out outside wayyy late (definitely not enough space for that where I live and neighbors would probably complain 😭 lol!). Please enjoy your pool and family again this year! Do you have any favorite foods, seasonal or otherwise? To fill those long tables I imagine. 😉 Thanks for sharing a bit of your culture!

Omg same tho, I always kinda envied people who knew exactly what they wanted cus I surely did not either lol and kinda stumbled into my field today too, for better or worst lol. But that's great, you took reading and found something you could see yourself doing! As long as your enjoying what you do and have plans for what's next, I think you picked just fine! And oh! Text correcting, that's different!! Feel like I should ask then, what's your favorite book? Any favorite quotes? 👀

Hey, me too about anime fueling me to the manga!! Thats how I got into the few I have read lol. SxF IS SO GOOD, Im also the one who is entirely in love from the anime haha. I'm glad to hear you were able to find such characters to relate to!!

And you have such lovely fav colors too, they really fit with how warm and kind it feels talking to you!! ❤ (sorry these asks are so long btw, trying to cut down 😭 but I love hearing all your responses and have more to say!)

But to ask the importance, which scenes in FMAB, Haikyuu, SxF or MP100 (feel free to pick a few or just one) are your fav? 👀

- Animanga 🎅

Hi hi secret santa 💕 hope you had a great week too!!

Awww tysm for the congrats :') I took my last exam (for the time being) this tuesday and now I'm finally free for a while 😎 feels really rewarding indeed heheheh

Yeah it's honestly a perfect plan for me too!! I understand :/ here we usually choose the house of whoever family member/friend has the most space lol but I'm sure things get harder for people who live in small neighborhoods or apartments 😔

Oh this is a hard question for me bc I love food HAHAHAH I'm pretty sure my favorite christmas meal (more of a snack tho) is panettone, my mom's homemade one with chocolate chips specifically :') Some dishes and snacks from my country that I really like are empanadas (almost any filling, but fried ones with meat are top notch), locro and alfajores :D Other random food I like a lot are ravioli and salami sandwiches (or salami anything tbh). You're welcome!! I love talking about it ❤️ I would also love to know what your favorite foods are!! If you don't mind telling me ;)

Awww thanks so much for the reassuring words!! I honestly really enjoyed going through this path so despite the doubts and insecurities I still don't regret it :') Congrats on finding a field that fits you!! And don't worry about it taking a little longer for you, we all live and discover ourselves at our own paces❣️

Oohhh boy, this is gonna be a long list hahaha Some of my favorite books are:

Pride and prejudice -Jane Austen (I want to read more books from her, haven't had the time yet)

Wuthering Heights -Emily Brontë

Anne of Green Gables / Emily of New Moon -Lucy Maud Montgomery

Howl's moving castle -Diana Wynne Jones (inspired the ghibli film!!)

Lengua madre -María Teresa Andruetto

La sombra del viento -Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Metamorphosis -Franz Kafka

Pax -Sara Pennypacker

Fairy Oak (book saga) -Elisabetta Gnone

The Secret Garden -Frances Hodgson Burnett

These are just a few, I don't have much time to read for myself ever since I started uni unfortunately :( I have to read so much for it that it kinda sucks out all of my will to read in my free time lol

It seems our taste keeps aligning when it comes to anime/manga ;) aww you're so sweet 🥹 talking to you is just as lovely!! I'm so glad to have you as my secret santa 💕 please don't apologize for the length, I love these long messages!!

Oohhh another really interesting question 👀 some of my favs are:

[spoilers below]

FmaB: when Ed comforts Winry after she failed to kill Scar, when Al finally gets the chance to get his body back but has to refuse it bc it's not strong enough to keep fighting for the ones he loves 🥺 Ed and Winry's final scene in the train

Mp100: when Mob helps that girl restore her notebook with the story she wrote, when Mob and Reigen made up after their fight and Mob tells him he's a good person :')

Haikyuu: when Tsuki scores a point against Shiratorizawa, most moments where Hinata gets his crow wings, when Yamaguchi makes a successful serve against Aoba Johsai in S2 (there were probably many more but the show is kind of a blur in my memory rn, I should probably rewatch it someday)

SxF: most shenanigans between Anya and Damian, when the family welcomes Bond for the first time and he finally gets a home, whenever Yor saves Anya from trouble (but honestly I enjoy all the little moments in this show..)

Hope that works!! I can think of more if you want ✨ until next time 😘