#…it’s also the fact that hamlet has pirates in it

[agentravensong]

“rouxls kaard is the knight” “rouxls kaard is gaster” no. you fools.

rouxls kaard is (deltarune’s) rosencrantz and/or guildenstern.

[gayest-classiclit]

behold, more powerpoint

this one has text in the speaker's notes so there's a cut (it'll be long)

"basically it’s hamlet fanfiction by tom stoppard and somehow he got away with it and the americans do it in their high school english classes. i’m british, so i’ve never studied it - BUT! as resident gay shakespeare powerpoint guy, i felt obligated to read it at some point. anyways i love this play and the main dumbasses are my blorbos forever and ever and you can pry them from my cold dead hands."

"good question: they are. they’re gay and probably married and they’re in love and you cannot convince me otherwise. like. look at them. look at these idiots and tell me they aren’t even a little bit fruity. exactly. you can’t. THEY TALK LIKE A MARRIED COUPLE???? legit they can understand each other almost perfectly and the other’s don’t understand shit."

"my gay brain thinks that they were sleeping in the same bed or something which is both really cute but also suspicious."

"self-explanatory."

"this is a compilation of guil comforting ros because he’s surprisingly good at that ros seems to appreciate guil’s presence and it calms him down a little. that’s good!!!"

"just… w h y why would he say this shit ‘just being friendly’ ahaha n o that is some cursed shit right there to quote one particular lord and saviour… ‘KiNkY!’ honestly those parts where guil says ’somebody might come in’ (it happens twice) are both kind of… hmm. rosencrantz foot kink real /j also ‘down ros’s throat’ THAT IS GAY."

"this is just adorable i want what they have please and thank you this becomes a bit more important in a bit btw!!"

"what do you MEAN ‘ros takes on a shifty look’ what does he know sidenote: he could be referring to hamlet too - he goes ‘you loved me once’ in og hamlet which leads me to believe ros/ham was a thing AND AND if he did do gay shit with guil, it would make sense that they hid it! Because it was forbidden-tm!!!"

"this is essentially a repeat of the toes scene. note the other ‘somebody might come in’ perhaps guil is just a closeted gay ros is genuinely trying to help his husband and i’m all for it"

"so,,,, this scene. i told you about the other coins scene, which this is a parallel to i think??? earlier on there wasn’t a coin in either hand, and now both of them have coins. this could mean a change in the boys’ situation, or maybe character development for ros - he’s becoming more aware of what’s happening also,,,, he wanted to make him happy that’s adorable hang on a sec while i cry /j"

"HE’S BEING SO SOFT I,,,,, guil can’t stay mad at ros this is evidence also,,,, dominant,,,,,"

"ok this is scraping the bottom of the barrel (hahagetit) but this is kinda gay ok the fact that they share a barrel and stick together in situations where they probably aren’t thinking??? also at this point they’re hiding from pirates, and hamlet deadass gets yoinked this could realistically take a while, i think. so it’s perfectly plausible that they might have snuck a kiss or two."

"note that guil has to ‘gather himself’ in this scene he’s alone for once, without ros to keep him company and throughout the play, he’d been kind of an asshole to ros??? instant regret, essentially maybe i’m reading too into this, this bit makes me plain sad"

"this scene wasn’t in the script originally but it’s one of the parts in the movie which stood out to me the most ros basically makes a paper airplane!! it’s a surprisingly complicated paper airplane!!! guil crushes it up like the asshole he is, which probably breaks ros’ heart at least a little bit see, the thing that stood out to me was how ros is so eager to show him the plane,,, like,,, hello husband!! i made a thing that you might like!! ros tries hard to cheer guil up from being a pissbaby all the time and that’s something i can really appreciate."

[hyrtwynwrites]

Dramatis Personae - Book 2: White Towers, Deep Waters

Yenifer Falle

Age: 21 Pronouns: she/her Our protagonist; once merely just an Ala Mhigan refugee living in the hamlet of Quarrymill, Yenifer's time in Gridania has thrust her into circumstances well beyond any she could have imagined. Bearer of both the Echo and a Crystal of Light, Yenifer has become Gridania's envoy on a diplomatic mission across Eorzea. Brave, adventurous, and foolhardy, Yenifer is exploring a star she has never seen - but knows terribly well that a great danger lurks in its shadows...

Scions of the Seventh Dawn

Y'shtola Rhul

Age: 32 Pronouns: she/her The Scion liaison to the pirate republic, Y'shtola Rhul prides herself on her intelligence, her sharp wit, and her skill with conjuration. With a cool demeanor, Y'shtola has guided Limsa Lominsa through many a crisis... though she may be as much an island as Vylbrand is.

Dutiful Sisters of the Edelweiss

Jacke Swallow

Age: 27 Pronouns: he/him The leader of Limsa Lominsa's respected and feared Rogues' Guild, Jacke Swallow works in the dark to preserve a fragile peace. Clever, quick on his feet, and kind, Jacke is the guild's face, such as it can have one... but he is also its sharpest point.

V'kebbe the Stray

Age: 23 Pronouns: she/her A senior member of the Rogues' Guild and one of Jacke's most trusted lieutenants, V'kebbe has learned Limsa Lominsa's streets unlike any others. Despite, or perhaps because of, the comradery between her and Jacke, she finds no small amount of pleasure in ribbing him any way she can find.

Lonwoerd

Age: 20 Pronouns: he/him A junior member of the Rogues' Guild, Lonwoerd's task is to protect the entrance to their enclave by any means necessary... though perhaps the responsibility should land on another's shoulders.

The Admiralty

Admiral Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn

Age: 42 Pronouns: she/her The leader of Limsa Lominsa through storm and civil war, Merlwyb feels the weight of the star on her shoulders. Cold, uncompromising, and perceptive, Merlwyb has never been afraid of hard decisions... a fact she proved when she was much younger.

Grand Storm Marshal Einzahr Slafyrsyn

Age: 58 Pronouns: he/him The leader of Limsa Lominsa's military operations, Einzahr has decades of experience at his back that he uses to the fullest for the sake of his home. Not all of that experience, however, was on the right side of the law...

Lominsans

Vivail Aikiria

Age: 50 Pronouns: she/her A far-flung traveler from distant Othard, Vivail came to Eorzea to tame a mysterious power inside of her. Instead of finding answers, however, she found herself tied to another. Kind-hearted, strong, and driven, Vivail has done her best to make Limsa Lominsa her home... though she knows, at any moment, she could lose herself to the red.

Yellowjacket Captain Milala Mila

Age: 29 Pronouns: she/her One of Limsa Lominsa's redoubtable Yellowjackets, Milala Mila works every day to maintain order in a city that thrives on chaos. Her stringent nature makes her not the most popular member of her organization... and has left her with an eternal grudge against the man whose role mirrors hers.

Captain Maramu Taramu

Age: 47 Pronouns: he/him Captain of the good airship, the Enduring Profit, Maramu is playful but blunt. Despite his decades of experience on sea and sky, he has yet to lose his sense of wonder for both... nor his willingness to play jokes on his passengers.

[tenaciouspostfun]

Stories

Submitted

The Great Gatsby. Theater Review.





"The Great Gatsby" at the Broadway Theatre is a grandiose musical replete with fantastic sets and glittering costumes. Steadfast to both the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald and the movie, the songs complement its plot in this two hour and fifteen minute whirlwind of a show.This Broadway version had its book by Kait Kerrigan, music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Nathan Tysen

The show kicks into high gear whenever Jay Gatsby (Jeremy Jordan) is on stage. Jordan is both a phenomenal singer and actor; his "Past Is Catching Up to Me" brought the show to a halt, in fact, most of his songs had the audience in awe. His effort is one of the best, if not the best I have seen all season.

Directed by Marc Bruni and choreographed by Dominique Kelley, "Gatsby" never has a lull in it, the pace is wonderful and Paul Tate Depoo lll sets and projection design are incompatible to anything this season. From the fireworks on the sound to the palatial homes and the automobiles, Depoo brings us back to a by-gone era, an era of wealth,opulence and privilege.The lighting too by Cory Pattak adds to the the shows spender.

Little is known about Jay Gatsby, he went to war, he studied at Oxford, but little else is known about him other than he dated Daisy Buchanan (Eva Noblezada when he was stateside ready to be shipped off to war. Her cousin, Nick Carraway is reluctant to reunite them but has second thoughts after meeting her husband, Tom (John Zdrojeski). Unlike the book, it is intimated that Gatsby is a bootlegger and his extravagant parties, his home and Rolls Royce are ill gotten. The musical also shows the criminal element that both he and a gas station owner, George Wilson are involved with. The plot never really develops this very well, however.

The cast are all effective, but a few stand out... Samantha Pauly as Jordan Baker and John Zdrojeski as Tom Buchanan as well as Jeremy Jordon are staples throughout the show. Continually turning in dynamic acting, all three command the stage. The long awaited "The Great Gatsby" never disappoints and is a must see!

......................................................................................................................

"Gatsby" was reminiscent of the old time shows that used to grace "The Great White Way" The sets, costumes by Linda Cho and the projections were so deft and imaginative. It almost seemed that each set topped the next and so did the costumes. Even though "The Great Gatsby" had mixed reviews, I could not disagree more. The music was very good, it never over powered the plot, rather it complemented it.

.........................................................................................................................

Next up is "Hells Kitchen" and "The Heart of Rock and Roll". After that with be a few off Broadway shows and some out of state. Both the fall season and the spring season has been a memorable one indeed! It will be very interesting to see who wins the Tony's this season. I guess that the judges will have their hands full.

www.nimbusmagazine.org, www.solarwind.org, No Bull With Raging Robert, www.broadwayworld.com, Tony Awards, Broadway, "Hamilton", "Wicked", "The Lion King", "Harry Potter", "Hells Kitchen", "A Sign of The Times", "Back To The Future", "The Great Gatsby", "The Heart of Rock & Roll", "Doubt", "The Notebook", "Water for Elephants", "Lempicka", "Uncle Vanya", NY Times, NY Post, CNN, Fox, Wall Street Journal, "Days of Wine and Roses, "Tommy", "Outsiders", Dramatists Guild, Mann About Town Magazine, Metropolitan Magazine, "Hamlet", William Shakespeare, off off Broadway, "Brooklyn Laundry" at The City Center, The Park Avenue Armory. My Life Publications, "Spring Awakening", Pirates of Penzance", "Twelfth Night", Webador, Wix, Vocal Media.

#no Bull With Raging Robert.

Words: 602

[ascalonianlightbringer]

Last time (several weeks ago), Gwen and Tybalt met at the rendezvous point and he was much more easygoing away from Lion's Arch. He supplied basic exposition about human cultural dynamics (always pretty odd with a human PC) and explained that Demmi, daughter of the ambitious and corrupt Minister Caudecus, sought refuge with the Order of Whispers, but disappeared en route.

