#i absolutely hate this portrait but it is also one of my favourite things about the world

[epiicaricacy-arts]

oh we’re still so young, desperate for attention

this was super experimental so i will talk about my process (+ clearer version) under the cut

i’ve been looking at a lot of “messier” or more textured painting styles recently and an artist that stuck out to me is clariondeluna ! they posted a self-portrait recently that i really liked and i was super interested in the brushwork seen in their work. i love all the textures and how the shapes feel so loose yet everything is so detailed.

that’s not a method for me at all!!!! i cannot paint like that at all and the stuff i like to paint is very different to theirs. which is okay!!!! i had no intention to copy this artists style so closely like with what i tried to do in my raiden painting, i just wanted to try this style out :^)

it’s been a goal of mine to avoid over-rendering like i tend to do a lot, and i think i’ve been doing good with that recently! the mindset i’ve got going on right now is that if i find myself staring at it too hard for too long, i have to leave it and move on. if there’s still something wrong with it, i can fix it later once ive got a fresh view!

i’ve been trying a lot of things with my art this year. i always try to challenge myself with each piece, and to end the year off i wanted to be as uncomfortable as i possibly could be with this painting. i let myself draw whatever i wanted because i still wanted to enjoy it, but everything i did in this process was new, including parts of the subject matter.

i’ve never drawn a head at an angle like this, and i struggle with drawing mouths open. i don’t do bold lighting like this, and if i do, it’s not fire. i’ve never drawn fire! i also rarely work with warm colours and i hate using green, so i combined those to be my colour palette. i like working cleanly so instead of having a dozen different layers for one section, each section only had 1-2 layers for rendering. instead of clipping masks i would simply paint over things loosely and clean it up later. i never like having limbs cut off in a drawing so i had his other arm go GOD knows where. i don’t like weird patterned backgrounds so i made myself figure out how to like it!

IS THIS MY FAVOURITE PIECE OF ALL TIME. no. absolutely not. but i’m very proud of how this came out with all the challenges i put on myself. i WANTED to get better at these things and be more broad with my art, both in terms of the styles and subjects i portray.

okay let’s talk about wtf this drawing is

for those who don’t know, the design in this painting is my fatui/“Father” lyney fan design (read the design post here). the concept isnt super complicated and i don’t really have much explanation for it, but i wanted to combine the story of how lyney wanted a delusion before getting his vision, fire eating circus acts and how olympic medalists will bite their medal to prove it’s real??? don’t quote me on that i’m like 75% sure that’s a thing that happens. i don’t watch sports though so im just believing someone i heard on the internet ages ago.

anyways. i think fire eating acts are cool. and i think the fact that lyney wanted a delusion is very interesting to me. scratches my brain in the right places. and yk as a magician lyneys character revolves a lot around fooling people and creating illusions so i guess what im saying here is that lyney is trying to prove to himself that this power he’s been bestowed is real. bc his whole life his only constant has been lynette so he is trying to see if he can trust this new power. cause i guess this is an alternate universe where lyney does eventually become “Father” but he never got his vision ??? idk im not making lore for this i just wanted to dress up this funny little guy.

ok i’m done

thanks for reading

here’s my dog

#my art #fanart #genshin impact #genshin fanart #lyney #genshin lyney #lyney fanart #digital art #artists on tumblr #artists of tumblr

[alastairstom]

don't think i've heard from you yet a good old proper rant about the midnight heir, like aside from the character analysis from my ask ages ago. so go crazy please!!! you know my theories on it and i'm absolutely dying to hear anything you might have to say

OKAY SO THE MIDNIGHT HEIR.

As with most TSC old-timers, TMH was my first introduction to TLH. I will say that I'd seen the initial character portraits of the core TLH group already (sans Thomas, who isn't there). I felt immediately drawn to a couple of the portraits, namely Matthew and Cordelia.

I also was very excited because I dug the ~vibes~ of TLH based on those portraits and the things Cassie said about them. So I was PRIMED to love TLH and always had a preconceived notion that it was going to be my favourite series.

TMH did not disappoint. I was a little sad when neither Matthew nor Cordelia of the portraits showed up, but I loved James and Grace (and became a huge Grace defender for YEARS before ChoG. I hated her after ChoG and then she became my blorbo in ChoI. Grace and I have had a rocky road but she's probably tied for my 6th fave TSC character now).

In any case, I adored TMH James. Like, thought he was super cool. He gave off the vibe of Will if Will truly had have choices (without the curse) and made bad ones. Will if he was INSANELY self-destructive. And as someone who almost exclusively gravitates to either unhinged or traumatized characters, that James was a character that I found super compelling.

But I will say that it felt very much like an extension of TID to me, which made me a little sad because I wanted TLH to be its own thing.

Then comes NBS. Now, May 18th, 2015 was a Big Day for me. At 11 PM, NBS was delivered to my Kindle, and I devoured it on my deck outside.

I immediately understood several things upon reading NBS:

I was absolutely correct about TLH being the best series for me.

Matthew Fairchild was my kindred spirit and I had never felt so seen before as I did after reading NBS.

I dug the vibe of TLH, and that vibe, contrary to TMH, was extremely different from the vibe that TID gave off. It's dark academia vs light academia, and I think that as @thevagabondexpress said once, NBS is the point where Cassie decided that TLH couldn't be and shouldn't be a TID extension.

But I also saw a lot of differences in James. These differences felt natural to me - NBS James was a nice, quiet kid that was actually hyper-relatable, and to this day NBS James is by far my favourite James iteration. I assumed that something horrible had happened between NBS and TMH to "damn" him and change him horribly. I was interested in what it might be.

CLS James made me more curious, and then he felt utterly different in CHoG for no reason to me. James is a wibbly-wobbly character to me, but there are absolutely lovely iterations of him in the SS that I really wish we had gotten to know better.

Another thing about TMH that I find fascinating is Grace.

I really liked Magnus's scenes with Grace in it. Grace was kickass - she could fight in TMH (why couldn't she fight in TLH? Jury's out) and she was also very... self-autonomized, if that makes sense. She felt really traumatized and fucked up, but she almost seemed as though she... not liked her status as a blade, but embraced it. This is also confounding to me, but I think that it was something that naturally shifted as Cassie developed her in the coming years and changed the TLH vibe.

Idk how to end this but TMH is confounding. It's by far my least favourite piece of TLH content, even though I really like it. But like the initial portraits and descriptions, it also provides us with a glimpse into Cassie's process of creating and developing who are in my opinion by far the best set of characters she has ever made and probably will ever make.

#the midnight heir #james herondale #grace blackthorn

[oldshrewsburyian]

Do you have any book recs / poems about unrequited love, failed crushes? I am in the dumps right now and I would love to read someone more articulate than me

Oh, I do. Also, for whatever it's worth, I have been there... and arguably will be there, in some way, for the rest of my life. (As Olivia Colman, as Queen Anne, unforgettably says in The Favourite: Some wounds do not close... One just walks around with them and sometimes one can feel them filling with blood.)

"One Art," Elizabeth Bishop, is a poem that can be recited between clenched teeth.

I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith, is (among other things) an exquisite exploration of unrequited love and failed crushes. In my mid-30s, I find it difficult to reread because of its youthful optimism. But it is lovely.

Embers, Sándor Márai, is about love and loyalty and sorrow and how all of these can outlast and overcome betrayal. It's an absolutely gorgeous novel set at the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, not incidentally. Márai is really good on this sort of thing; I also recommend his Portraits of a Marriage and Casanova in Bolzano for exploring how disastrously, how redemptively, how irrevocably we love.

The End of the Affair, Graham Greene, may or may not be what you're looking for. But it is what its brilliant, bitter, disabled narrator calls "a chronicle of hate" and it is also a chronicle of what happens when the person you love more than anyone else in the world turns out to be, in some fundamental way, unknown to you, and chooses to distance themselves from you because of this unknown, unbearable strangeness. It is also, I think, a beautiful love story.

Kenilworth, Sir Walter Scott, is a strange and sprawling historical novel, but it is also a novel about how to live well when unhappy in love. And everyone is unhappy in love: foolish Amy, who married ambitiously and has found herself isolated; Elizabeth, who is queen and knows exactly what this means for her private passions; Tressilian, pale and thin and miserable with impossible love and determined to live a good life anyway (obviously, I love him.)

Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand, is arguably the exploration of this, and personally, I read it as a remarkable assertion of Cyrano's indomitable sense of self, and sense of integrity, surviving the lifelong grief of love (Oui, vous m'arrachez tout, le laurier et la rose! / Arrachez! Il y a malgré vous quelque chose / Que j'emporte...).

I hope that some of these help things feel easier to you.

