A lot like a dream.

multifandom blog

[catilinas]

something something one morbillion recent essays and thinkpieces on the genre of modern adaptations/retellings/whatever of specifically greek mythology, and comparatively way fewer on the genre of historical fiction about the ancient world which i feel has a different set of prejudices/projections/distortions. but it does still have those things. sure you get an article or two when a film like gladiator ii comes out but compared to the greek myth retelling industrial complex it’s kind of nothing.

part of it is im p sure that there is just less historical fiction being written? i think historical fiction being genre fiction while myth retellings aren’t considered that in the same way is also part of it. probably so is the gendering of the genres, where a lot of myth retellings are by women and focuses on female figures, whereas there is a vast quantity of gladiatorslop and legionslop military historical fiction written by men that is doing all sorts of bullshit with its ideas of the ancient world, but doesn’t register as marked in the way female centred retellings do. also i read a legionslop book once and it was just incredibly bad writing, so maybe fewer people are writing about this because they understandably don’t want to slog through it.

also i think there’s a (false) perception that it’s easier to write about (and criticise writing about) mythology because of paucity and interpretability of sources, but that with a historical setting there’s less room to bullshit and you do have to actually know things. this is silly because it’s not like mythology doesn’t also have multiple historical settings! but it’s easier for authors and their reviewers/critics/whatever to think they know enough about mythology to write about it than like. 1st century bce roman politics. do people just not want to get into the details of how historical fiction authors use their sources. is that it.

it is a shame though, because there’s lots of interesting stuff going on in the history (haha) of historical fiction as a genreeeeee. can we talk about the spectre of ronald syme

[queerryan]

I'm going insane, there's no way these people are this level of delusion.

THE ODYSSEY HAS ALWAYS BEEN POPULAR, IT CAME FREE WITH BEING ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF LITERATURE FOR WESTERN CULTURE AND SHAPING THE BASE OF MOST STORIES OF ADVENTURE OR HERO'S JOURNEY, TO THE POINT WHERE IT'S AN OBLIGATORY READING FOR MOST SCHOOLS IN THE WESTERN WORLD.

[godlessondheimite]

jeff goldblum is the type of guy who gets mistaken for gay because he’s jewish. nathan lane is the type of guy who gets mistaken for jewish because he’s gay. stanley tucci is the type of guy who gets mistaken for gay because he’s a mild-mannered italian, which is jewish. seth meyers gets mistaken for jewish because of everything about him. zachary levi gets mistaken for jewish because everyone wants him dead. tom cruise gets mistaken for gay because he is.

[starrynet]

exactly

[theburialofstrawberries]

awesome awesome interview with Emily Wilson

[goldensunset]

>‘this thing is too generic and tropey’

>look inside

>forefather of that genre

[firestorm09890]

[frankbelloriley]

[glorious-spoon]

While I sort of get the impulse, it does always get my back up when people talk about something like Animorphs with this attitude of 'omgggg remember these books, how on EARTH were we allowed to read these books, they're so grim and dark and violent and tragic, no adults could possibly have known what they actually contained or they'd have been banned.'

And like. Allowing for the fact that there absolutely are adults who think every distressing topic ever should be banned from children's literature - they're children's books. You were allowed to read them when you were a kid because they were written for kids. Bridge to Terabithia is also a children's book. So is Where the Red Fern Grows and Old Yeller and Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry and The Giver and loads of other books that deal with heavy, difficult topics. It is appropriate and good for children to have books about these things that are tailored to their reading levels and it genuinely really bugs me when people act like they're somehow not really for kids because bad things happen in them or they end tragically.

[aaaangel444]

[malinaa]

[apjvff]

If you don’t let go of your prejudices and past grudges, your heart won’t blossom. 2013 is coming, let’s make a change. We only have one planet so let’s show each other some kindness.

