#the great reformation

[duxfemina]

It's the late Roman Republic...

Now put in the tags what you selected and who you THINK it's referring to... Because I sneakily had at least two people in mind when I made each option and when the poll is over I'll reveal who I had in mind for each option

[chalkrub]

art trade from toyhouse - love this funny evil guy

[godasfarasyoureconcerned]

seen someone say it but it’s so poignant that izzy spends the entirety of episode 4 lashing out, screaming at the ship and at his own reflection. his anger and frustration comes out violently and he puts no effort into filtering it. he’s a drunk mess and doesn’t care to stifle his anger, if he even could. he’s used to feeling hurt and then lashing out. it’s normal for him to be hit and then go hit someone else about it. it’s normal for him to feel like shit and then go shout at someone about it. he can do that blackout drunk, and doesn’t even need another person around to do it

but when he’s gifted the leg, and suddenly given something to be actively happy about, he has to stifle his reaction. he suddenly has to choke back his emotion, and the words don’t even form. he can only shake and cry and keep himself as hushed as possible, literally clamping down with his hand to keep them restrained

anger is something he’s comfortable displaying even when intoxicated. but, even when intoxicated, bittersweet tears are something he feels he needs to literally hold in. anger is acceptable, anger is normal, anger is something he knows how to deal with. feelings of camaraderie, the sting of love like alcohol in a wound— he doesn’t know how to deal with it, nor is he comfortable sitting with it. it’s never been something he was allowed to embrace, and it’s still not something he even knows how to

sorta like if you keep getting hurt, your skin will scab and callous and you’ll get used to the feeling of that pain. it becomes normal and your body adapts to become tougher and more resilient. only problem with knowing how to power through wounds like that is that when it’s time to clean them, to wash them with alcohol to disinfect, it stings like something you’ve never felt. something deeper and sharper that your skin isn’t used to, something actively counteracting the way your body has adapted to repeated offenses. once you’ve felt enough scratches in your skin, the alcohol of healing hurts worse than yet another countless scratch

my poor guy has never ever healed from anything that’s happened to him, he’s always just powered through and calloused himself for the sake of efficiency. only realizing now that you can only power through with dirty open wounds so long before they start to fester and rot. poor guy doesn’t even know what healing feels like and he’s never been allowed to know. any previous attempts might’ve earned him “fuckin’ lightweight” and “if you can’t do it, someone else will” so even healing feels like something he has to stifle and keep quiet

[julietwiskey1]

My biggest pet peeve for Arcane fanfics is when Piltover is 100% the good guy. And that Vi becoming an enforcer makes everything alright. Or Caitlyn is able to make corruption not a thing by merely being sheriff.

Things would get better but things would still be awful. Piltover isn’t bad because enforcers are corrupt. The enforcers are corrupt because Piltover is corrupt. They care about their money and nothing else. Not a single councilor was from the underground or cared about it. It’s why they ignore the underground.

Enforcer being from the underground doesn’t make them good. It doesn’t matter what they are but what they are trying to hold up. They are an organization to hold up Piltover and suppress the underground. Some of them being from Zaun does not change that. It just makes them turn coats.

It’s why Ekko doesn’t get along with Vi in league. She turned against Zaun for Piltover. She is part of the organization used to suppress them. The best path for Vi being an enforcers is one that has Zaun and Piltover separated. One where she leaves it all behind instead of becoming the tool of injustice.

Zaun needs self governance. Not councilors or a sheriff who feels the need to except control over them. The chembarons won’t give it to them, but the councilors will never do it either. It’s why the Firelights are so hopeful. It’s a group who may actually have a chance to grow and proved the leadership Zaun needs. Not the control of the councilors or chembarons.

But ultimately I think peoples love for Vi and Caitlyn blind themselves to the wrongs of the enforcers. It makes them think that they are fixable and can be good for Zaun. But that isn’t the case. Because the problem is far beyond them. Disinterest in Zaun is best for them being the good guys.

