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thewulf · 1 year

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Strongly Dislike You || Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Summary: Here is what I’m thinking and it was a dream so bare with me. but a little ways in the future two OC characters have a kid together.The reader is friends with one and jake/bradley are friends with the other. Unfortunately tragedy strikes and both ocs pass away... Read Rest Here

A/N: The three times your grew to love Jake Seresin and the one time you fell in love. LOVED writing this one! Hope you enjoy :)

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Y/N

Word Count: 5.4k +

Slamming down the legal document you turned toward the lawyer who was divvying up your best friends assets with bulging eyes, “What the fuck?”

Before he could continue you turned towards Jake sitting in the seat across from you with downturned eyes. He’d been different since the accident. Since your best friend Holly and her husband Jared were snatched right from the world. Taken far too soon. Stripped from the pleasure of raising their daughter.

You’d been in a state of nothingness for the last week as you really processed what the hell happened. It honestly didn’t feel real. If felt like they just moved away. Like you could still call or text her when you needed to cry. When you needed to feel any emotion. She had been with you through life. Fast friends when you moved next to her family in the sixth grade. Two girls tied at the hip.

Holly had fallen in love with the local pilot boy five years ago. The two of you lived perhaps the most opposite lives than Jared did. He flew jets on a daily basis. The two of you worked as accountants at the same firm. You went to the same middle school, high school, college and now accounting firm. She was more of a sister to you. A sister that was killed. Killed senselessly. Who would’ve thought your friends would’ve been murdered in a bank robbery. It almost made you laugh when you were out of tears. Didn’t that shit only happened in movies? They were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

And sweet Rosie. Rosie girl. Their beautiful two-year-old girl that had you wrapped around her little finger had lost her world. She was ripped of the opportunity to be raised by the two best people you knew.

“Did you know about this?” You asked Jake. He was so quiet, too quiet. It didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel like the asshole you hated.

You’d met Jake when Holly had taken you to the Hard Deck to meet Derek. It was a trick double-date. It didn’t go that great. Even Jared had to admit that as he was driving you home. It frustrated you beyond belief. You usually found it pretty easy to get along with new people. Jake was an exception. He was cocky. Arrogant beyond belief. He reminded you of your local frat boys.

He shook his head slowly letting out a low sigh, “No. Not a clue.”

Your head slowly turned back to the bored looking lawyer sitting between the two of you, “So, we live together and take care of Rosie?” Your eyes closed not really believing the words you just spoke. Your mind was exploding with a thousand thoughts in a million different directions. Why wouldn’t Holly have told you about this? Were they planning to? Did you have to do this?

“If you wish to inherit all of Jared and Holly’s assets, yes.” He confirmed with a faint nod of his head not giving you an ounce of emotion.

A deep sigh ripped from your mouth, “But living together? That’s…”

He, rather rudely, cut you off before you could continue, “A clause.”

Jake eyed you. A small smile toying at the end of his lips. He knew you weren’t his biggest fan. You had to assume the feeling was mutual. It’s not like you treated him kindly over the last few years of having the pleasure of knowing him.

You shook your head, “Why?” You couldn’t get passed the whole ‘you must live in the same home’ statement.

The lawyer let out an anguished sigh letting you very clearly know you were wasting his time. He shuffled through the papers finding the line he needed. An almost impish look of self-satisfaction washed over him when he did before looking up at you with a stoic face, “In the event that I, Jared Wittaker, and my wife Holly Wittaker both pass away we leave everything with the Godparents, Jake Seresin and Y/N Y/L/N, should they reside in the Wittaker residence for the betterment of our daughter Rosie and her stability. Should they disagree all assets are forfeited.”

An incredulously dazed look sprang on your face as you realized, “Wait, we have to live in their home?”

“Yes.” The lawyer set the papers down holding his hands in a fist atop the shiny wooded table that sat in his office.

Giving yourself whiplash you turned back to Jake who just sat there smiling now. Looking right at you, “You’re being awfully quiet Seresin.” Eyes narrowed in on his, he couldn’t really be thinking about doing this, right?

He shrugged finding your mini-breakdown amusing, “I’m in.”

Playing with the hem of your shirt in your hands your nerves were starting to get the better of you, “What?”

Looking ever so nonchalant he kept smiling right at you, “I’m in if you are.”

“This isn’t a joke Jake. This is a baby. Rosie’s life.” If looks could kill, Jake would be slain on the floor right now. But alas, they could not.

His smile only seemed to flourish as he watched you squirm. Bastard. He got off on this kind of stuff, you’d convinced yourself of that.

“Oh darlin’. You don’t think I know that?” He leaned forward egging you on with that damn smile, “Look. It’s what they wanted. The home was paid off by his family years ago. It’s been in Jared’s family for forever. That means you get a free place to stay. I get a free place to stay. Rosie gets two people who love her to death taking care of her. I know you don’t like me Y/N, but the house is big enough

Cheeks flushed red with embarrassment you sat back in your seat. You’d normally been the rational one. Why was he being it today? Why were you so emotionally drained from the man already?

You hated caving into this deal, but he was right. It’s clearly what they wanted. Chewing on your bottom lip thinking of all the options you finally gave in, “Alright then.

The lawyer tossed you and Jake both a set of house keys unamused by the dialogue going on between the two of you. He looked tired. Probably dealt with this shit all day.

“Just like that?”

He nodded, “Just like that.”

Your hand hesitantly grabbed the key in front of you. Grabbing the cool metal, you twisted it under the light wondering. Wondering what this life could have been for that family. Rosie was horrifically lucky really. She’d never have to know the despair of losing her parents. The same despair you were fighting at that present moment.

“Are you sure?” Jake asked crossing his arms over his chest with a countenance of devilish delight dancing across his features.

Nodding quickly, you added the key to your key ring, signifying it’s permanence in your life, “Yes Jake. I’m positive. I’ll be the

Leaning forward even further so that his hands were touching yours he gave you a quick shake of his head, “Can’t be darlin’. I’ll be there too.” He tossed a wink in your direction before thanking the lawyer. He waltzed out that door with so much confidence you were sure you’d just dreamed the whole thing up. Except you didn’t. Your new reality began when you stepped through that front door once more.

Dislike

It was quarter end at work which meant you were pulling doubles trying to get all your work done. Accounting was fun all up until quarter end. Then it was your hellish nightmare as you switched between coffees and caffeine drinks to keep you going. It was only a few weeks out of the year, but it felt like a million years when you were in the thick of it.

Not only was it quarter end but you were catching up on all the work you missed. It’d been a month since you and Jake moved in together with Rosie as your almost adopted daughter. Your boss had been kind enough to get you some time off but not enough so to help with the work you’d missed. The month had been interesting, to say the least. Jake was not as bad as you made him out to be in your mind, but he still pissed you off to nearly no end. He was never wrong. Jake would quite literally argue until his face was blue. It was something you were just going to have to deal with now. You’d agree to it. You’d learn how to live with him.

You’d pulled into the driveway a little after six with your phone buzzing in your hand. Looking down you frowned seeing Rosie’s Daycare calling. That was odd.

“Hello, is this Y/N?” A female voice rung from the other end of the line.

“Yes. This is her.” You turned off your car juggling your phone, keys and bag while trying to make sure you hear her.

“Hi. We close in 15 minutes, and I just wanted to make sure somebody is coming to pick up Rosie?” She sounded nervous, like you’d explode on her or something. Quite the opposite. You sat there in silence as your heart dropped down to your ass.

Your eyes scrunched together. Today was Jake’s day to grab Rosie. You’d gone over it with him nearly a hundred times this weekend making sure he was on the same page as you. Spinning around on your heals you stopped when you spotted his car parked on the street. He was home and Rosie was not. He fucking forgot her.

“Oh, yes. I’m so sorry. Time just got away from me.” You gave her a breathy laugh trying to play it cool, “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“No problem at all miss. Thank you.” She hung the phone up quickly. Daycare was only five minutes away. That gave you approximately three minutes to go yell at him and chew his forgetful ass out before you needed to get to Rosie.

Storming into the house you slammed the door open. Even you cringed a little when the door hit the wall. That wall would need a little love later.

“Jake Seresin!” You screeched like a banshee beside yourself. Your hands were shaking so bad your phone was at risk from flying right out of your hand.

“Would you cool it?” He gave you a sly smile while sauntering out of his bedroom. He leaned on the wall at the end of the hallway giving you a humorous look, “Broke the damn wall darlin’.” Normally you’d find his slow southern drawl at the end of the day semi-relaxing. Slowly growing used to this new lifestyle. But now? Now it sounded like nails on a chalk board.

Shaking your head, you were trying to reign the anger in, “Where the fuck is Rosie, Jake?” Biting your cheek from saying something overly nasty you simply flared your nostrils in rage. Rage that’d he forget the most important part of the plan. The toddler who was probably wondering where in the hell her sub parents are. She too was slowly getting used to it. She refused to call either you or Jake ‘mom’ or ‘dad’ but it didn’t bother you. You were new to her developing brain. She had to relearn everything. Her routines were shaken in an instant. How jarring that must be for such a little one you thought.

He looked at you, then the wall, then the floor, then back at you with wide eyes finally processing your words, “I’m on my way.” He knew he’d fucked up. You’d even reminded him that morning. That was strike number 89 against him. He only seemed to be fumbling this more and more. He was trying. He really was. It was just hard. Harder than he’d ever expected. Jared made it seem so easy. He has to take it up another level. Right now. For you and Rosie.

You’d never seen him move so fast almost flying out of the house. The bitter look on your face didn’t stop you from high tailing it right behind him throwing yourself in the passenger’s seat before he raced off.

“How could you forget?” The adrenaline had worn down now and you just felt depleted. Depleted and scared.

“I…” He looked over at you before quickly shifting his eyes on the road, “I don’t know. I don’t have an answer. It was a busy day at work and I… I let it get it me.”

You kept your stare straight forward willing the truck to get there a little bit faster.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. It won’t happen again. This is all so new. I’m trying here.”

Your eyes peaked over at him as your head turned slowly, “Try harder.” It was a little brutal. You knew it. But he also couldn’t forget your child at daycare. She was your child now. Your responsibly. And if anything happened to Holly’s daughter, to sweet little Rosie, you’d thought you just might end up with Holly up in heaven.

