#it's very shakespearean imo

[showmey0urfangs]

I don't understand people who are upset about Armand being aged up. They wanted a minor actor to do romantic scenes with Jacob??? Any network who got the rights to the books; would've aged Armand up. They would have no choice.

Hi there, I think some fans are very attached to the book versions of the characters and wanted them to be exactly how they'd imagined it in their minds.

But imo there's also the racism component to it, that is also reflected in the source material, because the books further the notion that POCs do not "fit" in genre media and that for whatever reason (racism!) it's too "unrealistic" to have black or brown vampires, elves, mermaid etc.

Look at how people were fawning over Brandon Fraiser's 15 year old son who has no acting credentials whatsoever, saying he would have made a better Armand than shakespearean trained actor Assad Zaman. 🤦🏾‍♀️

But as you said, if AMC had tried to adapt the books exactly as they are, it would have been impossible to accomplish from a practical stand point (minor actors are only allowed to work a certain number of hours depending on the country, and would probably be unable to do night shoots) but also, that show would have been unairable on any network because no one wants to see a 5 or 15 year old in sexual situations or involved in extreme violence and gore.

[ariadne-mouse]

Tagged by @saturdaysky and @essektheylyss! If we cannot boop, we shall tag meme.

Last song/piece I listened to: Scavengers Reign soundtrack (ethereal, spooky, moving. watch itttttt)

Last book I read: I am in the middle of a comfort re-read of Joust by Mercedes Lackey. I didn't get into her whole set of extended universes but I liked the dragon jouster series as a kid. The sequels are (imo) of declining enjoyment quality vs the original, so that's the one I kept.

Last film I watched: Watched Howl’s Moving Castle with a friend a few days ago. :)

Last TV series: I'm partway through Station Eleven, a pre/mid/post-apocalyptic limited series on Max about - among other things - and a troupe of Shakespearean actors who keep the art of stagecraft alive after the world goes to shit due to a mutated flu (yes, I know). Gripping, emotional, earnest, and has made me weep real human tears in almost every episode. Some Scavengers Reign vibes in a meta sense (no literal scifi), bit of Walking Dead, some comedy in that "absurdism in the face of calamity" kind of way, very thoughtfully weaves together storylines at different points in time and reveals connections between rich, complicated characters. Delicious, beautiful, and full of anguish. Highly recommend.

Last thing I googled: “ionar” which is a piece of traditional Irish clothing a bit like a jacket

Last thing I ate: popcorn while watching Station Eleven last night

Sweet, Savory or Spicy: Agree with Sky re: all three! And I shan't pick one. My ideal flavor profile remains shrouded in mystery (the limit does not exist).

Amount of sleep: less than I should! I am trying to be better about it, but lately even when I get in bed at a reasonable time I wake up multiple times having rotated like a rotisserie chicken

Currently reading: Hmm I already put Joust above, so instead I'm going to plug a fun set of geography guessing games

Tagging a handful of folks if you so desire! @fireryn @mllekurtz @the-kaedageist @kmackatie @tarydarrington

[margridarnauds]

12 & 19?

the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

I am not going to talk about Irish Mythology I am NOT going to talk about Irish Mythology I am NOT going to talk about Irish Mythology.

Alright, so, Lord Capulet. Especially Lord Capulet as portrayed by Oka Kojiro.

Let's get this out of the way: Lord Capulet, in any adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, is a dick by the end. I have very little sympathy for any interpretation of the text that puts the onus of the sympathy, in his last scene with Juliet, on him instead of her. What he threatens her with is horrific and it would have been SEEN as horrific by a 16th century audience, we're not playing the "man of his time" card. That being said, I also think that people often remove or smooth out the nuances of his character, especially as a way of making other characters look better -- I don't believe he's abusive to Tybalt OR Juliet, for example, I don't believe that he's exceptionally homophobic, and, honestly, in the Shakespearean text, adaptations aside. I don't even think that he married Lady Capulet when she was exceptionally young and he was exceptionally old (imo, I think that Richard Hosley makes a good argument for her being older in the article "How Many Children Had Lady Capulet" -- She might be in her mid-forties or fifties to her husband's sixties, but I don't believe that she's a trophy wife *in* the Shakespeare even if other adaptations go that route) etc. etc.

He's in deep with the feud, so he can't be truly moderate, but he isn't BAD -- he nearly gets into it with Lord Montague in Act 1, scene 1 (highlighting the intensity of the feud), but then, in his other appearances, he appears to be fairly moderate -- he doesn't WANT Paris to marry Juliet at the moment (in the scene IMMEDIATELY following 1.1, so it functions as a great way of highlighting the duality of the character), he doesn't want Tybalt to cause a stir at the party and even admits that Romeo is "a virtuous and well-governed youth." If we believe Robert Watson's argumentation in "Lord Capulet's Lost Compromise: A Tragic Emendation and the Binary Dynamics of Romeo and Juliet", which I mostly *do*, with a couple of caveats, Lord Capulet even originally had the line, "Not Romeo, Prince, he was Mercutio’s friend. / His fault concludes but what the law should end, / The life of Tybalt", with that line only later being attributed to Montague by later editors (later editors removing the nuance from Romeo and Juliet? Imagine that.) By the time of That confrontation with Juliet, he's gone downhill -- he isn't the only character in the play to do so, see: Romeo's entire trajectory from wanting peace and staying away from the feud to becoming a part of the cycle of violence himself, but he's the only one whose character we judge uniformly for those later developments instead of recognizing it as a development. He isn't a monster, he isn't a villain -- he's a man who does a monstrous thing at his lowest point. Tybalt is dead, the feud is back on, and his daughter is refusing a match that could make everything better. I'm not saying that he was right or that a contemporary audience would see him as right, but I'm saying that I think we're supposed to read his earlier refusal to marry her to Paris and his later insistence on it as a DELIBERATE choice on Shakespeare's part, and a tragic one.