I figured Gwen, my Ascalonian human PC from the streets, would be decidedly wary about the loyalties of both Tybalt and Demmi at this point. She dislikes Charr and nobles, and Demmi's father in particular is responsible for the enslavement of Gwen's sister in a previous storyline. Outwardly, though, she's pleasant and quick-witted about the whole thing.

Anyway, Tybalt quizzed Gwen on what she thought they should do in the hamlet.

I headcanon that back in Gwen's bandit days, she'd use illusions to hide among nobles' servants and scout out valuables. So she knows just how much workers and common people see, and I think she'd go for talking to the washerwoman. Tybalt praised this, though he'll praise whatever option the player chooses (which is probably for mechanical reasons, but tbh fits with his personal insecurity and eagerness to be Doing Something in the field).

The washerwoman affirmed that Demmi did show up in town. A shopkeeper said Demmi seemed nervous and left right before some Ministry guards showed up. Then Gwen asked a Lionguard soldier about all the Ministry guards mysteriously hanging out in the hamlet. To go by the ambient conversation, the Ministry guards were currently busy being assholes at the inn, which Tybalt thought he and Gwen should investigate.

There was also a messenger who carried a certified letter to the commander of the Ministry guard, and agreed it was unusual to send them by non-Ministry messengers, but maybe the sender didn't want a record of it. Reasonably enough, Tybalt also wanted to investigate this.

Afterwards, he approvingly noted, "You have a way with people. Not bad." A canon line that fits Gwen's character!

Tybalt's conclusion: Demmi reached some friends in the hamlet, then vanished right before the Ministry guards showed up. Gwen added that it made sense for Demmi's father to send the guard after her, but the fact that they were still in the hamlet suggested they didn't find her. She added, "The Guard has answers we don't have—it's time to know what they know."

Very Gwen, as well. My girl <3

I laughed, but also: Tybalt! <3

So Gwen went inside the inn and chatted up the guards. One drinking guard boasted that they serve ministers like—oh wait Kryta totally just Kryta haha. Then she went over and smoothly remarked to another about how proud and dedicated the Ministry Guard seemed. The guard immediately warmed up and said they'd face anything and he didn't fear "those pirates."

The plot thickens!

At this point, a sergeant came down and sent one of the chatty recruits upstairs. Tybalt and Gwen snuck after and listened at the door (I feel like Tybalt listening at a door would be pretty suspicious, so I'm imagining that he sent Gwen upstairs to do it and acted Very Normally down in the main room).

Anyway, she overheard the sergeant scolding the recruit for talking, and he said no harm was done and he didn't mention the commander's letter at all. She said that, luckily, the commander had retired for the evening and sent the recruit off.

I figure Gwen reported this very accurately to Tybalt, who agreed that these people were no match. He offered to make a distraction to draw out the commander while Gwen searched the room. This seemed like it could go awry, but also probably the best bet, so Tybalt was like "stampedes are always fun" and spooked the Ministry's supply dolyaks outside (the player actually has to do it, but I imagine Tybalt did it while Gwen was inside and waiting for her chance).

This drew the attention of the commander, Landon, who had to give orders about how they were going to get supplies etc. Meanwhile, Gwen searched the room and found the letter in question. It was a ransom note from the Jackdaw pirates, saying they'd captured Demmi.

Some sparks materialized as they were reading the letter, which made a kind of amusingly useless defense (though maybe the remains would alert Landon to interlopers in a different kind of story).

Anyway, Tybalt: "Demmi's been kidnapped by pirates! Cool! I mean ... interesting."

<333333

Tybalt hatched a plan to infiltrate the pirates (much as Ihan would have done earlier, had Gwen chosen the Order's scheme instead of the Priory's in that instance).

Fair questions! And most of her experience has been working with the much more regimented Seraph and regularly reporting to Logan, so it makes sense for her.

Tybalt: "We operate independently enough for this. The Master of Whispers relies on my discretion. If he trusts me, Initiate—so should you."

That's quite emphatic for Tybalt, and I think it's interesting that he emphasized that Gwen can and should trust him. He wouldn't be a Lightbringer if the Order didn't consider him trustworthy, but idk, I get a peculiar vibe from it.

After the cinematic, Gwen talked to Tybalt again, who praised her and said she was ready to rescue a maiden from some dastardly pirates. She had a charm/ferocity/dignity option, which I always enjoy. The charm option was rather naive and silly, and the dignity one too pretentious for her, but she does have a fierce edge to her personality, so I went with that.

Tybalt's response:

This seems pretty insecure, actually, but iirc all the responses do in some way. It does make some sense that he'd feel a bit outclassed by Gwen's practical experience and relentless intensity given what I recall of his experience. Still, he's fantastic and I love that he promises to do his best to keep up with the killer instinct of an Ascalonian named Gwen.

IDK, I think the Order of Whispers storyline is intrinsically even more touching with a heroic Ascalonian human bonding with a Charr reject turned trustworthy spy. There is so much water under that bridge, and he longs for acceptance from Charr culture, and yet he's willing to frame their mission as doing his best to keep up with a human initiate. He's the best, actually!

[nitewrighter]

Cindy Part 6

To read previous chapters, please check out my masterpost.

This is the part where I tell you that my initial narrative intentions regarding the queen were a fucked up mutant of “Cinderella should have more positive feminine presences because the Fairy Godmother isn’t in the story very long and evil stepfam creates a very fucked up narrative with regard to femininity!” But that ended up getting mixed up with me just… loving milfs. So like, the thought process here was essentially: “Oh, the queen could be a really kind and positive influence for Cindy!” And “God I love milfs so much. The queen has to be a milf. She can’t not be a milf.”

Also going against the tradition of previous chapters, and for the sake of timeliness and my liver, I wrote significant portions of this chapter sober. But I’m posting it drunk, just so it has the final approval of Drunk Me.

So, keeping that in mind, I give you this next chapter.

—---

The prince is draped across a cushy and appropriate fainting couch, it’s been about… 3 days since all of the glassworkers have been called into the palace and he is distraught. But with this whole, “literally no glassworker in the kingdom has ever seen anything like this slipper before (and at least one was convinced the slipper is cursed)” thing, he’s hit a dead end in the investigation. He also felt guilty about calling the glassworkers here when they all thought they’d be commissioned for something so he hasn’t really dismissed them saying, “I don’t know, make a chandelier or a greenhouse or something.”

Like, I need you to understand the whole “every girl in the kingdom claiming the shoe is hers should try on the shoe” approach was very much a last resort, at least in the Prince’s mind. In fact, news about the shoe hasn’t even left palace grounds yet. Hell, not even the king knows, which has been a very high priority for the Prince. He’s still trying to keep things low-key even though he’s clearly going full Hamlet—wearing fucking all black, sighing dramatically all the time, and pacing very quickly and muttering things under his breath that make the servants give him a wide berth and a wary side-eye in the palace hallways. The servants are muttering about mystery girl, too—since the prince has questioned the staff so thoroughly, and since she made such a strong impression on a handful of them, they can’t exactly help speculating. And Brad, under orders from the prince, has told the staff, “look, don’t bring this up to the king, he’s um… very busy. The prince can handle this.” And then the servants look back at the prince who is currently the saddest, wettest, most pathetic prince they’ve ever seen and they’re like, “…right.”

The king has mildly noticed the Prince’s transformation, but he’s basically under the impression of, “Oh he’s just being dramatic after that ball that he was complaining so much about. I had a goth phase, too. I’ll just give him space until he pulls himself together.”

So it’s business as usual at the palace but it’s business as usual with the weirdest fucking vibes ever and the Prince is draped over the fainting couch like “Brad she’s going to die and it’s going to be all my fault.”

“Or she’s going to get away with state secrets and it’s going to be all my fault,” says Brad. Brad pauses for a second, “Why do you think she’s going to die?”

“I don’t know if she’s alive!” The prince throws his hands up.

“…is this part of that ‘she was actually a ghost’ theory that’s been floating around the servants, because I still think that my neural agent theory is far more—”

Then a servant bursts through the doors of the prince’s quarters.

“Highness!” The servant blurts out, “There’s a pirate at the gates!”

“Pirate?” The prince glances up and he rushes over to the palace window. Indeed, just outside the gates there is a gorgeous-looking pirate with the hat, the coat, the thigh-high boots, everything. But there’s something familiar about her expression. Patient, regal… Wait—Regal? “Mum!” The prince blurts out and races down the stairs, barking orders at servants as he goes with Brad hurrying after him. Several footmen race ahead and open the palace gates and in strides the queen through the garden. She pretty much kicks the palace doors open and calls, “Darling, I’m home!” to the foyer, where there’s several glassworkers gathered around a small temporary worktable. The queen has two massive treasure chests under each arm dripping with gold and jewels with the slightest movement. She tilts her head at them with a slight ‘Hm’ and they all stare at her awkwardly until the prince cries out “Mum!” at the top of the stares, and then there’s a collective ‘Oh shit’ from the glassworkers as they recognize that this person in the sexy pirate outfit does in fact look very much like the portrait right behind them, and they all take a knee with a muttered, “Your majesty” as the queen sweeps into the foyer.

“Hullo, dear,” says the queen looking up at the prince, “I hope you weren’t too worried—”

The prince is stammering as he descends the stairs, “Well, to be honest, I probably should have been more worried—“

“God, just like your father…” the queen says with an eye-roll, “You know I have contingencies—”

“I know,” the prince says awkwardly.

Brad steps forward. “Your majesty, do you need help with—”

“Oh so lovely of you to offer, Brad,” says the queen, more or less shoving one of the treasure chests into his arms,

“I meant—” Brad starts but she stacks the other treasure chest on top of the first, “It’s—my pleasure—your majesty—“ he grunts under the treasure chests.

“I can always count on a strapping gentleman like you,” the queen smiles before whirling to face the prince. “Now, Chaz,” the Queen says, (another important point: only the king can call the prince ‘Chuck’ and only the Queen can call the prince ‘Chaz’,) “Do you care to explain to me why there are five glassworkers in our foyer?”

“I summoned them,” says the prince.

The queen looks mildly impressed because the Prince really doesn’t get out a lot. “Oh! For what?”

“Well.. I… thought they could… design a new chandelier? Or maybe a greenhouse.”

“Oh you know your father loves his chandeliers or greenhouses,” the queen is tossing off her sick pirate coat and a servant is fucking diving to catch it.

“He wanted us to look at a shoe!” One of the glassworkers pipes up.

“That shoe ain’t right…” mutters another glassworker.

