#hero more like shakespeare

[javierduffy]

drabble about chapter 3 javieran late night discord (campfire) conversations because i love writing the turning point where javier finally lets himself start making moves 💔☹️

“so,” javier gestures with his bottle, the last quarter of it sloshing to get his conversation partner’s attention, “tell me about yourself.”

“oh, i’m…” kieran fiddles with his hands, pries his eyes away from javier’s bottle as the other man takes a swig of it. if he let himself look any longer, they’d end up on his lips. “i’m just me, sir. just kieran duffy. ain’t got much to tell.”

“mh.” javier grunts a reply, and kieran would think that’d be the end of it, if not for the bottle thrust at him to punctuate the response. he thinks javier is just tipsy enough not to be offering essentially backwash on purpose. he hopes it is a kind gesture. he takes it and a swig to boot. rather not be drinking with a man so pretty, but he’d rather not be one to resist one, neither.

“”just” you say. what makes you so little?” javier’s beginning to pop another beer open on his seat. without the light of the moon, the scout campfire now feels like a long, long way from the clemen’s point camp, and he now feels like no one in the world could hear his curiosity. like not a soul in this world around could accuse him of gentility.

kieran, taking the new bottle as an offer to keep the old one, finishes off his drink. shakes his head like it’s bitter. like he isn’t trying to pick apart which taste is the beer and which is javier. “i ‘unno. suppose- no one’s cared so much before. i feel so little, i can’t say i feel right justified in going around and advertising myself. plenty of interesting folk around, and they sure don’t look like me.” javier cocks an eyebrow.

for once since months ago in colter, dark brown eyes meet green, and they stay there. grass plants it’s roots in rich soil, and it feels like home. kieran can see javier’s eyes flicker to his lips, and he convinces himself it meant nothing. uproots himself and looks back at the fire.

javier lets his eyes roam kieran’s profile a bit- his long lashes, his hooked nose, his sunspots- and suddenly he really, really needs another drink. he’s parched. he mirrors the other man’s fixation on the fire with another swig. “can’t say any of us nowadays look too alike. not unless you get the privilege of being born in the city, with money. every man has his story. if you think it is a competition, maybe you should consider yourself lucky that you haven’t lived enough chaos to be “interesting”.”

kieran snorts, “you don’t know the half of it… sir.” he tacks the term messily onto the sentence, hoping it’ll be enough to keep javier from strangling him to death for his tone. instead, he turns to see javier with a wide smile, drooping eyes creasing like a canine with it’s fangs bared. it makes kieran feel cold- like prey who yearns for the warm embrace of his predator’s breath on his neck.

“tell me then. what makes you so interesting and me so ignorant?”

[aq2003]

omfg . radio play version of much ado with david as benedick from 2001

[kelbunny]

Man I love it when the video game makes me feel like a horrible person.

[britneyshakespeare]

The gaslighting Duke of Vienna

[blossoms-and-petrichor]

me when parallels are drawn between the imposition of parenthood on describing an oppressive country on its people and the imposition of law on describing an oppressive parent on their child. me when both dynamics fuel each other to create a culture of celebrating violence to distract people from the neglect their authority figures place on them.

[amplexadversary]

I don't know how effective it would be for anyone else, but I think it's helpful to think of genre-requisite pacifists (you know, your Stevens, your Aangs, even your Doctors Who) as characters that, in-universe, just wouldn't be able to handle that kind of violence psychologically without becoming incapable of addressing the threat at all.

Hell, some shows do provide some amount of explanation along those lines. Pretty sure Avatar does (Aang is from a culture of pacifists, fucking with that would at least set off a trauma arc), and any part of Doctor Who where the Time War is relevant definitely has it as subtext.

This requires some amount of engaging in good faith, of course, but tying the pacifism thing into the idea that exists in any fiction where 'there are some things that a character is capable of and there are other things that they are definitely not capable of' can reduce that annoyance to a manageable degree.

i dont agree with a lot of the posturing against people who only watch kid's cartoons because it feels mean-spirited. like if you want to do that it's cool and i don't think you're committing some moral or intellectual sin--but it is very silly when people who do this forget that they're watching cartoons for children, not in a 'you can't expect children's media to be good' way or even a 'the politics of children's media aren't worth analyzing way' but in a 'you have to be realistic about genre expectations' way. because that's how you end up with arguments over whether steven universe should have killed people or not

[lycastanne]

kinda enemies to lovers with pro-hero!bakugou and popstar!reader

now bakugou is sitting beside kirishima doing an interview where they have to guess a song just with a lyric.

