#But I am a tragedy enjoyer it's true | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

aroanthy · 23 days

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kiryuu sibling stasis post-32 is so interesting to me. nanami tries to leave and is (temporarily but also, crucially, violently) prevented from doing so by touga and akio. after this experience she puts distance between herself and them: she leaves touga’s phone in the car, she resigns from the student council (though she dons her old uniform still), she repeatedly dismisses and undermines the authority of the rose code, of end of the world, of akio, of touga. but she’s still in ohtori, isn’t she? uncomfortable with the idea of leaving, uncertain if it’s really possible. she tried before, and it hurt her. deeply. it’s so interesting to me, nanami’s agency and how she limits her exertion of it after 32, when she realises it for what it is. contrast that with touga, who accepts this weird stalemate between them, who is, really, uninterested in having any relationship of any kind with nanami if he can’t gain something from her. he’s very passive with her after 32, compared to the passivity he’d always feigned towards her before in order to stoke reactions from her and then exploit them. i was thinking about how touga has always been able to sever his relationship with nanami, but chosen not to; first out of a sense of obligation (‘we should live to help each other’) then a realisation of how that could be exploited. i was thinking about how nanami has never realised her ability to leave, in part because it is limited by touga and the harm he does her. i was thinking about the desperation and confusion akio calls out to anthy with as she leaves. i was thinking about how different that is to the kiryuus’ strange semi-breakdown; touga doesn’t want or need nanami, and nanami might love her brother but she cannot trust him or feel safe around him, doesn’t want to see him anymore; she’s itching to leave, and just a little scared (you know, because last time she tried that her brother assaulted her), and he’s not doing anything because ignoring her means he doesn’t have to deal with the emotions of her leaving or staying. something something gendered power dynamics something something tragic siblings

#local kiryuu sibling enjoyer has thoughts about them #i wrote this like three days ago but it’s getting posted now i have to speak my truth #touga loves a bit of inaction #nanami doesn’t but what the fuck else is she gonna do?? be brave? she tried that already #and she WILL try it again and i don’t think touga will try particularly hard to stop her #i think he might try a little but in doing so he’ll just become more aware of how much he doesn’t want to do that #and is only doing it bc of a vague sense of obligation to a perspective on life that he’s already questioned a la utena #im just. i have so many feelings about them. i bet none of you were aware of that fact already #i am once again wondering: does touga love nanami? what does that mean for each of them?#and im concluding: i really don’t think he does #i think he’s felt obligation to her and turned bitter towards that emotion and her in turn #i think he has no idea how to feel about her so he ignores the problem and exploits HER feelings as he thinks he understands them #until he realises that he doesn’t and has to deal (a little bit) with the ramifications of that #touga and anthy when nanami makes them self reflect. or swagever. the 32 way. neither of them would ever admit this but it’s true #dais.txt #her tragedy her triumph

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potatoesandsunshine · 1 year

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oh fjord. you drown before the story starts and you never quite make it back to dry land.

#cr spoilers #critical role #the idea of his time with the wildmother as a reprieve and not a true safe harbor is so fucking tragic #and i am THE TRAGEDY ENJOYER!!!!

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rossary-of-the-rose · 28 days

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Sherlockians, my people, I summon thee.

Prove to me that we are not a dead race, that I am not the only one left. Prove to me that there is still hope in this cruel, cold world. Prove to me that our cause is still one worth fighting for.

We are lovers of a great masterpiece. Enjoyers of a perfect art. Our ruler is one of emotion, comedy, tragedy, and suppressed gayness. With us gone, who would still be left to worship it?

I know it is still worth fighting for. Every time I lay eyes on it, my heart warms and I am young and free once again. Every time I see a statement from a long dead Sherlockian, it brings tears to my eyes. They make me so happy, and yet so sad, for if we truly are an extinct species then a part of me that I love and revere will be gone forever. Please, show me that it is not true. Reassure me that we are still alive...

I miss you.

#bbc sherlock #sherlock fandom #sherlock holmes #very dramatic #im despairing rn #sobs snotily #I'll mourn you #am I the last of a dying species?

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yuri-is-online · 2 months

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Call me tragedy anon w the way i slurp that shit up real. Okay but in all /srs i'm a firm believer that most love stories or stories in /gen in TWST are mainly happy love stories tragedy? Never heard of them!!!

But i think most would be more fascinated to figure out thats its popular in Yuu's world. Like why??? Don't people not like being happy more than sad? and its true!! But there's always something cathartic about well-written tragedies (imo at least) and people enjoy that feeling. Personally the media i enjoy and stick to me the most are usually the ones that have open ended or ambiguos endings that leave a bittersweet after taste in your mouth. Something about retrospecting and finding peace that yes even though it never ended well, there was happiness, or maybe if not happiness then maybe peace to be found in a story like that. The love was still there!!!! Do you understand!!!???

Orpheus can never be with Eurydice ever again, but the two loved each other!! Icarus will always die but the sun kissed his face!!! Do you understand!!!!!!!!!!

I want to thank you for sending me this on valentine's day. It is so fitting I should have answered immediately.

Welcome to the stage tragedy annon! W takes in this ask right here your brain is massive.

Orpheus can never be with Eurydice ever again, but the two loved each other!! Icarus will always die but the sun kissed his face!!! Do you understand!!!!!!!!!!

I UNDERSTAND I AM THINKING I AM FEELING I AM CRYING BUT I FEEL SO FULFILLED!!!!!!!!!!

I really like happy endings and have a hard time playing the bad end in otomes but one of my favorites, Birushana has these tragic endings that I have done some of and GOD. The image of Shungen screaming at Tomomori as he cradles Shanao's dead body, saying he can't just take her away as Tomomori prepares to jump into the ocean and drown with her only for him to say "You misunderstand, she is taking me." .·°՞(≧□≦)՞°·. i am crying, screaming, throwing up etc. and so on because fucking damn that's what it's about. The love is so real it has to endure even when everything else is gone.