In the 2018 Toho production of Romeo and Juliet, we see Lord Capulet in the general style of the stage musical -- we know he has multiple lovers, that he married Lady Capulet for her beauty and then grew tired of her, that it was a thoroughly loveless marriage. The Capulets are bankrupt, something that he's personally ashamed of, but that is clearly well known enough that Paris openly talks about it (even as Lord C tries to shut him up.) We learn that Juliet isn't even his biological daughter. (Which makes certain things that he does, like not allow her to have a cell phone, make a certain amount of sense.) He defends entertaining Paris' to Tybalt, arguing that he's trying to give him something to inherit.

While also trying to keep Tybalt from murdering Paris on the spot.

When Tybalt dies, Lady Capulet is the one, as per normal, to spur him onto seeking vengeance, taunting him with the reality that Tybalt's been the defender of the family while he's been gambling and sleeping around.

Then comes "Demain". And there are some FASCINATING acting and staging choices being made here.

Starting with the fact that you have Lord and Lady Capulet, in mourning for Tybalt (and, on a broader level, the Capulet family's future) against Juliet's pink nightgown (having had her wedding night with Romeo, with all the promise of a new life). In this production, they know that she's married to Romeo, which I know is controversial, but imo, it adds an additional sense of urgency to WHY they want to marry her off to Paris that quickly -- they're trying to bury her first marriage, especially since Romeo (1) killed Tybalt and (2) is in exile. Does it make them less defensible? Possibly, but it gives me something to dig my teeth into. This is the first time in the musical that we see them as a united front, and it's for this. But first, you have Juliet looking to her mother, THEN to her father, who gives this nod as if to say "I agree with her" and THAT'S when Juliet's face falls. But the fact that she thought she could go to her father in the FIRST PLACE to change the decision indicates, imo, a much more complex dynamic than we usually get in RetJ adaptations.

Like with the Takarazuka production, Lord Capulet then hits Juliet when she says, absolutely, she will NOT do it...and from the way that he, Lady Capulet, and Juliet react, this is something GENUINELY shocking, as Juliet runs off and declares that neither one of them is her real parent. Lady Capulet walks away as well....and Lord Capulet briefly considers running after Juliet before holding himself back, leading to Avoir une Fille.

He admits, to a backdrop composed of pictures of Juliet, that he figured out when Juliet was a year old, that she wasn't his daughter, and he was ready to kill her in the cradle, but then she smiled at him and he decided that she was his daughter in every way that mattered and that he loved her as much as any biological child of his. It's a wonderful moment where he's admitting to something horrific, that's framed as horrific, but there's this sense of humanity to it, as we really see him past being comic relief or a slightly gruff, out of touch older man clinging to past luxuries. He loves Juliet more than his pride, more than his family honor, and he's terrified that, when he's gone, she won't have anything, and so he's going to force her to do this as a way of securing a future for her. It doesn't mean that his actions are RIGHT, but it means that we get to see why he makes them, we get to see his most redeemable traits put there right up against his worst traits.

In the finale, we again see him and Lady C as a united front, again due to grief, with her urging him to go up to Lord Montague, the two of them shake hands, with Escalus fully prepared to put them in the "this is our get along shirt"....

And Lord C is the one to reach over and hug him.

He and Lady C appear as a united front for the rest of the finale, including accepting a candle from Benvolio. Their relationship appears to, finally, be mended, possibly even becoming a true partnership for the first time in their married life, but it comes at the loss of their only child.

I just think, in general, that Oka Kojiro did a wonderful job injecting Lord C with some genuine warmth -- he isn't perfect, he isn't justified, but he's human. By the end of the musical, he is severely broken, and you understand how he made every single decision that got him to that point. The Toho RetJ in general has a lot of great character moments, and it's a pity that people often seem to underrate it or dismiss it (if I have to hear one more person judge it purely off of the costumes without doing anything deeper....), possibly because of the language issues, because imo it's the best of all the RetJ productions for characterization and character development, but Lord C in particular stands out as an example of an ACTOR going above and beyond in a role, with Oka Kojiro imo being severely, severely underrated as far as Toho actors go. When you give the man the chance to emote, he is a powerhouse. 10/10, best Lord Capulet, really captures a lot of nuances that most actors don't get.

19. you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...