[crowboy-bebop]

2013 is coming… let’s show each other some kindness…

[prokopetz]

Flavours of unreliable narrator:

Lying to the reader

Lying to themselves

Simply misinformed

Not paying attention

Has weird priorities

Assumed you knew

Hates you personally

Bad at communicating

Easily sidetracked

Will believe anything

Has weird prejudices

Just kind of dumb

[seerofmike]

too lazy to retype this but . insane interaction w coworker last night

[seerofmike]

tell me you have never worked in customer service without telling me you've never worked in customer service

[gpedia]

customer facing worker faces customers politely more at ten

[insecuregodcomplex]

[the-punforgiven]

I'm just saying, if you're going to worldbuild magic being a "raw, primal force, akin to and interweaving with nature itself" you gotta explain to me why animals don't use it

[the-punforgiven]

I know the normal answer is "they just aren't smart enough for it" but idk I've seen enough media where a character uses a spell in a moment of brain-off panic ilI feel like animals could probably stumble into a spell or two like, accidentally

[the-punforgiven]

Also how funny would it be to see a completely normal regular bear cast magic missile outta nowhere

[the-punforgiven]

Also there is no way ravens wouldn't figure out spells, tbh

They're smart fuckin birds, I believe in them

Either through observing or just figuring shit out ravens could 100% learn how to cast spells I'm sure of it

[the-punforgiven]

Dogs can also cast Magic Missile but every time they do the projectile is shaped like a bone or a stick and they chase after it

[prokopetz]

Fantasy setting where every species of animal has One Fucked Up Trick exactly like in medieval bestiaries (e.g., panthers hypnotising their prey with sweet breath, pelicans reviving the dead with their willingly shed blood, etc.), except these are actually learned magic spells passed down from parent to offspring, so different populations of the same animal in different regions might have a different spell.

(If a species is domesticated you can teach it any spell you want, as long as you start 'em young enough; every breed of dog has a different "standard" spell, and knowing the "wrong" one is considered both a grave departure from breed standards and a potential violation of animal husbandry ethics.)

[untimelytophat]

@crabussy

[aheathenconceivably]

thinking about when i mentioned tom and jerry by title alone to my 65 year old father and his only response was to laugh REALLY hard and say "him and that fucking mouse.." while staring into the distance. and then the conversation was over

[throo]

Wh-what do you mean it’s from a birthday cake

[throo]

We could have been eating him

[pangur-and-grim]

Queer Books and Authors are at a Breaking Point

Authors, agents, publishers: every part of the industry is seeing the strain of five years of escalating anti-LGBTQ censorship.

[pangur-and-grim]

if you'd like to show support, here are some upcoming queer books:

When Life Gives You Corpses is a brilliant YA about a cursed praying mantis who falls for a young witch. Yield Under Great Persuasion is a raunchy, but surprisingly sweet story about two men repairing their relationship. Fabulous Bodies is a horror story about a queer rockstar rising from the dead.

This is Where the Future Bleeds is a fantasy set in a vividly imagined land, where two women (who happen to kiss) are the key to healing the broken sky. You're No Better is a story about a teen struggling in the shadow of his murderous parent. Oil on Canvas is about a woman who finds disturbing paintings in the home of her dead mother.

and then here's a list of 26 queer books by Black authors set to publish this year, and a 10 upcoming books by trans authors. if you want to fight back against queer censorship, use your wallet! or (if that's not an option) you can contact your local library and ask them to stock a copy.

[penelopepennington]

In addition: looking for indie publishers and queer bookshops is a great way to find and support queer authors and stories of so many infinite varieties! (The following suggestions are based on my UK-centric knowledge)

(Some) Queer Presses:

Lurid Editions are "a publishing project committed to intentional and conscientious acts of archival repair". They are "attentive to how marginalised histories are forgotten and remembered, [and] hungry to rediscover overlooked queer books". They've just received funding from Arts Council England to engage queer readers in a project to contribute to the archive!

Cipher Press "We’re really keen on the idea that queer and minority stories are for everybody, and we want to make our books – and the stories they tell - accessible to all" (what an amazing mission statement!)

Anamot Press "Anamot [Անամոթ] means shameless in Armenian. ⁣⁣Anamot Press publishes poetry and prose on intersecting experiences of gender, sexuality, race, migration, class, belonging and loss - with no shame."

(Some) Queer Bookshops

Queer Lit Oh man, I remember when this was just a tiny little shop, and now they're the biggest LGBT+ bookshop in Europe! They do amazing work in donating books about being trans to schools and parliament! They have a pay-it-forward board that will make you sob with its notes of love and support. (You can tell I wish I still lived nearby)

Lighthouse For Scottish friends - "a queer-owned and woman led independent community bookshop. We are an unapologetically activist, intersectional, feminist, antiracist, lgbtq+ community space"

Gay's The Word The OG Queer bookshop in the UK. One day I will make my pilgrimage!!

This really is just a tiny snapshot of all the amazing work of celebration and resistance that's being done for Queer literature at the moment. We live in frightening times, but I promise there is still lots of love and joy and hope out there in spaces like these. Support them in whatever way you can!!