“Fuck.” He groaned gunning it through a nearly red light before sliding the truck into the parking spot in the front. You took a quick peak noticing the lack of cars in the parking lot before jumping out of the vehicle. You ran inside muttering a quick apology to the girl at the front. Scanning for Rosie you spotted her coloring in the corner.

Jake stayed back apologizing to the last employee there. You’d heard bits of the conversation before fully focusing your attention on the small girl, “Rosie, baby.” You squatted down opening your arms up for her, giving her a choice.

She looked up giving you a sweet smile, golden curls bouncing as she turned her head, “Hi Y/N.” She put the Crayon down before running over to hug you.

Squeezing her in your arms you picked her up giving her a soft kiss on the crown of her head, “How was your day cutie?” You placed her on your hip letting her get acclimated. She recently exploded in speech chatting you and Jake up constantly. It was adorable.

She nodded before yawning, “Good! Played Barbie.” She grinned pointing to the doll house in the corner with all sorts of different Barbie’s and dolls stacked inside.

“Did you? Was it fun?” You asked walking over to get her shoes on. Little did you know Jake was watching the entire interaction close to swooning at how gentle you were with her. How you were treating her like a human, a real person and not some little nuisance that didn’t have feelings. Your maternal instincts kicked in quick, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed by Jake. That was partially why he’d felt so damn bad about failing left and right. Because you weren’t. It seemed to come so naturally to you it made him feel almost inadequate. You knew what to do in every situation.

You didn’t feel that way of course. And Jake wasn’t really as bad as he thought he was. This was his first big fuck up and you just wanted him to really feel it. When you turned around seeing the look of love written all over his face it sent a pang of guilt right to your heart. You offered him a small genuine smile before turning back to Rosie, tying up her little laces coated in rainbows and unicorns together. It was a gift from your mom after she’d learned of your new fate. She vehemently disagreed with your decision to do this. But you couldn’t let go of Rosie. She was too much like Holly to give her up. The colorful shoes were a peace offering you gladly accepted.

She giggled, “Fun!” Clapping her petite hands together her joy brought a bright smile upon your own face.

“That makes me so happy!” You gave her leg a light squeeze, “Are you ready to go home Rosie girl?”

She nodded, “Hungry.” Patting her belly, she kicked her legs into yours softly.

You let off a soft laugh. That never ceased to get rise out of you. It’ll be a sad day when she grows out of those gestures.

“Jake is going to make us dinner. Isn’t that right Jake?” You looked up seeing he moved closer not dropping that look. The look you’d literally only seen tonight from him. It felt foreign.

“That’s right. For my favorite girls.” He nodded softly.

“Alright. Let’s get going so we can eat.” You bent down to pick up the overtired toddler. A fun day of play for sure. She held onto you with all the strength she had left. Jake led the way opening the door and car door for you. You buckled her into the car seat with ease. Finally getting comfortable with the thing after a few weeks of triple checking your work.

You hopped in the passenger’s seat after Jake gave her a quick kiss giving her a quick hello. You thought about him for a second. His favorite girls? Was he just putting on a show or telling the truth? After a few moments of silent driving, he spoke up again.

“I’m sorry. I really am. I will try harder. I promise.” He sounded sincere. Your panic must’ve gotten through to him only twenty minutes prior.

You nodded accepting his words, “I believe you.”

A genuine smile crossed his face taking in your words. Satisfied.

Partial Dislike

Her crying woke you with a startle. Being woken up in the middle of deep dreamless sleep was shocking. It took you longer than normal to hobble on over to the baby girls room.

“Sweet girl.” You cooed before seeing Jake sitting there in the rocker holding her with a bottle of something. He cradled her head in between his bicep and chest as she sprawled across his lap. Tired and ornery, a dangerous combo. The terrible twos were striking hard for the little one. His other handheld the bottle steady to her chest so she could sip it out. Her eyes were already drooping by the time you’d walked into the room.

A wave of relief rushed over your own chest as you witnessed the sweet moment before you. You took a mental snapshot of the precious moment. A beautiful moment between the two newly found humans.

Jake looked up at you with a faint smile gracing his lips, “Got her.” He whispered stoking a gentle thumb down her arm. She was fading fast not even acknowledging your presence. You’d usually been the first one there, but it took an act of God himself to wake you tonight. But Jake was on it. He had been on it for a little while now. Another month had passed, and you hadn’t been on his throat for almost all of it. What a strange feeling. You’d been merely tolerating him, but Rosie had been bringing you closer unknowingly. She demanded both of you pay attention to her when you were both home… or else. Whatever that threat meant from a toddler.

You sent him a soft nod as you kept observing the precious scene before you. He took your statement to heart. He was trying harder. Stepping up in a way you’d never expected.

“Thank you.” You whispered taking a step closer to the duo, “I was knocked out.”

He nodded continuing to rock her, “Go back to sleep darlin’. I’ve got her. It’s been nice spending some time with her.” He urged you out of the room with a sweep of his head towards the door.

“You sure?” You took a step closer brushing a stray curl out of her face.

“Positive. She’d knocked out anyway. But I want to hold her for a little more. It’s nice” He looked down sheepishly at the small child cuddled right in his arms.

The moment was beyond anything you’d experienced in this lifetime. Who would’ve thought it’d come at 3 AM on a random Wednesday morning. Oh, how fascinating life was.

“She’s so beautiful isn’t she?” The sleeping girl had let go of the bottle as her head turned into Jake’s shoulder, nuzzling right up on him. She felt so comfortable in his arms. She was adapting quickly. Soon her parents would be a distant memory in that ever-expanding brain. It broke your heart. Holly didn’t get a chance to raise her. As much as you cherished the precious girl it still hurt knowing the consequence of it.

“She’s the most beautiful little girl in the world.” He continued brushing her arms whispering quietly careful not to wake the sleeping baby.

Your heart did a weird flutter at those words. He was growing on you, quickly. Scarily quickly. He’d morphed into a new man in front of yours eyes over the last two months. One that took words to heart and picked it up.

“She is.” You gave him a full-on smile as you took your last mental snapshot, “Night Jake. Sleep well.”

“You too, Y/N.” He gave you a gentle nod careful not to disturb her.

Kinda Liking Him

It wasn’t a bad day. It just sucked that you had to go in today, a Saturday. But your boss needed some extra work done and you were next up on the overtime docket. Jake was off taking Rosie for the day.

Things were going well. Almost too well. You were waiting on the shoe to drop but it was month four and the two of you were molding together quicker than ever. Finding an easy routine between the two of you. Rosie adapted better than you’d ever dreamed of. She blossomed after month three. Her short questions and answers were turning into full blown conversations.

You’d called out once you’d entered the house hearing it weirdly quiet. There was definitely no toddler in here. Your nerves began to bubble until you found yourself at your backdoor peeking out into the backyard.

The nerves died down when you saw Jake chasing Rosie around the small playground Jared had built for Rosie a year ago, even though she was still far too small to use it. He was just so excited he got a mega head start. Lucky for her it’d be here when she wanted it. Her daddy built it for her. Just for her.

You stood and watched her screaming laughter as Jake sped up and slow down. He’d tickle her for a second and she sprint off in laughter once more. Jake let her speed off before he slowly started chasing her once again.

All was good and well right up until she slipped on some wet grass and fell on the bricks that lined the garden bed skinning her knee. You winced as the sudden silence was met with a screaming crying toddler suddenly. Blood tricked down from the small cut.

Jake scooped her up in a hurry rocking her in his arms. When that was only left with more wails he hightailed it for the house knowing he needed to distract the weepy toddler before he’d be able to clean up the wound.

You opened the door for him as he got closer not wanting him to slow down trying to wrangle it open with a squirmy toddler in his hands.

He hopped through with a smile waving at you with his free hand, “Your home.” The harsh glares turned to softer looks as you got to know the real him more. You’d really never given him a chance to before and you were slowly starting to regret your actions. Brushed off the man for years based on a snap judgment made all those years ago. Oh well, at least you were learning the real him now.

“I am.” You smiled, “I’ll grab the first aid kit.”

He nodded, “I’ll distract her in the meantime.”

You’d handed him the kit after retrieving it from the bathroom. Taking a step back you watched him take over the situation. He’d gotten her a lollipop, her favorite. The tears almost instantly stopped once she spotted the sucker in his hand.

You watched as he cleaned it off with water in the sink before dabbing it dry and disinfecting it. He told her it would sting, and she needed to be a big girl.

You grinned in amazement as she clutched onto Jakes hand as he dabbed the wound clean with the alcohol making sure it wouldn’t get infected with her falling all the time still. She let out a soft sigh when he said, “All done, you’re so brave Rosie.”

She nodded along with him, “I am brave.”

“So strong too.” He smiled continuing to clean the wound with Neosporin before finishing off with a Barbie Band-Aid. Her favorite thing in the world.

“Strong?”

Jake grabbed her arm squeezing it softly, “So strong! You fall down sometimes but you get back up. We’re so proud of you for that.”

“I am strong.” She smiled agreeing with him. Giving him a flex of her bicep mimicking his action of ‘strong’. Your smile grew and grew as you watched him reinforce this into the girl. She was growing so quickly. She had to remember how strong she really was. Growing and adapting in the world and with new people at the same time.

“All done.” Jake tapped her nose.

She looked down squealing almost instantly, “It’s Barbie!” The cut hadn’t even phased the girl any longer. She was so excited to have Barbie on her leg it didn’t seem to matter anymore. You watched as he set her down on the floor. She took off going to go play with her toys in the room adjacent.

Jake turned to you, “Thank you.”

“No need. You did great there Jake. Looked like a natural.”

He raised a brow, “A rare compliment? What a day!”

“Oh, shove it up your ass Jake.” You rolled your eyes playfully beginning to walk to the room over wanting to play with Rosie.

“Only if you do it for me darlin’!” He grinned knowing that’d get a rise out of you.

You stifled a giggle not wanting to give him satisfaction, “Pig.”

“You love it.” His was grinning ear to ear. Happier than ever. He’d seemingly figured it out. Gotten into the routine of it. Gotten you to finally warm up to him. He’d never felt like this before. So whole. So, himself. He could only thank the two of you for completing him.

“Maybe I do.” You whispered before vanishing off leaving him to his thoughts.

Oh Shit, I Love Him

You walked downstairs finding Jake sitting at the kitchen table eating some eggs, “Rosie’s sick.” You sighed. You were surprised it hadn’t happened sooner honestly. Day care could be a brutal place.

He nodded, “Thought so, she seemed warm when I kissed her forehead this morning.”