I think that Idia might find some morbid comfort in that concept which is why I mentioned the Orpheus and Eurydice connection in his long fic musing. I don't think he would find it romantic necessarily, but certainly comforting. Like at least by Yuu's weird standards his curse isn't the major set back he thought it would be and even if things end badly they will still see it as worth it? That's weird, odd, and something he outwardly wants to make fun of but not something he really can when that's what he has come to believe too after his overblot.

Jade and Azul both work really well for this too. Azul because he believes love is inherently exploitable, so the idea that stories end badly in your world just further cements his own bias. The idea that you would consider the bad ending to make things no less real or valuable though, THAT he would need some time with. What do you mean Orpheus fails to save Eurydice is the point of the story? He has a hard time coping with the idea of losing already, adding that into romance as a selling point doesn't make sense from a consultant's point of view. You want to win in the end no? Not just be left ugly crying alone. Jade on the other hand... I just like to see him eat shit on something like this tbh. "Oh I would never do something like that, what an idiot for looking back-" Jade would actually show up at the gates of the underworld and he would still look back because he needs you to be there exactly like the myth foretold and he would be cursing fate the entire time.

I feel like I leave Floyd out of these sort of things so I want to add him here because I feel like he would dismiss the idea of tragedy as a good thing but not because he like. Doesn't think it doesn't exist or something he just doesn't care. He already knows the time you spend together will be enjoyable, and if it ends with death or with him going too close to the sun, well that was the point wasn't it? Kind of like he gets the point but not because of the example given. It's also why I could see him actually successfully making it through to a happy ending. He has this line in Chapter 7 when Lilia is scolding the Octatrio that made me scream because of how good of a job the VA did with it:

And if he says his place is a happy ending I believe he'd make it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#<3 asks #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #i was prepared to write and post like #actual fic and then an inconvenience occurred #god i should think more about tragedies with the boys #i have some thoughts about a jean of arc coded yuu and rollo #and then like some stuff with azul involving necromancy #don't worry about it

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isopod-lesbian · 1 year

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In 2015, I played Life is Strange; I was 17 years old, and hadn't quite realized I was a trans woman yet. For me back then, LiS was a fantasy more than anything; not because I wished I had Max's powers, but because I got to play as a young woman falling in love with her best friend. Even before I could articulate why, I felt this deep ache of longing for what could have been. By the end of that year, I had come out to myself and my friends, and I still credit LiS for helping me figure things out that way.

When I first played LiS, I felt like the "Bay" ending was the most appropriate for Max's story. If LiS is a game about growing up, then sacrificing Chloe is a hard but necessary choice to make, and I believed it was the right one. I never questioned the idea that good people will sacrifice their own happiness for the good of society, or for the people they love. So, when I began adulthood, I did so with purpose, but without passion. I did all the things I needed to do to survive and make it out into the world on my own, and I was miserable for most of the time.

When I came back to the LiS fandom in the past couple of years, I got a chance to re-examine my favorite game with a new perspective. I immersed myself in fanfic, I indulged my nostalgia, and I began to reinterpret this work that shaped me years before. I looked at the "Bae" ending especially with fresh eyes; I started seeing it not as a selfish decision, but an unselfish one, a choice made out of love for a girl who was let down by everyone who was supposed to care for her before. How cruel it was to imagine Chloe's story ending with her bleeding out in a bathroom, still thinking that nobody cared for her.

Now, I'm 25. I'm an adult in every sense of the word, and despite everything, it seems like my life is...kind of working out. I'm almost a year into HRT, I have a job that lets me live a reasonably nice life, and I'm planning on moving in with my girlfriend. When I started True Colors, I tried to temper my expectations, and hoped that my nostalgia for the past wouldn't inhibit my enjoyment of a new entry in the series. So, 6 years after the first, I played a Life is Strange game; and, for the second time, it showed me exactly what I needed to see.

If Life is Stange is a game about growing up, True Colors is a game about what happens after. It's a game about starting over, about finding a place to call home and people to call family. Where Max's powers let her find the perfect way to get what she wanted or say the right thing, Alex's powers ask her to understand the people around her. Where LiS holds the threat of the Storm over Max's head, Gabe's death in True Colors is just a tragedy that Alex has to process. LiS' central mystery comes down to an evil man doing evil things; True Colors' is the result of an entrenched capitalist machine that operates not out of malice, but out of sheer self-interest.

When I finished True Colors, I was confronted with a choice that felt like the polar opposite of LiS' ending. After all the excitement and emotion, the question posed to Alex first felt almost incidental. Nobody's life hung in the balance, neither choice carried any real emotional consequences, and there was no way of knowing what the ultimate results might be. But as I considered Gabe's vision for Alex, I was struck by how real it felt. How it felt like the choices I was already making in life, and the choices I know are yet to come in my future. I think 17-year-old me would have jumped at the idea of a life of adventure, traveling the country with the girl I love. But now, I can't help but think of how many chances we really get to find a home. I doubt it's a high number. So I chose to stay. And I can only hope that, whenever I'm given that choice in my life, I am brave enough to take a chance on whatever place I've found for myself.

#Life is Strange #True Colors #Shoutout to The Wrecking Collective #also yes this is my yearly text post #also nobody will be surprised that i romanced steph so i didn't even mention it LOL

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ignitesthestxrs · 7 months

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I know you said you’ve gone back into it slowly but any book recs?

yes absolutely!! i have read some bangers lately tbh. also another thing i am trying to do is start uuuh reviewing what i'm reading so i will link a couple of those as well. but here is a sporadic collection of my reading enjoyments of the last year or so!

IF FOUND RETURN TO HELL // THE DEATH I GAVE HIM by Em X. Liu

em is hands down one of the best writers i know with prose that will punch you in the face and leave you asking if you can have another, please.

IF FOUND RETURN TO HELL is a queer found family novella featuring a done-with-this protag working in a wizarding call centre who abruptly comes down with a case of 'sweet angel baby boy possessed by demon hell child' in a broken magical healthcare system where following protocol is more important than like, helping people. so what is journeyman wen to do if not, you know, help anyway?

