#🔥 :·. 「 meta. 」

[das-a-kirby-blog]

so called "lazy lifestyle critics" when they're introduced to chilling out and relaxing

[ranna-alga]

Idk about you guys but I am an absolute sucker for stoic, strong, providing/protective, "macho-macho" male characters absolutely just breaking down when the going gets a bit too tough. Willing to shoulder any burden or battle scars if it means granting their loved ones' safety, but cracking when it gets too much, getting disheveled when things go wrong, when things are out of their control, when they've lost so much that they cannot hold it in anymore. They cannot continue being strong, at least just for now when they just need to decompress.

With that said, Arthur Morgan absolutely deserved to have a good cry. I'm upset he hasn't in the game, at least from what we have seen. Despite how strong and hardened this 36-year-old seasoned outlaw is, he is still a man - a good man at heart (at least in my canon as a High Honour truther).

There is no way he couldn’t have cried on the ship after watching his own father and mentee/lowkey-son-figure die right before his eyes. There is no way he couldn’t have cried when he failed his chance of running away with the love of his life whilst he still had the chance, and having to come to terms with the fact that the last memory she will hold of him will be him making another promise he couldn't keep + that the last piece of her he has left is her essentially writing him out of her life with no time or opportunity to explain. There is no way he couldn’t have cried when the fear of death/the fate that awaited him and his loved ones got too overwhelming for him. There is no way he couldn’t have cried when he started seeing both life and death differently after Sister Calderón's inspiring words in that train station.

He deserved to have a good cry. Arthur, a man living in the American 1890s where there was a certain expectation for men (outlaw or otherwise) to surpress any 'weak' emotion, finally admitting "I'm afraid" was one of the 'manliest' and most human moments we ever see him have, and it was so simple yet so beautiful. The man has been through so much pain as much as he has inflicted it - he deserves a hearty moment of release. To cry, to sob, to wail, whatever. He just needed that after everything.

[thecruellestmonth]

Remembering stuff like Alfred having Bruce and cutting his hair and and dressing him. Which could mean anything but really reinforce the upstairs/downstairs servile relationship. The lack of modesty or shame a rich person has around their staff is something else. And it’s just a like. Almost a Caste system where Alfred is second class and can never BE on Bruce’s level as an equal let alone authority figure. And Alfred is happy with that! Because that’s the story and he is, after all, the butler

[laufire's cool post on Alfred & Bruce]

Yeah, Alfred is not Bruce's father. Bruce is the pater familias of his household like his father before him, and Alfred is his very cherished manservant. Alfred can be a caretaker and a confidant, he can even be parental (-ish), but he's not a parent. (Note to self: rant about the awkward and aggressively enforced line between "parental" and "parent" in Batman mythos.)

IMO one of the most compact arguments on Alfred's role is in Batman: Year One (IIRC the very comic that established Alfred as an old servant of the Wayne family, instead of his original story of being hired by Bruce). Grant Morrison was on some podcast (I think either Kevin Smith's podcast or "Hypertime to Podcast"?) talking about the significance of how Bruce's first act as Batman is to ring a bell to ask for Alfred to help him. We see Morrison emphasize this moment in The Return of Bruce Wayne, where The Bell is a relic on the same level as The Pearls and The Gun.

I can agree it's a defining moment. To some extent I'm willing to accept Morrison's suggestion that Bruce ringing the bell symbolizes the value of asking for help, teamwork, comradery, family, humility, etc—and most fans would be happy to sprint with that interpretation. But I can also juggle a separate interpretation that branches off and veers to the left...

You do not ring a bell to ask for help from your parent or friends or family—you ring a bell to summon a servant.

Bruce becoming Batman in Year One is the story of a prince reclaiming his kingdom. (The Return of Bruce Wayne is a renewal of that story.) Summoning the family manservant is the act of Bruce finally accepting his royal inheritance, after his foolish attempt to slum it with the rabble. A good king is kind and attentive to his subjects, and considers the opinions of his advisors—but they're never his equals or his superiors, no matter how much he cherishes them. They're his subordinates. Nobody is on Bruce's level as an equal, nobody can win a case against his authority, in Gotham. Bruce is the rightful heir of his kingdom. The king and queen are dead, long live the king.

—I know some vocal fans are very critical of Miller, but there's no disputing that Miller's Batman: Year One is the definitive Post-Crisis story of Bruce's invention of Batman, and pretty much every modern comic writer and fan recognizes it. It's likely no comic writer or story has had as much enduring influence on the Batman mythos since Miller wrote Year One and The Dark Knight Returns. Case in point: Alfred.

