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the-desolated-quill · 5 years

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The Quill Seal Of Approval Awards - The Best of 2018

Hello and welcome, dear reader, to the greatest, most important awards ceremony in the history of entertainment. The Quill Seal Of Approval Awards. The award of recognition that everyone on Earth covets even though they don’t know it. For the Quill Seal Of Approval is a most esteemed prize for hard work and artistry. Better than the Golden Globes, more prestigious than the BAFTAs and guaranteed to be more diverse than the Academy Awards. You know your film, novel, TV show or video game has achieved legendary status when some random nobody on the internet says it’s the best in some obscure top 10 list that’s read by only a couple of people. That’s the true sign of success.

First, a few parish notices. Obviously this is my subjective opinion, so if you disagree with my choices, that’s fine. Go make your own list. (also remember that my opinion is 100% objective, scientific, factual and literal truth and anyone who disagrees is clearly a philistine and a dummy and a poopy-head whose mum smells of elderberries). Also please bear in mind that I haven’t been able to experience everything 2018 has to offer for one reason or another. In other words, please don’t be upset that A Star Is Born isn’t on this list. I’m sure it’s as amazing as everyone says it is. I just never got around to watching it.

Okay. Let us begin.

Inside No. 9 - Series 4

BBC2′s Inside No. 9, written by the League of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, is an anthology series that’s often sadly overlooked, but it’s really worth a watch if you’re into shows like Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone, and this series in particular has been fantastic. We’ve had an episode written entirely in iambic pentameter, an episode whose chronology runs backwards, a live episode that really plays around with the format, episodes containing tragic and biting satire, and one especially twisted episode that brings out a side of Steve Pemberton we’ve never seen before. Series 4 has been a real treat from start to finish, with each episode beautifully written and expertly performed. Inside No. 9 deserves to share the same pedestal as Black Mirror, no question.

Black Panther

I’m sure everyone knows about my less than flattering views on the Marvel Cinematic Universe by now, which is what made Black Panther such a breath of fresh air for me. Stripping away all the convoluted crap, Black Panther has often been compared to The Dark Knight, and for good reason. Like The Dark Knight, this movie uses the superhero genre to tackle real social and political issues. In Black Panther’s case, exploring just what it means to be black in the modern world. Boasting an impressive cast of black actors, strong female characters, an engaging and complex antagonist, fantastic special effects and truly excellent direction from Ryan Coogler, Black Panther represents a new benchmark for Marvel, the superhero genre and the film industry in general. It proves how important and how lucrative diversity and representation in media can be, and it unintentionally shows how flawed the Marvel business model has become. The reason behind Black Panther’s success is simple. It’s because it’s bloody brilliant. And the reason it’s bloody brilliant is because Coogler was allowed to realise his own creative vision without Kevin Feige and Mickey Mouse breathing down his neck. Perhaps they should take note of that in future.

Deadpool 2

Of course Deadpool 2 is going to be on this list. Are you really surprised?

The Merc with the Mouth goes from strength to strength in the rare instance where the sequel is actually as good as, if not better than, the original. The first Deadpool was a great origin story for the character, but Deadpool 2 felt like an adventure ripped straight from the comics themselves. Crass, ultra violent and hysterically funny, Deadpool 2 is the crowning jewel of the X-Men franchise. Fan favourites such as Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus return as well as new characters such as Domino, played by the exceptional Zazie Beetz, Cable, played by the astounding Josh Brolin, and Firefist, played by Julian Dennison who deserves all the success in the world because good God this kid can act!

But of course the star of the film is Deadpool himself with Ryan Reynolds once again proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he understands this character back to front. Not only is he hysterically funny, capturing the character’s irreverent tone perfectly, he also absolutely nails the tragic underpinnings of Deadpool that make him such a wonderful character. In between the f-bombs and gore are moments of real drama and emotional pathos as the film tackles themes such as loss, discrimination, abuse and suicidal depression. All this whilst taking the piss out of 2017′s Logan.

Oh yeah, and it also features the first openly LGBT superheroes in cinematic history. Fuck you Disney! NegaYukio and Poololosus for the win! LOL! No, but seriously, now that you have the rights to X-Men back, if you try and censor Deadpool in any way, shape or form, I will kick your arse.

God Of War (2018)

“BOY!”

Yes Kratos is back, having successfully destroyed the world of Greek mythology and now has his eyes on the Norse Gods. And he has a son now. What could possibly go wrong?

Seriously though, this new God Of War is simply exquisite. While I have long admired the God Of War franchise for its interpretation and adaptation of Greek mythology, the previous games in the series have never exactly been the most sophisticated when it comes to storytelling (and the less said about the casual sexism, the better. Yes Sony, I promise I understand the thematic reasons behind playing a minigame that allows you to have sex with Aphrodite in God Of War 3, but it still doesn’t change the fact that it’s sexist as shit). God Of War 2018 changes all that with an intelligent and engaging story that allows us understand and connect with Kratos at a more personal level than we’ve ever done before. Taking place years after God Of War 3, Kratos is older, wiser and trying to raise his son Atreus in the hopes that he won’t make the same mistakes Kratos did in his past. Not only is the story amazing, continuing the franchise’s themes of vengeance and the strained relationships between parents and their children, the gameplay is also a ton of fun with many memorable moments and boss fights.

