#hamartia? check.

[astrarche-x]

obsessed with the fact that Ouyang's story is literally ancient greek level of tragedy

[traggalicious]

Help me name a character I'm workin on!!

@newtxoxo

[heartbreakprincewille]

Masculinity In Young Royals

So, in honour of Ke Huy Quan and the team of Everything Everywhere All At Once sweeping the Oscars(been crying about it since morning), I was watching this BRILLIANT video essay(check it out it's so well thought out!) about Waymond(Ke's character) and this gave me thoughts about Young Royals as well, because hyperfixations go hand-in-hand, right? :)

Masculinity, and especially different portrayals and aspects of its prevalent notions is a theme brilliantly explored in the two seasons of Young Royals. I wanted to talk about some characters, and this list will progress from worse to better(not using the word perfect because nuance > perfection).

Note: The traits I will discuss further are not restricted to just a cis or male perspective, anyone can exhibit these traits, but since assertion of masculinity is a constant spectacle in Young Royals, I will associate some traits with it.

1. Vincent

Vincent, especially in S2, embodies the worst traits on the masculinity spectrum, and since his character is understandably not offered the privilege of nuance, he comes off as this typical, toxic, sort of "alpha-male" character, especially after he's elected as the prefect and Rowing Captain. He constantly bullies others, especially Simon, tries to enforce the hierarchy of privilege and class firstly through August and then by himself. As soon as he sees an opportunity shown by Wilhelm to take control in his hands, he doesn't take much time to betray his "friend", August(although August of all people getting betrayed is certainly irony at its best). He kinda reminds me of the Royal Court in some ways- their presence furthering the divide of tradition and social systems in their respective environments.

2. August

The only reason August is not placed higher than Vincent in this list is the privilege of nuance August is provided with throughout the story. This nuance is what sets him apart in the narrative, but is also the thing which dooms him as a character.

August is misogynistic, sexist, classist, obsessed with power and privilege and feels entitled to both of them, set to further the class divide just like Vincent. He stokes his ego like fire, and if someone tries to cross him, he does not hesitate to burn them with the flames, like Wilhelm exposing his money issues and August violating Wilhelm and Simon's privacy in return. He's manipulative, he's calculative, he knows how to scheme things in his favour(failed attempts, though) and he's just a walking red flag of a person. He also falls around the worse side of the spectrum of masculinity.

But, he is offered nuance by the narrative. In S1, it's in the form of familial and personal issues: his dad killing himself, financial problems, addiction issues and possible issues of body dysmorphia. In S2, through his relationship with Sara, we are shown a different side of him- a side that is capable of being vulnerable, capable of being soft, and this almost sparks this hope within the audience that maybe August can change a little, for the better.

But then he's offered a chance of power and his hamartia is revealed to the audience: his inability to change. The greatest tragedy (which is also its brilliance) with August's character is he cannot change for the better. Even if he tries to. He can have opprtunities to grow, but it will be a Herculean labour for him to take advantage of those opportunities and actually change. He is so deeply entrenched in his perceptions of toxic masculinity and power and lost in his conceited, privileged worldview that it's quite hard for him to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And it's what sets him apart in the narrative- despite all his nuance, he is still a terrible person at his core. The nuance is just what separates him from all his shallow and one-dimensional preceding antagonists of the past.

3. Nils

Nils brings a neutral perspective to the extreme hyper-masculine and cishet dynamics upheld by August and Vincent. He's revealed to be queer in S2, but chooses to be discreet about it- which gives him a chance to build solidarity with both his cishet peers(Vincent and August) as well as a fellow queer person (Wille). He's not dismissive of Wilhelm's queerness, but he believes it to be something "better behind close doors". He's one of the few people who actually acknowledges Wilhelm and Simon's relationship, but is also dismissive of it, mainly because of the difference in their social standings. He's devoid of the typical "heteronormative" traits associated with masculinity, especially in S2, but he still uphelds the toxic class hierarchy and privilege.

4. Simon

Simon is a quite interesting character to me on this list because he subverts these traits in a very unique way.

Usually canonically gay characters in media are often stereotyped to possess "feminine" traits, which is NOT a bad thing at all, BUT mostly the portrayal of such characters usually leans more towards the mockery of the "feminine" traits, rather than something which strengthens the queerness of that character.

