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[eruntane]

the sheer scale of khazad-dûm’s existance is so unimaginable…! it existed longer than any elven realm in middle-earth (from what i know), it is older than the hobbits as a whole, it saw númenor rise and then sink back into the ocean. khazad-dûm was built by the literal first dwarf that awoke, it is older than the sun and moon. it encompasses nearly all of their existance. and it was brutally taken from them!! of course they want it back!!

#lotr #khazad dûm

[eruntane]

Suit, gesture and expression studies that ended up all being about mr Wright here :)

#ace attorney #phoenix wright #the man himself!

[eruntane]

I've been thinking about Mollymauk, as I'm periodically wont to do, and the fandom discussion about him as a moral compass. Because the interesting thing here is, Molly wasn’t a very moral character. He was an unrepentant scammer. He had no respect for interpersonal boundaries and would deliberately push and break them. Generally, he was an asshole. As far as actually having a strong moral stance I would say Fjord was the standout of early m9, and to some extent Beau.

But here’s the thing: almost all of early m9 thought of themselves as horrible people. Fjord had been bullied so bad growing up that he still dealt with self-hate from it, and now suffered from survivor's guilt to boot. Caleb had killed his own parents. Beau, while she hated her dad, also had internalized self-hate and on some level thought she’d been such a shitty daughter she deserved his treatment. Nott was stuck in a body she considered monstrous. Yasha had survivor's guilt and knew she’d done bad things in her blank spots. Even when they did good, they didn’t think of themselves as good. Most of them were suspicious and asocial and faced the world with the same kind of distrust they expected to be (and were experienced in being) met with. (Jester was an exception, an agent of neither good nor bad but of amoral chaos)

But Molly was different. He was outspoken about loving life and people. He wanted to spread joy, even to people he didnt know or had even met: he slipped coin into people's pockets, hid a silver in a tree just so some stranger would one day be happy to find it. He openly cared for the party early on; was one of the first to step in and help Caleb when he went catatonic in battle. Above all, Molly had rules: where everyone else would agonize over what was the right or wrong or smart thing to do, Molly loudly proclaimed we don't leave people behind, and we leave every place better than we found it.

But the thing about Molly’s rules was, they were largely a cover. While the rest of the m9 thought they were bad even as they did good, Molly thought of himself as good even as he did bad. He scammed people, but made it a good and memorable experience, therefore thinking he gave more than he took. He charmed Nott and Fjord without consent, and when confronted would claim it was to help them. Out of the group, Beau saw through this, not because she was a better person but because she was a cynic. She saw that he caused harm, just as she did, and was personally affronted that he still thought of himself as good and tried to leave people happy, whereas she deliberately left every place worse than she found it.

I see Molly as a moral compass of the group not because he was actually any more moral than them, but because they made him their template. He was joy and brightness and he died trying to save them because it was the right thing to do, and they all chose to honor him by emulating his rules more than Molly himself ever did, because to them it was more than just a cover, backed up by genuine moral thought and discussion rather than small gestures. He taught them that it was possible to be kind of a shit person and still be good, to still love yourself and others. The idealized Molly they created never existed, and finally died for good when they resurrected him in the end and were met with a stranger, who they welcomed with the same love and care they would've expected Molly to show them.

#mighty nein #m9 #critical role #the idealized molly they created never existed #meta #i love the m9 so much

[eruntane]

Ok it's very funny to laugh at Tuxedo Mask for showing up and doing nothing, but his job was never to actually fight the monsters.

His job was just to show up and believe in Sailor Moon so overwhelmingly resolutely that she remembers she's a fucking demigod long enough for HER to fight the monsters.

Because she's the only one strong enough to do it in the first place, and in this regard Tuxedo Mask is the first example of being "Kenough" in this essay I will

#sailor moon #tuxedo mask

[eruntane]

someone i loved once gave me a box full of darkness

#I've stared at this for so long #i love the parallels #the bird in both pictures #first free then caged #don't worry huaisang i would do the same if someone killed my sibling #meng yao #jin guangyao #nie huaisang #the untamed #mdzs #fanart

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐌𝐘 . 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐿𝑂𝐺𝑈𝐸 . ...ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵉᵃᵏᵉʳ ᵐᵒᵐᵉⁿᵗ...

