marietheran

[marietheran]

Happy Spring to the truest thing that’s ever been said about Spring

[marietheran]

forgive the "is this for ants" text but this part of the story girl always gets me, because this is what? 40 years later? wouldn't that land Bev right in the middle of world war I? just the reminder of how the entire novel is actually a memory gets me, like he's remembering the sweet little cousin who died too young, he's remembering when the story girl wasn't famed, he's remembering simpler times and i just...

[marietheran]

Vader: [opening a desk drawer in Obi-Wan’s old room] Let’s see what this old fool kept in here…[picking up a piece of paper]  Obi-Wan: [in a letter] 

Dear Anakin, 

If you’re reading this, then you must be rifling through my belongings, which means you are either extremely bored (in which case I suggest going and tidying up your quarters, which I don’t need to see to know are a disaster,) or I’ve been missing for an extended amount of time and the Order needs the room to store extra chairs, or I’ve died, possibly while trying to rid the galaxy of General Grievous. If I am in fact dead, I hope this letter finds you well in spite of it, and that you have not gone off the deep end or murdered anyone in an attempt to avenge me. (…unless it’s Grievous, I suppose.)

You will find attached to this letter the receipts for several items in my room, such as the electric tea kettle. I hope you can at least return them for store credit. 

I’ve set up a college savings plan with the Galactic Bank of Coruscant, because I noticed that Senator Amidala is obviously pregnant, and since I am not nearly as dense as you apparently think I am, I presume the child is yours. The account information is in my safe, which I would give you the combination to except that I know you have been breaking into it since you were 14. 

If you do intend to eventually leave the Order, as I suspect you might, please make sure that you give the Council two weeks’ notice. It’s only polite, and you never know when you may need to use them as a reference. Even though I know you clash with them, they do care about you.

Finally, please make sure Duchess Satine’s nephew gets the inheritance I’ve left him (the information is also in my safe, and no, I’m not going to tell you any more details about this. I realize how much this is going to torment you, and I’d be lying if I said that’s not bringing a smile to my face.) 

Your blanket is in the hamper. Wash it on the gentle cycle. The password for the wi-fi, in case you’ve forgotten, is BuyYourOwnDataPlanAnakin.

Be well, my Padawan, and I shall see you again someday – hopefully many years from now – when you, too, rejoin the Force. Don’t forget to change the payment settings for Netflix now that I’m dead or you’ll fall behind on your programs. 

Yours,  Obi-Wan Kenobi  PS: Don’t let Vos speak at my funeral. 

[marietheran]

Another drawing of some ladies in the vast collection of satirical prints published by Carington Bowles in the 1770s/1780s.

I really love seeing depictions of what people on the margins of society dressed like, even if it's just through a satirical cartoon, and I love the sleeves on these women so much.

[marietheran]

There is a non-zero chance that someday I will have a blog with the tagline “a classical education is a fine encouraging thing” and even if nobody gets the reference, I shall be glad of it

[marietheran]

...And the Gaza ceasefire is over, apparently.

I honestly doubt that Trump will set up any kind of even semi-lasting peace in Ukraine now, unfair or not.

[marietheran]

The thing about living in Europe is that everyone is at least vaguely aware that if you don't support the military defense efforts of the countries with a border with Russia, then you are going to be in a country with a border with Russia.

[marietheran]

Leia & Vader: Rule of Law, beliefs and family

Another aspect I liked of Leia and Vader first scene in A New Hope is the different way in which Leia tries to appeal her case with Vader in constast to Tarkin. Lest remember Leia was trained as a diplomatic since a young age as a future Senator and member of the Organa monarchy so the way she wields her words there tells much about what she knows of the person she´s talking with.

With Vader Leia uses the "I am a member of the imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan" card when Vader mentions this wasn´t about a "mercy mission" and she was a rebel and a traitor.

This tell me two things:

1.- Leia believes Vader will respect the authority of the Senate on this matter.

Vader may be the Emperor right hand man but he´s someone Leia knows who at least tries to follow the rules and Vader response talks about previous experiences of this happening.

2.- "You werent´on any mercy mission THIS TIME" Leia and Vader meet before, possibly during one of Leia´s mercy missions and on the Senate.

Vader is impliying here if Leia was truly on a mercy mission from Alderaan then he would have not problem with it, he says she should stop trying to play games with him and to tell him where are the plans the rebels sent her.

