[ID: 8 screenshots of quotes from different pieces of media.
1. John Darnielle: “This is why people cry at the movies: because everybody’s doomed. No one in a movie can help themselves in any way. Their fate has already staked its claim on them from the moment they appear onscreen.”
2. Aeschylus, The Oresteia: “Orestes: This was always going to happen. She’s dead since the beginning.”
3. Richard Siken, Planet of Love: “Imagine this: / You’re pulling the car over. Somebody’s waiting. / You’re going to die / in your best friend’s arms. / And you play along because it’s funny, because it’s written down, / you’ve memorized it, / it’s all you know. / I say the phrases that keep it all going, / and everybody plays along.”
4. The Lumineers, Cleopatra: “But I was late for this, late for that, late for the love of my life. / And when I die alone, when I die alone, when I die I’ll be on time. / And the only gifts from my Lord were a birth and a divorce. / But I’ve read this script and the costume fits, so I’ll play my part.”
5. Tumblr user olreid: “Fated dead: if ur gonna die at the end of the story then ur dead at the outset :)”. text changes color: “:) the inside of my brain is truly like. if you’re dead at any point in the story then you’re dead for all of it. if you’re alive at any point in the story you are forever trapped in a one-dimensional life that repeats repeats repeats. the story kills you over and over again. the story won’t let you die, just brings you back to the beginning as soon as it ends. you can’t live inside a story because stories don’t support life. you can’t live outside of narrative because we need narrative for self-concept. stories are graves that exist outside of time. stories resurrect you again and again against your will. existing in a story is painful because you have no free will. existing in a story is peaceful because you have no free will. as soon as something is spoken or written it is fated. speak or write something in order to change your fate. stories eat you. you eat stories. all of these r true at the same time. no they’re not. yes <3”
6. Tumblr tag copied by user olreid: “#a character is a ghost a story is what it haunts (via @/ortusnigenad)”
7. Catherynne M. Valente, Deathless: “You will always go into that tent. You will see her scar and wonder where she got it. You will always be amazed at how one woman can have so much black hair. You will always fall in love, and it will always be like having your throat cut, just that fast. You will always run away with her. You will always lose her. You will always be a fool. You will always be dead, in a city of ice, snow falling into your ear. You have already done all of this and will do it again.”
8. Road to Hell II, Hadestown: “It’s a sad song / It’s a sad tale, it’s a tragedy / It’s a sad song / But we sing it anyway. / [sighs] / [spoken] / Cause here’s the thing: / To know how it ends / And still begin to sing it again / As if it might turn out this time / I learned that from a friend of mine.”