And as an added bonus, we get two strong female characters that aren’t treated like discardable sex objects. That was nice of them.

Incredibles 2

The long awaited sequel to The Incredibles finally arrived in 2018 and it did not disappoint. Incredibles 2 was everything I could have wanted and more. Continuing on from the events of the first movie, we see Elastigirl take the spotlight as she fights the Screenslaver whilst trying to persuade the worlds’ governments to lift the ban on superheroes. Meanwhile Mr. Incredible takes a back seat as he tries to reconnect with his kids Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack and prove he can be a good, supportive dad.

Continuing to draw inspiration from Fantastic Four, X-Men and Watchmen, Incredibles 2 is... well... incredible. Expanding the world he created, Brad Bird tells a smart, funny and compelling story that stands head and shoulders above the majority of superhero movie fodder we get nowadays. Elastigirl flourishes in the lead role this time around and the kids get a lot more development, the Screenslaver is a great villain that compliments the themes of the franchise wonderfully, and we get to see a whole bunch of new characters such as Voyd and the Deavor siblings as well as the return of old favourites like Frozone and Edna Mode.

Honestly, the baby alone is worth the price of admission. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another fourteen years for Incredibles 3.

Marvel’s Spider-Man

Marvel’s Spider-Man is an amazing game. But of course you knew that already. It’s made by Insomniac Games, the same guys behind Ratchet & Clank. Of course it was going to be brilliant.

Simply put, this game does for Spider-Man what the Arkham games did for Batman. Not only is it a great game with brilliant combat and fun web swinging mechanics, it also has a great story worthy of the wall crawler. Unlike the movies, which seem to continuously yank Peter Parker back into high school with each new reboot as those the poor bastard were attached to the fucker on a bungee rope, this Spidey has been fighting crime for eight years. With great power comes many responsibilities as we see him struggle to juggle crime fighting, his new job as a scientist, his commitments to helping Aunt May at the F.E.A.S.T shelter and trying to win his ex Mary Jane Watson back after a six month split. It’s a brilliant story featuring many classic villains such as Shocker and Electro as well as lesser known villains like Screwball and the criminally underrated Mister Negative who finally gets to be the central antagonist in a Spider-Man adaptation. It’s fun to play, engaging, dramatic and really emotional at points. I cried real tears at the end. What a punch to the gut that was.

OOOOOH! And we might be getting to play as Miles Morales in the sequel! I sure hope so! :D

The Grinch

At this point I imagine many of you are scratching your heads.

“Really Quill? The Grinch? Illumination’s The Grinch? This deserves the Quill Seal Of Approval? Are you sure?” Yes dear reader, I’m absolutely sure. Just hear me out.

It’s true that the majority of Dr Seuss adaptations are shit. While the live action version of the Grinch starring Jim Carrey has a cult following and is fondly remembered by some, it’s still pretty crap, and even Illumination themselves screwed up royally with their adaptation of The Lorax. But this new Grinch is truly excellent. For starters, the animation is gorgeous. This is clearly the format that works best for Seuss movies. Benedict Cumberbatch does a really good job voicing the character, giving him depth and complexity beyond just being a big old meanie. The film also has something no other Seuss film has ever had before. Subtlety. Illumination have clearly learned their lesson after The Lorax. They’re no longer bashing you over the head with a moral message. They’re not trying to over-complicate a simple story by adding pointless sub-plot after pointless sub-plot. In fact the bits they do add actually feed into the main core of the narrative, as opposed to The Lorax, which just confused things. And while there are cute Minion-esque sidekicks like there are in a lot of Illumination films, The Grinch limits it to two (Max the dog and a reindeer named Fred), they’re both legitimately funny, serve an important narrative purpose and don’t distract from the more serious and emotional moments.

In all honesty, I was debating between giving the Quill Seal of Approval to The Grinch or to Bumblebee (the first legitimately good Transformers movie), but I decided to go with The Grinch because of how it handles the character and the story’s message. A lot of people scoffed at the idea of giving the Grinch a back story (and to the film’s credit they don’t force the issue or over-explain where the Grinch came from) but it’s honestly what makes this new adaptation of The Grinch so special to me. He’s gone from being a Scrooge-like monster to an anxiety filled misanthrope who associates Christmas with being alone. It may sound like a jarring change on paper, but in practice it honestly works so well and adds a whole new dimension to the Grinch. It’s treated with absolute care and sincerity and the film really earns its emotional moments, particularly at the end when we see the Grinch sit down to have Christmas dinner with the Whos.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you give this new Grinch a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised :)

Doctor Who - Series 11

A woman?! In the TARDIS?! How absurd!

Jodie Whittaker made history as the first woman to play the Doctor and the new series doesn’t disappoint. Whittaker is predictably brilliant in the role, giving the character compassion, charm and wit. We also get a new bunch of companions (including the always brilliant Bradley Walsh as Graham) who all have some great moments in Series 11 and the relationships they form with each other is incredibly touching and fun to watch. But the writing, my God, the writing. Admittedly not every episode has been perfect, but it’s leagues above anything Moffat has given us during his disastrous reign. The majority of Series 11 has been well written and intelligent, tackling important and relevant social issues (something Doctor Who has always been doing and anyone who says otherwise is an idiot) and focusing on likeable and relatable characters rather than convoluted series arcs. We got to meet Rosa Parks, witness the partition of India, and ponder on the dangers of automation whilst the Doctor tries to save the world from bubble wrap. Oh, and the Daleks are scary again! I know! I couldn’t believe it either!

