Wish on Lightning

combeferrescannon: “He is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen and it’s not about his...

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:35:01 +0100

“He is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen and it’s not about his face, but the life force I can see in him. It’s the smile and the pure promise of everything he has to offer. Like he’s saying, ‘Here I am world, are you ready for so much passion and beauty and goodness and love and every other word that should be in the dictionary under the word life?’ Except this boy is dead, and the unnaturalness of it makes me want to pull my hair out…”

— Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road

#now think: courfeyrac #perfect fit

NO BUT WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?

aseaofquotes: J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:06:06 +0100

aseaofquotes:

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

Photo

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:50:11 +0100

What are you doing here?: Your friendly reminder.

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:41:32 +0100

What are you doing here?: Your friendly reminder.:

acenjolras:

daunt:

copperbadge:

As a book, I love Ender’s Game to tiny pieces. It’s the anthem for the smart young outsider, and it’s a hell of an adventure story. I love it and I’m ashamed of how much I love it because it’s written by this man:

“Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down, so it can be replaced with a government that will respect and support marriage.” —Orson Scott Card

Orson Scott Card sits on the board of the National Organization for Marriage, attempting to ensure the second-class treatment of queer people and (impotently, but still) threatening to destroy the government over matters of simple equality. He is a frothing, virulent bigot.

Don’t pay to see his movie. Don’t let a cent of your money go to him or encourage the studio to make more films which make him more money to give to people who think pro-equality governments are their mortal enemy.

Spreading the word, guys.

Oh, wow, how about no.

redbelles replied to your post: prouvairy replied to your post: srafandseedpods… Oh god you...

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:41:30 +0100

redbelles replied to your post: prouvairy replied to your post: srafandseedpods…

Oh god you guys seriously have no idea this is not nearly the evilest of the evil stuff she’s come up with. There should be some sort of neuxue warning label: do not ask for headcanon, the sadness will devour your soul.”

Redbelles speaks the truth. And she’s the one to whom I spew all the headcanon I can’t quite handle writing as fic. Girl deserves a medal.

moon-rabbits replied to your post: moon-rabbits replied to your post: srafandseedpods… I AM...

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:24:39 +0100

moon-rabbits replied to your post: moon-rabbits replied to your post: srafandseedpods…

I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF MAKING GIACOMO PARADISI’S DEATH MORE TRAGIC THAN IT ALREADY IS I DON’T NEED THIS SHIT FROM YOU OKAY

WAIT YOU WHAT? I NEED THIS. GIVE THIS TO ME.

moon-rabbits replied to your post: srafandseedpods replied to your post:… CAN U GUISE...

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:19:03 +0100

moon-rabbits replied to your post: srafandseedpods replied to your post:…

CAN U GUISE NOT

And this is why I have only once written fic for HDM. Because really, you think this is bad?

prouvairy replied to your post: srafandseedpods replied to your post:… you’re evil...

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:53:32 +0100

prouvairy replied to your post: srafandseedpods replied to your post:…

you’re evil lia

*laughs*

You have no idea

srafandseedpods replied to your post: srafandseedpods replied to your post:… nO STOP I NEVER...

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:49:16 +0100

srafandseedpods replied to your post: srafandseedpods replied to your post:…

nO STOP I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT THAT THAT IS COMPLETELY FUCKING UNACCEPTABLE -KICKS SHIT OVER AND STORMS OUT OF ROOM-

OH YOU THINK THAT’S BAD? GIRL I WAS JUST GETTING WARMED UP. *cracks knuckles*

srafandseedpods replied to your post: srafandseedpods replied to your post:… I SEE THIS DEAD...

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:44:00 +0100

srafandseedpods replied to your post: srafandseedpods replied to your post:…

I SEE THIS DEAD ANGEL CONVERSATION AND RAISE YOU A “LEE SCORESBY ALWAYS WANTED A DAUGHTER LIKE LYRA AND WANTED TO ADOPT HER “WHEN EVERYTHING WAS OVER” AND THEN HE & HESTER FUCKING DIED HEROICALLY AND I WILL NEVER STOP CRYING EVER

I SEE YOUR LEE SCORESBY AND RAISE YOU A “IOREK LOOKS OLD BUT BEARS DON’T HAVE SOULS SO HE WILL NEVER SEE LYRA AGAIN, AND HE WILL NEVER SEE THE WORLD OF THE DEAD AND THE WINDOW SHE AND WILL CREATED TO LEAVE IT, HE WILL DIE AND NOTHING SHE DID WILL CHANGE HIS FATE AFTER HE HAS DIED, AND AFTER ALL HE DID AND SACRIFICED TO ALLOW HER TO DO THIS, HE DOESN’T BENEFIT IN THE END.”

