#and make it completely beauty and the beast themed bc

[peculiarbeauty]

i so so want to be friends with all of you who play dreamlight valley. <3 i've been struggling to find time in order to visit you guys and your valleys , but if you have dreamlight please please know that i would LOVE so much to visit you !!

[kanghera]

Some completed manhwas that I have read *may contain spoilers*

***I’ll keep editing this post***

My gently raised beast 

Length: 93 chapters + 13 side stories Art: good, one of the best ones Genre: supernatural characters (beast), fantasy, European themed (duke, emperor, princess etc) Recommendation: swoon worthy, good plot and backstory would recommend Notes: initially it can get a little disinteresting as for 30 something chapters the ML and the FL are just young children however the build up is worth it

The tainted half

Length: 40 chapters Art: absolutely beautiful Genre: ancient Korean or Chinese themed, concubines, kings, some supernatural phenomenons, fantasy, contains sexual themes Recommendation: definitely recommend, very unique plot different from typical historical manhwas, also it’s short and easy to follow  Notes: the ML and the antagonist are twin brothers hence they essentially have the same facial features however the hair, plot, direction and dialogue makes them distinct. The ML is also extremely swoon worthy and one the best long haired ones in a while (don’t worry even though they’re twins the antagonist is nothing in comparison)

The double agent 

Length: 73 chapters + 3 side stories  Art: definitely pretty, we love platinum hair MLs Genre: modern historical manhwa, detectives, spies etc. European themed, tragic themes, contains sexual themes  Recommendation: if you enjoy plots with tragedy some action and vague romance, would recommend  Notes: can be disturbing initially, but the conclusion from the MLs pov is beautiful, does contain toxic themes but we love little bit of that, it’s kinda like trust the process but not quite 

Beware the villainess 

Length: 92 chapters + 36 side stories  Art: extremely beautiful, the outfits are amazing and the ML is the best long blue haired in all of manhwas Genre: European themed, transmigration, fantasy, supernatural (wolves?) Recommendation: would recommend for the romance since it’s expressed little but it’s swoon worthy. May become lengthy after a stretch however there is a strong plot that is followed  Notes: one of the reasons I didn’t drop this manhwa was bc it was already completes including the side stories. The only thing motivating me to continue was to see more romance between the ML and FL and also the ML is stunning and down bad. Also there are very few mahwas about wolves or animal transformations so I kept reading this one.  I really wanted some more skin ship but felt like it was too little and expressed too and late.

Love advice from the great Duke of hell

Length: 131 chapters + epilogue + afterwords Art: wasn’t impressed at first but honestly it’s pretty neat for being sketch like and adds to the humour and aesthetic  Genre: the true definition of supernatural meets romance meets comedy. And this shit is funny. Like funny funny. I’ve had to suppress my laughter funny. The plot is unpredictable af.  Recommendation: Highly recommended for all readers. It’s just simply peak in its game. I believe all readers that like action, supernatural (devil, duke, occult etc.) romance and humour will enjoy this  Notes: the only manhwa that I wish I had been following along as the chapters were released usually I like to binge the whole manhwa but this one was honestly a ride with all the cliffhangers strategically put to make to continue scrolling. Also one of the best ending I’ve read extremely unpredictable. One of my most highly recommended manhwas even to new readers. The laughs are amazing.

Him & him & him 

Length: prologue + 16 chapters + 6 side stories Art: it’s good the MLs are cute  Genre: it’s smut, heavily sexual themes, sex partners, threesomes etc. the FL leads a typical office life, reverse harem  Recommendation: if you want some smut with a vague plot, or if you prefer short smut stories Notes: I wanted a better ending, although it remains harem. The smut had a potential to be way more kinky (since I’ve read many more creative ones). Two of the MLs are twins and the other one is their uncle which may sound weird but with the hot art and smut it’s not.

Mythical errand 

Length: prologue + 83 chapters Art: I love it. It’s pretty distinct and unique, the blushes are too cute, and the MLs blushes are 😩 Genre: historical (Korean era), mythical, college students, mythical beings, modern setting, comedic elements and romance  Recommendation: It’s really funny and entertaining, for a person new to webtoons and mythical creatures it’s a fun experience. But if you’re looking for harem ending then I have to reveal that it’s not one. Notes: the first season was amazing I had been obsessed, however it went downhill from then onwards. It’s alright to pick a ML from the two however the ending for the second ML was not satisfactory and it felt rushed and forced. Also the moments with the ML were not enough. In fact I had been thinking of way more creative continuations as I had been waiting for daily pass.  My dear cold blooded king

Length: chapter 0 + 161 chapters + afterword  Art: stunning, the MLs are hot Genre: historical, some action, romance obviously, certain mature themes Recommendation: yes, one of the og emperor trope manhwas. There’s a ML and a second ML and fortunately she ends up with whom I wanted her to. Nota damsel in distress FL  Notes: it’s been too long since I read this, one of the first manhwas I ever read. Was already concluded when I read it so was fun binging though the less interesting chapters quickly 

Rewriting the villainess

Length: 62 chapters + afterword

Art: pretty, the characters are too cute, the only green(?) haired FL manhwa that I know as of now

Genre: Korean school setting, also a little medieval, body switching typa isekai I’m not sure, the FL like switches with a character of the manhwa she wrote, so it’s supernatural, romance and fantasy 

Recommendation: I do recommend reading if you enjoy an average looking FL

Notes: A little different from the plot lines of other villainess manhwas but not too crazy, it’s short, although I didn’t expect how long the manhwa would actually run for as I had been following it (catched up again after skipping a few weeks). I wish they explored the other lead and his attachment to Liza.

Lullaby 

Length: 48 chapters + afterword 

Art: pretty, the FL could have been prettier, her hair seemed almost grey in certain panels, the FL is extremely hot, his facial features are like the typical back haired FL in manhwas (which is one reason why I began reading this) and that panel of him in the traditional Korean clothes is hawt hot (the second reason)

Genre: fantasy, demons, supernatural, ceo, employee, office, romance 

Recommendation: for binge reading some fantasy, could get a little stretchy or rushed at times

Notes: you could totally just binge read the chapters where the ML and FL interact or just scroll to the outfits that I was talking about earlier.

Romantic flow 

Length: 50 chapters

Art: good, very professional, the ML is really fucking hot

Genre: romance, office romance, misunderstandings, ceo, lawyer, contains sexual references

Recommendation: short, easy to follow, recommended if you want some plot with hot ML, or if you like dark straight haired FLs

Notes: I personally only read this for the kissing panels and sexual panels and otherwise just skimmed through the rest

There must be happy endings

Length: 109 chapters + 3 side stories

Art: very beautiful, almost too pretty

Genre: time rewind, married, ceo, company stuff, angst, domestic abuse(only referred)

Recommendation: classic for a time rewind manhwa or if you like pretty art or you if want to read about married leads

Notes: initially began reading this having no idea that it’s a time rewind, I just thought the that the characters were too pretty to be ignored. I especially loved the concept of the möbius strip.

Dahae’s Dream

Length: 34 chapters + authors note

Art: Stunning, the FL could be prettier, but all the MLs are stunning

Genre: (don’t worry there’s one endgame if you’re not into harem), there isn’t an actual reverse harem, she does not sleep with multiple men at once, but she does sleep with them consequently. Its obviously smut, it’s obvious but I didn’t see the genital visuals closely, you know, like the other manhwas. Is a little supernatural. Office romance, there’s also a cafe trope, director trope and celebrity trope.

Recommendation: definitely, it’s super hot and sexy and it’s short, but I feel like the story could have more, like it’s not over yet, we didn’t get enough of the endgame.

Notes: I wish the drawings were more explicit, bc the characters are hot af and it would be better if they had a more defined ending. And of course it’s too short. Like I just binged this in half a day and to immediately write down its review. Other manhwas that ill review in the future are the ones that I read like almost 2 years ago.

[matchadobo]

masterpost

reposting my works WITHOUT CREDIT including edits, colorings/art, and writings are strictly prohibited. full masterlist and rules for requests under the cut.

🌷matchadobo's 500 followers event is OPEN🌷

ordinary requests are closed due to the ongoing event

rules for requests

no yandere tropes or anything violent/abusive

no race specific nor gender specific (in this case, i only write for gn and afab) nor appearance specific nor age specific or generally something-specific SJASDDJSAJ

i can only write for afab readers identifying as she/her and gn readers identifying as they/them as of the moment

no oc

minors should proceed with their own discretion when visiting my blog and giving requests (i am not enabling minors but i also have no control of their content consumption, this is only a warning and a reminder)

not a native english speaker but i am fluent in this language, just don't expect top tier grammar lmao

i mostly write for kidd, but i'm willing to try and write for these characters. these are the only characters i will accept for requests: (these may subject to change)

fantasy tropes are welcomed! i especially love writing for these, you can check my past hcs for reference (although i don't write for hybrids/minks/fishman/furries, it's uncomfortable for me)

smut and/or suggestive themes are also welcomed

i only write from upto 3 characters for each request, you can put more than 3 people in your requests but i will only choose upto 3

KEEP IN MIND

i'm a very selective author so please don't expect for your request/s to be accepted and made, i don't want to get your hopes up. i only pick the ones i like because these are the ones i can give justice to.

i only write for one piece as of the moment. i'm caught up with wano only.

please be patient with me bc i either complete requests very fast (bc i'm probably on vacation that time) or very slow (bc i'm still a student :c). i only do this in my free time and if we have regular school days, there is no free time!!

be respectful and don't spam requests

colorings

sasaki to miyano

kaeya, diluc, and zhongli

dr. vegapunk/york

izou of ringo

why so serious?

the king of the underworld

raitei no yoroi

hibari and kujaku

BEELZEBUB; Hurry... Quickly... Please... Kill me. As brutally... and... as hideously as you can.

QIFREY; o, rushing waves... bring to me the one i seek

hcs and scenarios (NOT UPDATED)

all my writing are catered to fem readers unless mentioned otherwise

KIDD; it all started with a drink

ACE; guitar

KIDD; make me pretty, aye?

KIDD; bet

KIDD; 9 things i hate about you

KIDD; how does eustass kidd propose?

KIDD; kidd as a father

KIDD; coming home to you

KIDD; eustass kidd as a college student

KIDD; 3 times he almost said i love you and 1 time he actually did

SHANKS; bathing with the emperor on a hot summer day🔞

KIDD; beauty & the beast

KIDD; dates with college kidd

BENN; billiards séx🔞

KIDD; the captain has an allergy!

KIDD; the captain's madam🔞

KIDD; the pirate's princess🔞

KIDD; kidd being sweet

KIDD; reconcilation

KIDD; n/sfw alphabet🔞

IZOU; haircare with izou

KONIG; someone to come home to🔞

KIDD; overnight

KIDD; how does he apologize after a petty fight

KIDD; giving him flowers

KIDD; toxic ex

KIDD; doing the shaving for him

KIDD; biker kidd au

KIDD; babysitter🔞

SHANKS; safeword🔞

KIDD; fvck me like you love me🔞

KIDD; calm to his storm

ACE; the way you look tonight

KIDD & KILLER; gifts

KIDD; christmas headcanons

KIDD & KILLER; north blue s/o

KIDD; soft and loving kidd

KIDD; tending to his wounds

KIDD; it's the captain's birthday🔞

KIDD; birthday present🔞

KIDD; runaway princess

KIDD; overheard🔞

KIDD; avenging you

KIDD; festival confession

HANGE ZOË; aphrodisiac🔞

KIDD; pampering kidd after a tired day

KIDD; hockey player kidd x figure skater reader

KIDD; wedding headcanons

KIDD; hey, captain. may i have this dance?

