#monte cristo meta

[writtenonreceipts]

Imagine an AU where Lily dies but James lives. Snape will be a dead man once James learns he technically was responsible for leaving him a widow and Harry without a mother

*sobs in jily* but for real.

I would devour feral James, ngl. I reblogged a post yesterday about that James/Percy Jackson coding or whatever it was...and you know James would seek revenge for Lily. BUT the thing about that being...it's James. And from what/how I interpret his character...he would go a little insane (ie sirius and remus reeling him in). But he would be so meticulous in his planning of revenge. Like full on Count of Monte Cristo revenge in place. I think, for all his immaturities that we saw demonstrated, Jame was a lot of growth and knowledge and deviance. Like, bro is an animagus, helped create an enchanted map, joined the order--we've seen his brains at work and for me, he'd definitely set a revenge plot of the century.

I feel like someone's done this plot before, fic wise?? If so, link me the story and I'll read/share! pretty please :)

Now, if I were more mentally stable and able to actually...y'know write... i've got ideas

so if we got the monte cristo route: james'll hide away and vanish without a trace to mourn and raise his son and keep him safe all while developing a plan, pooling his resources for what to do

and you know that sirius is with him, screw the pureblood patriarchy etcetc. Remus, now canonically it's been discussed they were on the outs/not as trustworthy of him for interesting and valid reasons that would be explored for plot (there's a meta post about this somewhere), but I think if Lily were to die, Remus would lend a hand in any way he could. And it may be in secret so that not even James or Sirius knows what work Remus is doing behind the scenes in gather intell until the end

(Admittedly, I am a slight peter apologist, I think his character/the archetype/trope/theme is really interesting and I'd like to explore it more) For the sake of this story, there does still need to be a traitor, and Peter inadvertently causes that. Or knowingly causes it...plot would tell.

And then severus knows theres something/someone after him. Dark alley's trailing voices--Does Voldemort suspect something?

He gets to Hogwarts for protection

Years pass and boom bam there's a change up at the ministry and who is this up and coming man that no one knows much about? It's James Potter but with a new and secret cool name so he can screw with Severus.

*insert political plot I can't articulate rn that mirrors Kelsier's plan in mistborn*

Snape dies.

(that last point is all that matters)

end

[tavina-writes]

In the Confucianism Book of Conduct 礼记, it talked about 3 kinds of ‘revenges’

《礼记》《曲礼上》“父之仇弗与共戴天,兄弟之仇不反兵,交游之仇不同国。”

Killing of father cannot be in existence under the sky, meaning, must take revenge for the killing of one’s father.

I was reading about chinise culture and read that. So, in mdzs, jl was supposed to kill his father's murder, based on chinise philosophy? That's why he stabbed wwx? I am curious ( and if it is like that, his forgiveness is even more important to me, at least)

Also, if it's not too much, what's your opinion about one of the last jc's scene, where jc raises his hand and then doesn't hit jl? I've read a ton of meta (breaking the circle of abuse... When we know he has never hit jl!). The scene confuses me and I was wondering if maybe I lack cultural contest.

Nonny, I'm not entirely certain where the emotional disconnect is on JL stabbing WWX except for I guess protagonist goggles. Like this isn't even a matter of philosophy, Chinese characters and people are not a giant black hole of "well they're too different for us to understand using human emotions!" nor are Chinese characters and people a monolith of "philosophy" and "cultural practices" that cannot be parsed outside of the in group.

Basically I guess what I'm asking here is "if someone tragically orphaned a child at age (1) month and that child is now a 13 year old who had a sword would you understand why this child stabbed the person who orphaned them, yes or no." I doubt Jin Ling was quoting philosophy about how he had to get revenge for his dad at that moment and more just? having an understandable human reaction? We can argue until 2300 about if it was the "correct" and "moral" reaction or not, but imo it was....an emotional reaction...much like how lots of characters in American media have human and emotional reactions.

(Also the revenge genre is not a uh, wholly Chinese concept, as far as I know lots of cultures round the world including the French which produced The Count of Monte Cristo also have stories about how you should take revenge against those who have wronged you. See Inigo Montoya's "you killed my father, prepare to die" from The Princess Bride as well.)

Lots of other people have written about JC's last scene in much more detail and much more eloquently than I will be able to manage here after grad school has started to fry my brain, if there isn't a consensus there, it just means that lots of people interpret that scene in a variety of different ways! pick the one you like best! Lit analysis is not a one size fits all correct answer generator.

[dpsisquared]

6 (although I think I already know the answer :P), 10, 20!

6. What character do you have the most fun writing?

Other than Dimileth, lol... certainly Sylvain, particularly teasing Dimitri. He's just The Guy that says what the audience wants to say. And there's always an undercurrent of "I'm being an ass cause that's my gimmick but I do actually care underneath all this smarmy bs".

Lately I've been writing Flayn more and she is fun too. Her stage notes are basically "how would an overexcited puppy react to this?" Lol. Petra as well because she is usually dropping some knowledge but you have to really analyze your sentence structure and word choice but keep that same message.

10. How would you describe your writing process?

Utter chaos. Anarchy.