“Shoe?” The queen arches an eyebrow, handing her giant feathered pirate hat off to a curtsying maid.

“Mum, you must be exhausted after all those pirates put you through—” the prince takes the queen by the forearm and is very quickly leading her away from the glassworkers and into a parlor, while Brad awkwardly lumbers after them, barely able to see over the stacked treasure chests and turning beet red with the strain.

“Privateers,” the queen holds up a finger.

“What?”

“They’re privateers now. Our privateers. Lovely chaps. Quite fond of musical theater.”

“…right…”

“What’s this about a shoe?”

“Oh you don’t need to worry about that or the glassworkers. Just a… little side project?”

“Mm,” the queen tilts her head at her son.

“But after all you’ve been through—” the prince starts but the queen motions to one of the servants.

“Would you draw me a bath, please?” and the servant nods and runs off. “Chaz,” she says, flopping back onto one of the parlor couches, “I won’t bore you with all the sword fights, homoerotic power struggles, drama, heartbreak, and musical numbers. Mostly, I’m just concerned with what I’ve missed. And I have a strong feeling I’ve missed an awful lot.”

“Well.. Dad…had… this one party…” the prince starts.

“Oh my welcome back party! I knew he had his heart set on it, poor thing… How was it?”

“It was—” The prince nearly says, ‘Terrible at first but then it was most amazing party ever and now it is also the bane of my existence, it’s very complicated and I’m in the middle of something that might be the most important thing in my life—I’m not sure but it feels like it.’ But he catches himself. “It was… um… uneventful.”

“Dearest?”

The queen perks up to see the king in the doorway to the parlor. She pushes herself up from the couch, “Oh Darling!”

And the prince just kind of glances off and twiddles his thumbs awkwardly while his parents throw themselves into a passionate, kiss-littered embrace, sentences barely making it out between kisses like,

“Oh, my love, were the pirates terrible?”

“Privateers, now. And they were perfect gentlemen. But the worst part was being apart from you, darling. Now you simply must tell me about the party you threw! Chaz was just telling me about it.”

“Oh yes, the ball! Every family of fashion in the kingdom was invited, he had a massive line of potential partners.”

The queen gives a steady, cool glance back to the Prince like, ‘That doesn’t sound uneventful, boy,’ before glancing back to the king and smoothing his hair, saying, “Oh darling, you know that’s an awful lot to put on our poor Chaz, he’s sensitive—”

“Well, we’ve talked about this! You know he can’t carry on the way he has. He’s a grown man, now!”

“He’s also in the room,” says the prince, a bit sullenly. Brad is turning purple in the face with strain at this point, still holding the two treasure chests.

“But I suppose it doesn’t matter, because when I was off checking in with the older lords in the smoking room, he just… disappeared from the whole party.”

“Disappeared?” The queen looks at the prince.

“It… all got a bit overwhelming!” said the Prince, brightening up and nervously trying to laugh things off.

“You could have given me some warning, Chuck!” the king blusters, “I was stuck spending the rest of the night convincing furious ladies that their daughters were in fact very pretty and then having to play rapid-fire matchmaker with any eligible bachelors present to make sure the whole thing didn’t fall into—into—wig-snatching, champagne-splashing, anarchy!”

A quiet wincing sound of strain, close in pitch to a kettle whistling, is now escaping Brad, still holding the treasure chests.

“But what does all this have to do with glassworkers and a shoe?” The Queen taps her chin thoughtfully.

“Oh that?” The prince straightens up in his seat, “Just—totally unrelated. Just a side project like I—”

Both treasure chests clatter to the floor with a clatter and a thud and the tinkling and ringing of spilling gold and jewels as the Captain of the Guard blurts out, “The prince slipped off from the party with a mysterious girl who held his attention nearly the entire night, but she fled the party at midnight. But now he can’t remember anything identifiable about her. Nor can any of the staff who interacted with her. Our only clue as to who she is, is the glass slipper she left. Which is why the prince brought in the glassworkers in the hopes of one of them identifying the shoe and telling him who they made it for. But none of them could. So we’re kind of back at square one.” He’s panting, still pink-faced.

And there’s a long pause in the room.

“Brad,” the prince says, “What the fu—”

“You said not to say a word to the king, you didn’t say anything about the queen,” Brad is still trying to catch his breath.

“You were with a girl all night?!” The king cuts in.

“Not all night, she left at midnight!” The prince blurts out.

“That’s basically all night,” mutters Brad.

“What was her name?” asks the queen.

And the prince opens his mouth like, oh he should absolutely have an answer ready for that but he just makes a short, half-squeaking “eh—” sound and new horror washes over his face. “Sheeee.... never said,” he says slowly.

“So… you don’t remember any identifying features, you don’t have a name, and all you have is a shoe?” The queen muses, “Well she must have made a very strong impression.”

“He did call her the love of his life,” Brad offers and the prince shoots him a look like ‘Brad I swear to god if I didn’t know you could kick my ass 6 ways to next Tuesday I would fucking destroy you right now.’

“AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME!?” the King is pressing the heels of his hands to his forehead.

“BECAUSE I KNEW YOU’D BLOW IT UP AND MAKE IT A HUGE DEAL!” the prince throws his hands up.

“IT IS A HUGE DEAL! IT’S THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE!”

The queen loudly clears her throat and both the king and the prince catch themselves.

“Remember your blood pressure, darling,” the Queen gives the king a gentle pat on the head.

“Look,” the prince takes a steadying breath, “Just… the way she took off, she looked really scared.”

“Possibly because she committed a crime,” Brad peppers in.

“Brad,” the prince says in warning.

“Just doing my job, your highness,” Brad mutters.

“So…I do want to find her,” the prince turns back to the King and queen, “I have to find her. But if I do it the wrong way, I—I could mess something up and never find her, do you understand?”

“Chaz,” the queen says, gently touching the side of the prince’s face, “I can’t tell you how much it thrills me that someone would inspire this… this passion in you.”

The prince reddens a little at the word ‘passion.’

“But I have to ask—” the Queen keeps that steady, gentle tone of voice, “You understand that loving someone isn’t the same as wanting to save them, don’t you?”

“I know…” the prince says, glancing down, “But… the way she talks, the way she acts… she doesn’t think twice about helping people. And I swear, Mum, something felt off, like really off. I need to find her. If anything, just to make sure she’s okay. The way she treated me… I don’t think she’d hesitate to do the same if our places were switched.”

One corner of the queen’s mouth quirks affectionately at her son. “Well, if you feel so strongly about it, I’m willing to trust your judgment. However, I won’t have anymore of this—this…” she flails a hand, “’Sneaking around’ nonsense. Asking poor Brad and our dear loyal staff to keep secrets between the family? That’s simply not fair to put on them.”

“Well-put, your majesty,” Brad says, and the prince gives him a ‘yeah you WOULD say that, asshole’ look.

“And you can bet that we’ll do all we can to help you find this girl as well!” says the King.

“That’s… Greeeaaaaaat…” the prince is forcing a smile.

“My Lady?” A maid stands in the doorway and curtsies, “Your bath is ready.”

“Oh perfect timing,” says the queen walking off towards her and rolling her shoulders as the maid briskly walks off. The queen hesitates in the doorway before looking back at the king and prince, “And I don’t want you two arguing about this!”

And the prince and the king are talking over each other as she walks off.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, dearest!”

“Oh, mum, I’d never—”

“Why this is my flesh and blood we’re talking about—”

“Two peas in a pod!”

“Mm-hmm,” The queen walks off and the prince and the king listen to the footsteps of her kickass thigh-high boots down the hallway.

“Okay,” the prince draws in a steadying breath before pressing his knuckles to his forehead, “So now you know. But I am begging you. Begging you. Please don’t make this a huge ridiculous thing.”

“Huge ridiculous thing?” the king huffs, “Why would I make it a huge ridiculous thing? I don’t make things into huge ridiculous things.”

“You literally turned Mom’s ‘could-have-been-canceled-welcome-back-party’ into some giant matchmaking clusterfuck.”

“Where you met the love of your life! You’re welcome, by the way!”

“I--you--that’s--!”

“He has a point,” Brad pipes in.

“Oh—-pick up the damn treasure chests, Brad!” The prince storms off, leaving Brad and the king.

“So dramatic..” The king puts his hands on his hips, “You know, his mother was just as much of a firecracker at his age, too.”

Brad glances at the king and points to the treasure chests. “Er—Can I get another guy on this—?”

“Of course you can get another guy on that,” the king pats his shoulder.

“…you’re going to make it a huge ridiculous thing, aren’t you?” Brad says after a beat.

“Sir Brad, I am your King. I wouldn’t dream of making it a huge ridiculous thing. Oh--by the way--when you’re done with that, find Gabe the Valet and you two go find me all the criers for every town, village, and hamlet in the country.”

[pursuecrazylife]

Hamlet is the perfect representation of being an ADHD person

You get the project ‘Kill the King’ sounds easy enough, your pal Macbeth has killed a king, can’t be too hard, right? You remember you have not answered Macbeth’s last message, he hasn’t answered for a while either. Can you even kill a king if you can’t even keep in touch with friends ....

Everything will be different this time, you will do the project, organised, thoughtful, on time. YOU WILL NOT PROCRASTINATE ! You will show your father and your BFF Horatio, you might have a crush on, that you can in fact do things. You commit and dramatically ‘from the table of your memory wipe away all trivial fond records’ aka all the half-finished projects. They don’t matter anymore, you are a new person now, you will do this swiftly...

You need a system and a plan, nobody can just kill a king. You are ready to embrace every single hyperfocus. You’re already stressed out, people keep interrupting you, commenting on your mad disposition. Emotions are meant to be swung, you are going to kill the king TODAY...

It’s evening, you now know every revenge ploy, the king is still alive. After your 5th dramatic breakdown of the day you look at Horatio, the wondrous person who finishes his projects before he even got the task to do them. You are mad at him, you love him, you want to be him....

You just need a better system, you think as you sit crying on the floor, you procrastinate through crying about the fact that you are procrastinating. The project is grinning at you. All your journals, to-do lists, beautifully curated Notion templates are just not enough....You have a brilliant, overcomplicated idea. Create an entire play before you kill the king. It’s procrastination, but you don’t care...

You had a fight with your girlfriend and your mother, you are done with yourself and the world. You will finish this project, and if it’s the last thing you’ll do... You are not going to procrastinate anymore, all will be FiNe...

You kill the wrong person....

You start a side project, you always liked pirates so why not get kidnapped by them. You come back...the project is still there. You have another existential crisis then decide again to finish this project or die trying...

The project is finished....You killed the king, but also a lot of other people...You are angry at yourself, you procrastinated again! This project was meant to be different. Why can’t you do anything right?! Why didn’t you just ask your pal Macbeth to kill the king? You miss your own death because you’re so focused on letting everybody down one last time. At least you got a love declaration from Horatio...