[distraughtlesbian]

sorry for speaking my truth it will happen again. i think my main issue with valax’s redemption arc is literally just that there’s never a moment where the mc gets to actually talk to her about what she did—there’s not really a cathartic conversation, so valax and mc moving past what she did to them feels less like forgiveness and redemption and more like an agreement to ignore the elephant in the room

like sure we got to talk about our trauma (in chapter 17 of 20. lol. lmao, even) to the party, but valax wasn’t present for that?? and like, sure, she says once that she is sorry “for the pain she caused [them]”, but there’s a difference Tew Me between “sorry for hurting you ig ✌️😗” and actually being like “yeah, i abducted you and forced you into a magically induced coma and stole your blood and robbed you of a full year of your life and repeatedly tried to murder you, to say nothing of the grief i caused your loved ones. i did all that shit and i’m sorry for it and deeply regret it, and i acknowledge that you don’t owe me forgiveness, but i will spend the rest of my life working to build a better world for my people instead of being my mother’s pawn”, and a difference between “my mother is unhappy with me for saving you :(” and actually like, giving the mc space to talk about the impact of her actions towards them. like girl you are not getting out of this shit with one sentence’s worth of apology and a sex scene lmfao!!!

during the first half or so of the book the focus for mc is not falling the fuck apart bc they have a friend group to tentatively piece together and they’re averse to showing fear in front of valax, so they’re repressing all their trauma—and by the time valax joins the party, the narrative has gone full Valax Cool And Good mode, and fully allows you to flirt with her and tease her and generally stops taking her seriously as an antagonist. which would be all fine and good if we had actually at any point gotten to be like, “hey, you abducting me and keeping me in a magically induced coma and stealing my blood and trying to kill me has actually caused me a lot of lasting fear and pain,” followed by some set of choices wrt forgiving or not forgiving her for all that in light of the revelation that she did all that shit bc her mom tortured and brainwashed her

like why are my friends more pissed off about the time this bitch abducted me and did evil little experiments on me than i am. free valax she did all that shit bc of her mommy issues but i should’ve gotten to call her a cunt just once. pb stop making all your mcs generals in the idgaf war challenge (IMPOSSIBLE)

[mariathechosen1]

Batman Unburied Riddler is so Reformed!Riddler coded, I love it

Detective Comics #822 - ‘E. Nigma, Consulting Detective.’ / Batman Unburied, Episode 6 / Batman Unburied, Episode 4

[Image ID: 4 rows of pictures comparing Detective Comics to Batman Unburied. The first row has two comic frames: Both are of The Riddler and Bruce Wayne. In the first frame Riddler is holding up a photograph, seemingly of Bruce at a gala. Riddler says: “Observe - Though the man in the photograph is easily six feet, I’d wager our Bruce is taller, six two at least, and I’d say 210 pounds?”. Bruce replies: “Haven’t been on the scale today.” In the second frame The Riddler continues and trails of: “And the facial features and physique, while similar are more sharply defined in person than in…” Bruce interrupts: “What?” The Riddler continues: “Hmm? Oh, a passing resemblance to something else, I’m sorry”.

The second row is of a Batman Unburied transcript: “BRUCE: H-how, Riddler? How did you --. RIDDLER: Uncover your kink for playing dress-up? Simple observation. The way dates lined up. Playboy Bruce Wayne's public appearances. Crime patterns. The improbable jawline beneath that cowl, showing up in the fucking society pages. The puzzle isn't challenging. Most people are just too stupid to figure it out. BRUCE: (Pained wince)”

The third row is of two comic frames. In one Batman is standing alone in an alley. Out of frame, someone says: “What’s this? Is the great Batman out of clues?”. In the second frame, The Riddler is leaning on the batmobile, saying: “That was a rhetorical question, not a riddle.” Batman replies: “Get off my car.”