But more seriously, GRR Martin has a quote about "gardening" writing style, where you start with a small seed of an idea and let it grow on its own which is exactly what I do. I have never outlined a fic or even known where it was headed when starting. For example with my ongoing fic rn, I didn't start out thinking "I'm going to write a regency au with a count of monte Cristo type revenge arc". A conversation popped into my head where there was a party at some palace where a few women were talking about Kronya's body being found just outside. I just liked the contrast. Then I thought, oh the gossiping seems regency-ish. Then, I have to ask myself questions to fill in the blanks- who killed her and why? Dimitri-- but how do they not know that? He's hiding his identity-- ok then who do they think he is? What would have had to happen to make that plausible? Etc etc etc, eventually a setting and plot come together. This is why my longer fics are usually complete by the time I start posting. Because the beginning setup usually comes last 😅

Unfortunately this leaves a lot of unfinished WIPs with 1-2k words written in one sitting and abandoned 🫠 Sometimes I come back weeks, months, or even a year later and finish them, sometimes not.

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

Hmmmm not sure if this counts, but I always try to keep Dimitri and Byleth's relationship balanced. I don't ever want it to be "woman with no personality of her own saves complicated man". I try to show how he has done a lot for her too 💙💙💙

A random thing I do for Byleth is reevaluate any dialogue that has her saying more than two sentences without pause. Almost always I will cut it down if that's the case, unless she is relaying an event or something unemotional like that.

[outroaedes]

Sabe Elias e o altar?

Talvez eu tenha lido errado, porque quando li de novo percebi coisas que não tinha percebido de primeira. Vi primeiro que talvez Deus quisesse que eu fosse como Elias, que desafia todo mundo, que dá a cara a tapa, faz o que tem de fazer e com fé nEle sai vitorioso, forte e justificado, mas na segunda leitura vi um eu diferente, e claramente eu não era Elias, era o altar. Exatamente, o único personagem "não vivo" da história e talvez fosse ele o personagem principal na segunda leitura. Deve ter nascido um amontoado de pedra, espalhado em algum canto por aí, só que foi ajuntado e nasceu o altar, que agora sabia do seu propósito, tinha um objetivo e uma meta, servir a Deus como local pra queima do sacrifício. Estava lá o altar vendo o outro altar do lado cercado de pessoas rodando e adorando, fazendo e desfazendo pra que ele pegasse fogo e nada, frio estava, frio ficou. Mas esse altar da história era diferente, era o altar de Elias, um representante de Deus na terra, o que mais ele tinha que fazer era queimar mesmo, queimar como nunca queimou antes e não deixar nem vestígio do que antes era carne, esse era o chamado do altar, queimar forte e brilhante. Mas vale lembrar que o altar era de pedra e pedra não fala língua de gente, então quando viu Elias botar lenha deve ter pensado "nossa, esse é o caminho certo, tenho lenha pra queimar, e vou queimar até o fim"... Elias colocou a carne, e o altar deve ter ficado animado, hora de mostrar pra que veio ao mundo!. Ainda forte e fervoroso o altar viu homens estranhos chegando com um tanto de balde e... Água no altar.

Por que razão, Deus? Tudo estava indo tão bem, a lenha estava posta, o altar reparado, a carne estava pronta, e no momento mais esperado, quando o altar tinha as melhores expectativas, os olhos brilhavam em busca de fogo lhe vem água, o que o altar fez de errado? Pois veio mais água, e quanto mais o tempo passava mais água chegava, e o sonho de queimar por cristo ficava mais distante, até que olhando em volta o altar só via um poço em volta de si. Lenha molhada, carne molhada, um poço imenso de água em volta dele, acabou. Não tem mais como queimar, o altar já pode desistir do chamado, e esperar que a carne apodreça. Antes ele tinha uma expectativa tão grande, olhava pra cima e só via a ânsia por queimar, brilhar, consumir e entregar a Deus toda aquela fumaça da qual Ele se agradaria, mas com tanta água o que sobra é ficar encharcado com um tanto de madeira e carne apodrecendo e dando bicho. O altar talvez se olhava na água e tentava não pensar nisso, mas era só isso que ele via refletir, um futuro apagado, podre e contaminado, fedendo a carne perdida consumida cercada por um monte de urubus. O altar talvez quisesse parar por ali, afinal pra que confiar em um Deus que fez tudo parecer certo pra no fim jogar água? Não um balde de água fria mas vários, um atrás do outro, sem tempo pra evaporar, sem tempo pra respirar, sem tempo pra emergir, e mesmo que tivesse tempo pra emergir, que pedra emerge? Era hora de parar de acreditar nessa coisa boba. Altar que não queima é descartável, inútil, um amontoado de pedras que "parece", mas não cumpre o propósito que tem.

Quando o altar já estava tomado por água, só esperando apodrecer, o céu se move e olha só, parece que é Deus olhando, como pode Deus olhar pra um altar assim, que não consegue queimar? O altar pode ter sentido vergonha, pode ter pensado em se esconder, mas como faz pra se esconder de Deus? Não faz, não tem como. É o fim pra o altarzinho patético que achou que pudesse queimar como os outros altares, ele não era bom o bastante, era um altar com água. Tudo seco, estiagem, todo mundo queimando que era uma beleza e ele parecendo uma piscina, altarzinho ridículo. Mas Deus não abriu o céu pra rejeitar o altar, abriu pra tocar fogo, e tanto fogo que qualquer outro altar próximo poderia facilmente duvidar do que aquele altarzinho virou. O processo doeu bastante, congelou, afogou, amassou o ego e expôs a vergonha de um monte de pedra que só queria cumprir o seu propósito, que era adorar queimando, mas quando Deus resolveu queimar, Deus levou toda a carne, levou toda a lenha, levou toda a água do altarzinho. Doeu, ele não sabia o motivo de estar passando por tudo aquilo, mas era parte do propósito, não é só queimar, tem todo o preparo, todo o trajeto, Deus sabe muito bem o que tá fazendo, por mais que doa bastante e o altar não veja saída, a saída vem do alto. O altar queima de acordo com a vontade de Deus, independente de quanta água ele veja.