[wisteria-lodge]

Character Analysis: Sorting Hamlet & Horatio

using the @sortinghatchats system

PRIMARY = MOTIVE. WHY DO YOU DO THINGS?

LION Primary’s sense of morality and ethics comes from inside. Things just feel right or they feel wrong. BIRD Primary gets their morality and ethics from the world outside them. They decide what they think is right. BADGER Primary is focused on the good of the group. Who cares if something is technically “moral” if people are getting hurt? SNAKE Primary is a lot like Badger, but instead of protecting the group, their highest law is the well-being of the individual people they love.

SECONDARY =  METHOD. HOW DO YOU DO THINGS?

LION Secondary gets their power from being direct, honest, completely themselves. Their “plan” is just keep going until someone stops them. If they see a locked door, they kick it in. BIRD Secondary collects tools and skills. They build things, find things, learn things. If they see a locked door, they go through their box of keys until they find the right one. BADGER Secondary is fair, hardworking, and shows up. They’re good at getting people to trust them, and good at getting people to help them. If they see a locked door, they knock. SNAKE Secondary knows the right mask to wear for each situation. They’re adaptive. They go in the back way. They find the third option.  They’re the ones who know how to pick the locks.

HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK has one heck of a Bird primary. He’s a philosophy student who “consider[s] too curiously,” thinking over the morality of his actions while playing thought-experiment games with Horatio. He knows his uncle is guilty, he suspects it from the beginning, but he can’t act on that gut feeling until he has some real proper outside evidence. He gets a bad feeling about the duel, but dismisses it as “foolery… such a kind of gain-giving as would perhaps trouble a woman.” Then decides that he can’t allow himself to suspect a trap behind every corner, and goes in to fight.

This is why sticking him in Elsinore Castle is such a good dramatic set-up.  Everyone there is basically gaslighting him - treating the fact that his uncle married his mother and became the new king (instead of Hamlet, the old king’s son) as  totally and completely normal. To stay sane, he needs Horatio standing there reaffirming his version of reality - yes, you’re right, the funeral and the wedding were weirdly close together. I believe you.

The other thing that makes me think Bird primary is the way Hamlet’s worldview changes. At first he’s lost, tortured by indecision (a very Bird primary problem). But then he talks to the Norwegian soldier and has the epiphany that people kill “even for an eggshell” [read: “for one corn chip”] all the time. He says “from this time forth / my thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth” and then they are. From then on, Hamlet’s the perfect Revenge Protagonist. Kills Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, zero guilt, doesn’t back down from the duel, stabs and poisons Claudius. In the last act he looks really Lion, because he’s adopted a more Lion-flavored personal philosophy.

Hamlet definitely models Snake secondary. But he’s very bad at it and fools no one. A short rundown of the critiques of Hamlet’s acting:

POLONIUS ~ “though this be madness/yet there is method in it” CLAUDIUS ~ “what he spoke, though it lacked form a little/ was not like madness” HORATIO ~ “these are but wild and whirling words my lord.”

(Arguably Hamlet fools Ophelia. Arguably.)

There’s also the Bird secondary model he uses to stage the elaborate psychological trap that is the play-within-a play, and forge the letter that kills Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Good penmanship, knowledge of plays, just some of the tools in Hamlet’s toolbox.

But, neither of those methods seem to be especially healthy for him. Hamlet is most comfortable, and most powerful, when he can just stare someone down and say the true thing. “I know not ‘seems’” is pretty much the first thing we hear him say. Again, it’s kind of cruel that this character is stuck in Elsinore, forced to wear so many alternate models.

So, when Hamlet is stressed he gets abrupt and he gets direct. He does that on/off thing which is very Lion secondary. (Do nothing… do nothing... do a bunch of stuff, all at once.) That climatic sword fight at the end is pure charging lion. He seemed to get along well with the pirates? And since Shakespeare is a writer who finds lion secondaries particularly tragic, it makes sense he’d give one to his most iconic tragic hero.

This also means Hamlet house-matches Ophelia, which is ultimately why I think they don’t work. They’re too alike. I’m not going to speculate much on which sortings are compatible with each other (hell if I know) but I will say this: being in a romantic relationship with your exact match is probably a bad idea. You are just going to double down on the weaknesses and have trouble coming up with alternate solutions when things go wrong.

Also, the way the Closet scene plays out makes me think that Gertrude and Hamlet both have to be Lion secondaries. Gertrude starts off using her snake secondary model, trying to deflect and maneuver around her son, but he uses that Lion to just be threateningly honest until she starts giving him real answers. Basically they scream true things at each other until they both calm down. Lion secondaries… are comforted by cathartic fights, in a way that I don’t think the other secondaries are. For Gertrude and Hamlet, it’s actually a wholesome bonding experience.

HORATIO is a really clean example of a Snake primary, and I love that for him. The only reason he does anything is because of Hamlet. That’s only thing in his life that matters, or possibly even exists. (“I do not know from what part of the world / I should be greeted, if not from Lord Hamlet.”) When Hamlet asks him why he’s come to Elsinore, the place so terrible it will drive you to alcoholism, Horatio says, “I came to see your father’s funeral.” I came because I thought you needed me. That’s it. Horatio stays in an incredibly dangerous and precarious situation because he doesn’t want Hamlet to be alone. He kind of needs to be a Snake primary, he doesn’t make sense otherwise.

As for secondary - Badger. He’s a badger. Horatio is the kind of solid, dependable guy who you call if you’re having ghost problems. And even though the guards think he has special ghost-busting knowledge (being a graduate of Wittenberg and all) that’s not how Horatio handles the situation. He talks to the ghost, he wants to know where it is coming from. Wants to know how he can help.

Horatio, possibly uniquely (since everybody else is a snake or lion secondary) has a really good grasp on the interpersonal dynamics of both the court and Denmark as a whole. When he needs to make Gertrude listen to him - make her take the Ophelia problem seriously - he talks about how her ravings are going to sew social unrest, that people are going to listen to her and hear what they want to hear. And at the end, he completely takes the reins from Fortinbras. Get me up on a stage, let me talk to the people, I know exactly hoe to calm them all down. Horatio’s got the courtier secondary.

He’s got such a correct and such an elegant mask (“custom hath made it in him a habit of easiness”) that I do think there’s a strict Badger performance in there as well. But nothing underneath it except more Badger. I don’t see him use the skills of any other secondary, and it’s Badger that he falls back on when he’s under pressure.

Horatio grounds Hamlet with his combination of solid Snake primary and solid Badger secondary. The prince is so much more stable and leveled out when he’s in a room with Horatio. It’s also very funny that Snake Badger has been identified as the love interest sorting, and like - well - I see it. 

tl;dr

Hamlet - Bird primary / Lion secondary, unhealthy Snake and Bird models

Horatio - Snake primary / Badger secondary, Badger performance

[bring-it-all-down]

I’d like to talk a little bit about why I think Black Sails, while definitely tragic, is NOT a tragedy. Rather, I think that Black Sails ultimately is more hopeful than tragic.

The literary conception of tragedy is divided into two types, Greek and Shakespearean. I’m in no way an expert on tragedy, but broadly speaking, in Greek tragedy, the plot must have unity (it must have a clear beginning, middle, and end) in order for the audience to reach some sort of emotional catharsis. Most importantly, though, the plot must be driven by a character’s pointless struggle to avoid their fate brought on by their hubris (an attempt to become like a god), which has been predetermined (largely from prophesies) and from which they cannot escape. For instance, everything Oedipus attempts to do to escape his fate of killing his father and marrying his mother only draws him closer to that fate. 

Shakespearean tragedy, on the other hand, has a less clear beginning and plot, including many subplots that take place over a much longer period of time: it lacks the Greek elements of unity of plot, time, and place. Furthermore, the struggle is driven not by divine prophecy but by a character’s struggle between good and evil; the character is doomed not by an external power but by an internal failing. Thus, while the tragic hero in Greek plays gains full knowledge of the situation by the end, the Shakespearean tragic hero rarely gains self-knowledge. In essence, Greek tragedy is more plot-focused and Shakespearean tragedy is more character-focused.

Although Black Sails has a predetermined end thanks to both Treasure Island and the historical context of piracy, if it was to be a tragedy, it would be a Shakespearean tragedy, not a Greek tragedy. The plot is complex, focusing on a number of characters, and is driven largely by the characters’ internal struggles. However, the show differs in several key ways that ultimately prevent it from being a full tragedy.

Most importantly, Black Sails lacks a real tragic hero, who in Shakespearean tragedy is somebody well-regarded––often a member of the nobility––who is fundamentally a good person, but whose fatal flaw leads to his downfall and the downfall of society at large. As Tom McAlindon puts it in his article, “What is Shakespearean Tragedy?”:

The hero’s fall involves a self-betrayal or loss of identity which constitutes the breakdown in the balance of a richly-endowed nature, one in which feeling is so powerful that it is never far from the point of destructive excess...loosely speaking, then, anger and ambition (including pride, a sense of honor, and the desire for glory), and, on the other hand, love and grief, are the passions whose overflow brings disaster; and it should be stressed that the first pair are to be seen in as positive a light as the second (9-10).

This tragic hero frequently wants to do good, but is blind to the truth of reality, and his initial errors in judgment due to this blindness compound over time, leading to his destruction. Throughout this decline, the ‘hero’ status is maintained through a constant reminder of the environment in which the tragic hero exists; Othello’s paranoia, for instance, is in part a product of the racism in Venetian society. Furthermore, the tragic hero is always juxtaposed by a manipulative figure who knowingly attempts to rouse the hero’s passions for his own gain.

In Black Sails, the person who most closely matches this description is Flint, a high-ranking pirate who commands the respect of his inferiors. Flint certainly is driven by some continuously shifting combination of ambition, love, and grief. His entire project is one dedicated to honoring Thomas’s memory, but it’s also very true that Flint enjoys being in power. He relishes the opportunity to take back command of the Walrus from Dufresne, and as much as he sees his crew as men rather than animals, he absolutely believes himself superior to them. His penchant for murdering those who stand in his way is constantly justified to us through reminders that civilization is even more violent and less discriminating in its use of violence. Furthermore, he is manipulated at times by Silver (though the extent of each other’s knowledge of this is questionable).

