#*unquestioned.

[twelveskidneys]

steven moffat really said alright how many aspects of modern society can i criticise in the one (1) episode i’m writing for this season

[chucktaylorupset]

Sam and Evans relationship is so special yet so simple and it really just is that Sam treats Evan like he's normal and Evan treats Sam like she's serious

[foursaints]

call me problematic but the death eaters will always be the more compelling characters to me specifically BECAUSE they exist in a narrative with such rigid black/white morality; because they are considered evil as fact; because they are punished as individuals for the way a system made them; because they are offered no avenues for redemption!

every glimpse of humanity & personhood from one of the cartoonishly-evil disposable background villains (bella’s petnames for her sister, peter’s friendship with james, barty’s skill as a teacher, the carrows’ love for each other, regulus’s note) automatically carries INFINITELY more weight than any dramatic gryffindorish act of heroism BECAUSE it comes shining out from a vacuum. lock me up!!! you should be feeling empathy for them!! do you see how humanity becomes more textured when applied to characters that we, as readers, are meant to disregard as monsters. should i call mary shelley

[pollyanna-nana]

Like a cat clipping its own claws

I was talking with a friend recently about how Thistle continues to wear his silly little jester outfits all the way into the present day even as the mad mage, and while I agree to an extent that he just likes the aesthetic I also think it might be something he feels like he has to do, because otherwise…

Thistle’s very dubious acquirement as a child was specifically so Freinag could have the aesthetics of an elven court member without the danger his advisors worried an adult would present. From his very first moments in the court, it was clear that making him a simple jester was because they feared what would happen if he was allowed to gain too much power (and independence…) And the thing is, I think Thistle knows that.

In the end, Delgal ends up asking Thistle to learn magic and become the court mage anyways after his father’s death. There’s no way there weren’t a lot of opinions about that from other people, especially his advisors, seeing as that was exactly what was feared could turn an amusing commodity into a dangerous threat. The fact that he was so secretive, too, about his investigations into the ruins I think might hint that he was aware of the optics of such a stunt.

But Thistle isn’t stupid. From his reaction here to the way the villagers look at him I’m sure he knows— whether from overhearing, being told directly, or simply picking up on the vibe— that they think he’s dangerous and scary simply for being an elf.

So, why keep the silly outfits, especially when he doesn’t seem to have any qualms with the villagers finding him scary now? Maybe he does just like wearing them. Or maybe… it’s a remnant of a desire the demon ate away a long time ago. Who is to say…

[rainyinautumn]

what's interesting about Grian is that his trust in people is defined almost entirely by the person themselves rather than the color of their name. in session four he stood directly between Skizz (a red name) and a steep drop and didn't so much as comment on it. he even asked Skizz (who is, once again, a red name!) to watch his back. and he didn't even think twice about any of it because he trusts Skizz, regardless of how many lives he has.

I wonder what experience he had

where he learned that sometimes

it doesn't matter what color someone's name is

it matters who they are.

[taffywabbit]

my relatives looking over my shoulder while I sit at a table at this predominantly mormon wedding, drawing SLARPG fanart in a sketchbook and showing my cousin some furry art on my phone under the guise of it just being a "D&D commission" (because apparently having a furry character be a cool wizard completely nullifies all typical warning signs):

[chandralia]

katsuki saw deku so mesmerized by todoroki’s phosphor that he was like “watch this” and deliberately let his heart explode so he could have the biggest, most interesting chest scar in the world

[esmeraldablazingsky]

female characters who are like "sorry, i'm not that smart, all i can do is be your sword and shield and defend you with my amazing combat prowess. i hope you are not bothered by the fact that i have little tactical ability and am limited to using my beastly strength to stand by your side and enact your will. it's ok if you're disappointed in me i am also disappointed in myself" and don't know that a slightly meatheaded loyal weaponwoman with a heart of gold is one of the sexiest things it is possible to be

[kyoshi-lesbians]

[ID: A series of GIFs showing the parallels between Azula introducing herself to King Keui in Kyoshi Warrior disguise and Ozai asking Fire Lord Azulon to make him the crown prince over Iroh. The last GIF shows Azula and Zuko peeking through curtains watching Ozai speak to Azulon.]

“I am your humble servant, here to serve you and our nation. Use me.” // "We are the Earth King's humble servants."

[excitementshewrote]

[olvmpus-ig]

Neil: “I don’t swing.”

also Neil the moment he catches sight of Andrew:

[ladystoneboobs]

anyways, speaking of cannibalism, wrt frey pies in particular, it just hit me that the rat cook song is not just a way for wyman to slyly telegraph what he did w/o any of his in-world foes noticing, it could also be his justification just as much as inspiration. let's look back at how we learned of the legend through bran:

"It was not for murder that the gods cursed him," Old Nan said, "nor for serving the Andal king his son in a pie. A man has a right to vengeance. But he slew a guest beneath his roof, and that the gods cannot forgive." -Bran IV, aSoS

so, in other words: 1) violating guest right is the most heinous of crimes and 2) if guest right is not violated then murder and even cannibalizing the murdered to feed to their own kin is a-ok so long as the motive is personal revenge. by giving guest gifts to the 3 frey envoys to end any guest rite bond asap and get to the killings, wyman not only gets just a feeling of moral superiority by at least not committing the same type of crime as the enemies he killed, he also ensured that his vengeance could be divinely sanctioned as a natural right correctly exercised, unlike how the rat cook did his. he learned his lessons from this northern legend and improved upon the actions of this nightfort cook accordingly. thing is, the justified right to vengeance has to be just an old gods thing, not fitting in with the seven (which house manderly had converted to 1000s of years ago back in the reach) as the christainity stand-in, which is just evidence of the depth of manderly northern assimilation and/or that old dark ways never entirely disappear, no matter the religion. wyman manderly can still worship the "new" gods with just as much urge toward old-fashioned bloody revenge as any old gods worshipping northman, not so different from his vassal ser bartimus in the wolf's den who bragged to davos that his ancestors were likely among those who once hung slavers' entrails in a heart tree as a bloody offering to the old gods.

[yangscowlick]

It really is so remarkable that a western cartoon was brave enough to frame desertion as the moral and heroic thing to do.

[rendnotmyheart]

Here's the thing about Armand's little speech. "He wants you in pieces for the privilege of putting you back together as he sees fit. It's his drug." 1) Is this the story he has told himself about his past with Daniel? That Daniel was just trying to pick apart Armand to put him back together the way he sees fit? or 2) Is this Armand projecting? or 3) Is this, perhaps, something Armand and Daniel have in common?

[wild-at-mind]

I would honestly call the left's inability to accomodate people with morality-based OCD compulsions an accessibility issue at this point.

[mickedy]

in the mood for something spooky

i was thinking, the other night, "what if mickey made the blot because he was trying to create a replica of himself?" and it brought a lot more things together than i expected

i dont think the blot is truly evil, just an unfinished toon with a hunger for a Heart and universal adoration. but there is some baggage in that, from creator to creation.