#one aesop writer to another <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[yellow-rose-embalmer]

Aesop does not so much dodge the droplets that he is far too close to for comfort (nor does he ignore how they feel... very, very warm... or, more accurately, are eating at the fabric of his gloves), as he does... rotate to the side in a clumsy manner. Usually, he is able to take things slow, focus on fine details, take as long as he needs. A task that proves much more difficult when one's hand feels like it is making direct contact with a burning stovetop. (...If he was not sure beforehand that he did not want to lick the area, he is even more sure now. Unsanitary, humiliating, and lacking in regard for personal safety or well-being? Please, no.)

At least his aid is met with approval (even if with names that... do not feel like they should be meant for him). He can let out a breath for that, though he does not exactly take up much space, even so. Aesop shifts his weight between his feet as he remembers the proper script for these kinds of interactions. "...Any time, sir. If you need anything more, feel free to ask."

"Oh... Oh dear. I... do not know quite how that feels on your end, but if you need anything for it, I am more than happy to provide. I'm... not a proper doctor, or anything, but... I have some cleaning materials and bandages that I carry with me."

"...I won't ask what happened with your eye, if that's any concern. You don't need to put everything on display to a man you just met, after all."

@yellow-rose-embalmer

Besides, even if you were a doctor, I doubt you could help me. As for my eye, well, it's quite simple. I could tell you about it as long as you don't, uh, want to lick it.

[endemise]

✻ DEMO

→ Latest Update: Prologue — 3 February 2024

17+ The Fall of House Black — A gothic, supernatural, mystery interactive fiction story. Lightly inspired by The Fall of the House of Usher and Frankenstein media. (Work in Progress)

Synopsis has mentions of death and suicide. See extended content warnings below.

The fall of House Black, your house, was an imminent thing. A name had never been so cursed that all it could do was bring about death.

First, your younger sister in a swimming accident, then your older brother in a case of mistaken identity. As the rest of your family sought to grieve and bring justice to your brother, your older sister was killed in a hunting accident at the end of your father’s bow.

The three of you, mother, father, and child, became inconsolable. Broken beyond repair. Your mother unable to bear the weight of life any longer took her own while your father disappeared, gone into the night. When you remain the sole survivor of House Black, you know you must leave, and on the night of your decision, your home goes up in flames with you inside.

Then, you awake, dazed with no recollection of anything, and when you look down at your body, you scream. It is wrong. So wrong.

Play as a reanimated, customizable character.

Learn how to be a person again.

Try to survive in a society that fears the unknown.

Develop relationships. (4 ROs: All gender-selectable + 1 secret RO)

Aid in the investigation of your family’s untimely deaths.

Learn about your family’s curse.

Aesop/Almira Hammond | Detective | 36 Years Old | RO

A is an observant and clever person, stoic in nature. They put their all into their work, striving to find the truth in every case. They take on the case of your family’s sudden deaths despite pushback from others. It was an occurrence of events all too strange, and they are determined to figure it out.

Cyprian/Cecilia Atterton | Writer | 28 Years Old | RO

C is an imaginative and creative person, quiet in nature. They write not only from their own experiences, but the experiences of others as well. They are interviewing people about House Black, intending on writing a book about your family’s ill fate and eventual demise.

Sebastian/Sabina Farwell | Doctor | 34 Years Old | RO

S is an intelligent and kind person, caring in nature. They are a most trusted doctor, hardworking and honest. They were the young doctor that tried to help your father and sister. They helped without question, never calling your family cursed as you so often were.

Elias/Elosia Osborne | Coroner | 30 Years Old | RO

E is an empathetic and hardworking person, cheerful in nature. They put their heart into their work, aiming to bring closure to people as swiftly as possible. They are the one who investigated and confirmed the death of your elder sister. They never could for you though.

Unknown | ??? | ??? | RO

A secret. Who knows when they will appear.

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Mentions of death, child death, suicide, violence, blood, injury, burning alive, body horror, mutilation, slight gore, amnesia

asks are welcomed!

DISCLAIMER

this is a demo/work in progress. everything is subject to change until the final version. it is by no means a finished or polished work.

LINKS

✻ demo | same one, just another link

✻ itch.io | my creator page

✻ @ethersic | my main, art, etc. blog

INFO

word count w/o code: 6.3k

made with tweego + vscode + sugarcube

[abandonedbun]

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 ♡︎

Content notes:Afab reader (can be read as gender neutral though! :3)

Bun’s little note:Bunny had writers block and wrote this in hopes of it going away… writers block sucks TwT Also, what do ya think of the picture? Bun thinks it’s pretty cute! :3

Fandom(s):Identity V

Characters for identity v:Margaretha Zelle, Andrew Kreiss

Next will be Aesop and Demi! :3

These are super short, sorry TvT

Margaretha Zelle

She likes the sexy and cute bras

The ones made of soft fabric and that have some lace

It looks so pretty on you! She loves it whenever you wear those soft lace bras she picks out for you <3

Also picks out soft lace panties for you but that’s a discussion for another day :3

She likes pink and purple ones on you, not neon of course and not dark, the perfect shade or pastel is what she prefers since it matches her

Or plain black will do, plain black is also very hot in her opinion

Andrew Kreiss

He thinks his lover looks good in anything tbh

In his eyes, any bra looks good on you <33

Lace? Beautiful dear

Bras that have a little bow or two? Looks pretty and cute on you!

No bra? He doesn’t mind, you still look beautiful, he loves your body

He’s too in love to pick a favorite from the ones you wear

[looseduke]

my predictions for future storytelling realms along the lines of the neverafter and the endless nights im 100% sure about:

realm based on the works of shakespeare (though i don’t think they’ll interact much with this one for purposes of anachronism)

a world based on irish/celtic folklore. smart moneys on this one showing up. with the fairy heavy plot and the fact that brennan is famously extremely irish, it’s coming. (i suspect all fairies originate from this realm in one way or another)

something to do with the epic of gilgamesh, the worlds oldest written story, and other surviving mesopotamian works. i see this world missing huge chunks and having very few versions left, but has survived by the skin of its teeth because against all odds people still remember it. alternatively, it was dead and gone after it was lost, and either archaeologists finding the story created a new version, or it was gone forever

realms i think are possibilities if the story goes the way it seems to be going so far:

ancient greek / roman mythology

i believe by introducing greek and roman mythology as a realm (foreshadowed imo by the appearance of aesop), these realms will be framed for us the audience as collections of human experience and belief systems, not just fictional stories, which will lead to:

jesus being name dropped yet again

allusions to realms based on various other cultures. specifically stories, not religions, the way that aesops fables teach morals and 1001 arabian nights is reflective of cultural values, but neither tell the stories of religious texts. (i don’t think the story will be extremely involved with these realms for both thematic and cultural sensitivity reasons, also simply bc there’s only so many episodes. it would be cool to see a guest dm run a world based off of non european folklore, rick riordan style). this includes but is not limited to:

different realms representing the traditional stories of ancient china, japan, india, and the pacific islands (all so old and so storied there’s truly endless possibilities for worlds based on them)

different realms representing the traditional stories of the americas (northern, middle, and southern traditions differ greatly from each other, as do all the different groups within the regions)

different realms representing the traditional stories of africa (the birthplace of humanity!! the first stories told around the hearth!!! plus, same as the americas: plenty of places to draw from)

brennan is smarter than me and would communicate this better then im about to, but the oral history tradition of many of these cultures has such huge potential in this story. i really hope to see differences in the storytelling of written histories/oral histories (for instance: hawai’ian hula tells the historical record of the islands of hawai’i! it would be amazing to see how that type of tradition translates to this world

i cant talk about this too much or ill explode, but i really hope they hired consultants and experts and writers to do this world and the history of human story telling justice<3

im doing research now on the possibilities of the mother goose/shahrazad/aesop type narrators (although i suspect that not every realm has a narrator) but i don’t have any examples yet, if you have any ideas please please share them!! im so excited to see where this season goes and to keep sinking my stupid little teeth into all the lore implications of bonafide brennan lee mulligan world building

[sirensea14]

My Royalty au

Part 1 - The Beach (short sketchy comic)

Part 2 - The Meeting

Part 3 - Enchanted Store

Part 4 - The Legendary Chalice and the Dish brothers

Part 5 - upcoming:

The Witch of Distress

Holly was on Aesop's Falls, she lived there all of her life till she became 20. At 23 of age, she moved down to the Inkwell Isles to discover more magic beyond just runes. Yes, she liked runes and magic. She was a well known sorceress in her home town, a cheerful, ambitious, sweet yet silly witch. She was kind to help people by making potions, using runes and her knowledge. They say she was the smaertest of the smart, but she shoved those comments away since she's aware she isn't the only one exposed to magic.