I wasn’t going to make a post about Balthamos/Baruch as relating to E/R but then I...

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:40:29 +0100

I wasn’t going to make a post about Balthamos/Baruch as relating to E/R but then I couldn’t help myself.

Because in Baruch you have a human man who becomes an angel - he literally transcends his state of being and becomes angelic. And then there’s Balthamos, who is cynical and sarcastic and pessimistic and arguably self-destructive, and he sees flaws in everything EXCEPT BARUCH. And everything he does, he does for love of Baruch. He exists to be by his side, and beside him becomes a better being.

And his last act is in pursuit/defense/favour of their cause and effort - and as he performs it, to save Lyra and Will (WHO BRING THE FUTURE THROUGH LOVE - LOVE THE FUTURE IS THINE), he dies. And as he dies he says Baruch’s name. He dies giving himself to a cause he didn’t even believe in, because it is what Baruch died for as well. He dies for love.

And he dies protecting and ensuring love and the future.

srafandseedpods replied to your post: srafandseedpods replied to your post: what’s your… UGH...

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:34:35 +0100

srafandseedpods replied to your post: srafandseedpods replied to your post: what’s your…

UGH WHEN THE SOLDIER OPENS THE DOOR ON ACCIDENT AND BALTHAMOS /FEELS/ BARUCH DRIFT APART AND IS OVERCOME WITH EMOTION. THAT SCENE MAN. THAT FUCKING SCENE I CANNOT. PULLMAN WHY. WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME.

I SEE YOUR BARUCH DEATH SCENE AND RAISE YOU A BALTHAMOS DYING WHILE TRYING TO PERFORM ONE LAST GOOD ACT, WHISPERING ‘BARUCH’ AS HE DISSOLVES INTO THE AIR.

I DON’T USUALLY CRY AT BOOKS BUT THESE TWO. DAMN ANGELS.

srafandseedpods replied to your post: what’s your deal with Balthamos/Baruch? They were the angels...

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:31:00 +0100

srafandseedpods replied to your post: what’s your deal with Balthamos/Baruch? They were the angels in hdm, right?

BALTHAMOS/BARUCH GIVES ME SO MANY FEELINGS UGH IT’S SO FUCKING BEAUTIFUL. The way it’s written how Balthamos sees the flaws in most things bUT SEES NONE IN BARUCH AND TALKS ABOUT HOW BARUCH MAKES HIM A BETTER BEING AND I JUST

NO IT ACTUALLY CAUSES ME PHYSICAL PAIN. How their love is basically perfect and beautiful because they are NOT perfect, they’re flawed just like we are but they make each other better and they love each other and GODDAMN IT PULLMAN DID YOU HAVE TO KILL ALL MY OTPs? WAS THAT REALLY NECESSARY?

And Balthamos seeing flaws in everything except an angel WHO USED TO BE A HUMAN and Baruch is perfect in his eyes and it’s just. The definition of heaven and angelic perfection and wow I really need to stop.

srafandseedpods: hisdarkmaterialsfandom: neuxue: There are only three fics in the...

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:27:35 +0100

srafandseedpods:

hisdarkmaterialsfandom:

neuxue:

There are only three fics in the Balthamos/Baruch tag on AO3 (and one of them is mine so it doesn’t count) SERIOUSLY PEOPLE I NEED MORE.

((I want to take a brief moment to cock my head and snicker as I remember that I am in literally the only fandom on the planet that has a shortage of gay shipping.))

Canon gay shipping, I might add.

(hey, Les Mis fandom, we have an actual radiant angel in love with a cynic) (It’s also tragic and they die) (aka it’s perfect)

hisdarkmaterialsfandom: neuxue: There are only three fics in the Balthamos/Baruch tag on AO3 (and...

