#words cannot describe how much I hate the evil one

[zgasly]

Did this for fun

[astronicht]

Okay I'm almost done with Fellowship, here's an incomplete list of shit I noticed and thought was buck fucking wild on my first ever read-thru: medieval edition.

In literally the second line of the book, Tolkien implies that Bilbo Baggins wrote a story which was preserved alongside the in-universe version of the Mabinogion (aka the best-known collection of Welsh myths; I promise this is batshit). This is because The Hobbit has been preserved, in Tolkien's AU version of our world, in a "selection of the Red Book of Westmarch" (Prologue, Concerning Hobbits). If you're a medievalist and you see something called "The Red Book of" or "The Black Book of" etc it's a Thing. In this case, a cheeky reference to the Red Book of Hergest (Llyfr Coch Hergest). There are a few Red Books, but only Hergest has stories).

not a medieval thing but i did not expect one common theory among hobbits for the death of Frodo's parents to be A RUMORED MURDER-SUICIDE.

At the beginning of the book a few hobbits report seeing a moving elm tree up on the moors, heading west (thru or past the Shire). I mentioned this in another post, but another rule: if you see an elm tree, that's a Girl Tree. In Norse creation myth, the first people were carved from driftwood by the gods. Their names were Askr (Ash, as in the tree), the first man, and Embla (debated, but likely elm tree), the first woman. A lot of ppl have I think guessed that that was an ent-wife, but like. Literally that was a GIRL. TREE.

Medieval thing: I used to read the runes on the covers of The Hobbit and LOTR for fun when I worked in a bookshop. There's a mix of Old Norse (viking) and Old English runes in use, but all the ones I've noticed so far are real and readable if you know runes.

Tom Bombadil makes perfect sense if you once spent months of your life researching the early medieval art of galdor, which was the use of poems or songs to do a form of word-magic, often incorporating gibberish. If you think maybe Tolkien did not base the entirety of Fellowship so far around learning and using galdor and thus the power of words and stories, that is fine I cannot force you. He did personally translate "galdor" in Beowulf as "spell" (spell, amusingly, used to mean "story"). And also he named an elf Galdor. Like he very much did name an elf Galdor.

Tom Bombadil in fact does galdor from the moment we meet him. He arrives and fights the evil galdor (song) of the willow tree ("old gray willow-man, he's a mighty singer"), which is singing the hobbits to sleep and possibly eating them, with a galdor (song) of his own. Then he wanders off still singing, incorporating gibberish. I think it was at this point that I started clawing my face.

THEN Tom Bombadil makes perfect sense if you've read the description of the scop's songs in Beowulf (Beowulf again, but hey, Tolkien did famously a. translate it b. write a fanfiction about it called Sellic Spell where he gave Beowulf an arguably homoerotic Best Friend). The scop (pronounched shop) is a poet who sings about deeds on earth, but also by profession must know how to sing the song or tell the story of how the cosmos itself came to be. The wise-singer who knows the deep lore of the early universe is a standard trope in Old English literature, not just Beowulf! Anyway Tom Bombadil takes everyone home and tells them THE ENTIRE STORY OF ALL THE AGES OF THE EARTH BACKWARDS UNTIL JUST BEFORE THE MOMENT OF CREATION, THE BIG BANG ITSELF and then Frodo Baggins falls asleep.

Tom Bombadil knows about plate tectonics

This is sort of a lie, Tom Bombadil describes the oceans of old being in a different place, which works as a standard visual of Old English creation, which being Christian followed vaguely Genesis lines, and vaguely Christian Genesis involves a lot of water. TOLKIEN knew about plate tectonics though.

Actually I just checked whether Tolkien knew about plate tectonics because I know the advent of plate tectonics theory took forever bc people HATED it and Alfred Wegener suffered for like 50 years. So! actually while Tolkien was writing LOTR, the scientific community was literally still not sure plate tectonics existed. Tom Bombadil knew tho.

Remember that next time you (a geologist) are forced to look at the Middle Earth map.

I'm not even done with Tom Bombadil but I'm stopping here tonight. Plate tectonics got me. There's a great early (but almost high!) medieval treatise on cosmology and also volcanoes and i wonder if tolkien read it. oh my god. i'm going to bed.

edit: part II

[secretmellowblog]

When I say "Victor Hugo's depiction of Jean Valjean's grief over losing Cosette is a reflection of Hugo's own grief at the death of his daughter" I'm not just theorizing-- some lines from Les Mis are basically just ripped word-for-word from Hugo's poems about the death of his daughter. Here are a few of them. Leopoldine drowned horribly with her husband only a few months after they were married; she was only nineteen. Jean Valjean's paralyzing fear of Cosette's marriage, his misguided useless rage at her husband, and his violent grief over losing her and never being able to see her again, is heavily influenced by Hugo's own grief. I have trouble finding good English translations of some of Hugo’s Leopoldine poems online, and would appreciate better links to English translations if anyone has them. But In A Villequier, one of Hugo's poems addressing God with furious grief over the death of Leopoldine, he writes:

Consider again how I have, since dawn, Worked, fought, thought, walked, struggled, Explaining Nature to Man who knew nothing of it, Lighting everything with your clarity; That, facing hate and anger, I have done my task here below, That I could not expect this wage, That I could not Foresee that you too, on my yielding head, Would let fall heavily your triumphant arm, And that you who saw how little joy I have, Would take my child away so quickly!

Which is almost word for word just Jean Valjean's:

I have left my blood on every stone, on every bramble, on every mile-post, along every wall, I have been gentle, though others have been hard to me, and kind, although others have been malicious, I have become an honest man once more, in spite of everything, I have repented of the evil that I have done and have forgiven the evil that has been done to me, and at the moment when I receive my recompense, at the moment when it is all over, at the moment when I am just touching the goal, at the moment when I have what I desire, it is well, it is good, I have paid, I have earned it, all this is to take flight, all this will vanish, and I shall lose Cosette, and I shall lose my life, my joy, my soul....

And this from the same poem:

I keep seeing that moment in my life when I saw her open her wings and fly off! I will see that instant until I die, the instant, no tears needed! where I cried: the child I had a minute ago— What? I don’t have her any more?

Is a similar sentiment to this angelic description of Cosette “taking flight” away from Jean Valjean:

Cosette, as she took her flight, winged and transfigured, left behind her on the earth her hideous and empty chrysalis, Jean Valjean.

And the moment when Jean Valjean realizes she’s in love with Marius, and has been “lost” to him without him realizing it:

The unprecedented and heart-rending thing about it was that he had fallen without perceiving it. All the light of his life had departed, while he still fancied that he beheld the sun.

This from the poem Demain dès l'aube, where Victor Hugo describes visiting Leopoldine's grave:

I will walk with my eyes fixed on my thoughts, Without seeing anything outside, without hearing any noise, Alone, unknown, back bent, hands crossed, Sad, and the day for me will be like night.

And Jean Valjean walking to Cosette's house, but never able to enter or speak to her:

There [Jean Valjean] walked at a slow pace, with his head strained forward, seeing nothing, hearing nothing, his eye immovably fixed on a point which seemed to be a star to him

This bit where Hugo talks about his faith weakening/cursing God in vain after Leopoldine’s death:

Consider how one doubts, O God! when one suffers, how the eye that weeps too much is blinded, how a being plunged by grief into the blackest pit, seeing you no more, cannot contemplate you.

Is similar to Jean Valjean’s spirtual self weakening and his consience “taking flight” at the idea of losing Cosette:

Any one who had beheld his spiritual self would have been obliged to concede that it weakened at that moment. (...) Grief, when it attains this shape, is a headlong flight of all the forces of the conscience. These are fatal crises. Few among us emerge from them still like ourselves and firm in duty.

Victor Hugo agonizing over his dreams of growing old with his daughter in A Villequier:

You make loneliness return always around all his footsteps.(...) As soon as he owns something, fate takes it away. Nothing is given to him, in his speedy days, for him to make a home and say: Here is my house, my field and my loved ones!