A thought came to her, what if she went around the world?

At the age of 20 she became an official archeologist, she wanted to uncover more of magic mysteries.

She went to the Disney Kingdom where she uncovered some magic mysteries and met great people like the iconic knights, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck. She also encountered a rogue knight, Oswald the Unlucky Rabbit, previously known as the Lucky Rabbit in his golden years of service. He was mysterious and the only thing for this is because his wife dies from monsters while he was on a mission and his fellow knights didn't protect her, according to the gossips.

She then went to the Loonyville where she met Bugs Bunny and his gang. They were quite zany. It was also a coincidence that Felix the Cat Adventurer--from Toon Town--was there, a fellow archeologist and a great writer. They have been good friends and Holly is still in touch with him even as she is now on the Dish Kingdom.

And then her last destination before residing in the aforementioned kingdom, Islang Liwayway, or Dawn Island. She ventured there and saw a mysterious small gear. It glowed of yellow. She became enchanted to it and kept it in her collection.

Then the Dish Kingdom, she erected a store here, the Enchanted store. Selling potions, food, weapons, rune spells on paper and displaying her collection. She has a cauldron where she used to make potions.

The people residing the kingdom were delighted by her, however as nights came, a problem bloomed. They always saw a woman flying and laughing. Taunting and threatening at them. It terrorized them that they wanted the knights to obliterate the witch, but they couldn't.

She was too powerful. Witnesses who looked at her close, eye to eye, said that she looked like Holly, she had a dark purple dress, rides on a broom, controls runes and a glowing cog on her neck. She also has her sclera black and her eyes glowing yellow orange, just like the cog. She would wave off green magic on her hand and snatch off souls of nearby victims.

Some people tried to defend Holly who was unaware of what happens during the night.

She also happened to find a certain dish knight appealing, that specific knight had a red cape and pants, red striped straw and ruby eyes. That's another reason for her to stay aside from the magic and mystery the kingdom held.

Until now, the mystery of the witch is left unresolved, she also claimed to be Mayhem, the Witch of Distress.

[the-teddy-bear-butch]

LAST ONE WAHOO, @lavenderlevetan 3/3 “twos not divisible by 3”

70: are you very critical of your own writing? how much do you find yourself editing (either during the writing or after the fact)?

VERY FUCKING CRITICAL. Holy hell imposter syndrome my beloathed. I’m surrounded by talent and y’all are intimidating. I edit a lot I think, after writing. I tend to add at least 10-20% more words LMAO, as well as rewording stuff

74: are you a planner, pantser, or planster?

Hang on I have to Google something. Reading this description, I think plantser with pantser tendencies. I get a basic idea, at least a few events, and then just go for it

76: what is one essential thing to remember when writing a villain? 

Oh god idk man. Lighthearted, I’d say make them decently likable if you want them to be compelling. If they’re evil and annoying or evil and boring, that sucks. One dimensional and/or annoying characters are no fun. Give them some pizzazz. BUT. On a serious note, also be careful to avoid harmful stereotypes. Queer villains are fun—don’t make them your only queer characters. That kind of thing

80: do you try to put themes, motifs, messages, morals, etc in your writing? if so, how do you go about it?

Yes! I tend to mostly use specific themes that go along with the main story theme. It’s hard to explain. Road trip = sunlight and warmth and nature themed allegories and freedom. There in the garden = dark and spooky and gothic and blood and animalistic. You know? Morals I don’t usually use intentionally but I’m not Aesop /lh

82: “proper” punctuation or all lowercase?

I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I need my proper punctuation (in 98% of cases). I don’t necessarily have a reason outside of it makes it easier for me to read in regards to when sentences end kind of?? BUT!!! I think stylistically, all lowercase can be a SUPER FUCKING COOL option. Favorite example is dancing in the moonlight by our own summersociety / @candle-lion when it comes to Birdie’s POV, it’s just an incredible choice in my opinion!! It’s fitting that the beast is “simpler” more “animal” you know?

86: which season best matches the mood of your wip(s)?

Fall. I’m an Autumn bitch. I tend to write stuff being in Autumn without really thinking about it

88: if you could have another author write your wip for you (bc we all dream of this occasionally), who would it be?

Hey would you like to take a stab at there in the garden? Or @candle-lion or @sapphicriley I know any of you three would do an incredible job with the concept, I think!! Also @suwunnysideup maybe it’s just me but I think you would absolutely knock the apocalypse au floating around my brain just out of the park

92: first, second, or third person?

Third person! I don’t hate first person necessarily, but for some reason I prefer my fics third person. Novels in first person are cool tho, that doesn’t bother me

94: do you prefer dialogue or description?

Description. I think I tend to talk in a way that’s kind of awkward, and it translates into making my written dialogue awkward. The amount of times I go back and change it to sound more real and human before I post is unreal. Description is more fun to me, and I get to fuck around with metaphors and whatnot

98: what don’t you like about your writing style?

See above. Dialogue is icky

100: open question to the writer.

I’m not sure what this means. I’ll just use it to say I love you and this was fun, thank you for giving me something to do LMAO

[ciaran]

a lot of writers are great at writing adults bc they see adults as people with 1. motivations 2. a past 3. a concrete ability to work towards a goal. all of these are things children are presumed to lack, for one reason or another - adults see children as impulsive, distracted by every shiny thing, when not all children are like that, and the impulsiveness of certain children still does not preclude underlying desires that are consistent to them; children have a way higher past:person ratio than the average adult! week for week, children are more profoundly affected by regular experiences because it is all new to them. everything sticks, and they remember. what they don't remember and what they do can be random at times and less random at others, but each child has (again) an underlying logic for what gets held onto harder than other things; children's lack of ability to work towards their goal is in large part why they are so prone to meltdowns. if you couldn't drink a glass of water when you're thirsty - if you had to get someone to help you each time, you'd end up pretty pissed every time they dragged their heels as well. and if that was true for everything you needed? [a/n: i'm aware this is reality for many disabled people! which is why adultism and ableism are so closely entwined as well]. but children ARE capable of working towards many of their goals in their own ways, whether those are emotional or physical goals.

but if you don't see children as people, though, all of those things fall apart, and you end up with the...idea of what role this creature is supposed to fill in the lives of people who look at her. this is inherently dehumanizing, make no mistake, it makes the child something that never appears to experience emotions that don't fill that idea or diverge strongly from that role, which in turn makes the character flat and uninteresting. there's no reason for us to care what happens to her, narratively, because the only thing we do have to care about is what happens to the people who care about her. she's not a character, she's an object that furthers the emotions of the other characters. she's a morality pet, or meaninglessly cute, or an aesop. there's nothing outside that for her. you could replace her with a puppy and literally nothing would change.

i think a lot of media makes the mistake of treating the child as a cardboard cutout of idealized childhood (state of purity, unfiltered joy, innocence) and its only thru corruption of that ideal that the past selves of adults are made complex. which is a very poor view of childhood and it makes child characters profoundly unsatisfactory at its lamest and borderline reactionary at its most egregious

[carewyncromwell]

1, 2, 3, 7 (Frozen), 10 (Inside Out) and 31?

1) Harry Potter

Remus Lupin. When I first met him while reading Prisoner of Azkaban, he reminded me of all the best teachers I'd ever had: the ones that got me excited about learning, the ones that clearly both loved and were expert in what they taught, the ones who wanted nothing more than to share what they knew with the next generation and loved seeing them gain confidence in what they were studying. He also had such a calming aura in contrast to more fiery Gryffindors like Harry, Ron, or even McGonagall, and that was really cool to see. Then we learned more about who Remus was as a person -- who his friends had been, about his lycanthropy and the struggles he dealt with because of it...and yeah, I latched onto this man with all my heart! I admittedly have always had a soft spot for characters who are social outcasts (hence why my second favorite character is Luna Lovegood), but even disregarding this, I just wanted the WORLD for poor Remus! He'd had such a difficult life and he'd lost so much, and I wanted him to be happy. Sadly by the end of the series, he really didn't get that happiness I wanted for him, but that doesn't mean I love him any less. I love headcanons and stories about the Marauders in large part because of how much I love seeing James, Sirius and yes, even Peter rallying around Remus to support him out of nothing but pure, loving friendship. I only wish that things had been different and both Remus and Sirius could've rebuilt their grim, loss-filled lives with happiness the way they deserved. My other favorites include (as mentioned) Luna Lovegood, the Weasleys overall, Sirius and Regulus Black, and Professor McGonagall.