O legal de olhar o altarzinho durante a história de Elias, é que ele não tinha controle sobre o que estava acontecendo, ele tinha um objetivo e por mais que tudo parecesse dar errado pra ele, talvez até questionando se Deus realmente queria que ele queimasse, ele não deixou de ser altar. Não jogou a lenha fora, não jogou o sacrifício fora, apenas suportou todo o processo até queimar. E sim, o altar pode muito bem ter sido eu, ter sido você, há vários altares e vários Elias, bastante água, luta, deserto, mas Deus é um só e ele nunca desiste de quem não desiste de ser altar. Eu senti vontade de escrever isso porque eu sei que algum dia vou precisar ler, porque vou ser o altar encharcado, quase desistindo, e não posso parar antes que o fogo consuma. Deus tem o melhor pra mim.

[child-of-hurin]

tagged by @dontbotherwiththepronunciation and @chthonic-cassandra

tagging:

I saw this meme going around recently and I can't remember who's already done it and who hasn't, so I'm blanket tagging anyone who reads this and feels like it :) tag me so I can read your response

3 ships 

Túrin/Nienor (TOLKIEN) I haven’t talked much about them lately but they’re still the most compelling to me… Part of what keeps me distant from fandom is that I feel like many fans won’t touch this ship with a ten foot pole. So even non-shippy fics or meta ends up OOC, fails to acknowledge how these two are both founding & sinking stones in each other’s lives…Etc…But it doesn’t matter much, I’ve been shipping this by myself for a long time and I’ll probably do it forever 😌

Irene/Eugenides (QUEEN’S THIEF) My current obsession, this ship lets me explore so many things I like :’D

Sandor/Sansa  (ASOIAF) Another ship that lay dormant but that’s re-awakening lately because I keep seeing posts that annoy me lmao. The problem here though is that I love their interactions in canon, and although I’ll be very happy if they meet again (and wish them to do so), I’m perfectly satisfied with what we got!  I genuinely find their arc very touching if heartbreaking, and I love what GRRM is saying — esp. regarding gender and socially-enabled abuse — through them. I think I’m mostly fascinated by the conflict in how these two come into contact with very idealized notions of how they should interact: Protector-protected for Sansa, Preadator-victim for Sandor, and yet no matter how much they try to convince each other AND THEMSELVES to fit into these models, reality imposes itself every time, and then they end up relating to each other as one person to another… It touches me deeply, this theme of the rawness and implacability of perceiving someone else (whether you want to or not!) instead of the idealized version of them. And how it's not necessarily easy to bear, or to live with!! I also love thinking about them in comparison to Theon and Jeyne, who have somewhat similar themes (especially like, the crushing weight of being aware of someone else's humanity/peerness), but somehow managed to free themselves whereas Sandor failed Arya and himself and ‘died’ & Sansa is now at Littlefinger’s mercy. We'll see where that will go, though (or not...it's been 84 years)

first ship

I always have a different answer for this one haha. Now I’m thinking it might have been Rodka/Sonya from Dostoievsky’s Crime and Punishment…

last song: 

last movie

John Water’s Hairspray (1988), delightful

currently reading

I’m reading a bunch of books at the same time right now… Let’s say The Count of Monte Cristo which I hadn’t read before & I’m right in the middle of. I’m reading it in English which feels a little silly, but whatever. It has WAY more orientalism than I ever thought. The psychology of it is also more complicated than I was originally led to believe. I'm fonder of both Franz and Albert than I think I'm supposed to be. I’m halfway through and I can’t believe Dantès owns two slaves...I do love that he’s not beating the vampire allegations.

currently eating

Trying to make space for a raisin roll 😞

currently craving

Mint tea...

[st-just]

If I liked PGTE and automatically assumed I'd like Pale Lights too, how might I be wrong?

Going off the unhappy comments on the subreddit, I think the main ones are

1- Guide was very obviously riffing off standard the Generic Western Fantasy Setting your roomate's D&D campaign is set in. This made for a very easy introduction and a world that felt familiar to the intended audience. Pale Lights' setting is much more original, and throws you into the deep end with much less hand holding.

2- Guide sprawls, but it's absolutely overwhelmingly Cat's story, and the supporting cast is introduced around her at a steady pace. By contrast, here's @gwennafran's lovely and very useful reference sheet of the 33 characters relevant to the story's action as of chapter 3. Some people seem to find this confusing. (They are weak).

3- To the extent that the label means anything, Guide is theoretically YA, Lights is not. There does seem to be a difference in tone compared to Guide's early books at least - and the lack of textual meta narrative means the world definitely seems less whimsical and playful. Also the main characters have less, like, 'PC of a 1-20 D&D campaign' vibe than Cat - think Garret from the Thief Games and a future Count of Monte Cristo.