What´s interesting for me here is that Leia is appealing to Vader´s sense of law and order because this has worked before, she has used many mercy missions to help the rebel alliance making it look like she was sending help to planets in trouble which Vader seems to not have a problem with.

Vader says to Luke on ESB about becoming leaders of the Empire to "put order in the galaxy" so Leia going on mercy missions to help the population in other planets falls neatly into Vader´s idea of order.

Leia also believes she can lie to him, which is understable, he´s someone Leia believes can be talked down to given how the Emperor treats Vader, he shares "Vader´s leash" with Tarkin and maybe other officials, so Vader may have some personal authority but she knows he´s completely subjected to the Emperor´s will and Tarkin´s, she doesn´t know why but know´s is the truth.

This is in complete contrast with Tarkin who Leia automatically starts insulting and says she´s surprised he´s going to take the responsibility for executing her, Tarkin is the Emperor proxy there narratively speaking.

Leia doesn´t try to appeal to Tarkin using the Senate, the diplomatic laws or the fact she´s on a mercy mission because she knows he doesn´t care for any of that but he may care for taking responsibility for killing her because she´s a member of a Monarchy from one of the Core worlds of the Galaxy and a Senator. She´s trying to use her power in relation to his own because Tarkin main motivation and what he responds to is power.

All this tells me Vader and Leia meet on the Senate and kind of had a rivalry for their respective political agendas but despite this fact, Leia still expected Vader to follow the Law when the Emperor and Tarkin would not if they didn´t choose to.

It´s a shame this period, the meetings between Leia and Vader before the Death Star is completely ignored and once Vader shows Leia his other face, the face of the executioner, he losses all credibility she may have given him previously and while she´s a aware Tarkin gave the order to destroy Alderaan she blames Vader by proxy because he was the only one left alive of the first Death Star and I believe their previous meetings makes this more personal for her and I think this plays perfectly later in ROTJ when Luke told Leia about Vader being their father.

Leia believes Luke, Leia wants to keep Luke´s safe but more importantly, Leia doesn´t think Luke is crazy for believing he can bring Vader back from the "darkside", she doesn´t think his self appointed mission lacks merit despite her having all the reason in the world to tell Luke he´s wrong for ever believing Vader could be other thing than evil or stop being the Emperor´s slave and I think the reason why she understands Luke´s mission is because she herself has seen this little light, this aspect of Vader many other people ignore but she cares way more about Luke´s safety so she tells him to run and hide while wishing she could go with him because they are family.

Leia´s actions here also oppose her rebel leader persona, as leader of the rebellion Leia could have the right to detain Luke because he plainly told her, "I want to make sure Darth Vader isn´t on the second Death Star when the alliance blows it up because he´s my father and I want to save him" Leia stays on her mission because she´s loyal to the alliance but truts Luke to do his self appointed mission and scape safe because he´s her brother and she loves him, even if it means the rescue of the second in command from the Empire. This is an amazing show of trust and loyalty from Leia to Luke, her trust that he may have a point in trying to save Vader.

I know Leia being Luke´s sister and Vader´s daughter wasn´t planned in a New Hope but this still connected neatly with the first movie because those subtlies were still there.

[marietheran]

Luned and Gelert from The Shining Company, for riventhorn’s Sutcliff Comment Fest.

[marietheran]

natasha and nikolai being best friends compilation :)

[marietheran]

i get that its popular but has anyone thought about how fucked up the truman show is? like it was really funny last week when he tripped over that bird but think about it... he doesnt know...

[marietheran]

grad school is weirdly psychologically straining. idk how to explain it. But my advice is basically. If you're considering something drastic, also consider things that are less drastic. If you're considering quitting, then also consider threatening to quit. If you're considering suicide, consider quitting. Whatever drastic thing you're consdiering because you're about to fail a class or a candidacy exam, also consider just failing and continuing anyway. You know? It's not waht you wanted, but if you're already considering something outside of the sapce of stuff you wanted, consider all the stuff less drastic than it too

[marietheran]

been doing a LOT of analog note-taking / journaling / planning lately (new years' resolution fulfilled! yes!), and I've slowly but surely started writing mostly in cursive again.

that said, I'm old (almost 35, ew) so I have questions.

if you want to RB this and put you age / locale / whatever else you think is relevant in the tags, that'd be very cool

[marietheran]

"That's my brave girl. It’s better worth being late for a chance of winning you than being in time for any other girl in the world."

Description in ALT

[marietheran]

lucy westenra dots her i’s with hearts i Know she does