#this is Thee dynamic

[fighting-naturalist]

#the expanse #theexpanseedit #chrisjen avasarala #cotyar ghazi #bobbie draper #shohreh aghdashloo #nick tarabay #frankie adams #***edits #this is THEE dynamic #where it's the one with zero combat abilities who starts barfights #and the ones who are going to have to actually do the fighting who are like 'stop it can i PLEASE at least finish my beer first'

[secretmellowblog]

@breadvidence recently wrote a great bit of Les Mis meta where they pointed out how Jean Valjean’s “compliments” to Javert in Montreuil-sur-Mer really are just..... conciliatory flattery, and don't reflect his real feelings about Javert at all. And that's a great point, and something I wish more people explored! Lines like "you are a good man and I esteem you" aren't Jean Valjean's earnest feelings towards Javert. Instead they’re examples of the way Jean Valjean often retreats into excessive deferential politeness to authority as a survival strategy. As I mentioned in another recent post— Jean Valjean is a genuinely kind person, but he’s also someone who often has literally no choice but to act overly polite to authorities/the police, because if he’s not polite enough they might start to find him suspicious. If he doesn't lick their boots enough, they might start investigating him. He's instinctively deferential out of fear of violence. He's flattering out of fear. He's polite "at gunpoint." He's polite to cops the way you're polite to an armed police officer who pulls you over.

And Jean Valjean's polite tranquil behavior towards Javert during Javert's "resignation"— saying things like “you are a good man and I esteem you, I want you to keep your job” and etc etc— is later explicitly confirmed to be at least somewhat of a calculated tactical decision Jean Valjean made out of terror:

He was carried away, at first, by the instinct of self-preservation; he rallied all his ideas in haste, stifled his emotions, took into consideration Javert’s presence, that great danger, postponed all decision with the firmness of terror, shook off thought as to what he had to do, and resumed his calmness as a warrior picks up his buckler.

I love the phrase "he resumed his calmness as a warrior picks up his buckler"-- it's such a great way of summarizing how Jean Valjean's ability to have polite conversations even when he's breaking down internally has been such a useful defense mechanism for him. I also love the contrast between the excessively polite way Jean Valjean talks to Javert when he’s acting out of terror/self-preservation….vs the more honest way he talks about Javert when he’s alone during Tempest in a Skull:

“That Javert, who has been annoying me so long; that terrible instinct which seemed to have divined me, which had divined me—good God! and which followed me everywhere; that frightful hunting-dog, always making a point at me, is thrown off the scent, engaged elsewhere, absolutely turned from the trail: henceforth he is satisfied; he will leave me in peace; he has his Jean Valjean. Who knows? it is even probable that he will wish to leave town! And all this has been brought about without any aid from me, and I count for nothing in it!”

It's just extremely funny. The contrast between “you are a good man and I esteem you” vs “that Javert, who has been annoying me so long” <3 The contrast between “you are an honest man” vs “that frightful hunting dog” <3 The contrast between “I want you to keep your job” vs Jean Valjean fantasizing enthusiastically about how hopefully Javert will leave town and never ever annoy him again. <3

It makes the “Punish Me, Monsieur le Maire” stuff even funnier. Jean Valjean is dissociating out of panic and saying whatever polite platitudes he thinks will flatter Javert....but those polite platitudes keep making Javert spiral further into long-winded deranged rants about how he dESPISES this kindness and it enRAGES him, as Jean Valjean just sits there very politely & quietly losing his mind. It’s peak comedy really.

I feel like Jean Valjean’s deeply weird thing with Javert often gets flattened in different directions, when people interpret it. Either Jean Valjean is an all-forgiving all-loving angel who thinks Javert did nothing wrong, and all of his flattery is sincere expressions of admiration—- or Jean Valjean is (like in the BBC version) the kind of violent pitiless person who would angrily order Javert to kill himself. It's rare for writers to get anything resembling the hilariously baffling ambiguous Weirdness of his relationship with Javert in the book. I think it's because adaptations often don't grasp the idea that a genuinely kind compassionate character can also (underneath it all) still be deeply tormented, broken, and angry-- and that their anger doesn't mean they're any less kind, or any less capable of pity and mercy.