What makes this all the more remarkable is who the showrunner is. Chris Chibnall. A writer I’ve often criticised in the past for being derivative and shit, and yet somehow he’s managed to create some of the best Doctor Who I’ve seen in a long time. Not only has his writing improved dramatically since his Torchwood days, he’s also demonstrated a commitment to having diverse representation both in front of and behind the camera as well as in the scripts themselves. For the first time in what feels like an age, Doctor Who feels like Doctor Who again, and I’m ecstatically happy.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

How come we don’t see many animated superhero movies in the cinema? Considering the medium from which superheroes came from, you’d think it would be a no-brainer. Presumably it’s because Disney have got such a strangle hold on the animation market, but that’s hopefully going to change thanks to Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (or, Sony’s Repentance for The Emoji Movie).

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. The animation is gorgeous. It’s pretty much an animated comic book and it stands out as one of the most unique looking animated films in recent memory. Spider-Verse is essentially a love letter to the legacy of Spider-Man as we see multiple different versions of Spidey, including Spider-Gwen, Spider-Ham and Nicholas Cage as Ghost Rider cosplaying as Spider-Man Noir, demonstrating not only the sheer variety of Spider-Men we’ve had over the years, but also exploring what connects them together. With all these different interpretations across many different universes, the idea of Spider-Man comes to the same thing. An ordinary person who experiences tragedy and becomes something greater. It’s hopeful and inspirational in a way Spider-Man films hasn’t been for a while now (Spider-Man: Homecoming sucked donkey balls. Period).

But let’s not forget that while the film explores the Spider-Verse, the main focus is Miles Morales who finally makes his cinematic debut. Not only is it a very faithful adaptation of Ultimate Spider-Man’s origin story, Miles himself is such a great central character for the modern age and arguably has more relevance to today than Peter Parker does. The characters are funny and relatable and the story is expertly crafted and impactful. But then what do you expect from the writers and directors of The Lego Movie? (if only Disney hadn’t interfered with Solo: A Star Wars Story. We could have had it all).

Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle

This one kind of snuck up on me toward the end of December, but I knew the moment I saw it I had to include it on this list.

Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle is an adaptation of The Jungle Book with Andy Serkis making his directorial debut. Yes the same guy who did the motion capture for Gollum in Lord Of The Rings and Caesar in the rebooted Planet Of The Apes movies and who totes deserves an Oscar for Best Actor (fuck you Academy Awards!), and he brings this same motion capture technology to this film. Unlike Disney’s Jungle Book, which merely rehashes the original animated film whilst somehow stripping all the charm from it, Mowgli sticks closer to the original Rudyard Kipling book. This isn’t a cheery musical. This film is often dark and intense as we see Mowgli (played wonderfully by Rohan Chand) struggle to find his place in the world. He knows he doesn’t belong with the animals in the jungle, but he doesn’t really fit in with the world of man neither. It’s an emotional and dramatic character piece brought to life by great writing, great acting and stunning special effects.

Andy Serkis has expressed a desire to do an adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and after watching this movie, I would love to see that. If you haven’t already, go watch Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle. It’s available to stream on Netflix and it’s truly amazing.

And that’s it for 2018. Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Quill Seal Of Approval Awards. Unfortunately we’re on a limited budget here on The Desolated Quill, so I can’t offer any sort of trophy or medal or anything. What I can do though is write the words ‘I’m an awesome cookie’ on a post-it note and stick it on your forehead. Will that do?

#quill seal of approval awards 2018 #quill seal of approval awards #best of the year #review #opinion

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clodiuspulcher · 6 years

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Can I ask what draws you to Agamemnon? He's often kind of a difficult figure to grapple with. Sincere question btw, not meant to sound mean I swear :)

NO NO this isn’t mean at all it’s uh. yeah I know it’s an unpopular Take / Opinion and I really do … care deeply about Agamemnon as a character, so thanks for giving me a chance to explain! it’s complicated, he’s complicated… This is gonna get long

I: APPEARANCE Let’s first put the shallow aspects on the table: he’s big, he’s powerful, he’s My Type (physically), I’m gay. This never comes through in film adaptations (although you know what? 1962 Electra Agamemnon comes close, although he’s overshadowed by the hot Aegisthus) but look at how he’s described in the Iliad: He’s compared to 3 gods, canonically Agamemnon is the most handsome man Priam’s EVER seen in his like one million years of life (a list of men which includes Aeneas , Hector, etc). (this post). When Priam says he’s “Every inch a king”, baby, you know what that means-Anyway , @kashuan‘s art is VERY good for conveying how I imagine Agamemnon based on these descriptions. and he’s drawn like exactly my type there. It’s a lot to reckon with.He’s big. He has big arms and big thighs and could kill me if he wanted and he’s powerful and his aristeia is badass and i’m gay. thanks. II: PERSONALITY Now this part is. more about Agamemnon’s character. first, Agamemnon in the Iliad is in fact deeply flawed- he’s imperious and arrogant and shortsighted and short-tempered, he’s stubborn and selfish and ALL OF THE THINGS PEOPLE HAVE SAID HE IS but there’s also a complexity to his character that tends to get flattened - I think because Agamemnon’s at his worst in book 1, people adhere to this AWFUL first impression and don’t bother to look beneath the surface / take the rest of his behavior / his character into account / use this as the baseline of their understanding, but there IS MUCH MORE to him than that behavior even in the Iliad itself, as detailed in THIS POST. He’s a powerful warrior in his own right, and his failings reflect both the internal flaws of his character and the weight of his responsibilities; we see his concern for his men, for the army, the people, in books 4 and 10 (when he can’t sleep because of his anxiety about his men, about Hector). He DOES however, learn and become better, he grows, he’s dynamic: he and Achilles finally make up (book 19! book 23! They’re good now!) and the Odyssey also ends with their ghosts talking as friends.