Simon is actually very different from this famous rendition of gay characters- he's actually very masculine in his behaviour. He exhibits two typical masculine behaviours in general:

1. "Man Of The House", or taking the mantle of emotional(and sometimes financial) stability in a house in one's own hands. He often takes matters in his own hand, especially when Sara says or does something that disrupts the peace of their little family. It's interesting because despite being the youngest person in the family, Linda subconsciously lets him take the mantle on his shoulders, without realizing how heavy it can be. And consequenty, it brings us down to the second trait:

2. "Suppressing emotions", or avoiding being vulnerable in public spaces or with people one loves and trusts. Simon constantly shoves what he's feeling deep in his heart, he refuses to break open in front of people, in front of Wille(S2 E6 gun scene) and would go to lengths to maintain a facade of "everything's fine!" even if he's breaking inside. It makes sense because his backstory alludes to hesitation to open up to people and it can be possibly related to his familial trauma, but it's still interesting nevertheless because he shows incredible emotional maturity throughout the story, much more than his predecessors on this list. He's devoid of both the toxic traits of heteronormativity and elitist behaviour associated with "masculinity" in Young Royals, but he still possesses a different set of problems associated with orthodox masculinity.

5. Wilhelm

Wilhelm is, in my opinion, the closest example to what is emerging as the new definition of "masculinity" in the current media. Wilhelm, through his immense emotional journey and growth in the two seasons, subverts all the traits of masculinity displayed by his predecessors in the list with grace and humility.

He's not obsessed with upholding traditions and asserting heteronormativity like Vincent and August, he is quite indifferent to it in S1, the only "compulsion" he feels to do so is immediately after Erik's death in S1, which he quickly overcomes as well. His "revenge" attempts on August by pulling rank and exercising his privilege stems from a feeling of injustice and anger rather than something he enjoys or feels the need to practice at all.

August's hamartia is Wilhelm's strength. Wilhelm, unlike August, displays great capacity to change for the better, which he constantly does throughout the story. Love knocks on both of their doors as an opportunity to grow, to change for the better, and while Wilhelm embraces it, August slaps the door shut on its face.

Unlike Nils, neither Wilhelm's queerness was never given a chance to be discreet in the first place, nor he ever felt the need to do so. The idea of keeping his and Simon's relationship a secret was more of an idea subconsciously conceived by Kristina in Wilhelm's head rather than his own desire to be secretive.

Wilhelm even subverts the traits displayed by Simon in this regard- the position of the "Man Of The House" falls on him in the form of "Crown Prince of Sweden", and although he understandably struggles with the role initially, by the end of S2, he consciously embraces the role with grace and humility. Compared to Simon, Wilhelm wears his heart on his sleeve, he is not afraid to express his true emotions to the people he love and trusts, and even to strangers.

[live-from-flaturn]

Here's How Kim Theerapanyakul Qualifies as a Greek Tragic Hero:

I accidentally came up with this thesis statement while chatting with @shou-jpeg (as per usual) and they encouraged me to expand on it... so here's the outcome of my academic fandom ramblings!

From page 17 of “The Poetics of Aristotle”, as translated by S.H. Butcher:

1. A perfect tragedy should, as we have seen, be arranged not on the simple but on the complex plan. It should, moreover, imitate actions which excite pity and fear, this being the distinctive mark of tragic imitation. It follows plainly… that the change of fortune presented must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity: for this moves neither pity nor fear; it merely shocks us.

Layman's Translation: The perfect tragedy is complicated. No matter what story is used, the main emotional payout should be pity and fear for the Hero. In order to achieve this, you cannot simply punish a good man for no reason. Shock will not induce catharsis [emotional release].

2. Nor, again, that of a bad man passing from adversity to prosperity: for nothing can be more alien to the spirit of Tragedy; it possesses no single tragic quality; it neither satisfies the moral sense nor calls forth pity or fear. 

Layman's Translation: A bad man cannot receive good fortune. That goes against the entire point of tragedy and will only frustrate the audience further. 

3. Nor, again, should the downfall of the utter villain be exhibited. A plot of this kind would, doubtless, satisfy the moral sense, but it would inspire neither pity nor fear; for pity is aroused by unmerited misfortune, fear by the misfortune of a man like ourselves. Such an event, therefore, will be neither pitiful nor terrible.

Layman's Translation: The story cannot end with the downfall of an obvious villain. It satisfies the audience’s desire for justice but doesn’t leave them pitying the Hero or fearing the story’s eventual outcome. Once again, this ending would be void of catharsis/emotional release.

4. There remains, then, the character between these two extremes,—that of a man who is not eminently good and just,- yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty. He must be one who is highly renowned and prosperous,—a personage like Oedipus, Thyestes, or other illustrious men of such families.