This brings us to the question of Flint’s fatal flaw. Unlike with Shakespearean tragic heroes (Romeo’s impulsiveness, Hamlet’s indecision, Macbeth’s ambition), it’s hard to pinpoint a singular flaw for Flint. To be sure, the guy has many flaws: his arrogance, his reticence to trust people, his anger, etc. But it’s difficult to pick out a singular flaw that leads to his demise. In fact, it’s perhaps his abandonment of these flaws that results in his death (“Flint” died, regardless of how you interpret the ending). He trusts Silver, he humbles himself enough to believe himself unworthy of overseeing a post-revolutionary world alongside Madi and Silver, and it’s his love in place of anger that makes it impossible for him to kill Silver. So, ultimately, his fatal flaw is trusting Silver too much, but this is not a flaw that is inherent to him, that he had even from their first meeting. 

A second way in which Black Sails differs from Shakespearean tragedy also concerns the ending. In Shakespearean tragedies, the reciprocal relationship between the disordered tragic hero and the disordered society in which he exists comes to and end with the hero’s demise, and a new orderly society springs up in its place. In Macbeth, Malcolm becomes king, ushering in an era of benevolence; in Othello, Iago receives a fitting punishment, thereby restoring some sense of justice; etc. In essence, the tragic hero’s death results in the end of conflict and the beginning of peace.

In one sense, Black Sails follows this plot. The end of Flint brings about the end of war and the beginning of peace in Nassau under Max’s rule. However, we know that this peace is deeply unsatisfactory because we have come to learn that compromising with civilization is actually impossible. We learn that while the Maroons have a peace treaty, it does not extend to any other freed Black person, and it includes the Maroons re-enslaving people who come to them for freedom. We know through historical context that Jack and Anne only have a few more years of freedom before they’re captured and Jack is hanged. We know that Silver spends the rest of his life haunted by what he did to Flint. And so Flint’s death brings about no actual peace.

The key element that prevents Black Sails from being a Shakespearean tragedy, despite it fitting most of the typical components of a Shakespearean tragedy, is the idea that the central conflict––freedom vs. civilization––extends beyond the show. And so we are aware that no character’s actions will actually affect the conflict in a monumental way. Even though there is the idea that it could have ended differently, we know from the beginning, with our historical knowledge, that the revolution is doomed. The central conflict of the show is an ongoing conflict; there is no possibility of reconciliation as with the Montagues and the Capulets. While all Shakespearean tragedies begin in medias res, they have a definite conclusion, but Black Sails does not.

So, Black Sails is not a Shakespearean tragedy, but on its surface, it looks like it’s incredibly tragic. However, I think that, for all of the reasons I just talked about, Black Sails is actually a show about hope. Flint’s arc demonstrates to us that people can change, that hope can be found in a mutual recognition of suffering and a desire to end that suffering not just for yourself but for others. We learn from Max that nothing is worth doing unless it begins and ends with love. We find a deep sense of familiarity in these characters through the recognition that their battles are our battles, that their flaws are our flaws, but their failure does not have to be our failure. 

Unlike with Macbeth or Othello or Romeo and Juliet, the Black Sails story is still being written and so long as that is the case, there is room for hope.

[sacrilegious-skeletal-scribe]

So I have a revolving wip that started as an idea for procrastination while writing something else that has mutated far enough to have earned a cold open?

Anyway, I’m currently doing my best to rewrite Hamlet as a proper horror story by never allowing headspace to be given to him, effectively taking some creative liberties with the source material and having all observations trickle in from people the story is happening to, instead of its namesake, but Hamlet is a gorgeous horror plot and I deeply want to read a horror novel that’s just Hamlet, plus intentional tension caused by political intrigue, assassination, a vengeful spirit, and gaslighting someone so hard you set off a mental illness.

It’s a tragedy that the original isn’t framed as a horror thriller, and you bet your ass I’m going to write an introspection through Rosencrantz and Guildenstern when the pirate battle comes due, on the blazing conviction of vengeance, destroying everything in its path until there is nothing left to burn up, so it eats itself for lack of knowing what else to do, you cannot bring up a pirate attack two days after the fact with no further explanation, this play may have been written in the 1600’s, and Shakespeare definitely would not have cared about my critiques on a throwaway line of one of the most recognizable tragedies of the modern era, but that isn’t going to stop me.

All of this to say I’ve been abusing the copy of Hamlet I have on hand, looking up anything it takes me more than fifteen minutes to find in the source material, and King Hamlet’s name is just… Hamlet?

Which is fine, the stage directions usually refer to him as that or Ghost, but all billing just sort of lists him as Hamlet, Sr, or Hamlet, King

And Hamlet, Hamlet is just referred to by his last name? Which is fine, but extremely unhelpful when trying to storyboard, leading to this little masterpiece of literary work for clarification purposes,

This is basically just note keeping but I found the names funny, and keeping you lovely heretics entertained with work I find enjoyable is really all I can hope for. I’ll see you next time, I swear I’m going to give you actual work instead of housekeeping stuff, but if you’ve gotten to this point, I must be doing something right.

Also I’ve been losing my mind over OFMD on my alt account, it’s link in the pinned post, so if you’re interested in any of that come check it out, content here won’t cease for as long as I can maintain it, as always, to you.

[luazasvogel]

funny anime pirates ( accepting ! )

@videcoeur​ said:

🎆 - Something you can’t wait for??!! 🔪 - A character who fills you with frustration? 👾 - Fave villain? 🏰 - Fave marine? 🔫 - Fave canon arc?

🎆 - Something you can’t wait for??!!        I would say King’s face reveal, but that already happened. Aside from that...Hm. Maybe the rest of Kaido’s backstory, some sort of flashback since I assume it’s coming. Aside from that...Not really sure, Wano has been a trip of excitement in my mind but I’m also extremely biased.              ;) waiting for that Straw Hat-Beast alliance- SDJIOFSDOIfSD

🔪 - A character who fills you with frustration?       Frustration? God I don’t even know. I don’t think any character necessarily frustrates me? More of what has happened to them? Oda rushing through the All-Star fights frustrates me because I know for a fact that the fights would have lasted longer--especially King’s, don’t even get me started I don’t think Zoro should have won(but i’m biased AF). That being said...I understand why it’s being rushed and Oda is valid for that. Specific characters though......hm...........maybe Shinobu? I just think she has more potential than what she gets, she’s just kind of a plot device. I don’t hate her though.

👾 - Fave villain?        King. 

🏰 - Fave marine?        Fujitora, he was my first One Piece blog and he has stuck with me. I love his character and I’m biased as hell towards blind characters. I don’t know why but he’s so entertaining especially with all the almost up in the air or floaty personality he has. Plus the gambling and procrastination is funny af. How over powered he is without even trying is fucking hilarious. My man really just pulls a meteor down for the hells of it. Special mention though I love Sengoku and Tsuru.

🔫 - Fave canon arc?       Wano. I’m biased. I’m sorry it’s not even over I just love Wano and the Beast Pirates. All of the Wano characters are so fucking stupid and I love them, I love all the pretty colours, I love the Beast Pirates, HAMLET I LOVE YOU!!! I love that Tama is just out here being a powerful child and I appreciate that. All the characters and shit that I’ve made from Wano. I don’t like Oden as much as most, but I do still enjoy his character, I love Yamato, I love writing the Beast Pirates. Hawkins comes back and I appreciate him, Apoo is existing and I love that motherfucker. The Numbers make me happy, Caesar Clown showed up in like 2 frames. THE LOREEE THE LOOOREEEEEE- I could go on I adore this. Plus I mean listen it has King and King has become my favourite, sadly dethroning Caesar as my favourite.

[booksoanahasread]

Wrap Up 2020

Welcome to my first calendaristic year review of books. I know that normally I just review books and I rarely post anything else, which I find to be the right thing to do, after all this is a blog about books that I’ve read. 

This year, however, I’ve decided to write a post about my year in books, somewhat like what you would find on Goodreads. I want to tell you all about my favourite and least favourite books from this year, but I can’t do a top ten list, I would much rather tell you about some of the books. 

These books are in no particular order, because I find I can’t quite rank books all that well. Here are some of the books that I loved: 

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. 

It’s just a wonderful fantasy book that I fell in love with, especially the fact that it is a matriarchal society. I haven’t read anything quite like it.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

I’m not sure why I decided to start this series, but I’m glad I did. You can easily fall in love with the characters and fast-paced action. 

Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin 

I devoured this book and you might as well. I adore the enemies to lovers trope and in this novel it is executed brilliantly. 

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

A dystopian future where humans have cured all diseases and it is almost impossible to die. Doesn’t it sound promising? It is one of the most amazing series I’ve read and I hope that next year I’ll get my hands on the last book.

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi 

While the first book was hard to get through, this one was absolutely amazing. I loved the love triangle and subject matter was fascinating. 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Who doesn’t love a good romance story set in Paris? This book was heart-warming and gripping. It was also the first ebook I read this year. 

Again but Better by Christine Riccio

If you’ve met me in real life, I’ve probably gushed about how good this book is. I loved the author’s style and the way it was structured, I loved the travels described in the book and the life of a student learning abroad. 

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

This was a light read that left me with a smile on my face. I can see why it won a Goodreads choice award in 2019. I loved the representation and the political theme. 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I reread this book in December with no clue what actually happened in the novel. I loved this book probably as much as the first time I read it. The depth with which the author portrays the characters is wonderful. 

 Love Her Wild by Atticus

I didn’t read that many poetry books or anthologies this year, but this one is clearly the best. It gives you hope and makes you feel in love, the short poems don’t follow classic structures, therefore it packs a punch. 

Sapiens. A Graphic History. The Birth of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, David Vandermeulen, Daniel Casanave

This is easily one of the best nonfiction books I’ve ever read. It is very informative but also entertaining and I loved it. 

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

This series was incredibly heart-warming, easy-to-read, and enjoyable. I really hope more people read these books because they are phenomenal and adorable. 

 The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

This was one of the most fascinating books of the year, even though it was quite short. I loved the whole premise of the portrait that changed due to the sins that Dorian committed. 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This was a reread and I finally gave this book a fair shot. I ended up changing my opinion and falling in love with Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. I loved Jane Austen’s sarcastic tone in the book, it was incredible. 

 Hamlet by William Shakespeare

How can you possibly forget this story? It is haunting but also hilarious at the same time. Although it is a tragedy, the play has many moments where the audience can laugh. I found the whole premise interesting and the fact that the main character being kidnapped by pirates was a minor aspect of it made the novel all the more ingenious. 

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I found the point of view from which it is told rather odd, but otherwise this is a solid book that should be read. The way it talks about racism in America is compelling and the intrigue with Bo is also fun. 

 Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

I found this book to be absolutely riveting. The unreliable narrator was incredible and the way you piece together slowly, but surely what the past was truly like was unrivalled. 

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

I was supposed to go to Paris this year with my family and because of the pandemic we had to cancel. Although, reading this book did make me feel as if I were there, it had magically transported me across the continent and I loved it. 