KIDD; picking him up from jail😭

KIDD; getting interrupted🔞

KIDD & KILLER; cuddles

KIDD; how he'll comfort you

KIDD; impatient

KIDD & KILLER; cuddles pt. 2🔞

KIDD; aphrodisiac🔞

KIDD; reuniting with him

KIDD; catching feelings for his fvckbuddy

KIDD; kiss-proof lipstick review

KIDD; misconfession

KIDD & KILLER; kidd walks in on you and killer 🔞

KIDD; what are we? 🔞

KIDD; the boy in a band

KIDD; giggly se*x🔞

🌷matchadobo's 500 followers event🌷(event masterpost)

KIDD; mermaid x pirate KIDD; queen!name x knight captain!kidd 🔞

TBoTE SERIES (hiatus)

intro w/ chapter list

edits/fmvs

KIDD; make way for the king

KÖNIG; der Panzer

LAXUS DREYAR

RWRB; tahanan

playlists

eustass kidd

zosan

shanks

perona

sanji

nico robin

weeb sh!t

opm

[literaticat]

hi jenn! i'm spiraling a bit, because my book includes a myth from my culture that has already been written about in a popular novel in the same age range. it's a completely different book though--setting wise, plot, themes etc. it isn't even a full "retelling" of the myth. i've so far in querying had a decent request rate but now scared the fact that it's the same myth will make an agent not want it? scared too bc it's a non-white myth that i'll be even more tokenized?

You say your book is very different from this other book aside from the fact that the same myth has something to do with it, and I don't really see the problem. If people are familiar with the original myth, or they read that other book and loved it, maybe they will WANT to explore the idea of that myth in a different way. If people don't know the myth or haven't read that book, maybe your book is their introduction to the story, and they will love it, and look, you just introduced new people to a cool mythos!

I'm not saying that it's impossible that an agent would turn it down because of this other book -- I guess it's possible if they are like "eh I didn't really like that other book, meh" or "eh, that book already exists, I don't wanna compete with that" and lump the two of you together. But then that's their short-sightedness, and they are not the right agent for you anyway.

After all, there are several authors all doing "Literary Versions of Greek Myths" as we speak, and that's not only NOT a problem, in fact, the success of Circe and Song of Achilles has made room for all these other books. There are nine bajillion re-imaginings / re-tellings / based-on-lightly / alluded-to-if-you-know-what-you-are-looking-for versions of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast and Pride and Prejudice, etc. Off the top of my head I can think of a dozen examples of each that have been published over the years, and there's no sign that books with those themes will ever STOP being published -- because actually, even though the long-ago source material or the general characters or plot or WHATEVER are familiar to readers, readers LIKE them. Plus, these books are totally different from one another, and that's never been a problem - so this shouldn't be, either!

[interstitties101]

Ok my official dr who specials commentary bc no one asked and that’s why I’m doing it:

Star beast (re-watch already lol)~

They needed to compose proper theme music for this. The themes from the first era were too strong and emotive to skip over for this return - whether they kept the old ones or made new ones, there should’ve been character themes

Not a huge fan of the “whoniverse” thing just bc it gives MCU/DC universe stuff and it would’ve been cool if they did it differently

The floaty “last time on dr who” monologue - I understand why it was necessary for audiences who aren’t familiar with that era but damn they could’ve done it differently. Like tardis/London footage with a voiceover, not a monologue to the camera that felt like a trailer

LOVE the new title sequence. So colorful, beautiful, lovely.

They should’ve had a different way of the dr landing on earth. Also I hated the commercially happy music they used. Ik RTD wanted to bring in that goofiness but it came across more as cheesy bc of the pacing and music and it would’ve been better to have the scene be of tension and confusion - like why did this face come back? Why are the timelines converging? This could be a massive problem. They should’ve started the episode with 14 stepping out of the tardis in London, getting his bearings, and running into Donna [cue title sequence] and then getting into the silliness of it a la S4e1. That pacing would’ve been much punchier imo

Bro needs to commit to buttoning that vest or not ffs!! Donna was right even if she was rude abt it 💅🏽

Establishing the tension from the start also would’ve made the sudden arrival of the spaceship more fitting, less out of place - like heightening the danger rather than splatting it in (yes that’s a word bc I say so)

They should’ve made rose more bonkers given that she’s donna’s daughter… why is she so normal

AGAIN with the music. Be more interesting plz

Love the taxi ride with Shaun. Lmao Nerys mention

Seeing 14 not act just like 10 is So weird for me. Completely appropriate, obviously, but still. I’m like Why Are U Acting Like That Stop It Whats Wrong Ur Acting Weird

Donna is such a great mum.

The kitchen convo is PERFECT, no notes.

Great performance w Donna’s mum. Just the same as always, those two.

Again - it’s so weird that Rose is different from Donna. Like girl why are you not freaking out about this alien and are actively protecting it???

The meep’s dialogue in the alleyway (and later) makes much more sense given the reveal later. Like I was wondering why it was so crazy cheesycutesygoofy… it seemed a bit out of place

Ok the integration of 10’s theme - FANTASTIC. Wish they did much more of that. 👁️👁️

The dr talking to Shirley had so much exposition stuff that I personally think should’ve been at the start somehow. Or j much earlier imo. Like- they should’ve j had this bit earlier instead of the floaty monologue.

Love Shirley’s character btw.

Wish they didn’t have to cram so much stuff into this episode cuz if they were able to slow down the dialogue, it would’ve been so much more emotionally impactful. Like rose and the meep’s dialogue abt feeling alone/an other.

“What the hell” is appropriate, thank you Donna!!!

“YOU… 🤬🤬🤬” “Sylvia!!😙😙😙!” BAHAHHAHAHHA GETTIM

Very good chaos, thank you!!!!!! 😊👍🏽

Wilf!!!!!!!! He loved that man!!!!!!!! He died for that man!!!!!!!!! FUCK!!!!!!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️

The explicit pronouns convo is so funny to me. Get fucked UK terfdom. Love u RTD, absolute icon

The “not today thanks” was so 13 lol loved it

The sonic is so beefed now it’s crazy. But I like it. I didn’t think I would but it’s sick. Love Sylvia’s reaction to it too

Love dt’s little run in place to get the meep moving

Thank you Donna for keeping everyone grounded in reality. “My house!!!!?!???!” Like YEAH HOLY SHIT!!

Sonic screwdriver explanation? Why? 14 needs to take the memory thing more seriously and stop having fun showing off (classic 10) bc it also gives the danger less weight

Shoutout captain Singh I love seeing Indian ppl in dr who nowadays. LONG awaited, much needed.

Passing by the sleeping guy is SO 11/moffat era

Seeing cheesy activities with high budget effects is so weird to me. The effects need to be less good for the whole thing to fit imo lolll

Love 14 being logically ahead of everyone and not telling anyone anything. But also they should’ve given him more “figuring out” shots in the action before the garage scene. Pacing again.

The wig was so random. King of giving no explanation whatsoever before doing things. Also shoutout lighting for making dt look like he has eyeliner on. Cunty. A little sexy for a man in a court wig tbh. I like it

The meep betrayal was THE craziest plot twist. I was NOT expecting that, esp after all the interviews talking abt how cute the meep was from the comics.

Donna is so right to be mad abt not knowing who the dr is. Bro is really edging her memory 😭😂. Wish they had more classic “10 looking sad and conflicted” shots. Would’ve added punch.

Rose is way too calm through all of this. Girl act more scared

The meep is scary fr. Why is everyone so calm - they’re being taken hostage by a rabid chihuahuasquirrelalien. Genuinely they need to look more scared, why are they just standing there looking mildly concerned

There needed to be a slight pause or change in the music to reintroduce Shirley. Reveals like that necessitate some sort of shift in the flow of the backing music. Otherwise her appearance doesn’t seem as surprising and punchy - it’s just like another leaf in the stream

Sylvia is really legging it for an older woman damn. Good for her.

Great slide dt that was sick. 10/14 stays moving so much more athletically than all the other drs fr. And honestly? I soooooo fuck with that. Stunt on em girl

More pacing (time) is again needed for the control room scene. These are phenomenal actors!! Give them time to let their words hit you!!!! Punches don’t mean anything without follow-through so give them room to follow through!!! The pauses between dialogue are clipped. There needs to be no music, just a lot of empty audio space for them to punctuate.

“No you are NOT!!!!! WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE THIS??!!!” and then that sad sad loving look. Ugh. Dt is too good. GIVE HIM MORE TIME!!!!’nn

The winter solider programming is so unserious to me wth. I wish they’d done the physical touch thing instead but whatevs. Also how come it took Donna so long to remember all this shit when it took her like 20 secs to remember it all when the whole master thing was happening? Was it time apart? Getting used to alien stuff over the years?

Donna talking abt her money before anything else is SO funny. Real.

Using the classic 11 music for Donna popping off is like - I missed that theme but she should’ve had smth from s4

The “it’s working!!!!!!!” with the hands in the air is so 11 lmao

Ugh again with the PACING!!!!! THEIR FRIENDSHIP MEANT SO MUCH!!!!! THEY NEEDED SO MUCH MORE TIME TO BE EMOTIONAL TOGETHER!!!!!!! THAT COULDVE BEEN HER FUCKING DYING FR FR AND THEY WERE LIKE “🤷🏽… damn that’s craaaaaaaaazy”

They should’ve had the rose reveal thing running in cuts at the same time as the rest of the scene, not as a quick flashback imo. That would’ve made their explaining everything less cheesy cuz it would’ve felt more like them realizing than them explaining things to us

“Jammy”? Was that a reference I missed or smth? I don’t get why that was in there

The superhero pose at the end with the meep… 🙄 be so fr lol

The music CONTINUES to piss me off

The “male presenting time lord” is so stupid. Isn’t the whole point that gender and sex don’t dictate anything fr, especially belief? Like what if maybe the dr just didn’t get the whole thing abt letting but they did because of perspective differences, not gender differences?? He was a woman like 4 hrs ago!! And the dr, especially 10/14, is known to be a stubborn sonofabitch. It makes more sense to have it be a critique abt his character (which is a classic Donna thing to do) than some weird commentary abt womanhood. But anyway.

Also I’m sorry but rose’s character needed to be much more emotive throughout.

The dr and Donna needed MUCH more of a proper reunion hug processing type beat after she got her memories back.

“But not him” LMAO I know 10s arrogant ass took offense

Love 14 running around the tardis!! but almost wish he was in 13’s so ncuti could get his own experience

THIS is where they need a good hug - “it killed me it killed me it killed me” goddamn it Donna put that mug down and hug him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GIVE THEM TIME TO REUNITE PROPERLY FFS!!!!!!! WHERE WAS THEIR TENROSE REUNION MOMENT????????!!!!!!?