Honestly? I've been in the villainfucking trenches long enough that there is very little that I actually, GENUINELY hate myself for. Raphael BG3 is slightly more trash than I'm used to, but also...it's fine? I was a Kylo Ren/Reylo girl back in 2015, I have seen discourse and consumed trash before it was even cool. I was surprised that one of my Tavs had chemistry with Astarion, since I've been very vocally critical of aspects of Astarion's character, but...it's fine? It's HER arc? I have a lot of M/F ships, including some that are unpopular because they're seen as getting in the way of a "better" ship, but I don't really care? I've written a 700 word Crimson Peak Incest Threesome fic, we cannot go back from that point. The worst thing I can think of is that I think that Gwydion/Gilfaethwy is narratively compelling, but clearly the author of the Four Branches ALSO thought so, since it's literally canon. I like garbage media, but we've known that for years. I adore Frank Wildhorn musicals (and often think that Frank's been unfairly treated), but that's also...something we've known for ages. Unpopular adaptations? Romanticizing the unromanceable? The dangerous? The disturbed? Kitsch? I'm a Floridian, kitsch is in my blood.

Anyway, moral of the story is that I'm very much at a point where I don't think I have much in the way of *internal* issues, even if I do have my dark nights of the soul re:, for example, whether I'm Actually Bi.

[thealogie]

So what is your opinion about 80 days as a whole? Imo it's just not a very well written show that tried to do this and that but didn't seem to have the writing/directing skills to join the intended dots.

I was full of anticipation because I loved the book as a kid (and am not a Verne purist, quite the opposite), and besides DT I also loved Leonie Benesch from Babylon Berlin, so this adaptation seemed made for me. The end result to me was mixed. On the one hand clunky dialog is hard to swallow and the dotted plot lines are visible all too often. On the the other hand I seriously consider this part as one of DT's best TV roles through his whole career, it really has everything for him to stretch all possible acting muscles and in its scope seems almost Shakespearean imo. Acting really is its only saving grace imo. Acting, the chemistry between the leads and some scenery (the effects after covid struck were sometimes not very good). So overall, as a show I find it more disappointing than not, but if I take my mind off its narrative failures I: 1. can't help but be charmed by the leads' cozy little circle of losers chemistry; 2. can't help but admire Tennant frolicking with all the different facets of the character, tragic patheticness and heroic weshallovercoming of it all despite often extremely silly and unimaginative lines...

As a show it was just okay. like you said the writing was clunky in parts and it tried to teach you racism/feminism/colonialism lessons in such a heavy handed way, like an after school special

All that said, i enjoyed it without any reservation. The writing and production value were just okay enough. I think the three leads were so good and all had such great chemistry as duos and as a trio. I just have a weakness for a good little found family and they really nailed it

[dukeofdelirium]

Let’s talk about something more positive: what are your top 10 gay ships?

Oh god idk if I have 10 but let’s see!

1) lawlight. 1000000000% LAWLIGHT lmao! I’m obsessed. OBSESSED with them. I’ve been obsessed with this ship for over 14 years. They make me actually rabid and crazy like nothing else. Everything about this ship and their dynamic drives me nutty. They are the only real “enemies to lovers” ship I’ve ever gaf about or probably ever will. There’s something sooooo Shakespearean tragedy coded about this pairing and they are genuinely so fun to analyze to me. I’ll never get bored of them!

2) byler! Definitely byler!!! I love this ship so much. Best friends to lovers is always gonna be my favorite overall trope (despite the lawlight obsession) because I just think it’s gahhhh so sweet!! Mike and Will being together will be the perfect conclusion to stranger things imo and I’m so excited for the final season!!

3) korrasami! I remember when they went canon. I was so shocked I didn’t even believe we actually WON with a gay ship. This pairing was groundbreaking for cartoons and is the reason we have gay rep in kids shows now too

4) zukaang! I am a multi shipper so I ship Aang with Katara and Zuko too. I love Zuko and Aang’s dynamic and I think there is a ton of canonical support for this ship, too. I guess they’re technically an “enemies to lovers” but I don’t rlly think of them that way. Anyway, I think they’re cute!

credit to Noquelle for the fanart!

5) patrochilles, obviously there’s the Iliad but there’s also a novel called The Song of Achilles which I highly recommend if you’ve never read it and want gay rep. It’s a beautifully written novel that is about Achilles and Patroclus and makes an argument for the interpretation of them being lovers (which was common in ancient times)

credit to awanqi on Twitter for the fanart

6) frowise??? Samfro???? Sam and Frodo from The Lord of the Rings! I’ve always loved these two. And if you think the films are gay, the books are gayer. They cuddle, hold hands, kiss and tell each other they love each other in the novels. They are precious and I love them soooo much

7) this one’s gonna sound silly but me and my friends ship quimbry (Quil and Embry) from Twilight lmao. We wanted gay rep and then it just kind of snowballed. I have like 7 fanfics on my ao3 written for them …. 😂😂😂 idgaf that they’re fanon either cuz they’re real to me and I’m obsessed with them. My ao3 is the same as my tumblr btw if you wanted to read my fics! it’s dukeofdelirium

8) (edit I can’t believe I forgot them!) WILMON from Young Royals! Such a sweet pairing and I was so obsessed with them when I watched this show. Such a good show too. Highly recommend and the actors had amazing chemistry

9) REDDIE? I remember this one breaking my heart a bit. I’m not a hugely active shipper of it but it’s cute and really sad

10) Jack and Ennis from Brokeback Mountain:(((( this movie really and truly ruined my life and did something to me when I watched it as a 10 yr old. Somethin about growing up in the south as a closeted gay boy…. Heath and Jake were insane in this film their chemistry was nuts

Hmmm I can’t think of anything else at the moment! I’m very particular about the stuff I ship, it rlly has to scratch a niche itch in my brain for me to be really and truly obsessed with it.