[fizzarollitm]

Munday Tuesday About Me

Name: Clarke

Age: 26 (27 soon tho)

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexuality: Lesbian

Single Or Taken: Taken by @madefate <3

Hobbies: TTRPGs, Writing, Video Games

Favorite Color: Yellow

Fandoms: Helluverse, Smosh, Dungeon Meshi

Other Blogs: @furysburn & a personal I haven't touched in like 2 years

Favorite TV Show: Twin Peaks & NGE (Love me a meta text)

Do You Cosplay: Used too! Unfortunately cons are a nightmare for me so I fell off it. Would like to make a costume again!

Favorite Media: VERY torn, rn probably Helluverse but Twin Peaks inherently changed me as a person sew

Favorite Book: Umineko When They Cry, Cont of Monte Cristo, The Scholomance Series (not the last one)

Favorite Band: Lady Gaga

Favorite Movie: Spirited Away

Do You Have Pets: Nope

Favorite Animal: Cats

Do You Play Any Instruments: Nope

Favorite Hellaverse Character(s): Fizz, Blitzø, Charlie

Tagged By: @infernal-blaze <3

Tagging: @madefate @wcshedup @helldustedstories @vanaglcria

[crecimiento-espiritual]

Porque mis pensamientos no son vuestros pensamientos, ni vuestros caminos mis caminos, dijo Jehová. Como son más altos los cielos que la tierra, así son mis caminos más altos que vuestros caminos, y mis pensamientos más que vuestros pensamientos. Porque como desciende de los cielos la lluvia y la nieve, y no vuelve allá, sino que riega la tierra, y la hace germinar y producir, y da semilla al que siembra, y pan al que come, así será mi palabra que sale de mi boca; no volverá a mí vacía, sino que hará lo que yo quiero, y será prosperada en aquello para que la envié. Porque con alegría saldréis, y con paz seréis vueltos; los montes y los collados levantarán canción delante de vosotros, y todos los árboles del campo darán palmadas de aplauso.

Isaías 55:8‭-‬12 RVR1960

El poder de la palabra de Dios

De vez en cuando podríamos sentirnos abrumados y un poco intimidados cuando nos sentamos a leer la palabra de Dios. Si estamos cansados, agotados y abatidos por las circunstancias de la vida, leer la Escritura puede parecernos más un trabajo pesado que un verdadero placer.

Es en esos lugares oscuros y desesperados, cuando más necesitamos que brille la luz de Dios, y en los que nos damos cuenta de que nuestro apetito por la palabra de Dios disminuye. Esto se debe a que deseamos que Dios nos dé una respuesta instantánea, o nos transmita sabiduría que nos permita avanzar inmediatamente.

Sin embargo, cuando pasamos tiempo estudiando la palabra de Dios, nos damos cuenta de que no hay atajos para los cambios "instantáneos" que deseamos. La palabra de Dios se revela en nuestro corazón antes de manifestarse en nuestras situaciones. Es una revelación progresiva que planta semillas para el futuro, no solo instrucciones inmediatas para hoy.

Vemos esta poderosa realidad en los versículos 10 y 11 del pasaje de hoy. La imagen de la lluvia que riega la tierra debió haber sido una ilustración conmovedora para el pueblo de Dios. A causa del lugar donde vivían, la lluvia era un lujo y de ninguna manera estaba garantizada.

El agua no era de fácil acceso, por lo que dependían de Dios para regar sus cosechas y saciar su sed. No se trataba solo de lluvia para el presente, sino también de lluvia para alimentar sus cultivos en el futuro. El agua les proporcionaba no solamente sustento para las circunstancias actuales, sino que también les daba seguridad para su cosecha venidera.

Es así como actúa la palabra de Dios en nuestra vida.

La Biblia, como la lluvia, puede darnos satisfacción inmediata, alimento y refresco, pero también riega las muchas semillas que necesitaremos para sostenernos en el futuro. Dios quiere preparar nuestro corazón hoy para las diversas metas que busca alcanzar y cumplir en nuestro futuro.

Guarda las promesas de Dios en tu corazón y atesóralas, de modo que estés preparado para el futuro y tengas provisión en la vida presente. No podemos prever los momentos impredecibles que se presentarán a lo largo de nuestro camino, ni podemos evitar que circunstancias desfavorables sucedan en nuestra vida. Pero podemos abrir la palabra de Dios y cerrar la puerta a la incredulidad. Al recibir las palabras de Cristo en tu corazón, repones tus recursos y renuevas tu esperanza y tus expectativas.

[vickyvicarious]

man, I have a lot of thoughts about The Count of Monte Cristo, but I am a) sick, b) beetle bracketing, c) have DND tomorrow, and d) need to finish doing taxes as well as some work... no time to meta until probably after the book is done

[sofipitch]

6 and 19?