“come right on me, i mean camaraderie.” bakugou reads the paper in his hand.

“oh wait i think i know this one, the song was trending all over the internet last week.” said kirishima enthusiastically.

“the lyrics are weird, i bet it's trending because it sucks.” bakugou rolled his eyes and shrugs his shoulder. meanwhile, his pr manager having a meltdown behind the camera.

“wha— that's not a manly thing to say, bro. i guess it's (name) (last name)'s latest song, right? but i couldn't remember the title.” kirishima changed the topic.

“isnt she famous for her lyricism? i guess people are just throwing words nowadays.” said bakugou nonchalantly.

the clip was trending all over Twitter after it was uploaded. of course, you, who are chronically online, saw the video of dynamight making fun of your lyrics.

days later, when you just finish with your show, you decide to interact with some fans outside the venue.

“do you see that dynamight interview?”

“im sorry what?” you pretend to not hear her.

“dynamight? making fun of your lyrics?“

“who's that?”

boom— the clip is trending #1 all over the internet. the fans found your petty beef hilarious.

user156: LMAOOO EVEN MORE HILARIOUS BECAUSE HE'S THE NUMBER 2 HERO IN THIS COUNTRY

(name)s123fan: she's so funny lol i love her

dynamifans: i love dynamight but id do the same if i were her

user678: they want each other so bad lol

totallynotbkg: he's right her lyrics sucks lol

user222: this is def dynamight

user114: her lyrics are fun lol, do you think she would write like shakespeare or smtg?

bakugou not even realizing that he's now scrolling through your name's hashtag and starts listening to your songs. he watches every fancam of yours with wide eyes because where the fuck he's been? you're an amazing performer and produce good songs, not that he wants to admit out loud.

totallynotbkg: i guess she's not that bad

[cuddlytogas]

So I accidentally almost got into an argument on Twitter, and now I'm thinking about bad historical costuming tropes. Specifically, Action Hero Leather Pants.

See, I was light-heartedly pointing out the inaccuracies of the costumes in Black Sails, and someone came out of the woodwork to defend the show. The misunderstanding was that they thought I was dismissing the show just for its costumes, which I wasn't - I was simply pointing out that it can't entirely care about material history (meaning specifically physical objects/culture) if it treats its clothes like that.

But this person was slightly offended on behalf of their show - especially, quote, "And from a fan of OFMD, no less!" Which got me thinking - it's true! I can abide a lot more historical costuming inaccuracy from Our Flag than I can Black Sails or Vikings. And I don't think it's just because one has my blorbos in it. But really, when it comes down to it...

What is the difference between this and this?

Here's the thing. Leather pants in period dramas isn't new. You've got your Vikings, Tudors, Outlander, Pirates of the Caribbean, Once Upon a Time, Will, The Musketeers, even Shakespeare in Love - they love to shove people in leather and call it a day. But where does this come from?

Obviously we have the modern connotations. Modern leather clothes developed in a few subcultures: cowboys drew on Native American clothing. (Allegedly. This is a little beyond my purview, I haven't seen any solid evidence, and it sounds like the kind of fact that people repeat a lot but is based on an assumption. I wouldn't know, though.) Leather was used in some WWI and II uniforms.

But the big boom came in the mid-C20th in motorcycle, punk/goth, and gay subcultures, all intertwined with each other and the above. Motorcyclists wear leather as practical protective gear, and it gets picked up by rock and punk artists as a symbol of counterculture, and transferred to movie designs. It gets wrapped up in gay and kink communities, with even more countercultural and taboo meanings. By the late C20th, leather has entered mainstream fashion, but it still carries those references to goths, punks, BDSM, and motorbike gangs, to James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Mick Jagger. This is whence we get our Spikes and Dave Listers in 1980s/90s media, bad boys and working-class punks.

And some of the above "historical" design choices clearly build on these meanings. William Shakespeare is dressed in a black leather doublet to evoke the swaggering bad boy artist heartthrob, probably down on his luck. So is Kit Marlowe.

