Readsalot1 - Untitled

First try with fanart! I was trying to give a wrinkled/windswept quality to the academy uniform, but monochrome (despite the attempt at aesthetic) did not work as well as I wanted it to.

Ficlets 2 and 3 are up!

Part 2: Gwen & Wade plan the beginnings of the chatfic.

Part 3: Doug-as-Lommy angst.

I have (in light of my current writing flow) decided to create and post the first supplementary story of "Deadpool's epic Game of Thrones Chatfic." Gwenpool runs into "Redheaded Arya Stark" and her blonde friend, and the story will be what inspires Wade to create his chat.

(on another note, Amara Is Not Amused)

I totally agree. There's a lot of stories that are amazing and quickly discounted because they're old.

When COVID-19 caused the shutdown in the US, school was still on, but the needed time investment tanked for the end of the school year. This gave me a lot of time to read, and I read a whole lot of Shakespeare's plays.

While some were skipped (Rape of Lucreta was not something I was going near), some were lighthearted (Twelfth Night, Two Gentlemen of Verona), some were traditional comedies (Winter's Tale), and some were unquestionably tragedies (Romeo and Juliet, King Lear).

And some plays were very obviously products of the political culture of the time (fun fact, in Henry VI, the actress who plays La Pucelle (Jeanne d'Arc) in Part 1 usually also plays Queen Margaret in later parts, because they're both the "villainous women" in the play). Richard III is very obviously pro-Tudor, and the political climate in Hamlet's Elsinor more closely resembles England's court of the time than any contemporary Danish court.

Other plays are most definitely not something publishable today. And this is okay, as long as we (the readers) understand that the attitudes expressed, while prevalent in Shakespeare's time, are no longer acceptable. Othello and Merchant of Venice are definitely the most obvious examples of this, though Prospero's treatment of Caliban and Ariel in the Tempest are also questionable. (None of these plays are accurate representations of real people, or groups of people. However, it is important to note that Shakespeare gives these characters more depth than any of his contemporaries.)

Shakespeare remains one of the most impressive authors of his day, and truly an extraordinary playwright. I guess what I'm trying to say is that while some of his work hasn't aged well, it remains important to teach his work in schools, and the content that hasn't aged well, and the content that is obviously politically biased, remain important to teach as well. (Please hear me out before commenting/bashing)

Shakespeare's Henry VI presents an English perspective on events of the 100 Year War, and due to this perspective introduces narrative bias, which is especially present in the character of La Pucelle, who readers will be more familiar with as Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc). Joan, in the modern understanding of events, was a female civilian who joined the French in working to fight against the English, and was eventually burned at the stake. In the religious context, she has since been canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church. However, in the play, she is written as a witch who is also (in colloquial terms) "sleeping her way to the top." Because Shakespeare is being sponsored by the English crown, and thus must support the English side in his "History" on the war, he has Joan represent a malevolent force.

Even more interesting is that Richard III, about the War of the Roses, has had elements (that could actually be just propaganda, there's not enough historical evidence either way) become part of the prevailing historical narrative. Specifically, the "boys in the tower" story, about how he arranged to have his nephews killed.

Othello could never work in the modern day, but it is representative of historical attitudes. Despite these attitudes, Othello remains a very real character, who, while incredibly competent at his job, remains open to manipulation. Iago takes advantage of social isolation and fear to exacerbate jealousy, and Othello remains a man who is deeply in love. While there are issues with racial attitudes in the story, it could serve as an important lesson about manipulation. Iago finds what Othello cares about (Desdemona), helps to set up the idea that Othello should no longer be secure in Desdemona's love for him, and helps the situation to blow up in Othello's face, so Iago can have what he wants (the job of Cassio, who he sets up as the "other man" in the supposed affair). The lesson that people may not always have your best interests at heart can be a hard one, and is often overlooked by detractors of the play.

Merchant of Venice might paint Shylock as it's villain, but he gets the opportunity to leave the audience with a line that emphasizes the equality of all humanity ("If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"). Additionally, he is remarkably three-dimensional by the end, which makes him much more intriguing as a character, and increases the attention the audience pays to the validity of his lines.

TL;DR, even some of the more "problematic" of Shakespeare's plays remain relevant today (and important to read), even if no longer for the same reasons as before.

(Exit Stage Right, pursued by a bear)

This is how it feels to read a classic that everyone in the world has already read and loves

I have (in light of my current writing flow) decided to create and post the first supplementary story of "Deadpool's epic Game of Thrones Chatfic." Gwenpool runs into "Redheaded Arya Stark" and her blonde friend, and the story will be what inspires Wade to create his chat.

(on another note, Amara Is Not Amused)

Recently saw something about the Force (as in Star Wars) being female.

No.

The Force is quite literally a force that acts upon living beings. This is like giving gravity a gender (and I'm not referring to gendering that happens in romance languages).

In-universe, does the wind have a gender (male, female, non-binary, etc)? No it does not. And so I genuinely have no idea why you would assign the Force, which operates the same way (by both being affected by and affecting its surroundings) a gender either.

Honestly, every morning I wake up and wish someone would wack me in the face with a can of crab so I have an excuse to stay in bed