I love how Donna is so serious abt being a mum. Like obvs she would be but I just love seeing that. She always had so much love in her heart, I’m so happy she has a kid

Ok no way a spilled coffee made all that fire be so ffr 🙄❤️

Overall: needed music and pacing adjustments but was otherwise really good!!!! RTD + team will figure it out - I have hope. So happy to see dt and ct together again - I know the next episode with just the two of them is gonna be great. Dt and RTD said it’s gonna be very different from other dr who eps so I’m nervous but also excited!!!!! Ugh so good to see them back when they’re older 🥹❤️ and so happy dr who is being so forward abt trans rep in this political climate. *Really* great storyline too - loved it. Just a shame they couldntve made the episode 1h20m instead so there’d be space for everything.

[ayatoscupid]

💭 ooohh xiao! <3

XIAOOOO oh my god i genuinely think that even up until today, the chasm arc was the most shaken ive EVER felt for any story moment in the game. after that cutscene with him i literally had to stand up and take a walk for 10mins to calm myself down bc i was SOBBING 😭

i think his development is Beautiful and i love how slow it is if that makes sense?? even by the end of the chasm arc he hasnt done a complete 180, but hes making a start to get better n taking that first step forward, and i just love that. i wanna give him a hug so bad n tell him that im so proud of him. hes a very carefully and beautifully written character. writing a character with years long of trauma and self sacrificial tendencies that they need to learn how to heal from can be tricky, but i love his arc so much :( i cant wait to see him again to see how far hes come

his arc (along w/ ganyu’s) actually gave me a LOT of inspiration for xue yin (my oc w/ ayato), bc an overarching theme for the illuminated beasts is them learning how to find new purposes in life beyond their thousand-years long duties n contracts that r done n they dont need to do anymore. i hold every adeptus n yaksha in liyue in my arms. xiao is like a brother to me who im really proud of TT💚

[odrseasonone]

Character Changing Arc

Character Changing Arc

Trifecta

How character views the world

How character views self

Stakes/Motives/What the character wants

Real change occurs when these are no longer compatible w one another and thus something in the trifecta is forced to give way, often the stakes/movite aspect

Because of these shifts the character begins to first make small decisions differently and then big ones differently

Failures make this more convincing on this journey. Multiple facets of the character must change.

Strategies for inspiring this shift of pov: often achieved by either changing the character’s situation completely a la Jaime Lannister, and/or putting them in close proximity with a good influence/inspiration/compelling reason to shift a la Beast from Beauty & the Beast.

STRATEGIES FOR EXECUTION OF CHANGE

Consider 3-act structure for their arc. Place a big decision (often each of these three mirroring one another w a diff decision each time) towards the end of each act with up and down currents steadily in between slowly rising overall towards crescendo. 

For example w a redemption arc (any character can have a redemption arc of sorts btw im not just talking about baddies: whether a redemption from some lil mistake in a good character like evie learning to be less passive, or a more grievous redeption for horrors, like cassius overthrowing the tyrannical government he helped install), perhaps they fail in the first act, then make good, small decisions throughout the second act before failure at its end, and finally succeed in a big decision in the final act, bc it’s the failures that build tension and thus empower the arc by the end.

for a failed redemption arc, (aka when they reach that point where smth in the trifecta has to give way and either the wrong thing gives way or they can’t decide at all a la gollum in ttt or javert in les mis, respectively), consider the thematic purpose bc this can undermine tension and feel hollow if its not underpinned by a theme, like tolkien’s theme or mercy, etc.

When a redemptive arc comes full circle, the character must often make amends. A good strategy for showing this is symmetry and poetic justice. The character makes a decision they never could have made before, reflecting prev flaws or wrongdoings, which is more emotionally resonant bc it shows how far they’ve come and how deeply they now understand the harm they caused in the past.

Mending (or trying to mend) relationships and preventing future harm is a must if the character goes on after the redemption arc/for the arc to not feel hollow. You can’t always undo the wrong you’ve done and sometimes other characters simply can’t forgive but the character must try to make amends. Often the storyline here is structured around who suffers the consequences of the mistakes. A redemption that comes from who was effected most is most satisfying.

Alternately, redemption = death

Pitfalls: a sudden turn face doesn’t necessarily allow the character to grasp the horror and trauma inflicted on others, and sometimes it’s easy to miss whether the character truly regrets what they did in the past.  Sometimes giving their life is seen as the most meaningful thing they can give up in the face of what they’ve done, but if the character dies too suddenly, they escape, or appear to escape, the consequences of facing victims, mending relationships, and dealing w ongoing guilt that showcase a true change of heart.

Strategies: deal w consequences throughout or towards end of arc before dying; giving the death itself that symmetry of opposite choice

[chaos-in-the-making]

What's so good about Thorki and Sessrin? The origins seem sus ngl.

~from a curious Rose and Gear.

This ask seems genuine so I'm gonna put my game face on

Thorki is not for everyone. Legit, it's a ship of problems, an unhealthy codependent relationships, and LOTS of mind fuckery. The shipping relationship between MCU Thor and Loki is a lot of "I would do anything for you" vs "I would destroy the world for you." It's the desperate clinging to each other when even when they are toxic to each other. And in a perfect world (and in lots of aus) they actually work through their issues to make each other better. Basically Thor and Loki bring out the best and the worst of each other, and their bond is deeper than time itself.

I connected hard to Loki upon seeing the first Thor movie, no thanks to a broken eyed British actor who made me FEEL THINGS. And his utter OBSESSION with Thor is just my favorite thing in the whole wide world of fantasy. I won't make excuses for myself, it's what I'm drawn to, and have been into the darker themes of relationships and sex for longer than I care to admit. And yes, part of the appeal is the taboo of incest. Lots of things are sexual deviations because of the nature of taboo. That's why it's a KINK. It's a preference for sexual fantasies that do not relate to the real world. People who call their partners "Daddy" in the bedroom don't really want to fuck their own fathers. Power dynamics is a big turn on for taboo fantasies for people who are into it.

With Thorki, you get a ship that revolves around obsession, both romantic and toxic. And the draw is either tragedy, catharsis, or the relief of watching these fools heal each other. I've read some amazing fics doing just that.

Sessrin is not related in the slightest. Despite the Fandom wank, their relationship is FULLY consensual and reciprocated. I won't go into defending the ship but I'll point out what I love about it.

For context, I watched the original Inuyasha show growing up and I did NOT ship Sesshoumaru and Rin bc Rin was a child. I didn't even really read any of the early Sessrin fics bc I just couldn't imagine little Rin grown up, but I was also a teenager at the time so maybe that was part of it. That and I never imagined we would get a sequel.

Inuyasha is a fairy tale set in Feudal Japan and it has a LOT of fairy tale themes that are both exaggerated and disturbing in many cases. I don't know who started saying this, but Inuyasha was never a kids show and I don't really consider the sequel to be one either.

That being said, you have a heartless immortal who doesn't give a shit about anyone else, will stoop to despicable means in pursuit of power, and is morally gray. All of that changes when he is injured and meets a human child. This human child shows unusual courage and kindness in trying to heal this clearly damaged and dangerous demon. The demon shows a minutia of gentleness towards the child. He doesn't kill her, berate her, or put her down. Her small act of kindness sparks an act of gentleness in him that has never been shown before. Think Beauty and the Beast. It's a tale as old as time! So this demon ends up saving the child's life, even though he doesn't fully understand why, which sets him on a path of self discovery. Sesshoumaru is changed forever because of Rin. Rin is completely devoted to him despite being shunned, abused, and abandoned. I FULLY LOVED THEIR PLATONIC RELATIONSHIP BEFORE I EVER DREAMED OF A SEQUEL

And the reason I ship them romantically now that we have a sequel is because of this. There is literally no one else who has a place in Sesshoumaru's heart and life who is close enough to be intimate with him. He shows no interest in either romantic or sexual relationships. The writers have said that Rin is the ONLY woman possible for Sesshoumaru, because of their deep bond. They are soulmates, your honor!! And honestly they have the healthiest relationship in the entire show. Yes I will provide my thesis if you're willing to sit through a 3 hour lecture.

Big Bad Demon is Soft for Human Wife.

Yeah, it's a good trope. Thanks for listening!! I love talking about my ships 😭

[with-the-same-tattoos]

What are some things you noticed about Grima that you like in particular? Sincerely, someone who also desperately wants to talk about Grima.

GBLESSGBLESSGBLESS u r a blessed being........... ok im gonna ramble for a bit im gonna add some gifs n pics to not make this a complete slob of text bc. Yeah.

I'm gonna clarify that I am talking about Brad Dourifs Grima- I'm not far at all w the books, my opinion may change via them? But i think mr Dourif did a wonderful depiction of him, and I'm. Simply in love.

Starting off w the appearence bcs its defi the easiest to explain....

I do see the bummer notions about ppl calling him ugly and I.... yk, I don't like it, I know my taste in features is kinda off the beaten path, but it still rly bums me out imo hes incredibly beautiful? I loooove the toning of his face- the deadly grey pale is so full of small hints of different tones, the yellowing rot, the reddened flush around his eyes, the blue hues it attracts...... he is like a chameleon.... its v nice... also i like how his skin rests on his face: he is a bit more aged so it isn't as tight anymore, and gives the lovely angles of his chin and jaws even more weight.... i looove his big wet expressionful eyes and i loove his hair its GORGEOUS wet like a fish, he could be a mythical beast from the swamp come to listen to singing. He is SO beautiful. gOD. Also i love his awkward lil posture and expressions.

More on what I like abt his personality tho....

I loved mr Dourifs quote about him being someone who had been bullied & felt lonely, and just wanted to be wanted. I just rbd that one post abt guys who are awkward and resentful/entitled towards women, and tbh Grima feels like one of those- expect i feel like he might not have felt entitled pre-saruman stuff. Ill explain uhh lets see.

This is my reading of him as a character taken from a few hints. It's probably complete shit. Im not good at analysis.

I think a fun thing abt Grima is how emotionally open he is. He is very expressionate, very honest, very bad at hiding his true intentions. Talking about Theodens son- he sounds completely dismissive, as if moving from a subject he doesn't care about, just to break the ice, despite the situation being incredibly grave (lack of empathy), looking at Eowyn (i mean, the bro could have punched him on the spot why would he admit his feelings so openly) and he straight up has a scheming face.... he is a very emotive man for someone who's supposed 2 be slithery and secret-ful, i don't think he is. I actually think it'd be fun if he'd been picked by Theoden for the work of advisor pre-lotr events bc he was so shit at lying and was probs a lot nicer then. Probably very good at noticing little things, he seems fairly anxious (even tho he's bad at hiding his... vibe, hes constantly still planning?) He could tbh be a very good advisor who thinks things through.

I think this heart on your sleeve personality could have been one of the reasons why he felt so outcasted- a lot of people like that, me included, who are very openly emotional and easy to read, are made fun for it bc it is a lot to some?

Aside from people , i guess, making fun of his appearence, which sucks.