6. What books have you read in the past month?

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield - mostly good up until the end which has some weird opinions on pregnancy and the importance of biological vs adopted children I just didn't agree with 😬

The Count of Monte Cristo - Fabulous I enjoyed this one a lot. If it had a fandom on Tumblr I would be joining, probably not reading or writing fic but I wish there was more fanart, discussions/meta, and memes

The Round House by Louise Erdrich - A very good book, not a lighthearted read by any means but the kind of novel that means a lot. Def worth the read but for some ppl they might need to be in the correct mindset to read it. Will have you staring at the wall, especially the end

Currently reading:

Possession by A S Byatt - Mixed feelings so far, dense and slow

Endurance by Alfred Lancing - I joined a "book from an author from each continent" challenge and they included Antarctica 🙃 Since no one is from Antarctica this is just set there, a nonfiction account of the failed Endurance trip. Honestly not as boring as I thought, not normally something I would have cared about but I'm learning and am invested

Where the Past Begins by Amy Tan - A memoir about being a writer. Each chapter is basically it's own essay so I've been reading it in pieces rather than all at once.

I already answered 19 but thank you!

[polohubes]

Como pueblo de Dios Somos semejante a gavillas y estrellas.

Versículos de la Biblia.

Génesis 37:6-7 Él les dijo: Oíd este sueño que he tenido: He aquí que atábamos gavillas en el campo, y de repente mi gavilla se levantó y se mantuvo derecha; entonces vuestras gavillas la rodearon y se inclinaron ante la mía.

Génesis 37:9 Después tuvo aún otro sueño y lo contó a sus hermanos, diciendo: He tenido otro sueño, y he aquí que el sol y la luna y once estrellas se inclinaban ante mí.

En nuestro concepto, los hermanos de José, por ser adúlteros, fornicarios, criminales y aborrecedores, debían haber sido condenados al infierno. Pero José no soñó con espinos ni con ladrones que rodeaban a un hermoso adolescente, sino con gavillas y estrellas. Una gavilla es un manojo de espigas de trigo que se ata al recoger la cosecha. Esto indica que a los ojos de Dios, los hijos de Jacob eran su cultivo en la tierra. Además, no eran una labranza verde, sino una cosecha madura, recogida y atada en gavillas. En el segundo sueño, los miembros de la familia de José son representados por el sol, la luna y once estrellas. Eran luces que resplandecían y brillaban en los cielos.

En los tiempos de José, su familia era la totalidad del pueblo de Dios en la tierra. Conforme a nuestra manera de ver, eran viles y perversos; mas para Dios, eran brillantes y celestiales. Del mismo modo, según nuestra naturaleza humana, somos desagradables, malvados e impuros. Con todo, fuimos escogidos, redimidos, perdonados, regenerados y transformados. De modo que somos la labranza de Dios, la mies de Dios. Finalmente, seremos la cosecha de Dios; Él nos recogerá en gavillas. Además, somos luces celestiales. ¡Qué visión más grandiosa!

De Dios provinieron estos sueños que tuvo José, pues revelan la naturaleza, la posición, la función y la meta del pueblo de Dios en la tierra. El pueblo de Dios es Su cosecha y Sus luminares. Como cosecha tienen vida, y como cuerpos celestes tienen luz. El primer sueño contiene vida, y el segundo, luz. La vida y la luz caracterizan al pueblo de Dios.

S. Mateo 5:14 RVR1960

Vosotros sois la luz del mundo; una ciudad asentada sobre un monte no se puede esconder.

1 Corintios 1:27-30 RVR1960

sino que lo necio del mundo escogió Dios, para avergonzar a los sabios; y lo débil del mundo escogió Dios, para avergonzar a lo fuerte;y lo vil del mundo y lo menospreciado escogió Dios, y lo que no es, para deshacer lo que es, a fin de que nadie se jacte en su presencia. Mas por él estáis vosotros en Cristo Jesús, el cual nos ha sido hecho por Dios sabiduría, justificación, santificación y redención;

R. P. H.

[ornitotheus]

Sem memória.

Acordei assustado, mano, que horas são? Subi na moto, fui comprar um pão — na banca de jornal vi uma aglomeração, estranhei pelo horário a movimentação, senti o frio na barriga tipo uma premonição, acendi o meu cigarro sem dar muita atenção, vou seguindo minha meta, quem dorme pronto pra guerra tem essa sensação. Quando eu tiro o celular do modo avião, já começo a ver milhares de mensagens no WhatsApp, não para de vibrar um monte de ligação todo mundo comentando, falando da reportagem passando ao vivo pelo canal da cidade. Fui correndo na mesma hora pra ligar a televisão, não dá pra acreditar que o que eu tô vendo é verdade, meu amigo de infância dentro do ônibus com revólver na mão. Pensa que loucura, imprensa na cobertura, esquadrão antibomba, viatura isolando a rua, eu chamava de irmão, o apelido dele era professor, porque ia de porta em porta distribuindo leitura. O BOPE pede calma, ele não quer negociar, realmente não dá pra confiar nesse povo de farda suja, lembra da ditadura? Esse tal Coronel Ustra, matou o meu avô com maquinários de tortura. Eu falava sobre livro, mas ninguém me dava ouvido e agora meu irmão em Cristo faz sinal de arma com a mão, o mesmo argumento defendido por políticos, por isso eu comprei uma arma pra vocês me darem atenção.

Tô liberando as crianças, vou liberar as mulheres, machucar um inocente nunca foi minha intenção.

