#Mode Alive

[wispscribbles]

MW3 spoilers / MCD ‼️

[thealogie]

Andrew Scott when the 100th person tells him he’s the internet’s boyfriend: ok thanks 😐

Andrew Scott when a funny lesbian: haha yes girl I’m coming over with props to make all of your dreams come true. We’ll need hand sanitizer but I KNOW you got that in your purse 😂

[r4d14t3lov3]

By the lake's shore

[bisexualfbiagents]

You're not understanding me. I can't look into the darkness with you anymore, Mulder. I cannot stand what it does to you or to me.

Dana Scully in I Want to Believe (2008)

[inkynightmaresau]

》FIRST《

》PREVIOUS《

》NEXT《

[themintman]

was it casual when you stayed up all night researching and brewing potions, trying to find some way to bring my undead body back to life?

[thepeacefulgarden]

[aleksanderscult]

Was Aleksander power-hungry or wanted power to use it for the protection of his people?

This question is one of the most hotly debatable in this fandom and I decided to clear this out not by analyzing his words through the POV of other characters (who don't believe him and therefore the reader finds him a liar) but through his own perspective in "Rule of Wolves".

So let's take an objective look inside his own thoughts and find out.

His very first thoughts were how could he reclaim his powers, describing the whole experience as somewhat painful and confusing to him. His second were about Alina.

And these are his third ones. He explains how utterly worthless Nikolai and Zoya are to save Ravka. How immature and weak. Aleksander finds himself to be the only one able for this task. His powers, experience and general abilities are testament to that.

But note how he calls Ravka "his country". From the carved woods decorating his bedroom to his knowledge of "every pebble and branch" of it, this country is special to him. He loves it, feels a connection to it and wants to protect it.

(You just can't call the Darkling "unpatriotic")

He displays bitterness for his loss and Ravka's new state just verifies to him that his plans would only prevent this decaying fate.

Yuri: "Sankta Alina who gave her life for Ravka"

Aleksander: "Am I a joke to you?"

And indeed is he?

Aleksander displays a very strong resentment for the lack of recognition he has gained. His statement: "I gave my life for Ravka" probably doesn't only allude to his death from Alina's hands but also his total commitment in the protection of the Grisha and Ravka that lasted for centuries. He gave his life away by pushing his personal happiness and well-being aside and wholly dedicating his life and skills to a selfless goal. He wasted years, allies, soldiers, endured otkazat'sya Kings that rule him, a bitter mother and his own immortality only for others to hurriedly erase any memory of him once he's gone.

So it seems that his desire to be seen only stems from his long-awaited and secret wish for his actions to be recognized.

Based on the last screenshot, he views his actions as justified not because of a "power-hungry nature" but out of his efforts to help others. Whether these actions are justified or not depends on the reader.

I believe this is one of the most concrete evidence that Aleksander truly cared about the Grisha.

He felt intense anger for those who were ignorant and apathetic towards the Grisha's fate and he himself cared about who was gonna sit the Ravkan throne.

No matter how much humanity he shed as the years passed, it seems that he didn't shed all of it by the time of these books.

Apparently Aleksander had two main goals in this book:

- To protect his people and country as he always strived to do.

- For others to finally give him some credit and have their acknowledgment that yes, he has done something for this country all these years.

In order to help the Grisha and change their fates he needed to be in a position of strength, hence his desire to take the throne. He views himself as a fatherly figure towards his people. A protector and guardian.

But he also wants to become a Saint and king. For people to look up to him. So many Saints had done less than half in comparison to Aleksander and they still won people's love. Now it's his turn and he thinks he deserves it.

I'm adding a short parenthesis here.

His concern didn't only extent to the Grisha but to his blind, otkazat'sya followers as well.

He cared about what would happen in the battlefield and seemed ready to create nichevo'ya to protect them. Merzost is extremely painful but this "selfish" villain is ready to use it to protect his naive but innocent army.