#asks and answers #book recommendations #love #loss #poetry #sándor márai #sir walter scott #edmond rostand #elizabeth bishop #dodie smith #graham greene

[ay-chuu]

Hiii. first of all I wish you all the best from here, it really pains me to know what happened there,I hope you're alright and don't worry answer when you can it's totally fine. So, I'm an Aries, moon in Leo sun in Aries. I'm an Infj. I'm a reserved person, but open with my peers with who I feel confident. Right now I'm struggling to find my place in the world, and to understand what to do with my life. I have my up and downs yes, but most of the time I try to stay calm and not get aggressive on people. I tend to have anger issues but not severe ones. Im the eldest daughter so you can already figure out that I have an awful relationship with family and expecially with my mother. I'm not interested I'm marriage, nor in having kids. And yes I'm bi, and I love being feminine and masculine at the same time. I love drawing, listening to music and collecting antiquated objects. I'm also very interested in spirituality and astrology. I hate standards, narrow-minded people and useless conflicts. If I had to pick my favourite movies I'd choose girl interrupted, lost in translation and portrait of a lady on fire (I really do recommend you to watch them, they're fenomenal), and my confort show it's ATLA. Speaking of music I listen to all kind of generes but rap, raggeton and trap. My favourite artist is by far Amy Lee from Evanescence, she accompanied me trough my middle school years, and I have a huge crush on her. I'd also include Mazzy Star, Jessie jo stark and of course Lana del Rey. While my favourite writers are Virginia Wolf and Sylvia Plath. I'd like to ask you to pair me with someone from BSD please.

Thank you for your good wishes and empathy dear (ɔ˘ ³(ˆ‿ˆc) It can be really hard to hear such words at this time...

And please don't worry about things with your family, even if it ends up with or without your family <3 I understand you very well and I'm always here to talk, I hope you find your place in the world, but remember that sometimes we may not find it even until middle age, well it's better than nothing, right! <3 ALSO THANKS FOR YOUR RECOMMENDS!

I match you with... (っ＾▿＾)💨

OSAMU DAZAI!

Dazai falls in love with anyone who are both masculine and feminine. Change my mind. By the way, I think Aries and Gemini will get along very well with their fullness of life and energy, so Dazai will definitely be happy. I think I don't need to explain the relationship of INFJ and ENTP I MEAN-

Most people say Dazai is a playboy and will cheat even if he falls in love. I disagree. The man literally says "something or someone that will keep me alive", after finding that person, let alone cheating, he might even kill himself for them, I really think that if he finds that person, he will be someone like you because Dazai doesn't have a reason to live but a person to show what to live. He needs someone to show him. And I think you're perfect for that. <3 After Dazai found you, he would learn that life is not built for certain things to live, but to be happy with beauty of people's, minds, things and discovery by living and experiencing.

He is overly respectful of your ideas of marriage and children because he thinks the same. I think it's mostly because he doesn't break the reaffirmation of his own life with his children or a commitment that will last forever. Surprisingly respectful (": <3 By the way, his absolute favorite thing to live and do with you is philosophical conversations. This guy sits down and takes notes on your conversations, I'm not kidding.

I think the main problem in your relationship is that you both have problems with yourselfs. His nonchalantness, your anger, and the pride that you two have of tickling each other. These are usually tempered by love, not romantic love for each other, while this can sometimes lead to serious breakouts. If you can both admit your follies and work it out with a sweet talk, there should be no problem! <3

Most of your relationship is about doing and talking about the things you want to live and talk about your whole life :3 Dazai definitely likes your upright stance and determination, which makes it easy to find strength in himself. When he's with you I think he always say, "Sometimes you can't be a good person, but with the thought of being a good person, you can become a good person." in his head. You, on the other hand, love Dazai's baboons and the way he always smiles and supports you PURRFECT!

Finally, some of the moments I dream about for the two of you: Shaking your feet on top of a building at sunrise, trying the craziest things imaginable, writing a poem as you get sad and angry and reading it to each other for take it off from your chest, and finally, snuggling under blankets during an island vacation while talking about anything. <3

NOT ME SIMPING FOR YOU Hope you'll like it <3

#by.aychu #matching/shipping event! #osamu dazai #dazai x reader #bsd #bungou stray dogs #dazai osamu

[cutelittleluckysoul]

(Oh wow! I'm so glad you liked my Kingo questions <33, here is Druig :)

Question for Druig:

What's his favorite sleeping and or cuddling position??

Do you think Druig is naturally cold or warm?

What would his favorite movie be??

Has favorite pick up line?

Is he a good hype man?

Out of him and reader, is he more likely to do the shopping or hold the bags?

Is he more likely to playfully scare reader or is he more likely to get scared

Favorite section at a grocery store and why?

Where does he spend most of his time?

What would he do if reader had a bad day?

What is his love language?

Has favorite place to be kissed (on the lips, cheek, forhead, nose, shoulders, chest ect)

Cold showers or hot showers?

Is he an artsy person??

If someone were to ask him to take care of their plant while they were away, what would he do? (Keep a super close eye in the plant, hardly look at the plant ect ect)

I absolutely love them! You can send in as many as you want (different characters are fine too:3) i just love doing these

Cuddling and sleeping position: I feel like he doesn't like to cuddle while sleeping. Otherwise he is fine with cuddling. He loves to hold you. Definitely a big spoon. But when you decide now is the time to sleep he will turn his back to you. Not because he doesn't love you but it is just the most comfortable for him. His feet or his butt would touch you tho.

Is he warm or cold?: I would say cold. But not uncomfortably but rather pleasently.

Favourite movie: oh thats a hard one. I feel like he would be the type to enjoy documentaries a lot. He is not really a fan of these big blockbuster movies. He will watch them with you but rather into documentaries. He will be the type to point out the wrong things too.

His favourite pick up line: He never really had to use a pick up line so he didn't know. But he once tried a lot of them on you once because he found out about them. One of his favourites being "You’re like a fine wine. The more of you I drink in, the better I feel."

Is he a good hype man?: Absolutely you can bet your ass on that! He will hype you up all day. One of the reasons seeing your smile when he does it.

Go shopping or hold the bags: Definitely holds the bags. He actually hates to go shopping.

Is he the one to playfully scare you or does he get scared?: Absolutely loves scaring you. He is rather good at it as well! He never fails to make you jump. Especially when he sneaks up on you and pulls you into his arms.

Favourite section at the grocery store?: This is kinda obvious isn't it? The fruit section. He is the type to snack on fruits like blueberries and grapes. He jyst randomly takes some and pops them in his mouth. He just loves fruits alot.

Where does he spend most of his time?: He loves to be outside. So he would spend most of his days outside. If you guys have a house he would spend it in the garden, growing different fruits and veggies. He loves going for walks too. Just as long as he is outside. Also loves bookstores.

How does he cheer reader up on a bad day?: Cuddles. He will cook, which he does very rarely actually. But on such occasions he will. He has your favourite meal imprinted in his brain and knows how to do it by heart. Will also rabdomly quote your favourite book when you are upset to make you smile. He will pick some flowers from your guys garden too to make you smile. It is not the most gigantic bouquet but it is still pretty.

His love language: word's of affirmation. And physical touch(no pda). Telling you that he loves you and you telling him that he is enough. Just sweet things. Also touching your forhead with his and looking deep into your eyes, telling you that you both are ok.

Favourite place to be kissed?: Forehead. Definitely. He loves them just so much. Will close his eyes and just enjoy the feeling of your lips on his skin. Feels at peace in those moments.

Is he artsy: surprisingly yes. He can paint really well actually. Portraits not so much but he is very good at abstract art. He will sometimes paint the landscape outside as well. Watercolours are his peferred way. They are really pretty.

Cold or hot showers: Cold. He enjoys a hot shower now and then but mostly cold showers. They are just much more refreshing. He gets tired from hot showers.

How does he take care of your plants: He would try really hard. But he doesn't really succeed. The plant is on the brink of dying even though he did everything you told him to. This never happens with plants from outside. But houseplants are a very different breed.

#druig headcanon #druig x reader #druig oneshot #druig x you #druig imagine #druig #eternals

[not-xpr-art]

Progress shots of my ‘Portrait of a lady on fire’ piece!

I finally managed to remember to record my full process for this piece lol! Because of this, I’m gonna make this post a sort of follow on from this post about my creative process!

My inspiration and reference for this piece was a screenshot from the film, along with Caspar David Friedrich’s ‘Wanderer above the sea of fog’ (both can be seen below)

I tried to keep this piece as close to how I would do a traditional painting as possible to match the style of Friedrich’s piece (so, keeping all my painting on one layer, trying to work a section at a time, etc). 

I mostly used a fluffy textured brush for the painting (aside from the initial laying down of colours in the 2nd image, which I used a flat ‘watercolour’ brush). As I’ve talked about before, textured brushes are great for blending and for keeping things from being too harsh, which is perfect when you’re trying to go for a sort of oil painting-esque look!