Jean Valjean:

“As one family! No. I belong to no family. I do not belong to yours. I do not belong to any family of men. In houses where people are among themselves, I am superfluous. There are families, but there is nothing of the sort for me. I am an unlucky wretch; I am left outside.

Victor Hugo's poetry in A Villequier again:

in the midst of cares, hardships, miseries, and of the shadow our fate casts over us, how a child appears, a dear sacred head, a small joyful creature, so beautiful one thinks a door to heaven has opened when it arrives; when for sixteen years one has watched this other self grow in loveable grace and sweet reason, when one has realized that this child one loves makes daylight in our soul and in our home,

Jean Valjean:

this man, who had passed through all manner of distresses, who was still all bleeding from the bruises of fate, (...) merely asked of Providence, of man, of the law, of society, of nature, of the world, one thing, that Cosette might love him! That Cosette might continue to love him! That God would not prevent the heart of the child from coming to him, and from remaining with him! Beloved by Cosette, he felt that he was healed, rested, appeased, loaded with benefits, recompensed, crowned. Beloved by Cosette, it was well with him! He asked nothing more! Had any one said to him: “Do you want anything better?” he would have answered: “No.” God might have said to him: “Do you desire heaven?” and he would have replied: “I should lose by it.”

Victor Hugo begging God to talk to his daughter again:

Let me lean over this cold stone and say to my child: Do you feel that I am here? Let me speak to her, bent over her remains, in the evening when all is still, as if, reopening her celestial eyes in her night, this angel could hear me!

Jean Valjean thanking God for letting him speak to Cosette one more time:

The good God says: “‘You fancy that you are about to be abandoned, stupid! No. No, things will not go so. Come, there is a good man yonder who is in need of an angel.’

I think the ending of Les Mis never made complete sense to me until I realized that Jean Valjean isn't grieving like a parent who has watched their child grow up; he is grieving like a parent who has just watched their child die.

[y-rhywbeth2]

@ladymer Putting this in its own post for space and tidier notes.

Really? I haven't seen him say that before.

I'm pretty sure he still has his soul and that Karlach is being metaphorical when she tells unascended Astarion that he kept it (or she's referring to the fact that it's still his and unbranded by "property of Mephistopheles" as souls are when you make a deal with the infernal.)

Making a deal with a devil at all corrupts your soul because it always involves doing something evil that shifts you towards the Hells, shown mechanically as an alignment change which may be instant or gradual. You are twisted towards the end goal of becoming like a devil yourself, the embodiment of cruelty, ambition, lust and tyranny - destined for the hells and likely to corrupt those around you and take them with you.

As ever, this isn't necessarily what Larian had in mind, but this is how I'm reading/headcanoning it, based on the D&D lore available to me:

I imagine it would cause the Vampire Ascendant to be what vampires say on the box, no nuance left:

"Dark Desires: Whether or not a vampire retains any memories from its former life, its emotional attachments wither as once-pure feelings become twisted by undeath. Love turns to hungry obsession, while friendship becomes bitter jealousy. In place of emotion, vampires pursue physical symbols of what they crave..."

With the traits of a devil layered on top (which is honestly pretty much exactly the same as the drives possessed by vampires):

"The psychology of devils can be summed up in a single word: Ambition. Almost every devil constantly wonders how it can win advancement [...] The cleverer devils invariable perceive themselves as cool, calculating, and abundantly logical. [...however they] act based on emotion, without regard for their true long-term self-interest. Devils enjoy inflicting misery - be it physical or mental - on others. They hate suffering defeat or humiliation..."

They're not necessarily "more" evil than any other vampire, but incapable of being more than their curse the way another vampires are theoretically capable of. They may not be soulless, but they might as well be. The inherent evil/corruption of vampirism is maximised and overrides any existing humanity. Violence is the highest pleasure. Power is all. They only see things (including people) in terms of possession, jealousy and envy. The way they experience love and other emotions is superficial and sometimes, due to their ego, obsessive (this thing/person is theirs, so any challenge to that claim is not allowed because it's an attack on them). etc.

What the Vampire Ascendant mostly reminds me of is Abyssal Ghouls - and more specifically the original 1e FR version from Lords of Darkness, which was Ghasts, another form of sapient undead "improved" by the Lower Planes, courtesy of demons. They're undead and partially fiends. They're more powerful than regular ghouls, naturally dominate them as leaders of the pack, and, in their Lord of Darkness write up, Ghasts cannot be repelled by the usual anti-undead means (you have to repel them using cold iron, as you would a demon), so they have a less weaknesses. They're extraplanar in nature (no longer considered native to the material plane, but to the Abyss) and their souls are likewise bound to the Lower Plane that made them when they die, so they're... kind of minor demons themselves, in a way.

Replace "ghoul" with "vampire" and "demon" with "devil" and it doesn't seem far off from being similar.

Devils are also known for their mortal-like lusts and desires (such as food, despite not needing it) - it'd be interesting if the source of the Ascdendant's newly restored "mortal appetites" was from becoming a devil (or partially one).

Ghasts were described as the "Hounds of the Abyss" used by demons to track quarry, and I imagine the Vampire Ascendant is serving this purpose for Baator (which is also very devil-esque):

"Powerful lawful evil mortals are often more valuable to devilkind as living beings operating on the Material Plane. When alive, they can bring about the damnations of hosts of other souls, or pursue other goals of the hellish hierarchy."

[nerves-nebula]

ok i finished Lolita, here's my rambling notes which are really more about me & my reactions than the book. I stopped taking as many notes the further in I went.

the forward for this is so funny. we got someone in universe telling us that the things this guy says are absurd and you should NOT fall for his bullshit, because he is NOT a gentleman.

Approx 24 minutes in he proposes the idea of the nymphette. 9-14

its fascinating the way he constructs this other sect of being, this third sex, this nymphet. the way he calls them demons, as if it's their fault, as if it could never be a problem with him.

gets mad that some guys entire fuckin house burns down so he cant ogle his daughters. what an asshole.

Negro/Negress Count (i updated this every time the word negro is used. i just think its funny, its like a drinking game for me. at least black people exist in this world lmao): 7

(about quote #6) the way he talks about Mrs Haze (and in fact most women and girls) as though he is so handsome that he literally cannot stop them from entangling him in an affair is fascinating. Man cannot hold himself responsible for anything.

ok so he's just met dolores and this isnt really a product of the book, but the narrator does a REALLY god job with HH. genuinely just a really good performance. he reads the cadence of HH's flowery writing so well, he emotes so well. its great.

of course this overwritten little creep would write down all his thoughts in a little book. just like he's doing now. at least he's consistent?

so much damn interpretation huh. he's always like "I know she wanted me to kiss her i could tell she was waiting for it" MY GUY.

wait when does this take place was it really normal to marry your first cousin in the midwest in the 1950s?

the way he describes her being not entirely innocent as a warning sign, as some great evil that would trap him, is fascinating. because she is not what he thought an innocent little girl should be, he pushes a bit of the responsibility off of himself and onto her. she's not a child, she's a dangerous nymphet who pulls him in and traps him in her impropriety. despite him literally (thinking he was) drugging her (in an attempt to keep her from knowing what hes doing) he STILL blames her for enticing him. still considers her a fae creature. i hate him. i love this book.

it is truly kind of fascinating how he makes it sound like their trip wasn't all that bad and just offhandedly mentions horrific stuff like the rate at which she sexually abused her, or how Dolores cried herself to sleep every night when she thought he was asleep, and how she almost never seemed to actually be happy. and yet he'll go on and on about all the things they got to see, and how much money this whole kidnapping roadtrip cost him.

the fact that he now has to just straight up pay her, and she's clearly not enjoying anything is so !!! and then he has the NERVE to steal her money back while she's away !! the money she's probably trying to save up to get away from him !! do you guys know what thats like?? when the money youve carefully saved just.. disappears?? good god.

oh ok so he KNOWS she might try to run away if she has too much money. cool cool normal.

i do like this school parent teacher meeting thing thats basically laying out that it's very clear dolores has issues around sex. like this is somehow so clearly an issue that they called him in about it. Ough.

love his indigence at Lo saying that he tried to molest her back before he married her mother (more or less true, and i would even say he succeeded that one time) and that he murdered her mother (a reasonable assumption on her part)

Mans just said he can shed torrents of tears thru his dick. He’s unnecessarily crude for someone so poetic and I love that part of his character tbh.