THE DEATH I GAVE HIM is the queer scifi hamlet retelling of my dreams, which is funny because i didn't care about hamlet until this book taught me how to. a thoughtful exploration on the nature of adaptation, death & immortality, and also what happens when your best friend is an AI and you wanna fuck him.

IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote the original true crime novel. still stuck in my truman blorbo moment. full review here

ASSASSIN'S APPRENTICE by Robin Hobb classic 90s fantasy with surprisingly emotional focus on the protag in a way i really dug. unhinged levels of accidental queerbaiting in a way that i enjoyed rather than despaired of. full review here.

PANDORA'S JAR: WOMEN IN THE GREEK MYTHS by Natalie Haynes a great overview of classical women that takes into account multiple sources and the way they have been read over centuries, and how the time in which a tale is being told affects the tale just as much as what the text of the story actually is. does a good job of walking the middle ground between like, historical sexism and the reflexive girlbossification instinct.

IN OTHER LANDS by Sarah Rees Brennan the queer harry potter offshoot we all actually deserve. portal fantasy with an acerbic main character who will save the world out of sheer spite because the world doesn't seem to think he can save it, or want him to do it even if he could. a genuinely lovely musing on the nature of loneliness, what abuse does to a child, how it's hard but possible to overcome the prejudices you learn when you're young, and how eventually, you're going to have to make the decision to let yourself be loved.

SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN by Shelley Parker-Chan truly i don't have the word for how fucking excellent this queer epic fantasy is. set in mongol-ruled china, this book is a masterclass in political intrigue, historical fiction, military fantasy, and also genderfuckery. feat. the kind of tragedy you see coming for several hundred pages and still takes your breath away when it hits, and also lesbian fisting. anyone who says books based in history can't get queer can get fucked.

A MARVELLOUS LIGHT by Freya Marske for a total 180 in mood, here is your queer romantic fantasy set in an Edwardian England that is reflective of the fact that like, queer people did in fact exist in Edwardian England. A lighter fare that nonetheless will hit you right in the heart and leave you delighted that a) there's a second book out now and b) the third one is coming soon. also Freya is an Artiste when it comes to writing good sex scenes, which

i belatedly realise it seems like i'm focusing on in this post but i just! like a queer text that tackles queer sex with nuance and interest and the horror and/or joy of the body, and the above authors are all fucking masters at their art (which includes, but by no means is limited to, writing about fucking)

#hannah answers asks #book recs

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themattress · 4 months

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And now, I just feel compelled to sing the praises of one of Kingdom Hearts' greatest heroes:

SHIRO. MOTHERFUCKING. AMANO!

The more time passes, the more amazed I am by this man. He's had a hero's journey IRL when it comes to his place in the franchise: jumping at the call but being inexperienced and screwing up, reaching his lowest point before rising, dealing with great adversity only to come out of it stronger than ever, and becoming a beloved hero to many who continues to do good.

KH1 was his first manga adaptation, and for the most part it's your by-the-numbers comic book adaptation of a story from a non-comic book medium, not especially good or especially bad. But Amano showed three weaknesses: he mischaracterized the KH-original characters (Sora, Kairi, Riku and Ansem all start out on point, but once Destiny Islands is destroyed this changes drastically: Sora turns into a spastic moron, Kairi into a bland bystander, Riku into an emotionless tool, and Ansem into an over-the-top eeeevil lunatic who actually gets himself killed without any contribution from Sora, Donald and Goofy!), he sucked at action scenes leading to many iconic battles from the game being straight-up left out altogether, and his gag manga inclinations caused him to turn scenes that should be serious / emotional into jokes.

CoM was his aforementioned lowest point. All those flaws were not only still there, but worse, turning what was once a dark, mysterious and psychological story into an unfunny farce.

Disgraceful. For a good while, I actually disliked Shiro Amano due to this.

But then came the redemption: KH2. The Prologue section of this manga is masterfully done, possibly even better than the game's version. The pace is less sluggish, the events less irritatingly obtuse, and the humor actually works to the benefit of the story's seriousness - because so much of the goofy humor is between Roxas, Hayner, Pence and Olette, you build even more of an emotional connection to them and the tragedy of Roxas learning the truth about his life hits that much harder when it transpires. When Sora returns, Amano is briefly tempted by his old inclinations and kind of backslides, with the resulting trips to Hollow Bastion, Beast's Castle, Land of Dragons and Olympus Coliseum suffering as a result. They aren't quite as insulting as the CoM manga, but still bad. However, true to hero's journey form this period of temptation and backsliding passes and only reinforces Amano's commitment to improving and actually balancing his humor and adaptational changes with drama, emotional sincerity and faithfulness to the game. From Disney Castle on, he returns to quality output. There are still mistakes here and there, but on the whole the manga is an enjoyable one. From the characterization to the action scenes to the tonal balance, Amano had improved.

And then came the hiatus between its first half and second half, during which he worked on the 358/2 Days manga. Take what I said about KH2's Prologue, then apply it x10, and you get this manga, where the writing and pacing is improved from its game counterpart and the humor is rich, well-timed and actively feeds into the drama and tragedy of the story rather than detract from it. To make the contrast to how far he's come most apparent, remember how in the CoM manga where there's an omake short that makes a complete joke out of the Riku Replica, originally one of the story's most tragic characters? Well in this manga, we get an omake short about a Dusk, which starts out hilarious but then ends up being absolutely heart-breaking. It makes me legit sad over a goddman DUSK. Now that takes real talent!

What's also apparent with the Days and KH2 mangas is that Amano had come to shine in a way that Tetsuya Nomura absolutely does not: respect for his female leads. Kairi, Namine and Xion in these mangas aren't primarily sources of support for male characters or there to make male characters feel things above all else; they are their own distinct individuals with vivid personalities and clear character arcs. Even Olette shines brighter than in the games!