Layman's Translation: 

A good Tragic Hero must: 

Be royalty or nobility (he might also come from a well-known or wealthy family).

Be morally grey (if he is too Good or too Bad it will prevent the audience from projecting onto him and achieving catharsis). 

Cause his own downfall or “catastrophe” by making a mistake (an extension of his Hamartia, or “error” / ”inherent flaw”).

So how does Kim fulfill the requirements of a Tragic Hero?

He is from a well-known family and has an image to keep in check. Because of his role as Wik/an idol, Kim must present himself as a kind or at least pleasant person to the general public. Much like Oedipus or Electra, Kim has an outward persona whose specific responsibilities play a role in his fall to hubris. 

a. As Kimhan Theerapanyakul he is required to do his father’s bidding on some level. We know he’s at least somewhat beholden to Korn from the scene with Tankhun screaming, “I don’t know where they [Porsche and Chay] have gone!”

2. Does it get any more morally grey than a guy willing to kill a dozen men in cold blood (with his bare hands) to protect his pseudo-ex-boyfriend? Or date an underclassman fanboy only to commit minor felonies against him/his family? Or go against his father (rebellion against the family is a BIG no-no in Greek Tragedy!!!) and attempt to escape the fate of his bloodline? 

3. I doubt this part really needs explaining… But trying to protect Chay by lying to his face and destroying their relationship, only to turn around and beg for Chay’s forgiveness via blatant musical plagiarism, is probably Hamartia at its finest.

4. It's Kim! He is "a man who is not eminently good and just,- yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty". His greatest loss is brought about by his own poor decision making and furious need for freedom/independence. His determined self-flagellation only ever hurts the people around him while we as the audience scream for him to stop. He qualifies for the Tragic Sadboy Squad!

[wisecrackingeric-2]

When Luis gets shot in a duel with Krauser for a hefty bounty, Leon thinks the man he fell in love with is dead forever. But months later when a mysterious masked rider with an awfully similar stride to his old lover shows up, Leon can’t help but let his mind wander….

((For some context, this is apart of an AU between @mooseonahunt , @hamartia-grander and I!!!!!!!! If you wanna know more abt the story check out the ‘Cowboy AU’ tag on my page!!!!!!))

[trans-luis-serra-navarro]

I remember there was a headcanon about Luis attending a school that had secret connections with Umbrella. Now I can't help but think if Leon and Luis have a kid, they would do extensive background checks on schools their kid would attend, because they'll want to make sure none of those schools were associated with Umbrella/have ties to corrupt companies/organizations.

Thank you so much for sending in an ask!!!!!!! But yesyesyesyesyes I know the headcannon you’re talking about!!!!!! From memory I think either @geddy-leesbian or @hamartia-grander made some pretty extensive posts going into this idea??? Either way its really fascinating to think about!!!!

For those of you who don’t know, the headcannon/theory basically revolves around the fact that Luis was able to graduate school seemingly pretty quickly/was considered a ‘child prodigy’, and that in-universe theres a few characters who attended schools created specifically by Umbrella to essentially indoctrinate them; one of the most notable being the Umbrella Executive Training School that William and Wesker attended.

Umbrella has a few random facilities like this (like the Rockford Prison) And considering the fact that Europe seemed to be a relatively big hub for Umbrella, it DEFINITELY wouldn’t be much of a stretch to say that they’d have a similar school with the intent of training/indoctrinating ‘child prodigies’ to work for them in the future, and it’d be even less pf a stretch to assume that Luis, who came from a VERY sheltered religious background, would be a very easy subject to pick (cuz! yippee!! capitalist grooming am i right or am i right!!) It’d also absolutely lend a hand to why Luis grabbed as many items as he could and just BOOKED IT immediately after finding out what their plans for Nemesis REALLY were (I could talk about that part of his life/that realisation for HOURS oh my GOD)

EDIT I FORGOT TO ADD: Umbrella on some level does work quite like a cult. I’ll link a post that does a MUCH better job explaining it than I could in the replies of this post, but creating facilities for the sole purpose of indoctrinating already vulnerable young people into being on board with your project and isolating them from friends and family is like. Cult behaviour 101 BFNEHENDJDJ which is VERY painful to think about how Luis got roped into cults THREE times. Valdelobos before Saddler showed up wasn’t EXPLICITLY a cult, but considering it was isolated from modern society and heavily Catholic theres a strong argument to be made- then of course theres Umbrella- then of course he was blackmailed into working with Los Illuminados. I’ll make a post going deeper into that SOMEDAY, but like,,,, just the tragedy of his life being one big cycle he cant break is just. So devastating man are you KIDDING ME

I’m not like. SUUUUUPER knowledgeable on super obscure lore stuff like locations/facilities etc, so if you have a question about that specifically @highball66 would probably be a better person to ask!!!!