#is this coherent? #who knows #les mis #jean valjean #people might take this as me being anti valvert or whatever. but it is the opposite. it is a valvert post #this is Thee dynamic #the comedic potential #the hijinks that could ensue #also a tangentially related thing: #I think the thing that often puts me off a lot of valvert fics #is that I think most writers believe 'jean valjean being excessively kind to javert' would be a sign their relationship had *improved* #whereas to me its like #almost the opposite in a way? #I think maybe you would know Jean Valjean actually had a healthier dynamic with Javert #if he was comfortable enough to be angry with him or upset with him #without needing to be afraid that he'd suffer consequences for not being excessively respectful/deferential/ polite #and thats my hot take #like comment and subscribe! -dabs #read 'Annoyances' by secretmellowblog on Ao3

[golden-snackoos]

evil yet silly

#kristoph gavin #ace attorney #phoenix wright #apollo justice #krispollo #krisnix #my-art #don't ask me about the 3rd one idk what i was thinking either #kristoph and phoenix have one of thee most interesting character dynamics ever imo

[thundergrace]

Women supporting women who kiss women ✊🏾

#there's nothing more fascinating in Hollywood than #whateverthefuck kinda friendship dynamic megan and cara have #megan thee stallion #cara delevingne #renee rapp #reneé rapp

[laniidae-passerine]

know that it’s not the point of the movie but I really hope they establish ken is indeed barbie’s boyfriend. she doesn’t need to kiss him or hold his hand or say I love you but we need that true devoted obsessed boyfriend + badass girlfriend to be canon because you know Ryan Gosling’s Ken would let Margot Robbie’s Barbie commit war crimes in the name of being a supportive partner

#more men who love their girl! not bffs not weird limbo space just this is my slightly cringe but lovely bf who supports me decking assholes #also like I want to see his Ken react to the phrase ‘boyfriend’. I think he’d explode into confetti #bet you ‘I’m just Ken’ will be an uplifting pop song dedicated to reminding Barbie he’s just Ken but she’s THEE Barbie #and he thinks she’s amazing  #basically let’s do the Toy Story 3 Barbie/Ken dynamic again #barbie movie #barbie

[so-very-small]

hey. you. put your tiny OC in a fancy birdcage. with a giant looming over them perhaps. do it it’s good for them it’s like enrichment

#g/t #giant tiny #OR A TATTERED BIRDCAGE. A COMFY BIRDCAGE. A GILDED BIRDCAGE EVEN #birdcages are underutilized in gt i think. im obsessed with them #oh its a fancy and beautiful home :) but :) its still a cage ;) #LIKE?? THE DRAMA……….. #im thinking of my latest two sizey ocs and the giant is so weird about touching the tiny #he only does it when he thinks she’s unconscious or so. if shes awake? INTO THE CAGE WITH THEE #its how he carries her. like that ant w a bindle meme. thats my sad oc with his angry birdcage tiny #they have a very weird dynamic i love them

[danthropologie]

via

#daniel ricciardo #yuki tsunoda #at24 #pre24 #video #m:sm #dan #yuki #yukiel #both of them bouncing around in the cold LET THEM INSIDE 😭 #also the way that yuki will just cling onto one thing and drive that joke straight into the ground to make everyone laugh #truly THEE big brother little brother dynamic

[mamassecretsworld]

I wanna gag, I wanna choke. I want you to touch that little dangly dang that swag in the back of my throat.

#cardi b #megan thee stallion #lyric quotes #lyric posting #lyrics #lyric parallels #d/s real life #d/s community #d/s #d/s sub #d/s relationship #d/s dynamic #d/s blog #d/s brat #spank me daddy #d/s lifestyle #tell me what to do #daddy issues #daddy's good girl #bd/sm blog #hot daddy #older daddy #daddy’s babygirl #bd/sm daddy #bd/sm kink #bd/sm community #bd/sm brat #daddy k!nk

[subbyp]

we need more post-canon/40-yr-old content with Zoro as the bartender of Sanji’s restaurant in the all blue and you can’t convince me otherwise

#one piece #roronoa zoro #black leg sanji #zoro/sanji #zosan #alcohol mention cw #seriously WHY have I never seen this #Zoro’s iron liver + skill at math + quick-twitch dexterity = excellent bartender skillset #also ‘’semi-retired adventurer bartender’’ is like Thee trope ok #ALSO also ‘’the head chef and her husband the barkeep who are constantly bickering/flirting’’ is such a good dynamic for them

[flashhwing]

making hawke a healer but kinda shitty at it is great coz it's like

hawke: heals someone to a quarter of their hp

anders, two seconds later: heals that same person to full

hawke: okay well it's not a competition

#hawke #anders #fuck it #handers #this is thee mage handers dynamic in my head #dragon age #this has been a post

[hylialeia]

thoughts on the Daevabad Trilogy, short version: holy shit that was good

longer version:

holy shit that was good.