But the associations get a little fuzzier after that. Hook, with his eyeliner and jewellery, sure. King Henry, yeah, I see it. It's hideously ahistorical, but sure. But what about Jamie and Will and Ragnar, in their browns and shabby, battle-ready chic? Well, here we get the other strain of Bad Period Drama Leather.

See, designers like to point to history, but it's just not true. Leather armour, especially in the western/European world, is very, very rare, and not just because it decays faster than metal. (Yes, even in ancient Greece/Rome, despite many articles claiming that as the start of the leather armour trend!) It simply wasn't used a lot, because it's frankly useless at defending the body compared to metal. Leather was used as a backing for some splint armour pieces, and for belts, sheathes, and buckles, but it simply wasn't worn like the costumes above. It's heavy, uncomfortable, and hard to repair - it's simply not practical for a garment when you have perfectly comfortable, insulating, and widely available linen, wool, and cotton!

As far as I can see, the real influence on leather in period dramas is fantasy. Fantasy media has proliferated the idea of leather armour as the lightweight choice for rangers, elves, and rogues, a natural, quiet, flexible material, less flashy or restrictive than metal. And it is cheaper for a costume department to make, and easier for an actor to wear on set. It's in Dungeons and Dragons and Lord of the Rings, King Arthur, Runescape, and World of Warcraft.

And I think this is how we get to characters like Ragnar and Vane. This idea of leather as practical gear and light armour, it's fantasy, but it has this lineage, behind which sits cowboy chaps and bomber/flight jackets. It's usually brown compared to the punk bad boy's black, less shiny, and more often piecemeal or decorated. In fact, there's a great distinction between the two Period Leather Modes within the same piece of media: Robin Hood (2006)! Compare the brooding, fascist-coded villain Guy of Gisborne with the shabby, bow-wielding, forest-dwelling Robin:

So, back to the original question: What's the difference between Charles Vane in Black Sails, and Edward Teach in Our Flag Means Death?

Simply put, it's intention. There is nothing intentional about Vane's leather in Black Sails. It's not the only leather in the show, and it only says what all shabby period leather says, relying on the same tropes as fantasy armour: he's a bad boy and a fighter in workaday leather, poor, flexible, and practical. None of these connotations are based in reality or history, and they've been done countless times before. It's boring design, neither historically accurate nor particularly creative, but much the same as all the other shabby chic fighters on our screens. He has a broad lineage in Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean and such, but that's it.

In Our Flag, however, the lineage is much, much more intentional. Ed is a direct homage to Mad Max, the costuming in which is both practical (Max is an ex-cop and road warrior), and draws on punk and kink designs to evoke a counterculture gone mad to the point of social breakdown, exploiting the thrill of the taboo to frighten and titillate the audience.

In particular, Ed is styled after Max in the second movie, having lost his family, been badly injured, and watched the world turn into an apocalypse. He's a broken man, withdrawn, violent, and deliberately cutting himself off from others to avoid getting hurt again. The plot of Mad Max 2 is him learning to open up and help others, making himself vulnerable to more loss, but more human in the process.

This ties directly into the themes of Our Flag - it's a deliberate intertext. Ed's emotional journey is also one from isolation and pain to vulnerability, community, and love. Mad Max (intentionally and unintentionally) explores themes of masculinity, violence, and power, while Max has become simplified in the popular imagination as a stoic, badass action hero rather than the more complex character he is, struggling with loss and humanity. Similarly, Our Flag explores masculinity, both textually (Stede is trying to build a less abusive pirate culture) and metatextually (the show champions complex, banal, and tender masculinities, especially when we're used to only seeing pirates in either gritty action movies or childish comedies).

Our Flag also draws on the specific countercultures of motorcycles, rockers, and gay/BDSM culture in its design and themes. Naturally, in such a queer show, one can't help but make the connection between leather pirates and leather daddies, and the design certainly nods at this, with its vests and studs. I always think about this guy, with his flat cap so reminiscient of gay leather fashions.

More overtly, though, Blackbeard and his crew are styled as both violent gangsters and countercultural rockstars. They rove the seas like a bikie gang, free and violent, and are seen as icons, bad boys and celebrities. Other pirates revere Blackbeard and wish they could be on his crew, while civilians are awed by his reputation, desperate for juicy, gory details.

