One of the most important things for me in The Secret History, is the comparison between the Dionysian and Apollonian roots.

I shall start my rumbling with providing their descriptions, according to Nietzsche and his The Birth of Tragedy:

Apollonian represents all types of form or structure. It is about rational thought also.

Dionysian covers the forms of enthusiasm and ecstasy. It is drunkenness and madness.

How I see it represented in TSH?

Well, not really hard to point immediately one thing - the Dionysian ritual itself. That is what we talk about, when we say «Oh, that's some Dionysian type of shit here». This ritual is all about loosing oneself in order to see THE Dionysus. It's brutal, its ruthless, it's even bloody. All 4 of them end up covered in literal human blood of the man they killed.

The whole dynamic of the group is also rather Dionysian. Henry indeed tries hard to be all that rational and cold-blooded person, but at the end of the day, he's the one who got so excited after learning about the ritual, that he decided to took it upon himself to try.

The group? They agree to try. Rather they're all intimidated by Henry, or interested themselves. After the ritual they did quite awoke their primal instincts, that are so Dionysian.

Each of them even is a person who does not oppose any desires. Bunny? Oh please, he is a litteral embodiment of Dionysus. The twins? Yep, guilty as charged, though Camilla tries to hold back (or Richard just romanticises her, hm?). Francis? Sorry love, but yes, that's what money and an absent parent did to you.

Opposed to this world, very small and limited in population I must say, is literally everthing around them. And everyone. Our lovely Richard not-so-reliable-narrator Papen is the epitome of the Apollonian. He is rather reserved person, who took control of himself to get into the college And after everything that happened he gathered himself to actually finish the education. His hometown, Plano, is a very structured place, as we gather along the way. The Papens are like that too, pure resemblance. And Richard tries so hard to leave it behind him and loosen himself a bit. Dropping out of the medical college? Check. Going to study humanities? Check. Joining a questionable Greek class? Check. Becoming an accomplice to murder? Count him in!

Richard is enamoured by the idea of letting go, but he will never let go of that Apollonian part of him. It is just in his upbringing, one cannot easily get rid of it.

The thing about the Dionysian and Apollonian is that they do quite work together, however the clash may be destructive. Richard, who actually got associated with all of the group, who portrais everything we know about the Dionysian, is mentally destructed in the end.

Francis, Camilla and Charles also did have at least an ounce of Apollonian, so they're alive, yes. But good Lord, are they destroyed.

But still, the clash is also the source of creativity. Richard's repentance is incredibly beautifully formulated and written.

We don't really get the look on what the others have created, maybe (a series of novels from Camilla sounds nice, actually), but I sure hope that the clash created something extraordinarily amazing for them. They got their punishment already, let them live.

‘ you don't mean that . ’

𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚒𝚗𝚌.

they were teenagers when a group of friends set out to solve a mysterious series of events occurring in their neighborhood. over time, their sleuthing morphed into something much bigger than they ever could have imagined. now the group travels all over the united states to piece together mysteries and search for the paranormal - all while filming it for their youtube channel ! each member serves a vital role to the group and with their growing success and busy schedule, the gang need each other now more than ever.

first of all, the cute header template was made by @feralegirls < 3 !

summary: a verse that’s a modern and loose take on scooby doo ! mystery inc. is a group of six young adults that solve mysteries and search for the paranormal . . . while also running a popular youtube channel. muses are loosely based on the characters from the show/films ( i.e. traits and personality ) but things can be altered ( i.e. sexuality, gender, race, backstory, etc ) !

very standard rules apply . we’re all adults here !

(1) no ooc drama ; if something is bothering you, come to me privately and we can handle it together . if you cause ooc drama, you’ll be removed from the group immediately . no godmodding. no bubble roleplaying . no problematic, deceased or underage fcs . 

( 2 ) mature themes are definitely going to be present in this verse . please censor possible triggering content and put smut in nsfw channels . you must be 18+ to join and your muses should be 21-24 . please follow a +3/-3 rule when age bending faceclaims !

( 3 ) there is no activity limit but please try to do something ic every day , even if it’s just posting some musings and/or chatting in the ooc chat ! this is a small, collaborative verse and it can only be successful if the members are as committed as i am ! please only join with the intention of committing . if i’ve noticed you’ve been inactive for a week, i’ll message you to check in before i reopen your role .

𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - send apps through my submit . priority will be given to those that liked my original interest post ! 

( fc, pronouns, gender ) jinkies ! is that FIRST LAST getting in the mystery machine ? they’re a AGE IN LETTERS year old ZODIAC and have been a member of mystery inc for AMOUNT OF TIME. i’ve heard their favorite song is TITLE AND ARTIST and they’re similar to CHARACTER NAME. alias, age, pronouns, url. 

( bridget satterlee, she/her, cis woman ) jinkies ! is that DANIELLE BALDWIN getting in the mystery machine ? they’re a TWENTY TWO year old LIBRA and have been a member of mystery inc for SEVEN YEARS. i’ve heard their favorite song is SWEET TALK BY SAINT MOTEL and they’re similar to DAPHNE. jamie, 24, she/they, stargczing.

( hugh laughton-scott, he/him, cis man ) jinkies ! is that MACAULAY FRIEDRICH getting in the mystery machine ? they’re a TWENTY THREE year old ARIES and have been a member of mystery inc for SEVEN YEARS. i’ve heard their favorite song is YES I’M CHANGING BY TAME IMPALA and they’re similar to FRED. candice, 21, she/her, gildedwoes. 

( tucker pillsbury, he/him, cis male ) jinkies ! is that NEWT REEVES getting in the mystery machine ? they’re a TWENTY THREE year old SAGITTARIUS and have been a member of mystery inc for FIVE YEARS i’ve heard their favorite song is TO FEEL GOOD BY SWIM DEEP and they’re similar to SHAGGY. kat, 22, she/her, grlbands.

( ariela barer, non-binary, they/them ) jinkies ! is that GIDEON ROTH getting in the mystery machine ? they’re a TWENTY-TWO year old VIRGO and have been a member of mystery inc for FIVE YEARS. i’ve heard their favorite song is ANYTHING AT ALL BY BACHELOR and they’re similar to VELMA.

( felix mallard, he/him, cis-male ) jinkies ! is that RYAN THOMPSON getting in the mystery machine ? they’re a TWENTY THREE year old GEMINI and have been a member of mystery inc for THREE YEARS i’ve heard their favorite song is GROOVE IS IN THE HEART BY DEE-LITE and they’re similar to SCRAPPY DOO. em, 24, she/her, ladygagaofrph. 

( sydney sweeney, she/her, cis woman ) jinkies ! is that SAM THOMPSON getting in the mystery machine ? they’re a TWENTY THREE year old LEO and have been a member of mystery inc for FIVE YEARS. i’ve heard their favorite song is DON’T STOP BY FLEETWOOD MAC and they’re similar to SCOOBY DOO. lia, 19, she/her, rosetvlr

*note: scrappy and scooby will be cousins ! < 3

   ⋆ ˚｡  *  welcome to vista : macaulay  ! 

⋆ ˚｡  hugh  laughton  scott  .  cis  man  .  he  +  him  .  —  i  can't  believe  i  just  saw  macaulay  friedrich  running  late  for  class  again  .  the  twenty  -  three  year  old  is  known  as  the  chameleon  around  palmera  and  they're  a  junior  here  at  vista  university  .  according  to  their  peers  ,  macaulay  has  been  described  as  ingenious  and  immoderate  but  personally  ?  they  remind  me  of  sentimentality  taking  form  in  an  ever - growing  collection  of  second - hand  books  with  another's  dedications  ,  annotations  ,  chicken - scratch  inscriptions  marring  the  thin  pages  ,  a  true  addict's  heart  :  rose - hued  and  steeped  in  thorns  that  sputtered  to  life  for  every  pretty  thing  that  breezed  by  ,  and  the  permeating  scent  of  creed  aventus' bergamot  and  black  currant  spoiled  by  the  remains  of  a  pluming  joint  that  had  dwindled  into  a  stub  without  ever  being  inhaled  since  i  always  catch  them  listening  to  on  the  floor  by  perfume  genius  .  (  candice  ,  21  ,  she  +  her  ,  cst  .  )