“I’ll call in.” You sat down feeling the sleepiness take over secretly happy to take the day off.

He shook his head, “I don’t mind. I haven’t used a sick day yet this year.”

You shrugged, “Let’s both call off. There’s a bad flu going around anyway.”

He gave you a gorgeous shit eating grin. It’s been six months now and it was almost perfect. Your like for him was bubbling into love. He’d not only tried harder but kicked it into high gear. He’d taken on the role of father to the next level. He was her everything and she was his everything. Your love grew for him as you watched his bond with Rosie blossom into the most gorgeous relationship you’d ever seen. Seeing an almost three your old bring a grown man to his knees always brought a chuckle out of you.

“That’s a great idea darlin’.” He’d never dropped the term of endearment with you. However, it didn’t sound so condescending. It oozed honey as he filled it out with his southern drawl over time. He just knew how to suck you right on in.

The two of you sat there chatting casually while watching the discovery channel in the background. Things had gotten so easy with him. They’d gotten so natural between the two of you.

When the monitor started humming with her cries he was the first one up rushing to her crib before pulling her out gently, “It’s okay Rosie.” He held her in his arms.

You watched in awe as he cooled her down with a cold washcloth and some milk. She drunk it slowly unsure if it’d hurt her stomach or not. He didn’t ask for a lick of help as he poured the children’s Tylenol into syringe. He effortlessly gave her the medicine even getting a small smile from the sleepy sick girl.

It was at that moment you knew you loved him. You had love for him for a while now but seeing him so gentle with her sent you into orbit. Your heart was beating out of your chest as you watched him lay her down telling her a story until her heard her breathe even out.

Oh shit, you loved the damn man you swore you hated only six months ago. He’d weaseled his way in and carved and carved and he didn’t need to carve anymore. He had it. He had your heart wholly.

“What?” He asked as the two of you settled back on the couch ready to return back to conversation.

You shook your head suspiciously quick, “Nothing.”

“Bullshit darlin’. Can’t bullshit a bullshitter.” He winked at you while biting his damn lip on the side revealing a set of gorgeously white teeth. He has to know what he was doing to you.

You laughed, “It’s sweet. Watching the two of you.”

“There’s more.” He pressed scooting a touch closer to you.

“You’re so good with her.” You whispered eyes looking anywhere but at his.

“Darlin’, look at me.” He wanted to touch your cheek, but he didn’t want to fuck it up already. He had an inkling you grew to like him as much as he’d always liked you. He’d of course grown to love you over the same amount of time. As much as he’d grown he’d watched as you blossomed and matured into a new woman. You’d become a mom over the last six months. Vowing to protect her over anything. You were beyond fierce and crazy loyal. He’d always known you were something special. Something different.

You’d listened. You’d always listen to him now. God damn, he had you wrapped around his finger. He’d admit to the same though. He’d do anything you ask. Anything in the world.

“I like you.” There it was. He’d put it out into the universe for you to take or reject. It was all up to you.

You turned your head. The last thing you were expecting from him, “You do?”

“A lot. I like you a lot.” He confirmed aching to touch you anywhere. But not until you confirmed. Not until he knew for sure.

Your smile brightened tenfold as you processed his words, “I like you too. A lot. I like you a lot Jake Seresin.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” He cupped your face gently settling the urge down gently.

“Who would’ve thought.” You laughed softly putting a little pressure on his hand. Letting him know you really did like it, his touch.

He chucked scooting close to you now, “Certainly not me. I thought you hated me.”

You nodded considering your words, “I wouldn’t say hated. I’d say… strongly disliked.”

He threw his head back full of laughter bubbling out of his mouth. When he caught his breath he continued, “Strongly disliked it is. Look where we are now though.” He’s place a gentle hand on your thigh rubbing soft circles with his thumb. He’d enjoyed the goosebumps that erupted from your skin with his gentle touch.

You’d nodded your head looking into his eyes, “To liked. Strongly disliked to really strongly liked.” You’d confirmed once again.

He beamed, “I’m going to kiss you now.” He placed his other hand on your cheek holding your head in his hands.

You nodded eagerly feeling every emotion as he brought his hands to your face, holding you like you were made of glass, “Please do.” You whispered before his lips touched yours for the first of many times.

Permanent Taglist (Message me or comment below if you want to be added!): @loving-and-dreaming @kmc1989 @memeorydotcom @matisse556 @dempy @mayhemmanaged

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bethanydelleman · 4 months

Note

Hi! I just found your page and I’m starting a new fan fiction story. It’s a crossover between Titanic and Anne of green gables. Thoughts?

Summary: Titanic story line, but, with a twist. Gilbert and his little sister boar the Titanic after the unexpected death of their parents. Hoping for a better life. Anne comes aboard the Titanic with Marilla after loosing Matthew hoping for a better life as well. When the three of them meet, it’s a strong bond that nothing can break them. Not even the devastating tragedy of the Titanic can break that bond.

That’s my story line. But, someone mentioned that maybe Gilbert can have a daughter from Christine. I like that idea too. I still want Gilbert to have a little sister. I know he doesn’t have one. I always thought he would be a great big brother.

I would love your opinion please!

Thank you!

This sounds very interesting, but I am the wrong person to ask. I like the movie The Titanic, but I haven't watched it since it was on VHS. I read Anne of Green Gables once when I was a child and I didn't personally enjoy it (I know, I'm a bad Canadian). I haven't watched any adaptations either. I am not even sure who Christine is...

I wish you the best of luck with your writing. Perhaps there are some AofGG blogs who might be more help to you? I am pretty exclusively Jane Austen over here.

#question response #anne of green gables #any fans out there?

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bookaddict24-7 · 7 days

Text

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Every week I will post various reviews I've written so far in 2024. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews HERE. You can friend me on Goodreads here.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts?

___

297. Almond by Sohn Won-Pyung & Joosun Lee (Translator)--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Did I enjoy this book? If I say that I listened to this audiobook and then went and bought the physical book as a trophy, would that be enough to show how much I enjoyed this book?

I wasn't sure what to expect from ALMOND, especially because it was recommended in a batch of other recommendations that were either low-ratings or DNFs. But I'm so glad I gave it a shot because it was an incredible read with, ironically, a lot of heart.

The MC is teen boy who was diagnosed with a disorder that leaves him without the ability to understand emotions. As tragedy strikes his small family, the truth of his situation is made even more obvious. That horrible moment sets off a chain of events that will lead the MC to incredible character growth and, in some ways, showcases him showing more empathy and understanding than others who CAN feel emotions.

ALMOND isn't the kind of book where I'd say I loved the relationships the MC cultivates, but I did appreciate them and the role they played in helping him grow. One of his childhood friendships is slightly abusive, but because the MC is so straight-forward, I was able to look past that and see the friendship through his eyes. The character in question is morally questionable, but his intentions (when stripped of all emotion) were things that made that friendship worthwhile.

There were many moments of prejudices, assumptions, abuse, and grief, but because it is from the perspective of someone who lacked emotion, the story felt strangely candid. I really, really enjoyed this book and it definitely left me thinking about how the world is and how heavily it depends on emotions and the perception of situations BASED on those emotions.

I highly recommend this one for anyone looking for a unique story in translation and for anyone who wants a very interesting exploration of grief.

___

298. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Andy Weir will always be an auto-buy author for me. I don't know if I'll get to his books right away, but you bet that book will always be preordered.

After hearing so many good things about PROJECT HAIL MARY, I finally told myself to start reading Weir's latest. The hype doesn't lie--just like with THE MARTIAN, weird somehow made a book heavy with science and tech talk feel like a hilarious adventure.

For anyone who wasn't a big fan of Weir's second novel, keep in mind that this one is more in line with THE MARTIAN, just definitely a bit more science fiction. Weir's famous wit is mixed into some seriously interesting science as the MC races to save the world from a sun-ending parasite. The way that the past and present were braided together made the story flow so well and I liked that we slowly had information given to us AND the MC.

I really loved the connection between the characters in the present time, and enjoyed the back and forth of the characters in the past. That wit and banter in both made me laugh a few times, or at least smile. And despite this being a bit of a lengthier read, it flowed so well! (The only reason why there is such a gap in my reading is because I had to pause and focus on other books first). But even as I was reading the other books, I couldn't stop think about this one and what would happen to the MC and his new friend.

While THE MARTIAN will always be my favourite by Weir, this one is a close second. It had that fun energy that his debut had and kept me hooked. The MC and his new friend were great together and I loved their bond of their need to protect each others' homes.

I highly recommend this one if you're looking for a science fiction book that isn't too heavily science fiction, save for a few aspects, but could also technically be speculative fiction set in space.

___

299. The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE STARS BENEATH OUR FEET was one of those books that I went into fully blind and without any sort of hype. It has lived on my bookshelf for years and I finally picked it up in an attempt to tackle my physical book collection.

There were times where I almost DNFed because I was wary of the MC and how his grief was driving him down a very not-nice road. I find that even though these books are sometimes tough reads, I do appreciate them being middle grade reads because it will hopefully help a young teen who is in need of reading a similar experience in their lives.

But ultimately, I loved the character growth. I liked that the MC takes accountability for his actions and although he ends up making decisions that work better for him, he still has his human moments where his questions what is right and what is wrong. And through it all, we see his best friendship grow and face some pretty heavy obstacles. We also see him making a new and unexpected friend and I really liked how that was approached and that representation.

The messiness of grief is also a big topic in this book, and also the queer representation that wasn't made into a plot line but was just a fact was refreshing.

I thought this book was also a great allegory for following your dreams even when everyone else thinks they know what you need or want. At the age that the MC is, a lot of people think they're the ones with the power to determine what a kid should or shouldn't do with their lives, but I liked that he made his own decisions--even if they were difficult choices in the end.

I think this would be a great read for anyone who loves LEGO, anyone who wants stories that explore grief and how it affects a family, and the difficult decisions made when one lives in a community full of gang violence and at-risk youth.

___

300. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Definitely one of those books I had to restart a couple of times, read the synopsis to remind myself why I was reading it (LOL), and then had to sit with while listening to the notes at the end of the audiobook.

This book hits hard and I ended up getting hooked on it. I feel like this is definitely one of those books that could be read more than once in the future. It was such an incredibly powerful read. It was such an interesting take on humanity and how lonely it can feel, even when surrounded.

There were definitely some jarring moments, but the way everything was described made it so easy to see everything in my mind. I could easily imagine the land the women explored and the way everything started changing as time went on.