I really liked the stark contrast of Friedrich’s figure and the sea in the background, so I tried to sort of emulate that in my own by painting the figures in slightly darker and more saturated tones than in the reference. (I think I also inadvertently made them slightly more ‘static’ looking, which I don’t hate since it fits quite well with the meaning behind the piece, which I’ll get into in a bit lol!) 

A lot about using references is deciding what elements you want to keep the same, and what you want to change in your own piece. In this work, since a part of my intention of it was doing a screencap study (since this pride month project is about celebrating my favourite queer films), the composition and colours are pretty similar to the reference. 

I hoped that my piece would have a similar feeling to it as the scene in the film, and I especially liked that shot because of the kind of voyeuristic vibes it gives. Another artist on instagram also commented that she thought it felt as if the viewer was standing with the two figures, looking across at the scenery with them, which was a concept I didn’t really consider when I was painting it, but absolutely love what it represents! The film had a feel of the viewer constantly imposing on a private and extremely intimate moment between the two women, almost like something so beautiful that we were never meant to see. 

I also think of the connection the film makes to the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, and how neither figure in my painting will never look back at the onlooker, forever caught in a moment where they’re so close, yet so distant. Makes you wonder whether it’s better to exist in a perpetual state of calm, or to look back and risk the pain and humiliation that might cause... Maybe I’m reading too much into it though lol

If you read this far then thank you lol!! 

Feel free to check out some of my other art advice posts and let me know if there’s anything in particular you want me to talk about in my next one! <3

#art progress #art process #artists on tumblr #art advice #digital art #painting #art tips #digital art tips #artist advice #idk if this really classes as an actual advice post but... i'm putting it there anyway lol #i was very lucky that the process for this went really smoothly #cos i always hav a fear that when i decide to record the whole process of a piece #i'll have a big up hill struggle which will make for a really messy and ugly looking set of process pics #which like... i KNOW is the point of art and that art IS messy and ugly sometimes #but for an informative thing like this i like it to at least look like i know what i'm doing pfft (which i dont)

[burningdarkfire]

2022 mid year reading wrap up

hello i invented this for myself by throwing together the things i want to talk about the most 😎

general progress:

i have read 105 books out of my goal of 120. this is a lot! most of the “extra” count comes from graphic novels, novellas, manga, etc. which i have read a lot more of this year

included in the above are 50 novels, which is exactly on pace

i had the goal in 2022 to read one book per month randomly picked from my tbr, which has been going great,

and the goal to read one book per month from the physical books that i own but haven’t read yet, and that has been going uhhh not as great. i’m only one book behind but reading books physically is hard since i do a lot of reading either at work or commuting to and from the office

list of new 5*s so far in 2022 that i would highly recommend:

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske - a historical fantasy romance which reads like a fanfiction in all the best ways possible

Jade War by Fonda Lee - a sorta historical urban fantasy that has some of the best world-building i’ve ever read

Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee - ditto, solid finish to the above series

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan - a historical fantasy retelling that has some of my absolute favourite characters and relationships of this year. the gender is off the charts. i am obsessed with the deuteragonist and the toxic trio of men in this book that no one ever talks about when pitching it but who are very spectacular

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - a fantasy where the first few chapters absolutely blew my mind with how beautifully it was written

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore - a VERY fun genre-bendy YA book that i don’t want to say much about because i think it’s better blind

At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop - a historical war fiction, which is a genre i honestly usually hate so it says a lot about how absolutely fascinating this was. great poc perspective

[honorary mention] The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson - a fantasy that i only gave 4* but i would always recommend to people who have similar SFF tastes to me

list of other 5*s that are rereads or just severe blorbo syndrome:

Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Caleb Widogast by Jody Houser

The Wicked + The Divine by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie

Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Jujutsu Kaisen: Volume 9 by Gege Akutami

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

most disappointing reads of the year so far:

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston - months later and i’m literally still so annoyed at the ending of this book lol don’t get me started i will rant for 20 minutes

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu - this was foolish “bought into the marketing” hype on my end. don’t let anyone tell you that this is like cloud atlas because it is not like cloud atlas. also personally i feel like this was a weird book to publish quote unquote after covid

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li - i truly think some writers just need to be told no. because grace d. li’s writing is good (especially for a debut) but the heist frame of this story is the most incomprehensible thing ever and i can’t believe anyone thought this was a good idea

most unique reads of the year so far:

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore - deserves another shout out here though i mentioned it already above!

Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh - literary fiction that’s kind of horror-y, kind of mystery-y. a book that really doesn’t hand you any answers

The Seventh Perfection by Daniel Polansky - fantasy novella with a neat structure. highly recommend taking notes while reading this one, i did and it was a great way of being engaged

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott - satire but make it math but make it eldritch horror. the entire thing is narrated by a square, just to give you an idea

anticipated reads for the end of the year:

Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang - dropping the full title out of respect 😤 standalone historical fantasy from the author of the poppy war trilogy .. yes please!!

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - third book in the locked tomb series. i am rereading in preparation and i eagerly await the insanity

Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennett - third and final book in the founders trilogy. there have truly never been books that are more written for me and i’m fascinated to see how this will end

#my posts #reading wrap up #books #liveblogging books

[onsecondandfirstplace]

May you be blessed by the ugly Napoleon portrait✨

(and btw Ingres what the fuck were you thinking while painting this)

#i know you can do better than that my man #i absolutely hate this portrait but it is also one of my favourite things about the world #Ingres in 18th century invented shitposting by making that #Napoleon I on his Imperial Throne #Oh my bad it’s actually beggining of the 19th century #i made a grave mistake #Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres #ingres #neoclassicism #classicism #classic painting #dark academia #academia #dark academia aesthetic #art #art history #shitposting #art history memes #napoleon #history #history memes #19th century art #regency #french art #french classicism #art history stuff #art history nerd #history buff #dark academia memes

[dramaticthorne]

Here is why Mike is my absolute favourite:

“These look nice.” “That’s potpourri” *CRONCH*

His and Allison’s little karaoke in the car

The fact that he refers to his wife as “Lady Allison”

Also how Kiell hates birds and was probably the one who had to work with the pigeon the most

The first thing he does was hook up the sound system #weloveamanwhoknowshispriorities

“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared, I’m not scared...” Michael how is this helpful? 😂

“This is your dream right? I wanna do everything I can to make it come true” 🥺

🎶daDdY gONna DRilL a HoLE iN thE wAll🎶

The fact that he calls himself “Daddy”

🎶dADdy GOnNa fIX a BOilEr NOw. YoUTubE gONna SHoW DaDdy HoW🎶

Also how by episode two he manages to get multiple ghosts to start calling him daddy as well

He just whacks the boiler with a hammer as if it’s gonna help fix it

And then he proceeds to tell Allison that “some idiots taken a hammer to it” like honey no you just called yourself an idiot. Don’t worry I still love you ❤️

He filled the hole in Fanny’s room with George’s portrait 😂

“Thank you” “They say you’re welcome” They! You mean there’s two of them!?”

The way he has to put on his bathing suit before he showered cause he’s afraid ghosts are watching him (I mean to be fair he was right)

Guys he just needs some poo space so leave him alone

Him running around the house naked but still wearing his socks

“Cornflakes were actually invented to stop people from touching themselves”

Him bragging about going for a run and then the gazebo falls on him

Also I love his tracksuits they are a look!

“Mike it won’t shut with that on” “Yeah, I’m not an idiot. I’m just holding it while I put the cello tape on” guys he’s literally putting cello tape on the front door

“And I’m not eating anything’s rissoles”

Just his facials while they’re preparing the pheasant

“Smashing shirt, who is it?” “It’s me?”

“And last but not least we have this one which is west wing socks” “Sockets” “Ah yea, that makes more sense”

The fact that he literally cannot refuse a handshake

Also that he thought he was gonna buy the access rights to the drive for $20

Mike how did you not know that you’re gonna lose even more money playing poker? 🤦🏾‍♀️

“Ohhh, I mean I didn’t like that pigeon but that is no way to go”

He managed to get Fiona to take an entire bag of gooseberries

Okay but that scene when Mike and Alison are looking for a new house and they’re just standing in the empty house hugging each other 🥺 they are the cutest!!

Him flailing his arms around trying to punch the ghosts fully knowing that he can can’t hit them (don’t worry babe just let the anger out)

I mean how can you not love him??

#bbc ghosts #mike cooper #kiell smith bynoe #did I just rewatch all of season 1 to make this? #yes yes I did #should I have been studying for my exams #probably #oh well #I’m almost definitely going to watch season two now and gush over mike #also this post was very long overdue

[toujourspur13]

The Black family / Walburga Black / canon.

As I said before I do not care that much about canon/fanon/headcanon because transformative works by definition include a wide variety of different interpretations. However, I am forever perplexed when I see uncompromising opinions on the Black family - particularly the unwavering certainty that Sirius Black’s parents were psychotic abusers. All personal opinions aside - why is this so popular?