So he just slapped her and it’s fascinating how clearly abusive he is even from his own softened retelling. Like he doesn’t phrase it like this, but every action he takes is to isolate and control her.

i know he sucks shit but him leaving Rita is especially cruel to me. there was no need to leave her behind with only a note. no amount of calling a woman "sweet" or his "poor little thing" makes up for how absolutely disposable they all are to him. he admits that he needed her, that her company kept him from having breakdowns that would send him to a hospital, and he still just leaves her behind forever. when he knows thats what she was scared of most.

i aint even know about Clare Quilty. huh!

i am enjoying his sad walk through his "smothered memories" like yeah man. you suck and you fucked up everything and you do deserve to feel bad about your active ignorance (i like that he brought up the memory of rescinding that one promise because that was one instance i was really stuck on. like she has nothing man, and it's silly to you but it's everything to her)

y'know im still not entirely sure what Pentapod Monster means

Quotes:

he is not a gentleman

But how his heart beat when, among the innocent throng,he espied a demon child, "enfant charmante et fourbe," dim eyes, bright lips, ten years in jail if you only show her you are looking at her.

I was naive as only a pervert can be (lol)

nymphets do not occur in polar regions (oh my god shut upp)

the reader will regret to learn that soon after my return to civilization I had another bout with insanity (I absolutely do not regret it my wonderful narrator <3)

I was perfectly aware that if by any wild chance I became her lodger, she would methodically proceed to do in regard to me what taking a lodger probably meant to her all along, and I would again be enmeshed in one of those tedious affairs I knew so well.

To keep her happy, I had to present her with an illustrated catalogue of them, all nicely differentiated, according to the rules of those American ads where schoolchildren are pictured in a subtle ratio of races, with one--only one, but as cute as they make them--chocolate-colored round-eyed little lad, almost in the very middle of the front row.(I just find this quote interesting because it makes a point that there would only ever be at most one black kid. not sure what to make of it but i did enjoy that)

It was she who seduced me. (SHUT UP)

the body of some immortal demon disguised as a female child. (SHUT UPPPPP!!)

Used French only when she was a very good little girl. (I’m attacking you with my teeth and claws. I love this book.)

[soracities]

(Public post ok on this one!) My love life is a bit strange. I have CPTSD and awful parents, which unfortunately screwed up my attachment style pretty badly. As a result, is very hard for me to fall in love. I found a way though, but not in a way you'd expected.

When I was in 8th grade, I came up with a character named Surge who was meant to be the physical embodiment of evil and darkness and it was through him I was able to channel a lot of my pain. He evolved over the years though, and in high school he became the guardian I so sorely needed when shit was hitting the fan at home. I very truly fell in love with this imaginary man and it was through him I could actually explore what it might mean to love and be loved since I had no good example of it at all in my life. It took time, both of us growing in out own ways, in part for me learning to accept I was deserving of love.

Most of this there was a sort of detachment I guess, like he was across a barrier and I could only imagine him being with me, not that he was there. Somehow that changed in summer of 2021 when I had top surgery, when I could actually feel him there with me, and ever since I have felt him right with me everyday. November 5 of that year I married him in VR surrounded by many friends who loved me and knew what I've been through, and knew that I needed him and was ultimately happy (minus cold feet for a couple days but that's pretty normal for a wedding from what I understand!)

I love him more than anything, he is the only person I don't have to force the words "I love you" out for. My therapists over the years have known about him and I and there have been no major concerns - he's actually pretty instrumental in therapy for me.

I don't have much of a purpose in sharing this I don't think and I wish I could've worded this more eloquently. You seemed like the right person to send this to because I am so filled with unmeasurable love for this person who exists within me. As much as I wish I could see him and feel his face against my hand, I consider myself so lucky that I have found love and peace inside myself that I have never been able to find anywhere else.

I guess my moral is you can find love in the most unexpected of places, and what's considered normal might not be what's best for you personally. Somehow, through my many years of struggling with self esteem and at times just hating myself, there was a part of me who loved me and protected me anyway - even when those in my life whose job it was to do so didn't - and his name is Surge. I wouldn't trade him for anything.

i have no words to say to this and nothing to add except that this so so utterly heartwarming and beautiful and i cannot begin to describe how happy it makes me that you have found love and support like this and been able to allow it to hold and carry you through so much. touched and honoured that you're sharing this and honestly my heart is just....absolutely adore you sm truly 💗💕💖💕💗💕

[izunias-meme-hole]

Top 10 Mario Characters (Remake)

Number 1. Bowser - Bowser is a genuinely great villain and fun as hell. Sure, there are a crapton of underrated villains in the Mario series, but no matter what you cannot really hate this guy. He’s a giant fire breathing turtle-dragon who’s a evil king, but he’s also a meathead, arrogant as hell, has very cool boss fights, is a surprisingly good father to his kids, and he’s an amazing protagonist and ally, as shown in games like Bowser’s Inside Story, and the Paper Mario Series. At the end of the day, Bowser is just an entertaining villain and an great character.

Number 2. Wario - Whaddya expect? Wario is a perfect take on an “Mario Double” by not being a literal Evil Mario. He’s just a disgusting, rude, and greedy little bastard man that just so happens to not only look similar to Mario, but is also the exact opposite of everything Mario is! He’s also a game developer, and a treasure hunter, plus his games are actually pretty fun. In other words, Wario for the win!

Number 3. King Boo - The Boo’s are annoying little shits and the cutest enemies in the series, but this guy is legit nightmare fuel and a delightful slice of ham. He captured Mario, he captured Peach, he turned Mario and Peach into paintings, and he went from wanting to capture Luigi to just wanting to outright kill him! Also, much like Bowser, he's consistently entertaining every time he is on screen, and I find it surprising he isn't an Mario RPG villain because he certainly fits that description pretty damn well. Overall King Boo is just a delight to see, and he’s the perfect nemesis for Luigi.

Number 4. Dimentio - Easily the biggest asshole in the Paper Mario games, and the biggest asshole in the whole series. This jester is suave, smug, manipulative, AND sadistic. He feels less like a Mario villain, and more akin to a Final Fantasy or Kirby villain. Also the twist with him betraying Bleck was somehow not the asspull I thought it was when I first played the game, and it was actual kinda built up well throughout the game.

Number 5. The Shadow Queen - The easiest way to describe The Shadow Queen is that she’s a Kirby final boss in a Mario game. Eldrich in nature, terrifying, powerful, and PURE EVIL. Also, despite just being the final boss, her build up is done exceedingly well, so she doesn’t feel out of place either. In short, this ghastly demon queen is so non-Mario as a villain that it works perfectly in her favor.

Number 6. Count Bleck - A well written tragic villain in a Mario game that is also quite the horrifying bastard? HELL YES!

Number 7. Bowser Jr - Bowser Jr is a small gremlin that is on the same level of fun as his father, and is extremely underrated. He’s got some of the most versatile bosses in the series due to his mechs and clown car, is very energetic, and his relationship with his dad is pretty healthy and fun. In short, the son of Bowser is just neat. However his biggest problem is that he's so underutilized in the mainline games, like how does Nintendo hit gold and decide not to use it often.

Number 8. Rosalina - She is beauty, she is grace, she has a sad backstory, she's helpful, she's the mother of these stars that become planets, she's considered to be either a witch or a goddess, and overall out of all the princesses in the series... I don't think we've had one like her. Daisy is outgoing and tomboyish, Peach is more refined, but Rosalina feels like a divine entity mixed with a mother figure who's experienced a lot. Sorry, but top 2 goes to star mom.

Number 9. Princess Daisy - Do I have to explain? Despite only appearing in an obscure ass game and some party games, Daisy is a HUGE contrast to Peach, and it’s in a good way. She’s a tomboy, is loud and proud, and her energy is constantly high as all hell.