So yeah. Alfred isn't Bruce's dad. The Gotham TV series probably makes the strongest case for Alfred as Bruce's dad, and even then I personally think there is wiggle room to say eh they're family and they love each other but they're not quite parent & child. Everything else—Batman '66, BTAS, the Nolan movies, Lego Batman, Battinson—ultimately doesn't Alfred cast as Bruce's dad, for the best. Recent comics and the later Arkhamverse games try to force the father-son thing, but it's cheap and unearned.

[lifeismarvelous]

I miss the early 2010s :(((((

[galedekarios]

Are you the one who made the post about how in the epilogue Gale has lines mentioning he has been learning skills from Tavs class?

no, but i can help you if you're looking for what gale and the protag both say.

this dialogue path only triggers if you chose to leave waterdeep behind and went on to adventure with gale after the game ends:

Gale: I confess, when I left Waterdeep there was a part of me afraid that I might regret my decision. But I never have. Gale: I'm delighted to be here amongst friends again, but part of me is reluctant to step away from our new life - even for such a gathering as this.

Player: You don't have to be here if you don't want to, Gale... Gale: Oh, ignore me - I'm perfectly content. Besides, the chance to step out for a night on your arm is hardly one I'm going to pass up. Tara the Tressym: I'm just glad I'm not the only one encouraging you to leave the library once in a while. It does one good to feel the grass beneath one's paws from time to time. Gale: I don't know where to begin in telling people what we've been up to. I suspect they won't believe me...

the player then has various options to pick from depending on their class, showcasing the skills that gale has been taught by them:

Player: Who knew you'd look so good swinging an axe..., BARBARIAN - Player: You've learned to harmonise wonderfully. Not quite solo material yet, but you're close., BARD - Player: Me neither. You've learned much about my faith, and a far more worthy god than Mystra..., CLERIC - Player: I wouldn't have believed it either. I'd no idea you had such a way with animals..., DRUID - Player: I wouldn't have believed it either. You, taking lessons in magic from me..., WIZARD, WARLOCK, SORCERER - Player: Their belief does not matter. You've studied my oath, learned the truth of its purpose - that's achievement enough., PALADIN - Player: That you've learned a trick or two from me? Steal the gold from their palms and they'll believe you soon enough., ROGUE - Player: Of course they'll believe you. Your arrows fly as true as your spells these days., RANGER - Player: Whether they believe does not matter. Our studies grant you an inner peace no external approval could offer., MONK - Player: They'll believe it the next time we get ourselves into a scrap. You wield a sword as well as half the fighters in Faerûn., FIGHTER - Player: Only Mystra herself need know the truth of your accomplishments. And under my guidance, you've served her well., CLERIC_MYSTRA

i do like gale's little response:

Gale: What can I say? You're an excellent teacher.

it's a sweet callback to his spell teaching / weave scene, where the player can tell him he's an excellent teacher after helping them channel the weave.

i do think this - in addition to the little tidbit you get in lae'zel's origin where it's revealed that gale learns tir'su for her - really highlights how truly and genuinely invested gale is in his partner and their relationship together.

[vitasexualiiis]

Soooo...it is NOT clear in the anime that Dazai is suuuuper freaked out by Q 👀

Legit, have we ever seen him this scared of a single person before? The way he's grabbing at his coat sleeve like an anxious little kid is like ?? hello? is that our Dazai???

Is he remembering something? Mori assigned him to Q in Fifteen and we never find out what came of that. He's obviously experienced Q's ability firsthand before. Was he traumatized by whatever the fuck is happening in that last panel??? Is he THAT freaked out by mind control??? Was he stuck in a situation where he couldn't stop Q's ability??? Does he feel responsible for Q hurting people?

Like seriously, compare this to how he acts around Fyodor. He's downright comfortable around him in comparison. Eesh.

[quanblovk]

🎉🎉 DAMETAGALA W 🎉🎉

[eroticwound]

i think a big thing that they did right this season (and maybe surprised me with) was about carmy and the berzatto siblings and how they relate to their mom

like donna was *exactly* how i imagined she would be, but i thought sugar would be the drunk whisperer and carmy would be the one outside of her graces. but in fishes to see that it’s the reverse? like suddenly carm not being capable of going to the funeral makes SO MUCH SENSE. like if he had gone, he would have gotten exclusive donna duty in the midst of NY chef trauma and the unmitigated grief for michael…

like… he went into survival mode by not going.