I adored the writing style, the imagery, the worldbuilding, the characters, the character dynamics, and the pacing all the way through. I first picked up this series because of how Global Medievalism talked about it as a stepping stone away from Eurocentric medieval fantasy and it definitely delivered. this is tied with Spinning Silver for my favorite recent reads--which is even more impressive since SS was a standalone, meanwhile this series kept up a consistently high quality across three separate books.

after Fourth Wing masquerading as a rich, complex adult fantasy and then being What It Actually Was, this was an immensely satisfying series to pick up. it skirts the fantasy staple of the Inherently Evil Race/Species that so many works fall into (even asoiaf with the Others) and instead opts to explore in-depth religious and racial prejudices, revolutions, bigotry, power, and privilege in ways that can be frightening for a lot of authors (and readers). I can see why this series would frustrated a large swath of fantasy fans and not just because it steps completely away from the Europe-but-slightly-to-the-left settings that they're so familiar with; people looking for escapism and a palatable black-and-white conflict definitely wouldn't find it here.

that said, I also think the narrative did a fantastic job of showcasing the brutality of oppression, as well as cycles of revenge and violence, without turning into a sermon about how anyone who fights back is Just As Bad as the oppressor. you can sympathize with any faction within the trilogy while still seeing that there's a clear hierarchy. this is a series that asks the reader to be open minded and to sympathize with a variety of people's suffering while still condemning heinous actions, crimes, and ways of thinking. portrayals of violence, swearing, and sex aside, this is where I believe the adult label is earned. the Daevabad Trilogy outshines Fourth Wing in its entirety, actually following through on promises of depth, complexity, and exploration.

I don't think the series reaches into absolutely flawless territory; on reflection, there are a lot of scenes I wish we'd seen happening in the moment rather than summarized or briefly flashed back to. this goes especially for the end of the last book, Empire of Gold, which would have enhanced the pacing quite a bit. there's a bit of rushing through the final battle, and though it's still quite fantastic and follows through on a deal of foreshadowing and character build-up, it definitely feels over too soon. there are also a few loose ends and potential conflicts when it comes to the characters themselves that the series felt too tired to actually flesh out by the end. I can forgive that chiefly because of just how well-rounded and consistent the characters themselves are, even despite those instances.

and holy shit did I adore these characters. I've only seen the barest tip of the iceberg of discourse this series caused (which I'm sure was insane when it first came out), but thankfully the 10 million+ Way More Problematic Characters (that I also love) in asoiaf has made me immune to whatever the hell was going on over there. I also couldn't get involved in a ship war if you paid me.

I think the first book made a good call only having Nahri and Ali's POVs not just from a technical standpoint (Dara's POV wouldn't have added much, and may have even spoiled some meaningful twists) but also in priming the reader for what is the heart of the entire trilogy: their dynamic. Nahri and Ali carry the series whether they're young, platonic best friends who should be enemies, awkward ex-friends who still get a long way too well, or best friends who are deeply in love which each other but too traumatized to admit it. they both stand incredibly well as individuals (evidenced by the fact that they don't even meet until over the halfway mark in the first book), with Ali being a particular favorite of mine from the very beginning. their opposite upbringings yet similar interests made them a fantastic duo, one where it made sense the impact each one would have on the other's journey. there's something so incredibly endearing about their inability to legitimately dislike each other despite their circumstances, one that makes sense based on their already established personalities; they propel the series' most meaningful moments.

for the elephant in the room: as frustrating as Dara's POV could be I found it a worthy and fascinating addition in the later books, one that I think a lot of people missed the weight of if they were too busy excusing him/hating him. his perspective, biased and misguided as it often was, provided so much rich exploration of the trilogy's overall themes: militarism, religious fanaticism, prejudice, free will, just war, revolution, cycles of violence, conditioning and abuse, etc. that so much of this seemed to fall to the wayside in a strive to decide if he was excusable or not (and thus a viable love interest or not) is a huge shame. his ending was, to me, profoundly satisfying; not redeemed but finally allowed to act of his own free will, no longer bound by outside magic or internalized religious obligation. I never violently disliked Dara and Nahri's romantic entanglement so much as I knew it was doomed from the moment Ali had a POV chapter.

the secondary characters were no less engaging for me, especially as their prominence grew throughout the books, antagonists or otherwise. it was refreshing to see Muntadhir and Jamshid's individual characters (and thus their relationship) become a more prominent aspect of the story--again, especially after the tokenism in Fourth Wing. side characters always seemed to have deeper personalities and roles to play, with even early character deaths like Anas having lasting impacts for our main POVs. their presence was as vital to the immersion and depth of the world as much as the setting and imagery--which are also aspects that completely blew me away. from character, technical, to thematic standpoints, the Daevabad Trilogy absolutely amazed me.

final thoughts and rating: if you give me a book where two married characters are in love with the other's brother and expect me not to give it a high rating you're insane. 8/10. maybe even 9/10. go read these books.