But again we know like. NOTHING about the inbetween time between Luis running away from Valdelobos as a child and him popping up as one of Umbrella’s top scientists other than the fact that he was a child prodigy and he excelled in college- hell even the dates/ages get kinda wonky at times BHFNEHENEUDNSIS but also this is Resident Evil where things get wonky a lot of the time so!!! Eh!!!!!!!

I have my own personal theory on what he did during that time inbetween I would be SO MORE THAN HAPPY to ramble about HDNEHENDJDN

BUT TO THE POINT OF YOUR QUESTION!!! YES!!!!!!!! ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!! Plus just in general with Leon having a lot more enemies than friends, doing background checks on teachers or whatever would probably seem like paranoia to an outsider but to them?????? Nah you can NEVER be safe. Plus Leon’s like, a government agent- he obviously doesn’t have a TON of autonomy but I can imagine he at least has SOME power to dig up information on people. AND, the both of them literally went through hell and back to save Ashley, who was kidnapped right under the presidents nose- So like!! Hell yeah they’d be paranoid abt where their kids going man!!!!!!!! Rightfully so I think!!!

[spiderlilac]

really loving your work, i think you're a great writer. i hope the stupidity of the fandom recently hasn't bothered you too much!

i was wondering if you have any favourite fics that you've read?

thank you!!!! 🥰🥰🥰 dw i’m fine. i don’t care for opinions i never requested lmao

i do ! i usually have terrible memory, so i had to go around my ao3 bookmarks and check the stuff i was obsessed with at some point.

Fimmine by Mitilene is a spanish lucemond work that has been a personal favorite for a very long time. i love love love it. idk if you speak spanish but if you do, this one is a must read.

in english, i love Rub rabbit (run, run, run) by sleepingcowie, Unequal Marriage by saintdreamofrustyashes, You are glory (I am shame) by lucerile, Nothing Hurts by mynameisdrella and all works by my friend As_High_As_Honour. Silver Lining and Misbehaving for Days are just some highlights.

and of course as i’ve said before, anything @goodbadbaby is a favorite of mine too; i would say hamartia and watch you sweat are just immaculate lucemond flavors for me!!!!! yum

winterandplums’ work in the omega aemond tag on ao3 is a huuuuuge favorite too. bastard, pact and lovely are soooooo good. just good old a/b/o angst! and on the same note, Blood in the Cut and Lady Belladonna by wobuzhidao322.

also i need to mention kisses by the coral, under the sea by rebldomakr because because i just read it and i am. OBSESSED. like ……

i could mention more but yes the post would be too long lmao. those are just some of my absolute favs :)

[bbnibini]

"You found me."

Click here for a "secret" :0 (password is the "usual"--no spaces, lowercase)

(c) commissioned from Airin/twitter! Check her out! She's awesome~ c:

Read my longfic series/Hamartia here! It also has a prequel spinoff! Read Ode to a Lily here

[bizlybebo]

WHQT THECFUCK I WAS ANSWERING AN ASK N SAVED IT 2 DRAFTS TO DOUBLE CHECK SOMETHING I WROTE IN HAMARTIA N IT DISAPEPARED. GONE. BLASTED TO SMIRTJEREEMS

[mooseonahunt]

I'm sharing this on its own, but please check out this post for the context and for the amazing contributions by really cool users like @nock-and-bolt and @hamartia-grander (really hope y'all don't mind being tagged)

[negrowhat]

Hi, I read a book recently, and despite never having spoken to you, I immediately thought you might be interested. It's Hamartia by Scarlett Drake. No pressure at all but if you check it out please let me know your every thought.

I mean...I can honestly see why you thought of me lmao. This is right up my alley. 👀👀👀

[samuhelll]

@prvtocol (continued from here)

“Love is all you need…” He rumbles it to himself. Then, he glows. “Says who?”

The nihilist in Sam does not subscribe to love as life’s panacea, as if a human with their own Matryoshka doll of flaws and unresolved trauma could, indubitably, fix it all.

But God bless, there’s something in Sam that keens for it. So every night he will crawl into bed with a woman with whom he can form a tightly wound Möbius strip, her tattooed arms around him dispelling his one great hamartia: the belief that he’s not enough. She will coddle him until the sun begins its slow, inevitable ascent.

She will make him whole. And he will sleep.