#danny phantom #sometimes i think I haven't watched the same show #cause wow where do u get all these AMAZING IDEAS #comic

[eruntane]

Lae'zel's character and her entire situation at the beginning of the game becomes so much more funny when you find out she's 22. It makes so much sense. Imagine you're 22 and you're exposed to this dangerous toxin or chemical or something - but not to worry, you learnt that this can be easily fixed, you just need to dial 911 real quick. Common knowledge. Everyone knows that. You learnt that in kindergarten, it's up there with fire alarm drills.

But the people you're stuck with have no concept of modern medicine and when you say "let's go to the hospital" they will say shit like "i think they kill people at the hospital" and "we should ask this swamp lady" or "this guy over there told me about this homoeopathic healer kind of guy but he got abducted" or "this random bard wants to help" and "I'm not going to dial 911 because I don't want the government to know my home address" or "maybe we should consider a deal with Satan". And then a bunch of them KEEP consuming the chemical because it makes them "stronger". One guy might explode for unrelated reasons. You have a few days before this situation is getting critical and suddenly they're solving crime and doing general charity for the community.

And FOR SOME REASON you still try to help these idiots and you STILL want to help them get the cure even though they all keep insisting the "doctors" at the "hospital" might try to "kill them" and they don't have insurance. And you keep telling them to just. go. to. the. hospital. before the time runs out and you all die very horribly of a very treatable condition.

And also you're 22 in a foreign country and you're responsible for shepherding this gaggle of idiots who are all ranging anywhere from 24 to 240 years old.

#baldur's gate 3 #lae'zel

[eruntane]

wait wait wait guys have you ever thought about how the Mighty Nein are everything they shouldn’t be upon first glance

no no guys guys listen to me they’re all the antithesis of what they’re meant to be and that’s why they’re such amazing and heartfelt characters

like, Caleb is a wizard who’s afraid of his own fire magic. his own power causes him to falter in battle. his strongest spells are his most dangerous to himself. wizards are supposed to be prideful of their magic, but Caleb’s is the reason he hates himself

Beau is a monk who never wanted to be. her job is one that people normally associate with being calm and collected and Beau was a wild rebellious kid who got dragged into this line of work against her will. she never wanted to be this!! but now she is and she’s gotta deal with it!!

Fjord is a warlock who never wanted power from his pact, which is why you’d think a warlock would make their pact at all. but no. Fjord made his pact because he wanted to live, not because he wanted power. he was a scared orphan who hated his tusks, not a buff, muscled, angry half-orc like people assumed

Nott is NOT, that’s the whole crux of her narrative! she wasn’t pretty, like a halfling girl was supposed to be. she wasn’t a goblin, she was just transformed into one. and not only that, but despite being a three-foot-tall alcoholic kleptomaniac, she’s the mom of the group!

Jester is a Cleric whose god isn’t actually a god and who would much rather bash bad guys over the head with her lollipop than have to stop and heal her friends!! she’s a bubbly, optimistic ray-of-sunshine, but you know when she says she’s gonna change the world with friendship she means it as a threat

Mollymauk is an amnesiac, but he doesn’t want to remember who he was. if you ask him, that wasn’t him! he might be a flirtatious hedonistic carnie, but he’s also single-mindedly devoted to making the world a better and more loved place than it was when he found it. he’s an arrogant fool, yes, but he’s right! he did it! he left it better!

Caduceus seems like he’d be creepy and grim from growing up in a graveyard, but he’s actually the most chill out of the entire Nein by far. he’s calm, he’s sweet, and he’s comforting, more than anything else. you’d think he’d be amazed by seeing the outside world for the first time, but he spends the whole time knowing that one day he’ll return home, that he wasn’t supposed to be the one to leave

Yasha is a barbarian with skeletal wings and a dramatic, monochromatic look, but she’s a complete sweetheart. she’s Molly’s best friend, she was a carnival bouncer, she’s a lesbian disaster who collects pressed flowers in a book out of love for the wife she lost. those black wings were actually hiding soft white feathers

Essek was born straight into the den of politics, he was a spymaster, he literally started a war for his own gain, and yet. he’s sounds irredeemable on paper, but. he’s not!! sure, the Nein kind of have to drag his alignment kicking and screaming into neutral, but they manage it. Essek learns and grows and he overcomes his nature. he becomes good, against all odds

guys guys guys don’t you see it!! look at them!!they’re such compelling characters!! they’re everything they’re not supposed to be!! dude y’all how didn’t I realize this earlier!! they subvert their narratives in the most interesting ways ever and I justhshsbhshshsjnsmshsnhsfn!!