 A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

I loved the whole premise of multiple Londons that are linked together. The magical system was wonderful and I loved reading this series so much. The characters are lovable and relatable. 

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman 

This is a love letter to books and I adored it. I still think about it. The worlds that we are introduced to are astonishing and the action is impressive.

On the other side of the spectrum, here are some books I couldn’t quite stand, without describing them: 

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Twisted Palace by Erin Watt

My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan 

Reflecting on this year is something that is necessary before 2021 comes. I read eighty books, some I loved and some I hated. I hope that by this time next year, I will have read fifty books and loved a lot of them. 

Dear reader, I hope you’ve had a year with as many moments of joy as possible. I hope that you’ve read books that have made you feel so much more than bored. I hope that you fell in love with at least one book. Thank you so much for reading my reviews this year and I hope they helped you a little, or at least entertained you. We will see each other in the new year, where I hope we read as many books as possible. 

Sending love to all of you!

Oana. 

[cinaed]

Red vs Blue Season 2 Rewatch

Well I'd meant to do my season two rewatch Saturday but was sick most of the weekend. But now I'm feeling well enough to watch and enjoy! 

Aw, I forgot that the first scene of the season is Doc's introduction. 

Church being so done with Caboose and Tucker, and the combination of O'Malley and Caboose means that his threats involve giving Church a birthday present (sure it's Tucker's head, but you know). 

Just imagining Doc's expression as the Blues explain that Church is a ghost and now a ghost in a robot makes me laugh. Also another thing is that the Blues apparently have a Spanish-English dictionary, which somehow the Reds never bothered to get for years. Sorry, Lopez! 

I love that Church actually knows military lingo and it's Tucker and Caboose who are like "???" whenever he tries to be smart in earlier seasons. Also Tucker just being like "Nope, I like my blood on the inside."

God, I forgot that Church went "I can't pronounce Frank, we're calling you Doc." Like..Frank? At least protesting over DuFresne makes a little more sense! Church really does love to mess with people. Also Doc's speech about the differences between being a medic and a doctor remains iconic. "Well, a doctor cures people. A medic just makes them more comfortable.. while they die."

I also forgot that Church just straight shoots Caboose (and actually hit him!) so Doc will go over and help him. Stone cold. "I can't believe he shot me!" "Oh, don't even START Caboose!"

Also love that the Reds have staff meetings, which Grif presumably sleeps through. Though why they all even trusted Grif to carry ammo around, I just don't know. 

And the beginning of the iconic surrender exchanges. Cake, flags (wait no flags), Lopez. Doc turning into a fake hostage. "You don't get anything except humiliation and ridicule!" "We've already got that! What else do you have?"

I forgot that Doc immediately assesses the Red Team, realizes Grif is the least popular of the group, and immediately starts insulting him to curry favor. Speaking of stone cold, like dang, Doc. 

Another iconic scene is Church ragging on Tucker as he wiggles his switch. :D And of course Sarge's amazing code is "drive." He's definitely that guy whose password is Password1235. 

Fun parallels with Donut's "I'm so freaking lost" and Doc's "Help, this Jeep is kidnapping me!" 

Lopez is like a son to Sarge! Sarge loves him so much that he forgives him for turning against him and murdering him. Also Sarge thinking he can fight a machine gun. 

Tucker: "You hardly ever used your legs before anyway. I've never heard of a grown man asking for so many piggy-back rides." Church: "Hey, I already told you: that was for science." And thus canonical piggyback rides were established. 

Bold of Simmons to call someone else Poindexter. 

Everyone thinking Church is shy because he can't turn around. 

Grif using Doc's words against him, and thus a low-key dislike of each other was born. 

Poor Doc. Stuck wandering the wilderness aka the 60 feet or however much space there is between the bases. 

Simmons and Grif squabbling like an old married couple trying to tell the story about the Blues and Doc.

I am usually against love triangles, but the Lopez/Sheila and Sheila/Caboose is so good. 

Caboose having a good idea, except they didn't consider that Lopez would immediately escape.

Ah, the old days when Lopez actually believed in the Red Team. Also will always love "Primary objectives: 1. Fix everything. 2. Hate the orange one. 3. Call mom more often." Lopez calling Sarge father! And then his brutal disillusionment as the Reds almost kill him. 

Simmons loves that machine gun. 

Lopez/Sheila is such a good ship. Love their meet-cute. Of course then Tex steals his body. Also Sheila being into Lopez AND Tex. I'd forgotten about that. 

"Tucker, there's a very fine line between not listening and not caring. I like to think that I walk that line every day of my life." 

Love Tex just rolling with "Sure, I'm a ghost." And now we're finally into the O'Malley plot which is so much fun. 

Sarge's been wanting to get a cyborg on his team for this whole dang war. He's so happy when Simmons becomes a cyborg. Meanwhile Grif and Simmons are united in hating the idea. 

Tex telling embarrassing stories about Leonard's high school years. :D And the beginning of this very weird plan to rescue Caboose from O'Malley. And seeing the inside of people's heads. Or at least Caboose's head, which means a stupid Tucker and a Church who is even more foul-mouthed than Church himself plus he's Caboose's very best friend. Sarge the southern pirate. Donut the girl. Grif's yellow armor. 

Grif sounds almost impressed when he does the 1-2-3 count that he pulled on Simmons and realizes that Donut beat him at his own game. Unfortunately then he promptly gets run over by Sheila.

"Suck it, Blue!" 

I honestly love Lopez's love song to Sheila. He's such a romantic. 

Church is such a nerd. His insults are so bad. 

And the beginning of Doc and O'Malley's saga begins. Their juxtaposition is amazing. 

And the beginning of cyborg Simmons! I still love that even if Simmons instantly insults Grif, the fact remains that he went through surgery to save Grif's life. And he sounds genuinely worried when Grif starts coughing, right up until the point he figures out Grif is using his brand new replacement lungs to smoke. And Simmons trying to get Grif to eat healthy and stop smoking. Good luck with that, Simmons...

Simmons apparently likes to dance, if his fury over the assumed cancelled holiday party is any indication. That's a prompt for someone! 

Donut and Tucker are both the romantics of their team because Tucker thinks Sheila/Lopez is sweet, he just doesn't want to deal with love triangle bullshit.

Meanwhile Lopez and Sheila go on strike for machine rights and I for one support them wholeheartedly. 

Double O Donut! I love Donut and Grif's misadventures together. 

Tucker: "Sheila and Lopez are now considering leaving to form their own robot army. They said no one would dare oppose them." Church: "What?! Did you try to talk them out of it?" Tucker: "No way, I wouldn't dare oppose them!"

Poor Donut. He has no sense of direction. And poor Doc, stuck with O'Malley for company. 

Sarge talking about the entertainment value of being tortured. Sarge...what.... I'm not gonna kinkshame, but I'm definitely gonna think about kinkshaming Sarge. 

Donut and Caboose's truth or dare scene is so cute. They're such a fun dynamic. And I really wonder what Donut was gonna say about the Red Team plans until Church possesses him. And Church is immediately super chill in Donut's head, and wants to just relax and do some arts and crafts. And Donut considers Caboose his friend! And Caboose really likes Private Biscuit.

Church trying to bargain for two robots so he can have Tex back is sweet right in the middle of a ridiculous scene. And Donut being so excited for a sleepover with the Blues. 

I'm just saying, Sarge would make an excellent car salesman the way he's messing with the Blues over these robots. And Donut must be rubbing off on him, heh, because "I've been told my lube jobs are fantastic!" is definitely a Donut line.

Church using military lingo in one episode and then a handful later not understanding military time is such a Church thing.

Finally to the iconic Tucker line of Grif and Simmons. "It's just the same two guys bickering like an old married couple. I've only been listening for like five minutes and I can already tell they're really in love. Why can't they see it?" And Church doesn't even bother to argue.

Tucker discovering Red vs Blue is a lie is still amazing. As in the ironic discussion, which I will always love. 

Donut's sarcasm when he realizes they're leaving him and Sheila behind to guard each base. Man versus tank. Should go well for him.

And set up for season three, which has some of my favorite team ups-- Sarge and Caboose, Grif and Church. That'll also be a fun rewatch. 

Time for the bonus features aka Outtakes, PSAs, and deleted scenes!

Honestly most of the PSAs this season weren't great, but the Fourth of July fireworks safety one did make me laugh. And it does have Donut with his Kiss the Cook apron!

Outtakes were okay, with the running theme of Burnie trying to explain adlibbing to everyone else, haha. Also "Great Caesar's Dressing!" is as catchy as "Great Caesar's Ghost!" And the outtake of Sarge being Hamlet. And Tarzan. And the Grif and Simmons audition tape was fun. 

Deleted scenes! Doc and Vic having some weird chemistry. Calling Doc hot and saying he missed him. And Doc complaining that no one likes him and that someone stole his wallet. Of course then Vic immediately gets mean. The others include Sarge and Grif prepping Simmons for cyborg surgery before Grif gets hurt and they actually go through with it, which mostly includes getting Simmons super drunk.  Sounds about right for Blood Gulch!

[12raben]

Autumn Rotation

Wow, I can’t believe I posted another rotation in its entirety! At this point both my sims and I are desperate for new faces. And lucky so, because: *drumroll*

Twinhills moved from level Settlement to Hamlet!

Huzzah! This is of course due to the fact, that family Druggald has also climbed the social ladder. They raised from peasantry to yeomanry paying the necessary fees. That money has been re-invested by Twinhills Government (me) to ulock the Cemetery.

That means I have unlocked a free communtiy lot for myself as well as some careers. There are other things, I’ll adjust, if you’re interested, you can keep reading, for everybody else it’s hidden to not block your dash. (Happy scrolling!) ;)

I haven’t unlocked any other community lots even though there are some funds left in the treasury. There are some bigger lots coming in the next levels, so I decided to save the money.

To avoid my business-owning sims getting rich, I have added a new tax to my game. I plan to have a bank in my game, so my sims can invest/get loans. This banker will recieve a small chunk, when another sim unlocks a money-perk. (Because he was most likely the connection to the investor.) The Money Reward Tax has to be paid with the beginning of winter:

Lvl1 LeTourneau Prize Reward: 1.000$ Fee: 100$ Tax: 500$

Lvl2 Valued Client Rebate Reward: 2.500 Fee: 250 Tax: 1.250

Lvl3 Chamber of Commerce Prize Reward: 10.000 Fee: 1.000 Tax: 5.000

Lvl4 Owners Association Award Reward: 20.000 Fee: 2.000 Tax: 10.000

Lvl5 Will Wright Grant Reward: 50.000 Fee: 5.000 Tax: 25.000

Since there is no banker in Twinhills yet, the fee is also paid to the crown.

