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““What is it, little one?” Bupu rolled over to face him. Her eyes were red, her nose swollen. Tears streaked down her dirty face. She snuffled and wiped her hand across her nose. “I don’t want to leave you. I want to go with you,” she said brokenly, “but–oh–I will miss my people!” Sobbing, she buried her face in her hands. A look of infinite tenderness touched Raistlin’s face, a look no one in his world would ever see. He reached out and stroked Bupu’s coarse hair, knowing what it felt like to be weak and miserable, an object of ridicule and pity. “Bupu,” he said, “you have been a good and true friend to me. You saved my life and the lives of those I care about. Now you will do one last thing for me, little one. Go back. I must travel roads that will be dark and dangerous before the end of my long journey. I cannot ask you to go with me.” Bupu lifted her head, her eyes brightening. Then a shadow fell across her face. “But you will be unhappy without me.” “No,” Raistlin said, smiling, “my happiness will lie in knowing you are safely back with your people.” “You sure?” Bupu asked anxiously. “I am sure,” Raistlin answered.”

— Dragons of Autumn Twilight, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

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Taken from the esquire interview with lee pace

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It's 1h45 a.m. I just opened Tumblr the last time before going to sleep. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DRIFT OFF NOW!? 🤯🥵

Торин всё-таки вернул камни Трандуилу.

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Gabriel Byrne as D'Artagnan ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

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As anyone who’s been looking at my page semi-frequently will have noticed, I am a big Richard Armitage fan. Mostly in love with his portrayal of Gisborne in BBC’s Robin Hood, but I also enjoy most of his other work and consider him a very talented actor (and a very sweet person from what we can tell.)

There has been a lot of furore lately about his latest project, “Obsession” (a series unfortunately promoted as an erotic thriller by Netflix), which is a remake of 1992 film “Damage” (with Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche) and based on the book by Josephine Hart. He portrays William Farrow, a married, middle aged, successful surgeon, who has an affair with his son’s fiancé, Anna (Charlie Murphy) -an affair so obsessive that it costs him everything: his career, his family, his son’s life, even his own self (more on that later.) The series features a lot of sex scenes, very light BDSM elements, and a LOT of nudity from RA on a level most fans never thought we’d see (RA being famously private and modest.) The fandom has been divided over this, with some looking forward to it and some being sure it’s not for them at all. From what I can tell (and I might be wrong) most people were put off by either the copious amounts of sex (and the trailer leaned very heavily on that) or the unsavoury morals of the main characters. Which is fair, if it’s not your cup of tea, don’t watch it.

I *did* watch it, and because opinions have been so strong, I wanted to share my thoughts. No disrespect if you prefer to pass. I hope it might be helpful for anyone on the fence and still making up their mind whether to watch or not. Happy to chat more about it if anyone likes! There WILL be spoilers.

Before watching it

I have personally felt very intrigued about this series and I was excited about watching it. Not so much because of the nudity or explicit scenes -or, rather, because of them, but not in the way you might think. Richard Armitage has played very, very few roles where he was primarily the romantic lead, and none later in his career. He tends to be cast in active roles, a lot of dark, violent characters, tense action. When there is romance it’s not the main aspect being explored. And he has NEVER (with the notable exception of Between the Sheets, which was so early in his career I doubt he necessarily had much choice to turn down work) done anything close to this level of sexual screen time. Why now? What made this different? I really wanted to know.

There was another reason I really wanted to watch Obsession. What Richard Armitage does best, in my opinion, is give characters depth (even characters that were clearly not written that way *cough* *Guy* *cough*). He is an incredibly detailed actor and uses his face and eyes to a stunning degree to convey things that go far beyond the dialogue. He has spoken about how he creates complete backstories for all his characters. This project is literally made for his type of acting. There is hardly any action, and leagues of unspoken material. RA called it “one of the most fulfilling pieces of work he’s ever done”. I needed to see why.

After watching it

I binged all 4 episodes in one night. And then again the next morning. And again today. I finished the first episode and thought “Yes, I understand why he wanted to do this.” (He also said in an interview that there was a moment in one scene that he’d never achieved before on film. Having watched this, I believe him.) Is this the kind of series I’d normally gravitate to? No. But I’m glad I watched it. Every single actor was incredible. The filming was beautiful. I just… don’t know where to start.