I mean - it’s absolutely ok to headcanon this version and to play with it - but saying 'don’t you dare say they did not physically and emotionally abuse Sirius' is a little strong, isn’t it?

This is a mystery to me. So…let’s discuss my favourite subject…Again.

Let’s stick to the facts. The frequently cited things proving the abuse in the Black family are as follows:

Sirius said his parents were awful maniacs (pureblood ideology)

he ran away from home

he was severely depressed in OoTP

Kreacher

Portrait

So…when you say that Sirius’s parents were abusive…you mean exactly what? These people got cold feet when they saw the real nature of Voldemort - I guess it somehow implies that they did not share his methods…that they were against violence as a tool to get purebloods in charge.

But then it usually goes this way: ‘well at least he was verbally and emotionally abused by his family’ - but is it so? Is this based on the portrait of Sirius's mother? She insulted strangers who took over her house and her runaway son - how does this prove anything about how Sirius and Regulus were raised and treated when they were kids? I agree it’s rather impolite - jkr did a good job showing how purebloods perceived others ( those below them) -but in all honesty, this has very little to do with Sirius and his childhood.

Why to make Sirius a victim at all? - c’mon he was tougher than this, he spent 12 years in Azkaban; are you actually saying that a portrait throwing insults at everyone is worse? I doubt that. And is it such a surprise that a mother who lost her son (that said son actually ran away and abandoned his duty) would be that furious at him when seeing him again...even if it’s only a portrait...I believe it to be a rather unpleasant experience for a parent when a child runs away.

We already talked about the portrait a lot - I don’t even want to mention it here- - I feel we should rather pay more attention to the fact that Sirius himself was not an angel.

I am not saying the colourful vocabulary of Walburga Black should be used…but Sirius himself upon seeing Snape  immediately  recognised his weakness and went for it without any hesitation …we are talking about Sirius who in fact was quite a renowned bully ( I mean - we know for a fact that from time to time Sirius and James got carried away)…

And it was Sirius who sent Snape to meet and chat with a real werewolf (yes, I agree - he was not thinking this through - he probably was just vexed and fed up with Snape and thought he wouldn’t go there, would get cold feet or idk run away…But it actually changes nothing. If a drunken driver hits someone it will be 100% his fault whether he means it or not. Whether he is in a fragile mental state or not - such situations are definite. It’s the same with Sirius - even if he did not mean anything bad he should have understood the cost of his mistake - all teenagers make silly things but not all of them send their classmate to meet a werewolf - James thought it not a very good idea as I recall… -

So we see that Sirius was not an angel from the start and I can hardly believe he was a victim by nature. His behaviour loudly manifested that he used to get what he wanted with no thought of the consequences.

And all those pictures of bikini-clad girls on the walls in his room prove that he was quite a spoiled boy who had nothing to fear from mum and dad. Harry himself noticed «Sirius seemed to have gone out of his way to annoy his parents». All this shows that Sirius was not afraid of his parents at all. What kind of masochist would suffer for motorbike posters? That would be ridiculous.

Let’s move to Kreacher: If Sirius’s mother had been a monster why even mention her heart?  JKR wrote this for a purpose and this heavily implies that Sirius's situation was never meant to be ‘the abusive heartless parents vs the poor helpless victim’.  

The fact that Sirius ran away and hence broke his mother’s heart says against the popular idea that he was not loved by his family, that he was always the second one, that they abused him. I’m 100% certain that Kreacher told the truth in that scene. Why would he say something like this if it were not the truth - something like…that his beloved mistress having been so upset over Sirius running away that it broke her heart. Just tell me one reason that would have justified such a lie - why to say this at all?

Then this: “Leave?” Sirius smiled bitterly and ran a hand through his long, unkempt hair. “Because I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal … my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them … that’s him.”…. “He was younger than me,” said Sirius, “and a much better son, as I was constantly reminded.”

I’ve already said it before - this ‘better son than me’ is exactly what insecure 14-year old kids like to say. Well...he’s a bit older but it’s not as if he had a life and a chance to mature. Moreover, I don’t know if it comes as a great shock but a lot of teenagers like to badmouth their parents…usually, it involves something like ‘those bloody uptight retrogrades know nothing of the real world’ (it fades away when they get closer to thirty).

To be serious, I find that it’s just another example of similarities between Sirius and his mother. They clearly did not know what it means to be composed, polite, and respectful. Yeah…I think that, on the whole, parents are owed their children’s respect (unless they are completely inadequate - somehow I don’t believe this was the case). Someone should teach both of them what mutual respect means. Anyway, there is nothing in this quote that says that Sirius was subjected to any forms of abuse - it’s about how Sirius justified his running away,  how he saw the situation.

There’s also the fact that Sirius was incredibly unhappy because he was back at his childhood home and having to spend time around anything that reminded him of his family: “Hasn’t anyone told you? This was my parents’ house,” said Sirius. “But I’m the last Black left, so it’s mine now. I offered it to Dumbledore for headquarters — about the only useful thing I’ve been able to do.” Harry, who had expected a better welcome, noted how hard and bitter Sirius’s voice sounded”.

Here it comes…the severe depression that makes people question the severity of his abuse… I have thought a lot about this because it is the reason why some consider ‘the abusive blacks' canon while others believe it was more of a tragedy of the family rather than the banal brutality.

Of course, Sirius was upset in that house - but I don’t think he suffered the memories of his unhappy childhood - I think he suffered from the strong feeling of guilt. Being in that house meant an everyday reminder that he was a failure. And it’s not even a lie. If you look at his whole life you’ll see that he literally failed everyone in his life: he failed James and Lily - they were dead and he unwillingly became the reason. It was his plan that turned everything into a tragedy.

And, to some extent, he failed Harry- he was not around him like James and Lily would have wanted. Sirius did not give him the real family - he only promised they'd be the one «when it’s all over».

And finally - he failed his parents, his brother, his own family.

Is it possible to live with so much guilt in your heart?

I don't think that Sirius completely forgot who he was born to be. If the family keeps traditions and can trace its existence back in centuries you can't shake it off even if you want. I doubt Sirius switched it off just because he had griffindor friends. He was the last Black - it is tragically poetic that he was once the hope of his family and then this family died with him. If Sirius had heart (and I truly believe he had a heart) he knew exactly what it meant to be trapped in the house that represented the death of his family. A constant reminder  that he was the last one.  

“The others’ hushed voices were giving Harry an odd feeling of foreboding; it was as though they had just entered the house of a dying person”. 

I think that the scene when he threw his father's ring away - he threw it away because it was all over for his family. It was the end of the dynasty - and for him it was all over long before he met Bellatrix for the last time.

Well, I admit Sirius' situation is open for wide interpretation but I don’t think the abusive black household is a canon thing - of course, it’s fanon. It makes Sirius a hero who broke the chains when in fact he ended up being a victim of his own life.

You know, it always seems strange to me that fandom when discussing Walburga usually overlooks the simple truth of life - that even if you are clever enough and mean good for your loved ones it is still possible to end up on the losing side, on the dark side.  However, mistakes don't automatically turn humans into monsters.

To some extent Sirius’s story represents the consequences of war.  No-one is protected; the whole families could be wiped off the face of the earth. It’s a simple yet profound idea. It correlates with the main idea of hp books far better than the ‘abusive psychopaths’ (there are already Voldemort and Bellatrix - there is no-one who can beat them in this department).

All I say - it’s okay to imagine them bad if you want- your right - but don’t write everywhere that it’s canon because it is not.There is no need for such inflexibility especially when it comes to the fandom - a place where everyone should be welcomed and their views on the books be respected.

#the noble and most ancient house of black #hp meta #harry potter #sirius black meta #walburga black #orion black #regulus black #harry potter meta #Order of the Phoenix #Sirius Black

[ancientstone]

Random Untamed Alchemist AU Thoughts

Masterpost

~

Lan Wangji inherits Winry’s habit of throwing things. The only difference is that you never see Wangji do it. Wei Wuxian simply spouts utter nonsense and BAM! A spanner to the head! When the stars stop spinning Wei Wuxian finds Lan Wangji with his back turned, completely engrossed with a book or a project. He always denies everything.

Jiang Cheng knows. Jiang Cheng also keeps his mouth shut in exchange for expensive oil for the armour.

~

Jiang ‘Hitting my brother on the shoulder is how I show affection but I can no longer tell how much force I’m putting behind these punches’ Cheng vs Wei ‘Holy shit that hurt but also it’s my fault my brother’s stuck as a soul in unfeeling armour so I must put up with this for his sake’ Wuxian.

~

“Wei Wuxian, you cannot put a catapult in your arm.”

“Wei Wuxian, you cannot put a gun in your arm.”

“Wei Wuxian, you cannot put a flame thrower in your arm.”

~

(When he joins the Wen army, he does. He uses it exactly once, burns off his eyebrows, and gets ratted out by Jiang Cheng to Lan Wangji, who personally arrives the next day to remove it.)