I think one of the most fascinating things about this book was how we get to see the story form from such a young perspective and then we watch her grow and see how the perception of her world changes. She has a wholly different experience than the other women, simply because of her age. We get to see how the idea of womanhood changes throughout the years as she navigates this strange world, which is something that the other characters never really get to do.

The end of the audiobook had some great commentary on the novel and offered deeper explanations of the themes in I WHO HAVE NEVER KNOWN MEN. Some of the important points centred around consumerism, feminism, and sexuality.

Overall, though the story itself feels bleak, there's a certain level of hope that you can't help but feel for this lonely character. And though learning where they could be was certainly a twist, it could also be a sign of new beginnings away from the humanity that kept them encaged.

___

301. Forgotten Romance by Saxon James--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm so sad to see this series end!!!! These two idiots were so in love.

This was one of my more anticipated reads in this series and while it wasn't a favourite, I still loved their love story. It wasn't as spicy as the other books, but the tension and chemistry was there between the two.

I loved seeing the side characters and the kids were hilarious and adorable. I found the ending a little too easy BUT I still liked it.

I'm really sad to see this series end, especially because there was one character who deserved an HEA. But I'm excited to see what new series Saxon James does next!

___

302. The Black Girl Survives in This One by Various--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE BLACK GIRL SURVIVES IN THIS ONE was at times hilarious (because of the twist in the usual cliches), entertaining, and terrifying. Some stories were better than others, but overall the collection was a great exploration of how we perceive Black characters in horror. I loved the intro to the stories because it expressly mentions the portrayal of Black characters in horror media, so you kind of have a very clear picture of what's coming next.

First, I want to say that it was very refreshing knowing that no matter how dire the situation was in a story, the Black character survived. Not a spoiler, it's literally in the title.

That first story HOOKED me, it was my favourite and immediately creeped me out. I think that of all the stories, that one was the one that really scared me. I remember I was listening to the audiobook at night, while brushing my teeth, and I had to pause what I was doing to fully feel that terror that crept in during the story. The reveal of said story had me wondering if I had locked the doors of the house and the twist at the end had me yelling out because while not wholly unpredictable, it was just such a classically great ending to a scary story.

As I mentioned before, some stories were better than others and some were outright weird. Some stories I wish we had for longer moments than a few pages in an anthology, while others I thought were too long.

Overall, if you're looking for a scary anthology for this upcoming Halloween season, I highly recommend this one. You get a good dose of terror with your social awareness of how media treats characters that aren't caucasian. You'll especially feel this when a certain group of people become the victims in these stories.

___

303. The Pairing by Casey McQuiston--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE PAIRING is probably the spiciest book McQuiston has written, but in my opinion, it's also the most sensual. I really liked how they wrote this story and how they presented this relationship. I liked how messy the characters were, but how they found each other in their own unique way.

And trust me, I know this can be polarizing--the conflict of their love and how they find themselves in the end.

But I loved it. I loved the back and forth and the sexual tension that kept building and building as the book progressed. The travel and the wine and the food--these were all aphrodisiacs for a relationship that shuns the conventional ways of viewing a relationship. I remember it took me a moment to adjust to the idea that these two characters were so sexually active after their relationship ended because past romances have (falsely) taught me to believe that the only way to show love is to be abstinent until the reconnection happens. But not every great romance is the same.

I genuinely loved their sexual chemistry and how their relationship evolved into what it is by the end of the book. They are literally on a tour of over-indulgence so it's only fair that they over-indulge.

But beyond the chemistry, I genuinely enjoyed the commentary on the food and wine. It was informative and gave the book an interesting fullness so the story didn't solely focus on the romance. I felt like I was going on tour with these two and was enjoying their company along the way.

The star loss comes from a few things. One being how the miscommunication was once again a star player in this romance. While I DID love learning about their history together, I thought it should have been a strong enough history for them to communicate beyond the initial misunderstanding.

Another reason for the loss of the star is that I felt this one was a little on the long side. There were moments that would fly past, but then I'd hit these patches where the story would just lag and it ruined the rhythm of the book for me. Overall, this felt like one of those books where I felt every hour passing of the audiobook, whereas there are some books where I don't even notice the time passing.

Overall, I really enjoyed the characters and their romance. I liked them individually too and how much they showcased their growth after their breakup. One of the best things McQuiston did for this book was making it have a dual-POV narrative. Reading this from the other side added a wholly different level of angst for the romance between the two MCs.

I'd recommend this if you love travel, food, wine, and a whopping amount of sexual tension. While it isn't the spiciest book on the market, it definitely has a very fun sensual element. It presents an interesting side of sexual connectivity that we don't often see in traditionally published books and, trust me, my pansexual self was very content with some of the things mentioned in this book.

___

304. The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Honestly, this was cute but not spicy enough to get that "spicy romance" byline.

This was, for all intents and purposes, a hallmark movie put into a book. The romance was kind of quick and didn't have a lot of body to it. The MMC is self-aware enough to know that he tends to fall too hard and fast, so I was surprised (not) when he falls so heavily for the FMC.

I always find it fascinating how certain books get hyped up for their spiciness and then only have a couple of scenes of spice. It's not that I want a book with a lot of spice--I enjoyed this for what it was--but I know some people will jump into this one and be disappointed.

The story itself was cute and cavity sweet. The romance was a little insta-romancey, but it had a surprising mystery. While everything was a bit predictable, it was still fun to guess with the characters to see whodunit. This added layers to the story that made it harder to put down.

My biggest gripe is with the FMC and how much of a pushover she was during the whole thing. Someone does something scary around her store? Let me not call the cops because I don't want to be a nuisance! Her decision-making skills were truly something else. And you're telling me this woman was once the secretary of a CEO? Please. He would have eaten her alive.

And back to the spice--this wasn't closed door, but like, the scenes were BBQ chips level of spice. They were quick and just...shrug.

But again, I didn't stay for the spice. This was a cute romance I'd recommend for Autumn reading. LOL I HAVE ALREADY ORDERED THE OTHERS. Don't judge me too much.

___

Happy reading!

#Reviews of the Week #Reviews #Book Reviews #books #booklr #bookish #features #bookworm #bookaholic #book blogger #book blog #bibliophile #readers of tumblr #my opinion #my writing #long text post #book list #book reviewer

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withasideofshakespeare · 8 months

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An AMENDED Rundown on the Absolute Chaos That is First Quarto Hamlet

O, gather round me, my dear Shakespeare friends And let me tell to ye a tale of woe. It was a dark and drizzly winter night, When I discovered my life was a lie... This tale is a tragedy, one of Shakespeare sources turned into gardening websites, "misdated" quartos, and failed internet archives. It is also a story of the quarto itself, an early printing of our beloved Danish Prince's play, including an implied Hamlet/Horatio coffee date, weird and extremely short soliloquies, and Gertrude with a hint of motivation and autonomy.

But let us start from the beginning. Long ago, in the year of our lord 2022, I pulled a Christmas Eve all-nighter to bring you this post: https://www.tumblr.com/withasideofshakespeare/704686395278622720/a-rundown-on-the-absolute-chaos-that-is-first?source=share

It was popularish in Shakespeare circles, which is why I am amending it now! I returned to it tonight, only to discover a few problems with my dates and, more importantly, a mystery in which one of my sources miraculously turned into a link to a gardening website...

Anyhow, let us begin with the quarto! TL;DR: Multiple versions of Hamlet were printed between 1603 and 1637 (yes, post-folio) with major character and plot differences between them. The first quarto (aka Q1) is best known for its particular brand of chaos with brief soliloquies, an extra-sad Hamlet, some mother-son bonding, weird early modern spelling, and deleted/adapted scenes with major influences on the plot of the play!

A long rundown is included below the cut, including new and improved sources, lore, direct quotes, and my own interpretations. Skip what bores you! And continue... if thou darest!

What is the First Quarto? Actually, what is a quarto?

Excellent questions, brave Hamlet fan! A quarto is a pamphlet created by printing something onto a large sheet of paper and then folding it to get a smaller pamphlet with more pages per big sheet (1). First Quarto Hamlet was published in 1603 and then promptly lost for an entire two centuries until it was rediscovered in 1823 in the library of Sir Henry Bunbury. Rather than printed from a manuscript of Shakespeare, Q1 seems like it may be a memorial reconstruction of the play by the actor who played Marcellus (imagine being in a movie, memorizing the script to the best of your ability, writing it down, and then selling "your" script off to the print shop), but scholars are still out on this (2).

Are you saying that Hamlet comes with the stageplay equivalent of a “deleted scenes and extra credits” movie disc?

Yep, pretty much! In fact, there are even more of these! Q2 was printed in 1604 and it seems to have made use of Shakespeare's own drafts, and rather than being pirated like Q1, it was probably printed more or less with permission. Three more subsequent quartos were published between 1611 and 1637, but they share much in common with Q2. The First Folio (F1) was published in 1623 and its copy of Hamlet was either based on another (possibly cleaner but likely farther removed from Shakespeare's own text) playhouse manuscript (2, 3). It was an early "collected works" of sorts--although missing a few plays that we now consider canon--and is the main source used today for many of the plays!

The versions of the play that we read usually include elements from both Q2 and F1.

So... Q1? How is it any different from the version we all know (and love, of course)? What do the differences mean for the plot?

We’ll start with minor differences and build up to the big ones.

Names and spellings

Most of the versions of Shakespeare's plays that we read today have updated spellings in modern English, but a true facsimile (a near-exact reprint of a text) maintains the early modern English spellings found in the original text.

For example, here is the second line of the play transcribed from F1:

Francisco: Nay answer me: stand and vnfold your selfe.

For the most part, however, the names of the characters in these later versions (ex: F1) are spelled more or less how we would spell them today. This is not so in Q1.

Laertes is “Leartes”, Ophelia is “Ofelia”, Gertrude is “Gertred” (or sometimes “Gerterd”), Rosencrantz is “Rossencraft”, Guildenstern is “Gilderstone”, and my favorite, Polonius gets a completely different name: Corambis.

(This goes on for minor characters, too. Sentinel Barnardo is “Bernardo”, Prince Fortinbras of Norway is “Fortenbrasse”, Voltemand and Cornelius--the Danish ambassadors to Norway--are “Voltemar” and “Cornelia” (genderbent Cornelius?), Osric doesn’t even get a name- he is called “the Bragart Gentleman”, the Gravediggers are called clowns, and Reynaldo (Polonius’s spy) gets a whole different name--“Montano”.)