This isn't all of why I like the costuming in Our Flag Means Death (especially season 1). Stede's outfits are by no means accurate, but they're a lot more accurate than most pirate media, and they're bright and colourful, with accurate and delightful silks, lace, velvets, and brocades, and lovely, puffy skirts on his jackets. Many of the Revenge crew wear recognisable sailor's trousers, and practical but bright, varied gear that easily conveys personality and flair. There is a surprising dedication to little details, like changing Ed's trousers to fall-fronts for a historical feel, Izzy's puffy sleeves, the handmade fringe on Lucius's red jacket, or the increasing absurdity of navy uniform cuffs between Nigel and Chauncey.

A really big one is the fact that they don't shy away from historical footwear! In almost every example above, we see the period drama's obsession with putting men in skinny jeans and bucket-top boots, but not only does Stede wear his little red-heeled shoes with stockings, but most of his crew, and the ordinary people of Barbados, wear low boots or pumps, and even rough, masculine characters like Pete wear knee breeches and bright colours. It's inaccurate, but at least it's a new kind of inaccuracy, that builds much more on actual historical fashions, and eschews the shortcuts of other, grittier period dramas in favour of colour and personality.

But also. At least it fucking says something with its leather.

[blooming-water-roses]

Lines from my Nart ships that made me go “damn, y’all gay asf”

“I considered Madara a gift from the divine” - Hashirama (like damn okay when am I gonna be someone’s gift from the divine? I see u, u poetic Shakespeare ass mf)

“Come on Itachi, this is you and me that we’re talking about. So don’t worry, it’ll be fine” - Shisui (the sweet smile he gives Itachi, good god)

Shisui: *plays with Itachi’s hair*, Itachi, at a later date: *thinks of Shisui and subconsciously plays with hair* (this is so soft oh my god they were in love)

“You were my hero,” Kakashi to Obito (fell to my knees. Obito was his hero?? The person he looked up to, who saved him? On god just like that??)

“It’s okay now, Kakashi. You don’t need to suffer anymore,” - Obito (they were literal enemies here and all Obito wanted to do was offer him comfort, end me now)

“And what of Izuna?” - Tobirama (hear me out: why did he care?? He felt something. Izuna was his perfect match, he knew he crossed a line by actually hurting him fatally, he felt guilt, he was worried)

“So only my wind…can strengthen his fire” - Naruto, about Sasuke (holy fuck this is one of the gayest lines in this entire fucking show be so honest)

“Touch one hair on his body, I dare you,” Hashirama, to his literal brother, protecting Madara (was he gonna hurt Tobirama for Madara? The drama? The suspense??)

Obito: *awakens Sharingan by protecting Kakashi*

Madara: *awakens Sharingan by having to desert Hashirama*

Sasuke: *evolves Sharingan by thinking Naruto literally died*

Itachi: *awakens Mangekyō after witnessing Shisui’s death* (also, there’s something so absolutely personal about the way that Shisui knew his death would give Itachi the Mangekyō? He just knew Itachi deeply loved him? Ow???)

Perfect scores, model shinobi Itachi, having just deserted an ANBU mission to save Shisui from Danzo only because “something didn’t feel right” (oh so you have a sixth sense for Shisui. He’s your soulmate, is what you’re saying)

Itachi recognizing Shisui’s “soul” in Naruto, giving him Shisui’s deadliest weapon and his final piece of him, and smiling(!), happy that Sasuke has him to watch over him (translation: I recognize that you love Sasuke the way Shisui loved me and he made me feel safe so I know you’ll protect Sasuke)

(Addition) this shit:

(Like hello??? Smirking and calling him a fox?? Hashi rly said “damn he’s so deadly it makes me hard”)

There’s probably more but it’s 1am and I feel like this dude writing this so I’ll just post to retain a shred of sanity

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: The Moon (pt. 3)

Lunicurrent - related to changes in currents that depend on the moon's phases.

Luniform - moon-shaped.

Lunula - something shaped like a crescent or half-moon; especially the pale area at the base of the fingernail.

Mooncalf - a fool, dolt, monster, or aborted fetus.

Moonglade - the bright reflection of moonlight on a body of water.

Moonraker - the top-most sails on some old sailing ships.

Novilunar - of the new moon.

Plenilunar - of the full moon.

The Moon...

Is the Earth’s only “natural” satellite.

Is moving away from the Earth.

Is 27% the size of the Earth.