(Side note I wonder how this works out when Agamemnon’s son kills Achilles’s son but… that’s for another day).

There’s complexity in Agamemnon’s characterization in the tragedies as well, each tragedian has a different portrait of Agamemnon but he’s never one-dimensional.Euripides’ Hecuba has Agamemnon as concerned about his image and his reputation, anxious (and almost insecure) about his authority, but also concerned with justice and the rule of law, even towards one’s enemies. Sophocles’ Ajax portrays an imperious, proud, stubborn Agamemnon who refuses to realize he’s in the wrong but is able to be convinced by the council of Odysseus and eventually, again, comes to an understanding. Seneca’s Trojan Women shows Agamemnon as a Stoic voice of Reason, urging Pyrrhus not to be too violent/hubristic in their victory, and I love both the presentation of Agamemnon as a tired old man wanting to go home and the sort of man who gets into arguments with teenagers about war crimes. As usual, Seneca excels at this subtlety of characterization, this is like the epitome of the Dichotomy of Agamemnon, sympathetic and infuriating, a good leader and a stubborn, proud man, stoic and short-tempered, as present in the Iliad, is here too, and I love it , and him. Seneca’s Agamemnon almost reverses this (HE REALLY SAYS “What can a victor fear”) but I still love that play, and there’s something to be said for the characterization of Agamemnon as someone who learned ABSOLUTELY nothing from victory.

Overall, it’s true that we get, mainly, a portrait of a hard, ruthless, powerful, embittered man- remember how he destroys that one guy Menelaus wanted to save in the Iliad - but he has a sort of “aggressive charisma” as Kashuan once put it and I REALLY see it, and honestly that in itself has some sort of an appeal to me. But with this portrait of his personality, his softer aspects, the moments of gentleness we see, are more striking, they really stand out and indicate the extent of his feelings. In the iliad, for example, we clearly see he loves Menelaus and while he’s almost laughably over-protective (MORE ON THIS LATER), his care for his brother is evident, touching, especially juxtaposed with his shortsighted selfishness. Just look at what happens in Book 4, when Menelaus is barely wounded and Agamemnon is practically writing his eulogy. Right afterwards, also, “Noble Agamemnon showed no reluctance, no cowardice or hesitation, only eagerness for the fight where men win glory”- he rushes in to fight (but not before first taking out his anxiety on his men by demanding more from them. Cannot do anything appealing / good without mitigating it with irritating behavior. love this fool). It takes him like 9 books to finally apologize to Achilles but he defends Menelaus from Nestor’s reproach in book 10, is anxious about Menelaus being in danger if he’s picked to go on a night raid with Diomedes (HERE) and is endearingly not-subtle about it, frets over him in book 4, when he’s wounded, etc.

The love for his family is something that continually stands out and is perhaps his main “redeeming” trait. In the Odyssey, as mentioned, he ask Odysseus desperately about Orestes with heart-rending choice of words especially when one considers Orestes’s Actual Fate: “Come tell me, in truth, have you heard if my son is still alive, maybe in Orchomenus or sandy Pylos, or in Menelaus’ broad Sparta: that my noble Orestes is not yet dead?”. Agamemnon’s no longer a king- he’s a worried father, he regrets the most not being able to see Orestes before he’s killed; it is this pain, of not being able to be a father to his children, which seems to cut the most deeply, which he speaks of multiple times to Odysseus. Then they just cry for a while, with each other. (I like these tender aspects hidden in a big mean man.. but I also like his big meanness).

the Tragedies take this to another level, of course, to drive home the PATHOS required for his death to have an impact but his love of his family is very much on display there. Iphigenia in Aulis in particular provides us with some agonizing demonstrations of this love: Iphigenia reminisces about an exceptionally tender moment in their relationship, when she was young (you used to ask me, “I wonder, my darling, will I get to see you married one day, married and settled happily in your husband’s home, your life ever blossoming, making me proud of you?” And I’d touch your chin, my father, hang from your beard, father, like I’m doing now and say, “and what about you, father, will I get to see you, father, an old man, visiting me at my house, ready for me to repay you for your hard work in raising me?”) an image hard to reconcile with the merciless violence and stubborn arrogance Agamemnon displays in the Iliad (BUT AGAIN, THAT’S THE APPEAL). Clytemnestra assumes he’s crying because he’s sad to see Iphigenia leave them, Agamemnon’s messenger tells him the arrival of his family will cheer him up: even his subordinates know how important they are to him.