Once Amano made it back to the KH2 manga for its second half, he was firing on all cylinders. Again, not everything was perfect, but much like the game itself the narrative flaws were not enough to overshadow the many more narrative strengths. And when the manga finally concluded after so many years, Amano confirmed that it truly was the end. He would not be adapting other KH games. And given that the rest of the KH series never got better than where KH2 ended, this was absolutely for the best. I could very easily imagine the Olympian gods making a constellation in Amano's image, as he had become a true hero.

However, oh no! He got persuaded into adapting KH3 when it came out in 2019! This is going to ruin everything, right? WRONG! The KH3 manga has not only been a shining example of how far Shiro Amano has come, but also a masterclass in demonstrating how acutely aware of the game's problems he is and the lengths he is willing to go to fix them. For example...

- He opens the manga with a direct adaptation of the game's opening scene with the Boy in Black and Boy in White in front of the chess board followed by the FMV intro. By doing things in this strange way, Amano invites the possibility of this being an alternate, diverging timeline from the prior manga continuity so that its ending remains untouched should you desire it to be. Almost as if the Boy in Black and Boy in White reside in some higher plane of existence and the KH3 manga is the "game" that they're playing, so it's not to be taken too seriously.

- The whole opening that semi-recaps stuff leading into KH3 is played off as a joke, and given that the stuff in question was stupid (such as the Mark of Mastery exam through sleeping worlds and Sora failing his Mark of Mastery exam on bullshit grounds), this is appreciated.

- He actually makes Maleficent and Pete more competent; rather than have Maleficent dismiss Pete's idea to take Sora out while he's still weak, he has both of them agree that they needn't bother with Sora because his weakness will lead him to being destroyed by the Xehanorganization anyway. They can find the black box while their foes fight each other.

- 0.2 BBS is adapted after the Olympus visit in a way that also recaps the most important points of BBS and includes stronger characterization for Aqua, Terra and Ventus. Stupid things like Mickey losing his shirt are avoided, and there is actually clarification on how Mickey could not have gone into the Realm of Darkness to save Aqua earlier and all the time between KH1 and KH2 he was building up his strength to obtain the Power of Waking so that he could as he promised to, making him come off so much better than he did in the games.

-Coded is not referenced, ever.

- The "Roxas and Namine ceased to exist when they merged with Sora and Kairi" retcon is completely avoided, with the manga instead saying they do exist within them as was originally the case in KH2. Giving Roxas his own body is less correcting some injustice or "hurt" and more part because he's needed for the battle against Xehanort and part because Sora's just a nice guy like that, wanting to provide his friends with all the basic comforts.

- Xehanort's master plan retcon is also discarded! Here it's said that Ansem and Xemnas' plans remained their own, as they should be, and that since Master Xehanort's return he's embarked on "a new plan" once joined by his time-traveling younger self, who never mentions needing Ansem for his time-traveling which keeps things consistent with how KH2 depicted time travel as simply a magical phenomenon that didn't need complicated rules.

- Not only are Riku and Kairi way more in-character than they were in the game, but most shockingly Axel is too! He actually feels like Axel, character flaws and all, not dumbass Lea!

- Toy Box, Corona and Arendelle, while still filler, are all adapted faithfully, which is nice.

- Various alterations are made for the better: the Riku Replica stuff is kept to an incredibly bare minimum, Ansem the Wise first appears in the scene where he returns to Radiant Garden meaning him still being alive is more of a legit twist plus he never meets Aqua only for there to be no pay-off and the dumbass plotline with him and Xehanort's Heartless is left out, the "secret Keyblade legacy" stuff with Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia and Larxene is cut, the second Kairi and Axel scene is no more, and the big reconvening at Yen Sid's Tower scene and the fallout montage is massively reworked into something far better written and paced.

All this plus maintaining his balance of humor and sincerity, including using the former to support the latter, and even correcting previous flaws (holy shit, Marluxia, Larxene, Vexen...they're all completely in-character now!) If Amano keeps this momentum going and actually manages to make something good out of the notoriously disappointing finale in the Keyblade Graveyard, then he will officially have given us the best version of KH3's story in existence.

Tl;dr: nothing but respect for Shiro Amano, who is a better writer than Nomura will ever be.

#Disney #Square Enix #Kingdom Hearts #Shiro Amano #Opinion #Analysis #Truthbomb #Anti-Nomura #Anti-Tetsuya Nomura #This has been a PSA

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eternalglitch · 1 year

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Is it bad to say I'm excited to see more internalized self loathing from Donnie? Because I'm thriving off it and its really interesting! I'm also enjoying seeing how this whole situation in lfls might impact the dynamics he has with family, especially after reading his perspective from the latest chapter. Keep up the fantastic work btw!

Honestly sometimes I think fandom is too concerned about the classification of emotion the characters are feeling in relation to audience enjoyment. Fanfic and fandom is the only space that largely divides the "genres" into either angst or fluff, with a lot less room for a nuanced in-between.

So long as the characters' emotions have a weight to them that MATTERS to the audience and are interesting, I think that's the mark of what most people enjoy, regardless on if that is a positive or negative emotion.

As a reader you usually want to see the characters struggle and change and move forwards. There's of course some input of taste on if you want a true tragedy or light comedy, but having this strange "you should mainly enjoy your characters being happy and content" stance I occasionally see as a pushback to people enjoying darker stories is... odd. (Writing that out sounds like I'm making up an argument but no, I promise I have seen this take multiple times on Twitter lol)

Anyways, I have lots of plans for the rest of the story and I am very excited to get to the rest of Donnie's arc as well! :} Glad you are enjoying it~

#glitch answers #lfls

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intermundia · 8 months

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in the 'master and apprentice' behind the scenes short, dave filoni stresses that it was george lucas at the clone wars planning meeting who said "anakin had a padawan," and essentially gave the order for ahsoka to exist. i think filoni gets a lot of flak for her being his OC, and while that ended up imho being true, it is interesting to me that it was lucas who had the original vision for how the clone wars cartoon would work. we know that he made adjustments to anakin's characterization to make him more of a traditional action hero, and then he gave the kids an audience surrogate so they could tag along with him. it was the best way to make a show about the clone wars and lucas also probably knew from a merchandising perspective, anakin's padawan being a spunky teenage girl would be successful with the kids (despite the hate that she got at the beginning from older fans). it's interesting to know more about her genesis, in light of what she became, how complete her story is; she's one of the most developed star wars characters at this point. while i (a known tragedy enjoyer) am frustrated at how her story currently dangles off into an uncertain future, so we don't truly understand her fate, i can only hope that it gets tied off well with this show. it's impressive to consider how important she became, for originally just being part of a footnote (per lucas) to anakin's story.