2) Hogwarts Mystery

Barnaby Lee! I explained better why in another post discussing my top five favorites, so I'll just quote that!

Barnababy!! <3 Okay, this boy is unquestionably my favorite character in the game Hogwarts Mystery, even if the writers do just make him a punchline a lot of the time. He just is such a beautiful subversion of all of the old Slytherin tropes. From the very beginning, he’s sort of framed as the “Crabbe/Goyle” to Merula’s Draco Malfoy, but he pretty quickly breaks out of that box by being so legitimately and sincerely innocent. He’s honorable and amiable to the point that MC just beating him in combat will make them his buddy, but he also blooms under their influence, showing off more of his protective and nurturing side after becoming their friend. He doesn’t want to take over the world – he just wants to be strong and to learn as much about magical creatures as he can, and he chases that ambition with determination! Slytherins are associated with selfishness and cowardice, largely because of their valuing of self-preservation, but Barnaby? The complete antithesis of that. He will literally throw himself in front of his friends to protect them from harm. And I just love that so much.

But yeah, my top four after Barnaby are Bill Weasley, Orion Amari, Talbott Winger, and Charlie Weasley; I also have a huge soft-spot for Chiara Lobosca, Rowan Khanna, Ben Copper, (as mentioned earlier) the rest of the Weasley family, and Duncan Ashe.

3) Hogwarts Legacy

Ominis Gaunt! I always love it when Harry-Potter-centric media breaks the "Slytherin is evil" stereotype (I mean, hey, I am one myself), and yeah, unlike his buddy Sebastian who sort of stays on the gray side morality-wise, Ominis proves the "bad Slytherin" image 150% wrong while also showing a side of the Gaunt family we've never seen before. I just love Ominis's sass partnered with his quiet, unassuming nature, but also his strong morals and iron-clad loyalty. Plus it's cool to now have some representation for the blind community as well in the Potterverse. My other favorites in the cast are Aesop Sharp, Abraham Ronen, Matilda Weasley, Natsai Onai, and Poppy Sweeting.

7) Frozen

It's very, very close between Elsa and Anna, honestly. I personally relate more to Elsa personality-wise, but if there was a character from the Frozen musical I would love to portray on stage, it would be Anna. I love how comedic Anna is, which is something Disney female characters and female leads in particular rarely get to be, as well as how deathly loyal and determined she is...but I also find Elsa's struggles incredibly relatable in the first film and even if the second film is flawed, that doesn't mean I don't like seeing her get a more complete picture of herself as an individual.

10) Inside Out

Disgust, actually! I laughed the most at her in the first film, and I honestly love her aesthetic. I think my own Headquarters would have my Disgust at the head of the console, being discerning with what I do and who I trust, with Joy serving as support, especially at work.

31) Pirates of the Caribbean

Not a surprising answer, probably, but good old Captain Jack! I love him as this chaotic neutral sort who's kind of just out for himself, but still does have a heart and sincerely just wants to be free to live his own life his own way. My second choice, though, I think is more surprising, and that's James Norrington! I personally think he was criminally underused and then cast aside in the third film in particular, when he deserved SO much more focus in the OG trilogy overall. If I'd written the series, I would've had James as the Javert to Jack's Valjean, chasing him all around the Caribbean for at least one whole movie and maybe even having to team up reluctantly with Jack along the way before his fall from grace. And then, yeah, give James and Jack even more time to bounce sassy one-liners off each other. Perhaps Disney was already so afraid of how obviously queer Jack is that they elected to "no-homo" him by giving both him and Norrington respectively way more scenes with the only main female in the entire cast all in an attempt to shut up the Sparrington shippers. But come on, both Depp and Davenport had way more chemistry with each other than they did with every sapphic's movie girlfriend Keira Knightly, seriously.

Favorite Character Ask!

[seventeendeer]

I actually really enjoying hearing your cartoon opinions! :o may I ask why you really dislike atla?

I'm glad you enjoy my goofy little rants! they're very entertaining for me to write, so it's nice that some people enjoy them also! <3

ah, atla, my old nemesis ... there are a lot of things I dislike about it and disappearingly few things I liked to any extent.

my biggest problem with it is that I simply find the character writing deeply grating. the character concepts are very charming, but the execution feels forced, dry and hand-holdy. every character feels like A Problem To Be Solved, with some positive and comedic traits tacked on there to try to make them likable. the narrative is constantly moralizing their actions, focusing more on the aesops it wants to teach than on portraying anything resembling real people. it also insists on using the same milquetoast pseudo-snarky vocabulary for every main character, further making them come off like a bunch of sock puppets instead of distinct personalities.

by contrast, I love stuff like spop - a show for the same demographic with comparable themes and characters - where the main focus is not on moralizing the characters' actions, but simply on portraying lots of very different people dealing with tough situations, how and why the shitty ones do what they do, and the consequences of their choices. spop doesn't choke its own characters out in an attempt to Teach A Moral, it simply lets the characters roam free in an exciting, complex story and realistically portrays the fallout. for a more specific comparison: atla starts Zuko's redemption arc early and devotes a ton of time to showing how wrong and shitty he was vs the amount of time he was actually allowed to be shitty on screen. by contrast, Catra spends most of spop being a terrible person and suffering the consequences, before having a short (beginning of a) redemption arc, which is portrayed as difficult but ultimately rewarding. I found Zuko's arc boring, predictable and overly finger-wagging - meanwhile I thought Catra's arc was engaging, nuanced, detailed, relatable and I felt like it flowed naturally among the other narratives.

atla only really allowed the villains to be heavily flawed by the end of it. all the good guys had to be scrubbed clean of their problems before they were let off the hook. any personality trait that was more than mildly irritating was treated as something to be fixed. I honestly don't like stories like that. I greatly prefer stories where characters get to be weird and fucked up and barely functioning in society, but they happen to find people who aren't bothered by it and want to hang out with them anyway.

another thing I really don't like is the comedy. so much of the comedy doesn't have an actual punchline, or at least not any good ones. mostly characters just act kind of quirky or say something you wouldn't expect. it feels like the writers are desperately trying to get a reaction out of me by pulling funny faces. the fact that comedy only comes up in the Designated Funny Moments is also annoying and again makes it feel like the characters are not real people with consistent traits. if a character only has a certain personality trait when it's funny and drops it as soon as it's time to be serious, that's not a personality trait, it's something stuck on there to try to force a specific viewer reaction - which then falls apart the moment the viewer doesn't find it funny.

I also don't like the way the faces are stylized. I think spop might actually be the only instance of a highly animesque art style I actually liked to look at. everything else from atla to voltron to totally spies looks terrible to me. the facial features are too floaty and it makes expressions look stiff and lifeless (unlike a lot of actual anime styles, which I often find pretty and very expressive). though this problem is probably made worse in my mind by the fact that whenever there's a face on screen someone is probably talking and I am about to once more feel a deep violence well up within me, so take this opinion with a grain of salt

also this one isn't really mine to complain about at length, but honestly I just never really feel comfortable in stories that take place in non-white cultures that the white writers have no connection to whatsoever. it feels like I'm being invited into a house by someone who doesn't live in that house. it's like ... why do you think you have the authority to invite me in? do you even know how the owners of the house feel about this? no matter how good your research into this house is, how can it possibly measure up to the lived experiences of the people who live here? how can I be sure you're not lying to me to make this place seem more appealing to your own tastes? what even is your motivation for giving me a tour of the house in the first place?

my research tells me there are countless opinions on the subject and I sincerely don't know how valid or not valid my concerns are, but these are my personal feelings on the matter. I love stories set in non-white cultures, but I strongly prefer to stick to the ones made by people with personal connections to said cultures. I want to feel invited into the house by the owners of the house; I want to see only what they choose to share and learn about the house from the people who have the most personal, intimate relationship with it. I feel I have a better chance of understanding how to treat others with respect when this is the case.

anyway, that was a little serious detour on my otherwise needlessly goofy and facetious rant about cartoons for babies. the fact of the matter is that I don't like atla for a myriad of subjective reasons. only character I cared about was Azula, probably exactly because she was allowed to remain deranged and maladjusted until the end and wasn't forced through the Character Flattening Device in the name of teaching lessons

also I probably would have only developed mild disdain for it was it not because no one ever shuts the fuck up about it pfffffft now I hate it with a white hot rage bc you know how it is when a lot of people very vocally like something you don't like. hell on earth