~

In an attempt to make his brother feel less like a Big Scary Monster, Wei Wuxian paints images and scenes all over the armour. These include: Lotuses (their sister’s favourite), little clouds, two stick figures fighting with swords (on Jiang Cheng’s back where he can’t see), a flute with small cartoon music notes, and turnips.

During the night when he has to sit awake, Jiang Cheng paints a snake coiling up his right arm. It’s purple, for some reason.

Jiang Cheng hates the rain because they all wash off. Wei Wuxian carries paints so he can do them again.

~

Upon request, Wei Wuxian paints a portrait of their sister inside the armour, right behind the breast plate where Jiang Cheng’s “heart” would be.

~

Wei Wuxian’s absolute favourite Getting Away tactic is to climb into the armour.

Jiang Cheng’s absolute loathed Getting Away tactic is when Wei Wuxian climbs into the armour.

~

The Alphonse Existential Crisis Scene, but the angst is rolled up to ten because it’s Jiang Cheng and he’s worse at forming his thoughts into words.

~

“Tinkering with automail again.”

“Lan Zhan! How could you accuse me of such a thi-”

“Wei Wuxian.” Jiang Cheng deadpans. “Your arm just fell off.”

“Oh.”

~

The one thing Jiang Cheng deems to be Good™ about all of this is that he’s now officially taller than Wei Wuxian. But he also spends months hitting the helmet against every door frame he tries to walk through.

~

Upon realising that smoke bombs are dope, actually, Wei Wuxian makes a gadget on his arm which releases thick black smoke.

He does not smoke out an entire building when creating it and cause a mass panic, thank you very much.

~

At some point there is a very raw, very emotional conversation between the Lans and Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng about why they chose to try and bring their sister back, and not their parents who died several years before. They have to explain how unhappy their family was when their parents were alive, and how different Jiang Yanli was to them - how she was soft and cared and never raised her voice.

~

#the untamed #cql #untamed alchemist #wei wuxain #jiang cheng #lan wangji #the untamed au #written in stone

[cimerran-714]

Hello! I hope you're doing well. The purpose of this short "composition" is to closely analyze some of the key H/Hr moments in the books (I haven't watched all the movies, so you won't find anything about the films here).

And I know it should be obvious, but I seriously don't mind the R/Hr or H/G ship. It's none of my business. So please refrain from taking anything out of context/misappropriate the things I say. I mean absolutely no offence to any Canon pairings.

Even if you don't ship them, I'm sure you can't deny that both Harry and Hermione have an incredibly close platonic relationship together. I've heard people narrate some of the "finest" H/Hr moments while explaining why they're fit to be soulmates. There's a high probability that you'd come across them when talking to a H/Hr shipper. However, there are a few scenes in the books (which, in retrospect, are really 'sweet') I haven't heard others talk about often.

In this essay, I'd like to share some of the best scenes in the Potter books, immediately followed by an underrated moment.

Let's dig in.

Best moment:

The hug in Philosopher's/Sorceror's Stone.

Ah, isn't it obvious? This is certainly one of the finest moments that kickstarts the strong dynamic between Harry and Hermione. I really like this scene. It's powerful on a number of levels.

Romione shippers tend to provide a parallel to exemplify the attraction between the remaining members of the Golden Trio (Hermione apologizing about Scabbers and sobbing onto Ron's shoulders). But in my eyes, there's certainly something different about her hugging Harry.

Firstly, we've got to consider the context. When Hermione embraced Ron, it happened on the second page of a different chapter. On the contrary, anything that occurs at the end of any chapter/book sticks in our minds for a long time.

I'm going off on a tangent here, just to make sure you get the point. This trope (though I'm not sure I can it that) happens a lot of times in the Harry Potter books.

A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley... He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter -- the boy who lived!"

This scene hits home for a lot of reasons.

Look, most of us can't help feeling sorry for Harry here. His parents are dead, which (as McGonagall claimed) is a horrible thing to have happened. We've also seen at the beginning of the book that the Dursleys hate the Potters.

It's distressing to realize that a one-year-old is about to be raised by a family who doesn't like him at all.

And the fact that the entire wizarding world is celebrating Volde... sorry, You-Know-Who's downfall, while the boy sleeps on innocently (without any knowledge of what's just happened), is even more saddening. No, he simply couldn't know what'd happened to his life, that witches and wizards all over the country are toasting him.

It's bittersweet.

Moving on:

Deciding that he'd worry about the Hogsmeade form when he woke up, Harry got back into bed and reached up to cross off another day on the chart he'd made for himself, counting down the days left until his return to Hogwarts. Then he took off his glasses and lay down; eyes open, facing his three birthday cards.

Extremely unusual though he was, at that moment Harry Potter felt just like everyone else -- glad, for the first time in his life, that it was his birthday.

This is, yet again, another 'Aww' moment at the end of a chapter. How can you not feel sorry for Harry? Most thirteen-year-olds have already enjoyed a lot of birthdays in the past. But for him, it's something new.

He's glad that it's his birthday for the first time. If I didn't know better, JKR wants us to sympathize with Harry.

And here's a final example:

Harry spun around to see Hermione pointing her wand at Ron, her expression wild: the little flock of birds was speeding like a hail of fat golden bullets toward Ron, who yelped and covered his face with his hands, but the birds attacked, pecking and clawing at every bit of flesh they could reach.

"Gerremoffme!" he yelled, but with one last look of vindictive fury, Hermione wrenched open the door and disappeared through it. Harry thought he heard a sob before it slammed.

I do feel for Ron, getting attacked by a flock of birds was certainly uncalled for. But don't you get the point? The "sob" momentarily diverts our attention towards Hermione.

"Poor Ron, that must have hurt... oh, dear, Hermione's crying."

I think you know what I'm talking about. It's the same thing that happened when Hermione embraced Harry and called him a "Great wizard."

Yes, the H/Hr hug doesn't occur at the last line or anything, but it's certainly just a page before the chapter ends.

"But Harry -- what if You-Know-Who's with him?"

"Well -- I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again."

Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him.

"Hermione!"

"Harry -- you're a great wizard, you know."

"I'm not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him. "Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things -- friendship and bravery and -- oh Harry -- be careful!"

That's one reason why it's meaningful!

Also, note that Harry's just about to face the 'Big Bad' (at a moment when 'Danger lies ahead of them and safety lies behind'). No one's noticed them hugging, too.

And it wasn't in front of the Portrait Hall or anything, either.

It was deep beneath the ramifications of the castle. It was (probably) around midnight, too.

The situation (arguably, the fate of the wizarding world rests on Harry's shoulders now).

The dialogue ("You're a great wizard, you know" instead of "I'm so sorry about Scabbers")

The atmosphere (It was late at night).

The fact that they were just kids.

All of these make the hug so powerful.

Oh, and it was the first book in the series. 2- Underrated moment:

Harry (and yes, Ron too) saving Hermione from the troll.

What's interesting here is:

1- Harry was the one who immediately thought of Hermione after Dumbledore ordered the Prefects to take everyone to their dormitories (Not Ron).

2- Harry isn't smug about having just saved a stranger's life.

A stranger, moreover, who was considered "interfering".

On the other hand, Ron is a little git.

They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm.

"I've just thought -- Hermione."

"What about her?"

"She doesn't know about the troll."

Ron bit his lip.

"Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."

It's pretty obvious that, if given the choice, Ron would rather not go after the girl he'd teased in class.

Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped - it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.

Harry's saving both of their lives here (while endangering his own).

Remember that he's only eleven.

"We should have gotten more than ten points," Ron grumbled.

"Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."

"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."

"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him.

Ron thinks they were doing Hermione a favour. Harry, however, is a tad more level-headed. And sensible.

Also, it's somewhat of a stretch, but I believe it proves the point that Harry's true nature is like his mother's (James Potter had boasted around after he saved Snape's life).

Yes, I know it's such a cliche, but Harry is pure at heart.

3-Best moment:

The "mythical" Hippogriff ride:

Now, I've personally never thought much of it. It's a good chapter, yes, but bringing animals into a Shipping war is just... meh.

It's the trust that Harry had in Hermione (when she pulled out the Time turner) that interests me.

Anyhow, it's a pretty common argument posed by H/Hr fans.

Quoting from Wikipedia:

In some traditions, the hippogriff is said to be the symbol of love, as its parents, the mare and griffin, are natural enemies. In other traditions, the hippogriff represents Christ's dual nature as both human and divine.

It occurred in the wee hours of the morning, so I suppose it does have a slightly "mythological" (I can't think of a better word) feel to it.

Again, I'm not sure I can call it my favourite part of the book, especially as Hermione wasn't enjoying riding on Buckbeak.

Underrated moment:

Having fun talking about Filch and Madam Pince.