Orbits the Earth every 27.32 days.

NOTES

There are 2-5 lunar eclipses yearly.

You would weigh 1/6th of your Earth weight on the Moon.

We only ever see half of the Moon at a time, even at “full moon”.

The light reflecting off the Earth and onto the Moon is called “earthshine” or “earthlight”.

In many languages, as in English, the word for “moon” is cognate with the word for “month”.

It takes the moon 29.53 days to cycle back to the same “visual” phase. This is called a “synodic month”.

A lunar calendar is a calendar based on cycles of the Moon's phases (synodic months), in contrast to solar calendars based on the solar year.

The Moon illusion is an optical illusion which causes the Moon to appear larger near the horizon than it does higher up in the sky.

Sometimes it’s possible to see the moon rabbit, or the shadowy face of the Man in the Moon created by lunar maria.

In the northern hemisphere, when the Moon is waxing, it resembles a letter “D”, and when waning a letter “C”. In the southern hemisphere this is reversed.

About 40% of the Moon is never visible from the Earth. This is referred to as the Dark Side of the Moon, even though it isn’t always dark.

Every month or so, the “old moon” sets for the last time as a sliver in the eastern sky. For about 3 days it travels invisibly alongside the sun until, magically born anew, it appears on the third day at sunset, on the western horizon. This course not only sets the moon in direct opposition to the sun, it also gives rise to various resurrection myths in which the hero spends 3 days in the underworld.

IN THE ARTS

In some myths, the lunar deity is represented as female (Greek, Chinese), while in others it is male (Mesopotamian , Germanic, Japanese).

In mythology, the moon deity is sometimes a friend, ally or consort of the sun deity, and sometimes their enemy.

In many mythical stories, a simple character mistakes the reflection of the Moon for a round cheese.

The Moon is the 18th card of the Major Arcana of the Tarot. It represents the mysterious terrain of the Shadow self, illuminated by the guiding light of the conscious.

Shakespeare calls the moon the “moist star” because it creates the tides, and also casts it as inconstant (because of its phases) and thieving (because it steals its light from the sun).

Georges Méliès shot the first science fiction film, Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon) in 1902.

The Lunar Society of Birmingham, consisting of eminent 18th century intellectuals, was so named because its members met on nights with a full moon. The moonlight made their journey back home easier and safer.

Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata was originally titled, Sonata quasi una fantasia, and only acquired its popular name after his death.

Source ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References ⚜ The Moon ⚜ Word Lists

[stealingyourbones]

Submitted Prompts #144

*shakes a bag of bird skulls I found in the woodsI and places it on your desk like it's a bag of gold*

I had an idea:

What if the Fenton parents are, in fact very competent Hunters, but they love their children more than their work?

Say the first shot Maddie ever fired at Phanton actually lands, and the scream he makes sounds too much like Danny's voice, to a point even with any ghostly distortion, his own still recognizes the voice.

I can see her pulling Jack to the side, making a ruckus about how the "darn ghost got away just as her blaster ran out of juice". Mostly as a way to get Danny her darling son to leave and go somewhere safe, while his parents have a whole breakdown in the GAV about their dead son.

And so begins the stealthy studies on how Phantom's "human disguise" works, the Revelation of Horrible Truth, keeping tabs on Danny's growth and revising their whole attitude on Ghosts to account for the fact that Danny himself is, at least in some part, a Ghost himself, but all he's done is live his life (and be the little hero Mom always said he'd grow up to be).

Jazz stumbles across his secret and is immediately pulled aside to join the secret "Protect the Baby Ghost" family group chat.

"And what about all the times they shot at him in canon" I hear you ask?

They're damn good shots, but while Maddie can train herself to aim just so that the shot misses just enough it looks like Phantom dodged it, Jack has the Fenton Bazooka outfitted with a tracking HUD that purposely fails to hit everyone's favorite Ghost Boy.

Danny picks up on that, but not on the fact that They Know.

And so begins the single most convoluted training arc ever.

Next time Skulker's in town, Phantom has become untouchable. Not a single shot or electrified net reaches it's target.

(The electrified weapons in particular send the Fentons into a rage when Sam and Tucker finally can't keep hiding it, and come clean about what happened, since the Fentons have proven themselves to be trustworthy)

When Red Huntress comes about, and Valerie Grey becomes barely a distant acquaintance after having only just now started becoming more than a friend, and with the GIW sniffing about, Maddie and Jack pull Danny to sit between them and finally tell him they know, and they want to prove that they'll love him just as much as before, whether Human or Ghost.