The fourth row is of the Batman Unburied transcript: “RIDDLER: And the big ol’ penny? Is that your namesake, I take it? ALFRED: What did I say about coinage and riddles? RIDDLER: That wasn’t a riddle, it was a joke.”

/end ID]

[uncanny-tranny]

What do I do when I meet people in the “LGB” community that are queer but hate trans people?

I thought I became friends with this bi girl until she said I was confused and gross

I think the two best options are:

Trying to help through education

Not engaging

I'll be honest, point one tends not to work when people have solidified radicalized ideas about trans people. The process of unlearning the level of transphobia can take months, if not years of dedication and effort, and frankly, while trans people sticking around to help them can be beneficial, it is ultimately up to them to unlearn the thought processes and impulses that led them to transphobia.

I don't know where that person is in terms of how they feel about trans people, but I definitely do not think it's up to you to "prove her wrong" by being "one of the good ones." Interacting with people who genuinely do not or refuse to see your humanity is such an awful experience, and I completely understand if you are not up for that.

I won't lie, it is tempting to prove yourself because it's such a terrible thought to know that somebody you cared about or were going to care about turned out to refuse to even acknowledge your humanity. But, at the same time, it is not your job to deradicalize people. My best advice is to protect yourself first. You do not owe your time, story, traumas, grief, celebrations, or life to anybody, least of all people who are not interested in such stories because of their own prejudices.

[racefortheironthrone]

Hi, diferent anon here. Once you said that the Iron Throne should create a system of itinerary judges who would travel all the country and enforce the king's law over the lords', but I have a few questions: from where would this judges come from, who would they be and how would they get to know the king's law? Would they come from the same regions they would oversee (like a northman for the North, for exemple) or from different regions? Would they be lords, maesters or common man? Would women be allowed to be judges?

Those are good questions!

When it comes to staffing a system of justices in eyre, there are competing imperatives: on the one hand, the judges have to be figures of prestige in order to gain compliance from local lords and commoners alike. This is one of the reasons why, for example, the "great eyres" of the justices started with a massive public ceremony that local nobles and royal officials would be summoned to in which they would offer up their insignia of offices and do homage to the judge in his full regalia, as if to the King in person, because the justice was considered to be a kind of avatar of the King. For this reason, you want someone of equal social rank to the nobility - if not a lord themselves, then the younger son of a lord, for example.

On the other hand, you also want the judge to have (or at least have access to) legal expertise so that they can apply the royal legal code and the relevant legal precedents correctly, read and understand the legal documents brought before the court by both parties, and follow the arguments put forward by the lawyers. This is why I have suggested that Westerosi justices and sheriffs be either accompanied by a maester or half-maester or have undergone training as a half-maester in law themselves. While we certainly have examples of nobility studying at the Citadel and gaining links with and without becoming maesters, I imagine it would be more common for half-maester justices to come from burgher families who have the money to send their children to school and who need education in order to achieve upwards economic mobility.

However, I would imagine that it would be much harder for a justice from even a wealthy smallfolk background to gain compliance from the local nobility. So I imagine you would also need the sheriffs with their more paramilitary responsibilities to be knights at the very least, and to accompany the justices on their circuits to ensure that the judges' decisions were being upheld and their writs honored, as well as delivering accused criminals and outlaws to the justices for trial.

[rahabs]

The Tudors ran so Wulf Hall could shuffle awkwardly around reiterating the same tired old Tudor stereotypes while claiming to be something new.

[facts-i-just-made-up]

How did one fend off a vampire before the invention of Christianity?

There's a scene in an old vampire movie where a woman holds a cross up to the man trying to drink her blood and he just responds, "Oy vey, have you got the wrong vampire." Indeed, Jewish vampires existed long before the Christian variety, and these "Abrahampires" as they are known are not susceptible to the same weaknesses as modern Christian vampires.