The story:

In my opinion “Obsession” is not about infidelity or sexual exploration -it’s about William and Anna’s experience with obsession and addiction. Anna isn’t just having an affair. She is addicted to being in control and to using sex as a means of asserting that control. (We learn that she had a brother who sexually abused her for years and committed suicide when she finally put a stop to it. And throughout the series, she reacts to strong emotions by initiating sex. Charlie Murphy described the character as a “dominant submissive” and that’s spot on, not just in the way that she sets the rules and boundaries of their sexual relationship, but in the way that, having been abused, asserts her control on the situation she had to submit to as a young girl by controlling when and how she submitted). William is not just having an affair. He is obsessed and addicted to Anna to the point that it completely deconstructs him as a person. He is the counterpoint to Anna’s character, in that he has no control. He doesn’t initiate, he doesn’t resist, he can’t or won’t control his reactions or his impulses and he completely loses control of his life as a result of his actions. In the final episode Jay, the son, discovers the affair and in shock, falls off a railing to his death. There is a scene where William faces his wife after everything is revealed and watching Richard Armitage convey all those emotions without saying a word is some of the best acting I’ve seen in my life. I don’t know what part of himself RA drew from to act the guilt and grief and absolute devastation in that scene but it was… amazing and heartbreaking. Even then, the obsession wins. When Jay dies, we see Anna walking away while William cradles the body of his son, paying her very little attention. I completely believe that he is broken in the scenes that follow. But after a few days the addiction takes over and he still seeks out Anna, convinced they can now be together (“there’s no version of this with just you,” she’d told him earlier on, but he clearly thinks otherwise). And we get the following:

W: … I let uncertainty in. (NB: What is uncertainty but lack of control?)

A: And look what happened. I don’t think… we can ever separate who we are from what we’ve done.

W: But… we can’t let it all be for nothing either (NB: William’s voice breaks here. He’s lost everything he ever cared about, she’s the only thing left. Does this phrase mean he thinks there was depth in their affair? Or does it mean that he is looking for meaning and depth so that he can cope with the fact that he sacrificed everything for an obsession and an addiction?)

A: Jay died because of us.

W: Still I wouldn’t change it (TNB: THIS! This phrase upset so many viewers! And of course it did, it was supposed to. The acting is, again, amazing. This isn’t said to Anna, this is introspection. William is looking inside himself, realises he wouldn’t change it, realises how much of himself he’s lost.)

A: You don’t regret it?

W: How can I?

A: We caused so much pain

W: But it’s done now.

A: I am so sorry for what happened. But I wish we’d never met. (She walks away, leaving William sobbing. Because there. is. nothing. left.)

The sex:

I hate that this was marketed as a sexy series because it created all sorts of hype and expectations that were misplaced imo. The story was never about the sex. Morgan Lloyd Malcolm said a couple of days ago on Twitter that it’s about “sitting in the discomfort of human behaviours” and that is spot on. Like I said above, this is a story of addiction. Anna is not addicted to the sex -she is addicted to using sex for control. That’s why Anna and William never kiss (she is the one controlling their physical interactions. William leans in to kiss her in many scenes, she never lets him.) That’s why the music is so jarring in all the sex scenes. That’s why there’s no foreplay, that’s why William never lasts long. That’s why they only ever have sex on the floor or in public, never in a safe, comfortable place like a bed. They are not comfortable. This is not a comfortable situation. We, as viewers, are supposed to be uncomfortable. The infamous hotel pillow scene was meant to demonstrate the turning point in William’s addiction, the complete loss of control, I think. It was never supposed to be funny or sexy -it was meant to disturb us because this intelligent, cultured, previously collected man becomes completely animalistic. Which is why he sobs afterwards -I think this is the point when William realises that (as Ingrid puts it later) “he is lost to her”. William’s face after their first sexual encounter is the face of a man under the influence. When she gets up to leave he makes this movement with his fingers like he is trying to hold on to her, but only grabs air. It’s just a twitch -but it’s Richard Armitage and we know how detailed he is in his acting, and I am sure it was a gesture with meaning.

The intimate scenes in Obsession are sometimes sensual, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes genuinely hard to watch but never gratuitous.

Why a fan of Richard Armitage or anyone writing for his characters should watch it:

Again, you do you, but hear me out: This series is a veritable treasure trove of body language, voice/cadence, facial expressions that you can then apply to your favourite RA character. The longing. The conflict. The loss of control. The vulnerability. The eye contact. The fact that the lover’s name is Anna, which is also my name. Also, I’m being completely serious when I say that this is some of the best acting I’ve seen him do *ever*. If you can only bring yourself to watch parts of it, do that. There were some scenes that genuinely made me tear up. Look after yourself, respect your boundaries, but sample what you can because it’s a veritable banquet.

PS: I am focusing on Richard Armitage for this review because I came to Obsession from that fandom. But every single actor gives an amazing performance. I especially adored Charlie Murphy as Anna, Indira Varma being astounding as Ingrid and the criminally underrated Marion Bailey as Anna’s mother, Elizabeth, who packs SO MUCH into so few scenes.

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The only one of the Marauders I truly like

I WANT MARUADERS ERA UQUIZ THAT DOESNT TREAT SNAPE LIKE SHIT PLS!!!

Sorry I needed to get that one out there. I’ve been doing psychoanalysis type quizzes and trying to find one that includes him and I’ve found none :,(

I’m about to make one just for my own sake-

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The fact that this is absolutely true... And not just for TV series and films... EVEN IN THEATRE

Not that I'm complaining but like...

As soon as Richard is cast in something, do the writers suddenly scramble and be like "HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS MAN TAKE OFF HIS CLOTHES. WHAT POSSIBLE SCENES CAN WE COME UP WITH TO EVEN VAGUELY JUSTIFY THIS. WE NEED NIPNOPS AND CHEEKS ON OUR SCREEN, STAT."