Danny breaks down in the safety of his family's love, and takes some time off as Phantom to help his parents establish a proper line of communication with the Ancients, considering they've kinda adopted themselves into the roles of Aunts and Uncles towards their little Ghostling.

Which is a good thing, because in Phantom's absence the GIW make a giant spectacle of destroying several houses while chasing some blob ghosts. They're chased out of town by brick, stone and metal bat.

Next time Red Huntress actually manages to hurt Danny, the Fentons pack up and leave. The Portal can be transported somewhere else. It can be rebuilt.

Their baby boy can't be rebuilt, no matter how much he likes to be a little shit and ignore Reality to quote Shakespeare at his own head (thank you Mr Lancer, for not giving up on him) or "give them a hand".

As Fenton takes the last tour of Amity, Phantom disappears. The Protal has been left seemingly unguarded.

The Ghosts decide to have one last hurrah in Anity Park before Danny closes the Portal, as per their deal. They won't hurt anyone, just cause chaos, but in return Phantom won't stop them. It's not like poor Red has the energy to chase them down, now that she's been "upgraded" into Amity's sole defender (the one time Lancer compares her new lack of sleep to Danny's, horrifying pieces start lining up too well in her mind)

The Fentons move out. Into a quiet farm neighbouring the land that belongs to the delightful couple that are the Kents, and their darling son, little Clark, who stares at Danny mildly horrified whenever he comes by to babysit, or help out with fixing the stubborn tractor. One day under Danny's clever hands, and Jonathan Kent's eagle-eyed gaze, and that damned tractor has never worked so well before. The boy's alright in the old man's eyes, and he makes sure they kid knows it.

After quiet rooftop admissions of one small boy's growing powers (I know Adult Clark is a brick house of a man, but what if he was a little twig while young) and the reveal of Something More Than Human from his honorary older brother, the course of Time sets into it's best version, and an Old Clock smiles, as Superman rises, only to be scolded by Spectre for recklessness.

(Dunno how well it came across, but I'm envisioning Valerie's feelings towards Danny to go from bitter resignation because she " had to" push him away, to horrified despair when the truth starts falling into place. He's her "the one that got away". And it's not like she gave him much of a reason to trust her with his secrets.

Maybe older and wiser Red Huntress gets invited to the Justice League, and has to deal with not just Fenton, but also Phantom flirting with her, after a good long conversation on how dumb they both were as kids, and a mutual vow of "I think I can do better now, and I want to prove it to you")

[youssefguedira]

like the thing is i DO think misogyny is a major contributing factor to a lot of older 'bro' movie homoeroticism. sure sometimes it's queercoding and deliberate subtext. other times it's the base assumption that the Love Interest will fall for the Hero because that's just how things work, the hero saves the day, the girl is his reward. there's so little effort put into the writing of the intended love interest because she is ultimately there to fulfil the role of hero's prize and therefore their relationship doesn't need development because it will simply happen. she's not a real person she's decoration. but the hero's sidekick, or best friend, or rival - more time is invested into these relationships because they are both men, and therefore permitted to be more complex characters by the film. they are not necessarily written well, dependent on the film, but they will get more to work with than the women in the film. and so of course their relationships will be deeper and get more screen time, because they are not a foregone conclusion. which lends itself to queer readings and homoeroticism.

this isn't confined to bro movies or action movies either! like the examples i cited in the tags earlier were the lost boys, dead poets society, and die hard, which are different types of film but have the same issue. both the lost boys' and die hard's love interests are so woefully underdeveloped that the more compelling relationship is with another man, the villain and the cop respectively. those are the relationships that get developed. die hard's wife is just kind of there sometimes, and the lost boys' is just a generic damsel in distress with nothing going on for her beyond standing there and looking pretty.

