#congrats on understanding the character

[tuttocenere]

verdi's don carlo at bayerische staatsoper, 2012

carlo's hand journey

[a-spacecadet]

Graphic design is my passion

-

So I wanted to make these kinda look like a 50’s ad for a department store or something like that…really tried to utilize how nice the character designs from Clone High really are 💕

[ofbreathandflame-archive]

With the rise of booktok/booktwt, there's been this weird movement against literary criticism. It's a bizarre phenomenon, but this uptick in condemnation of criticism is so stifling. I understand that with the rise of these platforms, many people are being reintroduced into the habit of reading, which is why at the base level, I understand why many 'popular' books on booktok tend to be cozier.

The argument always falls into the 'this book means too much to me' or 'let people enjoy things,' which is rhetoric I understand -- at least fundamentally. But reading and writing have always been conduits for criticism, healthy natural criticism. We grow as writers and readers because of criticism. It's just so frustrating to see arguments like "how could you not like this character they've been the x trauma," or "why read this book if you're not going to come out liking it," and it's like...why not. That has always been the point of reading. Having a character go through copious amounts of trauma does not always translate to a character that's well-crafted. Good worldbuilding doesn't always translate to having a good story, or having beautiful prose doesn't always translate into a good plot.

There is just so much that goes into writing a story other than being able to formulate tropable (is that a word lol) characters. Good ideas don't always translate into good stories. And engaging critically with the text you read is how we figure that out, how we make sure authors are giving us a good craft. Writing is a form of entertainment too, and just like we'd do a poorly crafted show, we should always be questioning the things we read, even if we enjoy those things.

It's just werd to see people argue that we shouldn't read literature unless we know for certain we are going to like it. Or seeing people not be able to stand honest criticism of the world they've fallen in love with. I love ASOIAF -- but boy oh boy are there a lot of problems in the story: racial undertones, questionable writing decisions, weird ness overall. I also think engaging critically helps us understand how an author's biases can inform what they write. Like, HP Lovecraft wrote eerie stories, he was also a raging racist. But we can argue that his fear of PoC, his antisemitism, and all of his weird fears informed a lot of what he was writing. His writing is so eerie because a lot of that fear comes from very real, nasty places. It's not to say we have to censor his works, but he influences a lot of horror today and those fears, that racial undertone, it is still very prevalent in horror movies today. That fear of the 'unknown,'

Gone with the Wind is an incredibly racist book. It's also a well-written book. I think a lot of people also like confine criticism to just a syntax/prose/technical level -- when in reality criticism should also be applied on an ideological level. Books that are well-written, well-plotted, etc., are also -- and should also -- be up for criticism. A book can be very well-written and also propagate harmful ideologies. I often read books that I know that (on an ideological level), I might not agree with. We can learn a lot from the books we read, even the ones we hate.

I just feel like we're getting to the point where people are just telling people to 'shut up and read' and making spaces for conversation a uniform experience. I don't want to be in a space where everyone agrees with the same point. Either people won't accept criticism of their favorite book, or they think criticism shouldn't be applied to books they think are well written. Reading invokes natural criticism -- so does writing. That's literally what writing is; asking questions, interrogating the world around you. It's why we have literary devices, techniques, and elements. It's never just taking the words being printed at face value.

You can identify with a character's trauma and still understand that their badly written. You can read a story, hate everything about it, and still like a character. As I stated a while back, I'm reading Fourth Wing; the book is terrible, but I like the main character. The worldbuilding is also terrible, but the author writes her PoC characters with respect. It's not hard to acknowledge one thing about the text, and still find enough to enjoy the book. And authors grow when we're honest about what worked and what didn't work. Shadow and Bone was very formulaic and derivative at points, but Six of Crows is much more inventive and inclusive. Veronica Roth's Carve the Mark had some weird racial problems, but Chosen Ones was a much better book in terms of representation. Percy Jackson is the same way. These writers grow, not just by virtue of time, but because they were critiqued and listened to that critique. C.S. Lewis and Tolkien always publically criticized each other's work. Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes had a legendary friendship and back and forth with one another's works which provides so much insight into the conversations black authors and creatives were having.

