Why is A Raven is like A Writing Desk?

two years geez), but I still think

about this often.

THE WHAT-

Once Upon A Time was a weird show and it went off the rails and into Disney self-celebrating territory... But! The first season was endearing! I swear! And the very much canon relationship between Rumpelstiltskin and Belle was interesting (before it became a cycle repeated for seven seasons straight). And of course Rumpelstiltskin being played by the very talented Robert Carlyle helped

If it helps: the multiple roles covered by a singular character and weird pairings make more sense in the context of the show where every fairytale is supposed to be connected (and later on, when it went full Disney this included Disney original characters or fairytale characters but specifically in their Disney version).

As a person who watched all seven seasons, I can tell you that the weirdest thing is not the canon pairing and not even the non-canon ships. It's how almost everyone was related to everyone else on the show in some way. There are multiple lamp-shading jokes about this in the show.

In addition to finding out where in Africa her ancestors were abducted into slavery, Mary Moran discovered the meaning of the Mende song: a processional hymn for the final farewell to the spirit, it was sung in Senehun Ngola by women as they prepared the body of a loved one for burial.

In my AP Art class, there was a girl who was just starting to experiment with mixed media. At this point she was still playing around, trying to decide what direction she wanted to go with her portfolio. So one critique day, she brought in an abstract canvas with some rhinestone highlights and painted and real peacock feathers. She loved sparkles and peacock feathers so she thought she’d try introducing them a *little*. And after everyone had given some input, the teacher gave her his advice, VERY roughly paraphrased here:

“So here’s the thing… I do not like this style. These are just elements that do not speak to me personally, but I see that you like them, and you’re doing interesting things with them.

“My biggest critique is, I only merely *dislike* this piece. I want you to make me HATE it. Go crazy with the things that you like. Don’t hold back trying to make it palatable to people like me. Because I am NEVER going to like it. And if the audience does not like it, it should drive them crazy seeing how much YOU love it.”

Her portfolio was chock full of neon colors and glitter and rhinestones and splashes of peacock feathers and it was a delight. Our teacher despised every piece lol, but she got great marks and I think even won some awards. And more importantly, she was happy and proud of the results. Because she didn’t limit herself by trying to appeal to people who were never going to enjoy what she enjoyed.

How's everyone doing?