and then there’s the pesky similarities between him and donna… how they internalize and can fly off the handle… the fact that carm’s clock/alarm motif is actually donna’s. carm couldn’t go to the funeral and donna couldn’t go to the restaurant opening. and of course richie calling carm “donna” in the walk-in, which really triggers him

and fucking SUGAR!!!! natalie my saint! who *wants* to be the one to take care of her mom, but not being able to get the nuance and cadence of her mental illness. g-d it kills me!!!

then you have sugar treating carm the same way she treats donna, because sugar sees so clearly how unwell both of them are… and yet carm and donna obviously hate how she goes about ittttt

anyway, shoe-horned romance aside, this season was incredible and this bit of family dynamic explains SO MUCH

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

Jeremy and the minorities he loves to represent and apparently was born to

This post by @freedelusionshere cracked open a pattern that was right there in front of me for a while now and I hadn't really been paying attention to:

Jeremy Allen White's career choices

I won't go over every single role he ever played but overall his taste is quite distinctive and particular, he's into the marginalized, the anti-heroes, and the minorities.

He's not afraid of having to dive deep into his dark side to play addicts, disabled, depressed, suicidal, and traumatized human beings who struggle with mental health issues and don't always win their battles or are elegant about it.

His most famous roles are Lip Gallagher and Carmy Berzatto

Both addicts, the product of a traumatic upbringing with abusive parents and absent parental figures, with older siblings who played roles in his characters' lives that they shouldn't have due to the dysfunctional family dynamic they lived in.

He also played Kerry Von Erich, who lost his battle with addiction and a part of his leg as well and whose whole family was part of the problem, no matter how much they loved him. Kerry Von Erich was a fatal victim of his toxic environment and upbringing.

More about Carmy and Kerry's parallels here:

In Cornflower (short-film) Jeremy played the big half-brother of this little girl whose mother killed herself and he was in charge of "protecting" his baby sister from the news and sending her away

He's the Boss, the chef, the champ, the protector in his own fucked up way, but not really because he plays the shadow aspects of all those characters, otherwise, he's just not interested.

Jeremy once said (for GQ magazine) that if he played the romantic lead in a rom-com it would also have to be very sad.

And now, when he steps into The Boss' shoes leather jacket he doesn't play the idol, the icon, but one of his darkest moments.

Deliver me from nowhere

The movie tells The Boss' story during a time of his life that he described himself as dark and challenging, filled with isolation and loneliness.

I read Warren Zanes' novel a few months ago when I found out that JAW had been cast as the lead and LOVED IT. He also wrote Tom Petty's bio, which I haven't read yet (but definitely will because I love Petty) and served as VP of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, back when I still gave a fuck about it.

Zanes' Deliver Me from Nowhere captures that feeling completely. No wonder JAW felt compelled to play that part.

Nebraska, Springsteen's album (1982) was his 6th studio album and followed the widely successful and critically acclaimed album: The River and it was off-beat compared to its predecessors because it contained darker and more solemn lyrics but most importantly because The Boss lived up to his nickname and fought his Record label at the time (Columbia Records) refusing to tour to promote it. As a result the album only reached number 3 in both USA and the UK.

Bruce was going through a lot and having a hard time coping with fame and struggling to balance his personal life with his career, re-defining what the concept of "success" meant for him.

The book goes over that struggle and inner turmoil, it says it got to the point where the album was recorded by a Springsteen who literally couldn't get outta bed to do it. It was recorded in his bedroom.

The author says:

"Nebraska is the recording that matters the most in Bruce Springsteen's career. But not because of the hits it contains or it's renowned or because of its generation of young people played it on repeat while they searched for themselves in bedroom mirrors. It needs a different measure. Springsteen made the record when he was the object of tremendous expectations. (...) They were waiting for Born in the USA and that's not what they got, the truth was that Springsteen was a little lost."

Again, no wonder JAW got cast for this role.

I wish nothing but the best for him and I expect nothing but the best from his performance. I'm sure that it must be terrifying for him having to sing for the first time but the way I see it only 2 outcomes can come outta that: either he rocks or he's dubbed by The Boss himself who rocks even harder, so I'm cool.

This is the beast JAW has to tame (And make it relatable, moving, and hopefully award-winning):

The album's reverb-laden vocals and mood combined with dark lyrical content have been described by music critic William Ruhlmann as "one of the most challenging albums ever released by a major star on a major record label"

Source: Wikipedia.

I'm positive he can do it and I'll be there, watching and crying as he does.