Number 10. Princess Peach - When she isn’t being kidnapped by Bowser, she’s actually pretty fun. Sure she lack’s Daisy’s high energy, and is more “girly,” but she’s still got some sass and her own unique type of high energy that is let out in the party games. Also her Mario 64 castle theme is one of the best leitmotif’s in the series.

[toodles021]

Favorite and least favorite characters

Hehehhehe ok here we go

FAVORITES FIRST!!

First off we have this man (of course), definitely one of my oldest favorite characters, I've been obsessed with him for forever lol😅

One of my favorite things about his character is definitely his sarcasm, it cracks me up every time, and I absolutely love the development that he goes through as the story progresses. I personally love the misfit character finally finding a place in the world kinda trope, which is of course exactly what ends up happening with Hiccup after he befriends Toothless.

(Also, the music?????? I can't even describe how it makes me feel, there are no words, I very much literally cannot stay still when listening to it.)

Next we have these two

LOOK AT THEM ‼️ ‼️ THEY'RE SO ‼️ ‼️ No words

I love me a good chihuahua man who loves his strong badass wife, I mean how can you not?? Also their backstory?? Tears, rolling down my face. (THE AMOUNT OF TIMES THEY LOST THEIR MEMORIES OF EACH OTHER HAD ME LIKE ‼️‼️😡) Childhood friends to lovers my beloved🙏🙏 I also just love how King tends to be more serious and solemn and meanwhile Diane is wicked cutesy and energetic!

(Me over here losing my mind since it's been confirmed that they have at least 7 kids😃)

Next we got THIS GUY!!

He's just so cool you guys, I can't. Cool military man who can manipulate fire and helps overthrow an evil government??? Yes please!! HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HAWKEYE????? PERFECTION!!! THEY WAY THEY LITERALLY ARE SO CONNECTED WITH EACH OTHER THAT THEY CAN TALK WITHOUT WORDS IN THAT ONE SCENE??? THE WAY SHE HELPS HIM PERFECTLY AIM HIS SHOTS WHEN HE LOSES HIS EYESIGHT???? I'm so normal about them, I could go on for a very long time.

THIS DUDE‼️‼️

I'm looking so respectfully... ANYWAYS

I know that a lot of people see him as a "rip off" or "wanna be" Darth Vader but like.. bestie that's the point. He's supposed to seem like a new Darth Vader, but the truth is they're incredibly different, Kylo has always been conflicted and known it, and been afraid of it, while Darth Vader didn't question himself until the end. Also I'm sorry to people who don't like the romance aspect, but the connection that he has with Rey??? I will literally never get over it. "Their kiss wasn't romantic" BESTIE DID WE WATCH THE SAME MOVIES???? DID YOU MISS THE PART WHERE THEY ARE VERY MUCH LITERALLY TWO HALVES OF A WHOLE??? THAT THEY'RE A DYAD IN THE FORCE??

NOW MY BABYGIRL‼️‼️

LOOK AT HIM‼️‼️ I love him

Is he kinda insane? Yes. But y'know what?? It's ok. Because I said so. ALSO HIS LORE??? ABSOLUTELY FUCKING INSANE?? LIKE COME ON HOW CAN YOU NOT EVEN FIND HIM TO BE INTERESTING AT THE LEAST??? He is the ✨main character✨

Nah but in all seriousness like, I love the antagonists that aren't entirely bad or evil. Like the way he is with Teucer?? Tears. The fact that he writes letters to Tonia and refers to himself as her "loyal knight"??? ARE YOU SERIOUS??????? He's literally so precious, just a little messed up...

As for characters I don't like.... honestly it can be hard sometimes to get me to hate a character, because even if they're like "bad" or "evil" or something I can always respect the amazing writing and designing that makes the character the way they are.

HOWEVER

THIS FUCKIN 10 HEAD CUBE FACE LOOKIN ASS BITCH CAN ROT IN HELL‼️‼️

[enzymedevice]

So I recently finished watching The Crow: Stairway to Heaven (1998), the 22-episode TV series based on the film The Crow (1994) and the comic of the same name. I’ve seen a few posts here and there about it being weird, but since even a lot of those have come from people who haven’t actually seen it who're going off hearsay, I haven’t seen any definitive list of the weird things that are in it. There are many weird things in it and here they are. Suffice to say there are spoilers in here so don’t read it if you live in a world where people could really actually care about spoilers for The Crow: Stairway to Heaven.

I’m going to assume that anyone who doesn’t follow me who’s interacting with this post has seen the film, but just in case (because I know 90% of my followers are here for Naruto), uh, musician Eric Draven is resurrected by a magical crow to exact bloody vengeance upon the people who murdered him and his fiancé Shelly Webster. Daryl Albrecht is the cop assigned to their murder case. Sarah Mohr is a young teenage girl who is also there, and her mother Darla is a drug addict who is romantically involved with one of the murderers. Murderers aside, I think that’s the reasonable dramatis personae.

The first episode is just a retelling of the 1994 film but with all the swear words and most of the gore taken out. Also Eric sings a song and it sucks. Those who watch this show will be hearing that song so very much.

The most important thing to know about this show right off the bat is that it is a police procedural and killing is wrong.

Eric roundhouses a guy for smoking a cigarette.

Good people get resurrected by crows; evil people get resurrected by cute albino pythons.

Eric cannot enter a room without dropping from the ceiling or jumping in the window. I love him but because he’s a cool martial arts guy he cannot use a door.

He also has a lot of casual conversations while exercising shirtless.

At one point he is lying on the floor and gets up to greet someone by doing a handstand.

At another point I’m pretty sure he snaps a man's fucking neck with his thighs? Not to death but like, to pain, certainly.

Dragula plays in episode 4. Episode 1 contains the song Powertrip by Monster Magnet, which isn’t particularly significant, but they’re my favourite band so I noticed.

Episode 5 is the circus episode. Pretty much every episode is a themed episode that most shows only get round to over the course of like 8 seasons? Episode 10 concerns daredevil car racing.

There's a part where the police are searching for Eric and a witness has described a man who's "Asian or Hispanic" and Albrecht's face lights up so quick like "Woah! I know an Asian or Hispanic man!" and that’s how he knows it’s Eric.

Sarah is a lead in this show and she and Eric kinda form the fun tag team for banter. She waves her hand in front of his face and looks at him funny when he’s having a traumatic flashback. Their dialogue is my favourite. Here are some examples:

SARAH: How many [pull-ups] did you do?

ERIC: I stopped counting at 200.

SARAH: That’s not normal.

SARAH: You need to get out more.

ERIC: But I don’t wanna get out more!

SARAH [ABOUT ERIC]: The man doesn’t eat. The man doesn’t sleep. He only sits around thinking about his dead girlfriend.

ERIC: I’m getting these weird feelings…

SARAH: I hate to break it to you, but all your feelings are weird.

Reincarnation is also a thing separately from the resurrection. Eric and Shelly have met each other in every single one of their previous lives, during which they have always been played by the same actors.

Several random characters are also shown to be able to commune with the dead, including a child who lives in a cage.

Eric talks someone down from a suicide.

Eric talks someone down from doing a revenge killing.

There’s a recurring character who’s a hacker called Nytmare.

Shelly becomes corporeal twice, once by possessing someone and once by angelic powers or something I’m not sure I didn’t listen. Oh yeah Shelly's also a lead in this show, waiting in the afterlife and sometimes being homoerotic with deceased women Eric chastely assists.

One episode features the Russian mob.

There’s a character called the Skull Cowboy. Now, the Skull Cowboy is in the original comic, but unlike the original comic he is regrettably not a skull nor demonstrably a cowboy, save for his cool jacket. He’s great though, shoutout to my man the Skull Cowboy.

Eric beats up a fire-eater with a fire extinguisher.

In one episode Eric's convinced he's gonna die so he puts on a white t-shirt and blue jeans. That’s mildly amusing because he’s a goth but I mostly bring it up because this was the episode I truly became aware of how sculpted his pecs are.