“Gotta say... very you.” He said it with a gravel and a smile, his eyes blue like Listerine strips. He flips his hand over the table. “So— Perfect job, six Gs—minus the- Al Capone business,” he tacks on, shimmying his hand around. “Multi-million dollar home with a seaside view... And check it out,” he says. “Smart and beautiful.”

He spreads his hands out to her. Lightning bolts. Love isn’t enough to make your life what you want it to be, only she already has the money. The job. The home.

His gold band glints, and he throws a hazard guess. “Don’t tell me: trouble in paradise.”

[second-wife-playbook]

Hamartia (Unusual words meme)

What is their worst character flaw that they themselves don't recognize?

As someone who grapples with the weight of her flaws, and who feels she's made up of nothing but shortcomings, Coronis seems to falter at weighing the opinions of others against their intentions.

By which I mean, she scarcely seems to realize that all these faults people claim she has are more or less projections used to flatter or improve their self image while also keeping Cori in check.

If Coronis were to take the time to step back and properly reflect, she'd understand that it's all a lie.

[kingflups]

For the writer's ask game:

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

I'm 11. I'm chronically on DeviantArt and incredibly obsessed with transformers animated. Someone made a Warrior cats au and it blew my little mind. I didn't know people could do that??? I got crazy into crossovers after that, I'm pretty sure my first fic was a pokemon/transformers au. I can't be 100% sure, I purged most of the fics off my DA in early high school and my parents old computer is *super* toast, so most of my og fics are lost to time

🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

7. Like a solid 7. No. No that's a lie. Like a 6. It's fine. I enjoy it but trying to get into the mood to edit is a lot harder than getting into the mood to write. Once I hit a stride it fucking rocks tho

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

I read The Snack Exchange Market is Crashing by JeromeSankara recently and it made me cry in real life. Very good, I really liked it. Banger, very Leon Kennedy heavy, absolutely wonderful.

Speaking of fics that made me cry like a little bitch, Hold on Till May by acethedisgrace ruined my whole day! In a good way, I'm still haunted by this fic. It's so sad! It's so heartbreaking and so good and everything was so close to working out.... this ones for the tragedy enjoyers. Very good, I'm not usually a fan of major character death but this was so fucking good.

If you like monster au's like I do, Simulation Swarm by Alviva (AlvivaChaser) and Mouth of the Devil by SealedSalt are both absolutely wonderful. I personally adore fics where losing your humanity becomes a *physical* problem as well as a mental one, fucking!!! It's fun, I adore it, these are both great <33

If you like the show supernatural and enjoy weird stuff with time!!!! GO READ there's no cell service in the afterlife by screamsintothesun!!! It's so fucking good!!!!!

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

THIRD LOCATION. You have to get a third location. This was actually given to me as mental health advice but it works for me. The thinking is everyone should have *at least* three locations in their lives; While I was in college it was my apartment, the library, work and a friends place. When I moved after that, I struggled between my apartment and just having work (I didn't know anyone in the area at the time). My "third location" is a coffee shop I go to usually every Monday to write. I've been meaning to check out the library but I have to drive and the last time I visited one in this city I wasn't impressed.

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Copy/pasted bits of the fic followed by comments or key smashes!! That shits rocks. GOD. Or when somebody threatens you because you made them emotional somehow?? Hell yeah. Hell yeah!! *Any* comments really though, they're all great. I eat any attention up

@hamartia-grander Thank you so much for the ask!!!! This was so fun!!! <333

[que-de-metal]

The Fifty-move Rule - 13k words - Original F/F story inspired by the Déjà Vu MV

Hi everyone! Last month I participated in Jukebox Fest, an exchange where you request and gift fanworks of songs and music videos! No band lore knowledge or extra fandom required, just getting inspired by one short piece of musical media!

I matched on this music video that I didn't know prior to this exchange and I ended up writing a five figure F/F Fantasy story! Here's the link again because it's tiny in the post title.

"This is how the game usually plays out: Peripeteia misses the kick-off and dies first. Mimesis, Anagnorisis and Hamartia rise to the top at the cost of Catharsis's life, but their own power struggles lead the three to their demise. The two finalists, Hubris and Nemesis, face off in a dramatic, desperate fight, and one of them wins by a hair's breadth. The records know of exceptions, but they are unremarkable and few. No matter the continuity, the game has one single rule: every player has to die."

I hope you enjoy it!

Also I said it in my previous post but you should also check out the gift someone wrote for me based on a Perfume MV, it's eerie and strange in the best ways.

[wisecrackingeric-2]

@hamartia-grander

I did it.

Check my banner you coward.