#ahsoka #interesting little short #wish it were longer #didn't really learn much else new

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sednonamoris · 5 months

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fran's 2023 read it and weep 🫵

a comprehensive list of everything i read this year and why you should (or shouldn't) read it as well...

how to read literature like a professor by thomas c. foster

i picked this back up again when i took on a teaching job as a refresh - it was my fourth or fifth reread and as always my main man thomas c. did not disappoint!! not joking when i say i quote this thing on the reg: it's a symbol if you think it is became a permanent fixture in my vernacular ages ago. this book aligns perfectly with my yes the curtains are blue on purpose agenda and serves as an excellent foray into deep/active reading, which i am constantly preaching about to my kids. fun and fresh literary analysis, just the way it should be!

tiny beautiful things by cheryl strayed

gritty, witty, and full of heart. this advice column-turned-book is shocking but so very human, and it got me out of a months-long reading slump.

bridge of clay by markus zusak

yes, a boy named clay builds a bridge, but it’s sooooo much more than that. this book weaves the past and present together in a beautiful way and really brings meaning to the concept of haunting the narrative. the descriptions are vivid and lived-in which makes the setting - 1980’s australia - entirely accessible, even to a foreign homebody like me. the family dynamics at play are outrageous and charming and the whole thing is gorgeously written and it made me cry. read it right now.

the hunchback of notre dame by victor hugo

i LOVED this book but unless you are just as obsessed with the story as me, this is not a rec. victor hugo anything is more of a warning or an i-read-it-so-you-didn't-have-to. did i learn more than i ever wanted to about french gothic architecture and the paris catacombs? yes. was i still utterly enthralled by the layers upon layers of tragedy woven together? also yes. it was so neat to see the (obviously many and major) differences from the children's movie and musical that i grew up loving. so many good quotes for my commonplace book in this one.

song of solomon by toni morrison

i had read just about every toni morrison book except this one, and since this is like theee book i figured it was high time i rectified that. to no one's surprise, i loved it. a brilliantly written coming of age novel with family history and family mythology in dialogue with cultural history and cultural mythology. who are we but the stories we tell ourselves? is common history alone enough to have in common? morrison is an author who poses difficult questions and lets her readers grapple with difficult answers and i always come away from her work feeling exhilarated. if you let me influence you in anything let it be this - whatever book of hers you choose, Everyone should read toni morrison and experience her brilliance firsthand.

the first law trilogy by joe abercrombie (the blade itself, before they are hanged, and last argument of kings, respectively)

gritty political fantasy with the most lovable evil bastards of characters you ever met - it's safe to say i'm obsessed. each and every character has themes and lines of repetition that carry through the series, but they're Anything but one-note. this trilogy is all about cycles, and what i love is that everything - literally everything - comes full circle while still feeling fresh and true to both the story and its characters. also logen ninefingers is my wife now.

the pale blue eye by louis bayard

i watched this movie first on netflix and had a great time, but to no one's surprise i'm going to tell you that the book is better. the character voices are strong and enjoyable - the kinds of personalities that keep you turning pages - and the mystery itself is full of wonderful twists and turns. it's in dialogue with sir arthur conan doyle, as all post-holmes detective fiction is, but does not feel shadowed by or beholden to it. the historical fiction aspect is fun as well!

#fran reads #this was fun let me know if you read any of these #also send recs!!!!!!

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almond-lebkuchen · 1 year

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Shakespeare's 5th Birthday Story

I'm so sorry for the delay folks T.T my laptop broke and I lost everything, rip. But here it is, finally for all you enjoyers. This is from Will's POV

My absolute beliefs- that is, my reality, was that my experiences were the food that helped create a story.

And that the more tragic an experience is, the better the story.

The intensity of emotions produced by a tragedy allows me to write a one of a kind play.

And that's why I searched for tragic experiences, staining my hands with evil deeds.

(....If I can't write an interesting play, I'm worthless)

...Will, Will.

MC: "Will?"

I woke up to the familiar sight of my ceiling, and to MC looking at me with worried eyes.

(Ahh...What happened before was....a dream)

MC: "Sorry for waking you up, but I was worried about you."

Shakespeare: "No it's alright, did I disturb your sleep?"

(It's in extremely poor taste to dream of one's past self)

However, I had a clue as to why I had such a bad dream

And that was...

MC: "Will, there has to be something on your mind."

(She's pretty sharp)

Shakespeare: "What makes you think so?"

MC: "You've been crying out in your sleep a lot, and..."

Shakespeare: "And?"

MC: "And lately you haven't been very mean to me."

Shakespeare: "Oh, does that mean you can't help but want to be teased?"

At my words, her eyes opened wide, her cheeks brightly colored.

Shakespeare: "Did I hit the mark? I suppose it can't be helped."

Before she could reply, I leaned over and scooped her chin up.

MC: "Please don't try to change the subject! I was always worried about you...."

Through her trembling eyes, the feeling of my lover's worry was brimming over.

(...It wasn't my intention to cause such a look on her face)

MC waits patiently for me to confide in her, and tell her about my worries.

Shakespeare: "Actually....for my next performance, I've been entrusted with writing and directing a play at the Grand Theater."

Shakespeare: "The patron requested that I use "tragedy" as the theme."

MC: "Tragedy..."

"Yes" I quietly replied to MC, who had reacted at the word.

It was just like I had dreamed of, before I met her, desperately clinging to sadness in order to cover up my own weakness.