I’d need a whole nother post to talk about his relationship with Clytemnestra but please peruse these crumbs I picked off the ground (HERE). they Had something, tbh the tragedy ONLY WORKS if they did and I will DIE on this hill. In Aeschylus, Clytemnestra calls Orestes the “mutual pledge of their love”, he calls her a “great-hearted woman”, she shirks in Aulis at his curt, demanding tone towards her, noting it as something out of character, she takes charge anyway, knows he can’t or won’t actually force her not to be involved in the Iphigenia marriage preparations-All of this creates an image of a man whose imperious, ruthless, stubborn character is balanced with a surprising capacity for tenderness, a genuine fondness and love for the members of his family, which makes the fact that his hand, albeit forced, aids in its destruction, that much more devastating.III: PSYCHOLOGY/HISTORY

Where things get especially interesting for me, character-wise, is when one thinks about his lineage, his past, and his childhood with respect to his current character. This section is about the House of Atreus in general.

Agamemnon clearly bears the scars of his environment: he was born into the House of Atreus and IMO that informs everything he says and does, all his thoughts and feelings, the way he perceives both the world and his place in it. Seneca’s Thyestes is a horrific portrait of what Agamemnon (and Menelaus’s) childhoods must have been like, ATREUS is their father, they were old enough during this event to almost be accomplices which means they’re clearly old enough to remember it. Speaking of that, Atreus isn’t worried that participating in his god-crime schemes will turn his sons evil because, in his mind, they were born evil (Ne mali fiant times? nascuntur. God GOD). Agamemnon and Menelaus grow up in a nightmare house, adjacent to atrocity, under the almost comically cruel hand of Atreus who sincerely believed his sons inherited said cruelty as if its on the same chromosome as the “house-curse” gene. It’s genuinely a miracle Agamemnon and Menelaus grew up to be functional fucking human beings, in my opinion. It also gives a lot more weight to his relationship with Menelaus and the hard imperious cast of his character; their bond was forged in fire, Agamemnon likely protected Menelaus from the worst of Nightmare House being the older brother, and being as protective as he is. There’s this one Iliad adaptation, I can’t think of it off the top of my head though, where when Agamemnon’s freaking out about Menelaus being Barely Wounded he says “don’t die… for you are all I have” and that’s absolutely how I think about their relationship in this context- Menelaus WAS all he had for so long, they clung to each other, they preserved their humanity in the face of horror BECAUSE OF each other.

But functional like.. .for a given value of “function”. Agamemnon is clearly deeply affected by these events, the weight of the Curse of the House of Atreus clearly impacts him. Take Iphigenia in Aulis, where he says “each one is born with his bitterness waiting for him”, the fact that a Son of Atreus would say that, I think, speaks to the innate, unspeakable fear of the certain destruction of his world, of the tragedy that awaits him, at his own hands, of the House-Curse waiting perched on his shoulder to strike just when he thought he’d created something impenetrable. The tragedy of Iphigenia in Aulis is Agamemnon’s realization that he has locked himself into this, that he has no other choice (see: this post about the Odysseus impact, there is in fact a point when it’s inevitable, although he still made the first move which makes it even WORSE he created this, etc) and all he can do at this point is watch as the life he so carefully built for himself and his family collapses around him, just like he must have always dreaded it would. (Also in the Iliad It’s Agamemnon who says “We must toil, in accord with the weight of sorrow Zeus loaded us with at birth” and that reminds me of this aspect of him too: Good Things Never Last, Bad Things Never Die, etc.)

It’s made clear that the story of Atreus and Thyestes is widespread, familiar; Teucer in Sophocles’ Ajax and Neoptolemus in Seneca’s Trojan Women both call out Agamemnon for trying to reference his lineage as a source of authority because it is a HORRIFIC lineage. “I know about the famous family of Atreus and Thyestes”, Neoptolemus says. And THEREIN LIES A CONFLICT: Agamemnon’s sense of self comes from his authority, his kingship, his position of power and his social status as a member of the nobility, of the class of royalty BUT. It’s all undercut by the fact that this power, authority, indeed his very identity is based in cruelty, violence, and crime; Agamemnon is descended from the most ignoble nobility, which he knows all too well.

It’s Interesting that Agamemnon’s relationship with his identity, status, family, power is brought up in Ajax, of all plays, primarily concerned with the destruction of Ajax’s identity- reminding Agamemnon of the crimes of his house genuinely cuts him down. I see Agamemnon as a man who genuinely fears his past, who dreads the legacy of his father and in his desperation creates a crisis for himself (as happens in tragedy).

We (I) laugh at Agamemnon “forgetting” about the god-crime shit before he pulls rank by referencing his Authority and Status but there’s something in Agamemnon continually being owned by forgetting about the House…. Agamemnon wants to distance himself from the “legacy” he inherited from Atreus, but he can’t without disavowing his power, his authority, his identity. Whether he likes it or not (he does Not), this is fundamental to who he is. I feel like that knowledge too lurks in his mind, rises to the forefront occasionally at his lowest points-

Clytemnestra in Aeschylus’s Agamemnon pretty clearly sees him / his actions as the next link in the god-crime family chain, a continuation of the house -curse, heir to his father’s throne and his crimes, hence her belief that killing him is the only way to end it/ stop the cycle of violence (spoiler she is wrong but there’s another post coming eventually about how they are Very Similar Characters short version the Etruscans Understand).