The lotr plays with a lot of themes of corruption. There isn't some inherent evil, evil is made n all that. For Grima I see that corrupting push as Saruman etc. He had these bad things inside him, insecurity, hatered, want, but i like to think that because he was originally surrounded by fairly good people, he didn't listen to that side of himself. He could have been in a better enviroment defi, where those feelings could have been mended and worked through, but the corruption spread to him through Saruman, making those selfish, cruel thoughts bubble to the surface, making them overtake him. Not completely, because oh. My. Fucking. God. Look at this shit.

That is not the face of victory, certainty, that is the face of devastation & desperation. HE LOOKS SO FUCKING SAD YO?

"Oh, but you are alone. Who knows what you have spoken to the darkness, alone, in the bitter watches of the night, when all your life seems to shrink, the walls of your bower closing in about you, a hutch to trammel some wild thing in?"

And when your life seems to shrink, the walls of your bower closing in about you, are these not the words of a man who lays awake at night, feeling hot and cold, tight chested, questioning everything, flipping between emotions all of which hurt so bad? Im sorry but LOOK AT HIM HES SO FUCKING SAD STFU HES SO UNSURE OF HIMSELF. He has really bad thoughts and feelings and he has been feeling vindicated for them because someone, the corruption, is finally validating those feelings, but it breaks when he looks in the eyes of the one he loves and ....

I also see it in him after Saruman slaps him. (First of all- that yelp? Screaming.....) since I kinda see him as having gained some kinda validation/comfort from Saruman, even confidence, the expression he makes when he looks back at Saruman is like. So devastating. I like 2 think it was him full of anger after the one person who had made him feel validated/wanted, betrayed him. Would explain also why his flip was so so fast.

I also defi just have this desperation to feel needed & desired, bad mindset born from growing up as the ugly & undesirable person- any kind of show of attraction feels like flattery to me, because im just. Not used to it, I will take anything I get. The way Grima thinks of Eowyn is incredibly unhealthy, but god the way he looks at her? I would just. Do anything if I could have someone look at me like that once in my life. Spin some poetry about how pretty I am. This is like mad unhealthy & im aware of it, but I can't get over it ; . ; his desire is so beautiful to me, esp bc he is so beautiful & so interesting & so.... studyable.... idk how else to explain this.....

Also his hands? So gucci. Wanna hold them.

Anyways this has been page 1 of my 700 page essay, next I will be discussing-

[bthump]

If you could rewrite Berserk (or maybe parts of it), what would you change? I love the way you interpret this story. The way you interpret this work, makes it so much more powerful, than how some other side of the fandom understand it.

thank you so much, i’m glad my interpretations resonate with you!

tbh my ideal version of Berserk is basically a much shorter story that begins with the Black Swordsman arc and ends on this shot:

more specifically I’d open on a similar panel of Guts fighting ghosts, seen far above, and alone. I’d include a version of the Lost Children arc in the Black Swordsman arc after chapter 2, between Snake Baron and Count Slug, also introducing Skull Knight. I’d make some kind of pointed visual comparison between Skull Knight and Vargas, illustrating that they’re both similarly consumed by revenge and cautionary tales for Guts.

This version of Lost Children is even sadder and more depressing - Jill and Rosine’s friendship is highlighted as positive, the scene where they fly together is beautiful and uplifting, and it’s suggested that if Jill did stay with Rosine her influence could remake the creepy Land of the Elves into less of a horror show and more of an actual place of refuge sans monster transformations. Yk, Rosine is open to Jill’s suggestions basically.

Guts still has his humanizing moments with Jill but he’s shown at his most monstrous too when he kills Rosine. Jill returning to her abusive home isn’t uplifting or hopeful, it’s tragic. Guts’ “this is your paradise” bit isn’t an objective statement, it’s a sign of Guts’ depressed cynicism and increasingly monstrous mindset. Oh and despite the Land of Elves being fucked up (in my version it would at least be sliiiiightly less fucked up), Guts destroying it would have some thematic echoes in the destruction of the Hawks. Maybe the raid we see on the Hawks after they’re declared traitors involves a lot more fire and forest burning down. Maybe some of the elf monster kids try to save each other and one of them gets Guts with a thrown knife lol a la Judeau protecting Casca. Idk, something.

Also the Peekaf story is cut, as is Rosine’s tragic flight home, as emotional as it was in the manga. She dies with Jill here. I’m kinda downplaying the dreams as escapes theme wrt Jill’s flight with Rosine and the land of the elves because I don’t think it works in this arc due to, yk, the alternative being abusive homes.

Afterwards ghosts still taunt Guts about becoming like Femto, but without the “your friend” description bc that gives too much away. Skull Knight picks up Rosine’s behelit and has his suggestive “hm this could be Guts eventually” internal monologue even though Guts doesn’t have a behelit yet.

Count Slug arc is essentially the same. I would turn the fetus into some kind of pathetic looking misshapen dog demon (like the Beast of Darkness but in much less cool form, bc that’s essentially what the fetus was before Miura overwrote it) who follows Guts around and reminds him of what he’s in danger of becoming. Guts picking up Slug’s behelit is the last shot before the Golden Age begins.

Theresia is a more angry version of Jill, and they’re both examples of Black Swordsman Guts ruining lives wherever he goes, along with the zombie girl in chapter 2 - it’s all variations on a theme of Guts sort of creating mini versions of himself bc of his traumatized lashing out. Zombie kid is most metaphorical in becoming a monster after listening to Guts’ cynical take on dying by the sword; Jill goes back to her abusive Gambino-esque father when her potential escape, Rosine, is killed; Theresia swears vengeance when Guts kills her father who couldn’t sacrifice her to save himself.

(this mini me thing would parallel Slug and Rosine’s abilities to create their own monsters, btw. Cycle of violence kinda thing.)

Everything else follows the manga up until Guts and Casca start getting romancey. I’d cut that out completely. They can have a burgeoning friendship but there’s no romantic undertones and no sex and no meddling Judeau etc. Casca still fights Guts and stabs him and yells at him about Griff but there’s no sucide attempt. She still confesses to her crush on Griffith because it’s a good griffguts parallel, but definitely doesn’t say she was lying to Guts and herself when she said she wanted to be Griffith’s sword. But I do want that “Griffith’s not a god... and I am a woman” line in there because it’s such a good parallel.

Guts monologues about his newfound dream to Godo in a flashback during the Wyald fight instead, then does the waterfall log thing and breaks several bones, then gets told off by Erika who points out he just wants to fight Zodd again. I’d maybe move some of Godo’s lines about Guts metaphorically being a nicked sword to here too. Also show the dragonslayer leaning up against a wall lol.

Guts still tells Casca at some point that he fully intends to leave again. Maybe during the rescue mission. Because yk we still need that moment where Griffith overhears someone telling Guts to leave.

Finally the last change is that Casca dies with Judeau, Guts manages to survive until Femto wakes up, they have a moment staring each other down, there’s a clear parallel to a moment of Guts’ childhood - I’m thinkin Guts asks “Why?” and there’s a shot of Femto, shadowed so we only see one eye, a la:

Apostles begin to descend on Guts chanting shit like ‘sacrifice’ and ‘ours,’ (comparison to bb!Guts facing down the wolves btw, Guts is resigned) and then Skull Knight appears and rescues him and we get that last shot of Femto.

The End.

The implication is that Guts and Griffith are alone and monstrous without each other, violence begets violence, relationships are a positive contrast to that but they keep fucking those up, etc. There would still be a slight ray of hope though in comparisons to Jill/Rosine and Slug’s inability to sacrifice Theresia, and Femto lowering his hand, showing that, yk, even monsters have potential. It would be a very thin ray though bc Guts killed those monsters lol so the implication would still be that Guts is kind of doomed to roam the world alone with his sword like Skull Knight or Zodd.

Also... I’d fuck around with the world building and astral plane stuff because Guts and Femto being metaphysically separated doesn’t work for this. I want that thin ray of hope even if it necessarily comes to nothing lol, if only because if I was alternate universe Miura I’d want people to write Femto/apostle Guts fanfic. So no mention that the Godhand can only appear when someone uses a behelit, maybe even imply somehow that Femto could show himself to Guts at any time, he’s just snubbing him.

Anyway yeah, ty for asking.

also if you’re interested I once wrote a very long and involved post here about what I’d change if I had free range to adapt Berserk if you want a longer answer with more details that follows the actual story much more closely (including a less involved take on my answer here lol).

[shakespearerants]

For Obscure Asks: 39, 31, 20, 15, 11, 7, 1

39. Earbuds or headphones?

Depends! I love ear buds when I'm travelling bc they don't get in the way as much, headphones when I'm actually listening to music, and neither when I'm really jamming! My good Bose headphones are broken though (a beast chewed the cable. Again. And it's a weird special order cable that I have to get at the electronics store, which I hate, because that place is just one giant sensory overload) so it's ear buds out of necessity :(.

31. How easy is it for you to be honest?

Depends entirely! Most things? Extremely. A few things? Pretty much impossible. Which things? If you ever find out I'll have to have you disappeared :D.

20. Do you believe in god(s)?

Oof. I think the closest I can get to explaining my personal beliefs is the "all gods are the same u just call them by different names" theory only that's...not quite right. Hm. Hmmmmm. I'd maybe say I believe in the divinity of life and leave it at that.

15. Do you prefer space or the ocean?

I really really dislike both. Space makes me claustrophobic (yes, I am aware of the irony) and there was a phase in my life that lasted multiple years where I had reoccurring nightmares (like, at least weekly) about floating on my back in the middle of the ocean, sharks circling under me, and as soon as a moved any part of my body even a millimeter I'd start sinking, but if I didn't move, the sharks would attack me, so I'm not very keen on big bodies of water either. But I'd do a lot to avoid getting shot up multiple kilometers into and beyond the atmosphere in a tin can so. Let's go with the ocean.

11. Vague about your crush(es)

Oh this is a fun one! We have a) the best person you've ever met, absolute angel, smile I could look at till the sun explodes and b) the best person you've ever met, absolute angel, most beautiful hands you've ever seen, only this one hasn't contacted me in over 2 months :).

7. What song is your aesthetic?

@lost-in-the-sorceress once gave me Abertausend Fragen by ASP for a 'songs I think fit you' ask and that's been #Me ever since. Though if I where honest most people upon meeting me would probs either say I Don't Care by Fallout Boy (those are the people who think I'm a narcissistic ass, which is, sadly, a valid interpretation of my outside persona) or Can't Stand It by Never Shout Never (those are the people who are taller than me, which is most everybody).

1. How do you like to dress?

I simultaneously love and hate this question lol. I once described my style as "fuckboy but with one weirdly feminine piece that makes it clear the whole thing is done completely ironically", which made everyone around break out in laughter and then go OMG YEEEEEES so there's that but lately I've been having a small identity crisis over clothes so Who Even Knows Anymore. All I can say is I want an expensive leather jacket and I really don't like figure hugging things, and I don't have enough ugly retro sneakers and I need more jeans jackets. Or jackets in general. I also have a love for black shoes and weird Christmas themed jewellery.