Writing has always been about asking questions; prodding here and there, critiquing. It has always been a conversation, a dialogue. I urge people to love what they read, and read what they love, but always ask questions, always understand different perspectives, and always keep your mind open. Please stop stifling and controlling the conversations about your favorite literature, and please understand that everyone will not come out with the same reading experience as you. It doesn't make their experience any less valid than yours.

[whogirl42]

Is it bad that my first thought after total shock seeing that Alicole scene was man, that'll be great to use for Rhaenicent manips?

[fevekko]

Hello, yes

I am here for the black Monsieur Neuvillette propoganda

welcome to the club 💪💪💪💪💪💪 (yeah this is cropped so shitty idc i'm tired)

[tothepointofinsanity]

Rich guy lore:

So, basically this rich guy gets a bunch of assassination attempts against him, but they all fail.

That’s about it….

Also, if he dies, the world will reset in which only he will forget.

Very interesting. Those corporate suits become more unpredictable by the day, honestly. A rich guy who hires people to take himself out. <- If only this was like real life. And the world revolving around his death is a pretty cool bit.

[chamoemileclown]

Say what you’ll say about the bbh/ forever debacle whatever is going to come of it will be juicy and we as the audience should appreciate that.

[quantumshade]

i'm taking her away and putting her up on a high shelf till you mfs learn to behave

[wibble-wobbegong]

self appointed mike understanders when discussing his relationship with nancy, his purpose in the narrative, the lethality of his self isolation coming to fruition in s5, or anything other than his queerness: …it’s not that serious

self appointed mike understanders when discussing his sexuality: HE’S A QUEER!!! IT ALL POINTS TO HIM BEING QUEER!!!! DETAILS MATTER!!! i understand mike so well nobody gets him like i do

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

anyway obviously ppl should act in good faith and not purposely make racist stereotypes of poc characters but i think a world where every poc character is under constant surveillance by an audience waiting to nitpick for evidence that the author is Secretly Racist, is a world where poc characters are not allowed to be interesting or compelling.

[aercnaut]

reminiscing about my early days of tumblr rp and i am once again wondering why, out of all the adults i wrote with, was nobody concerned about the fact the 15-17 year old was writing e.ric d.raven from t.he crow???

[typheus]

while its true that many ppl have tried to recreate vriska in their shows, comics, ect. and will continue to try, none have actually succeeded so far and i think none will tbh.  cause she really is a one of a kind just like all the other hs ladies, but so many ppl boil her down to just being ‘mean but loved’ that they completely ignore like 99% of everything about her that made ppl love her so much :/

your shitty character that has an even shittier redemption arc will never be The Next Vriska. and your first sign of failure was thinking she needed redemption and adoration in the first place.

[linagram]

To the prisoners: What did it feel like getting the video extracted? And do you have any guesses what was on it?

sorry for the late reply and thank you sm for this question! (note: all of this happens before they find out about their verdicts, but they can already see that the guards are treating them differently)

Akio: It felt weird. Yes, I thought this whole thing was just.. I don't know, a game or something like that, but when they did that to me.. This is real. I really am going to be judged. And after they were done.. Fine, I don't want to say it, but I really did pass out. It's not like I'm weak, okay? I'm sure something like that happened to other prisoners as well. And no, I don't have any health problems, don't even ask. Just.. don't act like him. Don't worry about me.

And about the video.. I don't want to think about it too much. Who cares about that? I'm sure they just saw my accomplice instead of me. Sure, maybe I came up with everything, but he was the one who did it. It wasn't my fault.. I just hope that video didn't show all the details.

Aimi: Hm.. I've never felt like that before. It was a very strange feeling, but I wouldn't say that it was bad. Also, it didn't last that long, so I'm not complaining. Um, we're going to have two more trials after this one, right? That means I'll have to do the same thing like two more times.. Well, again, I'm not complaining.

You want to know what I think about my video?.. Well, my relationship with the guards haven't changed and I feel like they actually think I was.. the "victim", I guess? That means my video actually didn't show that much. I don't know if I should be happy or sad because of that, haha.