Thanks for bringing something positive to the ask box! :) what are your favorite gay ships, anon?

[morganlefaye79]

Get to Know the Blogger

I was tagged by @cleverblackcat, thank you so much! ❤

Share your wallpaper:

The Afterlife bar from Cyberpunk 2077 with a fitting Rainmeter skin because I hate it to have many icons on my desktop.

Last song you listened to:

I love to listen to French music, I just hate to speak it myself because:

Ton grammaire est terrible pour une personne qu'elle parle langues germanique normalement!😉

But for this song I especially love the opera voices of both vocalists (male & female) This song is from the album "Les fleurs du mal" which is entirely in French. Although the band being from Sweden.

And if you had any doubt, yes it is metal.

Currently reading:

3 weeks ago I had tickets for a show of a German comedian I liked very much throughout most of my life. I couldn't go because I had my bronchitis and so my partner bought me his book so that I could read it and didn't feel that bad about missing it.

Actually I placed the book aside, his humor didn't age well imo and so I couldn't enjoy it as much as I would have wanted.

Last movie:

I have no idea which one was the last one but it was either "how to train your dragon" Which left me with the urge to buy a toothless plushie. Or "Rurouni Kenshin" which I watched in my youth as an anime.

Last show:

I would have loved to say Cyberpunk Edgerunners, but it was Dragon Age Absolution. Don't get me wrong, I liked Absolution, but I loved Edgerunners, and I'm still salty about Rebecca!

Craving:

Coffee, but it is 3:30 am, so not a very good idea.

What are you wearing right now:

sweatpants and my Sabaton t-shirt.

How tall are you:

I'm rather small. I'm 1,60m which is around 5'3" (I'm too lazy to use a converter right now)

Piercings:

Not anymore, but I had several in my ears (which I could reopen with little effort) and one in my lip which I probably would have to redo. Which will be happen sooner or later.

Tattoos:

None, yet. But I had an idea for one. Maybe I will stop being a chicken and do it 🤣

Glasses? Contacts?

I'm wearing glasses, I would like to have contacts but all opticians I ask say no! I have some very weird eyes apparently

Last drink:

Herbal tea

Last thing you ate:

Sushi for dinner

Favorite color:

purple and orange (black actually but I didn't want to be like that 😏)

Current obsession:

Cyberpunk still

Any pets: My kat Elliott, who is a british shorthair. He turns 19 this year. Old geezer!

Favorite fictional character:

Ugh, why do I need to pick? Pure agony! I go with the poor little meow meows which are for Dragon Age Anders of course, and for Cyberpunk, Kerry Eurodyne.

The last place you traveled:

A city near Hannover (Germany) 2 years ago.

I tag without any pressure:

@retrowondergirl | @thedastrash | @charlatron | @kittynomsdeplume | @kemvee | @a-shakespearean-in-paris | @charmcity-jess | @noire-pandora | @genocidalfetus | @neonbutchery | @wanderingaldecaldo | @wardenrainwall | @ghostoffuturespast | @cinnamon-mey | @jaymber | @gloryride | @honourandsteel |@vox-monstera

Any one else who wants to do this, fell free to do this and tag me.

[jechristine]

Out of curiosity, would you be willing to share your answers to the Tragedies poll? For me, they were Lear and Macbeth. Lear because I have a very vivid memory of seeing this performed on stage and actually getting that cathartic feeling at the end. Plus, I'm one of three daughters, though our dynamics are nothing like this play LOL. And Macbeth because Lady Macbeth is one of the most interesting female Shakespearean characters IMO. Plus some of my favorite soliloquies are in there ("Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow..."). 🤓

Good picks! Lear has a special place in my heart because it’s one of the first Shakespearean plays with lines I memorized. I also did a project in college that analyzed Lear adaptations.

I picked Antony & Cleopatra and Othello.

A&C I love because of Cleopatra’s ~divaness~ (that is not a word) and the contrast between idealist, nostalgic impressions of the main characters and their reality as a mature loved up couple full of flaws and in decline. Very romantic to me🥰

Othello I love because I’ve had very good experiences teaching it. It basically teaches itself. (I think this is a story, at heart, of a great, majestic man who is tricked into believing he’s small, a stereotype.)

Lady MacBeth is a great tragic heroine! And I agree about some of the excerpts from that play—

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, / And then is heard no more. It is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing.

My favorite Shakespearean women, besides Cleopatra, are all comic heroines. I would kill to see Zendaya as a Rosalind or Viola in a film adaptation. She was just born for it.

[chromegnomes]

I'm gonna delete this post later, but thought I'd put out a general Last Call in case any of my followers/mutuals wanted to join the beta reader group for my WIP series The Skeleton King over in the Wyngspan Labs discord.