dead poets society is a different beast, more drama heavy. there's barely any women in it! one subplot with one romantic interest that involves repeated overstepping of boundaries despite the girl telling the guy to stop, but it's fine because she wants him really, she's just trying to protect him of course, and she needs rescuing. the rest of the film is easy to read through a queer lens because of the exclusion of women from the environment entirely, partially because it's an all boys school, but also because women are simply there to be looked at and pursued but not intellectual equals. when they're brought into the cave it's a threat to the space, and of course they've never heard of shakespeare, because dead poets society's idea of culture and intelligence is reserved for men near exclusively. there's a campaign to bring girls into the school but it's so they can fuck them. so of course it feels like they're all gay because women are deliberately excluded from the film's spaces.

like i get the point about intricate rituals and queer coding and all that. but i DO think misogyny is an important factor here

[greekmythcomix]

How I teach the Iliad in highschool:

I’ve taught the Iliad for over a decade, I’m literally a teacher, and I can even spell ‘Iliad’, and yet my first instinct when reading someone’s opinions about it is not to drop a comment explaining what it is, who ‘wrote’ it, and what that person’s intention truly was.

Agh. <the state of Twitter>

The first thing I do when I am teaching the Iliad is talk about what we know, what we think we know, and what we don’t know about Homer:

We know -

- 0

We think we know -

- the name Homer is a person, possibly male, possibly blind, possibly from Ionia, c.8th/9th C BCE.

- composed the Iliad and Odyssey and Hymns

We don’t know -

- if ‘Homer’ was a real person or a word meaning singer/teller of these stories

- which poem came first

- whether the more historical-sounding events of these stories actually happened, though there is evidence for a similar, much shorter, siege at Troy.

And then I get out a timeline, with suggested dates for the ‘Trojan war’ and Iliad and Odyssey’s estimated composition date and point out the 500ish years between those dates. And then I ask my class to name an event that happened 500 years ago.

They normally can’t or they say ‘Camelot’, because my students are 13-15yo and I’ve sprung this on them. Then I point out the Spanish Armada and Qu. Elizabeth I and Shakespeare were around then. And then I ask how they know about these things, and we talk about historical record.

And how if you don’t have historical record to know the past, you’re relying on shared memory, and how that’s communicated through oral tradition, and how oral tradition can serve a second purpose of entertainment, and how entertainment needs exciting characteristics.

And we list the features of the epic poems of the Iliad and Odyssey: gods, monsters, heroes, massive wars, duels to the death, detailed descriptions of what armour everyone is wearing as they put it on. (Kind of like a Marvel movie in fact.)

And then we look at how long the poems are and think about how they might have been communicated: over several days, when people would have had time to listen, so at a long festival perhaps, when they’re not working. As a diversion.

And then I tell them my old and possibly a bit tortured simile of ‘The Pearl of Myth’:

(Here’s a video of The Pearl of Myth with me talking it through in a calming voice: https://youtu.be/YEqFIibMEyo?sub_confirmation=1

And after all that, I hand a student at the front a secret sentence written on a piece of paper, and ask them to whisper it to the person next to them, and for that person to whisper it to the next, and so on. You’ve all played that game.

And of course the sentence is always rather different at the end than it was at the start, especially if it had Proper nouns in it (which tend to come out mangled). And someone’s often purposely changed it, ‘to be funny’.

And we talk about how this is a very loose metaphor for how stories and memory can change over time, and even historical record if it’s not copied correctly (I used to sidebar them about how and why Boudicca used to be known as ‘Boadicea’ but they just know the former now, because Horrible Histories exists and is awesome)

And after all that, I remind them that what we’re about to read has been translated from Ancient Greek, which was not exactly the language it was first written down in, and now we’re reading it in English.

And that’s how my teenaged students know NOT TO TAKE THE ILIAD AS FACT.

(And then we read the Iliad)

[britneyshakespeare]

i read the first three acts of as you like it today

[airprime7]