[ducktracy]

happy birthday, frank tashlin!

today would have been frank tashlin’s 107th birthday, making him the second youngest director on the WB staff (bob clampett getting the title of youngest, born less than 3 months after tashlin) frank tashlin’s one of my favorite WB directors, and it’s a criminal shame how underrated he is!

he began his cartoonist career in 1930 working for john foster’s aesop’s fables, then briefly migrating to van beuren studios, but he seldom stayed in one place too long. bob clampett once likened him to a yo-yo, and ink and paint girl martha sigall reminiscing “here today, gone tomorrow. now you see him, now you don’t.” he joined the schlesinger gang in 1933 as an animator, even receiving a credit for buddy’s beer garden as tish tash.

during his first (out of three) stint at warner bros, he was running a comic on the side — van boring (he never says a word), a play on his former boss van beuren. leon schlesinger was particularly enamored by the comic, and wanted “a cut of it.” tash responded warmly, recounting “i said go to hell. so he fired me.”

he moved to ub iwerks’ studio in 1934, briefly working as an animator, and later moving to hal roach’s studio as a gag man. he returned to warner bros in 1936, this time as a director. jack king had just returned to disney, and a spot needed to be filled. evidently there were no harsh feelings between schlesinger and tash, as tash claimed “he was a man who thought in money terms. he never let personalities interfere too long; his wallet spoke.”

his first directed cartoon was porky’s poultry plant in 1936, also noteworthy for being the debut of composer carl stalling as well, who would stay at the studio for 22 years. tashlin started off as just a looney tunes director��tex avery was splitting the difference between looney tunes and merrie melodies, whereas friz freleng was exclusively MM. however, tash also got to indulge in the merrie melodies (a privilege his predecessor jack king never got to experience), his first being speaking of the weather in 1937, a take on the classic “books come to life” genre made popular by the harman-ising era. tashlin himself even said he idolized the duo, and modestly dismissed his own takes as “cribbing their ideas.” during his first directorial stint from 1936-1938, tash would direct 13 looney tunes and 8 merrie melodies.

tashlin departed in 1938 after an argument with studio executive henry binder, and sought refuge at disney. there, he recounts forming a union because of how terrible the pay was (he said that he earned $150 a week at warner bros, and at disney he supposed he “was the first person [in the union] making more than thirty dollars a week.” he wrote mickey and the beanstalk and was also involved in very early development of lady and the tramp.

he left disney after an argument with mr. disney himself (“i always pick the wrong people to fight with”) and headed for columbia pictures’ screen gems in 1941. in fact, he was put in charge of the studio impromptu when a “man” fired everyone but him. he hired a number of picketers during the infamous animator’s strike. he made the fox and the crow series, one of the studio’s better entires. and, once more, he was fired after a dispute with an executive.

tashlin finally returned to warner bros in 1943, taking over norm mccabe’s unit. not to say that his 1936-1938 works were bad (he has quite a few masterpieces--porky’s romance, the case of the stuttering pig, wholly smoke, cracked ice… some of his merrie melodies certainly rival tex avery’s), but his period from 1943-1946 reflects his experience and knowledge acquired from his days drifting between studios.

his first picture from his return was porky pig’s feat, one of my favorite porky/daffy cartoons and probably one of the best black and white cartoons made at the studio, if not the best. the plot is simple: porky and daffy stay at a fancy shmancy hotel, and the bill is ridiculously expensive. porky assures the manager daffy’s cashing in the check, and we see daffy gambling away (and losing) all of their money. the rest of the cartoon consists of daffy and porky attempting to save their hides and escape the hotel, but they end up being held prisoner regardless. bugs bunny also makes a cameo as another jailbird who tried (and failed) the same shtick they did.

tashlin lamented about being demoted back to the porky cartoons again: “who wants to see the damned pig, and i’m stuck with the damned pig. it takes him so long to talk.” “i hated him, i thought he was a terrible character.” he mentions envying the other directors working with bugs (only directing 2 bugs cartoons himself), how the studio worked as a hierarchy of sorts. having to work your way up to the big leagues. though his porky cartoons are fantastic, his distaste is subtly noted. (he claims that “you couldn't do anything with his body”, which i couldn’t disagree with more) daffy takes the front seat in porky pig’s feat, brother brat is dedicated exclusively to porky getting abused by a testosterone fueled baby, and swooner crooner hardly features porky to begin with (an iconic cartoon that holds the title as the only porky cartoon nominated for an academy award.) nevertheless, his cartoons are stronger than ever, growing only more powerful with his daffy entries and eventually bugs entries.

a big contributor to the success of these cartoons lies in tashlin’s filmmaking aspirations. he’d leave warner bros in 1944 (his cartoons running all the way until 1946) to go to the film business. ever since porky’s poultry plant, his eye for camera angles and cinematography has been evident, and only grown stronger since. tashlin described how his mindset aligned with his drifter attitude. if he was working on cartoons, he was thinking of film. if he was working in film, he was thinking of plays, etc.

he began as a gag writer for films featuring big names such as the marx brothers and lucille ball. he directed films all through the 50s and 60s, echoing elements he mastered in his animation: elaborate camera angles, fast pace, sight gags, plot twists, etc.

i’ve run my mouth enough, but he was a great guy who’s criminally underrated. his cartoons are hilarious, artful, clever, and just plain fun. definitely an important name in the animation business that should be much more important! i’ll get more in depth with his content once i get to his cartoons for my reviews (soon!)

to end, left to right: frank tashlin, tex avery, henry binder, leon schlesinger, ray katz, and friz freleng in 1936.

happy birthday, tish tash!

[rudjedet]

I hope it's fine since I couldn't check the faqs on mobile. I have a blurred memory about Cinderella's most ancient version being Egyptian. Is it true (with a pharaoh, the Nile and a shoe made of papyrus? 🙄). And if it's really so, how old is it? Where can we read that story? Thank for all your down to earth Egyptian curiosities! Take care!

It’s more or less Egyptian - that is, the tale is said to take place in Egypt, but whether its origins are completely Egyptian is doubtful. It was likely an oral tradition, and it was first recorded by Strabo in his Geographies around 7 BC. The girl in question is called Rhodopis, and he writes the following passage about her:

They tell the fabulous story that, when [Rhodopis] was bathing, an eagle snatched one of her sandals from her maid and carried it to Memphis; and while the king was administering justice in the open air, the eagle, when it arrived above his head, flung the sandal into his lap; and the king, stirred both by the beautiful shape of the sandal and by the strangeness of the occurrence, sent men in all directions into the country in quest of the woman who wore the sandal; and when she was found in the city of Naucratis, she was brought up to Memphis, became the wife of the king.

I’m not aware of a fuller version than this passage by Strabo, and a much later version noted down by the Roman orator Aelian in his Miscellaneous History. As far as I know more elaborate recountings don’t exist. Aelian does specify the Pharaoh’s name as Psammetichus (pardon the old-fashioned translation):

The Egyptians relations affirm that Rhodopis was a most beautiful Curtizan ; and that on a time as she was bathing her self, Fortune, who loveth to doe extravagant and unexpected things, gave her a reward : sutable, not to her mind, but her beauty. For whilest she was washing, and her Maids look’d to her clothes, an Eagle stooping down, snatched up one of her Shoes, and carried it away to Memphis, where Psammetichus was sitting in Judgement, and let the Shoe fall into his lap. Psammetichus wondring at the shape of the Shoe, and neatness of the work, and the action of the Bird, sent throughout Ægypt to find out the Woman to whom the shoe belonged ; and having found her out, married her. 

As for the origins of this story - Herodotus wrote down a somewhat similar story about the Thracian courtesan Rhodopis about five centuries before Strabo’s passage, and I believe this documentation of events is considered the origin of the later tale, but I’m not a Greek scholar so I’m not qualified to comment on it. Herodotus’ backstory of the courtesan specifies that during the time of Amasis II, Rhodopis was a fellow-slave of Aesop, and that she was taken to Naucratis by her owner. Here, Sappho’s brother Charaxus, who was there as a wine merchant, fell in love with her and bought her freedom. 