Instead of a simple wooden stake through the heart, the stake must specifically be date palm, willow, and myrtle, and combined with a citron, be shaken in the four cardinal directions and then plunged into the vampire's heart. They are not averse to garlic, and will in general put tons of garlic in literally every single thing they cook. Sunlight is the only sure way to defeat one, as when exposed to direct sunlight, an Abrahampire will inevitably become disinterested in whatever outdoor activity they were involved in and go back inside so as not to bother.

Again, please let me notify newcomers that I am Jewish and thus all these cliches are not racist stereotypes, but self parody, and are approved as Jewish humor by my reform orthodox Rabbi, Bill Clinton. Seriously did not expect that to become a phrase overnight.

Like seriously wtf how did that guy get in there?

[spawksstuff]

The De Completionist Checklist Part 13

1963

Note on the dates: I will mostly be going by when a show/movie was shot rather than its release date. Variety Magazine will be given first priority.

My score: 6 / 7

Need To Find:  The Gallant Men – A Taste of Peace

Favorite Movie: Gunfight At Comanche Creek

Favorite TV Show:  The Virginian – Man of Violence

Favorite Scene: Besides the obvious trek across the river in Man of Violence, the fight scene in The Dakotas with Jack Elam

[inamindfarfaraway]

I love the “it would solve all of the kingdom’s problems if we just made everyone a princess!” joke from Twisted, because it’s the perfect representation of the Princess’s character. ‘Making everyone a princess’ sounds stupid. ‘Princess’ is a specific, gendered individual title to start with, and taken at face value, it just seems like she’s saying just bestowing a royal title on everyone without actually changing anything about societal structures would magically force everyone to treat each other as equals, or as she puts it, “be nice”. She’s inarticulate. It’s a very immature and simplistic phrasing.

But then you realize that Ja’far never let her fully explain this idea before dismissing it, so she could have worked out the legal logistics of effecting real practical change - and during her reign she evidently does, since the policy successfully ensures all citizens are treated equally.

And then you realize why it’s so successful. ‘Making everyone a princess’ really just means recognizing that everyone innately deserves as much respect, kindness and autonomy as a member of royalty. That’s exactly what the Magic Kingdom needs. This is a country with an absolute monarchy, rampant political corruption, stark socioeconomic division, an excessively cruel legal system and widespread literal slavery when she inherits it. She gets rid of all of those problems because she refuses to compromise on basic ethics! Politicians, employers, landlords, law enforcement, prison staff, family members - nobody is allowed to mistreat their princess. You can’t financially exploit your princess. You can’t discriminate against your princess. You can’t deny your princess control over the governing of her country. You can’t own her as property. You can’t deny her proper legal representation. The implementation may glossed over, but the concept is sound!

In the beginning this character said “I just want to be free so badly! You slaves could never understand this feeling!” At the end she enshrines in law that human rights are universal, fundamental and inalienable and sovereignty resides in the people, i.e. the foundation of modern democracy.

[yuridovewing]

everyone else rewriting nightheart like normal people: ok so we’re gonna make him trans, or we’re gonna make it so his plot isn’t exactly about feeling mad about firestar’s legacy, or we’ll play him up as an unreliable narrator who just cant see how his family does love him until his development

me: what if he was his dad’s homunculus flesh puppet

[age-of-moonknight]

“Soldier,” Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 2/2024), #3.

Writer: Jed MacKay; Penciler and Inker: Alessandro Cappuccio; Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg; Letterer: Cory Petit

[queenlucythevaliant]

🪆would love one featuring Russian thoughts on God! ✝️

SO. I could have sworn that I've posted "Avvakum in Pustozyorsk" on this blog before, but I can't seem to find it so here it is.

(For context, this is written in the voice of a 17th century Russian Orthodox priest and religious dissident (an "Old Believer"). Avvakum was sent to the military outpost of Pustozyorsk where he was imprisoned four fourteen years, then eventually burned at the stake. It uses this historical voice to reflect on the religious persecution of the Soviet era. Also, it's fairly long, so I've highlighted my favorite stanzas.)