Here's a temporary link to the PDF of the teaser I sent the existing group; it's about 6500 words long, and is a pretty good sample of what the rest will be like.

If you're interested, I'll put the Q&A I wrote for the beta readers below a Read More here, so you can know what you'd be getting into:

WHAT IS SKELETON KING?

Skeleton King is a novel* that I (Ross) have been writing on and off for over 10 years now, which began as a comedy serial I was writing for my college's writing club. This current iteration is the 4th draft.

*As of this draft, Skeleton King is no longer one novel, but a series of 5 short novels/novellas, each of which is stylized as an "Act" of a 5-act Shakespearean tragedy. This 5-act structure was present in the 2020 draft, but I hadn't yet accepted that it should probably be split into separate volumes.

CAN I READ THE PREVIOUS DRAFTS?

I'll probably post snippets from the 2020 draft when they become relevant, or if it would be funny to do so. The others will be buried with me.

WHAT IS A "SUB-ACT"?

Skeleton King riffs on story structure pretty explicitly throughout. Each book in the series is an "Act," but each book also has a traditional Act structure within it; most have 3 acts, one has 2, and one has 5. I'm not sure what to call these colloquially, because "chapter" feels insufficient but "act" is confusing. IMO it's easier to understand within the books themselves, because they're labeled like "Act I-1, Act I-2, Act I-3; Act II-1," etc

SO WHAT'S THIS BOOK ABOUT ANYWAY?

Coming up with a good elevator pitch for this book is literally the hardest part, and I'll be seeking guidance on that. On the surface, it's a coming-of-age road trip dramedy about four very strange high school boys, set in 2010, that gradually becomes a supernatural action-comedy; under the hood, it's an unhinged post-post-ironic Story About Stories that is trying to do way too much at once, but that information overload is, itself, one of the most important themes.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN INFLUENCES?

I think listing some of the books that have left the biggest impact on SK's style/tone will be helpful for giving people a yardstick to judge if it's accomplishing its goals. This list is incomplete, and in no particular order:

• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams • Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke • House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski • A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket • Moby-Dick by Herman Melville • Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood • Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett • A whole lot of books by Ursula K LeGuin • A whole lot of books by Kurt Vonnegut

If you put all of those books in a blender and then reassembled them into a love/hate letter addressed to the ghosts of Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung, you would get Skeleton King.

WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO GET OUT OF THIS?

• Motivation to finally finish the series, because I work best when I have an audience • Knowledge of what's working and what isn't, so please be honest about how you react to things, good or bad • A first pass at sensitivity reading. Due to its setting, race, class, and queerness come up a decent amount in these books; I am trying to be thoughtful in how I address these subjects, but if I overstep, I'd much rather be cautioned/corrected by readers I trust before the wider internet gets their hands on it. • The ego boost of watching a scene/joke land as I intended it to • The all-important unspoken corrective of watching a scene/joke I thought would hit flop instead

IS THIS "ROSCOE WATSON" GUY SUPPOSED TO BE YOU?

Roscoe is neither a self-insert nor not a self-insert, but a secret third thing. It's complicated, keep reading.

The most I'll say is that a lot of his interests and mannerisms are based on a teenage me, but his life and upbringing are very different from mine.

THIS IS A HOMESTUCK THING, ISN'T IT?

I only read Homestuck very recently, and did so because people who read earlier drafts of Skeleton King kept pointing out the existing similarities to me. I would like to think that Skeleton King is less obnoxious than Homestuck, but both are definitely engaged in a similar kind of metatextual ADHD maximalism.

DO YOU ACTUALLY LIKE ON THE ROAD?

No.

[springsaladgaming]

🌧

A book that I hate -

I've been thinking about my answer to this all night! I majored in English for university, so I had to read my fair share of books, as required for classes, that I simply did not vibe with. But "hate" is a very line-in-the-sand, heavily opinionated word.

Most of the books I really don't like are more out of a dislike for the authors than the works themselves. (Although I can think of one very popular book series that I never liked even before we all learned that the author is a massive piece of shit.)

I'm gonna assume "book" in this instance means any piece of writing, and, for the sake of judging something purely by the writing and not by the author, I'll go ahead and say Hamlet. I had to read it once in high school and two times for different classes in college, and I still think the overall plot is boring and the dramatic pacing is fucking weird. Also, Hamlet as a character annoys the shit out of me? It makes me mad that it's one of the Shakespearean works most-taught in schools, because imo it's not even one of the top 5. (I know some people don't like the Histories, but Henry IV is one of my favorites. How come we never talk about that one?) So there's my line in the sand. I'm glad I never have to read it again.

Thanks for the ask!

[sixofravens-reads]

Okay, Tam Lin thoughts/review. Going to structure this one differently because I've seen some other reviewers do this and it seems like a more organized way of posting:

(spoilers under the cut)

Overall: if you want a vibes-based, cosy academic read this is a decent choice, as long as you're okay with the actual magic bits being put off till the end. In my opinion the story drags quite a bit and spends a lot of time on minutiae like classwork and dorm squabbles and not enough on the actual, titular plot (I believe @wearethekat commented on another post and said "this is a story about college that happens to have Tam Lin in it" and that's definitely the vibe). The Tam Lin aspects could've at least been woven into the entire book a bit more seamlessly, as it's frustrating to have your Janet character and your Tam Lin character but not have them really interact beyond friendly conversation for 400 pages.