Ele disse na TV. Pode chamar de aula, pode chamar de sequestro, no final pra ser honesto todos vão ter uma lição. Eu vejo os capitães do mato todos posicionados, atirador do governo tem fuzil de precisão — eu prefiro ser atingido pelo tiro do inimigo mas nunca pela chibata na mão do meu próprio irmão. A gente existe há muito tempo, nunca existiu descobrimento, em abril de 1500 começou a exploração —os portugueses trouxeram a guarda e os padres jesuítas porque a cruz e a espada foi a única opção. Você conhece sua árvore genealógica? Parabéns. A gente sofre de falsidade ideológica. Aí o playboy acha legal colocar fogo em índio, esqueceram do Galdino? Povo sem memória! Você sabe a vida da Anitta, acompanha o Léo Dias, segue a dica da blogueira e os sites de fofoca mas não sabe quem foi Dandara, Ciata, Maria Bonita então para de novela e vem pesquisar nossa história. Sabiam que os bandeirante que dão nome a essas avenidas são iguais a esses milícia que temos aqui agora? Mataram a Marielle, mataram Zumbi dos Palmares, escravizavam os índios e o povo quilombola. Meus heróis nunca viraram estátua e sim morreram lutando contra aqueles que viraram. Hey, Bial, que se foda o que tu acha genial, pra mim Monteiro Lobato é só um racista arrombado. Olha seu filho com boneco do Thor — loiro de olho verde segurando um machado, agora imagina seu filho com um boneco de Xangô? A vizinha passando e falando “tá amarrado”. Todo camburão tem um pouco de navio negreiro, parece que o futuro tá repetindo o passado, se fosse pra escolher um bandido de estimação eu preferia o Lampião e não o Flávio Bolsonaro. Eu odeio Luiz Alves de Lima Silva lembrado como herói em Duque de Caxias, acabou com a revolta de João Balaio que matou o soldado que estuprou suas filha. Você conhece o nego Cosme e o cara preta? João Cândido e a Revolta da Chibata? Se conhecesse, ia saber que a princesa Isabel estava querendo bancar de fada sensata. Maria Filipa que era arretada, lutou contra a invasão da tropa portuguesa, Joana Angélica de Jesus — a  freira assassinada com uma baioneta. Vocês nunca viram Capitães de Areia, nunca leram livro de Castro Alves, adora o Mickey que veio da Disney, mas ignora todo o nosso folclore. Foda-se a mansão do astro do rock, foda-se que o Alok vai comprar um Porsche, o problema não é esses caras estarem ficando rico, o problema é o Cartola ter morrido pobre. Nem Luiz Inácio nem o Bolsonaro, esse fanatismo todo me deixa com medo, vocês esqueceram do nosso passado? O problema começou com Dom Pedro I. O quilombo de Palmares que ficava em Alagoas que até hoje ironicamente é o estado que mais mata jovem negro. Quantos Marcos Vinícius e quantas Ágathas? Quantos Amarildos, quantos João Pedro? Quantos nessa guerra vão ficar ileso?

Vou liberar o refém e sair com a mão pro alto.

Ele disse. Mas quando ele bota o pé pra fora do ônibus, é morto por pessoas de direitas que passavam.

DK.

[astronomical-bagel]

absolutely OBSESSED with how wilbur and dream's characters mirror each other's

[monte-cristo-incorrect-quotes]

In your opinion, the main differences between Le Comte de Monte-Cristo and comte de La Fère? (my two favorite boys❤️)

oh well Monte-Cristo didn’t hang his teenage wife, for one thing.

I’m joking I love Athos <3 

But listen you asked for it, so beware of an unnecessarily long rant, feel free to skip!

The main differences are obviously their (multiple) names, their physical appearance, their history, and their age, but also the role that they play in the two story, not in terms of plot, but in terms of characterisation, which is where I’m going to go batshit crazy.

The Three Musketeers is a satirical book (with a little bit of tragedy sprinkled at the end, similarly to La Reine Margot) and you laugh at the characters and their shitbaggery or at the very least criticise it but essentially you enjoy yourself. 

They’re awful people and that’s what makes it funny, with Athos murdering (twice) his own wife, Aramis being a hypocritical sleazy bastard, Porthos being a himbo in the bad way and d’Artagnan being a selfish irritatingly reckless bitch -- you kinda go “they’re complex characters” but in a “I love them because they’re awful” way, not in a “I’m trying to justify why I love them and give them more depth than they actually have” (the second books are much more tragic and a lot less comedic than the first, so this thing I’m saying only really applies to TTM) -- this is my off-hand comment to anyone who’s ever tried to adapt the book (except for the 2019 Italian movie), just accept it: the Musketeers are fucking awful and that’s great. Play with that aspect. It’s there for a reason.

TL;DR basically Athos is a horrible fucking person, but you laugh at it because of how exaggerated the whole thing is, especially since he has like... no reason to be so awful. 

On the other hand, The Count of Monte-Cristo is, essentially, a tragedy with a hopeful/bittersweet ending depending on the point of view; it does have its insanely funny moments (Beauchamp <3) but really it all boils down to a man suffering horribly and deciding it’s time to all go Batman, and that’s the whole point. 

Monte-Cristo isn’t any better than Athos, but because of his history and his motivations and the things that happened to him, you tend to justify or at least explain his actions. Monte-Cristo is an incredibly complex character, much more than Athos in my opinion (and again I adore Athos), and while reading the book you’re kinda... not supposed to enjoy yourself in a funny way. Especially because you feel for the characters he hurts just as much as you feel for him (Albert, Mercédès, Édouard etc), unlike in TTM where (most of) the background characters are just there to serve the story and to play as stereotypes (Buckingham, the King and others), so if something happens to them you kinda just... eh  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (again with exceptions, this my personal interpretation).