A hundred of years ago Aleksander refused the King's gold as payment for his services. Instead he opted to plead for the construction of a palace. A home and haven for all the Grisha that were hiding out of fear from the persecution against them.

He saw his chance and took it to make the lives of his people a little better.

So this whole "the Darkling created the Fold out of his desire for power" was bullshit after all.

He wanted power but only to use it to end the wars. Ironically, the result of it (aka. the Fold) only aggravated the problem.

And the Darkling's dream never came entirely true. He gave them a home but never a safe life. Ravka was almost always at war, Grisha were never accepted, the Ravkan kings never paid much attention to the Grisha's problems regarding their role in society which placed them almost at the bottom of the food chain.

All these things worried Aleksander and pushed him to action both when he created the Fold and when he started the Civil War.

The Darkling has a very different mentality than those who don't have the burden of immortality on their shoulders.

Aleksander uses time as an advantage and has a remarkable patience. He bides his time and strikes when he sees the opportunity, leaving other people to die since they're only just a part of a whole. He probably thinks: "Well, I'll meet plenty more new otkazat'sya in the future so why should I be concerned for this bunch here?"

But the bleak future of the Grisha make him stop and think. They're the only reason why he stays and fight and why he proclaimed Zoya a Saint.

So it's obvious that Aleksander only used power for the benefit of his people and country.

- When king Yevgeni offered him a handsome reward, Aleksander turned it down and chose to appeal for a better future for the rest of the Grisha.

- When the wars didn't stop coming and Grisha were again getting killed, he tried to use merzost to augment his powers and put a stop to it.

- When he tried to use the Fold as a weapon with Alina at his side, he did it to place Ravka in a stronger position in comparison to his enemies.

- He viewed Nikolai and Zoya dangerous to the rest of the country.

- He was concerned of what would happen to the Grisha if Demidov became king.

- He was determined to save Ravka and lead it as their king and protector.

- Even though he thought of leaving, he stayed out of concern for the Grisha (again).

Contrary to the people who say that the Darkling began selfless but by the time of these books became selfish, it seems that he never lost his selflessness. He still kept thinking about others and his last moments he was unrepentant for his crimes since he did them for others not for himself. It's true that he had pride and an ego but rightfully so. No one else was as powerful or as capable as him to make a change and, honestly, no one else made a decent effort but him.

He also displayed a strong bitterness for the fact that others were so quick to forget him and his actions. He felt wronged that after all he had done, none wanted to acknowledge his own part in the protection of Ravka. He wanted to be seen and appreciated. His anger and indignation came from a place of injustice as he saw it. Whatever he did was labeled as wrong and people only feared him, never feeling gratefulness or love towards him. The Darkling wanted others to give him his due for what he went through, did and tried to do. Recognition after so many years of feeling invisible and hated.

It was something that even his enemies admitted about him:

The strongest evidence of his yearning to shield his country is how he willingly gave his life for it at the end. He would be tortured forever but at least his people wouldn't forget him and he would have fulfilled his desired role as a protector of his country.

[thebramblewood]

Our girl coming in hot with the understatement of the century.

Previous / Next

Helena: [hisses in pain as hot water hits wounds] What the... There's no fucking way.

[investigating in mirror] Yep, this is not good. Not good at all.

Now, where did you come from? [picks up letter addressed with her name]

-

Dear Helena,

If you are reading this letter, I will admit I am relieved, though I cannot say for certain whether your survival is more blessing or curse. I know you must be confused. God only knows how much of the night you even remember.

My sister misled you about who and what we are, which was no accident on her part, even if the dreadful mistake that followed was. I can hardly cast stones for I did nothing to stop her and, in fact, committed an unforgivable sin myself in attempting to undo what she had done, though I very well knew it would turn you into a monster against your will.

I will put it to you bluntly: Lilith and I have been vampires for some 100 years, and faced with your otherwise certain demise, I chose to make you one too. You may not believe me. It will feel like a bad flu for a day or two; then it will feel like the heat of 1000 fires blazing inside.