Remember to follow my tag #Gingerpovs 💋

[gardenofhope]

happy birthday to my favorite knight ^.^

[teruel-a-witch]

3.17/7.10 Relax the grip, king, nobody is stealing him away from you 😉

When introducing your totally platonic bestie it's important to maintain an iron grip on his shoulder at all times to make sure no one snatches him away from your grasp. You can shake his hand but that's all you are getting. The fact that they both do this, equally insane about each other yet oblivious xD

[pinketine]

Still thinking about Tubbo saying that everything will be resolved once he gets Fred back. It's a quote that works so well with their overall theme of loving resulting in both parties changing, but in a way where what Tubbo says contradicts exactly that theme is saying. The word resolved, and the fact he's not taking the suit off until Fred is returned (presumably, also after their date), seems to imply that Fred returning will automatically fix everything.

Without Fred, their kidnapping being the brick that broke the camel's back, Tubbo has been on a clear downward spiral. It's an almost direct inverse of what had been happening to Fred while they were together, in which she gained more emotions, and expressed guilt over their past wrongdoings to Tubbo, ie, became better due to Tubbo's kindness. Tubbo, meanwhile, has been mainly running on rage and distress, with absolutely no guilt or desire to help almost no other islanders.

Even if Fred returns, Tubbo has snapped. Tubbo has said and done horrible things to and about Quackity. There will most likely be consequences for this, and while Fred has done and said horrible things to Quackity too while being kidnapped, their roles will still most likely be reversed: Fred will be the kinder one, meanwhile Tubbo will have the baggage of his bad actions (albeit, maybe not any guilt, just reactions from others).

So this time, instead of Fred returning automatically making everything 100% ok again, I think Tubbo will have to admit his actions. He's said before that he thinks honesty is best when talking to Fred, and he's most likely going have to be honest again. Risk breaking Fred's perception of him as this kind, good person. And if that's enough to make Fred lose feelings for him, Tubbo will probably continue to further spiral. But if Fred does what I think he will, that is, accept Tubbo for his flaws, because that's so incredibly human to do, and because they're both level with each other now, Fred will accompany Tubbo in his "healing" arc.

I don't think as of now, with how the island is, anyone can truly heal, but Tubbo doesn't need to do that right now, if he is to get better. He just needs to stop the spiral, and take a few steps back up. And I feel like with the support of Fred, (and the Morning Crew + Phil), he could manage that.

So instead of Tubbo teaching Fred to be human, Fred reminds Tubbo of how it feels to be human, and not just resentment and rage.

[ga1adriel]

i only celebrate sad sundays here, so know that galadriel has deep, deep issues when it comes to feeling safe anywhere or with anyone. if she manages to rest in your company you are so very welcome to it - and if she falls asleep really soundly, you get to witness the sexiest thing of all. her talking in her sleep about her dead brother and violently killing all of the dark things that linger around the edges of her mind.

[drbtinglecannon]

The burn marks being present in all of Belos' memories ever since the moment Caleb was captivated by the fire Evelyn was holding out...

Like we know Belos never got over Caleb leaving and the mental toll it caused on his psyche, but the physical manifestation of it in his own memories that he also consciously hid within his own mindscape, the fucking LAYERS of denial and manipulation and trauma this puritan has

[avernusfuries]

The themes of abuse shared between Gor/tash, Kar/lach & Zar/iel actually hurt me.

Gor/tash: inflicting pain on those closest to him because he thinks they're helping them get better ( sold by his own mother, later sold kar/lach to zar/iel) Zar/iel: Was abused, trapped down in the hells for hundreds of years and had parts of her flesh continuously carved off of her by abishai servants of Bel TO FEED HIM. gestures at zar/iel Karl/ach: Sold to Zar/iel, having her heart replaced with an infernal engine & coming out the other end of it stronger / kinder / never wanting to inflict that kind of pain on anyone.

[thaliajoy-blog]

I'm like bursting with impatience waiting to see Dune II & the parallels between Dany & Paul Atreides are sending me...teenagers heirs of a doomed house exiled from their home who integrate & marry into an indigenous people whose values center strength & the ability to survive in hostile environment, and (spoilers) the death of their first child marks a new turn in their story ; They are the hero of a prophecy who does drugs and have visions of the future (sometimes in a desert of sort), and they are scared of themselves & what their effect on the world might be (how bloody their reign might be despite initial positive intentions to survive their ennemies & change an abusive system) & they ride big mythical creatures, they have like fifty different name & are a sort of religious figure...not even sure I've covered everything. Also Arya's famous quote about fear sounding very much like an iconic Dune quote. Jessica/Catelyn parallels...

Like you've heard all about how Throne of Glass plagiarized ASOIAF but wait till you hear that GRRM plagiarized Frank Herbert /s :)