The Good

Dean's writing style is really nice. It's very personal and conversational, almost. You really get to know the characters and their thoughts and feelings. It's very friendly.

Once we get into the actual Tam Lin part of the story (the last 50 pages or so) I found the lore very interesting. All of the mysterious Classics students turn out to be either fae or humans under their thrall (including some 400 year old Shakespearean actors), led by the mysterious Professor Medeous, the faerie queen.

I like the idea that Tam Lin is not just a ballad but a spell/ritual for rescuing your love from faerie. If you're on the way to being sacrificed, you need to have your lover, who is specifically pregnant with your child, pull you down from the white horse and hang onto you. I'd love to see it applied to other stories, as it adds an interesting bit of complication.

Also liked the setting a lot, and the fact that the buildings all have their own personalities. The ghosts were an interesting touch too, and Janet's fears that she's going to die by suicide because all the pregnant girls in Ericson did before her.

I did like the frank, non-judgmental discussions of birth control and abortion in this book. They're very practical and realistic (except Janet's momentary plan to give herself an abortion with yarrow tea, but she was very much not thinking clearly and she doesn't go through with it). It was great to have a story that treats the subject matter frankly, and an MC who has supportive parents who will help her out no matter what she chooses.

The Okay

Dean clearly took this book as an opportunity to air her own ideas and debates about literature and classics. The characters spend a LOT of time in class, talking about readings for class, or debating books they've read outside of class. The author even makes up three productions of plays (iirc, Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and The Revenger's Tragedy) that she has her characters watch and comment on. It's somewhat interesting, even for someone who hasn't read most of the works they discuss, but I did start skimming eventually, because there's only so much Shakespeare debate one person can handle.

The professors. I thought they were all interesting, though it was a bit strange that Melinda Grey didn't feature more in the overall plot, considering she gets way more screentime than Medeous did. I think some of them get too much screentime, and others get the right amount but unfortunately don't actually factor into the plot.

Also the musing over which students/teachers were lesbians was kind of annoying, and I think it was only done to show that the characters we later find out are fae are more morally loose than others. There are lots of mentions of Medeous having affairs with other staff/students but that never really factors into the plot.

The Bad

This book should've been 200 pages shorter. Yes, it's a nice, long, slow read, but imo it's far too slow. The important plot is almost entirely put off until the last 50-100 pages, and most of the stuff between that and the introductory chapters doesn't matter in the end. The book drags at some points, and you're constantly asking "this is called Tam Lin, but where the hell is the Tam Lin??" It almost feels like the author forgot she was contracted to write a novel for a fairy tale-based series until the very end.

The Nick-Janet-Thomas-Tina-Peg-I-Guess love quadrangle is interesting for a short time, but it should've ended more quickly. Nick is a pretentious asshole and treats Janet poorly for most of their relationship (though whether the author considered it poor or if that's my modern standards, idk) and I feel like she shouldn't have put up with that for so long. Janet's character is not wholly emotionally driven, and I think once she started wondering why she didn't feel any sparks after reading the Fry poem, she should've ended it, even if she didn't realize how patronizing he is. Same with Tina and Thomas, they really don't understand each other and Thomas is basically only dating her bc he thinks she'll save him from the faerie queen, but Tina is also not the sort to tolerate being merely tolerated.

Also, a lot of the characters (but mainly Nick and Robin) like to speak cryptically in quotes from Shakespeare and some other works they've read, which is deeply annoying and frustrating and just underscores for me how pretentious they all are. It's not just once or twice, they'll have entire conversations like that, which hey, maybe that is how real college students talk, but I had to start skimming because it got to be a bit too much.

If I was going to rewrite this, I'd set the whole thing in their first & second year, cut a ton of the academic talk and roommate/dorm drama, and focus more on the faerie/Elizabethan-actors-in-college aspect, which would be revealed much sooner. Tina would break up with Thomas over summer, and Janet would dump Nick at the beginning of their second year. Then the Tam Lin plot would happen over those couple of months (but far more than 50 pages).

[recycledcactus]

I, for some reason, has assumed your name was Remy for a minute?? no clue why- perhaps because i was given a dvd version of Ratatouille for christmas

anyways

number one - funny as in haha for some reason- like its odd to me lmaoo

number two - YESS BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!! Your friends birthday plans are scarily similar to mine bc we're going skating at a place that does bowling and then we're sleeping outside in my cabin and eating sweets... suspicious.... imagine if we ended up somehow knowing each other irl... that'd be mad

number three - valid tbh, like you'd probably be desensitised to a lot of things over the years, and that'd hurt the brain methinks

im glad you've been good!! your christmas sounds well fun and im glad it hasnt been as busy!! imo it felt kind of melancholy this hear but idk why. you've tempted me to listen to Rule #4: fish in a birdcage despite not knowing what it is... im very interestedim glad you've been good!! your christmas sounds well fun and im glad it hasnt been as busy!! imo it felt kind of melancholy this hear but idk why.