Shun: W-why did you have to ask me that? I've almost managed to forget about it, but now I have to think about it again.. I-it was scary. I had no idea what was going on and I just wanted everything to end. Also, how can something like this be real? I refuse to believe that they can actually see everything in just one video.. How did they even extract it? This doesn't make any sense!

But.. I think they treat me a bit differently now? Like, they're nicer to me now.. I don't know, maybe I'm just imagining things. But if that video really did show my "crime".. Hehe, it means I really do deserve to be forgiven.

Naomi: Well, I definitely didn't expect something like that. But for a place as strange as this, it's only natural to go through such a strange procedure. I can't say much, I think you'd have to experience it yourself to understand it.

About my video.. I don't want to think about it, but I hope it didn't show me being the victim. I don't want the guards to make the same decision that everyone else in my life did.

Kei: Ehehe, I'll never forget something like that, that's for sure! I have no idea what they saw in my video, but.. um, I hope it was something they can handle? Especially Miki-chan, that poor girl.. Ah, I don't have to worry about Eiji, he's gonna be fine. What? He's not as pure as he wants others to think!

Again, I don't know what they saw, but.. If they really know more about what I've done.. Well, Eiji still hates me. So even if he knows everything, he still doesn't want to forgive me. My little brother loves me so much, haha..

Eiko: Okay, fine, maybe all of this is not just some people being very passionate about roleplaying. But wow, they really did impress me with that whole "video extracting" thing! Now I want to know more. Oh, it's also supposed to be a music video, right? As I've already said, I hope one specific guard liked my voice~

I don't want to think about what they saw. It's not like I'm scared or anything, I just.. don't care. Even if they vote me guilty, I'm still gonna think that I was right. And I know I was.

Asahi: .. Just what was that? What is this place? T-this can't be real, right? They can't just.. I don't know, go through my brain and extract a fucking music video, this makes no goddamn sense! What are they gonna do next time, they're gonna do the same thing to my heart, but they will extract a whole movie instead?

Who cares about what they saw? Why is everyone so calm about this? I'm literally a child, but I know that it's impossible to do something like that!.. But if this thing can somehow make them forgive me.. Haha, maybe it's actually not that bad.

Yurika: .. I don't think something like this should be allowed. How does this place even work? Is this legal? I'm pretty sure it's not. Where did they get this technology from? I don't think someone as young as those two should be allowed to use it. Yes, I'm only two years older than the oldest guard, but still..

Fine, if this is real and this actually works, I just hope that video did a good job explaining what happened. I was the victim. The guards should know that already. But then why.. Why do I feel like they don't actually want to forgive me? What did they even see?

Riku: I don't know how this thing works and I don't want to think about it, because I care about my sanity and I don't want it to go lower. So I'll just accept it and move on~

My video, huh.. Oh, right, it was a music video too, wasn't it? Haha, well, I was the vocalist of our band, so I don't have to worry about them not liking my voice. I know my song was great and that's what matters. About what they saw.. It was that guy's fault. I'm sure they know that now. Also, if that video comes from, like, my brain.. Interesting. I see him as the guilty one and I see myself as the victim. So that means the video would most likely show exactly that, right? In my case it was definitely true, but don't you think that when it comes to some other prisoners, those videos aren't the most reliable source of info?..

Reina: Haha, well, the guards have managed to surprise even someone like me, so that's impressive! I would give them headpats as a reward, but I know the older guard wouldn't like it. But it was kinda fun, actually, I don't mind doing it again!

About the video.. Haha, I hope it wasn't too scary! I don't have much to say, but I hope they were able to see just how much of a villain I was.. Because if that's not the case and they will still vote me innocent, I will do everything that I can to make them see the truth with their own eyes.

[sunny-aster]

Yall really out here hooting and hollering abt how happy you are Gabriel now canonically only has weeks to live i compeletly didnt see anything abt Zoe coming out and confessing to marinette

[coderiderr]

Not gonna bother editing the meme but like me holding up starscream & tc above the water, skywarp drowning, all the other seekers as the skeleton chained to the bottom

[malewifehenrycooldown]

bloody mjf is aew champion now.

fuck.