IN short, I think there’s a lot of complexity in Agamemnon people overlook, or don’t get to see since they don’t read the peripheral plays. Agamemnon seems to me a man in conflict with himself, a Man of Contradictions, who defines himself by his authority and status while fearing the source of it, whose devotion to his family contrasts with the horror of his childhood, and with his own agonizing role in its destruction, a man who willfully ignores or cannot bring himself to fully interact with the legacy of Atreus, who tries to distance himself from the crimes of his house and the cruelty of his father while being reminded of both every time he’s called by the epithet Atreides.

#the iliad #the oresteia #tagamemnon #agamemnon #is complicated...#hes GENUINELY A BAD PERSON WITH MANY HORRIBLE QUALITIES DO NOT GET ME WRONG!!! BUT LIKE I SAID #I like the big meanness w/ the tenderness.... and please take into account also that im shallow and hes big and im gay #the house that dripped blood #important ... content

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siriuslysnuffles · 6 years

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The Mistake

i decided to write the one i said @inakindofdaydream would kill me for. i would say enjoy, but...read and find out. this is almost 3k words, and i cried.

also, if you like snape, this is probably not for you.

(January 1978)

The week had held so much potential, yet perhaps that potential was never meant to be fulfilled. Really they both should have known better than to believe that something could go right for this long. Was it really a surprise that this all story began with a love story gone to ruins.

It started on the Friday of the week that they came back from the winter holidays. James believed they had been progressing in their relationship, he even believed that maybe she loved him. He had been a fool.

He should have expected it though, but perhaps love really does make you blind. He was halfway there anyways.

Teasing kisses had been exchanged that morning, like any other, as they made their way to Potions. His hand in hers as Sirius made jokes about how they were joined at the hips. He couldn’t help but grin at him, however, as his eyes shifted to his cariad who was chatting away with Remus.

Pulling away his hand, he moved it to her waist, pulling her in closer. He caught her eye and grinned before giving her a quick kiss on the cheeks, accidentally moving her pointed hat in the process.

She giggled before adjusting it accordingly. “Just because you hate wearing yours doesn’t mean you should mess with mine.”

“But it gets in the way of your lovely hair,” he teased, drawing circles on her waist (or the robes over her waist).

Biting on her bottom lip, she said, “Shut it, Potter.” She paused in her walk, letting the other two walk ahead of them. Glancing back, Sirius sent a wink at them before following after Remus.

Disentangling herself from him, she laughed and said, “You’re an idiot, you prat. Did you know that?”

He walked closer to her, causing her to walk backwards until her back hit the wall. “You remind me at least once a week.” His licked his lips briefly, drawing Lily’s attention to them.

Her voice was playful but her eyes gave away her desire, “Who else would remind you?” She stood on her toes, placing her hand behind his neck, playing with the baby hairs there. “I’m doing you a favour really, otherwise you would have to find another way to ride that broomstick of yours.”

James threw his head back. Lily loved watching him laugh, it never failed to draw a smile to her face. “I think you’re more worried that I wouldn’t be able to snog you.” He wrapped a hand around her waist, letting the other one cradle her face.

Her eyes were shining as she resisted laughing, “Oh, of course, that’s obviously why I’m with you.”

He glanced over his shoulder, before leaning down to kiss her. “Knew it,” he mumbled as he pulled her tightly against him. His fingers digging into her cheek softly, eliciting a soft whimper from his girlfriend.

“Always knew the Mudblood was a slag.” They pulled away at the voice of Atreus Avery. “Tell me, Potter, have you shagged her yet?”

“James, don’t do something stupid,” she whispered urgently as she felt him tense up. He made no reply as he turned around, his hand reaching for hers.

“I’m sorry, Avery, did you say something?” His voice challenged the boy to say anything before glancing at his three other companions, Severus Snape, Thomas Flint and Marcus Mulciber. “I suggest you save your comments for your little Death Eater parties, maybe you’ll find someone there who actually cares.”

“Let’s go,” Lily said, glaring at Slytherins while also avoiding Snape’s gaze. Snape who was looking at them both with anger in his eyes. “I don’t want to be late.” She pulled James along, her hand tight in his as they ignored the comments shouted at them.

“Bloody purist,” James mumbled as he took his seat next to Lily’s, earning him a look from Sirius and Remus.

Lily placed a supportive hand on his arm, “Ignore them. They just want to get a rise out of you.”

“I don’t know how you do it, Cariad.” He turned to her, “Must be because you’re just so amazing.”

She blushed, “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

Sirius laughed, “I think the saying is nowhere, Lil.”

She winked at him teasingly before kissing James’ cheek, “I’ll go get our supplies.”

That night, three animagi and a werewolf had snuck out to the kitchen to celebrate their last term at Hogwarts.

“What do you think it’ll be like after Hogwarts?” Peter asked as he spooned ice-cream into his mouth. “Do you think it’ll be the same?”

“Prongsie here,” Sirius began winking at James and gently nudging him, “Will obviously marry our favourite redhead and have many black-haired, green-eyed children and name me godfather to all.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Padfoot,” Remus admonished, “I’m sure some of them will be have Lily’s red hair.”

James laughed before a lovestruck smile graced his face, “She’s great. Absolutely amazing.”

The other three exchanged a look. “So have you told her you’re hopelessly in love with her yet?” Sirius asked, a knowing grin spreading across his face.

“Not yet, I’ll do it soon. Her birthday’s coming up. I’m sure I’ll get the courage to do so before then. I mean, it’s Lily. It needs to be special.”