Yours, waggishly,

Jane/Sunny

(P.S, im very glad you enjoyed the Shakespeare translation however, this one will not be in shakespearean as the translator isnt working smh)

I LOVE RATATOUILLE . its such a weird concept for a movie because imagine being the person who pitched the idea for it, "hey, so i've got a great idea guys. you know how people hate rats? yeah? and how having one in your kitchen is disgusting and can shut down a restaurant? yeah? great because you'll never guess what i thought of for our next film–"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! i waited to answer this ask so i could wish you a happy birthday!! i love skating... i haven't skated in a while. i should do that.

YASSS FISH IN A BIRDCAGE. MY CURRENT MENTAL ILLNESS SONG. ITS WORTH IT!!

yours foolishly,

rece recycledcactus

[reivenesque]

Daniel, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.

Brown VS. LaRusso, All Valley Karate Championship semi-final.

For the biggest Bobby fan on the internet, @thatsweetbobbyfacetho

[witchmd13]

how is merlin going from "the people should know the truth about what he’s done” about uther using magic to have arthur and killing ygraine in the process and then immediatly in the next scene lying to arthur about how nothing of what he heard from his mother was true to stop him from killing uther just because “[Arthur] wouldn’t have been able to forgive himself... it would’ve destroyed him” is simultaneously the stupidest thing merlin ever did and still the most merlin thing he ever did

nothing to me says how much merlin cared for arthur and wanted to shield him from pain like what he did here. because merlin knows. knows how much guilt arthur felt for being the indirect reason his mother was dead. and just the idea that arthur would feel this guilt again having killed his remaining parent even for something that’s true and having to live with that pain for the rest of his life was unthinkable to merlin. don’t get me wrong, i still think it was so so stupid (even stupider than what he did in the disir episode imo) but it’s the most endearing thing he’s ever done. to spare the life of someone so vile for the sake of the person you love. an inevitable tragedy. shakespearean. and I am not well. thank you very much. 

[human-still-developing]

Rhyming Poems: A Guide

Hi again everyone :))) Thanks for the amazing response on my previous post (Constructive Criticism: A Guide)....I'm still shook by how much it took off! Anyways, here's the latest edition of my writing advice column, all on the infamous rhyming poems <333 So sit back, grab a cuppa and let's delve into this notoriously tricky writing form.

Rhyming poems. We've all written them, generally in early primary school when we first read Dr Seuss. They seem like the most basic form of poetry; a clear structure and form that is easy to adapt! And throughout history, rhyme has left its mark on almost all of the iconic poetic works; whether it be the infamous Shakespearean Sonnet, the more modernist verse narratives or even simple nursery rhymes.

So despite rhyming poems being the first poems that almost all of us encounter, why are they so tricky to write??? Here are the main reasons (I've listed them here so when we talk about conquering the rhyming poem we can overcome these hurdles):

Rhyme limits the choice of words. Poetry as an art-form is EXTREMELY dependent on word choice, especially because so few are generally used (unless you are writing an epic). With rhyme, we can no longer have the freedom to choose what words fit....this makes it difficult to communicate a very specific and tailored message

Rhyme greatly influences the meter of a poem. While not all rhyming poems have to be as fixed of a form as sonnets (think iambic pentameter), there is definitely restriction of syllables, line length and verses in rhyming poems. This becomes even greater of a problem when rhyme schemes are introduced (think ABAB structures).

Rhyming is hard. This is perhaps the most obvious but greatest factor that deters poets from rhyme. It is hard! It's hard to rhyme and not sound like you are writing a clapping game. It's hard to rhyme and have a solid structure when you're delving into the fluid metaphysical. It's hard to create something stunning when you are so restricted!!

So with all these factors in mind, here are a few tips I've put together to make this writing form easier. Keep in mind, rhyme, like any other poetic device, is most effective when used in moderation! Be careful with how much you add! It's like sugar in a tea; some types taste good with entire spoonfuls while others require just a dash.

My biggest tip for rhyming poems is try not to close yourself in too early. Unless you have specific word pairs in mind, always try and end your lines (which are in the rhyme scheme) with easy-to-rhyme words. For example, instead of using "morning" , you might use "day". Of course this may seem like you are replacing sophisticated words for simpler ones but often these words are the ones that carry the most meaning and make your work accessible! You can also try for some nice metaphors to fit into these scheme.

Try and find rhyming pairs! Often when writing rhyme, it's hard to find suitable words that fit your message. Find words that rhyme and have a similar kind of 'vibe' BEFORE writing your verse to avoid this problem. For example, a key conceit in my upcoming sonnet is situated around the words "ebb" and "web".

Don't be afraid of half-rhyme! This is such a good way to get out of the 'clap game' trap that rhyming poems seem to fall into; it almost seems to break out of that strict form and allows you a bit of space to play. You can use half-rhyme if you have a key change in your poem or simply scatter it around to keep it fluid and moving. For example, Seamus Heaney (if you've read my other work, you'd know I'm obsessed with his stuff!) often uses half-rhyme in his Glanmore Sonnets as a subversion of the traditional Irish Sonnet. Half-rhyme also puts a modernist touch to the more traditional poetic forms :)

Finally, use all the tools at your disposal! I've seen so many 'professional' poets saying "Don't use free online rhyme programs" but imo that's just rubbish. EVERY POET USES EVERY TOOL AT THEIR DISPOSAL! I can say that from my own personal experience; I've published poems in some nice poetry magazines and I always use those dumb rhyme-zone tools to find the right words! They even have modes to find the "percentage" of rhyme so you can effectively utilise half-rhymes in your work as well. Don't discount these tools and don't feel like any less of a poet if you use them. THEY ARE DESIGNED FOR YOU; USE THEM!