Avvakum in Pustozyorsk The walls of my church are the ribs round my heart; it seems life and I are soon bound to part. My cross now rises, traced with two fingers. In Pustozyorsk it blazes; its blaze will linger. I’m glorified everywhere, vilified, branded; I have already become the stuff of legend: I was, people say, full of anger and spite; I suffered, I died for the ancient rite. But this popular verdict is ugly nonsense; I hear and reject the implied censure. A rite is nothing – neither wrong nor right; a rite is a trifle in God’s sight. But they attacked our faith and the ways of the past, in all we’d learned as children, and taken to heart. In their holy garments, in their grand hats, with a cold crucifix in their cold hands, in thrall to a terror clutching their souls, they drag us to jails and herd us to scaffolds. We don’t debate doctrine, of books and their age; we don’t debate virtues of fetters and chains. Our dispute is of freedom, and the right to breathe – about our Lord’s will to bind as he please. The healers of souls chastised our bodies; while they schemed and plotted, we ran to the forests. Despite their decrees, we hurled our words out of the lion’s mouth and into the world. We called for vengeance against their sins along with the Lord; we sang poems and hymns. The words of the Lord were claps of thunder. The Church endures; it will never go under. And I, unyielding, reading the Psalter, was brought to the gates of the Andronikov Monastery. I was young; I endured every pain: hunger, beatings, interrogations. A winged angel shut the eyes of the guard, brought me cabbage soup and a hunk of bread. I crossed the threshold – and I walked free. Embracing my exile, I walked to the East. I held services by the Amur River, where I barely survived the winds and blizzards. They branded my cheeks with brands of frost; by a mountain stream they tore out my nostrils. But the path to the Lord goes from jail to jail; the path to the Lord never changes. And all too few, since Jesus’s days, have proved able to bear God’s all-seeing gaze. Nastasia, Nastasia, do not despair; true joy often wears a garment of tears. Whatever temptations may beat in your heart, whatever torments may rip you apart, walk on in peace through a thousand troubles and fear not the snake that bites at your ankles – though not from Eden has this snake crawled; it is an envoy of evil from Satan’s world. Here, birdsong is unknown; here one learns patience and the wisdom of stone. I have seen no colour except lingonberry in fourteen years spent as a prisoner. But this is not madness, nor a waking dream; it is my soul’s fortress, its will and freedom. And now they are leading me far away and in fetters; my yoke is easy, my burden grows lighter. My track is swept clean dusted with silver; I’m climbing to heaven on wings of fire. Through cold and hunger, through grief and fear, towards God, like a dove, I rise from the pyre. O far-away Russia – I give you my vow to return from the sky, forgiving my foes. May I be reviled, and burned at the stake; may my ashes be cast on the mountain wind. There is no fate sweeter, no better end, than to knock, as ash, at the human heart.

--Varlam Shalamov

[pinkytoothlesso11]

Who (besides Strickler) is your favorite Tales of Arcadia villain in Trollhunter?

I wouldn't quite say Strickler's a villain... Just because he never really takes a serious stance as a dangerous threat for most of series one. He is an antagonist and a enemy, but not really a villain.

I was going to say my favourite villain is Angor Rot, because he's legitimately terrifying at times, he respects Jim as a foe and his design is awesome, but again, he's not a true villain either, because he's enslaved to do the bidding of others and is a victim really.

So then it's probably Bular AND Gunmar. Bular I think more in fanfiction than the show itself, but his design was great and making him a little sympathetic in missing his father helped flesh his character out.

Gunmar is by far the most menacing and scary villain in the entire Tales of Arcadia franchise. No one compares really to him, Morgana is not very convincing as a villain, the Arcane Order needed more screentime to be properly understood and Morando is the worst villain in the series lol.

Hope that's a acceptable answer!