(2.134) This king, too, left a pyramid, but far smaller than his father’s, each side twenty feet short of three hundred feet long, square at the base, and as much as half its height of Ethiopian stone. Some Greeks say that it was built by Rhodopis, the courtesan, but they are wrong; [2] indeed, it is clear to me that they say this without even knowing who Rhodopis was (otherwise, they would never have credited her with the building of a pyramid on which what I may call an uncountable sum of money was spent), or that Rhodopis flourished in the reign of Amasis, not of Mycerinus; [3] for very many years later than these kings who left the pyramids came Rhodopis, who was Thracian by birth, and a slave of Iadmon son of Hephaestopolis the Samian, and a fellow-slave of Aesop the story-writer. For he was owned by Iadmon, too, as the following made crystal clear: [4] when the Delphians, obeying an oracle, issued many proclamations summoning anyone who wanted it to accept compensation for the killing of Aesop, no one accepted it except the son of Iadmon’s son, another Iadmon; hence Aesop, too, was Iadmon’s. 

(2.135) Rhodopis came to Egypt to work, brought by Xanthes of Samos, but upon her arrival was freed for a lot of money by Kharaxus of Mytilene, son of Scamandronymus and brother of Sappho the poetess. [2] Thus Rhodopis lived as a free woman in Egypt, where, as she was very alluring, she acquired a lot of money—sufficient for such a Rhodopis, so to speak, but not for such a pyramid. [3] Seeing that to this day anyone who likes can calculate what one tenth of her worth was, she cannot be credited with great wealth. For Rhodopis desired to leave a memorial of herself in Greece, by having something made which no one else had thought of or dedicated in a temple and presenting this at Delphi to preserve her memory; [4] so she spent one tenth of her substance on the manufacture of a great number of iron beef spits, as many as the tenth would pay for, and sent them to Delphi; these lie in a heap to this day, behind the altar set up by the Chians and in front of the shrine itself. [5] The courtesans of Naucratis seem to be peculiarly alluring, for the woman of whom this story is told became so famous that every Greek knew the name of Rhodopis, and later on a certain Archidice was the theme of song throughout Greece, although less celebrated than the other. [6] Kharaxus, after giving Rhodopis her freedom, returned to Mytilene. He is bitterly attacked by Sappho in one of her poems. This is enough about Rhodopis.

So Sappho wrote a poem ridiculing her brother’s decisions in this matter, though she named the woman in question Doricha instead of Rhodopis. Because of that, as far as I know “Rhodopis” is considered either Herodotus just doing his usual by giving as her name the Greek equivalent of “rosy cheeks”, or the woman Doricha’s actual “stage name” as courtesan.

Whatever the origin of the name Rhodopis, it seems acceptable that the name of the girl in Strabo’s recounting of the tale was taken from Herodotus’ writings and/or the courtesan herself. In most if not all modern adaptions of the “Cinderella story”, Strabo’s and Herodotus’ accounts are definitely conflated and mashed together.

This, then, leads to a reconstructed story about the slave girl Rhodopis whose freedom is bought by a kind merchant called Charaxus who lives in Naucratis. She becomes part of his household, either like a daughter or a lover, and the first gift he gives her is a pair of beautiful red slippers. One day, one of the slippers is stolen by an eagle (or in some adaptations, a falcon, which is a far more appliccable bird for a story set in Egypt) as she is bathing. The bird flies to Memphis and drops the slipper in the lap of Pharaoh Amasis. The Pharaoh, blown away by the beauty and craftsmanship of the slipper, and impressed by the majestic bird, takes this as a sign from the gods and vows to wed the woman to whom the slipper belongs. Eventually Rhodopis is tracked down, and brought to Memphis to marry the king. They live happilly ever after.

Related fun fact: I wrote a retelling of the story myself back in 2006, but it’s crap because I was 17! 

If you enjoyed this little foray into the classics and ancient versions of fairy tales, please consider donating to my Ko-fi. This has the added benefit of keeping me fed tea while I write better stories about ancient Egypt than I did when I was 17.

[commanderalexa]

villaneve fic recs

updated: june 9, 2019

now that killing eve season 2 is over, ive seen some ppl not know what to do with their time. and reading fan fiction is a great way to get your fill of villaneve angst, fluff, and sexy times! also, make sure to comment on the fan fiction you read to show appreciation to hard working writers because they have all written amazing fics. these are my absolute favourite villaneve fics and i view them as literary masterpieces i said what i said.

1. Professional Boundaries- It's probably easier for them to not be in the same room, at least for a while.

this is like this fandom’s bible, it continues after season 1 and they really cant stay away from each other huh. angst, fluff, slowburn, a perfect balance.

2. (Issues) We've got the kind of love it takes to solve them- 

this series is honestly what i need after that season 2 finale... some fluff!! its the best series and we get to see villaneve in a relationship. domestic and soft.

3. Different For Us- AU: Eve is a forensic psychologist tasked with assessing a certain somebody who has been incarcerated for some time following a grisly crime...

this au is amazing like we still see the same dynamic between villanelle and eve except they’re in a different circumstance. 

4. One Hundred Minutes of Normality- “For the next" – Eve checks the back of the DVD case – "one hundred minutes you and I are going to pretend that the following things are true. One, neither of us is a psychopath. Two, we both strongly disapprove of murder. Three, I never stabbed you, four, you're not even thinking about stabbing me back, and five, we're dating and have a perfectly normal, healthy relationship. I need one hundred minutes of normality or my entire head is going to explode. Do you want popcorn?" 

another domestic fic in which they pretend to be in a relationship, my soft heart is FULL. 

5. The Void- "Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to your ruin." - Aesop. After weeks of getting her life back on track, Eve takes a wrong step and begins indulging in dangerous vices. But turning a blind eye to Villanelle's true nature is a grave mistake, and soon, Eve will feel the consequences everywhere around her. Part 1 of Of Space & Water.

exquisite writing, this is for all of y’all that love angst!

6. Sidewalk Closed Ahead- Ambiguous canon divergence 02: Villanelle thought she could accept being the other woman, but the kind-of-retired assassin isn’t sure what to do when she develops stronger feelings for Eve. Juggling emotions and sexual appetites leaves Villanelle strung out and clawing for her own sense of normalcy in life.

villanelle is the other woman but develops deeper feelings for eve and pretends to be ok with their situation but wants more. ANGST CENTRAL. this fic is a work in progress and i get so excited whenever i see updates in my email. 

7. Hell is Empty (All the Devils Are Here)- "i was thinking... we should go to alaska."set post-season two finale.

this is the fic i need after the season two finale. i love the author’s style of writing- its so achingly beautiful, and the slow burn is written so well. one of my favourite villaneve fics

8. For Hire- “This is the last time that Eve takes advice from Hugo.When Eve drunkenly decides to hire an escort to be her date for her ex-husband’s wedding, she is in no way prepared for Villanelle to be who she is.”

villanelle is an escort and eve hires her and they pretend to be in a relationship for niko’s wedding. this fic JUST posted and i’m already OBSESSED. imagine them trying to fake a relationship but gradually developing feelings... thats some quality shit y’all. 

9. tell me it's there (just beyond me)- “Eve hadn’t slept for twenty-eight hours, and time took on a sticky quality, drifting by before rushing over several hours in an instant. She knew, somewhere, people were celebrating for the liberation of France. She wondered if Niko was there, enjoying himself, while she struggled to make soldiers and civilians comfortable in a cold tent.She hoped he was, hoped he wasn’t somewhere like this. A four-hundred bed field hospital set up in the grounds of some French aristocrats house, with grass floors that had already been disturbed by the heavy steps of stretcher-bearers. ...

Eve is a nurse in WW2, and Oksana is wounded on D-Day.”

this is one of my favourites. eve helps villanelle heal and they grow closer and closer. this made my heart ache and also made it full again. truly a masterpiece. this is exactly the kind of au’s i adore.

anyways hope y’all enjoy! more fic recs can be found on my fic rec page where i have all my favourite wlw fan fiction.

[agentpink-writes]

5 Lesser Known Facts Tag!

Tagged by: @writingonesdreams! Thanks again!

I’ve been meaning to get to this, but I’ve been tagged in so many tag games recently, I can’t keep up! Hopefully this will put a dent in my drafts :,)

Instructions: list at least 5 lesser known facts about your WIP and/or the OC of your choosing!

For this I think I’ll do both my WIP and OCs? I’ll be doing God of the Machine, as per usual

Also, spoilers-ish.

1. One of the main, main characters I was reluctant to mention in my WIP intro is an Android who goes under the alias of Patient Zero. He is the one, as revealed later in the WIP, who orchestrated the Phage virus and is sorta starting this robot rebellion, but his motivations are a bit cloudy until they are revealed much later. I was a little ehhhh about adding him to my intro page, as his existence is kind of a spoiler (as if that means anything atm since I’m nowhere near close to publishing this lol). However, I’ll probably put him down there anyway, since he is pretty important.