In episode 9, Eric is hypnotised by a man (recurring character) who believes John Lennon's consciousness is alive on the internet and he mentally regresses to one of his past lives, when he was an Indigenous American man. I have no further comment on this episode other than the fact that They Do A Mysterious Ritual and there are slurs.

Episode 20 establishes Eric as a Vietnamese orphan adopted during the war. That’s the secret brother episode (Eric's secret brother is played by Corey Feldman).

One further comment on episode 9, actually - Eric makes a gay joke in it which I can add to my Eric/Albrecht ship manifesto.

Eric opens a portal to hell.

From hell emerges a man with electricity superpowers who kidnaps a bunch of people.

Eric jumps off a high balcony and spins round and round to defeat the electricity guy.

He also does a front flip off some stairs while casually maintaining a conversation, as touched upon earlier.

There's a multi-episode courtroom drama storyline wherein Eric is on trial for Shelly's murder.

Oh yeah people just straight-up know he’s alive. He works as a bouncer in the bar his band used to play at. Darla works at the police station and attends Alcoholics Anonymous but then struggles with relapse as a whole storyline.

Albrecht gets a new partner whose struggles with PTSD are a whole storyline. Albrecht's also in the most complicated on-again off-again relationship with a District Attorney of all time. This one bullet point is him covered - he otherwise doesn’t have a lot going on aside from that one time he gets kidnapped and taken to an island and Eric has to save him in a comedically tiny boat.

Eric's murder trial is very funny to me: firstly, it’s a clip show, 12 episodes into the season. Secondly, a lot of the defence is resting on how the prosecution is discriminating against Eric for being a goth. A quotation from Eric's attorney: "He’s not on trial for being different, he’s on trial for murder!"

Eric's described as "different" a lot. He also describes himself as such when prompted, such as in this exchange:

WHOEVER SAID THIS LINE: Why do you look like that?

ERIC: Because I’m different.

Anyway the trial gets really boring but Eric has a cute ponytail and just looks soooo dapper in his little suit; I want to make him a nice sandwich for his packed lunch and pat him on the head as I send him on his way.

He’s pronounced guilty and then in the next episode immediately pronounced innocent. Spoilers.

There is a time loop episode during which Eric is forced to say the words "pretty please with sugar on top."

There is a plot to resurrect Rasputin. Rasputin's corpse is burned in a fire and his ghost appears superimposed upon the air.

Eric does a backflip towards the Rasputin corpse fire.

This is in hell. The guy resurrecting Rasputin needs to open specifically Eric's hell portal from the electricity superpowers episode.

In a completely different fire, Eric burns a valuable Russian manuscript which is entrusted to him.

Eric makes Albrecht hold some seaweed. I dunno, it made me laugh.

There is a secret organisation who have members in very significant positions in society and they have figured out how to separate a person's soul from their body and transplant it into a different body. One of them inspects Eric's abs for what felt to me like an extremely long time.

There’s a woman resurrected by a different crow and she cries black goo so I really hope Eric can cry black goo as well and that’s just a canonical thing about the undead.

In episode 18, the background music is diegetic but only for Eric, and it turns him evil.

Episode 18 prominently features Canadian rock band Econoline Crush, who perform two songs from their 1997 album The Devil You Know, including All That You Are, the song they sued Nickelback for ripping off to make the 2003 single Figured You Out. Eric is determined to win against them in the battle of the bands.

The rest of the series cameos a veritable smorgasbord of Canadian rock bands, but I didn’t recognise any of their songs by name and nobody says the names of the other bands out loud as many times as they said Econoline Crush so I guess they weren’t paid as much.

Female Crow - her name is Talon - has cool eye makeup that I like a lot. I don’t know what else to say about her that doesn’t sound misogynistic on my part, because the writers writing her are misogynistic.

There’s an episode where pretty much all Eric does is walk through the forest and hallucinate a dance sequence from one of his past lives.

The Crow in this series' continuity is Eric's alter, kind of. It has a separate soul, as evidenced by the fact that it remains in his body when his soul is put into the computer by the secret organisation's evil scientists who are pretending to be Shelly.

I guess I’ve been a bit rude referring to what it does as what Eric's doing this whole time but there’s no clear delineation between the two personality-wise and I could not tell you which moments are supposed to be the alter because I did not know it was a thing until episode 21 of 22, sorry.

Also the Crow makeup just manifests on Eric's face supernaturally. Sometimes it just turns round and has done a transformation sequence.

So the secret organisation kidnap the crow (the magical bird) and use its blood to do a ritual on Eric's grave and resurrect the Crow (the alter) in a separate body from Eric's so that it can fight him.

Eric is offered "steaming hot wieners." He nibbles one with care.

The Crow draws on a wall in blood, just like my favourite moment in the original comic (sadly not the Cat in the Hat though. That would have truly made this whole thing worth it).

A guy has transferred his consciousness into the body of his personal trainer, played by Michael Weatherly, who after 13 seasons of NCIS I didn’t enjoy looking at.

When the two bodies indirectly touch through Shelly's corporeal form, they merge into one in a golden fizzle of regeneration energy.

There's more after that but it ends on a cliffhanger.

[koschei-the-ginger]

Screw it, brief reviews of Jason Bateman's filmography pre-Arrested Development

(there are only 4 pics but the post is long)

1981 Little House on the prairie - He was there for 1 season and already became so popular they made the grand finale all about him being a proof that God exists lol

1983 Just a little more love - can't find this one

1982 Silver spoons - they had to fire him because the second he appeared on screen nobody gave a crap about the other kid, iconic, I've only had Derek Taylor for 21 episodes but if anything happened to him yk yk..

1984 Knight Rider - Derek Taylor steals a car

1985 Robert Kennedy and his Times - I'm sure he's in it somewhere but it's like SIX hours long and incredibly boring

1984 The Fantastic World of DC Cooper - Derek Taylor strikes again

1984 It's your Move - Arrested Development for 6th graders, this show is SO fucking funny the parents insisted on killing it together with his Derek-sona for good.

1985 Right to kill - blink and you'll miss him, this is his sister's movie

1986 Mr Belvedere - MILF CHASER

1986 Can you feel me dancing - a commissioned tv movie to show off Justine Bateman's range

1986 St Elsewhere - see, Dave Hogan can do drama too (no)

1986 Valerie/ The Hogan family - his most famous role pre-AD and I genuinely don't understand why, stale bread even for a family sitcom™. Cancelled for being the only show that was normal about aids thanks to Jason. They also dyed his hair to a different shade of auburn each season for some reason lol

1987 Bates Motel - this was supposed to be a sequel to Psycho 🤨

1987 Teen Wold too - words cannot describe how much I hate this movie and everything about it

1987 Matlock - he's playing "Jason Bateman, the star of Valerie" only 1 year after they fired Valerie from Valerie hmm...

1987 Moving target - this was fine

1988 Our House - if your kids think giving 10k to a teenager will get them a record label at 13 it's on them, he did nothing wrong

1988 Crossing the mob - you can watch this but god at what cost, it's so grainy you can barely see their faces (okay movie tho)

1989 Breaking the rules - commissioned to show that he can do some "serious" acting, a tragic mistake on everyone's part

1991 Necessary roughness - Scott Bakula simps, I understand, no I seriously get it

1992 A Taste for killing - for every good movie (prev) you get 2 bad ones

1994 Confessions: two faces of evil - COPAGANDA

1994 This can't be love - *looks up synonyms for CUTE*

1994 Black sheep - can't find this one either

1995 Hart to Hart - he was so annoying they made him believe he's related to Donald Trump I can't even rgsthsrth

1995 An affectionate look at fatherhood - can't find this one either²

1995 Burke's law - this show is so camp you need to WATCH THE DUEL

1995 Simon - the writing is atrocious, he's trying SO hard to make it work while Harland Williams recites every line as if he had just learnt to read. Tragically, a must watch, I wish it existed in HD

1996 Ned and Stacey - a sitcom star playing a sitcom star in a sitcom making fun of Friends, 10/10

1997 Chicago sons - 3 polish brothers live together, Jared Paladecki isn't in this eventhough there are at least 4 people that look like him

1998 George and Leo - if this came out today AO3 would be full of this elderly gay couple

1999 Love stinks - not mine but yk

2000 Rude awakening - the absence of a laugh track caught me off guard, he's doing his best Bud Bundy impression down to the tragic goatee

2001 Some of my best friends - after this many cancelled sitcoms you stop seeing AD as a show that's simply good but as a miracle

2002 The Jake effect - if Scrubs was about hs teachers

2002 The sweetest thing - nobody cares about the men this is the penis song movie

2002 No way out - this is like Cary Elwes-kind of bad

2003 Sol Goode - blink and you'll miss him (idk what's even happening)

2003 Twillight Zone -someone get him an Emmy for trying to bribe a ghost of a kid he unintentionally murdered

[sayakxmi]

[Magi rewatch] Episode 9: A Prince's Duty [Part 1]

I'm sorry you what.