Enjoying the fact that they could speak normally again, they made their way along the deserted lamp-lit corridors back to the common room, arguing whether or not Filch and Madam Pince were secretly in love with each other.

For Romione shippers who believe that Harry and Hermione are "boring" together, it's a rude awakening.

No, the "arguing" doesn't mean they were actually in a disagreement. It's clear that both of them were having fun.

Enjoying their time, in fact.

It's one of the few 'Harmony' scenes in Half-blood Prince.

I do not believe that either of them was consciously aware of their feelings towards each other, either.

And if it's just a coincidence that they were enjoying talking about being in love, it's certainly a bizarre one.

4-Best moment:

Visiting Godric's Hollow together

"'The last enemy that shall be defeated is death'..." A horrible thought came to him, and with a kind of panic. "Isn't that a Death Eater idea? Why is that there?"

"It doesn't mean defeating death in the way the Death Eaters mean it, Harry," said Hermione, her voice gentle. "It means... you know... living beyond death. Living after death."

But they were not living, thought Harry. They were gone. The empty words could not disguise the fact that his parents' moldering remains lay beneath snow and stone, indifferent, unknowing. And tears came before he could stop them, boiling hot then instantly freezing on his face, and what was the point in wiping them off or pretending? He let them fall, his lips pressed hard together, looking down at the thick snow hiding from his eyes the place where the last of Lily and James lay, bones now, surely, or dust, not knowing or caring that their living son stood so near, his heart still beating, alive because of their sacrifice and close to wishing, at this moment, that he was sleeping under the snow with them.

Hermione had taken his hand again and was gripping it tightly. He could not look at her, but returned the pressure, now taking deep, sharp gulps of the night air, trying to steady himself, trying to regain control. He should have brought something o give them, and he had not thought of it, and every plant in the graveyard was leafless and frozen. But Hermione raised her wand, moved it in a circle through the air, and a wreath of Christmas roses blossomed before them. Harry caught it and laid it on his parents' grave.

As soon as he stood up he wanted to leave: He did not think he could stand another moment there. He put his arm around Hermione's shoulders, and she put hers around his waist, and they turned in silence and walked away through the snow, past Dumbledore's mother and sister, back toward the dark church and the out-of-sight kissing gate.

If it was intended to be a totally platonic visit, why a pose that's very romantic? Also, as someone else had mentioned in their blog, Harry rarely (if never) initiates physical contact with anyone.

There's also a kissing gate present in the Church.

It seems as if JKR has got a flair for writing co-incidences that further cement the H/Hr relationship.

Underrated moment:

Ernie Macmillion's change of heart:

This is simply beautiful, and even more so as Macmillion was aware that Harry can speak Parseltongue (an ability commonly associated with Dark Wizards).

What happens when students are mysteriously turning into stone, and you figure out that one of them was "egging on" a snake during a duelling club? A boy, moreover, who dislikes the Muggles he lives with? Someone who managed to defeat Lord Voldemort himself?

Hmm...

The logical conclusion would be that Harry's got a hand in it. Ernie believed that Harry Potter was the one Petrifying everyone, even a few weeks/months after the attacks stopped.

What takes the Hufflepuff to bring him to his senses?

The fact that Harry would never harm his Muggle-born friend.

I know it's a little thing, but it shows that the whole school (indeed, Ernie belonged to a different House) was aware of how close Harry and Hermione were together.

Note that he'd apologized immediately after a double-attack.

"Harry, harm Hermione Granger? Impossible!"

Macmillian was the one being paranoid, and told tales about Harry to Hannah Abbot.

And yet a single thing changed his mind completely.

To wind up, I'mma give you another part from the first book:

It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Harry's heart. Over the rustling of the trees, he seemed to hear once more what Hagrid had told him on the night they had met: "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die." "Do you mean," Harry croaked, "that was Vol-" "Harry! Harry, are you all right?" Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.

What's noteworthy is that Hermione apparently doesn't care about staying close to Hagrid and protecting herself. She's so worried about what's happened to Harry that she's rushing along in front of Hagrid.

Throughout the books, you can see Harry being protective of Hermione.

The feeling's mutual ;)

#harry potter #harry x hermione #hermione granger #shipping dynamics

[queencamden]

Hi! Once you get this you have to say five things you like about yourself, publicly, then send this to ten of your favourite followers (non-negotiable) SPREAD POSITIVITY 💌😘 (But if you've received this before, or just don't feel like answering, no need to answer. I just want you to know I love you and appreciate you <3)

Awwww, this is actually the nicest thing ever. I literally almost cried (doing better now though. Quarantine just had me in a bad mood.)

1. I am a very considerate person. This sometimes gets me in trouble, just because I CARE so much about other people. But, now that I think about it that is a strength. I love (most) people! They’re great! And if any of them are upset, I will awkwardly comfort them, to the best of my ability.

2. I’m a pretty snazzy writer! Like, not to brag but a lot of my writing is like.... actual professional quality which is really cool. (I have been told this by Actual Professional People yee yee) I love it, and I genuinley think I could have a career as an author (not yet obviously but eventually). Words are just so pretty, and I love them and AGGGGHHG. I also write pretty consistently and am able to write at LEAST 800 words per day, which is pretty great, and also resulting in War And Peace style tomes that I have to cut down SEVERELY.

3. I’m smart! Obviously there are a lot of different kinds of smartness but I’m lucky enough to be smart in the most stereotypical sense. I memorize things like a PROOOO it’s pretty great (especially as an actor- pretty much never have to practice lol) I also love to learn, analyze and broaden my horizons. Tell me some funky symbolism in a piece of literature and I will OBSESS. The one exception to this point is math because math sucks.

4. I am a good actor and also director (technically two points but whatever). Acting to me, is truly what I live for. I didn’t really realize that until recently, because I haven’t done it in so long (thanks COVID). The feeling of it is so beautiful and while acting I am the best version of myself. I am always eager to try new things and learn new techniques, try comedic and dramatic roles, do everything because it’s STORYTELLING I’M MAKING A STORY RIGHT HERE IT’S BEAUTIFUL. As for directing, I definitely have a long way to go, but the fact that my biggest flaw is how hard I try to AVOID the “angry mean director” stereotype probably means I’m pretty good. I actually got some recognition in my community for it, which was pretty cool, and I’d love to do it in the future. I love art, I’m so deeply passionate about it. It has this beautiful, essential quality that makes it necessary to live. The feeling of DOING ART is one of the most wonderful things I have ever experienced, the moment of a performance, of pure inspiration. And art can be whatever you want it to be! I love that! It’s whatever you want it to be! It’s different for every person! And it’s beautiful, it’s beautiful. Anyway, the fact that I have an appreciation of that makes me both incredibly lucky and incredibly snazzy (so this was technically three points. I’m on a positivity roll today.)

5. I’m kind. So, so kind. This relates to the top point but I just want to help people so bad. I want to love everyone I want them to be their absolute happiest. If somebody appreciates something I did for them, if I am something that makes them happy in any way I will be happy too. If one small action can make a difference to someone, I will take it. I want everyone to be happy all the time, to the point where I get legit flustered when somebody’s upset, because they don’t know what to do. I just want to help, and spread love. Because love, along with art, is one of the greatest things humanity has to offer.

Yeah, this got long but I’m not sorry. I really hate this modern culture of not being proud of your achievements, while letting your flaws define you. It leads to clinging to a flaw because it’s who you ARE, while refusing to see all the ways you are great. And yeah, it’s good to NOT brag about how great you are at something, or act like you’re above people, but pride in your achievements is good. It’s great. Because she f you receive no other reward from it, you don’t have to. Your pride is the reward. That knowledge that “I did something great.”

I’m tagging @captainofthegreenpeas (right back at you my dude) @poisonerrose @alwaysbored005 @theobhan @a-portrait-made-with-words @thathoughtfulwriterturtle19 @angelkitty6 @queenaboleyna @silverscene (don’t know you that well but you seem pretty cool) and @space-buns-arsinoe

Also apparently I’m not following the last two so FIXED THAT (for the first I’m sure I had, and for the second, I thought I did because TDC posts are so spread around that I saw a lot of posts but it guess wasn’t actually following)

[vivithefolle]

I was always confused by Hermiones behavior towards Ron in OOTP. Was she trying to hide her feelings? because she didn't really gave him any signs. Why she was so nasty at him with the teaspoon thing. Was she trying to make him jealous with the letters? What did or didn't she understand from Ron giving her the perfume. Is all this just JKR being stupid because she don't want them together before the very end. Sry for all these questions but I am rly confused can you plz help Vivi?

Once again, I’ll copy one of my Quora essays!

it’s a stereotype to say that girls resort to underhanded tactics when it comes to dating, or like to “test” their partner’s love… but it’s a stereotype for a reason: there are teenage girls who resort to those tactics.

The archetype of the Tsundere exists as an exaggeration of the traits some teenage girls demonstrate when they find themselves in a position of vulnerability such as “having a crush on someone”.