2. David used to work for Aesop, the corporation that Sara was partially in charge of, during the war. He was discharged (honorably) for mental health issues (spoilers I guess) but he was given the opportunity to work with Aesop, a new and rising corporation that really founded the base for the Androids of the present. At that time, robots were treated mainly as military equipment, another facet in aiding the military effort in the Tyro War. Basically David was a military scientist who helped make war machines, and was called to help with a specific and new line of robots, a pantheon of Androids nicknamed the Gods Initiative. They are all nicknamed after Greek gods, like Aphrodite and Athena, and each are assigned to a specific team of military scientist (to see which comes up with the better, more superior military robot). David was assigned to Ares who (spoilers again) is actually Patient Zero (loooong story there).

3. The people that this alternate universe America is fighting is actually Canada. This is a very small fact, as I made sure to draw little to no focus to the fact they were fighting Canada. Instead, I wanted to focus more on the use of propaganda (ex. Exaggerating facial features and use of slurs) in order to kind of parody the mindset of those at war. I thought it was better to have it exclusively shown from America’s side, since I felt like it would give more insight into how biased they are. Again, i thought picking Canada would be appropriate since it adds to absurdity of this. The more I write about this makes it seem more and more silly, so let’s just pretend I didn’t write this ok? Ok.

4. Lucy gets infected with the Phage virus at one point. She doesn’t realize it at first, but as the story unfolds it slowly begins to affect her and her actions. Basically, the source of the Phage virus is unraveling the original Androids code, which can affect each Android differently. Not going to delve too much here, as I’ve already given too many spoilers already :,)

5. Ah, the biggest spoiler of them all! I was thinking about not putting it here, but if any of you guys actually care about spoilers for this WIP (I really doubt it but I’m checking anyway), just skip ahead to the tags. Anyway, here it is: Micheal, aka Major, is actually David’s son. He distanced himself from his dad a long, long time ago, and he hasn’t said a word to him over three or so years. He hates him with a fiery passion and pretty much blames him for breaking their fmamily apart, which he isn’t totally wrong about but hey... I’m already giving too many spoilers so I’ll just shut up.

I love how this basically went from lesser known facts to full blown spoilers. I don’t really mind, tbh, as I don’t think I’ll be publishing this anytime soon. So yeah, enjoy? I guess?

Tagging: @gottaenjoythelittlethingzz @fluffythewritingplant @lilmissravingwriter @mistbornvinventure @shadowschild64 @g-marrader21 @dreamin-when-I-wrote-this @emilyelizabethfowl @montevena @disoriented-writer @bumblebeesonpaper @thewizardbee

[rikiroy1793]

Reply 1988

I wish I could write my thesis reports this well. The following analysis was made by an YouTube account owner who goes by the name of ‘ 0dandie0 .’

On another note, Reply 1988 withdrawal setting in once again. 

It says, “ "I have no intention to dissuade you, everyone's entitled to their feelings. But it does seem that your feelings are mainly coming from watching through JH-colored glasses and not fully understanding the drama as a whole. Your misunderstanding could likely be based on lack of knowledge in Korean language/culture/and the concept of Baduk. This drama is not just what you see and hear but it's brilliantly written and twisted with style, and you really need to watch carefully and analyze to get 100% out of it. The main theme of this series of Reply is Family(and love ofc but family first)and Baduk is the biggest metaphor in the drama representing Family/Love. Baduk is a game of building "zip"(means home). So it is very fitting that the main lead is a professional Baduk player(someone who builds home/family). Baduk is often compared to life, as you make "choices" that can't be undone and every move you make along the way will determine final outcome. Also there can never be two identical Baduk match ever, every match is unique and original of its own, hence the old Korean saying "there is truth of life in Baduk". The main love competition btw JH and TK is a big game of Baduk. JH is black stone and TK is white. Black stone has the advantage and always plays first. White starts off late and has the disadvantage of 6.5 zips(homes) behind. Does this rule of Baduk ring a bell? Yes, TK only came forward in this love triangle in the latter part of the episode 6(TK calls DS and asks her out to a movie on the night of the first snow) Also, note that TK's character is based on a real-life, legendary Baduk player Lee Changho. There are countless homage references to LCH from his matches(the games in the drama are exact copies of LCH's) to his family background(LCH's father also owns a jewelry shop) and personality(LCH is also introverted, hates interviews, can't tie his shoe laces, challenged in operating simple household gadgets) LCH's Baduk style is non-aggressive, appears to be very slow, low-profile and timid. Many players who were brutally beaten by him recall that they "thought" they were winning until the end. And this quality of LCH is closely mimicked by TK in the drama. TK always made right choices at the right time(this doesn't make him an strategical opportunist, but rather as JH puts it TK was more ardent, and out of love, without any hesitation, he gives DS what she's looking for every time. TK is also represented as a slow turtle(his nickname was "turtle-Taek" since episode 10 among fans, he proposed DS with golden turtle as well) but we all know who wins the race in Aesop's fable, "a turtle and a hare." At the end of a Baduk game, the white player is given 6.5 homes for the initial disadvantage he had. This explains the more screen time for TK and less for JH twrds the end. The kiss scene of TK and DS in Beijing Hotel in episode 19 gave me chills. As the camera zooms out, did you notice the house-motif fire place in the background? And yes, it's white. TK's been earnestly and successfully built his home all along, step by step. Now then why did the director decide to use the perspective of JH instead of TK or DS? We were mainly shown from JH's one sided point of view and this made a lot of people confused. Is this just to troll everyone to think that JH is the husband? At the end of every Baduk game, players do sth called "Bokgi"(review match). Although the outcome is already determined, Bokgi is still a crucial part of the game and often referred to as "the flower(beauty) of Baduk". It is basically a replay of all the moves during the match. Bokgi is entirely a time for the loser, it is time of humility and introspection. Only the loser can refuse Bokgi, the winner has no say in this. Bokgi is a very painful process for both parties but it is the only time where the loser will gain much more than the winner. Through Bokgi, the loser identifies his own mistakes, face his weaknesses and learn from them. The love relationship btw JH, DS and TK was indeed JH's Bokgi. This is very evident especially in episode 18, at the end JH revisits all his mistakes from the past to present and faces it like a man. He thinks about what he could have done, and learns a life lesson to step up. Although this type of storytelling(anti-antagonistic narrative) did somewhat trolled many, I personally was in awe with the writer/director for employing such innovative, original method. This sure is not a typical everyday drama that we come across. This is just brilliant! Another big point to recognize is that although TK had a bare minimum screen time in the beginning, his presence was always there. Everyone talked about TK, the kids, the parents, friends from school, even the radio and TV. The kids always gathered into TK's room whether he is there or not. TK's room is a big metaphor for TK's presence. He provides the emotional "home" for the kids. The kids spent their childhood and youths, their young days in his room. It's a place of heart for the kids, it represents the good old times they can reminisce and wish to go back in time in a heartbeat. Therefore, the show rightly begins and ends in TK's room. TK's little cozy room under a soft afternoon sunlight is the signature scene from Reply 1988. Now, was the male lead switched at the end from JH to TK? I hardly doubt it. Although the storytelling was from JH's perspective, everything else in the drama was all pointing to TK. That's why unlike Overseas fans, many Korean fans did catch early on that TK is the husband. I myself became sure TK was the husband by episode 6, during the narration of Lee Munse, but many caught on by the first 2 episodes. There are endless amount of foreshadowing and metaphors that are all pointing to TK. I rewatched the entire series 3 times and now I am convinced that by episode 2, you are given pretty much all the clues. For example, when TK enters his room in episode 1, the camera focuses on the swing clock at 6pm, and it rings 6 times, indicating that TK will make his real appearance in episode 6. 4.33 is another very clever metaphor. The name Suyeon and goldfish candies and goldfish buns were great foreshadowing tool leading to TK as well. So many symbolism on wedding theme btw TK and DS gives no room for any doubt. Anyways this is getting too long. I suggest you do some research and re-watch the whole thing again. You will only see how much you know, but I promise you you will see much more than the first round."

[jeidafei]

The Core Message of D.Gray-Man

In my opinion, every story has something to tell. So what is D.Gray-Man actually trying to show us beneath the layers of all this tragedy and deaths?

This is my wild guess!

P.S. This is just my opinion, everyone! Every story conveys several messages and we are all free to interpret what the core message is in each work of literature...or whether they have a message at all...(I believe they all do, though!)