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:22:46 +0100

hisdarkmaterialsfandom:

neuxue:

There are only three fics in the Balthamos/Baruch tag on AO3 (and one of them is mine so it doesn’t count) SERIOUSLY PEOPLE I NEED MORE.

((I want to take a brief moment to cock my head and snicker as I remember that I am in literally the only fandom on the planet that has a shortage of gay shipping.))

what's your deal with Balthamos/Baruch? They were the angels in hdm, right?

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:14:57 +0100

Yes, they were the angels. There were others as well (Xaphania, don’t even get me started on Xaphania because we will be here all day) but they were the two who ~~ruined my life~~ guided Will, amongst other things.

As for what is my deal with them…um. You probably wanted a concise answer. Which…that’s cute.

Firstly I really like how their individual characters are written and presented. In particular, I love how Balthamos is pretty much as un-stereotypically-angelic as it is possible to be. He’s a massive nuisance half the time, he’s cynical, he’s rude, and just so very human in many ways. Which brings me to another part I like - the irony in the fact that of the two, Baruch is arguably the more ‘angelic’, though he was the one who was initially human (for the record, I absolutely adore Baruch and was in tears when he died).

I like that they are portrayed as flawed and fallible and as actual characters with actual complete personalities because, like so much of what Pullman does in these books, it subtly contradicts and (dare I say) almost pokes fun at the idea of angels presented by the Church (I’m referring to the HDM-verse Church here, which has a few potential parallels in our world but I don’t really want to get into that debate at the moment…). It’s especially interesting and actually entertaining (I find it hilarious, tbh) when you consider that he wrote HDM in response to Paradise Lost. The Paradise Lost angels are…well. They’re intended to be read as these glorious heavenly beings who save everything and obey God and serve and help Man and are more or less the greatest things to exist aside from God himself. Except they actually come across as kind of horrible people at times (at least in my personal interpretation). So then you get Pullman’s angels, who are very obviously just…people. They’re not all-powerful or all-knowing, they’re disobeying orders and will likely suffer consequences, they’re physically weaker than a 12-year-old boy, and while they can be irritating and rude, they’re trying to do what they think is right.

And then there’s their relationship. Can we all just take a minute to appreciate that they are ANGELS in a CANONICALLY GAY RELATIONSHIP. I mean, you could hardly write more of a slap to the Church’s face if you inverted the entire concept of the Fall and Original Sin…oh wait he did that too.

But. Back to the point. I really, really love the way their relationship is written. In a book with arguably only one other truly loving and (arguably) functional (until it gets ripped apart by universes) relationship, despite the number of characters and ~~shipping options~~ relationships mentioned/alluded to, Baruch and Balthamos’s love stands out as beautiful. They love and trust and adore each other, absolutely and unconditionally, and it’s so beautiful it breaks my heart. I would start quoting, but then we really would be here all day.

So then you basically have this perfect, angelic love - and it’s between two gay angels. And it’s all so subtly done - Pullman doesn’t hold up a neon sign saying LOOK, LOOK, MY ANGELS ARE GAY, SEE WHAT I DID THERE? and their love exists in its own right, not just to make or prove a point. Theirs is a beautifully tragic love story, not at all overdone or even focused on that much, but with just enough attention on it to basically call into question the Church’s homophobia.

They love each other, and they each become better when the other is there. And just the fact that angels can and do love, and that they are susceptible to it in the same way as humans, and that this is a GOOD thing, fills me with happiness.

That…doesn’t really even begin to cover it. And it’s not even close to being coherent, but I should probably stop now.

There are only three fics in the Balthamos/Baruch tag on AO3 (and one of them is mine so it...

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:35:38 +0100

There are only three fics in the Balthamos/Baruch tag on AO3 (and one of them is mine so it doesn’t count) SERIOUSLY PEOPLE I NEED MORE.

little-smartass: “Open it!” Enjolras barked, as he stormed...

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:00:33 +0100

little-smartass:

“Open it!” Enjolras barked, as he stormed across the walkway, stabbing a finger towards the door.

“Captain…Captain I can’t, the radiation-” Bahorel pulled an agonised expression, bringing a hand up to nurse a large bruise blossoming on the side of his head. Enjolras surmised that this was probably the only reason Bahorel wasn’t behind the door too – Grantaire must have knocked him out to keep him safe. And that was no mean feat. Bahorel took a deep breath that filled his double-barrel chest, behind him Feuilly was wringing his hat in his fists. “The door is there for a reason, Enjolras. I can’t.”