2. Stage directions

Some of Q1's stage directions are more detailed and some are simply non-existent. For instance, when Ophelia enters singing, the direction is:

Enter Ofelia playing on a Lute, and her haire downe singing.

But when Horatio is called to assist Hamlet in spying on Claudius during the play, he has no direction to enter, instead opting to just appear magically on stage. Hamlet also doesn't even say his name, so apparently his Hamlet sense was tingling?

3. Act 3 scene reordering

Claudius and Polonius go through with the plan to have Ophelia break up with Hamlet immediately after they make it (typically, the plan is made in early II.ii and gone through with in III.i, with the players showing up and reciting Hecuba between the two events). In this version, the player scene (and Hamlet’s conversation with Polonius) happen after ‘to be or not to be’ and ‘get thee to a nunnery.’ I’m not sure if this makes more or less sense. Either way, it has a relatively minimal impact on the story.

4. Shortened lines and straightforwardness

Many lines, especially after Act 1, are significantly shortened, including some of the play's most famous speeches.

Laertes’ usually long-winded I.iii lecture on love to Ophelia is shortened to just ten lines (as opposed to the typical 40+). Polonius (er... Corambis) is still annoying and incapable of brevity, but less so than usual. His lecture on love is also cut significantly!

Hamlet’s usual assailing of Danish drinking customs (I.iv) is cut off by the ghost’s arrival. He’s still the most talkative character, but his lines are almost entirely different in some monologues, including ‘to be or not to be’! In other spots, however, (ex: get thee to a nunnery!) the lines are near-identical. There doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to where things diverge linguistically, except that when Marcellus speaks, his lines are always correct. Hm...

5. The BIG differences: Gertrude’s promise to aid Hamlet in taking revenge

Act 3, scene 4 goes about the same as usual with one major difference: Hamlet finishes off not with his usual declaration that he’s to be sent for England but with an absolutely heart-wrenching callback to act 1, in which he echoes the ghost’s lines and pleads his mother to aid him in revenge. And she agrees. Here is that scene:

Note that "U"s are sometimes "V"s and there are lots of extra "E"s!

Queene Alas, it is the weakenesse of thy braine, Which makes thy tongue to blazon thy hearts griefe: But as I haue a soule, I sweare by heauen, I neuer knew of this most horride murder: But Hamlet, this is onely fantasie, And for my loue forget these idle fits. Ham. Idle, no mother, my pulse doth beate like yours, It is not madnesse that possesseth Hamlet. O mother, if euer you did my deare father loue, Forbeare the adulterous bed to night, And win your selfe by little as you may, In time it may be you wil lothe him quite: And mother, but assist mee in reuenge, And in his death your infamy shall die. Queene Hamlet, I vow by that maiesty, That knowes our thoughts, and lookes into our hearts, I will conceale, consent, and doe my best, What stratagem soe're thou shalt deuise. Ham. It is enough, mother good night: Come sir, I'le prouide for you a graue, Who was in life a foolish prating knaue. Exit Hamlet with [Corambis/Polonius'] dead body. (Internet Shakespeare, Source #4)

Despite having seemingly major consequences for the plot, this is never discussed again. Gertrude tells Claudius in the next scene that it was Hamlet who killed Polonius (Corambis, whatever!), seemingly betraying her promise.

However, Gertrude’s admission of Hamlet’s guilt (and thus, betrayal) could come down to the circumstance she finds herself in as the next scene begins. There is no stage direction denoting her exit, so the entrance of Claudius in scene 5 may be into her room, where he would find her beside a puddle of blood, evidence of the murder. There’s no talking your way out of that one…

6. The BIGGEST difference: The added scene

After Act 4, Scene 6, (but before 4.7) comes this scene, in which Horatio informs Gertrude that Hamlet was to be executed in England but escaped:

Enter Horatio and the Queene. Hor. Madame, your sonne is safe arriv'de in Denmarke, This letter I euen now receiv'd of him, Whereas he writes how he escap't the danger, And subtle treason that the king had plotted, Being crossed by the contention of the windes, He found the Packet sent to the king of England, Wherein he saw himselfe betray'd to death, As at his next conuersion with your grace, He will relate the circumstance at full. Queene Then I perceiue there's treason in his lookes That seem'd to sugar o're his villanie: But I will soothe and please him for a time, For murderous mindes are alwayes jealous, But know not you Horatio where he is? Hor. Yes Madame, and he hath appoynted me To meete him on the east side of the Cittie To morrow morning. Queene O faile not, good Horatio, and withall, commend me A mothers care to him, bid him a while Be wary of his presence, lest that he Faile in that he goes about. Hor. Madam, neuer make doubt of that: I thinke by this the news be come to court: He is arriv'de, obserue the king, and you shall Quickely finde, Hamlet being here, Things fell not to his minde. Queene But what became of Gilderstone and Rossencraft? Hor. He being set ashore, they went for England, And in the Packet there writ down that doome To be perform'd on them poynted for him: And by great chance he had his fathers Seale, So all was done without discouerie. Queene Thankes be to heauen for blessing of the prince, Horatio once againe I take my leaue, With thowsand mothers blessings to my sonne. Horat. Madam adue. (Internet Shakespeare, Source #4)

First of all, the implication of Hamlet and Horatio's little date in the city is adorable ("Yes Madame, and he hath appoynted me / To meete him on the east side of the Cittie / To morrow morning.") It reads like they're going out for coffee!

And perhaps more plot relevant: if Gertrude knows of Claudius’s treachery ("there's treason in his lookes"), her death at the end of the play does not look like much of an accident. She is aware that Claudius killed her husband and is actively trying to kill her son and she still drinks the wine meant for Hamlet!

Now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for! My thoughts! Yippee! On Gertrude: WOW! I’m convinced that she is done dirty by F1and Q2! She and Hamlet have a much better relationship (Gertrude genuinely worries about his well-being throughout the play.) She has an actual personality that is tied into her role in the story and as a mother. I love Q1 Gertrude even though in the end, there’s nothing she can do to save Hamlet from being found out in the murder of Polonius and eventually dying in the duel. Her drinking the poisoned wine seems like an act of desperation (or sacrifice? she never asks Hamlet to drink!) rather than an accident.

On the language: I think Q1′s biggest shortcoming is its comparatively simplistic language, especially in 'to be or not to be,' which is written like this in the quarto:

Ham. To be, or not to be, I there's the point, To Die, to sleepe, is that all? I all: No, to sleepe, to dreame, I mary there it goes, For in that dreame of death, when wee awake, And borne before an euerlasting Iudge [judge], From whence no passenger euer retur'nd, The vndiscouered country, at whose sight The happy smile, and the accursed damn'd. But for this, the ioyfull hope of this, Whol'd beare the scornes and flattery of the world, Scorned by the right rich, the rich curssed of the poore? The widow being oppressed, the orphan wrong'd, The taste of hunger, or a tirants raigne, And thousand more calamities besides, To grunt and sweate vnder this weary life, When that he may his full Quietus make, With a bare bodkin, who would this indure, But for a hope of something after death? Which pusles [puzzles] the braine, and doth confound the sence, Which makes vs rather beare those euilles we haue, Than flie to others that we know not of. I that, O this conscience makes cowardes of vs all, Lady in thy orizons, be all my sinnes remembred. (Internet Shakespeare, Source #4)

The verse is actually closer to perfect iambic pentameter (meaning more lines have exactly ten syllables and consist entirely of iambs--"da-DUM") than in the Folio, which includes many 11-syllable lines. The result of this, however, is that Hamlet comes across here as considerably less frantic (those too-long verse lines in F1 make it feel like he is shoving words into too short a time, which is so very on-theme for him) and more... sad. Somehow, Q1 Hamlet manages to deserve a hug even MORE than F1 Hamlet!

Nevertheless, this speech doesn't hit the way it does in later printings and I have to say I prefer the Folio here.

On the ending: The ending suffers from the same effect ‘to be or not to be’ does--it is simpler and (imo) lacks some of the emotion that F1 emphasizes. Hamlet’s final speech is significantly cut down and Horatio’s last lines aren’t quite so potent--although they’re still sweet!

Horatio. Content your selues, Ile shew to all, the ground, The first beginning of this Tragedy: Let there a scaffold be rearde vp in the market place, And let the State of the world be there: Where you shall heare such a sad story tolde, That neuer mortall man could more vnfolde. (Internet Shakespeare, Source #4)

Horatio generally is a more active character in Q1 Hamlet. This ending suits this characterization. He will tell Hamlet’s story, tragic as it may be. It reminds me a bit of We Raise Our Cups from Hadestown. I appreciate that this isn't a request but a command: put up a stage, I will tell this story. Closing notes: After over a year, it was due time this post received an update. My main revisions were in regard to source verification. Somehow, in the last year or so, one of my old sources went from linking to a PDF of Q1 to a garden website (???) and some citations were missing from the get-go as a result of this being an independently researched post that involved pulling an all-nighter on Christmas Eve (but no excuses, we need sources!)

I have also corrected some badly worded commentary implying that the Folio's verse is more iambic pentameter-y (it's not; in fact, Q1 tends to "normalize" its verse to make it fit a typical blank verse scheme better than the Folio's does--the lines actually flow better, typically have exactly ten syllables, and use more iambs than Q1's) as well as that the spelling in the Folio is any more modern than those in Q1 (they're both in early modern English; I was mistakenly reading a modernized Folio and assuming it to be a transcription--nice one, 17-year-old Dianthus!) Additionally, I corrected the line breaks in my verse transcriptions and returned the block quotations to their original early modern English, which feels more authentic to what was actually written. A few other details and notes were added here and there, but the majority of the substance is the same.

Overall, if you still haven't read Q1, you absolutely should! Once you struggle through the spelling for a while, you'll get used to it and it'll be just as easy as modern English! If you'd prefer to just start with the modern English, I have also linked a modern translation below (source 5). And finally, my sources! Not up to citation standards but very user-friendly I hope... 1. Oxford English Dictionary 2. Internet Shakespeare, Hamlet, "The Texts", David Bevington (https://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/doc/Ham_TextIntro/index.html) 3. The Riverside Shakespeare (pub. Houghton Mifflin Company; G.B. Evans, et al.) 4. Internet Shakespeare, First Quarto (facsimile--in early modern English) (https://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/doc/Ham_Q1/complete/index.html) 5. Internet Shakespeare, First Quarto (modern English) (https://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/doc/Ham_Q1M/index.html)

And here conclude we our scholarly tale, Of sources, citation, and Christmastime too, Go read the First Quarto! And here, I leave you.