[queenswearpurple]

Leaf made me do it

Leaf @hyperfixations-r-us said it was my turn to interact with people so here goes i guess… (and the person i tag to do this is...@r2-dj im sorry i had no one else to tag plz forgive me)

name/nickname: evie, my real name is not to be shared in this fae realm as it will give the fae control over me and i will never give them that much power 😤, teddy bear/bear, Iva, llama

gender: she/her (oof, in this economy?)

star sign: aquarius

height: 5’8” (it makes leaf angry bc they constantly forget im tall and suddenly they remember and get all mad and i love that i can induce rage in someone simply for being tall 😊)

time: gmt-8

birthday: 23 january (so its almost my birthday, yay.......adulting......)

fav bands: panic! (brendon kinda a dick tho), fall out boy, mcr, TOP, green day, queen, a day to remember, marianas trench, ajr, much more

fav solo artists: hozier, corpse, girl in red, hayley kiyoko, billie eilish, bazzi, post malone (i actually really like his music which is probably a surprise to some people), and many more

song stuck in your head: ...gods...the fucking wii music lives in my head rent free, but there’s also the i wanna be your girlfriend x sweater weather mix

last movie: beauty and the beast (animated version, because i finally have the disney+ password)

last show: crash landing on you (my fam got me hooked on kdramas and guys they’re so good)

when did i create this blog: i created this one after i was permanently locked out of my old ones 🙃 as for the day, nov 20, 2020

last thing googled: wedding boards pinterest (yall ever planned a wedding for fictional characters out of sheer boredom??? anyway i totally say sterek’s wedding would be like a blue/silver color theme bc blue is a color they both share (stiles thinks blue is pretty, dereks got blue beta eyes) and i think silver and blue is a nice color combo for a wedding, and they have a batman topper on their wedding cake)

other blogs: oopslookslikeishipgaystwin, pickosita5, oopslookslikeishipgaysnow (i lost the last 2 😞)

what i post: whatever i see on my dash and reblog, supporting the mutuals

following: 144

followers: 12 for this blog, 16 total

avg hours of sleep: only the weak sleep...and i am weak (id say 7-9ish hours? ive been trying to set up a better sleep schedule)

lucky number: 8

instrument: i know the first 11 notes to Welcome to the Black Parade on keyboard...does that count?

fave food:  👀 👀 👀 you cooking??? (i like any food but mostly hispanic foods bc fuck yeah)

what im i wearing: why you wanna know ;););) (my fall out boy shirt and jeans + hogwarts socks i got for christmas)

dream job: the mysterious author that lives in the lovely cabin at the edge of the woods with a cat and a dog (maybe even a fish) that only comes into the town for groceries and is not known too well by the locals but known well enough that i can greet a few by name and have lovely chats and dinner parties with them so i am not a complete recluse and no one knows what kind of books i write because i use a pen name and not one person, not even my (either male or female) partner who is one of the locals that fell in love with my mysterious aura and visited me enough to break through my shell to get to know the soft, loving part of me, knows what books in my bookshelf are written by me or if i just have them because i’ve read them/keep them for decoration 😏………or i’ll just become a high school english teacher idk 🤔

dream trip: a cabin in the woods during the winter while it’s snowing and we (my significant other and i) can build a fire in the fireplace and snuggle for warmth under the same blanket with the hot chocolate that i learned to make at a young age in the mugs in our hand and the cabin smells like the freshly baked cookies we have in the plate in front of us and we’re in cozy winter sweaters with patterns and the snow is falling outside….i am at peace 🥺😌

nationality: american (derogatory)

fav song: idk man i really vibe with I’m Still Here (Jim’s Theme) by John Rzeznik

last book i read: the tower of nero (dont kill me leaf)

top 3 fictional universes: in no particular order

-Neverland/Wonderland (put together simply bc they’re both part of disney franchise)

-narnia (bc fuck yeah i read the books, the horse and his boy was a personal favorite)

-teen wolf (but the one i created in my head thats just a bunch of found family stuff where the pack is fucking together and happy goddamn it JEFF WHAT THE FUCK YOU SHOULD HAVE MADE THEM HAPPY NOT GIVE THEM TRAUMA)

[savrenim]

I feel like perhaps my problem is that all my stories eventually metamorph into tragedies. No idea what that says about me! Anyways thank you for the advice :)

I think there’s something super valid about that and I’ve noticed it happening a fair bit to me too so more rambles after the cut?

so this one is coming from a very personal place so I suspect it’s very very different for everyone, but as a kid, my absolute favorite story if I’d had to pick one was Lord of the Rings. especially the movies, I was obsessed with the costuming and production values and music and just the immersive nature of it all, it was gorgeous and I loved it and everything about it sorry legit lotr fandom I have not read the silmarillion but the thing that always stuck out the most to me was how real the ending felt, specifically Frodo not feeling like he was able to return to the Shire because he was too different, the world had changed too much for him

and my childhood felt like a constant battle against the forces of Evil that were trying to crush and destroy my world completely, and the degree to which I fought back, I won, I escaped -- suddenly out in the world I no longer had to be constantly fighting (at least against forces that were specifically trying to crush me instead of, like, general capitalism) and I was a bit at a loss. didn’t know what to do. it didn’t feel like it could be over, what was left in the world after years and years of fighting that consumed the entirety of my world, even if it didn’t destroy it completely. 

and I never really found an answer, until taz: balance? which I won’t spoil at all if you’re unfamiliar and it is long and a podcast and seems like it’s just a joke and everything is comedic bit after comedic bit (some somewhat more crass than others, although none crossed a line for me) and then it just hits you with 

and it genuinely broke my heart and pieced it back together again because suddenly it became a story about characters that had gone through a lifetime of constantly fighting against something that felt like the end of the world and then the ending wasn’t “oh. we’ve saved the world but we’ve changed and this is no longer home”, it was “oh, we’ve saved the world and we’ve changed, and we can make this home.”

and that was weirdly life-changing to me to see that in a story, where the main cast after going through hell could happily settle down into a civilian life which while it wasn’t necessarily a fairy-tale “happily ever after” they didn’t have to fight constantly anymore and didn’t need to and it didn’t destroy them so much that they couldn’t live. they rebuilt, and it was beautiful. there are probably parts of me that are never going to not be consciously or subconsciously preparing to be attacked, but that’s okay, I’m okay with that part of me, and I can live in a mostly chill world where I don’t need to fight without cutting that part out of me, because life exists beyond the end of the world.

a lot of the stories that I’ve written or am writing are either directly about or contain characters based on/ settings/ themes/ arcs/ etc of how I feel. sometimes intended to vent, sometimes intended to comfort. when I had a stupidly huge crush on a camp-counselor-turned-mentor at age 14, the plots of the novels that I wanted to write were “dramatic ya protagonist saved the world oh and also they totally do end up with their several-years-older-but-like-not-too-much-older super cool mentor figure. and it’s all okay because that person is there after Defeating The Evil so it’s totally a happily ever after.” when I’d escaped my abusive household but oops things still were falling apart bc mental health, the stories were “the world is ending biblical imagery this time and time exists as a cycle and consistently always ends and ends like this and the story follows the archangels at the end/beginning of the world as they slowly in horror learn that after killing the archdemons they’ve been fighting for all of existence and time turns and begins again and new archangels appear and cast them out of heaven, that they were the archdemons all along, and there is nothing they can do to change a history that is set in stone to repeat itself and they can just watch as they either slowly sink into insanity and lose sentience and become mindless beasts, or lose hope so much that they lose the will to fight back against their fate and decide to make their past/future selves pay and start the apocalypse all over again” or “alternate universe historical cold war with aliens at a science research base where like the first solid half of the story is the families of all the researchers get trapped in their bunker and the air filtration system isn’t working and they suffocate while the researchers outside watch, also everything has been nuked so even if we succeed in calling off the second wave civilization as we know it is over” or there’s not even any plot so I can only describe it as a psychological horror brainwashing dystopia larp where the fundamental horror besides the inherent horror of the octagon house stemmed from the fact that reality itself seemed to be unravelling at the seams, nothing about the world or knowledge about the world could be trusted, even a happy ending barely felt like a victory or an escape bc the characters didn’t know if everything was about to dissolve into nothingness or if their world even really existed 

anyways things got better and my writing is no longer that, although I’m strongly considering one day polishing up and making something of some of those pieces bc they were pretty cool. but also.....my stories are slightly less obvious about it now but still are just dumping grounds for what I’m feeling trash novel started because I went “you know what there’s too much sadness in my life and my DnD campaigns I want a story where the MC is super powerful and badass and nothing bad happens to her and I can rest assured in that fact and, like, build the rest up from there” and Saes ended up being the “hmmm had childhood trauma but chill and over it” character and Luka ended up being the “hmmm what if I was able to actually act on all of the rage that I felt about my situation instead of keeping it diplomatic to my family constantly” I personally find it impossible to write something that I do not personally feel in some way. mostly because writing is a hobby for me to vent emotions? so.... why am I writing it if I don’t personally feel it type deal, and then editing it and balancing it out and turning it into an actual readable story happens afterwards. if you find things are tending towards tragedy, and always tend towards tragedy when you write, my personal advice at least would be either:

(a) lean into it. write tragedy. write at any given time what vents your emotions the most and gives you the most catharsis, and let your story just be a punching bag for anything terrible that you want to unload. bc it’ll feel like that for the readers too, sometimes everything just needs to be horrible and smashed and get it out and let it be that, it’s okay.

(b) convince yourself in your heart of hearts that there is life after trauma. that some things can never be fixed but they can grow and change and work around the broken bits. write everything that makes your story as terrible and as much of a tragedy as you’d planned. and then make it okay to live afterwards. because if there’s one thing that humans are absolutely incredible for being able to do, it’s keep living and keep making life worth living.

you might write totally different than I do in which case this advice might be thoroughly trash in terms of finding inspiration to write something non tragic. and, like, if you do write from your feelings.... current global situation and general hopes for the future in terms of climate change and fascism and plague all feels hopeless kind of for the human race in general? but humans are pretty hard to destroy. as pessimistic as I feel about current trajectory of the world, civilization might collapse in the next hundred or so years, but I don’t think humanity will be gone. and even if it does go, life certainly won’t be gone. hell as a mathematician I know that there is life out there on other planets, that we live in a universe brimming with life; organic molecules form far too easily and there are far too many planets out there for statistically there not to be more. nothing that’s happening right now can touch a universe that is full of life, and I can live day by day making the world maybe a slightly better place for the people around me, and that’s a good a reason to hope as any. 

just.... write for yourself first and foremost, and what’ll come out will be something beautiful and worthwhile. tragedy or no.

[glassandmetalwings]

Wings Talks Manga: A Year in Review, Part 1 (Completed stories)

Last year, I told myself I was going to actually really more manga and watch more anime, because despite it being my main style I hadn’t actually read much in awhile. And I actually managed to get a lot done for one year. So below is a list of stories I read/watched and a few quick thoughts on them. Despite having my list open, I’m still probably not going to get to all of them, but I can try.

Be warned for spoilers.

T.egami Bachi (manga)

I love. Anyone following this tag of mine knows this has been a long journey and that I loved every minute of it. The world is beautiful, the characters are great, the emotions run high...it’s incredibly cathartic and engaging. I will never stop lauding it.