What is the core message of a story? A very clear example would be Aesop’s fables, which all end with “The moral of this tale is...”.

Most stories don’t just shove the message right into our faces from the get-go. In fact, most stories didn’t set out to preach at all, and the authorーsometimes even unknowinglyーdevelops the core theme and message as the story progresses. And part of the fun for me as I read novels and manga is figuring out the core message stories are trying to convey.

As D.Gray-Man is still ongoing, there are possibilities of plot-twists and new revelations, so I’ll state my guess for the story as of now (Chapter 230). 

And most importantly, if you’re an optimist like me, this core message might have already ensured that D.Gray-Man will have a HAPPY ENDING.

Though it does not necessarily mean Allen will survive, though...

1. Denying the Fate of an Exorcist

The message is there from the very beginning.

Yes, the bomb dropped pretty fast. Too darned fast most peeps including me wouldn’t notice. I’m talking waaay back into the first volume. Over a decade ago. We folks might not recall much, but we'll definitely remember this signature quote from Allen:

"Fate has got nothing to do with this. This is the path I chose by my own free will."

Yes, folks! The BIG SPOILER BOMB has dropped. This whole manga is all about....

                                                Fate Versus Choice

In this scene, Allen is denying what the Grand Generals and Cross Marian have told him: that by being born with Innocence, his fate had been set in stone by God himself, and to fight to the death as an Exorcist is his destiny.

Allen, however, assures Mana that he walks this path for he himself had chosen it. To atone for Mana. To save the suffering souls only he could see.

He's not doing this because Godーbecause Fate forces him to. It’s his own choice.

Allen's choice to become an Exorcist is what sets him apart from most ーif not allーExorcists from the very beginning. Other Exorcists usually joined through pure necessity or by being forced to fight by the Black Order. It’s more like can’t help it and I’m born to do this rather than I chose this. And this, as Dumbledore would put it, makes all the difference in the world.

And though some of them, like Lenalee and Kanda, later embraced their fate bound by Innocence, it's only due to having no other choice; Lenalee knows she can't keep living her daydream of a world without Akuma, and finally accepts that the only way she could protect her world is to fight.

Meanwhile Kanda first accepts his Innocence solely in order to survive and find his lost love, then later to repay Allen for his kindness. After he's done with that, then he can finally get his long-overdue rest in peace. Krory destroys Akuma to make sure Eliade didn’t die in vain. Miranda can’t make herself useful otherwise. Timothy has to leave the orphanage due to the danger Innocence brought to those around him. And so on and so forth.

Allen, on the other hand, probably could have gone on living normally even with his arm activated; Cross had simply asked him whether he would like to be an Exorcist. Despite all his misfortunes, Allen had what the other Exorcists-to-be don’t: a choice. And he made it: He decided on his own to become one and atone for Mana, then later to save the Akuma, and eventually to fight alongside his friends. That is his sole purpose. Allen will not choose another path even if it is open to him, as I will talk about in the next point. 

Had they not possess Innocence, Lenalee would have chosen a normal life in China with Komui even after her parents had died. Kanda would have chosen to run away with Alma and Marie and start a new life. Lavi would have gone on training to be a Bookman. Krory stated himself that he would be content to stay locked up in that castle with Eliade forever. Miranda would have chosen anything else, any job she could do well. Timothy would have chosen to stay on at the orphanage with Mother Superior and Emilia, etc.

2. Denying the Fate of the Fallen One.

When Allen's left arm was destroyed, everyone thought his fate had been sealed. It's over. He's not an Exorcist anymore. He’s fallen. Bak Chang offered him many choices: he could walk a different path, become a Finder or some other support staff. I think he could even leave the Order, actually, seeing as nothing else binds him to the place, and be whatever he wants.

But Allen instead chooses to stubbornly walk forward on this road, even with no hope of regaining his arm, refusing to bow down to fate.

Later when he faces the destroyer of his arm, Tyki Mikk, once again in Noah’s Ark, he states that one does not cease to be an Exorcist when one’s Innocence is destroyed. He then demonstrates this by repairing his broken Innocence using nothing but his own willpower. Nothing, even destroying his arm, will stop him from pursuing his goal as an Exorcist. 

3. Denying the Fate of the Host

Yes, Allen never seems to get a friggin’ break. Right after the Invasion, he starts to learn that his beloved Mana might not be what he thought he was at all.

This is a very, very devastating blow to Allen’s personality and development. His whole life had been built around this illusion, this mask of Mana he cherishes.

He chose to walk this path primarily because he wants to atone for Mana, after all. He hates the idea of succumbing to fate, so he chose to be an Exorcist that fights with his own free will, instead of bowing down to the Innocence’s (or, in other words, God) will (that’s why he won’t let Suman’s Innocence kill its host).

Allen soon learns of his true fate: his fate is to disappear and make way for the 14th Noah to use his body to reincarnate.

But still he refuses to surrender and go quietly into the night. When Link brought him some porridge in jail and confesses to him about the Thirds, Allen said this one sentence that deeply moves Link:

“If only I knew, then I would be able to change something, wouldn’t I?”

Exactly, by trying to learn more about it all, Allen hopes to change his fate. Yet again he does not obediently accept his fate. He then leaves the Order to do so, vowing to Lenalee that no matter what fate throws at him, he will always remain an Exorcist, as he has finally found his home amongst his comrades in the Order. He also refuses to accept his fate and disappear even at Cross’s insistence, as he believes that if he continues to walk he might be able to change his fate, or at the least inspire those who walk the same path as him to fight.

Don’t stand still. Keep walking has always been the words Allen lived by, and may actually translates to Never stop fighting against fate. By coming to a stop on your path, you are accepting that fate no longer has a future laid out for you, and you simply await your end: your chance to change things is zero. By going on, walking on even when the end looms ahead, there is still hope for a better tomorrow.

And as Cross most wisely and beautifully put it: Our path is not laid out before us from the start; but the earth hardens and forms into our road after we have walked upon it. He is saying that there is no such thing as fate; our lives are decided solely by our own choices.

Really, the Hallow OP said it all:

「誰一人邪魔をさせるか。初めて自分で選んだ道だ」

I won’t let anyone stand in the way...of this path I first chose for myself.

4. Link’s confession to Kanda

This recent(?) piece of evidence is what seals the deal for me, actually. The penny drops in this scene Link confessed he fervently hopes Allen will be able to win against the fate of the host:

"There’s someone I want to save...

If heーif Allen Walker could really triumph against his fate as the host...then I want to be there to see him make it.

If it’s true that people could choose any future they want simply by following their hearts, then I want to know the source of their strength."

In my opinion, when Link said there's a person he wants to rescue, he is talking about Tewaku. He's hoping to see Allen win against such a hopeless fate, so he could finally believe in the power of choice himself, and use that inspiration to spur himself to save Tewaku and his remaining Third friends. Link, though he had started to have doubts about Lvellie, is still too weak-willed to openly defy his fate as Lvellie's dog, and relies on Allen to make him believe in himself. And if my noobie writer's sixth sense is to be trusted, THIS scene confirms that the core message of D.Gray-Man is indeed trumping fate, against all the odds. 

And this is why I say DGM would probably have a happyーor at least bittersweet ーending: Even though DGM has always been a very tragic manga, the message of friendship, love, sacrifice and perseverance in the face of impossible adversity is always portrayed as having an optimistic outcome. Characters may die or suffer a lot throughout the series, but every arc ends on a positive note.

This is what sets DGM apart from stories like Attack on Titan, whose message is cynical and pessimistic, and if any dude starts spouting idealistic crap you might as well just stick a death flag on his head, and not a single arc ends positively.

Hoshino-sensei herself said that no matter what happens, Allen will always have friends by his side. You won't see that kind of heartwarming note with AoT. So if the core message of DGM is winning against fate, you can be quite sure DGM won't betray it and will show Allen winning against fate in the end.

5. Even his personal motto confirms it.

The latest guidebook, Gray Log, has revealed Allen's personal motto: To wait for fate is to wait for death.

Exactly, Allen. Literally. 

6. Even his fate as the host is something he chose by himself

Yes, this is the real deal. This is why I say that there is no such thing as fate for Allen; even the so-called fate he is fighting to change right now is actually brought about by his own choice.

Other reincarnations of the Noah have been doomed by random; no-one knowingly becomes one (pretty much like the Exorcists, come to think of it!), but in the case of Allen (if that past!Allen really is him) he willingly chose to become one. Why? I’d guess that maybe he believed that by doing so he could help Neah save the world...help change fate.