#shakespeare #hamlet #first quarto #first quarto hamlet #classic literature #revisions #hey look at me #having some scholarly merit #i have so much left to learn #which is a darn good thing #how else would i spend my evenings?#the worst part about this #is that it all started because i thought a got a date wrong #but it turns out i didn't #so HA!#but then i realized i got everything else wrong so....#corrections it is!

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ilbenmalpensanteus · 9 months

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It's funny how ss fans can be wrong even when they are... right. Yes, I'm not contradicting myself.

As you all can see thanks to the pics I posted, one of them was "talking" (read: whining) about how ss has mythology references as well.

Well, I won't denying it.

Saying otherwise could be 1. false, 2. wrong, 3. hypocrite, 4. honestly against my very line of work.

However, I would like to point out something:

Ninigi has, indeed, similiarities with Sasuke, such as:

a. his "connection" with Amaterasu

b. kusanagi

c. he will marry Sakura

But. The similiarities end here.

Now, that could be hardly casual given Kishimoto's clear knowledge of mythology, history and literature; however, aside from the marriage and the sakura flower, the similiarities between Sakura and Sakuya-hime, instead, stop here.

Thinking he could have used this specific, eventual, references to mark Sasuke and Sakura's relationship as a romantic one is ontologically wrong.

Why? For the genericity of the references, obviously.

Amaterasu and Kusanagi are two milestones of Japanese mythology and one can find them in several legends, related to very different characters.

Secondly, the comparison between Sakura and Konohana Sakuya-hime isn't flattering.

She was the usual empty, batshit crazy woman who burned the hut with their children inside to prove she didn't cheat on him.

You can find it in every, single, version of the myth. The girl was not fine.

The usage of fire as well: great, really, but a fuckton of japanese deities are fire-repellent, so it's like to say... nothing spectacular?

Now, about the "sources" they shared:

Aside from the one pic with Kaguya (totally out of the blue, I would say, given I only stated sun and moon symbolism are often associated with sexual intercourses or lovers), we have:

- Sakura and Sasuke's name on the sand (probably written by Sakura, don't know why this is relevant.

- Sasuke with kusanagi (that's okay) and snakes: here the snakes are clearly the focal point. But why? Was Ninigi associated with snakes?

- The cover with Sakura wearing a sakura-flowered dress and while holding the Uchiwa fan.

The last one specifically is... interesting because: where is the deep references? The flowers? That's the girl's name. The fan? It seems more like another sign of Sakura crushing on Sasuke and writing "Sakura Uchiha" on her notebook while giggling.

So, the point is:

If you want to make an analysis you need:

1. real sources (not photos already crafted to prove your ss point) - btw, I gave actual books, but they refused to take them in consideration;

2. to use images consistently.

Here a summarised analysis:

Shinjū is a Japanese term meaning "double suicide". Lovers committing double suicide believed that they would be united again in heaven. It was also possible for lovers to commit a murder-suicide (muri-shinjū).

This is a clear example of Shinjū's reference:

Here, we have:

- the will to die together

- the hope they will meet again in the afterlife

- the "connection of hearts" (from the very term's meaning and the context)

Here the sources:

1. Becker, Buddhist Views of Suicide and Euthanasia, Philosophy East and West

2. Takahashi, Cultural dynamics and the unconscious in suicide in Japan

3. Leupp, Male Colors: The construction of homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan

4. Heldt, Between followers and friends: male homosocial desire in Heian Court Poetry

5. Saikaku Ihara, Love of Comrades

6. Saikaku Ihara, The Great Mirror of male love

7. Rogers, She loves me, she loves me not. Shinju and Shikido Okagami

8. Heine, Tragedy and Salvation in the Floating World

THIS is a sensible reference. And a very small analysis.

And a parallelism.

Bye :)

PS Tumblr fucked up the pics order (sorryyyy)

#sns #naruto analysis #anti sasusaku stans #anti sasusaku #japanese mythology #literature

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gilmores-glorious-blog · 3 months

Text

okay okay okay so i just watched the pbs great performances hamlet and it was. SO GOOD. oh my god. here are my many, many thoughts:

- the singing starting the show is fucking amazing

- the opening funeral scene and then the transition to the wedding goes so hard

- ophelia’s song having lines from hamlet’s letters to her .. …

- this polonius casting is GOD TIER like yeah. that’s what he looks like. that’s correct.

- i don’t like that they cut the opening ghost scene :/

- omg this horatio <33 i love him sm

- horatio’s black nail polish is everything to me

- ophelia is so hot oh my god

- i love a production that plays up the sibling dynamic between ophelia and laertes

- on that note, ophelia and laertes making fun of polonious is always so fun

- the modern aspects with masks and stuff are so interesting

- the ghost possessing hamlet???? oh my god i’m obsessed why have i never seen that done before

- the actor rolling his eyes back so that you only see the whites of his eyes while he’s possessed is so fucking cool

- i love productions that have hamlet cut his hand on his sword idk why i just do

- also horatio not even hesitating to cut his own hand? i’m insane

- ah fuck,,,, hamlet and horatio grasping each others bloody hands… horatio clasping hamlet’s hand with both his hands,, i’m unwell 😭

- gertrude and claudius being super horny for each other always makes me so uncomfortable

- these ros and guil costumes are great

- big fan of productions that make claudius be super charismatic it’s always such an interesting choice

- god this polonious is so good, he’s so fucking funny

- i love hamlet’s rings <3

- hamlet taking a selfie with the stacie abrams poster is crazy

- hamlet’s personalized handshakes with ros and guil are so cute

- it’s interesting that it’s fully set in america and that all the lines referencing denmark were cut out/changed

- i’m trying to figure out what hamlet was reading but i can’t and it’s driving me crazy 😩

- hamlet smacking polonious on the ass was crazy

- god i love a production that leans into the comedic aspects of this play,, it may be shakespeare’s most famous tragedy but it’s also funny as fuck sometimes

- the incorporation of singing/rapping throughout the show is so good

- also polonious as the one white guy in the room being like. ‘erm actually i don’t like the rapping 🤓☝️’ ,,, stfu man

- i need to know who wrote the lyrics for these songs bc they’re so good and they incorporate the original text so well

- fucking hell man,, his to be or not to be was amazing

- the “where’s your father” moment was so good

- oh my god horatio’s costume change,, the pink suit,,, i love him :’)

- i wish productions didn’t cut down the passions slave speech as much as they tend to do :/

- god ophelia’s dress is GORGEOUS

- polonious being the only one wearing a mask was wild but also so real (as someone who has often been the only person masked in a room)

- god this claudius is really good i appreciate the depth he brings to the role

- hmm interesting place for an intermission idk how i feel about this

- polonious in comfy clothing,, rest in peace peepaw 😭🫡

- polonious’ body lying on the bed during the entire closet scene is so fucked

- sometimes i wish i didn’t know this play so well so i could watch adaptions without noticing every single line they leave out,,,

- jfc,, hamlet wiping the blood off his knife onto the bedsheets,,,

- gertrude not hugging claudius back 👀

- claudius punching hamlet >:(

- idk how i feel about the decision to make ros and guil know about hamlet being sent to his death

- let’s be honest i’m mostly here for solea pfeiffer’s portrayal of ophelia’s madness

- the running makeup and the messy hair. YES.

- i hate that i have a certain melody to ophelia’s songs in my head so when i hear other versions with different melodies i’m like. hmm. incorrect.

- holy fuck she’s so incredible… the ophelia ever oh my god

- YESSSS INCLUSION OF THE HORATIO LETTER SCENE FUCK YEAH (i hate when adaptations don’t include this scene)

- horatio is reading the letter like omg pirates my boyfriend is so cool

- it’s always so funny to me that claudius and laertes make a plan, a backup plan, and a backup backup plan for killing hamlet and it still backfires and kills them both (i mean it does also work to kill hamlet. but still.)

- the portrait of king hamlet watching the entire show goes so hard

- this gravedigger is so amazing i’m obsessed

- ugh 😭 the singers singing the same song at ophelia’s funeral as at the king’s 😩

- oh FUCK ophelia coming out at her funeral.. the watery lighting… i’m going insane

- horatio holding hamlet and comforting him :(

- laertes apparently being able to see the ghost of ophelia makes him as a narrative foil to hamlet all the more juicy

- the eat a crocodile line is always so random lmao

- aw fuck…. laertes singing really got me… :(

- oh my GOD this osric is so fucking funny

- lmao osric beefing with horatio

- horatio in the background of the fencing match cheering on hamlet <3

- claudius standing and rubbing gertrude’s shoulders knowing she’s about to die :( this isn’t fair i’m not allowed to be emo about them

- hamlet offering laertes the sword and then laertes stabbing him with it,,,

- gertrude’s realization of what happened right before she dies was so good

- claudius cutting his own hand on the sword was a powerful choice

- it’s always funny to me when productions completely cut out the fortinbras plotline

- horatio catching hamlet as he falls :(

- horatio singing to hamlet after he dies… i am so incredibly unwell 😭😭

- THE GHOST WAS VOICED BY SAMUEL L. JACKSON?!?? crazy.

overall, amazing production. i loved the musical elements. definitely my favorite ophelia and polonius i’ve seen, possibly my favorite laertes and claudius as well. the hamlet/horatio relationship wasn’t quite as prominent as i would’ve liked it to be, but it was still really great, and i enjoyed analyzing all the little moments they did have.

#me when i’m so normal and neurotypical about this shakespeare play…….#hamlet #eli.posts

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funficwriter · 1 year

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Gin Ichimaru x Subordinate who likes to write :3

A/N: Welp, this turned out much longer than I expected. Also you gotta love how I switch back and forth between darkfic to fluff. Hope you enjoy!

Warnings: None for this one

Ever since you joined the 3rd Division, it was typical of Gin to be curious about the type of person you are outside of work.

So imagine his spiking curiosity when he hears excited chatter among the other seated officers about compelling characters and beautifully executed tragedies. I HC he's very much into literature, so you can bet he'll extend an ear.

"Hanako-san has to be the only antagonist I ever felt bad for! That twist regarding her child's death in the winter! And her last lines! That newbie here is something, eh?".