Jiu Jiu (manga)

A short series I picked up from the library that I never really covered, but that I enjoyed. Sometimes it felt a little slow to work through, but it was cute and I got really attached to the characters over five volumes. Like the mangaka, I wish there had been more opportunity to delve deeper into some of the story elements, because especially near the end it got confusing. Also I’m assuming it ended in a poly relationship? The protag grows up and has babies but you can’t really tell which love interest is the father, if either are. They’re all together in the final picture and I support it but it also bugs me bc I am confused.

Dreamin’ Sun (manga)

Mixed feelings on this one. I honestly expected a modern fantasy involving a baku going into this based on the back cover. I was wrong. I was really cute, if not overwhelmingly emotionally frustrating/full of secondhand embarassment at some points. The characters are super well-developed and continue to evolve and grow through the series. I will forever complain about the protag falling in love and centering her life around an adult man, but there were also some very touching elements that I can’t help but remember fondly.

The Wize Wize Beasts of the the Wizarding Wizdoms (manga)

The first of a lot of BL I read this year, which is honestly very new to me. My introduction to Nagabe. I’ve mentioned there’s one story I’m not too fond of, but it could be my interpretation of it. Overall very much loved it and especially love the art style.

K.amisama Kiss (manga)

I series I kind of picked up on a whim and absolutely fell in love with. Cute, funny, touching, well-thought out. There were some elements I didn’t understand (like the end), but my enjoyment overall made up for it. The one thing I wish for was a little more development for some of the minor characters. Also I love Mizuki and his development throughout the series. He makes me emotional.

Our Dining Table (manga)

Another cute, simple love story about two guys making food. I don’t have a whole lot to say about this other than it’s cute and you should read it. Although I obviously have no issues with teenage protags, it was refreshing to have a love story about two working adults that didn’t have to involve sex. Also can totally understand one guy’s aversion to eating with others, even if my own isn’t as severe.

Love on the Other Side (manga)

More Nagabe. Really, really cute. I love the story with the bird (of course). The softness of the stories and Nagabe’s art style really have stolen my heart.

B.lack Butler: Book of Circus (anime)

We all know why I watched this. Sadly the ending is as gruesome as the manga, and the one or two scenes they added didn’t play well on the DVD. But still a delight (up until the end).

The Devil is a Part-Timer (anime)

Interesting. Funny. A good world base, but I feel they could have developed it a little more, and the last episode kind of soured it a little for me because there was no really wrap-up. But I liked the characters and had a lot of fun watching it while crocheting. Wish there was a season two.

The Bride was a Boy (manga)

A brief autobiographical manga about a trans woman, filled with lots of tidbits about transgender individuals and things like HRT. Short, sweet, cute, and full of love and joy. Again, not much to say other than I recommend it.

Fractale (anime)

A lot to process. I think I would need to watch it again to fully wrap my head around it, if not more than once. An interesting world, great character, engaging story, and beautiful animation. Plus just...kinda relevant in a way that’s hard to describe. Think ease of technology verses governmental control via tech. I really loved the episode about the mysterious photographer. Plus I just fell in love with the ending song.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (anime)

Yes, I’d never watched this before. Gonna say, not my favorite Miazaki, but as usual an excellent story with a lot of background and development. And of course I loved the creature design. Glad to finally have it watched, after all these years, but I also can’t help but wonder what the original English release was like, knowing they cut/edited a lot. Because a lot of that violence and death was...kinda necessary to understanding character motives.

H.aibane Renmei (anime)

Again, another series that’s been at the top of my list for forever. I didn’t even have an excuse not to watch is as I own the DVDs. Excellent, and touching, if not cutting a little too close to home at times (like self-harm/BFRB). Really my introduction to ABe, and I have to say I never saw the ending coming. But would definitely watch again and again. Kinda wish I could do a cosplay for this series (I’d probably be Nemu, or one of the masked characters), but I feel like you need a group for it.

G.osick (anime)

I didn’t complete this one, I’m sorry. I think the art is great, and the arcs in concept are amazing...but it falls through in the delivery. The characters don’t really feel like they have driving motives behind their actions, and sometimes the evidence and stuff are things you can’t discern from watching (’I can tell you aren’t the daughter of a coal baron because you walk short distances before turning sharply and walking the other way, like you’re pacing in a small psych ward cell’-yes, that’s a real example). Lots of potential, but not great. Sorry.

Wolf Children (anime)

Very cute. Beautiful anime. I don’t think I can say much about this that hasn’t already been said. My favorite part is the ending where she’s saying goodbye just because of how both painfully and empoweringly emotional it is.

5 Centimeters Per Second (anime)

Not bad, but probably not my favorite. It didn’t help that the version I was watching didn’t translate all of the writing, so I feel like I missed a lot of elements. While the story is definitely a sentiment I can get behind, it was also a little bit unsatisfying for me, especially at the end. But idk, maybe I just don’t like the idea of moving on when there’s the opportunity to not.

Colorful (anime)

It was...a film. About a suicide. Looking back I don’t particularly feel strongly either way about it. I think the ending was good, and giving the protag some sort of motivation, but it took forever to really get to a point where I cared about him (or he seemed to really care about the body he was inhabiting and the person he was trying to be). Some of the stuff was just...uncomfortable. It’s probably worth watching, but overall I wasn’t wowed by it.

Ibistu (manga)

My first shrink-wrapped manga. It ties together very well in the end, and the horror and violence elements did elicit some very visceral reactions in me (particularly the threat of the iron and, later, the staples). The short stories were also good, particularly the doll factory one, but I wasn’t the most fond of the one about the mangaka. Just know there’s a reason it’s shrink-wrapped and it’s not a ‘positive’ one.

A Silent Voice (anime)

Probably one of my favorite films. While I didn’t always understand the motivations behind some of the characters or their actions, it wasn’t in a way that made me uncomfortable like some of the things in Colorful did. It felt more natural for them to be irrational. Again, there is suicide, so be warned if you don’t want to deal with that. But the story is sweet and the characters are amazing. But I also have a weakness for things involving sign language and communication.

Children Who Chase Lost Voices (anime)

Very cool. Beautiful landscapes. Gave me very strong Princess Mononoke vibes at some points, but it also stood as its own story with interesting characters there are elements I wish we could have delved deeper into, though. Also...what war did the teacher fight in? It didn’t look very modern. Also also I will forever wince at the pronunciation of ‘Quetzalcoatl’. Death is a strong theme in it, so be prepared if you watch it.

The Boy and the Beast (anime)

Excellent character design. Excellent story. Excellent animation. My one complaint would be that the climax felt kind of thrown together, even though it tied back to the beginning in a good way. But overall a beautiful world with some great humor and intense elements.

The Garden of Words (anime)

Spoiler: again a story about a kid falling in love with an adult. From a platonic standpoint, the story still feels a little weird, particularly in terms of the woman’s motivations, but looking back her not getting too involved in him missing school...kinda feels like what I would do to, especially in her situation. It’s sweet, though. Maybe it’s just me and my preferences, but some elements feel a bit incomplete, and I wish had been explored/wrapped up.

Summer Wars (anime)

Probably a favorite on the films list. Again, beautiful animation. I’m not going to get over this style. But I especially liked the design of OZ and the excess of blank space in it. Characters were many but great (although I didn’t get the one baseball player was part of the family until almost the end, but that says more about me and paying attention). Even Mom got really engaged in it when I had her watch it with me (I also had her watch Wolf Children, which I thought she would like more, but apparently not). There is a character death, but if you don’t mind that it’s definitely a watch.

Beauty and the Beast Girl (manga)

A cute little story about a blind girl and a dragon girl falling in love-what more could you want? Their histories actually tie together in a really neat way. Honestly my one complaint would be that the ending feels a little too ideal and easily wrapped-up. But sometimes we need things to be that perfect, you know?

P.andora Heart (manga)

The other big story I tackled this year. There were points that were a bit slow/disengaging to me, but overall once I got hooked I really loved it. I think I need a second read to really fully understand it (if that’s possible), but equal parts cute, intense, and bittersweet. Elliot’s whole development was probably my favorite bit.

The God and the Flightless Messenger (manga)

My last story of 2020, and a very cute one at that. Another short story, with beautiful art. I don’t...really know what to say about it. It’s cute, and the love story feels both very natural and almost...secondary? Idk how to describe that. The relationship between the two of them is obviously key, but it’s the type of story where ‘I love you’ isn’t needed. It’s already there.

So yeah, there’s the list. It’s a long list. I probably still missed some. I might try to make a second list with ‘in progress’  series but I’ll be playing that by ear. I’d love to hear some of you all’s thoughts on these stories (if you’ve read/watched them), or which you now want to read/watch!

[ginmo]

I’ve seen people say that while they admit that there are romantic feelings on both sides for JB, they don’t think they’ll ever be together romantically or sexually. Someone said that their relationship is about honour and duty and that Jaime will probably knight Brienne and then return to Cersei (they specified, ‘but as an enemy’). Another said that they prefer for Jaime to be alone if he survives this ordeal bc he needs to heal from his toxic relationship. Can you counter this? :(

Of course I can because that argument completely ignores the point/message of Brienne’s character lol. You cannot read her chapters and come away with that take, unless you truly are dense af. 

I’m going to be linking to some of Chicky’s “organized rants.”

Jaime and Brienne is a love story. (

Their individual character arcs involve honor and duty but there’s also a huge emphasis on love. I don’t know why anti arguments act as if the author is writing just one theme. I would say, “this isn’t a YA series” but even YA novels have more complexity than what people reduce Martin’s writing to.

I mean… love is a central theme to both of their characters. They are both ultimately driven by love, and they both have parallel arcs that juggle the relationship between love and honor, exploring how they relate and interfere. I’m not going to go into much detail though, because it has been done a million times, but I’ll speak a bit about the love aspect. 

Brienne felt unworthy of being a lady because of the mockery she endured as a woman. So, after falling in love with Renly and “the bitter tears she shed the night her king wed Margaery Tyrell,” she left Tarth to be a knight in his KG, because that was the only way she could marry him. Brienne doesn’t reject being a lady because she hates the idea of it, she ran away because she felt she couldn’t be one. She wasn’t willing to settle for some dumbass who treats her like dirt, so she clung to her more masculine traits and used them to get ahead and be beside a man who treated her with respect and kindness. She was… literally introduced to the readers (and viewers of the show) on a romantic rejection plot line…………… 

And yet, when Renly cut away her torn cloak and fastened a rainbow in its place, Brienne of Tarth did not look unfortunate. Her smile lit up her face, and her voice was strong and proud as she said, “My life for yours, Your Grace. From this day on, I am your shield, I swear it by the old gods and the new.” The way she looked at the king—looked down at him, she was a good hand higher, though Renly was near as tall as his brother had been—was painful to see.- ACOK

Brienne was on her feet as well. “Your Grace, give me but a moment to don my mail. You should not be without protection.” King Renly smiled. “If I am not safe in the heart of Lord Caswell’s castle, with my own host around me, one sword will make no matter … not even your sword, Brienne. Sit and eat. If I have need of you, I’ll send for you.” His words seemed to strike the girl harder than any blow she had taken that afternoon. “As you will, Your Grace.” Brienne sat, eyes downcast.- ACOK

Brienne dropped to her knees. “If I must part from Your Grace, grant me the honor of arming you for battle.” Catelyn heard someone snigger behind her. She loves him, poor thing, she thought sadly. She’d play his squire just to touch him, and never care how great a fool they think her. - ACOK

Like Brienne, Jaime left his role as heir out of love, to have a chance to be by Cersei’s side as a member of Robert’s KG. Do I even need to go into Jaime being a serious romantic and love being at his core?