The Allen of then already knew the Earl is the enemy of mankind, with his soul-sucking powers. His purpose has not changed, be it 35 years ago or now; he wants to save the world from the Earl, and now he’s going to learn why he brought this fate upon himself.

In the end, after he has learned the Truth, Allen may no longer be an Exorcist in the sense that he fights on behalf of the Order and dons the black coat, but in the sense that he fights to save Akuma and mankind alike, just as he had decided when he regained his Innocence.

Allen’s journey, from the time when he was Red the circus errand boy, has always been one of finding his true home and family. Now that he has found his second true home amongst his Exorcist comrades, he will not let his fickle fate tear it away from him.

(NEW!) 

7. The Mask of Allen and Red’s determination

I stumbled across this one while finishing my translation of Lost Fragment of Snow.  

As I mentioned earlier in Number Three, we now know that Allen’s current personality and motivations are mostly shaped by his determination to atone for Mana: The Mask of Mana. He doesn’t care that much for God or the Holy War or whether the Order wins this war; Remember, he refused to help the Order’s cause by being just any support staff; he just wants to save souls (and later humans) as an Exorcist. In this way, Allen’s worldview is perhaps just as particular and narrow as Lenalee, and that is why during his training to restore his arm, Lenalee’s question of “When you close your eyes and think of the world, what do you see?” constantly had him thinking hard, and finally adding humans to his world as well.

Back to the Mask of Mana. We now know that Cross despises that mask and torments Allen because 1) It’s payback for having him mopping up his two icky Ps and nursing him for months 2) He’s a d-head and d-bag 3) Because he likes his share of booze and boobs and 4) Because he wants Allen to drop that mask and be The Boy With A Red Arm once more. 

(Why do I not simply say Red? Because actually in the Japanese text of LFS and D.Gray-Man, Red is actually just “The Boy with A Red Arm”. It’s in BRACKETS. Yes. He has NO NAME AT ALL.  For the sake of convenience I’ll go back to calling him Red for now, but we must keep in mind that Red is not a proper name.)

In Lost Fragment of Snow, Red is initially a silent, traumatized yet unusually perceptive kid. But his true personality shines out when he starts befriending Mana after Allen the Dog’s death. Just like how Allen gets frustrated by the irresponsible, improbable Cross and yells at him occasionally, Red also loses his temper with and bossily mothers the distracted, naive, slightly amnesiac Mana. The more I read LFS, the more I notice the similarity between the rant-mode Allen to little Red, and normal Allen to Mana back then. 

But Allen’s mask has existed long before Allen turned Mana into an Akuma. His first mask was the Mask of Allen.

After a fiasco in the circus during which Red lost his temper with Mana and pummels him on the head with his dormant, Innocence-embedded arm, Mana became entirely amnesiac, forgetting even his purpose of searching for Neah, and even confusing Red for his dog. 

After an enraged Cross blames Red for Mana’s plight, an extremely guilty Red decides to play along as Mana’s dead dog Allen in order to payback to Mana and Allen for the simple love and happiness they showed him. That is how Red donned his first mask and adopted his first name: Allen Walker.

Why is all this important? 

Back when Red faced impending death, thrown into a lion cage, Red was thinking in frustration and despair about how his life is meaningless, his existence pointless, that he is helpless and powerless, simply waiting to be killed. During his childhood in the circus, Allen/Red repeatedly lamented having no power to change his own fate. He yearned to escape the hellish circus and make a better life somewhere, but with his disabled arm he was unable to do so. 

Evicted from the circus, and with the circus later destroyed by the Millennium Earl, for a while there Red had no clue how to proceed with his life. This is no different from the time Allen lost his arm and had no clue how to keep walking on. But then Red saw the amnesiac Mana and remembered how he destroyed him, and decided that atoning for Mana will be his new reason to live on.

Yes, Redーnow Allenーhas always lived to fight fate when it dropped him into terrible spots, to find meaning for his life. And that journey has led him through THREE turning points on his road, after all of which he still chooses to live to atone for Mana Walker. 

But then, along came Neah’s resurrection and the unfurling truth behind Mana. And now that (in the latest chapter) this Boy With The Red Arm has returned to Eddystone (which is actually Edinburgh according to lots of our dissatisfied readers XD), where he had first donned his mask of Allen Walker, he must question his reason for living and take action one last time to change his fateーand perhaps finally live for himself. 

After listening to the theme song for D.Gray-Man Hallow, I must say that though the anime’s quality (and decision to replace Ms. Kobayashi) might be up for debate, this is the best and most relevant theme song for Allen. 

Key-Bring it on, My Destiny mainly talks about the Path of One’s life, of choosing between crossroads and keep walking on with free will. Once I was researching suicide in Japanese culture, and I came across an interesting explanation of the importance of The Life Path for Japanese people. The Japanese of old seem to view life as one single path set out for them. Once they came to a standstill or hit a wall in their way, they feel as if their life is over, and thus many chose to end their lives. Unlike western culture, the Japanese do not seek an alternate path.

In my opinion, the concept of walking on one’s road and challenging that road is becoming more and more significant in D.Gray-Man. Allen has always been very fixated on one goal. He viewed his life as one road he cannot deviate from, and falls easily to despair whenever it seemed he could no longer live as he had chosen to. Cross reminds him that his life path is not straightforward but meandering. One’s fate and life goal can change during the course of one’s life. And understanding that, Allen finally sets out to face the truth behind Mana so he can decide what he should do next with his life. 

The concept of living on by yourself after the death of your loved one has always been another central theme, obviously, of D.Gray-Man. Allen early on said he came to understand that the tears of Akuma are not tears of hatred, but love and grief for the bereaved who could not find the strength to live on alone. But Allen himself is still unable to move on from Mana. In a sense, with Mana living inside of him as his Akuma eye, with Allen “wearing” Mana like a human suit, Allen is an Akuma himself. And thus his story might end with him exorcising himselfーby finally stepping out of Mana’s shadow, putting the past to rest, and freely choosing his own future.

End of uber long rant. Will add more when I could think of more XD

[mi5017alishia]

Research

Aesop

Aesop's Fables are short stories teaching morals or life lessons that are credited to an ancient Greek, former slave and storyteller Aesop (he may not have even been a real person but a pen name for another writer), however origins of his fables can arguably be muddy since they weren't collected for around 3 centuries after Aesop's estimated death. They had been passed down orally and have evolved from his time till even modern interpretations and retellings.

The stories typically feature animals with human characteristics as the cast.

Aesop was a slave and stroyteller believed to have lived during ancient Greece.

They were originally of oral tradition and were only collected several centuries after his death. The various concepts and versions of Aesop fables exist across countries and cultures historically but a very strong part of what binds them is usually either anthropomorphism but more so the idea of teaching a moral.

(Note: anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics or behaviour to a god, animal, or object.)

When you are anthropomorphising something it is good to be conceous about the decisions you make when doing so. The way western Christian art depicts both God and Jesus is incredibly whitewashed, when Jesus would not have been white and God himself is an omnipotent being so we can’t really no what he looks like if he even looks like a he and not something far from our concious understanding of what a God may look like. A further note is looking at Disney, I grew up watching Disney like most children and I still have a lot of respect for the animators and enjoy the films, however, there is something to be said about a number of pretty racist decisions made in anthropomorphising certain characters for example, The Jungle Book. King Louis and his subjects who are monkeys are the only characters that speak in jive which is associated with black culture particularly around jazz musicians at the time, the studio at the time even reconginised this and worried about retalliation from the NAACP.

There are multiple examples of the siamese cat depictions for asians and never in a good light (even long after WWII). 

An anti semetic depiction of a Jewish man being the literaly big bad wolf in the story of the three little pigs was certainly, a choice. It was rightfully changed in a later revision but it blows my mind that it was put in in the first place.

The crows in Dumbo being incredibly sterrotyped depictions of black people and being so on the nose about it that one of the crows is even named Jim Crow, is something to bare in mind. It is not to say that any one is a bad person for liking those movies or even that the animators themselves were racists, they were more than likely doing it as an unconcious bias. It was not done FOR the racism but it was done because of how racism is so ingrained in to the world in ways many don’t even recognise. It is just important to be mindful in what choices you make around anthropomorphism. If you have a cast full of animals then why are only the apes being voiced by black people or being depicted as black people? Analyse why you make the decisions you make. Not every gorilla voiced by a black person is a racist depiction but it’s a fine line. Cultural sensitivity is a must.