For someone as prideful as Hermione is, having a crush on someone is extremely threatening.

Hermione prides herself in her logic and intelligence. The validation she receives from getting good grades is something she needs, because she’s very insecure deep down. She thinks all she has to offer is her intelligence, and as she goes from a little girl to a young woman, this causes her grief because she doesn’t want to be just “intelligent”. As her body develops and changes, she finds that being the smartest one in the room isn’t enough anymore - she still loves being the smartest in the room, but she wants more than just that, she wants validation for other things. That’s why she was extremely hurt when Ron tactlessly (and Rowling-ly) remarks “you’re a girl” - she wants to be seen as a girl, as a woman, as more than a walking brain. She wants validation that she is a girl, and beautiful, and sexy, and capable of making heads spin. She needs “sexual” validation, for lack of a better term.

Of course she doesn’t really realize those feelings. All she knows is that it hurts when Ron seems to consider her “one of the guys”, or looks at girls that aren’t her. She likes it when he compliments her, but she’s also angry at him because he only ever seems to compliment her intelligence and damn it, she wants him to compliment something else! She wants him to look at her, REALLY look at her! Look at her like he looks at the pretty girls!

Little does she know that Ron does look at her, but he probably thinks he’s a pervert for doing so. Because - because she’s Hermione! She’s not like other girls, she’s not - she’s not the kind of girl you ogle! She’s the kind of girl you gift flowers to - roses, they’re her favourite - the kind of girl you have long, meaningful talks with - not sure if they’re always meaningful, but they sure talk a lot together! - she’s the kind of girl you… the kind of girl you love, not the kind of girl you just look at…

*wistful sigh* Mutual pining, mutual admiration, slow burn, +100k words…

But truth is, many people go around saying that Hermione treating Ron harshly and treating pretty much every boy (with exceptions like Draco Malfoy) more gently is because she actually doesn’t like Ron, and likes anyone but Ron.

When the truth actually is that… Hermione is awful. No, no, seriously, when Hermione is in love, she’s terrible. She can be a nice friend but when she’s in love with you she’s horrible. Especially since she’s a teenager.

Hermione is a prime example of a Tsundere.

The cute, blushy, giggling Hermione who flirts with [insert character here] and cries delicately when she’s rejected? Pure fanfiction. Canon Hermione keeps her love aggressively hidden behind countless iron walls, only letting it peek through when she’s absolutely sure the person she likes isn’t looking.

“How was practice?” asked Hermione rather coolly half an hour later, as Harry and Ron climbed through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room. “It was -” Harry began. “Completely lousy,” said Ron in a hollow voice, sinking into a chair beside Hermione. She looked up at Ron and her frostiness seemed to melt. - Order of the Phoenix

Rare footage of the Hermione Granger, scientific name Selfinsertus Overratedus, displaying interest in specimen of mighty fine hunk

Hermione isn’t sweet and tender and kind with the one she loves. At least, the teenage Hermione isn’t. She’s harsh, she’s disdainful and only gives out breadcrumbs of affection once in a while as part of the complicated mind game she’s playing.

You see, Hermione is never going to make the first move. You must be the one to ask her out, because she sure as hell ain’t going to do it for you.

This is due, I think, to the events of Goblet of Fire. Viktor Krum asks her out because Rowling absolutely wants Hermione to be the ugly duckling who transforms into the beautiful swan, so she brings in Cardboard Cutout With No Personality Aside From Being Famous to woo her self-insert.

Now Hermione has gotten the experience of being asked out, and being a rather socially awkward person who also hates being vulnerable - more on that later - well, now she just assumes that if someone asked her out once, then anyone who does like her can do the same.

Which is why she doesn’t realize that Ron is actually aware he loves her. There’s a big comedy of assumptions going on in Romione’s love story.

Hermione believes that Ron either 1) likes her but is oblivious to his own feelings and so she thinks she has to “give him hints” to make him realize it. Emphasized best by this exchange:

Hermione laughed. “Harry you’re worse than Ron [at understanding girls]… well, no, you’re not, “ she sighed, as Ron himself came stumping into the Hall splattered with mud and looking grumpy.

“I’ve sent him so many signals and yet he doesn’t notice. Woe is me!”

2) doesn’t actually likes her, but sees her just as a good mate or worse, as another sister.

Hermione keeps flip-flopping between her two assumptions throughout the series, all because of her biggest assumption: she thinks that if Ron was interested in her, he would ask her out. Because Viktor Krum was interested in her, and he asked her out, so why wouldn’t Ron do the same? They’re both boys and she’s a girl, after all. Isn’t that how it works?

This is also why Hermione’s “““invitation”““ to the Slug Club isn’t even an invitation - really, it’s worse than Ron’s invite to the Yule Ball, at least he was actually offering her to come:

“We’re allowed to bring guests,” said Hermione, […], “and I was going to ask you to come, but […] I won’t bother.”

“I was going to ask you to come but I won’t bother.”

This is literally what she says. It’s more of a “look Ron! An invite! If you’re good maybe I’ll think about letting you have it!” than anything else.

It’s because this is Hermione’s last resort. The ultimate humiliation. She has to resort to inviting Ron when in her mind, he’s supposed to be the one asking her out. He’s the boy! He’s supposed to do it! (And this is why I laugh at all the fools who claim that Hermione is the pinnacle of feminism. Seriously, the girl is more of a misogynist than any other character in the series.)

Hermione failed to take into account that Ron’s insecurity cripples him worse than she imagines, and that he copes with it differently than she copes with her own insecurities.

And this is the part where I explain about Hermione’s hatred of being vulnerable.

You see, I can relate quite a lot to Hermione - I see a lot of me in her, and a lot of people who hurt me in the past as well.

Bullied because she was an easy target, being the know-it-all and local teacher’s pet? Yep. Bullied for her appearance (I got braces when I was 8 and have been wearing glasses since I was a toddler, she had her bushy hair and buck teeth)? Can relate. Cried easily? Super check. Rule enforcer when the teachers weren’t around? Mega check.

And naturally, when you’re such a water fountain as I was, there’s nothing more humiliating than ending up crying in front of your bullies. You quickly learn that it will bring you nothing but more bullying. More humiliation. More vulnerability.

Hence why you start despising any form of vulnerability you find in yourself.

Obviously, being in love? That’s one of the most terrible things you can find yourself in when you’re afraid of being vulnerable. Because, oh god, your feelings are completely insane around the person. They make or ruin your day. You keep wanting to show them how cool / great / impressive you are, and you try desperately to mask all your little faults so they will hopefully return your feelings.

Given that Hermione is already not the most socially-aware battering ram in the knife drawer, she acts especially nasty to Ron, because she’s overcompensating for the vulnerability he makes her feel. And she most likely isn’t even aware of it! Forget Fanfic Hermione cringing as she realizes how mean she sounds, welcome Canon Hermione who just doubles down on a pointless argument just to drive home how totally in control she is and how Ron has absolutely zero effect on her, no siree!

In short: Hermione overthinks. She overthinks everything. She’s overthinking every of Ron’s actions, she’s assuming he’s either out to get her because she assumes he’s perfectly aware of her crush on him and he’s just toying with her (this is the very insecure, pessimistic Hermione speaking), she’s assuming he’s completely oblivious to her feelings and so she uses the ages-old technique of the “subtle hints” to make her feelings known to him (and fails miserably because she doesn’t want to put herself out there too much in case he rejects her, which would be the ultimate humiliation and the worst possible thing to happen to her, in her teenage girl mind), and she’s assuming he’ll never like her the way she likes him, all the while being woefully oblivious to the fact that Ron does want to be with her but she keeps sending him signals that she sees him as a troublesome child rather than a potential partner.

All in all, a teenage Hermione in love is utter torture. She’s her own worst enemy, and it’s only when she decides to let go of it all - of the mind games, of the distancing, of the passive-aggressive; of the overthinking - and just takes a chance that her efforts bear fruit.

There was a clatter as the basilisk fangs cascaded out of Hermione’s arms. Running at Ron, she flung them around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Ron threw away the fangs and broomstick he was holding and responded with such enthusiasm that he lifted Hermione off her feet.

(As much as I’m disillusioned with Romione, this kiss is still one of my favourite parts of the series. They mutually sweep each other off their feet for god’s sake, you wish your ship would.)

#vivi answers #ask #romione #hermione granger #ron weasley #ron weasley defense squad #ron weasley defence squad #hp fandom #hp meta #character analysis #hp analysis #romance #teenagers

[goldeneyedgirl]

Who’s ur favorite and least favorite twilight character and why?

LOL, oh man. Prepare for Discourse, Anon. 

My favourite character is Alice (that might be very obvious). I think she was wasted in Twilight, and that she has so much potential. 

