Get in losers. We are in our "this canon event never happened" era now.

the dash is in tatters. please say something nice to the person you reblog this from. it's so sad to see you all so sad

the dash is in tatters. please say something nice to the person you reblog this from. it's so sad to see you all so sad

The person I reblogged this from deserves happiness and love

*This poll was submitted to us and we simply posted it so people could vote and discuss their opinions on the matter. If you’d like for us to ask the internet a question for you, feel free to drop the poll of your choice in our inbox and we’ll post them anonymously (for more info, please check our pinned post).

Ok, to prove to my husband that this is more a European device than a U.S. device I am going to need more non-US people to reblog this.

Do not reblog for science. No science will be happening. Reblog to help me prove a point!

(If I am right I will show him this poll. If I am wrong he will never know this happened)

why stop at five and lila? why not just make season 4 the swinging season?

- ray actually left allison for klaus, so now klaus is both clare’s uncle AND her stepdad

- luther found this timeline’s sloane only for her to immediately fall for allison instead of him

- after being resurrected abigail kicked reginald to the curb and started pursuing luther. she decided she preferred a himbo

- dave survived vietnam in this timeline and helped mend the pieces of reginald’s broken heart.

- viktor ran into delores at the gimble’s and has started up a shy flirtation with her

- ben 1 returns and fights ben 2 for jennifer’s love only for them to end up in a throuple

- diego goes on a journey of gender discovery, transitions and settles down with sissy

damn they should’ve let me write it

" 'In my experience,' he said, 'the trouble of oaths of the form death before dishonor, is that eventually, given enough time and abrasion, they separate the world into just two sorts of people: the dead, and the forsworn. It's a survivor's problem, this one.' " - A Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold

"Death before dishonour." I always used to wonder, Hey, exactly how much dishonour are we talking about here? 'Cause I could handle quite a lot. I would, for instance, fellate a Smurf before I picked death. I'd cook him a little Smurf omelette as I was doing it, you know, I'd be perfectly happy doing that. Seasoning it with thyme, you know, listening to his happy satisfied Smurf lip smacks. But every man thinks about Smurfs. They don't say it, but they do. That's why I'm here—to be honest. Just once, you know, what would it be like? Nobody needs to know, you go away for the weekend. Just once, to have the blue salty bulb lolling on your tongue... if I don't say it, nobody else will."

- Dylan Moran, Monster (2004)

I do love that you can see the influence of Tolkien meaning for Eowyn to die throughout her arc. That girl just screams "doomed by the narrative". She's set up for this grand yet tragic death, and wants for nothing else than a grand exit and a glorious end to all things.

But having her live is so much more interesting. And having her live to find happiness especially. She seems like a tragic character. She thinks herself a tragic character. She is overwhelmed by a sense of doom and helplessness. Her narrative is overwhelmed by a sense of doom and helplessness.

But she isn't doomed.

Turns out, decent healthcare, clued in and concerned family members, and a decent support base, go a long towards towards un-dooming her narrative.

I love Eowyn and the Rohirrim arc of LotR SO MUCH y'all. So much of the surface or pop culture understanding of Eowyn is twisted and undercut to be a "girlboss" angle of Eowyn being the"I am No Man" to defeat the Witch King after being denied her right to fight. And honestly that's because a decent chunk of her absolutely heartbreaking lines from the book are cut in the movies (for totally understandable reasons, LotR is still the best adaptation of a ginormous story to film ever, fight me!) and in doing so it really undercuts that Eowyn doesn't go out to fight in the battle of Pellenor Fields because she wants glory, or to prove her worth, though that is part of it.

My girl is actively pursing death and wants the option of a quick (in comparison) and noble battle-death. She is certain that if she is left to rule the country while her uncle and brother go to fight that they will be killed and she and the rest of Rohan will be pillaged and burned afterwards. (Tolkien's themes on Hope and the effect of Despair in the lack of Hope will never fail to absolutely steal the breath out of my lungs)

But everyone in Rohan is just Doing Their Best and absolutely failing to give her support for COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDABLE REASONS because Rohan has been fighting both an internal and external assault. Theoden's will was taken over in front of Eowyn's eyes, Eomer was mostly physically not present as a Marshall of the Mark, Theodred was killed. And when Theoden was freed from Saruman's control that's when of course the plot kicks up so that the forces are mustered and it makes complete sense to try to leave someone who can keep the logistics/kingdom running so that there's a kingdom to return to when everything's done, to say nothing of why they would want to keep someone they love away from what they all see as possibly being a suicide mission to save their homes. But Eowyn doesn't see an after, she doesn't see anything but a bleak and slow end, so she goes and sneaks in as Dernhelm to fight.

And the thing that saves her in the Witch King fight isn't only because she's a woman, it's also because she has a hobbit friend, Merry, who sees her defending her uncle/his friend and despite being almost overcome with terror says "she will not die here alone and desperate, at least not unaided" (Merry! my boy!)