(Pursuing a tragedy, without worrying about hurting others)

Shakespeare: "Fufu, don't make such a worried expression."

Shakespeare: "I won't hurt others, nor will I lose myself to tragedy ever again."

(You're the one who taught me that no matter how much I cling to something, I can still create wonderful plays)

"Will..." With a sigh of relief, her lips curled up into a gentle arc.

Shakespeare: "I believe that I'll be fine. However..."

Shakespeare: "I just can't seem to avoid flickers of my past self."

Maybe it's because of the gentle morning air, and the warmth of MC next to me that caused me to spill out my true feelings.

(Confiding in her about these things would only trouble her)

Shakespeare: "Please forget about what happened now."

MC: "I heard that people don't really change who they are".

This time, on the contrary, she began to speak.

MC: "At the time I thought it was true."

MC: "But the person I am today exists because of who I was in the past."

(That's true. The sins of the past continue to repeat, just as my present self exists)

As she continues to speak, I felt a lead-like weight on my chest.

MC: "But...I fell in love with you, and I thought, people's nature doesn't change, however they can strive for changing for the better.

MC: "But it's okay Will, because you have a talent for working hard, more than anyone else."

MC's shining eyes brought back memories of that day when I first shared my feelings with her.

Flashback

MC: "Will, you might not think that you're talented, but you're the one who created the mask of "William Shakespeare."

MC: "It's undeniably your talent."

Shakespeare: "Where is it....what talent do you see in me, who hides and makes such disgraceful efforts?"

MC: "Working hard and not giving up is also a talent."

Illuminated by her words, the path I should take emerged like a spotlight.

(The talent to strive for change...Ahh...she really is...)

Shakespeare: "Work hard this, work hard that. When you talk about working hard, you make it sound like I have no natural talent."

MC: "! No, that's not what I mean!"

I let out a laugh, and embraced my beloved, who flusteredly denied it.

Then I placed my forehead against her's so that I would be reflected in her eyes.

Shakespeare: "Thank you so very much MC. Your words resounded well. And..."

Shakespeare: "If I were to fall into darkness again, you would desperately try to stop me, right?"

Shakespeare: "Even if I were to lose my way again after struggling to change, if you're here, I'm positive I won't make the same mistakes."

MC: "Yes!"

Her happy smile cleared up the anxiety in my heart, because I have MC, who believes in me.

Confining myself in my room, I faced the numerous manuscripts lined up on my desk.

(Now, shall I spin the best drama?)

The days of the past and the true love I learned when I met her...Let's put everything I have on this brush.

(I am William Shakespeare, born again to this world.)

After finishing writing the play and spending day after day rehearsing, time flies by until it was finally the day of the opening of the stage.

(...No matter how many times I experience this, the first day is always unsettling)

The crowded audience, the glittering spotlights, and the actors with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation on their faces.

I'm prepared, now it all depends on if my play will be able to move people's hearts. And so the curtain rises on the stage.

By the time the curtain call came, the audience was filled with roaring cheers.

And so the first day ended without incident, and the audience left with many exuberant compliments.

Eventually the troupe members followed suit, leaving for home to prepare for tomorrow.

After finishing my work as a director, and once I confirmed everyone left, I stepped off the stage into the stage wing.

MC: "Will!"

The sudden appearance of MC softened the quiet atmosphere of the stage eased the tension from my shoulders.

Shakespeare: "MC, were you waiting for me? Even though I told you that you could go home first."

That's what I said, but they smiled at me with sparkling eyes.

MC: "Actually, I have something to give you, so I waited."

MC: “Happy Birthday Will!"

With a big smile on her face, she brings out a large bouquet of multi-coloured flowers that was hidden behind her back.

Captivated by her smile, as beautiful as the flowers, I gradually grasped the situation.

Shakespeare: "My birthday?...I completely forgot."

MC: "Fufu, I thought so. But I thought it would be a chance to surprise you, so I kept quiet!"

MC: "How can Will, who is so careful about everything, forget his own birthday?"

MC: "As I thought, you're hopeless if I'm not by your side."

Seeing her with such a satisfied smile, I couldn't help but want to tease her.

(I usually tell you not to get carried away...)

The feeling of relief that the play was a success, and the joy that MC was celebrating like this.

It's slowly welling up inside me. So let's be honest, just for today.

Shakespeare: "Yes, you're right, I really can't live without you."

MC: "...!"

It was an unexpected reaction, she stared at me with wide eyes.

Shakespeare: "Oh my, you're upset that I admitted it even though you said it yourself? ....You're a restless person."

Having shared my sincere feelings with her, I reached out my hand and pulled close to kiss her neck.

Her body turns red and heats up as she reacts with a startle.

MC: "Will, what are you doing all of a sudden?"

Disregarding her protests, I disheveled her clothes and pressed my lips to her exposed skin again.

Shakespeare: "It's not all of a sudden. I haven't been able to take care of you lately, and I've been desperately deficient of you"

Shakespeare: "Besides, don't tell me that the bouquet was the only present."

MC: "Hah, mhmm."

With a grin I pulled up the hem of her skirt and caressed her thighs, causing her to react with a startle.

Enjoying her appearance, I put my face next to her ear, and whispered with a sigh.

"When I touch you for the first time in a long while, I wonder what kind of voice you'll make."

Her eyes turn away in embarrassment as I spread out my jacket and laid her body on top of it.

MC: "H-here?"

Shakespeare: "Don't worry. This place is already a stage just for the two of us."

Shakespeare: "There's no one here to disturb us...Therefore."

Shakespeare: "Please allow me to hear your voice unrestrained."

However instead she covered her mouth with her hand, turning away as I slip my fingers though the gap in her disheveled clothes.

(I guess you can call this resistance)

Shakespeare: "Fufu, that's also fun. In fact, it's rather arousing."

MC: "...Mmmm, ahh! Stop... Mmm."

Before long MC's bewitching voice leaks out, rising in pitch involuntary.