His mind jogs and traces it back to another subject of his curiosity. So you write well, eh? Why did he not know? No matter, he had a plan to see more.

You were assigned some documenting work. After a while, you decided to steal a little time working on your novel. As you confirmed no one was around and scribbled away, you thought of how a lot would be needed to bring you back into the real world...

Or just your captain's appearance.

Your trance was snapped once you saw a thin hand emerge into your field of vision, which was taken by your notebook, point to a line of dialogue: "My, my... You've already aroused the reader's curiosity in Hanako-san's legacy. Well done".

Before you could even think of saying 'thanks', your notebook was gone. It didn't take a genius to know who took it: "Sorry, little Y/N. I'm a fan of yours, but I'm still a captain and I can't let anyone slack off. You can expect it back by tomorrow.".

Generally, he doesn't do much with confiscated items, but you'd be so so wrong to think the same applied to your novel. No, he finished everything for the day, wore his comfiest kimono, brewed some tea... The minute he started to read, he was gone. Even Kira could barely hold his attention for any remaining matters.

The next morning, you find your notebook back in your room, next to a few persimmons, chocolate and a note in his beautiful handwriting: "I don't think I can go on without knowing how the story ends. I noticed you were free this evening. Please join me for a cup of tea so we can discuss further.".

And so, a new bond forged not of official relations, but a shared interest, began.

From then on, you two often had tea and snacks together, discussing books you liked, characters that stuck with you... You liked Gin's taste, even incorporating a bit of it in your next chapters. Sometimes, you two would get Izuru to join you.

Gin would totally encourage you to write for the Seireitei Communication. It's clear to the 3rd that you're gifted with words; Why hide it from the rest? And if you're nervous about the quality of your work, he'll gladly sit you down for one of his writing seshs, letting you look over his work and he yours.

Speaking of which, assuming he's older, ergo had more writing years than you, he's a pretty great mentor. He likes to praise but never gives it so easily so you're incentivized to keep getting better. He's also great if you feel that a piece isn't living up to its potential, but you can't tell why.

"I see... The set-up is exquisite, but I think you're preoccupied with the recurring details to a point where it harms the climax. Remember to let that shine on its own.".

There's also times where you two compete, whether it be on who can write the more coherent story, the more sorrowful character...

Congrats, you are now his much-touted 'writing companion'. If he wants to fluster you, though, it's 'writing playmate'.

After a while, some might notice that Gin's column and yours are... Answering each other? Like, if he brought up a certain topic, you would bounce off of it whether in terms of agreement or heated debate. Many readers expressed that they enjoy this exchange of ideas.

Once you two are close, it's not at all unusual for him to sneak up behind you while you write like the first time, sometimes even hugging you and resting his chin on your shoulder. Careful not to let him see the growing blush~

One night, you were writing a romance scene. Out of nowhere (as usual), you hear his low chuckle: "How dreamy~"

You turned back to see him grinning at you. Trying to keep stoic, you decided to ask: "I thought that they had good chemistry, unless you think otherwise?".

"Not at all! It was obvious, but just one detail I must point out; When you got to the confession point, you started to skim out on a lot of detail that could endear the reader to this moment.".

He had a point. Were you getting bashful about it?

"But don't worry, Y/N. There's nothing that improves writing like experience. If you ever need a real life example of such scenes, you can always ask me~".

Did he just... Allude to romantic moments between you two? With time, you find that yes, this darned fox couldn't let you know he was interested in you without teasing you.

For one, let's say that after you got together your romance scenes became... Much better.

You two would also use each other as characters in all sorts of writing. To fluster you, Gin would enjoy doing so in old-fashioned style romances. Sometimes he foreshadows dates through that!

If you're feeling petty, you can always present a story where he's the main character and gets beat down by a force of nature he can't control :p

By the time you finish your novel, there's probably a pair that is a lot like you two anyway.

Analyzing each other's work!

Gifting each other fine ink and writing tools!

Seeing who can write the most intense love letter to the other!

All in all, this is my brainrot and I'm gonna go hyperfixate bye bye :3

#gin ichimaru x reader #gin ichimaru fluff #bleach x reader #bleach fanfiction

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markcampbells · 5 months

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@excavatinglizard's Trigun fics! ✨

For @trigunfanfic's challenge to talk about an author where we love multiple works, I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about my dear friend and the reason I'm in this mess Lizard!

Lizard has two absolutely incredible Vashwood fics and I am not at all biased by one of them being a gift for me! I'm Your Man is a fic where Vash and Wolfwood shelter in an abandoned church and feed each other the communion wafers and wine, and some of the lines still live in my brain rent free. If you're a fan, as I am, of how Vash and Wolfwood can absolutely never talk openly about what's going on between them, you will love this fic.

His brain was still heavy from the wine, and he knew that if he let himself think, he’d brush himself off and they’d never talk about it again. He wanted, though, and wasn’t that the first sin? He’d killed a man fifty iles back, Vash pretending not to have heard the gunshot, but long before that, he’d wanted. (And please do check out their beautiful art for this fic!)

And then there is their recent absolute masterpiece, a Brokeback Mountain-inspired TriMax cowboy AU, Blue Dawn Over the Plains. I was absolutely rattling the bars of my cage waiting for this one and it was worth every second of the wait. Gorgeous prose, a take on Vashwood (and bonus MerylMilly!) that marries exquisite period detailing while also nailing their personalities perfectly, and, like all the best tragedies, compelling storytelling that really had me thinking it would turn out differently even if we knew the end. I cried on my new sheets. Reader, I'm still mad about that.

Wolfwood wondered how long it had taken Vash to read the names etched across the four goblets of the memorial, and he shivered despite the sun. There was something about Vash in that moment that ignited some long-buried prey instinct, to freeze and hope for nothing more than for the attention of some great predator to pass him by. A smile broke across Vash’s face. Wolfwood wanted to tell him to stop. Whatever sorrow lurked just behind his eyes was threatening to eat them both whole. Wolfwood reached forward and grabbed Vash by the lapels, pulling him in and kissing him hard. They were each grasping at one another, bodies taut like the beginning of a fight, or something else that would leave just as much damage in its wake. (More beautiful art here!)

Please do go read their wonderful fics and ogle the gorgeous art! I would not be in this fandom had I not been pulled in by their art and I am eternally grateful. Even if sometimes that gratitude was expressed in capslock on Discord at ungodly hours.

#trigunfanficappreciation #trigun fanfiction #vashwood #merylmilly #friends' art #trigun #fanfiction

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linkspooky · 1 year

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Sending this ask as a virtual high five because you're one of the few people who have had similar thoughts about jjk as I do; Gojou as a very very flawed teacher (not a father figure to his students), Gojou as a person who has never left his time in high school, being able to tell how the latest fight would turn out from before it even started and most importantly seeing jjk as the tragedy (with a, imo, hopeful ending) it is.

Seriously, I thought I was too out of the shounen mentally by the way it felt like I was reading a completely different manga from the majority of jjk fans, I'm glad to know there's at least 10 of us about lol.

Since we appear to have a similar mentality I have some things I'd love a 2nd opinion on if you ever have the time for it:

1. I tend not to stick to "statements made by the author before a series finishes as gospel", but I keep thinking about this one interview with Akutami where he said he planned to either end the story with only one of the characters alive or all, but one (mcs as in Gojou, Megumi, Nobara & Yuuji). I keep thinking since the "1 of them alive" ending is closer to the true one, that it'd more ironically tragic for Yuuji to be the one to live, do you lean towards Megumi more in this hypothetical or Yuuji?

2. Some people have raised the idea that the narrator for jjk is an unreliable one, I've never really thought about it before I saw that one text box of the narrator just saying [Why?] during the Sukuna v. Gojou fight, just as unsure as Gojou was in the same panel. I don't know if I agree because the other examples feel a little too ambiguous for me (parapharsing here of course, but regarding when Yuuji is said to be "choosen by the black sparks" when he pulls off the black flashes vs when it's said "[they?/black flashes?] don't choose who to bless" when Yuuji fails to pull them off in his fight against Mahito in Shibuya & how it seemed to favour Kenjaku a little too much on the Yuki + Choso fight). To me the narration in jjk always felt like a blend or more like it would switch between a more object omniscient voice and a particular character's. What are your thoughts on it?

Thank you, or your nice words!

I've already stated this before but I'm in the camp that only one of the main characters will survive the manga, and it will be Megumi. I'm working on a post on why I think Megumi is going to live that I'll post up eventually.

The narration is tricky. I reread the Yuki vs. Kenjaku fight and there was only one instance of the third person objective narrator appearing to explain anything other than the laws of physics it says (They miscalculated) when talking about Tengen and Yuki being caught offguard by the act Kenjaku had a barrierless domain like Sukuna. I don't think it favored Kenjaku a little too much.

As for the Yuji vs. Mahito fight, Gege actually explains that just before Yuji pulls a black flash to finish Mahito he thinks "I need a black flash" and then the narrator explains that Black Flash's can't be done by anyone on command but Yuji was fighting so skillfully at the moment he made it appear that he was controlling them. The line "The Black Sparks don't choose who to bless" was said because anyone can pull off a Black Flash even Mahito. You don't get a Black Flash because you really need one to win a fight, you get one by being skillful so your opponent can use one too. Considering that Yuji was referred to as being "chosen by the black sparks" previously in the manga I wonder if Gege threw this line in to clarify the contradiction, that no one was chosen by the black sparks in truth it just appeared as so.

That's the Doylist explanation though, that Gege was using the prose to clarify that Yuji is winning because he's skilled at landing punched not because of plot convenience. The Wattsonian explanation is in a twitter thread in the comments of this post that the objective narrator isn't as objective, first it leads us to believe Yuji is chosen because Yuji views himself as the protagonist of a shonen manga and then afterwards when Mahito uses a black flash that mistaken assumption is corrected.

Narration-wise, I think we have three types of personal narration, personal thoughts, a person explaining their own technique, and a third impersonal objective narrator. The objective narrator infodumps stuff that can't be explained by one person, and also appears to say information the character probably wouldn't admit too like the narrator informing us that Sukuna felt fear for the first time in his life. These are objective statements not subjective ones.