Enjolras scowled at the logic of the engineer’s words and turned back to the door, crouching down to peer at the prone figure on the other side of the glass. He tried to twist his face into something that didn’t look quite so murderous, “Grantaire.”

Grantaire’s eyes flickered open, “Oh Captain, my Captain.” He chuckled wetly, heaving himself up into a sitting position, slumped against the door. “You came.”

Enjolras’ mouth twitched, “You asked for me.”

“So I did.” Grantaire murmured. His face was creased in pain, skin sickly-coloured, eyes sunken and red. But he was smiling.

“You shouldn’t have-” Enjolras began, then cut himself off with a deep breath, and tried again, “We could have found another way, we could have- you didn’t need to-”

Grantaire was laughing again, quietly, bitterly, and then he was coughing. Enjolras moved closer to the glass, aching with helplessness.

“That’s bullshit and you know it.” He croaked when he had finished, pointing a shaking finger at his captain. “At least give me the grace of acknowledging that I made the logical decision. The right decision.”

Enjolras bowed his head, lips pressed together. The anger was draining out of him, leaving frustration and sadness and the slow throb of guilt in its wake. “You should have called me, it should have been me, you shouldn’t have had to sacr-”

“No, you’re vital, Enjolras. You know we couldn’t go on without you. We need you. They need you. No, it had to be me.” His lips curled up, “I’m nothing but a failure of a ship’s councillor, pretty damn useless. I’m dispensable. The ship will go on without me. I’m not important to the mission.”

“You’re important to me!” Enjolras burst out, slapping his palm against the glass panel, “Don’t talk like that, Grantaire! You’re important to all of us. Do you understand? You are important!”

Grantaire stared at him, stunned, for a moment, then gave a small, sad smile, “Thank you.”

“No! Grantaire, it’s the truth, listen to me, I- I ca-”

“Shh!” Grantaire lifted a finger and tried to press it against Enjolras’ lips but hit glass instead. Surprised, he blinked, let out a quiet ‘oh’. His eyes travelled down and noticed the palm of his captain’s hand flush against the door, and splayed his fingers so that they aligned. He glanced up again in time to see a single tear drip off a marble cheekbone.

“I know you’re gonna catch the bastard…” Grantaire’s voice was weaker now, his eyes a little glazed, “You’re all gonna be just fine…” he tried to laugh but it came out as more of a wheeze, “Ah man, I’m gonna miss…Jim’s birthday pissup…I was looking forward…to that…”

He made an effort to focus his eyes, smiling as he noticed that Enjolras hadn’t moved his palm away. They almost looked like they were holding hands. It was…nice.

“Enjolras…what is that…that thing Vulcans say?” he rasped.

“‘Live long and prosper.’” Enjolras murmured, blinking, lashes wet with tears.

“Ah yes.” Grantaire used the last of his strength to give a proper bright grin, “Do that…for me…would you?”

And then his hand dropped.

Enjolras stayed there, crouched down by Grantaire’s body for a few more seconds, then scrubbed furiously at his face and almost jumped to his feet. Bahorel and Feuilly, who had kept a respectful distance, snapped to attention when he scowled at them, albeit through watery eyes.

“Get Joly over here for Grantaire the moment its safe to get him out. Put him on ice.” The captain was already half-running out of the room, eyes narrowed and fists clenched. Feuilly caught him by the shoulder.

“Captain? What are you-?”

Enjolras turned back to the engineer, jaw set, eyes dark and glinting, “I’m going to bring him back.”

Another part in the Les Trekables series I’m working on with Rosie. We have a fuckton of headcanons and plenty more ideas, so if you’re interested, drop me a message and we’ll be happy to discuss them with you :D

#best line in the world of everything

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:42:48 +0100

#best line in the world of everything

tentacruels: olgie13: “This gorgeous Hälssen & Lyon...

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:35:27 +0100

tentacruels:

olgie13:

“This gorgeous Hälssen & Lyon calendar is made of brewable tea. Each day is made of fine pressed wafer thin tea leaves.”