to the world we dream about and the one we live in

This is revolutionary

sometimes I think about how al capone donated to charity in an attempt to improve his image

this is how I see 'philanthropic' billionaires today

This is very unfair to Al Capone, who donated a much higher percentage of his income than any billionaire ever and was reputedly a good tipper. 

you know what, you technically aren't wrong

I think the Riddler should do a Riddle Me Piss type segment.

Like, he should have a podcast, and the whole podcast should be like Riddle Me Piss where he goes and finds awful riddles and tries to get through them. He always has a guest. Usually another Rogue, a Bat, or a civilian he nabbed off the street.

One time he had the Flash on there and they barely made it through half the normal amount of riddles bc Barry could not. Stop. Laughing. It was super sweet tho and Barry quickly became a fan favorite. There are SO many animatics/typography vids of the ep bc it was so delightfully memeable

He manages to get Batman to come on once after years and years of asking. The episode is on the shorter side and Bats' voice is modulated, but the whole internet still loses its collective mind bc it's one of the only public piece of Batman media in existence and it consists of 40 minutes of The Batman and Edward trying and failing to solve nonsense riddles.

For years, Ed had been saying "I'll get Batman on someday" as a joke, and in response some guests had taken to saying "I'm not Batman" before their introductions as clarification, as well as using it as an excuse when they couldn't solve a riddle. The bit becomes even more popular after the Batman episode, for obvious reasons

-the spelling/sentence structure of one riddle was so bad Barry thought he was drunk. He's a speedster. He hasn't been drunk in decades.

-one answer was so bad that Edward up and left the room

-the batkids are forbidden to go on as their herosonas, so they keep finding excuses to go on as civilians. (See "accidentally" being at the right time and place to get nabbed by Ed)

-Harley loves being on. Ivy hates being on. Ivy will only go on if Harley will be there too.

-joker is not allowed on under any circumstances bc f that guy

-captain marvel was on once, not that Ed knew that. All Ed knew was that he nabbed a kid who was probably not as afraid of Ed as he should be, but did keep up an impressively sarcastic running commentary.

-the podcast has become something all Gothamites are strangely proud of. I mean like, yeah he's a villain and all but c'mon- at least he's funny. Cops don't contribute to society this much

-Batman had to listen to a full episode once bc the Riddler hid the clues to his latest crime in the ep.

-he hated it at first, but after that one time Bruce becomes a regular listener. He enjoys it for the same reason Ed does, actually: the ability to unwind and listen to stupid yet engaging fluff. He even sends in a few anonymously.

-all bats have written at least 1 riddle for the snow. They all essentially amount to word vomit. Harper's was the best/worst depending on how you look at it

-SCRATCH what I said earlier. The reason people got in the habit of assuring audiences that they are, in fact, not Batman was because Ed's signature line on the show was "RIDDLE ME PISS, BATMAN"

-whenever the Riddler has a bat tied up for whatever reason he'll do a "live" show consisting of him, his batty prisoner and whoever else is in the room. They make for very chaotic episodes.

-he donates all show proceeds to local libraries and schools bc crime may pay but public service sure don't. Plus, this money is clean.

-Ed will get sponsors from like,, the weirdest places. The zoo and a millenary were some notable ones. LexCorp tried once and were ghosted. Audible has never tried but Ed wouldn't sponsor Bezos anyway so hah.

-there's a Tear Tally on the show, it's a tally of all the times a riddle has made Ed cry.

-one time a riddle was so convoluted that Ed & Guest made a conspiracy cork board (w red thread and everything) just to keep track. It's an audio medium tho so they kept trying to describe the board verbally. It wasn't very good so Ed just posted a pic of the board to his socials.

-scarecrow was on for an ep. Ed prepared exclusively corn/farm themed riddles. Johnathan was torn between being amused or annoyed.

-meanwhile, Selina is very happy to solve cat themed riddles when she's on.

Congrats to @curuvari for having the WORST possible take on this. I really don't know what to do about this one chief

I will say, one of the benefits of being a Sailor Moon fan is that Naoko Takeuchi is notoriously private. We go years without hearing anything from her, and when we do she’s just like “Glad you like Sailor Moon! Thank you!” and disappears again. That’s nice.

One time she turned up out of nowhere to be like “I think giving away free condoms to prevent STDs is very important” and we were like “wh--Naoko Takeuchi??” but then she was already gone again

And then sometimes the "notoriously private" Naoko Takeuchi publishes autobiographical comics detailing about how she made her husband read erotica to her while she was pregnant.

It's probably worth mentioning who her husband is.

Catholic art: god-fearing…but make it sexy

Catholic art critic in the 1800s: hmm im liking the overtones of guilt & sacrifice but i think its missing a lil smth…

Belgian sculptor just trying to make enough money to pay a good leech doctor so he doesnt die of consumption: like what?

Catholic art critic: ass

I’ve previously stated that when people say “Why have James and Harry as POC?” it’s fair enough to respond, “Why not?” but there are also some reasons that specifically drive me towards representing them that way. So, without further ado, here’s why I tend to view James Potter as a person of colour. 

(Please note that this isn’t about authorial intent, since I’m more than aware that JKR doesn’t exactly write with the purpose of people reading her main characters as POC. It’s more about how the narrative connects as a reader, as well as some personal preferences.)

Racially-Coded Language Directed At James 

and, after Vernon claims James had been unemployed in POA: 

There’s a very specific trend in the way that the Dursleys speak about James. “Good-for-nothing,” as soon as he’s introduced, a sentiment repeated by Marge. “Wastrel” in that same chapter of POA. And the way that Marge reacts to James being “unemployed” is very much akin to anti-immigrant rhetoric, i.e. considering them a drain of public resources. It’s classist too, certainly, but that’s not divorced from racial dynamics. The great employment disparities in Britain occur among ethnic minorities. And that’s in recent reports. I can guarantee it was worse approximately 30 years ago, during the setting of HP. On top of that, the idea that the Harry’s “otherness” can be identified on sight also reads like an allusion to race. 