In winter my poor teens were aging up and none of them were able to get a university education. So for now I made a compromise for my nobles and the midwife. When the Midwife reaches level 4 of her career (Apprentice), the midwife gains a college diploma, so she can get promoted. Same applies for sims of a noble class, but they’ll have to pay for it. Right now I’m aming at 10.000$ per college education hence the need for a banker, who can give a loan.

Another annoyance, which bugged me much: CAS-Sims don’t have any skills. For toddlers and maybe even children this might make sense, but for teens, adults and elders it’s just inconvienient. So, to make my live easier, I retroactively, add a roll to the creation of sims for skills:

-Children: D(6) -Teen: D(12) -Adult: D(20) -Elder: D(50)

The Sim Ranomizer offers an option to randomize skills. Here an example for a child:

This might seem like many skill points, but there is a chance that sims, who rolled for a maximum of 50 skill points only gain 5. And the sims of Twinhills seem to be a uneducated bunch, because none of them rolled an atonishing amount of skill-points :p

I’m addressing this now, because the free lot, that I unlocked for Twinhills reaching level Hamlet, is the Orphanage. (Well it is the most expensive community lot thus far, so I might was a very easy pick.)

And the inhabitants also moved right in:

When I used the Randomizer to create this household, my only goal was to have two adult/elder sims. The fact, that both of them are males seemed inconvienient at first and I thought about just turning them into females, but then I just decided to roll with it. (And I’m so happy I did this, because these guys are precious.)

The household is named Fundling, but every orphan has a unique surname. I’m going to make a seperate introduction post for them, because this post is getting to long as it is. Sorry.

In autumn there has been only one birth: Ben Hlothran, the new heir of the Hlothran household has been born.

The family also lost a family member. Vebjorn Hlothran, husband of Moira, father of Bjorn, Madleine, Harry, Galina, Molly, Ylvie and Ben died.

And let’s not forget the slightly grumpy Inn owner: Zacharias Cullroth, father of Primrose and Cara, Grand-father of Leesha and Hannes.

I have not given up on the idea of adding a downtown and vacation districts, but I have too much on my plate with the sims as it is. But, if I ever come this far in the challenge, supernaturals will be living in vacation districts and my downtown will be a bustling pirate bay.

One last thing: I have installed the Ultimate Collection recently. I have all games as disks, but I wanted to switch to english language. Having a mix of two languages while playing is exhausting for my brain, so I’d rather have everything in english. I have read about ways to manually switch languages, while the game is installed, but I just didn’t. And somehow... I don’t know, whether or not this is true, but I have the feeling, that the game runs better? I really don’t know, if that’s true, but in recent gameplay my game crashed... once? After a really long playsession with switching lots frequently. I’m optimistic. That beeing said: Winter is always taxing, because of the snow. So, you might see a varying degree of surrounding neighborhood decorations/neighborhood houses in lot-view.

[daretosnoop]

Legend of the Crystal Skull Review:

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!

Atmosphere/Layout:

I loved this game so much! The Nancy Drew games are always stellar at placing you in the world of the game. I have yet to play a series that really roots you in its atmosphere. CRY delivered that at another level. I’ve been to New Orleans, and this game took me back to that trip. I loved how everything in the house was slightly crooked to reflect the kookiness of Bruno Bolet, as well as make things more eerie. I remember how the intro to the game scared me as a kid, yes, I got scared of the Skeleton man as a kid. Imagine freaking out to the skeleton man attack and then cutting to Renee’s creepy eyes as a kid! Even as an adult, Renee’s eyes creep me out, and no way was I ever going to drink that concoction! This game has a lot of odd things that you can eat: mysterious beverage that may or may not kill you, chocolate that definitely will, and expired bubble gum that surprisingly does not kill you. Okay, back to atmosphere. The ambience of the game was consistent, even when you played Bess’s portions which was supposed to take you away from the eeriness of the Bolet house for a bit. The rain effect and the semi-dark state of the house because of the electricity outage definitely amped up the fear and creepiness. You definitely took cautious steps in and out of the house. The graveyard. THE GRAVEYARD. THE GRAVEYARD. I think the exploration of the graveyard might be my favourite exploration spots of all the games. I love how you can see Nancy’s silhouette and hear her shoes as she traversed the grave. It was big enough to pique curiosity, but not so big that you would get lost. I also appreciated how every grave section had its own design as it made things more memorable. I know some people didn’t like the graveyard scavenger hunt, but I relished it! The earlier games (1-5) had this slight ruthlessness to the game play. There was a slight edge that kept the reader hooked and just a touch fearful, and this game maintained that edge. I really appreciated that, especially since it would pater out a bit in later games.

Music:

This game has one of the best tracks: “Legend”. That alone should put it as a game with an amazing music score, but no, they had to add other titles like “Chatter” and “Bruno”. As someone who loves Jazz, I digged this score. So often I would stop and just listen to the music, and could feel myself get pumped whenever “Legend” would play. Honestly, why hasn’t someone created a Nancy Drew Ambience record yet? The jazz music was a nice contrast to the shadowy layout which added to the “everything is slightly unhinged” element of the game. But man, when the danger music would play, I would get chills. Especially when you’re in Renee’s room or in Bruno’s secret room. Surprisingly those two rooms creeped me more then the graveyard!

I also loved the little noises like the sound of rain, or the way the rain hit the windows. Nancy’s heels as she walked through the graves. The skeletal hand for Charlie’s puzzle. The sound Henry’s chair makes when he moves. Etc. etc.

Characters:

Nancy was amazing as usual. It surprises me how she remains unfazed by everything, but I love that side of her. Bess felt a bit out of character with her resistance to participating in snooping. Usually she’s dying to know what’s up, or help Nancy out, but she wasn’t this time. Still, got to had it too her. Not many friends would sneak into a private meeting and demand her rights despite being surrounded by creepy skeletal men. Some of you might scoff, but y’all would be crapping your pants if you were in the same situation.

So since you technically didn’t know there would be a mystery, it made sense that there were only 3 suspects. I like how Nancy doesn’t start out with an investigation. She mostly wants to figure out who the skeletal man was and why he attacked her, and how that simple curiosity leads her to the crystal skull. It’s a nice progression of plot.

Henry: Henry Bolet is handsome. I know some people might not like the arm sleeve thing or painted nails, but it’s 2020, it’s called aesthetic! Her Interactive over here creating male characters who want to paint their nails way before popular culture accepted it/picked up on it. Haters be jealous. I’m kidding. But still, I loved how much depth they put into this character. How with so little, you understood his character. When he complains about how Bruno sent him away as a child, it revealed that Henry is someone who really needs family. He’s aware his emotional needs are higher than the average person, not because he lost his parents, but just who he is by nature. It also makes his attachment to Summer make more sense. We can easily surmise that Summer was probably the first person to give Henry the emotional security he needed, but that it was clearly done for her own selfish desires. Henry’s inability/or refusal to see it also makes more sense. That being said, the moment we learn about Summer, it takes Henry off the suspect list. Up till then, the game does a good job at making him seem suspicious do to his dealings with Lamont. It’s not a bad thing, but since we only have 3 suspects, his removal immediately makes the culprit an easy 50-50 guess. Not to mention the fact that after blackmailing him (which was kind of mean of Nancy to do to someone who is already being emotionally abused by his girlfriend) he gets sidelined for the rest of the game despite there being a good chunk left to play.

Renee: Classic sweet but deadly suspect. Love how the game kept her super suspicious from the way she acted to the way she would emphasize things. For example, I found it so odd that she remembered the exact percentage of who would receive what in the will, like she had been mulling over that. And the way she ends with mentioning that she was to receive 10% compared to the others getting 30%, so subtle a remark yet it catches the ear of any good detective. And of course, the room and her interest in the occult made the suspicion grow. Unfortunately, I found the whole part about authenticating the skull a bit lackluster and kind of gives the culprit away. I mean Renee said “I wanted to find the skull” when Nancy confronts her about hiding information. After such a confession, wouldn’t the obvious follow up question be “why?”. I can only guess they included this to hype up the “chase” for the skull since we know the Dr. Buford is also looking for it, but the game didn’t really deliver on the urgency so this felt like a lackluster confession. It also came close to the end of the game, so when Renee appeared at the end it wasn’t surprising. Nancy’s faith in Renee was odd, and the fact that she just tossed up the skull—face slap! Nancy, she literally confessed 10 min ago, did you forget!? The ending was nice. I liked how she “forgot” to tell Nancy about Bernie (so malicious!), but then actually forgot that Bernie was in the water.

Dr. Buford: He was interesting. Seems nice and charming, but the more we learn about Bruno’s death, the suspicious he becomes. Love how Bess worries about Buford coming back to take the skull. I still don’t understand what exactly the skeletal society does, other then being pirate fans, but I liked the costumes.

Puzzles:

I love a healthy balance between puzzles and dialogue and this game delivered on that. The dialogue was nicely spaced out throughout the game and added to the characters. Each character had their own way of talking and phrases that stayed true to their character. The one exception is Henry’s “I’ve been naughty but I’ll be nice now” line which threw me off so hard. HELLO?? WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS! It’s so random for a college/uni person to say this. Actually, who says this?? I’ll be honest, my mind went a bit dark and wondered just how bad was Summer abusing him for such a dialogue to come out of him……. poor Henry.

But back to the puzzles. I honestly loved most of the puzzles. I know the bowling ball machine (the one where you have to roll all eyes) annoys people, but I enjoyed it. I also know the graveyard scavenger hunt bored people, but I love puns, and l loved the layout of the house and graveyard so much that running back and forth was so much fun. Solving the clock puzzle and teeth puzzle was also fun, and they made me feel like a genius. The first part of the buzzard puzzle wasn’t bad, it was just annoying to have to turn back and see what affect each gargoyle bird did. The book mentioned that the sounds the gargoyle’s made was important, but I didn’t catch anything. I also liked how the final puzzle was a puzzle that built throughout the game. You didn’t know the eye puzzle would be the final big puzzle, but every little puzzle played a role in being a part of the final puzzle. I just thought that was cool, I like interconnected stuff.

There were three puzzles I did not like. The first was with Bess and the box she had to open. The clue was Hamlet and some numbers. I thought that you had to call Nancy and have her check the library for Hamlet and look up those reference numbers. What was the point of writing Hamlet? Nowhere in the letter did it mention that you have to associate the letter to the number and type out what it spells. Also, it did not mention that you had to restart the counting every time! I had to go online for help with this puzzle. The second puzzle was the second part of the buzzard puzzle. After getting the key, which you don’t get a good look at, you’re supposed to use them on the gargoyles. But I didn’t get that, plus the emblem on each gargoyle was just a feather with notches, so how do you know that the key goes there??? Finally, I hated the wasp puzzle. It was annoying and I don’t know why Nancy didn’t take a handful of loquats at once!