I literally went out of my way to check the English version, just to have the words I'm referring to. Like, military? That wasn't mentioned in the manga. And, frankly, it didn't seem like he was working for any military.

Ok, you know, this is actually hilarious. Like, it's supposed to be dramatic, but Alibaba really just came up to the guy, asked what happened to the city, just like that, and the guy IMMEDIATELY understood what Alibaba was referring to.

Man, that's a far more dramatic reintroduction than what happened in the manga. A reminder, that in the manga Alibaba just... paid some guy to take him to Cassim.

Still funny, but won't top the manga one. That "angry" just did it for me.

He's going into more details here.

Alibaba actually falls to his knees here. Makes sense, kinda. Like, in the manga he was probably still very in that Disbelief phase, but here he's literally in front of a grave. He cries, too.

Ok, a small thing here is how much angrier Alibaba looks? In the manga he's more shocked & scared, I'd say?

Ok, that's a bit different, again. First of all, Alibaba's more concerned about stealing & the fact that sooner or later Cassim will be caught, and Cassim's like YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT? BUT what else can I do? And, nah, I think like the manga captured Cassim's desperation/despair far better by him just going quiet. And also the fact, that it's not about "stealing bad", and more "we're still missing something".

Mildly creepy, but, seriously, can't hold a candle to how manga made it look. This entire moment, really. Like, in the manga he looks kind of evil, as much as I hate to use that word to describe anything, since, well, it describes jack shit. But other ones I have is "unhinged", and I'm not entirely sure if that's the one I'd consider fitting, either.

Also, the way he grabs Alibaba in the manga seems far more forceful & Alibaba looks lowkey scared. In the anime it was kind of casual, ngl, Alibaba basially being like Hm?

Also, in the manga Alibaba seemed more aware of the risk of a war happening, and, frankly, in more despair than in the anime. There's just something about the way his eyes looked, kind of empty, that's missing from the anime, yknow? Also, there's more of Alibaba saying stuff like, he can't just do nothing while his people suffer.

That actually looks awesome. Strongly considering using this as my avatar.

Lmao

Them.

Morgiana who

In the manga he actually flinched when the explosion happened, it was way funnier. That being said, Ja'far's expression looks so silly.

What an entrance. And that goddamn moon.

Well, that looks kind of scary

Bad shit happening

Bro, I'm just. What's up with that moon. Why is it so big all of sudden. Ffs maybe there seriously are two.

Rip Hassan.

GRABS

Also, ok, I didn't like this one. In the manga Morgiana steps in front of Alibaba & asks if he actually wants to come with Cassim before doing anything (and he cannot answer her), and when later Cassim grabs Alibaba, she does attack. But the thing is, in the anime she never asks, she just attacks. It's not... horrible, I guess. With the way Alibaba was being dragged seemed pretty obvious that he doesn't want to go, but I liked that small moment of Morgiana, well, just stepping in front of Alibaba first and asking. Because, honestly? Her asking was likely a good semi-wake up call for Alibaba. Does he? And that's what makes him actually confront that thought. But in the anime it doesn't happen.

Gdi Anime!Morgiana, why are you so judgemental here. "What are you going to do, Alibaba-san? They're still just a band of thieves!"

All the players are here.

[wearepaladin]

If you don't mind explaining, what did you mean when you said that Meridia and Stendarr are fundamentally different? Other than being Aedra or Daedra, they seem very similar to me. I would love to hear your input

Well, being Aedra vs Daedra is no small thing in and of itself. The Former means ancestor, the latter means not ancestor, noting that whatever similarities exist between them, one we can claim relation and the other we cannot. In Meridia's case though things are bit more complex, but for me only underline how different she is from both her fellow Daedra and Aedra.

But more specifically, despite both being deities associated with life (Meridia being the lady of infinite energies, Stendarr's symbol being the cornucopia, a font of endless bounty) enemies to undeath, and associations with benevolent light, at their core, Stendarr and Meridia are the difference between true goodness and sacrifice, and maintaining the appearance of it. Note, that I will not be detailing the actions of their followers overmuch and just focusing on the two deities themselves.

As noted, Stendarr is an Aedra who sacrificed much of his own essence in the creation of the world, and thus cannot directly interact with the world he is part of. He has taken the form of a whale, an old man with a cornucopia, and a kitten when described by mortals. He is associated with merciful forebearance and righteous might in most depictions, but also ransom, justice, and fraternity as Stuhn. Notably, as a god who is said to have fought elven gods, he taught his human followers the value of taking prisoners. Contrast as he is known by elves as the apologist of men, arguing on their behalf that humanity had value and was not inherently evil. He is also said to have been the one to introduce healing magics into the world, freely and not requiring any worship as price.

Meridia's origins would actually place her closer in relation to the Aedra than other Daedra. She was once one of the magna-ge, a child of Magnus the architect of Mundus, who did much of the designing of the material world. But when Magnus realized how much of their own energy was required to create this new plane, he fled into Aetherius along with the magna-ge, punching holes in reality that become the sun and stars. But unlike the others who abstained becoming part of mundus, she returned after consorting with Daedra and somehow became one of them. In other words, she wasn't willing to sacrifice anything, and returned to influence mortals when she found a way to do so without incurring any cost.

As a daedric prince, she bestows gifts on those who serve her, and rewarding the strongest of them with immortality but removing their free will and the impurity it brings, or artifacts, but nothing universal. She hates things of darkness and undeath, but lacks compassion for those who live. She is associated with greed, not generosity, and favored those who propagated and benefited those who enslaved or slaughtered others in racial violence, notably Umaril the Unfeathered. This is not to say her actions and her followers have not done any sort of good, that would be a lie, but it appears to be that the glister witch is a bright entity, but more like a light that captivates and potentially blinds than one that brings true illumination or warmth.

In conclusion, whatever similarities they have, one is willing to give of themselves and and another wanted the power to influence their will without either sacrifice (aedra) or endure separation (the magna-ge). I'm sure there will be alliances and common cause in both past and future, but always rely on those willing to give blood than those who have you bleed for them without any compassion.

[olderthannetfic]

I think the conversation has been side-lined a bit too much and sort of devolved into a bit of a screaming match.

But I think what people don't get is regardless of the use of "narcissism", who coined it, or why — effectively, when it's used in a negative light either to mean plain asshole or abuser, what's happening is "othering" and dehumanisation. Another anon described it as drawing a line "I'm here, and you're there." That rings true.

In a "they do this because they're narcissistic, I can't do this because I'm not."

The thing is, the conflation of "narcissism" and NPD is unavoidable. No matter how you mean the word when you use it, there's no way you can avoid that conflation. Both based on historical precedence, and the way in which the stigmatisation and ableism against NPD functions.

We're not talking in the abstract here, either. If you google narcissism or NPD then google would be filled with results on "how to spot a narcissist" and "how to avoid a narcissist".

Because I'm doing my masters within the psych field (psychotherapy), I can also tell you that it doesn't stop there. Our books perpetuate the ableism, often by framing NPD's (and honestly other Cluster B's) symptoms in a negative light. When the people who are meant to treat you and support you hate you, there's a new kind of dread.