Shakespeare: "Haha, I'm more than happy to recieve this reward from you. Besides, allow me to give you my thanks as well."

MC: "What, that's just an excuse..."

As I try to calm by body while embracing her, I feel the heat I've been waiting for spreading throughout my body.

MC: "Ahh, nnnn, mmm, Will..."

When I gently parted back her hair with the joy of finally being able to be with her, her eyes met mine

(Ahhh... Why are you so adorable?)

My love welling up, I sought out MC and pressed my lips deeply against hers.

(Only MC can cause my heart to fill up like this). I'll lock you up in my heart like this so you can't ever leave me)

In the space dominated by silence, only two voices continue to echo. A love story wrapped in happiness, the exact opposite of the performance, was spun quietly offstage.

MC and I gaze at each other as we lie on the floor, the sweet afterglow of the moment surrounding my body. And then I gently stroked her soft, flowing hair.

(I just could laugh from happiness)

(But I know that life isn't always filled with happiness. There may be times in the future when you'll be struck with a sorrow that will make you want to cover your eyes)

(Things may happen that will cause you to lose faith in yourself. But each time, I think I'll make an effort to be better, again and again.)

MC: "What were you thinking just now? Somehow, you looked really tender."

(Really, it was a good idea for her to try to see through me. But it's no fun when I'm not in control. Besides, I don't want anyone to see my soft expression)

I sat up and reached for the bouquet of flowers, slowly undoing the ribbon. Then I covered MC's eyes with it.

MC: "Ah, wait Will!"

Looking down at her, I spoke softly.

Shakespeare: "Shh, be quiet. I'm only going to say this once, so please listen carefully."

I placed my hand in the palm of her defenseless hand, dropping a kiss that just barely touched her lips.

Shakespeare: "Being with you has changed me."

Shakespeare: "And from now on, I'll continue to change by your side. And somehow that makes me feel... incredibly happy."

As I look at the blindfolded MC, I'm sure my expression has softened.

Shakespeare: "MC. Thank you for meeting me, falling in love with me, and for staying next to me without changing."

Her eyes were wet with tears when I removed the ribbon.

Shakespeare: "Fufu, ahaha! Smiling, then crying, you really are a restless person to keep up with."

MC: "That's because..."

I wipe away MC's tears that are about to spill over with my lips.

(I definitely received your feelings)

And so I put my own love on her lips that were wet from her sentiment, and we started kissing each other over and over again...

This was definitely one of the harder ones to translate, I have no idea why I struggled especially with this one. On another note, I'm just fixed on the fact that they're relaxing??? On the floor??? Hard wood ow.

#Ikemen vampire #Ikevamp #ikemen vampire shakespeare #ikevamp shakespeare #My translations

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dykecrocker · 1 year

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i got a sudden influx of followers so it think it would be good to explain this!! houseshift is an au i made that focuses on the alpha kids playing a true session alongside the alpha trolls - under the pretext that Calliope had won and Space instead of Time dominates the overall Narrative Universe. it is assumed the beta sessions have already played [and subsequentially scratched].

unlike the originals which were doomed from the start - these are defined by the persistence of Life. they have the tendency to push through and continue on.

jane is my 'Main Character' and i actually let her fufill that role as she should. shes the Muses favorite and it just makes sense.

um. i guess thats it! im still figuring out a lot of the details and by that i mean i just think about the very niche details and ignore the greater details lol um some ramblings under the cut

-the sessions are played 'side by side' meaning not much time shenanigans! only a little. calliope is the one that oversees the order of the existing universes and shes the main connector

-im still figuring out the set up on the alpha kids session pre-session. but right now roxy and dirk do not live in the future.

-condesce is still very much present tho! apocalypse is still incoming!

-i will be honest i made all of this up as an excuse to ship meujane in a way that i think has a somewhat interesting premise and doesnt start and end in the dreambubbles. why do i ship meujane? um..i think it would be funny

-roxyjane is also p heavily present cause i have a bias.

-and! i dont have a definite ending planned out. only a few major events in my mind but um. i am defintely a tragedy enjoyer. all my happy stories end up at the most just extremely bittersweet so.

idk! this rlly isnt fleshed out in a way that my other things usually are so im sort of just going in blind.. idk if ill ever do a proper comic cause i am not good at that. and writing would take a long time cause i have to have it completely written and polished beforehand or else i will abandon the project lol but if this sounds interesting then idk shoot me an ask! esp if you have a favorite character amid the dancestors or alpha kids - ESP if i havent talked about or drawn them..

this is overall just a silly little project i like to think about :) and i find it fun giving characterization to the dancestors who are um. you know. lol

#homestuck #houseshifted #i hope that this makes sense....#i just want to see jane as the protag! and also put her through Situations.#and the 'muses favorite' is a play on words joke. since its implied in comic shes calliopes favorite human #and i am a muse of light :) and she is my favorite

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afaramir · 2 months

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I love your posts about Denethor and Faramir. I'm always glad to see someone who loves both him and Faramir and gets that Denethor being this hugely impressive tragic figure makes Faramir so much better and more interesting. The relationship between them is so complex and I love it so much. The film versions make me angry as well.

oh man thank you so much...i find it kinda crazy that you're saying this to me bc im pretty sure i have a bunch of posts from your denethor tag sitting around in my drafts so i can look back at them later. many days i feel very much like an Amateur Denethor Enjoyer but i am thrilled that me just kind of being unhinged on the dash has brought you joy. and get ready bc here i go again LOL

yeah exactly what you said...denethor's tragedy informs and is informed by faramir so so so much and it's just kind of wild to me that on the tragedy enjoyers website so many people refuse to see it. on the second-best enjoyers website...the guilt-and-despair enjoyers website...the "the unimaginable has happened and i AM going to kill people and then myself" enjoyers website...i could go on! he is literally doomed by the narrative and just goes well ok fuck you i WILL die at the end but it will NOT be in the way the narrative wants me to.

