Some days, I really love fandom

I read Bacchae by Euripides because of Hannibal. No, really. I lurk on Tumblr a bit and stumbled across this great analysis of similarities between Season 1 of Hannibal and the play. It’s a wonderfully screwed-up play, like the rest of Greek tragedy, and everybody should read it even if you don’t care about Hannibal.

(Also: for the most part I don’t care about award shows, but Hannibal didn’t get one single Emmy nomination? Not even for cinematography? Are you kidding me?)

I haven’t read large amounts of Ancient Greek dramas, but I think Euripides is my favorite playwright out of all the ones I’ve experienced so far. I was already familiar with Medea, but the anthology I borrowed for Bacchae also included Trojan Women.

EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THIS PLAY IS AWFUL AND I LOVE IT.

It takes place after Troy has been captured by the Greeks and the women of Troy are being taken away as slaves. Poor Hecuba, the queen of Troy, has seen all of her family members either killed or enslaved, and even she is being sent away as a slave to Odysseus’s wife, Penelope.

As much as I feel sorry for everybody in this play, Cassandra is my favorite character. Rather than just being a passive victim who’s been driven mad by her curse, she’s more or less accepted her fate as a slave to Agamemnon (and later to be killed by Clytemnestra), and is determined to FUCK THEIR SHIT UP. (She’s still unstable, but not without a mission.) She says to Hecuba,

“Mother, crown me with a victory wreath, and celebrate my marriage to a king! Take me to him and, if I hesitate, force me. For if Apollo told the truth, my marriage to Agamemnon, leader of the Greeks, will be more painful to him than Helen’s. I shall kill Agamemnon and destroy his home; he will pay in blood for what he did to my brothers and father. I won’t talk about the rest: I won’t sing about the axe at my throat, or the murder of the others, or the agony of matricide that my murder will set in motion, besides the overthrow of the house of Atreus.”

She then goes on to talk about how their people are more fortunate than the Greeks, because the Trojans have the glory of defending their home and being with their loved ones when they die. I think this quote sums it up best:

“They [the Greeks] sent thousands to their deaths for the sake of one woman, and one love affair, when they chased after Helen. Look at this clever general, who destroyed what he loved most, for what was most hated; he gave up the pleasures of his children at home for the sake of his brother’s wife who left home willingly; she was not raped.”

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” is a totally inappropriate analogy but it’s what popped into my head nonetheless.

I would have to say that the saddest part is that Andromache’s young son is taken from her and killed by the Greeks during the play—he’s not already dead when it begins. He dies because the Greeks are scared that the continued existence of Hector’s son could give the Trojans hope.

Thanks for ripping out my heart, Euripides. It’s not like I needed it or anything.

and sometimes, fandom's not so great

AKA, the complete and total trainwreck that is Dashcon, a con based around Tumblr. I stumbled across the amazing awfulness in these two threads at Fail Fandom Anon.

Just...holy shit. Highlights include the world's saddest ball pit, attendees being panicked/desperate/gullible enough to throw $17,000 at the con organizers in half an hour because the organizers claimed the hotel was going to kick them out, embarrassment-squick over fans' actions to hold strong against the "evil corporation" that is the hotel (guys, I feel so damn sorry for that hotel's staff), and an appalling lack of organizational skills on the part of the people running the con.

ETA: Another thread at FFA and there's a write-up at Fandom Wank. Among the other hilarity to be found in the links throughout the threads, somebody's created a playlist for Dash-con.