I've heard mental health professionals say awful things like, "If you find a cure for those people, you tell me." And, "Do you really believe they can be treated / get better?" It's often baseless because when I ask whether they've ever interacted with a narcissist, I get some variation of, "In my x years of therapy/psychiatry/whatever I've never had a narcissist come to me and ask for treatment (or seen/heard of it with others/friends/colleagues)." Gee, I wonder why.

Hell, if you go to places specifically meant for narcissists they regularly get raided, or get ableists in them telling them they're irredeemable assholes, liars, gaslighters etc not to make mention of the suicide baiting.

If you think it stops there? Hah, no. There are places dedicated specifically for ableism against NPD. Admittedly those are usually "narc abuse" spaces, but regardless, just to give an example, back when I was on quora (and quora sends you emails of questions/spaces you may be interested in) my email was flooded with quora question emails, from the top of my head I can recall, "How to deflate a narcissist?", "Can a narcissist love?", "What hurts narcissists forever?", "Why do narcissists play their 'games'?" and that's just off the top of my head.

If you go to YouTube and look up "Narcissism" there, most of the videos you'll find will be by "Dr.Ramani" whom is presumably a clinical psychologist. The harm she's caused alone is immeasurable. Her entire channel is dedicated to ableism against NPD, from conflating narcissism with abuse, to "how to spot/avoid/deal with a narcissist" and all the content of these videos are just... plain ableist. Particularly the "how to deal with a narcissist" ones, you do not... deal with a narcissist by not accommodating their symptoms and purposefully making them worse. Not to mention the false dichotomy she's pushing where it's "narcissist versus empath", in which "empaths" are the most targeted by those evil scheming narcissists (and I cannot stress that there is no scientific or psychological basis for "empath" which is separate from hyperempathy, a symptom of several disorders, including BPD that many struggle with. And if she meant that, then it's even worse because then her portrayal of said symptom is just plain offensive — can you tell I'm pissed off about this?) and she hosts workshops on this bullshit!

To get us back on track, what we fail to recognise in these conversations is that NPD is not just "heavily stigmatised" or "just gets a higher percentage of ableism" or however else it is we've framed this. NPD is a villanized disorder.

(Also, Note: I've seen another ask mention something along the lines of "born with NPD", people aren't born with NPD. Sure, you may be genetically predisposed to have NPD but that doesn't cause you to have it, it just increases the likelihood that when faced with certain circumstances, you'll develop it. At the end of the day, NPD is a disorder the develops as a result of trauma, and the type of trauma also affects the development and how it's differentiated from other personality disorders.)

--

[livia-dovehallow]

Hii! Can I ask what is your opinion of Grace right now?

Hi! Of course you can! (And as a forewarning, my use of "you" throughout this answer is in the general sense and not at all directed to you specifically, anon!)

I'll try to keep this spoiler-free, as this is an overall opinion throughout all the books.

At the start, I was generally indifferent to her, as she was really only around to further James's plot and I am not a fan of James (or the main love triangle at all. I despise love triangles).

But, once we started getting more of her separate from that toward the end of Chog and throughout ChoI, I think she's a seriously misunderstood character and people are quick to hate and spewing their hate all across the fandom and in the Grace Blackthorn tag.

No, Grace is not meant to be a perfect character. She is not even meant to be a good character (in terms of good v evil). She is purposely meant to parallel Estella from Great Expectations but offer her side of the story in addition to the other (which we don't get of Estella in Great Expectations. This isn't a spoiler for Great Expectations considering this book is literally almost 150+ years old.)

We're meant to see an admittedly toned-down depiction of a girl who has been seriously emotionally abused and neglected, had her beloved brother die horribly in her arms, and has no memory of her birth family--only of her sick, twisted adoptive mother. We're meant to see how she has felt she needed to do these things to survive. She's a sixteen/seventeen year old girl; we seriously cannot expect her to have the most seamless, foolproof decision making skills. We obviously know Tatiana does not have a seamless, foolproof decision making ability. You really expect me to think she taught Grace any?

Grace made bad choices. Grace hurt people. Are we meant to sympathize with her? Well, that's where it's reader's interpretation. But I certainly think she's not meant to be villainized. More of a morally gray character, who did both good and bad things to survive because she felt she had to.

Do we see her come to recognize the difference between those good and bad things at the end of Chain of Iron? Sure, we see the start of it. But we can't honestly expect her to make up for everything she did in a one week time span that is the break between Chain of Iron and Chain of Thorns.

Nor, do I think, are we meant to forgive her either. That's also reader's interpretation/choice. I'll leave that to you all to decide for yourselves once you read Chain of Thorns. Whether you think she got what she deserved or didn't is literally entirely reader's choice.

But I do get pretty annoyed when I see people use certain words, phrases, and descriptions of Grace. I think calling Grace a r*pist is beyond inappropriate. That's a serious thing to call someone. What she did to Matthew is definitely assault. But I think the fandom often forgets that r*pe is a serious, serious thing and is not something to be thrown around lightly or just because you hate a character. This is a terrible thing that happens to too many people and just throwing it around all the time like that isn't doing any favors to fellow fans who have experiences or triggers of it.

I certainly can tell you that there are many fans who feel as though they can identify with Grace because they, too, grew up with an abusive parent or felt pressured into doing things they didn't necessarily want to do because it was the only way they could see to survive. Not all victims of abuse are perfectly docile and innocent like I think many people like to believe. No two victims are the same. Some may grow up able to cope well. Others do not. Many, I'm sure, what stood exactly where Grace has--at a crossroads of survival instinct and recovery. Some have made bad choices themselves just as much as they've made good choices. Some more than others.

You all remember that I went to the Chain of Thorns tour. There was one fan who described this exact feeling of identifying with Grace because her own mother was abusive and neglectful. She said she never expected to see a character like Grace in a YA novel because of the dark undertones of that kind of experience. Like I mentioned earlier, it is an admittedly toned-down description since it is a YA book, but there is always someone out there who can identify with that character in one way or another.

Also, Grace is a fictional character. I have seen many of you who have said terrible things about Grace turn around and love the villains of other books who do terrible things, too. Is it because Grace is a girl? Is it because you may have found yourself a bit too in love with the fictional James Herondale? Whatever the reason, take a minute to reflect on why it is you feel the need to spew hate about a fictional character and threaten people whose opinions differ from yours.

I have had several people come to me on here, both in asks and in chats, telling me that for the longest time, they did not feel safe talking about Grace at all on any platform because they would be attacked in all directions for it. That is not how a fandom should be. That is not a fandom at all. That is a terribly isolating experience that someone who has sought comfort in these books or just simply enjoys a character should not have to be subjected to because you think your opinion is morally superior.

Sometimes I wonder if I am just sounding too much like a grandma when I say things like this because I know I'm of the older crowd of TSC fans but you're not cool just because you attack people online. Having a moral superiority complex does not make you cool. The world is not black and white. Things are not as simple and good and bad. And you certainly do not have a right to spew hateful, rude, abhorrent things to people who may think differently than you do.

An anon said this in a previous ask about Grace, and I fully agree: liking Grace doesn't mean you condone everything she did or approve of anything she did. It just means you like a fictional character, for whatever reasons.

I've fully moved off my indifferent opinion of Grace and have moved toward finding that I think her character is incredibly more complex than I ever really gave thought to before and I think she's terribly mistreated by fans. Whether I think she's mistreated by the narrative, too, well, you'll have to read my spoiler-filled answers to previous asks to find out.

But that is my extremely long, elaborative answer on my opinion of Grace, and I hope that answers your question, anon (or at least addresses what you wanted me to talk about)!

...

This is also a reminder to any new followers of mine (welcome!) that I am a legal adult. I am 23 years old, almost 24. If there are topics I discuss or write about that make you uncomfortable, you do not have to read them. You don't have to interact or engage with any of it at all. You're free to unfollow me if you ever feel uncomfortable. I will answer all kind/polite asks, whether they contain adult content or not, though I will always tag accordingly.

Anything I write that contains even a hint of adult content will always be tagged as such and I will not write any explicit content of under-age characters. (Since I mostly write about Gabrily, I tend to focus on their early years of marriage if a piece references adult concepts at all).