I mean, I get it. I appreciate it. I just think it's funny to watch something and be like, "at some point this character is 100% going to get naked." UNCLOTHED.

It's like seeing Sean Bean and knowing he's going to die.

(editing because apparently this post is getting hidden due to inappropriate content? The only inappropriate content here sir is how luscious dem cheeks?)

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How is this man so incredibly handsome and so good at everything he does?

LEE PACE as Calpernia Addams Soldier's Girl | 2003, dir. Frank Pierson

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No caption needed🔥

On Wednesdays we make gifs (NSFW CLICK WITH CAUTION)

“Give them no tear. Tears pleasure them.          Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it!”

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" I have spent enough elvish blood in defence of this accursed land. No more. "

THE HOBBIT: the battle of the five armies (2014)

× reblog, don't repost. ×

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It‘s always „They were still teenagers when they got together.“

But never „He was still a teenager when he joined Voldemort.“

It‘s always „They were barely adults by the time they were murdered.“

But never „He was barely an adult when he had already betrayed Voldemort and changed sides.“

It‘s always „He was just a kid“ when he was bullying other students.

But never „He was just a kid“ when he was literally groomed into a cult in school.

It‘s always „He was just a kid when he was groomed and abused at home.“

But never „ He was just a kid when he was groomed in school and neglected and beaten at home.“

It‘s always „he was just a kid doing a silly prank.“ when he tried to lure somone out to the hideout of a literal werewolf who would have killed him.

And never „he was just a kid almost getting mauled by a werewolf and silenced afterwards.“

It‘s always „He was just a kid when he assaulted someone and hung them in the air upside down.“

But never „He was just a kid when he was assaulted in front of the whole school“.

It‘s always „they were just kids“.

As long as it‘s the marauders.

It‘s always „boys will be boys“ when it‘s James and Sirius.

And it‘s always „he deserved it“ and „he was just a horrible man“ when it‘s Severus.

The marauders fandom is so two- faced it makes me sick sometimes.

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“but they matured!”

Of course they did.

I don’t think people understand that when it comes to the dynamic of an abuser and their victim, the abuser can always move on and change at any time.

All because of one simple reason; they weren’t the ones that had to be on the receiving end of the trauma.

The abusers can move on and live their happy lives without ever having to think twice about their pasts, chalk it up to ‘them being kids and not knowing any better’ while the victim has to live with the burnt of that trauma for the rest of their life.

It’s why the argument that the marauders ‘grew up and matured’ always falls flat to my ears because it always feels as if it’s used as an excuse to blame the victim for not being able to let go of their trauma and ‘get over it’, especially because severus was never shown to have ever had a good support system for him ‘getting over it’ to have ever been a possibility.

Even more-so when it’s shown that the marauders hadn’t changed or matured at all.

Did they ever apologize?

Did they ever try to atone for their actions?

No, they never did. They simply chose to forget about it and move on with their lives. Because it did not affect them.

They grew up, they got married, they enjoyed life, and when they died their sins were wiped clean and they were martyred and worshipped by the entire wizarding world.

It’s no wonder that Severus carried as much bitterness as he did.

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I don't care what people say about the hobbit movies, but you have to admit that Richard Armitage's acting was perfect. Its actually insane how he was able to capture Thorin's character, and cultivate it into something so interesting and realistic. The way he portrayed the dragon sickness really showed the insanity of Thorin at the time and the way his minute actions resembled that of a snake, aka a dragon, And it drives me insane how we never talk about it!

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I love the difference in atmosphere between The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

LOTR is like:

"THE APOCALYPSE IS COMING! SATAN IS RETURNING! YOU ARE CHOSEN ONE AND MUST DESTROY A MIGHTY TREACHEROUS RELIC TO SAVE THE WORLD!"

And the Hobbit is like:

"A bunch of homeless trying to rob a lizard"

Two iconic fantasy genres

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JRR Tolkien, writing The Hobbit: The passages there were crossed and tangled in all directions, but the goblins knew their way, as well as you do to the nearest post-office…

Me, a child, reading it: Oh dear. I’m not sure I do know the way to the nearest post-office. It sounds as if that’s absolutely something I’m supposed to know. I can’t know less than a goblin. The book will be disappointed in me.

Me, a little while later, figuring out the location of a nearby post-office: oh thank goodness

Me for the rest of my life: feeling vaguely comforted and affirmed by knowing the location of the nearest post-office, a facility I almost never use, because I am at least the navigational equal of a goblin

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Me: oh my go why the fuck do we need a gollum movie nobody likes the fucking gollum game gollum sucks fuck the gollum movie why a fucking gollum movie this shits gonna suck...

Somebody: hey you know that Lee pace could return as Thranduil in the gollum movie right?

Me: Oh my God I can't wait for the gollum movie! I love gollum! What a great idea, a gollum movie, why didn't somebody think of this before!