#askspookies

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desultory-novice · 1 year

Note

Got your reservations, eh? (Feel free to DM or disc if you'd rather not air 'em in public)

Oh no, I'm HAPPY to talk salt about the novels!(1)

(1) Prepare to find out why my nickname is "Salty Dess"

...Now, I probably shouldn't be. I really hate to complain about someone's work when I know that alllll sorts of stuff go into the creative process. Including real human stresses about life and deadlines and having to meet various corporate imposed standards. Writing in accordance with reading levels, brand image, etc, etc. Even with all those piled on top, we're not yet in the dark future where AI writes everything and that should be celebrated! Even an author with flaws/hangups means they're still human and it's human-made art I want to see discussed, studied, and cherished!

Though...

...Man, just WHAT is up with Takase-sensei's treatment (or lack of??) of Magolor and Kirby's friendship! Why is it like this?? Where is she GOING with this for three, or really, five books now!! (2)

(2) I mostly ignore Dreamy Gear and Kirby Clash in this lengthy rant, but those don't treat Magolor much better.

Actually, before I get started, brief tangent:

Probably the thing that gets the most groans from me is Takase-sensei's Meta Knight bias. Back when everyone was speculating if we'd get a Magolor Epilogue novel or not, I was so CONFIDENT it wouldn't happen I would have put real money down on it, because there was no way for her to work Meta Knight in. And Takase-sensei always works Meta Knight in. Usually in a leading role. Lo and behold, the Magolor Epilogue novel didn't happen. Now, I'm not the person to talk bad about having a character bias :cough: Marx :cough: Magolor :cough: so I won't, but I also won't hesitate to note that she is showing a pretty obvious bias there.

So, back to Magolor and Kirby. By now, it should be clear I'm someone who thinks really highly of their bond. I've always thought of (the original) RtDL as a tragedy. I just refused to believe that the takeaway of that game was supposed to be "And that's why you should always be cautious around strangers, kids!"

I suppose there was always the turn-around that Magolor seems to be in trouble but it was actually the ship that was in trouble the whole time, but that "rescue the princess" narrative went out the window a year later when Magolor and the Lor are depicted as loyal partners again in Dream Collection. A bond that is staunchly re-affirmed in Star Allies.

If the point is not to save the Lor from Magolor, what is?

Now, I also think that RtDL DX's many (subtle) changes to the narrative were informed by a desire to grow Magolor's character after a decade of fan speculation and brand growth. And I think he was consciously MADE into more of a tragic figure as a result.

...True Arena...

But there always had to be something to inform that growth. And even in the original, he has that "Let's always stay friends!" line.

So, RtDL gets adapted in book form and Takase-sensei seems to do her darndest to like... write Magolor out of his own story? Which becomes especially weird when you take into account the Labyrinth novel, where Magolor is a villain all the way through.

Now, unlike most other Magolor fans, I actually kind of like that book. I thought the idea that everyone calls Magolor out on being sus in the beginning was pretty cute coming so soon after his villainous turn.

I think the joke where he uses the mirror to become all powerful but just becomes a giant, funny-looking squeaky toy is hilarious. I think the fact that Takase-sensei highlights that Magolor does.not.know. the different between fighting Kirby and playing with him is probably the smartest thing she's ever written about him.

It is, in fact, something that informs my own characterization of Magolor. At least, the implication that he's been too alone for too long to know how to socialize with people properly.

And there's his breakdown in the end that it's not fair that he lost because he's never had any friends! (Marx: "......") The fact that this appeal causes Kirby to spare him and then he runs away and steals Kirby's cake was also cute in a Saturday morning cartoon freeze-frame ending.

It wasn't an amazing novel (what I really dislike in it is how Takase-sensei characterized Claycia. What the HECK was up with that? She's just...crazy and mean about art to the point that she leaves her girlfriend best friend in tears randomly every other week, I guess?) but it was fine on it's own...

"If only the story ended there..." to quote Smash Bros (EU)

So yeah, Starcutter and the Lying Wizard once again gives Magolor like one or two moments of interesting pathos, generally involving the Lor. But then Takase-sensei refuses to let Magolor build any bonds with the mains or let the mains bond with him.

Nope, we have to spend an unnecessary amount of time in Raisin Ruins with Meta Knight explaining to Kirby about how dangerous that mysterious new power might be when, oops, it never actually turns out to be dangerous! 'If you put the gun on the mantlepiece in act 1, someone has to fire it in act 2' is one of THE oldest pieces of writing advice in the known universe...!!!

And it's not just the wasted time on red herrings. (Or skipping Egg Engines....) It's the the whole concept of her leaving Kirby and Magolor becoming friends on the table that I just.don't.get.

If your heroes have no emotional stakes involved in fighting the big bad, that's... bad. Everyone knows one of Magolor's keywords is "betrayal." He "betrays" Kirby and the others. But not in the novel. They barely know him. He used them, but he didn't betray their trust or their friendship. Because he didn't HAVE either of those things to begin with. (Anyone remember the scene where Magolor calls the others "friends" and NO ONE responds to him? Because I do.)

Heck, I'd go so far as to say that the Lying Wizard barely LIED to them there. (Especially if you buy into him possibly being a secret descendant of the Ancients, born off-world.)

His offer to have Kirby be his lackey comes so out of nowhere. His offer to Chilly to rule the galaxy at his side in the manga, despite being based on a joke relationship, came off as so painfully sincere there that there are dedicated MagoChilly fans to this day!

And Kirby doesn't engage with him during the fight either. He responds to the things Magolor says with this "eener-neener nuh-uh" tone that is just... weird. I think most people have noted that Kirby comes off a little more mature in the novels than in other media. Still a "youth" by definition, but he talks and is capable of deep thoughts. But in the fight with Traitor Magolor, Kirby almost slips back into being an anime-esque infant. No thinking, no willingness to engage or even look at what he's fighting. (His one comment about the eye is almost embarrassing given the lack of everything till then.)

...Oh and DO NOT get me started on the fact that Takase-sensei specifically make the gang fight Magolor Soul and then changes his last words so it is now a meaningless groan of defeat?! I was SO upset at that choice (why not stick with his regular form in that case) but I told myself, hey... it's not like we know with definitive proof what Magolor Soul is actually saying...

...

Oh, NEVER MIND, WE DO. And we know via the end-of-book text that Takase-sensei had access to everything she would have needed to write an informed Magolor Soul battle.

No. For whatever reason, making Magolor unrepentant in Labyrinth, making Kirby disinterested in the person who would later go on to say (... in the remake) that he hoped to be Kirby's most reliable friend in this or ANY dimension, and, oh, lest we forget...

There's the Samurai Kirby novel...

So, I mentioned above that I knew there wouldn't be a Magolor Epilogue novel. But I had to admit I was a little surprised we'd get an adaptation of the Samurai Kirby game to go along with the release of RtDL DX. It felt like an odd choice at the time.

Slightly less so once you know the plot so, okay... Here's what's weird about Samurai Kirby. And I'll try to keep it short and vague but talking about Magolor's role in it necessitates SPOILERS.

...

Magolor is the bad guy. Again. Yes. And he makes a passing attempt at getting Kirby to be friends with him this time too and Kirby once again refuses to engage with him and then, Magolor says to himself that he could never imagine being friends with Kirby.

...

I just want to point out once more that this novel came out two weeks after RtDL DX. We go straight from a game with Magolor using his vast magic powers to help Kirby out of pits and bring him food at regular intervals, a Magolor who, at his worst, begs Kirby for help while Kirby's own inner voice encourages him to "...save a new friend" and also a Magolor fighting through a hell-parallel to get back to "...his friends." And just...

Why would you write that, Takase-sensei?! Why would you write that book NOW?

And now we come to the present. And I've gone from upset to...mildly curious. Because the most interesting things about Magolor in the Samurai Kirby novel is that A) He says he gets the feeling maybe he and Kirby knew each other in another life and B) His goal is to get to a place that is OBVIOUSLY Halcandra. It's not written in Katakana but the place name and the methods Magolor wants to use to get there make it really, really obvious. It's either Halcandra or the Samurai Kirby equivalent. Except that I think he really IS trying to get to THE canon Halcandra.

DX has now canonized Magolor as "the dimensional traveler." So it's not strange at all if these curious AU worlds and events start to occur around him/because of him.

While I'm currently pretty apathy for the way Takase-sensei writes Kirby and Magolor's friendship currently, I can't help but wonder if this dimension stuff isn't all building up to something...?

At the very least, canon Magolor built Magoland for Kirby and friends, so either this novel will HAVE to acknowledge that or...no one will mention that and we'll have another book where Magolor is the villain (...because come on, he's probably going to behind everything in this book too. After being consistently sus through all his novel appearances, it would be weird and jarring if he were completely innocent this time) and it'll end with him and Kirby coming to an "agree to disagree" relationship.

Or maybe this time, things will be different and it will end with Novel Kirby and Novel Magolor actually becoming friends in a way that mimics their game selves.

I really can't say for sure. But those...

:pauses to take a breath:

...are my reservations.

Brief Bonus: So, before you file everything I wrote up above as the ramblings of a crazy aspie, I am not the only one who has taken notice of Novel Kirby + Novel Magolor's non-friendship.

A couple of fanartists I follow on Twitter have even begun drawing humorous comics about things like "...threatening Magolor with Novel Kirby if he doesn't behave and it working" or "...Novel Magolor complaining to Game Magolor that he just can't get Kirby to like him." So, the vast difference in the treatment of their friendship (or lack of one) is something others have taken note of.

I'm not going to say anything like "I expect this novel to let me down too" in regards to Magolor. Nothing of the sort, really! I've come to terms with what the novel is, and I mean it that I'm curious if these Novel Magolors who continually fail to make a connection with Kirby will build up to something. Maybe something truly fascinating!

And hey, in lieu of (ever) having Marx appear, I can enjoy a villainous Magolor just in the meantime. (But seeing other people make fun of "Novel Magolor" definitely helped take the sting out of it.)

Phew...

I didn't realize I had as much to say about that as I did, but apparently, it was something I needed to get off my chest!

...Before everyone goes, just because I don't know when I'll next have leisure to rant about novel-verse problems but...

I want to say that I'm also a little :side-eye: about Takase-sensei having Meta Knight give us "word of god" evidence in the novel that the Master Crown wasn't evil, it was just Magolor's OWN inner wickedness that made it that way when A) even Star Allies casts aspersions on that theory and B) the remake brings out some credible evidence for the theory that the Master Crown is, in fact, AMAZINGLY EVIL. There is even reason to believe it was brainwashing Magolor almost from day one!

...But that's a story for another essay.

#Kirby #Magolor #Kirby novels #Dess Text Post #Long post #Really long post

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