She has no recollection of being human. She is a totally blank slate with a gift that is essentially an extra sense or limb. Like, this girl cannot be ‘okay’. I believe in my heart of hearts that Alice functions differently to other people. I mean, I infer from canon that her visions taught her everything that she needed to know - from how to feed, to how to convince Jasper, to how to join the Cullens. She’s going to get the wrong answer? She’ll change what she says!

And that is utterly fucking terrifying - especially if she was aware and doing it intentionally. But I do not think she is, in that sense. I just don’t think she would have any idea of how to live without her visions showing her what to do next. Alice is a hostage to her own gift, and always has been. 

Even her interactions with Bella and Edward in canon are really uncanny, like she’s playing a role - which is more reflective of SMeyer’s piss-poor writing ability than any sort of intention - but indicative that Alice is Not Okay, and kind of explains a lot about how the Cullen family is portrayed. 

A lot of what I love about Alice, and her relationship with Jasper, are things I’ve absorbed from fan-content - what we can infer from the information we’ve been given. Her conviction about her and Jasper, to me, is beautiful and both terribly childlike, and something someone who has suffered deeply would absolutely cling to as a lifeline. The idea that Jasper isn’t just her husband, but her very best friend and confidant as well, paints such a lovely picture of the symbiosis they have. I think that, whilst it’s normally Poised, Confident Alice to Rescue Struggling Depressed Jasper portrayed in fandom, that there is a distinctive possibility that two individuals who were both fucked over in the gift department and were holding onto reality by a strand found each other and rescued each other might be closer to the truth.

I also LOVE fashion, so I kind of get Alice on that level; and I treat Alice - when I write her - as someone with mental illness (like myself) because I find that very satisfying to write, and to explore. I can PROJECT, which is super fun.

Jasper’s a close second because holy moly, he has so much potential from a fic-writing perspective? This is a man who was not a good person as a human - like, there are Varying Reasons he would join the Confederate Army and be proud of being a Major, but that’s a TOTALLY different piece of discourse so we’ll put a pin in that because statistically, it meant he was a racist fighting for racist ideals. And THEN he is changed into a vampire and joins the Southern Wars, falling further into evil as far as violence, hate, and senseless death goes. 

Like this man was a full monster.

And it was eating him alive.

So he just walked away. Alice did not save him. Peter did not save him. Jasper walked away. Peter gave him the opportunity to do so. Alice offered him goals and a way to improve who he is. There’s nothing he can do about the evil he sowed, the legacy he has created. And he has to live with that every single day for eternity. Has to deal with the burn of his thirst, exacberated by years of gorging on human blood, every single day. There is no solution to/for Jasper. It’s one hell or another. And that is so much fun from a fic-writing perspective. 

Plus his dynamic with Maria is so crazy fun - Mother? Lover? General? What does ‘good terms’ even mean? I assume it’s code for ‘cold war’ or ‘not actively seeking the other’s destruction’, but who knows. I love that. 

Jessamine is also super fun and beloved by me, but that’s because she’s either Jasper-derivitive or my particular portrayal of a separate character, so she doesn’t count. 

As for my least favourite, that honour goes to Edward. Full disclosure, I have not read Midnight Sun, only skimmed parts, because the only thing worse than that would be reading EdBella fic. 

I think he’s an arrogant, misogynistic, controlling little brat, honestly. He’s above the rules and the laws when it suits him - at the cost to everyone - and he condemns Rosalie and Jasper so quickly and thoroughly with very little in-text justification. 

He says that Rosalie is vain - well, Captain Dipshit, maybe after being violently and fatally gang-raped by a group including her fiance Rosalie might deal with a lot of body issues - and copes with them the best way she can. Maybe after being raised with a priority of being beautiful above all else, and then harmed in such a grotesque way because of her beauty, and then becoming more beautiful might fuck with your mental health a little, Eddie.

Edward has a bad habit of classifying women in absolutes like Madonna/Whore, depending on his personal beliefs - which, as a frozen 17 year old from the 1900s, is fairly goddamn dubious. Rosalie and Tanya are both ‘bad’, Esme, Alice, and Bella are all ‘good’. But there are no women that Edward fully ‘trusts’ or allows to ‘win’/direct him. He prizes Bella because of her unreadable mind - she is a puzzle and something to possess. They are never partners. Edward uses Alice, Who Tries Her Very Best, as a weapon against Bella multiple times. I often wonder if it isn’t Edward who encourages Alice, off-page/off-screen, to play dress-ups, to make Bella into what Edward expects in a wife. 

Edward is over-indulged by both Esme and Carlisle; honestly, with his gift, I wouldn’t be surprised if he manipulates the family into their slightly toxic dynamic (it’s hard to tell because of SMeyer’s obvious bias, and the perspective of the novels) because it benefits him so much. It puts him second only to Carlisle - Jasper cannot be trusted despite his comprehensive understanding of vampires, especially when it comes to turf battles, and Emmett’s just a frat boy. Or is this the portrait Edward has painted so he gets to be #1 Son?

Edward is the goddamn architect of every disaster the Cullens face because what he wants is dangerous and illegal. Without Edward’s Volterra Tantrum, Aro never would have challenged the Cullens in Breaking Dawn. Victoria’s attack would have been neutralised before the Cullens even got wind of it. Bella never would have gone cliff-diving or solo-hiking if Edward hadn’t dumped her in the cruelest way possible. 

I honestly, truly believe that Edward shouldn’t have had a mate, let alone a wife and child. 

Also, movie!Edward looked like he needed a fucking shower and a flea dip in nearly every scene. 

Bella’s a close second because I have known girls like Bella and fuck me, they are deeply unpleasant to be friends with. She fucks over EVERYONE in pursuit of Edward. I understand that she doesn’t have the same interests as Alice, but not once just she make a suggestion for an alternative activity or a compromise (and that could be Bad Writing again, because Bella appears to have very few hobbies beyond ‘reading’ but it’s what we’re working with). 

In fact, I would argue that Alice tries her very best to be Bella’s friend, but it’s a futile attempt - Bella tolerates Alice because of Alice’s proximity to Edward. If Alice had been a human student at Forks High, you can bet that Bella would have dumped her as fast as possible. Bella has very few moments where she’s positive about the people around her outside of the Cullens (by association with Edward) or Jacob. Charlie gets mostly pity. Everyone else is looked upon with disapproval and judgement (which, again, reflects toxic writing tropes.) 

And Bella martyrs herself at every opportunity. There’s a lot of discourse where Bella’s neglectful childhood is examined, but Bella fucking lunges into the ‘victim’ role at every possibility. And ultimately, I really don’t see Bella maturing or learning anything at all through the series. It’s always about what she wants, above everything else. She succeeds because she and Edward are incredibly selfish individuals who are enabled by the parental figures around them. 

Second runner-up is Carlisle. 

#alice cullen #jasper hale #twilight discourse #twilight renaissance #bella swan #edward cullen #my thoughts #Anonymous

[thesaltofcarthage]

Hi. I read the book. That's not what happens. You are pre-judging based on what you fear this might be. Spoiler alert: there's absolutely no redemption, and yes, Phil is a tragic character but being tragic doesn't make him *good* or redeemable. He is a man from 1925 Montana, with all the prejudices, all the posturing, ALL of it. And a part of you feels sorry for him, but really you wouldn't want him near you. That's not redemption. And really you'll want to see what the revenge is... Though you should know that it's not satisfying in a baddie-got-caught kind of way. It's just revenge. And that's kinda the point.

I get your point about entertainment and fair enough, but I would also argue that entertainment can't be empty, that's why people hate Melissa McCarthy's films, it's just passing the time. It's all about the story and there are stories meant to show you a different world, to take you out from your existence and into something else; other stories hold up a mirror to humanity and ask you to look at it, these are not always stories of cruelty but some are.

What you'll get with this book is a very small story about a very small world inhabited by two brothers who despite sharing everything in their lives are profoundly different and profoundly alone. One of them goes out and looks for something else, the other one can't. My favourite thing is that it's not the fact that he can't go out and look for someone that makes him cruel, it's his brain, it's his upbringing, he decides to model himself after these men, he chooses in every interaction whether he's going to be kind or not. It's not all "tragic fate made me like this", nope, he chooses to be that, Phil has agency and it's horrible to watch. You want a portrait of how castrating toxic masculinity is? You'll find it here. And I suppose that's why Campion wanted to tell this story. Not to redeem "homophobic white men".

Really, I would invite you to wait until you've experienced a story to decide whether it's worthy of being told. The most you'll get from reviews is comments on the cinematography or the characterisation or whatever. And if you're waiting to hear if this story is "problematic", let me save you some time: it ABSOLUTELY will be categorised as such. And they'll be wrong.

An excellent, thoughtful response to my posts about The Power of the Dog, and I thank you for it.

It still doesn't sound like something I personally would watch, but I'm glad to hear from someone who read the book and can judge it on its own merits.

#the power of the dog #benedict cumberbatch #ask salted carthage