Then when the Houses of Healing arc kicks in, her brother's voice pulling her out of the Black Breath. Gandalf's compassionate observation that Wormtongue hadn't only been speaking poison into the King's ear but also hers. And Eowyn is forced to sit still and heal as she and Faramir wait for news from the Black Gate. And Faramir shows her what it is to still have hope, I do not believe this darkness will endure!! And she says the line that if I ever get a tattoo it's going to incorporate this line somehow which I'm shortening a bit:

"I will no longer take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer and love all things that grow, and are not barren"

And in the post-plot period they go to Ithilien and take it from a desolate war-torn space and turned it into the most beautiful part of the country, they heal the land together! (I'm going to go cry, I love them both so much!)

Sorry to add on here, but this wouldn't make sense separately.

I have always loved Eowyn. Long before I had really experienced despair or what it meant to be doomed by the narrative. There was something about her that resonated on a soul level that I could not have explained when I was young. I probably would have just said it was because "sword horse girl!"

But I realized something today as I was reflecting on the past two days.

In class on Wednesday, I led the students in a discussion about Tillich. On Monday, we'll discuss Bonhoeffer.

I did not plan for these two readings because of Tuesday. They fell where they always fall on the schedule. The timing just worked out.

I love Bonhoeffer, but I always feel guilty when I read him. He literally gave everything to fight oppression. I'm afraid to go too far because of my situation.

I jokingly told one class that Bonhoeffer is goals except for the getting executed part.

And then I lay in bed trying to figure out what more I can do. Wondering if it is soon time to risk everything. Even if it means my safety, well being, or life.

A colleague has heard me before express my doubt that I am doing enough. That I so often think that I am the collaborator by my silence. This colleague is a scholar in resistance movements. I ran in him today, and he stopped what he was doing to tell me not to despair. To not let them win. That that's what they want. They aren't good enough, they don't deserve my despair.

And I said I'm trying not to. That I'm trying to figure out how I can be more for the community. Be more of a helper.

And wow, did he jump on that. He reminded me you can't help unless you help yourself. As someone else put it, the whole air bag airplane thing.

But he took it further. He told me of activists who died, not because they crossed the oppressor and were executed, but because they gave so much for the fight that they didn't take care of themselves. The fight lost them because they gave too much too fast.

And that hit harder than anything.

Later, I was reflecting on that and thought of this post.

And I realized, that's what I was doing. Planning for a quick death in battle rather than the drawn out doom despair was whispering in my ear.

So I am trying to go to the Houses of Healing before I'm overcome by the Black Breath and need to be called back.

Maybe others need to hear that too.

Just a thought in passing: Here’s a utility that some of you may want to avail yourselves of in the days to come.

"are you okay?" no I got way too attached to a fictional character and now they're dead

I'm just saying, y'all should listen to Gasolina (new audiobook by Gabriel Urbina) if you want THIS tickling your eardrums.

Okay, season 3...

Ep 1: That entire dance sequence that is in Diego's head. Babyyyy...

Ep 2 (World's Biggest Ball of Twine): Talking to Stan about what he hoped to be like as a father.

Ep 3 (Pocket Full of Lightning): Lila breaking his heart. His straightforward acceptance of Viktor: "Do you feel loved? Good. You are."

Ep 4 (Kugelblitz): His stunned reaction to getting a spontaneous hug from Stan! Taking Allison out for his brand of therapy.

Ep 4 (Kindest Cut): Dealing with Stan killing Klaus in as calm and mature a fashion as you could expect from an Umbrella. Being Lila's DILF.

Ep 5 (Marigold): Finding out he's not actually Stan's dad - and instantly moving to adoption solutions.

Ep 7 (Auf Wiedersehen): Finding out that he is (going to be) a father after all. Actually asking for time to consider Lila's proposal.

Ep 8 (Wedding at the End of the World): Choosing Lila over saving the world. Reggie telling him that he would have made a superb father. The bittersweetness of a near-perfect evening, knowing that it's all going to end tomorrow.

Ep 9 (Seven Bells): Getting over-protective of Lila and provoking an argument.

Ep 10 (Oblivion): Excited to tell his family about the baby. Being so smitten with Lila. Reassuring her that she'll be a good mum. Fighting in sync with her - and then locking her in a closet. And, in the end, departing with her to go live their lives.

---

Okay, those are my personal recs! There are plenty of other great scenes with him, of course, and I've skipped a few major ones - but these are the ones I think give you the most about his character.

Happy writing!

My wife's favorite sleep noise app is the kind that lets you mix different noises, one of which is a snoring shih tzu, and she loves to create soundscapes that imply the dog is in imminent danger

It'll be like

*music box playing*

*dog snoring*

*the sound of a crackling fire slowly fades in, getting louder and louder as the dog continues to snore*

The other night I was taking a bath while her bluetooth speaker sat innocently nearby, when she decided to aid my relaxation by providing her favorite soundscape, Dog Engulfed In Housefire