Sirius laughed, “That’s what you said about asking her to be your girlfriend, and need I remind you that I was the one who had to hear from Lily for most of October about how you were such an idiot and if you were no longer interested in her because you wouldn’t kiss her.”

“Tosser,” James blushed, tossing a crisp at him.

“I’m a bit tired, I think I’ll head out.” Remus said an hour later.

Peter stood up, rubbing his eyes. “I’ll go with you. I’m a bit knackered too.”

Remus eyed them, “Are you two staying?”

James looked at Sirius who shrugged nonchalantly. “Yeah, just for a bit.” He grabbed something from behind him and tossed it to Remus, “Take the cloak.”

“All right, be careful,” he said before following behind Peter.

Another hour passed before James and Sirius decided to call it a night and left the house-elves to themselves, declining their many offers of food to take with.

They had barely left the kitchen when they ran into Regulus Black and Severus Snape.

Sirius glared at his brother, yet James could tell that part of him wanted to talk to him, wanted to take him away from the influences of the other Slytherins, but James knew it was too late. He could see the way Sirius’ jaw tensed and the fearful look on Regulus’ face. The last thing James needed was to handle another fight between the two brothers or for Snape to have another thing to hold over Sirius.

“Let’s go, Padfoot,” James said, placing a hand on Sirius’ shoulder. James really had had every intention of taking Sirius and walking away, too bad that Snape never knew when to mind his own business.

Snape sneered, “Where are you going, Potter?”

“I have better things to do, Snape. You know, place to go, people to see.” James smirked as he turned around, briefly glancing at Sirius whose eyes remain fixated on his brother. “I suppose you wouldn’t know how that feels.”

Snape glared at him as James turned around, pulling Sirius away. “Frankly, you’re just not worth my time,” James called over his shoulder as Sirius let out a barklike laugh, muttering something to James that made a smirk appear on his face.

But Snape was done being ridiculed by the likes of Potter and Black, especially in front of the younger Black brother.

He was tired of watching Lily prance about with the arrogant prat like his trophy, like she was his. She wasn’t Potter’s, she was Severus’, she would always be Severus’. And he hated her for it.

So he did the one thing he’d been longing to do since they returned from the holidays, he raised his wand against James Potter. Against the one who had turned Lily against him.

The hex hit his back, stopping the laughter from the two arrogant Gryffindors. Snape’s lips curled as they turned to face him. Fire burned in Potter’s eyes, and Snape felt pleasure in the anger that emitted from the other boy, felt pleasure in knowing he hadn’t changed, that Lily couldn’t really love the toerag who had found pleasure in ruining his life. No, Potter just had her fooled, but all Severus had to do was show Lily who Potter really was.

He felt Regulus shift uneasily as his brother glared at him, blaming him for Severus’ action before turning to Severus himself.

“Scared, Potter,” he taunted them.

James scowled at him, raising his wand. “A lot of talk for someone who doesn’t say shite when Lily’s around.”

“What does Evans have to do with anything?” Snape snarled out, forcing himself to call her by her surname as he aimed a spell at Potter. He could hear Black patronising Regulus.

“I think we both know, Lily has everything to do with this.” He blocked the spell. “Tell me, Snape, did Lily ever realise you fancied her? Do your Death Eater friends realise you have feelings for a Muggle-born?” James’ eyes darkened as he looked at Snape. “You never deserved her friendship, you know? Lily’s too kind for someone like you, you only ever hurt her.”

Snape aimed another spell at him, that James once again managed to block. “You think you deserve Lily Evans, Potter? You’ll never really know her.” His nostrils flared. “You don’t deserve her.”

“No one deserves Lily, she isn’t a thing you deserve, Snape.” A muscle in his jaw twitched, “You’re pathetic.”

James became momentarily distracted as his eyes shifted to Sirius who was looking at his brother’s left arm in horror. James was in the process of turning when he felt a spell cut across the skin at his side.

James’ hand instantly went to his side where blood began soaking through his robes. He heard as Sirius pushed his brother against the wall before stalking past James and grabbing Snape and proceeding to forcefully shove him against the wall. James could already imagine Sirius’ grey eyes flashing.

“Padfoot, let’s go.” James gritted his teeth. Sirius pulled his wand at Snape, petrifying him with a spell. “Watch yourself,” he said menacingly, letting him fall to the ground before aiming another spell at his face.

“Let’s get you to Poppy, James.” He watched as he eyed his mate’s injury.

“Do me a favour, Sirius,” James said once they were near the Hospital Wing. “Don’t tell Lily.”

It was Saturday when Lily had the misfortune of running into Snape while she was in the library studying with her best friend, April Eliot.

“Lily,” April whispered to her, avoiding the wrath of Madam Pince who would snap at anyone who so much as dropped a quill in the library. “Snape is staring at you.”

“I don’t care,” Lily said, ignoring the look the other girl was sending her. “He’s walking over here.”

Lily groaned. “I thought I made things clear in fifth and sixth-year.” She bit her lip pensively before Snape had managed to approach her.

“Lily,” he called to her.

“What do you want, Severus?” She didn’t waste her time in looking at him but continued in flipping the page. “I thought I made it clear that I want nothing to do with you.”

“It’s important.”