TL;DR the Count is a horrible fucking person and that’s what makes him so incredibly interesting and complex. There is no exaggeration or satire or comedic goal in who he is, even his performative exoticism and grandeur all serve a very specific purpose within the plot and the characterisation. 

Super TL;DR TCoMC gives a certain level of depth and personality to even the least important characters (think of the gardener that the Count corrupted or even bloody Château-Renaud), because you see them as what they are -- human and relatable and understandable. TTM takes certain flaws and characteristics and amplifies them to the point you can’t even really justify or explain the characters’ choices anymore.

Politics also play a very important role in TTM, it moves and motivates not just the 4 main characters but almost the entirety of the others as well (with the exception of Raoul, de Guiche, Mordaunt and La Vallière and a couple of others), whereas in TCoMC politics only give the initial push to the plot (the Denunciation Scheme and Villefort) and then motivates like... two of the characters that I can think of? Villefort and his dad.

Rant over! Jesus. This is so unnecessarily long but boy did I have fun with it.

[izzythehutt]

Do you think that the character of Edmund Dantes (Count of Monte Cristo) inspired/influenced the characterisation of Sirius Black?

That’s a really interesting question. I’ve never thought about it or made that connection, but as Count of Monte Cristo is the great jailbreak novel of the 19th century, I wouldn’t be surprised if it in at least a broad way inspired JKR.

As far as the character goes, I can’t see much similarity, since Dantes...actually succeeds in his revenge, and that’s the whole point of the novel? Whereas revenge on Peter and everyone else who screwed him over is ultimately a rather secondary motivation for Sirius when he breaks out of Azkaban. I haven’t read COMC in about twenty years (I was in middle school and I didn’t finish it, I did go through a Dumas phase where I was obsessed with the Musketeer books), but also doesn’t it generally have a rather triumphal ending? Or at least satisfying. For as much as people view Sirius as a “badass” in fandom, in the books he basically gets zero moments one could construe that way. Even the reveal in POA is tinged with sorrow and questionable sanity.

Honestly, the character I have always thought was an influence on Sirius’s characterization was Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre. The brooding, moody aristocrat who ends up inheriting the family pile he hates by semi-ironic circumstance. All of that is generally applicable to the byronic mold, of course, but there’s something about his biting sarcasm and thinly-veiled self-loathing that feels very Bronte. 

[jbuffyangel]

Arrow Season 7 Poster Analysis

Arrow promo department handed me a little crack today.

This poster is my jam.

But we’ll get to the light. Actually, what struck me first was the tagline “Revelation and Repentance.” It’s very biblical in nature. Beth Schwartz said the season theme was redemption. There were many guilty parties in Season 6, whose actions were anything but heroic, but I wouldn’t count Oliver among them. 

In fact, Oliver came as close to being a fully realized superhero in Season 6 than he ever has before. Yet, he ends up in prison. So what does Oliver need redemption for? Why is he being punished for the actions of others?

Redemption is a broad concept. It’s not limited to an act of atonement for a fault or a mistake. While there are many characters in Arrow that require atonement for their mistakes *cough*newbies*cough* I do not believe this is the lens we should view Oliver Queen through. Redemption means something very different for his character and the Season 7 poster illuminates how (pun intended). 

In the beginning, Oliver was a man in need of redemption for his sins. He was a self centered layabout who cheated and lied. 

It was Oliver’s sins that put him on the Queen’s gambit and lead him to Lian Yu – aka Purgatory. 

The island burned Oliver to ash and what emerged was a very different man. He was selfless, repentant, and completely committed to helping others. 

Oliver was still haunted by demons, but overtime (and with the help of his loved ones) he eventually was able to conquer most of them. 

Oliver’s light was on full display in Season 6. 

He married the love of his life, was an amazing father to his son, and fought for Star City both as the mayor and the Green Arrow. When his team turned him, Oliver offered forgiveness and understanding, even though those betrayals resulted in great personal cost.

It wasn’t a perfect arc. Oliver made mistakes and perhaps you believe he does require redemption for his sins. He did not discuss his decision to serve a life sentence, in exchange for the FBI’s help, with Felicity. 

Oliver Queen is also a murderer. Sure, they were all bad people, but murder is murder. It’s the entire reason he was being prosecuted. Damien Darhk nuked thousands, but it still didn’t give Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, the legal right to kill him. So, if this is how you view Oliver then the first definition of redemption works quite nicely.

However, I view Oliver differently. I’ve always been firm in my belief Oliver shouldn’t kill, but then again I’m not losing sleep over anyone he has killed. When I view the landscape of Season 6 as a whole, Oliver did almost everything I’ve ever asked of him. Even his mistakes were rooted in selflessness (more about that in my 6x23 review). I don’t believe Oliver Queen requires redemption anymore. He has shifted into something else entirely.

He is the redeemer.

Every superhero is essentially a Christ like figure. Look no further than Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice premiering over Holy week and the movie culminating in the crucifixion of Superman.

Wonder Woman hovers above the sky, in a perfect cross like formation, and destroys the epitome of evil Ares, (aka the Devil).