I will quote this tweet from @usefulspinster every time this is brought up because it honestly can’t be put any better. 

“GRRM has a character for who love has been a cruel joke and one that takes love very seriously and pointed them at eachother. If you don’t understand how that’ll play out, I can’t help you.”

And I’m going to say this for the millionth time: 

GRRM literally said his intent with their relationship was to take the traditional format of Beauty and the Beast (A ROMANCE) and switch the roles and genders. 

“But he is subverting it by making it platonic” 

Except… no… because MAKING BATB PLATONIC DEFEATS THE ENTIRE FUCKING POINT. He is subverting it by switching the roles and genders, something that is never explored with this tale. THAT’S subversion. He isn’t changing the theme and message of the tale. FFS, subverting doesn’t mean changing the entire core. 

BatB as platonic DOESN’T WORK. The core of the tale is about being ROMANTICALLY DESIRED AND TRULY LOVED despite your appearance. Not, “you can make a good friend even if your’e ugly! :D” because uh…  when they do form a relationship with someone, they often remain as just friends anyway because of their appearance???? lmfao fuck. 

Brienne’s problem isn’t focused on making friends. She had her father, Catelyn, Pod, even to an extent Hyle. They didn’t look at her and scream and run away, never being friendly. In her POV she isn’t sitting there reflecting on how she is so friendless and all she wants is a bff. You know what’s constantly repeated over and over again in her chapters? Her romantic undesirability because of how ugly she is. Oh wow that sounds kinda like… I DUNNO?! THE CORE OF BATB? 

(Not only that but one of GRRM’s is actually a romantic and one of his favorite fantasies is BatB. He even had a television called BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and he was angry that he had to kill off the woman because it ruined his romance story.)   

Anyone who has read her chapters, and isn’t lying about reading them, can see that she’s head over heels in love with Jaime. 

Now, read the bet and tell me romance isn’t a part of her arc. 

“yet now…” 

We’re hit over the head with it so often that it’s impossible to miss.

People who don’t see the romance arc are either a) choosing not see it because it ruins their headcanons or ships or b) Brienne isn’t the typical character to have a romance arc that’s serious and isn’t there for comedic relief. She’s ugly and a female warrior and people are conditioned to see those types of characters as either love-less out of choice, or having romance not even come up for them. It also plays into the whole “love weakens a strong female character” bullshit, and they don’t even realize that’s what’s happening because for most people it’s unconscious. 

The seeds for the Jaime and Brienne relationship trajectory are found in both of their POV chapters, but at least half of the JB relationship is explored through Brienne’s chapters. The laughable out-of-context meta you see is from antis who have other motives, have lied about reading her POVs carefully because boring, and some even admitted to not reading Brienne’s POVs at all.

[simulacrumcfp]

CALL FOR PAPERS: MYTHS

Two mermaids, from Apocalypse, Prophecy of the Tiburtine Sibyl, Harley MS 4972 f. 20r, 1275-1325.

He placed one hand upon my shoulder and, holding me tight, bared my throat with the other, saying as he did so: “First, a little refreshment to reward my exertions. You may as well be quiet; it is not the first time, or the second, that your veins have appeased my thirst!” 

Lucy’s eyes were unclean […], instead of pure.

Poor Lucy finds herself tainted by the bite of Count Dracula, an aristocratic Transylvanian vampire that is thirsty for blood, out to export his barbaric ways to Victorian England. In his Dracula (1897), Bram Stoker utilises the myth of the vampire to warn the Victorian reader of the Eastern threat, by portraying Eastern Europe as a place of backwardness and barbaric – vampiristic – rituals. Myths about vampires have been around since the medieval period, when they were commonly linked to profanity. Stoker’s Dracula is the resurrection of a mythological figure, one that can be guided in all sorts of directions, for what was once the myth of the undead has come to represent the fears and threats of the time in which they are resurrected. 

Since ancient times, myths have spoken of the how’s and why’s located at the limits of human understanding, designating that place where intellect fails. There, where knowers stop knowing, we story. In The World of Myth (1990) David Leeming writes that ‘human beings have traditionally used stories to describe or explain things they could not otherwise,’ pointing to the timeless human tendency to grapple with the unknown through story. The myth functions as the means by which we relate to the unknown, embodying our wonderings of the worlds beyond human ratio. 

These stories are then conveyed through artworks, literature, history, or religion. Myths, however, do not just function as a source of inspiration for the arts, but often find their origin in art, spreading, evolving, and growing with different art forms and styles. The Venus Anadyomene, for example, first emerged from the sea in the Theogony – a poem by Hesiod from the 8th century BC. This specific depiction of Venus, daughter of Jupiter and Dione, as birthed by the sea was then made famous by the painting by Apelles (4th century BC). Although this painting has long been lost, it was described by Pliny in his Naturalis Historia (1st century AD), which served as an iconological guidebook for artists. From the orators who tell and retell their stories throughout generations, to the poets who write them down, to the sculptors who carve them out, stories are kept alive. To this day, Venus is most commonly known as the goddess who rose from the sea. 

In the Danish fairytale Den Lille Havfrue (1837) by Hans Christian Andersen, sea foam is not where love is born, but where love goes to die. In the Walt Disney adaptation of the fairytale, The Little Mermaid (1989), mermaid princess Ariel, daughter of king Triton, falls in love with a human prince and gives up her tail to be with him. In the original, quite grim, fairytale by Andersen, the little mermaid finds her prince lying with another. She refuses to stab the lovers to death, as her sisters urge her to, and as a result of her broken heart she dissolves in the foam of the waves. 

In Japan, ancient folklore is being retold to a modern audience through the films by Hayao Miyazaki. His Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away, 2001) animates kami, spirits, washing themselves in a bathhouse as a result of pollution and human activity. This mirrors the Shinto belief that both gods and nature have to be respected and kept clean, and serves as a modern warning. Their demonic counterparts, the oni, take form in the character of Yubaba, who is based on the archetype of the mountain witch, or yumuaba. By taking Japanese mythology as a starting point, Miyazaki is able to create a fantasy-scape: a place where the unthinkable becomes possible. 

Perhaps our first association with mythology brings us back to Ancient Greece. But for them, μῦθος simply meant a story – whether a true or false one, gossip, a historical tale or one of faeries, even a dream. Mῦθος and λόγος, two seemingly opposite terms, fantasy and reason, come together in mythology: the analysing and explaining of stories. There are several ways in which a myth can be explained, and therefore one can also speak of several mythologies. In Creative Mythology (1968) for example, American mythologist Joseph Campbell describes how literary figures such as Thomas Mann or James Joyce managed to make themselves into “living myths,” by translating individual experiences through the correct signs. Shakespeare, with his plays, even managed to create myths around historical figures such as King Henry IV, attracting audiences that were eager to learn about history. History has made other figures into myths as well, such as Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, or Marie Antoinnete.  

In his Mythologies (1957) Roland Barthes explains the creation and circulation of myths through signs and language. According to Barthes, myths are a societal necessity created on the basis of contemporary social value systems, whereby myth formation should mainly be seen as a semiological process, partly as an ideological one. In the essay “Myth Today,” Barthes examines French bourgeois myths that are deeply rooted in society, yet often go unnoticed or taken as fact. By deconstructing modern myths that are spread through advertisements and propaganda, Barthes is able to get to the core of the societal value system of his time. Most famously, he deconstructs the myths around France’s two national products: steak frites and red wine. Both serve as metaphors for blood which, in French society, equals vitality and virility, which equals masculinity, which equals superiority. Equating France with steak frites and red wine then means equating France with virility, masculinity, superiority. 

In “The Double Standard of Aging” (1972), Susan Sontag tackles another modern myth that is deeply-rooted in society, concerning women and age. In the essay, she explains how and why women “of a certain age” are deemed physically undesirable, noting that this differentiates per country. She explains that urbanised societies allow two standards of male beauty, the man and the boy, but only one of female beauty: the girl. This societal judgement of beauty mirrors the evolutionary myth that the value of women is based on their ability for procreation. As a woman’s fertility decreases with age, so does her societal worth.

As the myth moves beyond the human, outside the world as we know it, it writes a strange universe.  It points to that which is not completely explainable according to our current structures for categorising the world. The enchanted world of the supernatural, with its gods, witches, and vampires, perhaps writes of a darker, less knowable reality. Their magic, spells, and strange rituals trouble the disenchanted story of Enlightenment, which tells of reason, control, and certainty – a myth in itself. But even though these supernatural entities tell of the incredible and unbelievable, they remain somewhat explainable. Vampires, gods, and witches, for example, are familiar figures based on a set of commonly understood fictions, differing ever so slightly from the human. ‘In many ways, a natural phenomenon such as a black hole is more weird than a vampire,’ writes Mark Fisher in The Weird and The Eerie (2016). We understand where to place and how to interpret the vampire as a fictional entity. A black hole actually exists, yet we do not understand its strange ways of bending space and time. Science Fiction balances on this thin line between fiction and reality. Perhaps the biggest myths, strangest entities, and weirdest monsters are not necessarily found within the fictional realm of the supernatural but right here in ‘the natural.’ 

‘Coral reefs are monsters.’ In the Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet (2017), Anna Tsing equates this natural phenomenon to the supernatural. Like the mythical chimeras of ancient Greece – beasts made up of the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a snake – coral reefs are made of mismatched parts. They embody a strange species encounter as their polyps grow from both animal, plant, and more. Symbiosis, the interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, might point to some monstrous truth essential to our current epoch of living with the world. In all our vulnerable entanglements with more than human life – we humans too are monsters. 

There are literary differences to be found between myths, fairy tales, sagas, lores, fables, and legends. Fairy tales, for example, often take place in a fantastical world, in which magical creatures roam, and battles between Good and Evil take place. Myths, on the other hand, often have a basis in religion and tell stories about gods or divine creators. Both contain supernatural elements, sometimes these have a basis in history, sometimes in religion, and sometimes in fantasy. For this issue of Simulacrum, we have therefore chosen to soften the boundaries between these ways of storytelling, in order to be open to multiple mythologies, their meanings, and interpretations.

Fancy yourself a modern mythologist? Write an article of 1.000, 1.400, or 1.800 words for our upcoming issue, Mythologies. The deadline for first drafts is the 15th of November, 2020. Would you rather write a column, an interview, fiction, poetry, or do you know an artist whose work fits with this theme? Email us at info@simulacrum.nl. Please send articles as .doc or .docx and portfolio’s as PDF.

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CALL FOR PAPERS: Mythologieën

Hij legde een hand op mijn schouder, hield me stevig vast, ontblootte mijn keel met de andere en zei daarbij: ‘Eerst een beetje verfrissing om mijn inspanningen te belonen. U kunt net zo goed stil zijn; het is niet de eerste keer, of de tweede, dat je aderen mijn dorst hebben gestild!’