#mighty nein #critical role #they're just sooo compelling

[eruntane]

CURSED 15 DAY CHALLENGE

Day 5: Favorite Protagonist → Pym

I don’t fight. I’m very uncoordinated.

#i love heeeeeer #pym #cursed netflix #gifset

[eruntane]

Did you do this to me on purpose? I saved your life.

#they were so good #pym #dof #cursed netflix #gifset #don't mind me i just got hit by a memory of this

[eruntane]

here it is

the autism spectrum

#this made me laugh out loud #instant reblog #bones tv #temperance brennan #zack addy #angela montenegro #jack hodgins #autism

[eruntane]

tbh I’ve always found it very funny that Elrond is like “there’s no point bringing Glorfindel on the quest, even though he’s a balrog-slayer. You won’t need balrog-slayers” and then thirty pages later they run into a balrog

#mushroom dwarves #lotr #tolkien stuff #bilbo continuing to be relatable #the hobbit

[eruntane]

same outfits, different colours

#oh i understand my style now #sailor moon

[eruntane]

something i cant stop thinking abt is how the tadpole might affect the party in combat. i dont mean like... getting distracted or something. i mean like they must be able to sense each other on a low level anyway, always buzzing in the back of their head, a heartbeat away from connection. they fight as a pack not bc theyre good fighters, but bc they just know, instinctively, where the others are and what they need. one of them winds up for a hit and another already has a spell ready to make it hurt. two melee fighters work in tandem, slipping over and between and beside each other, less like individuals than they are one hivemind in separate bodies. the ranged fighters spot everything, from how the others move to what blind spots their enemies are going to exploit, and they step up to cover those blindnesses before they can be taken advantage of. theyre not the best adventuring party just bc individually they're formidable; it's bc together, knowing each other on an intimate level that none of them can escape or describe, they're one movement. one hand. one sword. u know????

#they would be so scary to fight against! #bg3 #tadpole crew #baldur's gate 3

[eruntane]

#wow kick me while I'm down #body dysmorphia #body image

[eruntane]

took a which bread are you uquiz this morning that told me i was zucchini bread and i can't stop thinking about it. my life makes so much sense now

#strawberry bread #Your vibes: freshly picked wildflowers; tiny spoons; cross-stitch wall decor #You're sweet and kind. You love people #but you're most content sitting alone in the grass with the sun on your face. #You're probably a lesbian and also a bottom. #that last sentence is sending me #bread #quiz

[eruntane]

I had this thought awhile back but Thorin is not popular amongst the dwarves (he only got 13 of them to follow him), and Bilbo is not popular amongst hobbits (the loner bachelor of Bag End). So I really need Bilbo in Erebor/Reshirement fics where they thrive in each other’s societies.

Bilbo was born to be Consort under then mountain, and everyone loves him! The Council appreciates his polite but firm negotiation tactics and this hobbit has a good head for business. And the people love how friendly and personable he is every time he comes to market. They don’t see many royals who remember their mother’s favorite caserole recipe after all. And by extension, Thorin gains popularity because he can’t be all bad if he managed to land such a little charmer.

Likewise, I need hobbit wives tripping over themselves to get to the forge to see the tall, silent, stunningly beautiful new blacksmith and did you hear he used to be royal? How did Bilbo Baggins land that hot piece of ass? And of course Bilbo has made him so nervous over all the different rules in hobbit society that most of the time Thorin merely nods and smiles at him, and isn’t that cute? He’s shy. So they naturally take him under their wing, inviting him to afternoon teas to fatten him up, and Thorin thinks all Shire food is amazing so he’s quick to offer up his compliments on their cooking which nearly sends them swooning. And of course the male hobbits want to be jealous, but Thorin is fair in price and his work is immaculate and he wears Bilbo’s flowers proudly so he’s certainly not straying from Master Baggins, he’s just very charming and they can’t begrudge him that.

Like Bilbo and Thorin should make each other better. And certainly it doesn’t have to be “everyone loves them and there’s never any problems”, but I just feel like it should be a deal of “FINALLY! I’ve been a duck out of water for so long and this is clearly where I belong.”

#the hobbit #bagginshield