Harry’s Appearance

and 

James and Harry share most of their features. The most prominent of these is by far James’s hair, which is consistently described as both “black” and “untidy.” Neither is a trait exclusive to people of colour, but there certainly is a tendency for people of colour to face greater scrutiny for the state of their hair. The Dursleys’ view that having “improper” hair somehow equates lacking societal worth is much along those lines. It’s not at all unreasonable to relate Harry’s struggle with his hair as partly the product of his heritage. 

Dynamic Balance Between James and Lily

This one is a point of personal preference. Since we know so little about either James or Lily, it’s hard to gauge what exactly their relationship was like. But I absolutely love the idea of James as a person of colour and a pure-blood while Lily is white and Muggle-born. Although there’s a claim that there’s no racism in the wizarding world (I’d question that, but that’s a different post), there certainly would be in 1970s Muggle UK. It’s an interesting dynamic to engage with — James, completely unaware of why people would look askew his relationship with Lily even in the Muggle world. Lily, turning indignant protector for James, while people dislike him for his heritage. It’s all the appeal of a role reversal AU but built into canon-compliance. 

Presumption of Delinquency 

and

This one’s a bit more depressing, but it’s something that I think holds true for many people of colour in places where they aren’t the majority. Whether in a local neighbourhood, with a police officer, or at an airport, it’s easy enough to think of an instance of racial profiling. Being treated as a threat by people who don’t really know you. In James and Sirius’s interaction with the police, up until that point they’re smarmy, sure, but have made no indication that they’re any kind of threat. They reach back in their pockets and immediately the assumption is that they have guns. Harry experiences similar profiling. In that same chapter, he talks about how some of the neighbourhood kids are afraid of him. Admittedly, he’s got the Dursleys’ badmouthing and the state of his clothing going against him, but James is well-dressed and cared-for and still treated as if he might become violent. 

Nuanced Representation Through James

This point is less about the text itself, and more about how interpreting James as a person of colour is beneficial to readers of colour. Although he sort of gets the least physical presence in the series, the things we do see inform us that he’s got quite the story. He’s described, along with Sirius, as “the cleverest [student] in school,” in POA, he becomes an animagus at the age of fifteen, and he saves the life of his worst enemy (who later sells him out to Voldemort). He dedicates his life to a war that his blood status exempts him from. And he’s got obvious flaws as well! He’s arrogant, sometimes rude, and loyal to the point of being blind to the possibility of betrayal. Of all of the Marauders’ era characters, James has some of the most interesting characterization. In a series where people of colour barely feature, the idea that someone like James (and subsequently Harry) could be men of colour is very exciting. 

And, for what it’s worth, I actually think it’s kind of cool that James is so well-off financially. It’s not only a reversal of expectations with the earlier point of racially-coded insults, but also offers a version of an ethnic minority who doesn’t necessarily have a class disadvantage. And, if you’re on the Desi James train, it actually plays into a specific narrative of migration and employment for Indians in the UK prior to 1981. Racial discrimination and class do not always follow each other, and I think that disconnect can be jarring for those who consider themselves relatively privileged. Again, it’s something I think is interesting to explore.

Diverse Magical Heritage

Again, this idea comes down to personal preference. Since James comes from a long line of mostly pure-bloods, that means that if he is interpreted as a person of colour, there’s an entire magical tradition that can come with that. All of the HP spells are Latin-based, but if you read James as Desi (as I do) then there’s the potential for Sanskrit-based spells! Indian wizard holidays! If Christian wizards celebrate Christmas, surely Hindu wizards celebrate Diwali? Or Muslim wizards celebrate Eid? Not to mention the cool idea of life-cycle rites coming into play. I’d love to see a wizard version of annaprashan, where instead of reaching for just books or toys, you could have Harry reaching for a wand for power, or the Mahabharata for courage. Not to mention that James’ family has a long history in potions, which actually seems closer to Ayurvedic medicine than chemistry. There are so many possibilities that come from seeing James as a person of colour. These are only a few examples. 

Well done, Ireland! <3

Hello!?! Why isn’t this being celebrated worldwide!?!? Ireland is known for its conservative catholic people and now we have gay marriage and trans rights. Not only that but we are the only country in the world to achieve same sex marriage by popular vote!!!

Because usually people dont actually care about us or notice us internationally unless it’s St.Patricks day, but even then it’s just green, beer and leprechauns.

reminder trans men aren’t just cute, they’re also handsome and hot as hell

you can rb this if you’re cis btw trans men deserve to know these Facts

The saga of Gary Fisher’s cuddles with the Star Wars cast.

Curiosity

James Whitbrook

the only reason i still have depression is because i can’t take my brain out of my skull and blow on it like a ds cartridge

google just made me so emo

so… how late is too late for Rent memes

what is it about capybaras that attracts groups of small animals to them? Its not just mammals either its like birds and turtles and frogs too

look at this shit

They radiate peace

capybaras are friend shaped

I love this post

This is actually a cool thing I know about!

In the wild capybaras live in large groups so naturally a female capybara will take care of not only her own offspring, but all of the other offspring in the group. So capybaras are super great mothers who will adopt pretty much anything and take care of it.

Lots of places that rescue different animals will give a group of baby animals to a capybara to raise if they have one.

Like puppies

Ducks

Deer

Emus

They are just super calm animals so they’re naturally great at mothering or just existing in a group!

mom shaped