#what was i talking about?

[lilislegacy]

One thing I’ve always found interesting is that Rick never really showed us the bridge between Percabeth being just friends to being in a serious relationship. A few little moments in The Staff of Hermes were the closest we got. Like, we see them say “I love you” to each other a few times throughout Heroes of Olympus, but it’s never implied that those were the first times they said it. Which means before TLH even starts, the two of them have gotten to that point. But In Staff of Hermes (which takes place a month into their relationship), they’re still in that slightly awkward phase of their relationship—you know, where they’re super into each other and obviously enjoying the perks of being a couple (aka making out), but haven’t quite settled into that groove of mature, comfortable romance yet. But by the time Percy gets kidnapped (just three months later), they clearly have found that groove, which is evident the second they reunite in MoA, because they’re totally at ease with each other, affectionate, and intimate in a way that supports the implication that those “I love you’s” I mentioned have already been exchanged. So it just makes me wonder when that shift happened? At what point in those three short months did they go from “I’m just happy we’re still together, honestly” to “I'm in love with you, and this is forever"?

Ugh, what I would give to see how they were right before Percy got kidnapped. Still holding on to a bit of that teenage casualness that disappeared during their 6 month separation, but also hopelessly in love and finally open and comfortable with it. URRGGGHHH!!!!

I love them.

[petit-papillion]

Charles and Xavi during Qualifying | Monaco GP | 27 May 2023

📸 Christiano Barni

[hopeforchanges]

okay hot take here don't bash my head in ... Sauron and Galadriel ≠ Orlok and Ellen

idk am i the only one who doesn't see it? i stayed away from speaking on the topic cause i didn't feel i had all the information to engage in any meaningful convo but now that a good amount of time has passed and I have listened and read other people's arguably passionate stances on this (which is great! i love when people enjoy something, it gives me joy too!!) i must say .... i don't get it lol

let me explain myself:

I get that certain aesthetics or vibes might overlap (dark, brooding antagonist vs. a luminous, female protagonist), the comparison completely falls apart when you dig into their actual characterizations.

Ellen as a Symbol of Maidenhood vs. Galadriel as a Warrior

Ellen is basically a paragon of feminine virtue: she's all about purity, innocence, and ultimate sacrifice. She represents a kind of moral ideal that aligns with the trope of the "selfless maiden." Sure there is darkness in here but like ... where? lol in the words of one of my favorite complicated female characters of the silver screen: "I can't see it, I can't touch it, I can't feel it. I can hear it, I can hear some words but I can't do anything with your easy words."

Galadriel is a warrior, a soldier, a power-hungry monarch. She was born a princess into a life of great privilege. Galadriel is ambitious, vengeful, and actively pursuing power. She definitely embodies characteristics that are more commonly associated with male domination. I love both the feminine in Ellen and the masculine in Galadriel. They just don't overlap imo.

Orlok’s Selfish Awareness vs. Sauron’s Delusional “Vision”

Orlok is unapologetically monstrous. He’s a selfish predator who knows exactly what he is and doesn’t care. He’s not trying to justify himself or claim he’s “saving” anyone—he just feeds on people because that’s what he does.

Sauron thinks he’s doing the right thing. In his mind, his actions are about order, preservation, and the “greater good.” That lack of self-awareness is huge—it makes him a completely different type of villain. Orlok leans into his evil; Sauron justifies it - doesn't even think he's the evil force - definitely not in his story.

The Core Dynamic Feels Wrong

Ellen and Orlok’s relationship is built on fear and revulsion. Ellen sacrifices herself to stop Orlok—she lures him to his doom. There’s no room for ambiguity there; he’s the predator, and she’s the prey.

Galadriel and Sauron are equals. None of them can land the killing blow because they don't want to, not because they can't. Their dynamic is tangled up in grudging respect, power struggles, and even a weird sort of kinship. Galadriel isn’t diminished or destroyed by Sauron like Ellen was by Orlok; quite the contrary. Galadriel was empowered by Sauron, healed through him (at least in the show which is the medium i am basing my opinions on, not necessarily the tolkien legendarium). That's why it's so funny to me that in season 2 he can't figure out why she won't say yes to him when she used to drool over his mortal form and so he transforms into Glambrand as his big fix cause he thinks THAT is what the issue is lol you were her friend, dumbass, that's literally it. you supported her and believed in her when no one did and couched her so she could achieve her goals - helped her self-actualize.