Graphics:

They really hold up despite being 13 years old. Sure, it’s a bit weird around the eyes and mouth, but the rest is stellar. Also, I love how they added in certain quirks that matched each character’s personality. Like Henry kicking his legs up to show he’s someone who doesn’t care about bending the rules, little rebellious. But then the fact that he sits proper when talking shows that he’s not so rebellious and is actually trying to be professional. Also shows the contesting sides of his emotional needs and the military training he would have received. Renee’s position over her pots show that she’s someone tricks you into thinking that she loves to work with her hands (lol, end game “this girl just handed me the skull”. I told you I love puns). It also shows that she prioritizes the small things, and the fact that she’s potting despite being recently laid off (she’s the only character still working despite Bruno’s death) makes her a bit unnerving. Dr. Buford at the French quarters show that he’s someone of charm. Etc. etc.

Plot:

Like I said, loved the slow buildup of plot—how one thing led to another. Don’t know why Ned sent Nancy to do his work, but okay…

The Summer plotline felt like it got accidentally dropped. Like the writers forgot to finish it. Even if it’s just Nancy telling Henry that what he has isn’t healthy/good, or something in the end credits where he finally broke up with her. For all we know, they could still be together.

The introduction of the magical qualities of the skull and Bruno’s death was weird. I like how Bruno’s death became questioned, but while his desire for the skull kind of made sense, it didn’t make sense why Buford or Renee wanted it. It still wasn’t clear at the endgame either. I guess there’s the financial prospect, but that subplot kind of pattered out in favour for the magical plot. It also didn’t make sense that Bruno wanted it for Henry, because let’s be real, he wasn’t a good guardian. It really did seem like Bruno didn’t care for Henry. I mean, why give your nephew a skull instead of what he really wanted/needed, a friend. You can take this a bit darker when you realize that Bruno was giving Henry monetary comfort over emotional comfort and that Henry by end game has come to associate monetary gift to be equivalent to emotional gifts, which just makes his relationship with Summer get even darker.

 Overall, this was a great game. 10/10. One of my favourites and would play again and again. That’s why I bought it, lol!

~Dare to Snoop

[lesbian-jo-march]

Hamlet Act 5 Scene 2 directed as informed by My Chemical Romance/”Emo” aesthetics

(After so many “Hamlet is an emo” jokes studying the text, I put my money where my mouth is. Thus, this is less a joke itself than an attempt to run a joke to a somewhat informed conclusion.)

Introduction - defining emo

Modern productions of Hamlet such as Olivier’s or Hansguther’s have often cut or reduced the final scene of the play, which broadens into the tragedy of state post-Freudian productions tend to extract a personal and familial tragedy out of. Modern productions should ideally consider both psychological turmoil and tragedy of state. It is not enough for Hamlet to ‘theorise modern selfhood’ (Emma Smith), but it should utilise a modern aesthetic and philosophy which encapsulates both personal and political turmoil, which are inextricably linked throughout the play. The answer is obvious: emo. Unlike punk, it cannot effect meaningful political change but self-exploration, frank to romanticised descriptions of mental health issues, collapse of gender roles and the anxiety of a generation growing up in the instability of a post-9/11, post-recession America are all key tenets of emo perfect for the themes explored in Hamlet as a whole, especially the final scene.

Emo as a genre is much contested but here, I am basing my understanding of emo as that espoused by mainstream fans, so My Chemical Romance who describe themselves as pop-punk instead are considered emo. My focus will be on My Chemical Romance specifically because they are the most popular and recognisable “emo” band. The genre is tied to the collapse of gender roles, society and the self. My Chemical Romance is the best example of this, formed after lead singer Gerard Way was travelling into New York when 9/11 occurred. This stimulated him to check up on old friends and eventually to form a band together.

Prince Hamlet and emo

Hamlet initially seems to be tied to the genre of emo by his depression and suicidal tendencies, clear sexual confusion however that is interpreted, propensity towards wearing black, and inaction taking the form of malcontent’s satire rather than meaningful action. However, by Act 5 Scene 2 there are several more reasons in which he should be tied to the genre. L.C. Knight describes Hamlet’s suicidal desires as ‘a desire to lapse back from the level of adult consciousness’, a common theme for Gen Z explored in the book ‘iGen’ by psychologist Jean M. Twenge who adds colour by her research by pointing to the billboard success of Twenty One Pilot’s song ‘Ride’ containing lyrics ‘Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days’ and ‘Out of student loans and tree-house homes we all would take the latter’. Hamlet ought to be placed in that generation, following Robert Cohen’s convincing arguments that Hamlet is intended to be sixteen, and especially in conjunction with Hamlet’s weltschmerz Eduard and Otto Devrient described as containing (in translation) ‘all the thousand things which betray youth and excuse it’.

(Among these, Hamlet’s ‘pessimism born from idealism’ in particular speaks to the impulse of the young and discontented.)

After Hamlet’s excursion with the pirates, however, he returns with renewed purpose and has to move past this constant clinging to the past. Jon McRae would argue Hamlet has to shed his black clothing by this scene to show he has moved on, since there are no mentions of Hamlet’s father in this scene and Hamlet reaches some kind of acceptance: ‘if it be not now, yet it will come’. Then – should Hamlet shed his emo attire by this point?

I would not agree.

Direction of Act 5 Scene 2

The purpose of Act 5 Scene 2 is to resolve the themes of the play and it does not make sense for Hamlet’s melancholy to just disappear for empty catharsis. Instead, I would argue that while he acknowledges at the beginning to Horatio ‘in [his] heart there was a kind of fighting’ he settled upon the fact that ‘there’s a divinity that shapes our ends’. There is a kind of peace he finds within himself, especially compared to the fact that he initially saw that world as an ‘unweeded garden’, suggesting a distant and uncaring God.

Thus, in this scene Hamlet should be wearing the military jacket worn by My Chemical Romance during the ‘Black Parade’ era. This album is arguably the best in the genre, ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ is a cultural staple and the music video for that song alone is one of MTV’s ‘50 Greatest Music Videos of the 21st Century’. It is extremely recognisable and will conjure to mind the themes of this album, which is a rock opera about a character dying of cancer and his afterlife. Specifically, the final song of the album ‘Famous Last Words’ is a defiant cry of acceptance and confidence in one’s own individuality which sings ‘I am not afraid to keep on living/ I am not afraid to walk this world alone’. In order to accept death Hamlet must reject suicide, the same way that emo does as a genre. The military aspect and black of mourning also recall Hamlet’s father while putting a twist on the masculine, feudal ruler that Old King Hamlet represents – emo, unlike Hamlet, is unabashedly more feminine. The duel is a parody of the martial world of Old King Hamlet, and although Hamlet makes no reference to his father, he does revenge the murder of his mother. Metatheatricality is a key theme which is resolved in the final scene, this is a show battle and Hamlet, dead, is lifted ‘high on a stage’ and the actor takes his final bow. ‘The Black Parade’ is a masterwork in theatre and is visually striking. Bold stage makeup would add to this sense of theatricality as well as showing a completion of Hamlet’s self-fashioning which happens throughout the play. The more feminine aspect hardly absolves him of his blatant misogyny but should tie him to Gertrude as in many ways his fatalistic approach and composure mimic her in Act 1 Scene 2, and it is her death which spurs her revenge.

Claudius should be in a suit; a corrupt, corporate politician, who, like current leaders like Trump and Johnson, has negative qualities mirroring the society he presides over. Direct compromise to either is inadvisable and would not fit, but in an era of increased populism and focus on individual leaders over party policy, the language of corruption of the ruler as in the state in Hamlet definitely mirrors the state of current politics. His grey suit should mirror his ambiguous morals.

However, Laertes, who was previously in a suit, should be in a black one. He is a step closer to Hamlet and while not completely aligned with him he should be visually distinct from the (moral) grey of Claudius and instead share the doomed black of Hamlet as both will die.

The pivot of the scene is Hamlet’s death. It should be focused on with a spotlight over him and Horatio, with the ‘warlike noise’ in the distance muffled. The audience should be drawn into the moment between the two of them, and after the line ‘the rest is silence’, there should be a fade into darkness and silence to mirror Hamlet’s death and suggest that this is indeed the end.

However, it is important that after the cathartic collapse of the family and state there is a new dynasty in place, unlike the bleaker endings such as the ones in the Olivier production. Fortinbras is able to marry both the martial skill of Old King Hamlet and the diplomacy of Claudius in his rhetorical skill. (To demonstrate the latter, ‘I have some rights of memory to this kingdom’ should be emphasised as it is a final comment on the manipulation of history after the hope is raised Hamlet might be correctly remembered after his death). Unlike Hamlet’s role as an outsider malcontent, Fortinbras is a perfect embodiment of someone who can make the system work well. The final line ‘Go, bid the soldiers shoot’ shows how he efficiently takes control of Elsinore, and should be delivered with natural authority. The line could allow the interpretation that the surviving characters, including Horatio, are killed and purged by Fortinbras. This is perhaps overly bleak, but it is important that Fortinbras is a foil to Hamlet who stands apart from both him and the previous kings.

As Fortinbras becomes the new establishment he leans back into martial power and thus although it would be comforting to align him with the black of Laertes and Hamlet so all the foils are visually connected, he should be more closely connected with Old King Hamlet and Claudius. He is a new order between martial power and political manoeuvring, so it would make sense for him to be surrounded by soldiers in actual combat uniform but to contrast them by wearing ceremonial dress. In contrast to Hamlet’s black he should be visually striking in a vivid red.

Legacy

Emo and alternative music like punk have made a recent resurgence to combat the rise of the right globally, with Billie Joe Armstrong speaking out against Trump and the recent My Chemical Romance reunion concert taking place against the background of the Angel of the Waters statue, an important LGBT monument. Palaye Royale style themselves after the rock movements of the sixties up to inspiration from My Chemical Romance and focus on authenticity and philosophy conveyed by their music and a magazine made up of fan poetry and writings.

While Fortinbras co-opts the symbol of the military jacket for himself, he twists it, and twists Hamlet’s legacy as a ‘soldier’. He is perhaps a provider of a more stable dynasty than Claudius, but Horatio, left with the legacy of Hamlet and bound like Hamlet by the promise of memory, stands against Fortinbras’ erasure of the very near past. Although Hamlet and the old emo movement bows off the stage, as long as there is an establishment there will be counter-movements.

Therefore, though Fortinbras has the final line and control of the stage, the final image of the play should be Horatio, taking up Hamlet’s jacket not as an act of military resistance but the insistence of vigil, mourning, and awareness of tragedy which emo represents.