So with that, I'll wrap up my rhyming poem guide. If I come up with any other tools, I'll add them and if you have any tricks, feel free to reblog and add as well :)) Rhyming poetry is hard and even if it doesn't work out quite as nicely as you intended, don't feel disheartened! It can take years of practise to master this form! But for now, happy crafting and feel free to share your work because I'd love to read it :) Re-blogs and likes are always warmly appreciated, as well as con-crit for my articles <3

Happy crafting,

Hics <3

[esther-dot]

As usual, a very thoughtful answer 🤗

I do try to empathise with the character, and even with her fans, I understand there are real people out there who identify with her, but there are so many other characters that were harmed and abused in the story and that are not burning people alive. It is very hard for me to cheer her on, and her stans are vicious.

“What was lost (Lyanna for Robert, or the glory of House Targ/her family for Dany) will never be returned, no matter how many victories you win.”

Exactly this. She is supposed to be a tragic character in a Shakespearean way, that she ends up causing what she fears the most with her own behaviour.

She keeps telling herself she is the last dragon...and she will make it happen.

(continuation of this convo)

“She keeps telling herself she is the last dragon...and she will make it happen.”

Love that!

This is why Aegon who could be the continuation of their house dying at her hand seems inevitable because the self-defeating aspect of the Targs is such a big deal. We even have a line about “a dragon eating its own tail” in a TWOW sample chapter.

That’s why (imo) Dany not having a child is more fitting if it is attributed to incest rather than Mirri because incest was something the Targs chose to do to themselves to keep their blood pure, and it should therefore contribute to their end. Obviously, the pregnancy difficulties is a sensitive topic, and on our own many us wouldn’t have written that, but the idea of Targs bringing down House Targ themselves, through their own choices, that seems important. So yes, Dany’s quest to reinstate Targ rule of Westeros leads her to end it forever when she confronts another Targ....very fitting.

And I do understand being past sympathizing! Between the rape, death, and slavery as a result of her war campaign, the blood purity talk, the racism in her storyline…it’s a lot. I am that way with Tyrion. I know the way he was treated because of his appearance was unfair, but he gets to a point where I can’t feel for him anymore. And really, burning Mirri is such a horrific moment if you read it and allow what you’re reading to really sink in...I don’t blame anyone for being emotionally disengaged with Dany from that point on.“Dany poured the oil over the woman’s head herself. [...] "You will not hear me scream," Mirri responded as the oil dripped from her hair and soaked her clothing. "I will," Dany said, "but it is not your screams I want, only your life.”

I sympathize with her desire to be loved and have a home. I feel for her because of her suffering, but I certainly don’t cheer her on. 😬

[theteaisaddictive]

shakespeare adaptations ☕️

thanks, babe!

so imo, a really good shakespeare adaptation is one that engages, on some level, with what the play is about. thematically, i mean. like how othello is about race, and maan is about gender.

to speak about maan first, i very recently saw a production which gender swapped beatrice to bertram and leonato to leonata. on vibes alone this play worked fantastically, because all of the actors were charismatic enough to pull off their roles without having to think too hard about it. but also, does the 'oh god, that i were a man' speech work as well if the actor playing beatrice is a man? does leonato's joke that his wife has 'many times told [him] so' that hero is his daughter work as well when she's a woman, making the joke about herself? honestly, i don't think so. the context of the larger play is such that thematically, it is more cohesive if the character's genders are as written. that's obviously not to say that changes should never be made -- betram was a femme gay man, a very obvious outsider to the boy's club of the soldiers, and that made the speech work. likewise, a female benedick could work despite the lines of 'it is a man's office, but not yours'.

regarding othello, a few years ago i saw a national theatre production where iago was also played by a black actor, and his wife emilia was played by a desi woman. it was also a modern-day production, really bringing into sharp focus the themes and ideas of racism, colonisation (othello is a soldier after all), and the ways that 'model minorities' hurts everyone. i haven't read or watched as many versions of othello as i have maan, so my analysis is going to be weaker, but even with the cringy white rapping scene the production really highlighted and built upon the themes of the play.

this is ofc not to say that choices in shakespearean productions can't be made on vibes alone. the gwendoline christie midsummer night's dream where they changed the script so titania and oberon said each other's lines was a fucking delight, even if they did lean super hard into the 'real world is oppressive and masculine and ordered, fairy world is free and feminine and chaotic' thing that literally everyone does with mnd. likewise, versions of romeo and juliet where the feud is altered to lines of race or queerness also Work, because the themes are so universal. the maan i saw which had a gay bertram and benedick was definitely floating on The Vibes, and i had a fucking fantastic time attending. i just think that you get a little more out of it when you do thematic shit as well!