#spoiler warning for people who want to read this series (which you should) #thank you chakraborty for Thee character dynamic of all time #ali love of my life. apple of my eye. <3 #the daevabad trilogy

[sailorsally]

thinking about claire in endverse watching what used to be her perfect dad now dirty and grimey shooting up on daily. would it be easier for her to bond with him than it is with og Cas? Would she think they finally have something in common again, like she and Jimmy did all those years ago. both hurting and just looking for something to numb their pain?

#cas and claire in every universe make me insane #thee most dynamic on the show #claire novak #endverse #castiel #dadstiel

[itsbrucey]

Another DnDads fic idea in my head but it's just Nick making caramel apples with the Wilson family bc I'm a big baby like that

#I love shipping but i also domestic family and friends dynamics more #personal headcanon that Darryl is like thee holiday treat maker. valentines easter halloween Christmas presidents day. you name it #dungeons and daddies #dndads #on my “ nick is like a somewhat adopted son to Darryl” bullshit bc i think its good.....

[onomatopiya]

-

-

-

babe wake up anthony mental illness compilation dropped

transcript below the cut:

Here was something you didn’t hear in the interviews: Anthony Mason fucking hated mirrors.

Sheets covered every mirror in his bedroom, and he averted his eyes around reflective surfaces at every opportunity; when he was younger, he’d hidden under tables and rocked himself, his eyes squeezed shut to avoid meeting his own gaze. It had been enough of a concern for his parents to consider finding him counseling, but they hadn’t wanted word to get out that their heir wasn’t right in the head. In the end, Anthony learned to hide his terror behind a perfect smile, and no one had spoken on it since.

-

Twenty-one was found in cheap clubs and the sun on his face, in boys kissed in the shadows and eyeliner smeared dark under his eyes. Twenty-one was a pulse beating frantic against his wrist. Freedom so limitless it ached. Beautiful ugliness that he’d never gotten to taste.  Anthony didn’t feel twenty-one. Sometimes he hardly felt a year old.

-

He wasn’t living in his parents’ shadows. He was the puppet doing tricks on their stage. First and foremost, Anthony Mason was an heir, investment, figurehead—he was theirs. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t have been anyone else. He didn’t know how.  

-

“I couldn’t do this without you,” he exhaled, and he saw the way Lahar swallowed, the tips of his ears red. “You have no idea what this means to me.”

“What does this mean to you, Anthony?” Lahar asked, quiet, his voice wavering with the same nervous energy that thrummed through Anthony’s veins as he stepped close enough for them to share breaths.

Everything, Anthony thought, and kissed him.

#writeblr #writblr #rr #* #all of this from one fucking chapter btw #i have a love-hate relationship with anthonychapter 1's prose but anthony makes me sooooo. augh #he's got depersonalization issues. he's everybody's pawn. he's an nft bro #and to him lahar is thee only real tangible thing in his life. but lahar hates him so much and is fully planning to fuck him over big time #the dynamic ever. jesus fucking christ #draft two is really fun guys #(everyone is doing awful) (send help) #if you read this essay in the tags i'm kissing you platonically on the mouth :)

[bit-odd-innit]

My Weenie Hut Jr. Steddie Opinion of the night is I can’t take fics where they’re together briefly and flame out and don’t speak for decades 👶🏼 I love them being messy and growing slowly and figuring themselves out BUT I love it when they do it in each other’s orbit, I love them being friends and still being able to lean on each other when they make mistakes and pivot into more mistakes and eventually becoming the people they need to be to be together. Parallel journeys of idiocy.

#stranger things #steddie #the most remarkable thing really set the bar for me #decades of friendship and oblivious mutual pining and stupidity #that’s Thee dynamic for me

[sighonaraa]

GIRLDAD ISAAC MCADOO REAL AND TRUE. TO ME. AND ALSO IN THIS FIC.

#featuring moe bumbercatch as world’s worst (or possibly best?) fun uncle #i love unconventional family dynamics #retired pro footballer isaac mcadoo carting his two seven year old daughters around in a beat up minivan #it’s Thee Vision ever #ted lasso #isaac mcadoo #fic: the ending where you finally find your way home #sid speaks