The opening to William Shakespeare's Homestuck

Narrator: Welcome one and all to this good story, Of which we do entitle, Homestuck, so. Joinst thee on this journey, he our hero, This young man who doth in his bedroom stand. It just so happens that this day, which one Shall learn is April's Ides; thirteenth this month, Of Jesus' years ist nine and doubly thousand; Is the date o' birth that this man has. Lo, His age is young; twas but thirteen years, ere He wert given such life, as he has now Yet only on this day dost he receive The name he shall be known by for e'er more! Hark! Doth one in thine ranks, o' audience, Wish to provide the name for this young man? Anon, please give us forth this name, posthaste! Audience member: I doth this name give: Zoosmell Pooplord Narrator: What? Sayst "Zoosmell Pooplord"? "Zoosmell Pooplord", such? Dost mine ears myself deceive or wert thy  Speak unto this boy the name, thy request Be Zoosmell Pooplord? Audience member: 'Deed. Narrator: Prithee, Recall once more that this be not one such Our author, Shakespeare's, much fame'd Comedies. Tis a tale of Tragedy and sorrow! One the likes of thou has ne'er previous seen Such dost once more I call upon this crowd. What be the name of this young man standst hence? A different audience member: Wherefore he not take the name of kings? So, Name'd John, and of fam'ly Egbert. Narrator: such, John Egbert his name shall truly be, e'ermore. Shall now we move on t'ward narrative fair That's hence to be presented? We'll start, now With where we lay our scene. Stands John in room, His date of birth upon us, and scatter'd There 'round, pastries fine and plenty. Display'd Upon his walls, in'trests such so as these. Performance by the Rose (there hence, poor); The op'rating devices future, low In success; ghouls, their lore and stories so; Further, tricks of conjurers o' stage; and Lastly dost John employ in'trest in games.

[ofbardsandmen]

i can't get my mind off of kaeya's hangout. kaeya's unending thoughtfulness and kindness. kaeya thinking of everyone from back home while he was away, missing them and going out of his way to get all of them personalized gifts. kaeya missing his family and them missing him even more. kaeya directly quoting shakespeare and thus pleasing my classic lit enthusiast self. adelinde answering the long debated question of which ragnvindr sibling was a little menace and which was the one following said menace in every step (turns out i was right amongst many who thought the same). kaeya most certainly knowing of venti's identity and venti struggling to keep his act up around him. kaeya getting albedo and klee matching gifts, a set, further emphasizing their great found family bond and his own belonging to it. crepus indulging in kaeya's shenanigans and making him his own semi-alcoholic drink as a treat. kaeya playing all the characters (the bandit, the prince...) without needing to stay in character, for it is he himself that speaks from them. adelinde knowing exactly how kaeya likes his food. kaeya - unable to get diluc's name out of his mouth - alberich. my personal headcanon of kaeya being fond of birds (enjoying birdwatching and singing to them) proving to be true. diona wanting to curse every drunkard with anemo archon's wrath not knowing that her beloved archon is a drunkard himself. kaeya's endearing and genuine love for people and being around them. the foreshadowing for kaeya's own story in the play he acted in and him admitting it resonates with him deeply, thus explaining why he knows it by heart. kaeya canonically embodying his nickname 'prince charming' and serving as an eye candy for many. kaeya's wish to rid himself of the shackles of fate, to rise above it and challenge his destiny. kaeya proudly stating his connection to diluc and crepus, without batting an eye. adelinde reminding him that he has always been one of their own, and that he always shall be. kaeya dancing the night away in a land far from home and having genuine fun. hoyoverse giving us a jeanlisa, kaebedo and kaejean moment all in the same scene. kaeya's and klee's shared childlike wonder and mutual understanding. kaeya revealing the secret behind the coin he constantly plays with. diluc memorizing every lie and excuse of kaeya's that he uses to spend time and indulge in pleasure in his rightful home. kaeya subtly implying that he only acts part-time currently (if you understand what i'm hinting at). the ending 'the grapes of warmth' being a reference to steinbeck's 'the grapes of wrath', once again pleasing my nerdy ass. diluc being protective over his staff and dawn winery family. kaeya being a typical younger sibling and taking every chance to tease the older one. venti sneezing around diona. klee's misunderstanding of the events surrounding kaeya making the situation twice as wholesome. kaeya, once more, doing everything in his power to help jean and make her work life easier. kaeya knowing the schedule of the winery staff members and diluc despite not being around as much. diluc willing to openly display another one of kaeya's gifts inside the winery. adelinde serving us a ragbros childhood story along with a nice, home-cooked meal each time we meet her. kaeya being a beloved son not only to his adoptive father, but to many. diluc's staff trying to cover for his darknight hero vigilante persona as if kaeya doesn't know about it. kaeya helping out the people in need, out of the good of his heart, no questions asked and not needing anything in return. the ragbros nation predicting plenty of scenarios, one of them being grape picking that, as it turns out, kaeya indeed participated in. venti writing kaeya a personalized poem, once again accepting him as a child of mondstadt.