She rolled her eyes, finally looking up at him and noticing a purple bruise on his face. She contemplated it for a moment, agreeing solely out of curiosity. “Fine, but make it quick. I’m meeting James in a bit.” She knew she shouldn’t have mentioned her boyfriend, but part of her felt particularly vindictive whenever she saw him; she hated feeling this way.

She followed him outside the library, keeping her distance. “What did you want?” A frown graced her lips, “Surprised you’re not trying to hide me. Aren’t you scared your little Death Eater pals will see us together and get the wrong idea? Wouldn’t want them to think you’re being civil to a Mudblood, now would we?”

“I apologised for that,” he protested.

Lily let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, yes, a half-hearted apology where and when no one else could see you, how inconvenient for you.” Her eyes met his, “Let’s be honest, Severus, your pride would have never been able to take that hit.”

Snape sneered, “What about Potter’s pride?”

Lily glowered at him, “James,” her voice softened slightly at his name, it disgusted Snape. “Can apologise when he’s wrong. I find it a very enduring trait.”

“He’s not who you think he is, Lily.” His words came out quickly, “He’s an arrogant prat, and he’s deceiving you.”

She drew in a deep breath, “He grew up. People change. Sometime for the better.” She looked at him sadly, “Sometimes for the worst.”

“He hasn’t changed.” His voice was final. “He still hexes me, you know. Where do you think I got the bruise. He’s always going to be the arrogant toerag, Lily. I just don’t want him making a fool out of you. He’s hiding more from you than you think.”

With that he walked away, knowing the seed of doubt had been placed.

They worked quiet as James sorted out the next month’s patrol schedule, and Lily worked out the past week’s point deductions, making sure the prefects weren’t being too hard or lenient in order to favour their houses.

Lily resisted laughing as she got to the pile filled out by James, who made the comments extra amusing when he knew it was Lily’s turn to oversee points. Indeed, the first one listed was ten points deducted from a sixth-year Ravenclaw who “couldn’t pick a better place to try and shag his girlfriend.” She let out a small snort which was eerie in the silence of the evening, something that didn’t go unnoticed by James.

“You’re quiet tonight, Lil,” his eyes looked her over. “Is something bothering you?”

She almost denied it before Snape’s word replayed in her. “Are you keeping secrets from me, James?”

He looked at her, shocked. “I–Everyone has secrets, Lily. Secrets aren’t necessarily a bad thing.”

Lily didn’t know whether she would have rather had him lie to her about having secrets or not. “What are you hiding?” She felt an anxiety that she had been denying all evening overwhelm her. “What is it?”

His eyes gave away his indecisiveness, but he seemed to come to a decision. “I can’t tell you that.”

“Do you still hex Severus? He said you did.” Her voice was coming out in small pants, “Did you?”

He stood up from his seat, his eyebrows knitting in confusion. “The better question is: do you believe him?”

Her eyes scanned his, taking in the boy she had grown to love. Part of her knew the truth, she thought, but the other part was scared. “I don’t know.”

Disappointment clouded his eyes followed by anger, hurt, and betrayal. “You don’t know whether you trust me?”

“No, I–” she was lost, “I don’t know.” She had already trusted one person beyond reason, put all her faith in him and in the end been let down. “Just tell me the truth, James.”

She saw his jaw clench, his eyes that were usually playful and loving darkened. “The truth is that we shouldn’t be together if you don’t trust me.”

She felt a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. “The truth is that you’re always going to believe him over me, aren’t you, Lily?” She had no answer as her lips parted softly, nothing coming out.

“I’m never going to be good enough, am I?”

“James, don’t,” her eyes began tearing up. “I–”

“What’s the point in being with someone who you can’t count on to trust you. I can be second to many people, Lily, but not to you. I can’t come second to you when,” his voice broke, “when it comes down to it you’ll always take his side, always see him as the defenceless boy you knew.”

A tear rolled down his face that was quickly wiped away. “Just so you know, I didn’t hex him.” He pulled up the Muggle jumper he had on up, touching the spot where a scar lied. “He hexed me.”

Grabbing the patrol schedule he had been working on he said, “I think we’re done. With us.” He turned around, not letting her see the tears that had begun rolling down his face, “Good-bye, Evans.”

She sat there for awhile, not letting the breakup sink in until it was too late to run after him. Tears streamed down her face, her green eyes rimmed with red. What have I done, she thought.

“James,” Sirius said as he watched his friend in a similar position. His hazel eyes surrounded by red, his hair more frazzled than usual. “You love her, and she loves you. I know it. Merlin, I barely believe in love, and I know you two have it.”

James scoffed as Peter and Remus exchanged worried glances. “I can’t love her, Padfoot, because how do you love someone you barely know? And she can’t love me; you can’t love someone you don’t trust.”

Literally, writing the last few parts made me cry. Also to clarify, it was Sirius who hexed Snape and gave him the bruise. James only used shield spells during this one. Also writing Severus was so weird, like can I not? But it was partially from his perspective so writing Snape for all his actions would have been weird.

Also I’m sorry, but keep an eye on the timeline if you’re screaming at me.

And I guess I’m sorry for the ending? Poor James.

#jily #lily evans #james potter #siriuslywriting #jily oneshot #oneshot #canon compliant #insecure!james #insecure!lily #couple: jily #complicated jily #friends: marauders #friends: marauders plus lily #headboy!james #headgirl!lily #fww oneshot #canon compliant oneshot #friends: prongsfoot #27 days of james potter '18

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