Lucy’s ogen waren onrein [...], in plaats van puur

Lucy wordt gebeten door de bloeddorstige Graaf Dracula, een aristocratische vampier uit Transsylvanië, die er op uit is om zijn zondige en barbaarse levensstijl naar Victoriaans Engeland over te brengen. In zijn roman Dracula (1897) zet Bram Stoker de mythische vampier in om de Victoriaanse lezers te waarschuwen voor de opkomende ‘dreiging van het Oosten’ door Oost-Europa af te schilderen als een plek van barbaarse – vampiristische – rituelen. Mythes over vampieren gaan al rond sinds de middeleeuwen en werden toen vooral gelinkt aan godslastering. Met Dracula wekt Stoker dit mythologische figuur op uit de dood en blaast deze nieuw leven in. De vampier, eens de mythe van de ondoden, vertegenwoordigt voortaan de angsten en bedreigingen van de tijd waarin ze herrijst.

Sinds de oudheid gaan mythen over het hoe en het waarom. Daarmee bevinden ze zich aan de grenzen van het menselijk begrip – daar waar het intellect faalt, wordt er verhaald. In The World of Myth (1990) schrijft David Leeming dat ‘mensen van oudsher verhalen hebben gebruikt om dingen te beschrijven of uit te leggen die ze zonder niet zouden kunnen,’ duidend op een tijdloze menselijke neiging om door middel van verhaal door het onbekende te navigeren. Zo functioneert de mythe als het middel waarmee we ons verhouden tot het onbekende, en belichaamt deze onze verwondering over de werelden buiten de menselijke ratio.

Deze verhalen leven vervolgens door via de kunst, literatuur, geschiedenis of religie. Mythen gelden echter niet alleen als inspiratiebron voor de kunsten, maar vinden ook vaak hun oorsprong in de kunst, en verspreiden, evolueren en groeien met verschillende kunstvormen en -stijlen mee. Zo verrees de Venus Anadyomene voor het eerst uit de zee in de Theogonie - een gedicht van Hesiodus uit de 8e eeuw BC. Deze specifieke weergave van Venus, dochter van Jupiter en Dione, als geboren uit de zee werd vervolgens beroemd gemaakt door het schilderij van Apelles (4e eeuw BC). Hoewel het schilderij verloren is geraakt, werd de Venus Anadyomene door Plinius beschreven in de Naturalis Historia (1e eeuw AD), dat diende als iconologische handboek voor volgende generaties kunstenaars. Van de redenaars die generaties lang hun verhalen vertellen, tot de dichters die ze opschrijven en de beeldhouwers die ze uithakken, worden verhalen levend gehouden. Zo staat Venus tot op de dag van vandaag bekend als de godin die uit de zee verrees.

In het Deense sprookje Den Lille Havfrue (1837) van Hans Christian Andersen is zeeschuim niet waar de liefde wordt geboren, maar waar liefde sterft. In de Walt Disney-bewerking van het sprookje, De Kleine Zeemeermin (1989), wordt zeemeermin prinses Ariel, dochter van koning Triton, verliefd op een menselijke prins en geeft ze haar schubben op om bij hem te zijn. In de originele, aanzienlijk grimmigere versie van Andersen treft de kleine zeemeermin haar beminde in bed bij een ander aan. Ze weigert de twee geliefden dood te steken, zoals haar zussen haar toe aanzetten, en als gevolg van haar gebroken hart lost ze op in het schuim van de golven.

In Japan wordt oude folklore voorgedragen aan een modern publiek door de films van Hayao Miyazaki. De geanimeerde Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (De reis van Chihiro, 2001) brengt kami, geesten, tot leven. Ten gevolge van menselijke vervuiling moeten de kami zich wassen in badhuizen om zichzelf weer schoon te krijgen. Deze moderne interpretatie weerspiegelt het Shinto-geloof dat zowel goden als de natuur moeten worden gerespecteerd door ze schoon te houden. De demonische tegenhangers, de oni, krijgen vorm in het karakter van Yubaba, die is gebaseerd op het archetype van de bergheks, de yumuaba. Door de Japanse mythologie als uitgangspunt te nemen, is Miyazaki in staat een ‘fantasyscape’ te creëren: een plek waar het ondenkbare mogelijk wordt.

Wellicht brengt een eerste associatie met mythologie ons terug naar de Klassieke Oudheid. Voor de Grieken betekende μῦθος echter simpelweg een verhaal – of dit nu een waar of een onwaar verhaal was; roddels, geschiedenis of een sprookje, zelfs dromen werden gezien als mythe. Mῦθος en λόγος, twee ogenschijnlijk tegengestelde termen, de fantasie en de rede, komen samen in de mythologie: het analyseren en verklaren van verhalen. Er zijn verschillende manieren waarop een mythe verklaard kan worden, en daarom kan er ook sprake zijn van meerdere mythologieën. In Creative Mythology (1968) beschrijft de Amerikaanse mytholoog Joseph Campbell bijvoorbeeld hoe literaire figuren als Thomas Mann of James Joyce erin slaagden om 'levende mythen' van zichzelf te maken door individuele ervaringen met de juiste tekens te vertalen. Shakespeare slaagde er met zijn toneelstukken in mythen te creëren rondom historische figuren zoals koning Hendrik IV, en trok daarmee een publiek aan dat graag over de geschiedenis wilde leren. Zo ook zijn andere figuren zoals Lodewijk XIV, beter bekend als de Zonnekoning, of Marie Antoinette, binnen de historie tot mythen geraakt.

In Mythologies (1975) analyseert Roland Barthes het ontstaan en de circulatie van mythen aan de hand van semiotiek en taal. Volgens Barthes zijn mythen onmisbaar in de maatschappij en baseren zij zich op hedendaagse sociale waardesystemen, waarbij de formatie van de mythe voornamelijk gezien moet worden als een semiologisch process en deels ideologisch. In het essay “Myth Today,” onderzoekt Barthes diepgewortelde Franse mythen die nochtans onopgemerkt blijven of als feit worden beschouwd. Door de deconstructie van moderne mythen, verspreid door reclame en propaganda, komt Barthes tot de kern van zijn eigentijdse sociale waardesysteem. Meest bekend is de deconstructie van de mythe rondom twee nationale Franse producten: biefstuk en rode wijn. Beide dienen als metafoor voor bloed, dat in de Franse maatschappij rijmt met vitaliteit en moed, die rijmen met mannelijkheid, dat rijmt met superioriteit. Het gelijkstellen van Frankrijk aan biefstuk en rode wijn betekent het gelijkstellen van Frankrijk aan moed, mannelijkheid en superioriteit.

In The Double Standard of Aging (1972) pakt Susan Sontag een andere diepgewortelde mythe aan, een omtrent vrouwen en leeftijd. In haar essay zet ze uit een hoe en waarom vrouwen vanaf een bepaalde leeftijd fysiek niet begeerbaar worden geacht, en merkt hierbij op dat dit per land verschilt. Ze legt uit dat verstedelijkte samenlevingen twee normen voor mannelijke schoonheid kennen, die van de man en die van de jongen, en maar een voor vrouwen, die van het meisje. Dit maatschappelijke schoonheidsoordeel weerspiegeld de evolutaire mythe die stelt dat de waarde van een vrouw gelijk staat aan haar voortplantingsvermogen. Net zoals de vruchtbaarheid van een vrouw  verminderd naarmate zij verjaard, verminderd ook haar maatschappelijke waarde. 

Naarmate de mythe de mens passeert, buiten de wereld zoals wij haar kennen treedt, schept ze een vreemd universum. Ze wijst naar dat wat we nog niet kunnen verklaren met onze huidige structuren voor het categoriseren van de wereld. Het betoverde rijk van het bovennatuurlijke, met haar goden, heksen en vampiers, schetst wellicht een donkerdere realiteit die zich minder goed laat kennen. Hun magie, spreuken en vreemde rituelen zetten zich af tegen het onttoverde narratief van de verlichting, welk van rede, controle en verstand spreekt – een mythe an sich. Maar hoewel deze bovennatuurlijke entiteiten verhalen vertellen over het ongelofelijke, blijven ze enigszins verklaarbaar. Vampiers, goden en heksen bijvoorbeeld, zijn vertrouwde figuren gebaseerd op een verzameling van collectieve fictie, die net afwijken van het menselijke. ‘In many ways, a natural phenomenon such as a black hole is more weird than a vampire,’ schreef Mark Fisher in The Weird and the Eerie (2016). We begrijpen hoe we vampiers als fictionele entiteit moeten plaatsen en interpreteren. Zwarte gaten bestaan echter wél, terwijl wij hun vreemde manieren in het buigen van tijd en ruimte niet bevatten. Science-fiction balanceert op deze dunne lijn tussen fictie en realiteit. Misschien zijn de grootste mythen, raarste entiteiten en meest vervreemdende monsters wel niet te vinden in het fictionele landschap van het bovennatuurlijke maar juist pal hier in het ‘natuurlijke.’

‘Coral reefs are monsters.’ In Arts of Living on a Dying Planet (2017), stelt Anna Tsing dit natuurlijke fenomeen gelijk aan het bovennatuurlijke. Zoals de mythische chimeras uit de Griekse oudheid – beesten met het hoofd van een leeuw, het lichaam van een geit en de staart van een slang – bestaan koraalriffen uit mismatched onderdelen. Met hun poliepen die zowel dierlijk als plantaardig kunnen zijn, belichamen ze een vreemde ontmoeting tussen de soorten. Symbiose, de interactie tussen twee verschillende organismen die in nauw contact met elkaar leven, wijzen ons wellicht naar een bepaalde, monsterlijke waarheid die essentieel is aan ons huidige tijdperk van leven met de aarde. In al onze kwetsbare verstrengelingen met meer dan menselijk leven, zijn ook wij mensen monsters.

Er zijn literaire verschillen te vinden tussen mythen, sprookjes, sagen, fabels en legenden. Sprookjes, bijvoorbeeld, vinden vaak plaats in een fantasiewereld, waar magische figuren rondzwerven en een strijd tussen goed en kwaad plaatsvindt. Mythes, aan de andere kant, vinden vaak hun oorsprong in religie en vertellen over goden en hemelse scheppers. Beiden bevatten bovennatuurlijke elementen. Soms ligt de basis daarvan in geschiedenis, soms in religie, soms in fantasie. Voor deze uitgave van Simulacrum hebben we er daarom voor gekozen de grenzen tussen deze literaire genres te vervagen, om ons open te stellen voor verschillende mythologieën, hun betekenissen en interpretaties.

Waan je jezelf een moderne mytholoog? Schrijf een artikel van 1.000, 1.400 of 1.800 woorden voor ons komende nummer Mythologieën. De deadline voor de eerste versies is op 15 november 2020. Schrijf je liever een column, interview, fictie of poëzie, of ken je een kunstenaar wiens werk in dit thema ligt? Email naar info@simulacrum.nl. Voeg artikelen s.v.p. bij als .doc of .docx en portfolio’s als PDF.