You will desire answers. I compel you to seek them elsewhere. Lilith has her mind set on having you and, if she knows you are alive, will not take no for an answer. I can only deceive her so long, as vampires are inextricably tied to their creators. As surely as I will soon know your fate, so will she, for she is my maker and cannot keep out of my head.

I am truly sorry, though it must offer little consolation. You do not deserve this eternally damned existence, but you also did not deserve to die. You see the bind I was caught in. All I can do now is urge you to make the most of this truly terrible hand we have all been dealt.

Regretfully,

Caleb Vatore

-

Helena: Well, shit.

[splatoon-confession-box]

The final bosses seriously need to stop trying to kill everyone in the world, i cannot take it seriously. What happened to just stealing the zapfish or something? honestly when i lost the mr. grizz fight i cheered and never attempted it again because i thought it would be funny to have the entire world be fuzzified forever. also because the fight just sucked. have fun being a furry everyone

[fbfh]

thinking about how whenever you kiss Eric you end up with black and white makeup smeared all over your face. you look like a crackhead juggalo. you look like jaden smith covered in kylie jenner's foundation after making out at the movies. you have all this black and white makeup blurring into a gray around your mouth and neck and he thinks it's hilarious. you forget to scrub your face and neck down with micellar water ONCE and sarah and albrecht will never ever let you live it down.

[kuromispamton2000]

"we meet again, MARIO~ we soon will get you!!~"

+

collab again cuz i am running out of ideas

base

[birbykirb]

Absolutely love your doodle of the Old Order peepaws- 💙 I’m very curious if you have any headcanons regarding Vos or Jack! ^^

AAA so glad you do thank you <3

honestly I don’t have a ton about Jack and them all; I just don’t think about them all that much

I do head-canon Jack as trans though, and he liked to lie about what his chest scars are from to look more legendary

+ bonus vos doodle

[2129888]

mizutani: *steps up to bat*

higuchi sensei:

[dreamalittledreamofcopia]

imagine copia returning home to you after a tour cycle. he holds you so tightly in his arms, you’re his oasis. his first sip of clean water after forty days of flood. his sore throat is instantly soothed and his achy and tired muscle finally relaxed.

your first night together again his head is in your lap, someplace between relaxed and fatigued. he’s looking up at you now, his face clean after you gently cleaned his paints. he feels healed. he feels like your man again.

“your hair has gotten so long,” you whisper, running your fingertips along his scalp. you gently brush a lick of his hair behind his ear and push his bangs back simultaneously, both of your hands cradling his head. he loves it.

copia hums appreciatively, “and how do you like it, mia cara?” he can’t help but send a teasing smile your way.

“so much, I’ve yearned for it.” you reply, biting the tip of your tongue to hide a giggle.

“yearn… eh?” copia muses, “is yearning when I saw your face in every crowd? saw you in every reflection?”

you bend your knees to bring him closer, propping your feet up on the coffee table. “I am so in love with you. I don’t think I could spend another day without you.”

copia’s lips move expertly with yours before they move around his gentle, ardent words. “good thing you won’t have to anymore.”

[sunnysideaeggs]

Remember when Alicent slapped Aegon for not being around when Aemond lost his eye? Do you think she'll have the balls to slap Aemond now that Aegon got injured on his watch (assuming she doesn' tknow what he did)

by seeing the promo for next episode, she seems as cold and uncaring as she’s been this season. she’ll probably blame aegon for not following her wise council and sit pretty in the castle. anything else but indifference would mean that she’s in aegon’s side (the horror), and that she has actual human sensible reactions (unfathomable).

aemond will remain consequence free, because now he’s effectively made himself the most powerful person in the room. alicent will learn how good she had it when aegon was in charge because aegon would never leave king’s landing unprotected to go burn civilians in the riverlands.