There are no such layers and complexities in Ellen and Orlok's relationship. Plus, the fact that he came to her first when she was a kid gives me the ick, sorry. it's giving phantom of the opera. and i HATE phantom of the opera (the original book by Leroux, the musical kinda slaps tbh)

TL;DR:

Yes, Ellen calls Orlok a deceiver, but that’s where the parallels end for me. Ellen = pure, selfless sacrifice; Galadriel = complex, power-driven warrior. Orlok = evil and knows it; Sauron = evil but thinks he’s the hero. Their dynamics are fundamentally different, and the Orlok/Ellen comparison just doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.

If I’m missing something, feel free to convince me otherwise, but for now? Nah, I don’t see it.

[nerdy-hyperfixations]

I have now learned Kim lives 15 or so minutes away from Martinaise, and it has for some reason shattered me

I was so confident he lived an hour or 3 away 😣

[miriadalia]

"We listen and we don't judge" but Cobra Kai fandom edition

I'll start:

When I started watching CK, I hadn't seen any of the Karate Kid movies. So I thought the boys from the flashbacks in season 1 were young actors playing younger versions of Johnny and Daniel. So... I googled them to know their IG accounts because I thought they were so cute...

Yeah... I'll wait for your confessions 👀

[xerith-42]

It's 2024 are we as a society ready to admit that the best version of the Equestria Girls movies is where Twilight, Flash, and Sunset enter a polycule?

[whoviandoodler]

we all concentrate often on how sweet and insecure rue can be about a lot of things but let us never forget they are also a scathing little bitch

[playstation-dreamcast]

Okay generally speaking I am not- I repeat NOT a panic at the disco fan.

But the line "they say if you don't let it out, you're gonna let it eat you away. I'd rather be a cannibal baby, animals like me don't talk anyway" just feels so unbelievably Wesker coded to me. Specifically either S.T.A.R.S!Wesker or Uroboros!Wesker

Please do not ask me to explain myself

[cara-mel5]

pov after 4 weeks of no formula one ur missing 2/3rds of a triple header that's then followed by another 3-week break.

[nimblermortal]

You know when people comment on how they just don't get angry because it's a waste of energy? Like they expect that to fix something in your worldview? And what it does is make you want to take their head off in particularly gruesome fashion? And what you do instead is just spend a glazed-eye moment thinking of Saga Greatest Hits trying to decide exactly which bloody moment you'd prefer to reenact, and that switches your brain over to fiction analysis and away from picking up the nearest weapon?

[aromantic-ghost-menace]

What I expected the dynamic between the opportunist and the shadow in my truth lies AU to be like: full of mind games and trickery and manipulation and trying to outsmart and get ahead of the other as best as possible, because it just makes sense to be weary and skeptic of the opportu- Praxis: Two halves of a whole idiot

The first part is of course still there, but whenever they work together or are inside the same body for whatever reason, it's two halves of a whole idiot.

individually, by themselves, they are both functional (or at the very least semi functional), but put them together? The world ending might be the literal best case scenario.

[thorne1435]

Girls. I think it's over for me.

I find torpor cycles to be attractive now.

I will never find a person who meets my standards.

[bom-bombon]

When my dad and brother came up to me like "oh you know how it feels now, huh?", referring to me being sad that my team lost, i was like "yeah" ;-; but what they don't know is that I've been doing this for years already, just not with normal football

I was fighting for my LIFE arguing with boys about NFL teams, like sure my team sucks and continues to suck, but I wasn't gonna back down by some PATRIOTS FAN ARE YOU KIDDING ME

And worst part about that is that some boys just thought I had no idea what I was talking about and it didn't help that I supported our local team and not, yknow, the more popular and successful teams, so it made me look uneducated about the sport

But who actually watched the games, tried to keep up with the players, got to meet a few of the football players, and even played the damn sport (both for the school and recreationally)?

Exactly.

Me.

Okay some of the other boys too but that's not the point

Anyway. So I've always liked sports. Crazy lore, huh?

[wisyhana]

Sorry if I haven't followed you for your puzzleshipping art, but I'm very picky about Yugi's height

[sneasedtomeetyou]

r u going to stop ur boyfriend-or-whatever from getting themself assassinated by an evil team leader?

I trust thatAmy can handle it. Not to mention even being in the same room with her right now I don't think there's much I could really do to stop her from what she's doing