“It’s not about deserve. It’s about what you believe. And I believe in love.” - Diana, Wonder Woman

The superhero evolves to a place where they become the beacon of light for those they fight for. They become the best example of humanity. However, this often requires sacrifice. 

What did Jesus Christ require redemption for? Nothing. Jesus died for our sins. His death was our redemption. Did we deserve that kind of sacrifice? No, but it’s not about what we deserve. It’s about how much we are loved even though we are sinners.

Need a less Catholic perspective? No problem. Consider The Shawshank Redemption. As the always brilliant @callistawolf​ pointed out, Andy was an innocent man. He did not require redemption because he did nothing wrong. 

Perhaps he was not a good husband, but the punishment far outweighed the crime. But Andy had a light that could not be distinguished. He had hope and it gave others hope. His belief made others believe. Andy was the path to redemption.

Since both Shawshank and Arrow made not so subtle nods to The Count of Monte Cristo this is another prime example of an innocent man nearly consumed by anger and revenge, but ultimately embraces love and peace. 

Edmond Dantes is the path to redemption for others as well. Redemption  requires punishment or forgiveness for some, while other characters never achieve it.

Side note: Maybe we’ll be able to slot in Arrow characters into corresponding Shawshank & Monte Cristo roles. That’d be nifty.

As I said, the tagline is very biblical in nature which feeds my Oliver-as-the-redeemer theory. The definition of revelation is:

a : an act of revealing or communicating divine truth

b : something that is revealed by God to humans

2 a : an act of revealing to view or making known

b : something that is revealed; especially : an enlightening or astonishing disclosure shocking revelations

c : a pleasant often enlightening surprise

However, Revelation is also one of the books of the Bible. The scary one. 

This is the book, written by the apostle John, which details the way the world is going to end, but leaves it confusing enough so we have absolutely no idea when it will happen. 

That’s entirely the point though. We aren’t supposed to know when the world ends, but simply understand it will happen. Maybe we will to see the end or maybe we don’t. Either way our time here on earth is finite. There is a clock ticking. Our redemption lies with Jesus Christ. We must repent our sins and look to Him for our salvation. In fact, the word apocalypse means revelation. The Book of Revelation is often called the Apocalypse of John.

What the heck does all this mean for Arrow? I’m not saying Oliver is Jesus because that’s crazy, but symbolically he is. Oliver is Star City’s salvation. He went to jail primarily to protect his wife and child, but also to save his friends from prosecution. Oliver did it to save the city from Diaz - the same city prosecuting him for being the Green Arrow. Did the newbies or Star City citizens deserve Oliver’s sacrifice? No. Not even a little bit, but Oliver sacrificed everything that mattered to him to ensure their safety. Oliver Queen is a martyr. All superheroes become one eventually.

It’s why Oliver is bathed in light. He is the light. It’s always the light. There’s no mask, suit, bow, arrows or team (because prison, duh). Oliver is alone. He doesn’t have any of the tools he uses as a conduit for either his darkness or his light. Everything is stripped away. He is battered and bruised, but the light still shines.

One thing we have yet to see Oliver do is harness his light by himself. He’s always had Felicity or Diggle as his support system. They’ve always been there to pick him up and point Oliver in the right direction. But he’s cut off in the same way he was cut off from all those he loved on Lian Yu. Slabslide is another island.

I hope is Oliver is able to pull himself out of the dark hole by himself this time. This may be one of the final pieces of Oliver Queen’s superhero puzzle. The knowledge that Oliver can lose everything and yet retain his goodness may give him an inner strength he’s never known before.

It will take time and I expect Oliver to screw it up at first, because that’s what he does. Oliver will tunnel deeper into the darkness before he finds the way out. When Oliver was on Lian Yu he had to shut down his humanity to survive, so I expect this is the route he’ll initially go. However, he must embrace his humanity to survive this island. If the poster is any clue then Oliver he will eventually set himself on this path. 

Even though the other characters are not on the poster it still hints at their direction as well. The Arrow posters are always equally about the city as they are the characters, because the show never strays too far from Oliver’s mission.

The word repentance means to turn away from sin. The Hebrew roughly translates to “turn away from.” However, whenever we turn away from something we turn toward something else. We turn away from sin and turn toward Christ.  

If we replace revelation with apocalypse and repentance means “turn away from” then the message of the Season 7 poster is very clear. Star City and the newbies turned their backs on Oliver Queen, yet he is their salvation. The “apocalypse” is nearing, but we don’t know when or how. (This is standard Arrow story structure because the city is always under attack from the new Big Bad). The city and team must “repent” or turn away from their “sin” (mistakes/wrong doing/betrayals/self absorption/petulant toddler like fits – slot whatever you want in for sin) and turn towards the light – Oliver Queen.

All of this points to a new understanding and acceptance of Oliver Queen from the team, the city and himself. Oliver may be in prison, but his deliverance lies within. And the city’s deliverance lies with Oliver. 

If Season 6 was a rejection of the Green Arrow then Season 7 is about acceptance. The city and team will realize they need Oliver and the Green Arrow. They will atone by giving Oliver the chance to live both identities, man and mask, without lies and compartmentalization.  All of this brings us closer to a fully realized superhero and the story of Oliver Queen, the repentant sinner turned redeemer, full circle.