[twisted-fucked-up-sunflower]

my thoughts on crime and punishment characters!!

Raskolnikov: he’s so babygirl, he’s just like me fr. Minus the killing people part and the ubermensch complex he has. I’d argue he’s schizotypal but that’s likely not true. So I headcanon him as such. (If it’s unclear, I am schizotypal myself)

Razumikhin: Undisputed best bisexual representation in literature, my GOAT, love him to death, XOXO. No further comments. Perfect character.

Dunia: [to Svidrigailov] GET A JOB. STAY AWAY FROM HER (I wrote this in the book pages where it was relevant). She’s as smart as Rodia from what I read, though she wasn’t developed a lot as a character I think? I still need to re-read the book later. She should’ve shot the revolver at the guy’s head. Probably didn’t want to end up like her brother, though. Unlikely she’d come out winning from killing a man with connections, as evil as he was.

Pulkeria: Didn’t really find her too interesting, but I think that’s because she wasn’t focused on a lot. Remarkably patient towards Rodia, it was infuriating when Rodia just fucked off and didn’t speak to them (Dunia and Pulkeria) for days. His ungrateful ass. I get this habit, though, since I have it myself. Sometimes people are upsetting to be around, for no reason, might I add.

Svidrigailov: Exceedingly, unabashedly, shamelessly despicable. Hate him with my heart. He seems like a parallel to Rodia, and the book seems to focus on this from Rodia’s own observations. Parallel not in a good way, I’ll clarify, but in a “What if he was completely evil” way. I’ve got 40 pages left to read in this book and I’d like it if within the next 20 he ****** himself. Irredeemable but really interesting at the psychological level. He’s insane, it seems. Or maybe also schizotypal. Either way words cannot describe how much I hate this man.

Porfiry: Not much to say here, he ate Raskolnikov up both times they talked though, gagged him 😭 #embarrassing

Lujin/Luzhin (not sure on how it’s spelt): He’s so laughable. Gets insulted once, subsequently sends word of how it hurt his feewings to get clocked at the psychological level by the brother of the woman he’s going to marry, at his historic age like FOH ☠️. And I was livid when he tried to incriminate Sonia/Sofya (I prefer Sonia tbh) like bro really tried that shit 😂😂😂. He got owned by Rodion every single time he tried to fight back it was so fucking funny. Pathetic ass man. Glad he called off the marriage. Asshole.

Sonia: She’s Rodion’s love interest, it seems. I don’t get why she’s going to go to Siberia with him, though. Her family’s taken care of (by SVIDRIGAILOV of all people) and she hasn’t committed any crimes. Is it just something to do with misogyny or something related to it? She told Rodia to confess to his crime to atone, but in a *catholic* way. It’s crazy she got burdened with the knowledge of Rodia’s crimes and still said “Oh how you suffer! Atone for your sin willingly, it’s your only way to get rid of the guilt!” Her abnegate character showed a bit here, methinks. Still, why the fuck would she go to Siberia? Just because she *loves* Rodia? They both seem like they fell in love with each other for some odd reason, or maybe none at all so yeah. She’s also a favorite because of the way they describe her, the blue eyes seem like something I’d like to draw, when I get to it. Though, it’s curious that it’s Svidrigailov in love with Dunia and Raskolnikov in love with Sonia. Dunia and Sonia get stuck with the two murderous morons. (Well, not Dunia, because she managed to get Svidrigailov to not assault her. Again, DESPICABLE man, that one. Hope he dies :D) 

 Anastasia/Anastasya: I love her so much, I wish we’d gotten to see her interact with Razumikhin more because their dynamic was funny to me. She also laughed with a snort if I recall and that is so real of her. She also helped Rodia with food, basically kept his stupid ass alive for free before Razumikhin came back.

Zamiotov: Not much to say about him, really. Funny when Rodia explained in detail how he ‘would have’ gone about murdering Alyona, though. Fucking hilarious to read that shit. Most obvious criminal of all time.

Marmeladov: God knows how many pages he went on telling Rodia his entire life story. Perfect character. No notes.

Catarina/Sonia’s mother: Very tragic. Her death made me feel sad. But the parts before that when she was just DRAGGING Amelia Lippewechsel, she was so real for that.

I think I might be missing a few characters. No worries! I won’t update this lol. I hope those who read, if any do, find this funny. 

[horizon-verizon]

I know this might be a meme "for now" but do you think they will make rhaenyra's death some sort of an accident lmao

Let's be real, None of us thought that every an each crucial event will happen by accident, even Aegon's crowning, and luke's death are accidents...

So would they make Aegon lose his control over sunfyre or what other possible ways they could change rhaenyra's death? nothing will be book!accurate .

Yes it's very possible they will make Aegon regret it. That Aegon III just happens to stumble out and see his mom get eaten alive after he escaped his captors-because they may kidnap him from Rhaenyra before she tries to go to Dragonstone-and this makes Aegon regret his "impulsive" decision to have Rhaenyra eaten alive.

HBO Max also seems to love to portray male-on-female domestic violence (even outside of episode 10/the show itself), and portray it as not a big deal.

(Aegon’s crowning, actually, goes as Septon Eustace describes and yes he had to be looked for. Wouldn't say that was an accident, since both Otto and Alicent both intended, in the show, to crown Aegon. Luke’s death.....never in a million years did I think they would actually go for Lucerys' death being an accident. Hated it on sight.)

Context: Thoughts and Criticisms for Why They do This

I think the show writers:

misunderstood that the account of the Dance in Fire and Blood is written against Rhaenyra and the blacks because all maesters studied from the Citadel, which is partially (very) funded by the Hightowers, so we must recognize where Gyldayn frames or uses language that is both misogynist and doesn't coincide with what the Westerosi/Targ culture/lore would allow

didn't understand the Septon Eustace was a green, so we must recognize his misogyny and ways he makes narratives for the greens that actually is self contradictory

misunderstood that Mushroom's words should be scrutinized and his aim was to be seen as a bigger player in the Dance and in Rhaenyra's life more than he would have actually been

prioritized appealing to performative activism for marketability (that brideoffires describes as an overall issue and applied to ASoIaF HERE)

didn't understand that a woman abusing a stepchild and "selling out" another woman all of her own will to benefit from the patriarchy for her own selfish ends is still an important story to tell

On the Evil Stepmother trope, this is written by ainomica:

But an evil stepmother who is evil when she is justifying abusing and even sexually harassing little children using her power in the name of the good of her family or her children ?? THAT IS FASCINATING....The REAL DRAW of the scene was to see the byplay of self-righteousness fighting against the obvious hypocrisy of her actions that has existed for Ninnicent since day one. This is why Condal and Hess’s comments are so irritating! They want to play Ninnicent as straightforward victim of situation when they have ended up writing an amazing hypocritical young woman.

And minetteskvareninova:

“Oh, we didn’t want to make Alicent just a stereotypical evil stepmother.” - OK, then? So how does that track with “make them the same age and also have this weird pseudoromantic connection going on” (because an actual queer relationship, or, failing that, a well-developed portrayal of a simple friendship wouldn’t fit the superedgy ethos of this stupid franchise I guess)? Is a bad stepmother-stepdaughter relationship so inherently uncompelling that you just had to change it into something else?! Like, what even is this?! This show thrives on toxic and complicated family dynamics! Daemon and Viserys’ whole dealio alone is worth dozens of metas and hours of opinionated video essays! How come you cannot think of anything interesting to do with a young woman marrying an older man (how much older is up to you, he was much younger in the book but whatever) with a child and trying to integrate into his family, and a girl dealing with her father remarrying soon-ish after her mother’s death?! One of my tumblr friends (I hope she’ll forgive me for calling her this, lol) faintingheroine has written whole books (in tumblr post form, but nvm) about a single turkish novel with this kind of relationship at its center! And like… It has no dragons, or battles or whatever. It’s just a girl and her stepmother failing to get along (and said stepmother having an illicit affair, but that’s beside the point). And people love it! It’s genuinely compelling!