it is truly the relationship of all time. faramir does love his father and yet because of the strength of his principles he is genuinely incapable of showing it in a way that denethor can understand. and denethor loves him too but after a certain point just cannot show it anymore because duty has to take precedence. he's not allowed to give faramir any quarter even in private. and YES that includes anything that would resemble a normal emotion. ngl i wouldn't be surprised if that's the only way faramir is like. LETTING him communicate with him. like i feel like the final assault on osgiliath is not the first time faramir's taken the "if you want to get me to do something you ARE going to have to order me to do it" stance. and yet denethor tries. at the end he takes trying to an unhinged level. idk it often feels like even in the general fandom insistance on one-dimensionally dickish denethor there's somehow also a lack of understanding that it IS a toxic expression of love but that doesn't make it not love. like He's Not Winning Dad Of The Year that is not what we're saying at all. we're saying is "it was born of love. it was a terrible thing yet born of love." thats all! that's why it's so tragic because it's all about love!!! augh...

ok i don't typically put quotations from my own writing in like real posts but also ive been thinking about the faramir goes to rivendell au 24/7 and i just. HAVE to pull this line bc it kind of captures exactly how i feel about the denethor-and-faramir mutual Character Honing.

Yet he [Faramir] cannot deny that each of them sharpens himself upon the whetstone of the other, and it is a debt he loathes to owe and yet cannot hope to repay.

i mean.......like are you picking up what im putting down! like! AAA! both in-narrative and out of it they are always ALWAYS making each other better (or worse. but worse in a More Interesting Way) but AT WHAT COST!!! he loves his father he would not be the man he is today without his father both in a good and bad way he HATES that these two things are true. faramir and denethor are not foils they're parallels they build each other's characters up when you put them next to each other!! faramir is who denethor wouldve couldve been without the war!! hey hang on a second is denethor who faramir would've become if he were the lord steward during the war of the ring? (this is a little reductive i think faramir's susceptibility to despair is quite different to his father's. and i wonder how long his gentleness would've prevailed / worked side by side with his duty instead of being diametrically opposed to it. but anyway. well i'll be thinking about THAT for the rest of the night. i cannot start another au i cannot i cannot i cannot). anyway you can't get one of them without getting the other and that is all...

man i always say like oh don't get me started on movie faramir and denethor and then the don't think of an elephant effect GETS me and it gets me started. last night i genuinely said like "well i won't get into it" and then three hours later it was 2am and it was so very clear that i had Gotten Into It. i had to tell our other roommate like "tell me when ur going to bed i am talking about denethor and i will be yelling." my roommate just came home and i told her about this post and then i had to explain a detail and she SET ME A THREE MINUTE TIMER bc she was like i have to go study. and that's fair

anyway i hope you are having a good night/day/whatever time it is for you. thank you for this ask it is always fun to see you pop up in my notifs whenever im denethorposting lol

#from the inbox #bretwalda-lamnguin #i always get so bitchy when im talking about the popular interpretation LOL #i had to like take some deep breaths and remove The Tone from this post. if its still there thats on me #i feel like you get it #Another 800+ Word Denethor Post From Yours Truly. when u become a denethor girl (gnc) there is truly no going back...#denethorposting

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delacruzja · 10 months

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Cinematictonics presents: The Dog's Unbreakable Bond in the movie "Hachiko the dog story"

When you look into the eyes of an animal what can you see? Tonics do not see an animal. he sees a living being. he sees a friend. Tonics feel a soul.

A touching and moving movie called "Hachiko: A Dog's Tale" perfectly depicts the unshakable love and loyalty that a dog has for its owner. The 2009 film, directed by Lasse Hallström, is based on the actual story of Hachiko, a Japanese Akita dog.

Hachiko's adventure began when Professor Parker Wilson, a compassionate guy with a warm smile and a gentle nature, discovered him as a lost puppy. When he saw the little dog all by himself, he couldn't help but take him home and give him a name that would live on in the memories of many others.

With each passing day, Hachiko and Professor Wilson's friendship grew closer. They made each other's life happier and more enjoyable as an unbreakable pair. The commuters and others who witnessed their routine were moved by the dog's persistent loyalty.

But then catastrophe struck one dreadful day. Professor Wilson didn't come back. Everyone who knew him was grieved by the news of his abrupt death, but Hachiko was particularly distraught. Hachiko waited at the station for his beloved companion to return home, confused and inconsolable.

Days morphed became weeks, which then became months, which then became years. 9-10 years to be exact. But Hachiko remained unwavering. He diligently made his way back to the station in all types of weather, holding out hope that his owner would magically reappear.

Real-life Story

To honor Hachiko's memory, a bronze statue was built at the Shibuya train station, immortalizing his loyalty for generations to come. The statue became a popular meeting spot and a symbol of unwavering dedication.

Year 2015

2015 saw the unveiling of a monument honoring a former employee and his well-known dog at the University of Tokyo. The 80th anniversary of Hachi's demise happened in 2015. 80 is pronounced hachi-juu in Japan, hence it was a significant year for Hachi. The statue depicts Professor Ueno and Hachi together in bliss. The monument is directly next to the entrance, and the campus is accessible to tourists. Even at night, it is illuminated by spotlights. It is a very touching scene.

Tonics be like: " I am so happy for you Hachi, when I watched the movie of "Hachiko the Dog's tale" Tonics' tears burst! seeing this statue gave Tonics an assurance for the both of them"

"Hachiko: A Dog's Tale" shows us the value of loyalty and love as ageless, strong energies. It inspires us to cherish the connections we have and to never undervalue the positive influence we may have on people's lives. True loyalty endures the test of time, and Hachiko's unflinching devotion serves as a reminder that even in the face of tragedy, the relationships we form may continue to inspire and mold us.

“Never mind, said Hachiko each day. Here I wait, for my friend who’s late. I will stay, just to walk beside you for one more day.”

youtube

"True love knows no bounds, for it is found in the eyes of our beloved pets." - Tonics

#film critic #movies reaction #tonfindsmeaninginmovies #Dogs #hachiko #Youtube #love pets #film

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