i've seen quite a few people talking about how nd stevenson and the producers of nimona underdid ballister's character to allow nimona to shine, but consequentially made bal a wet noodle.
i argue that ballister is not a wet noodle, he's just being thrown into situations that's he's never dealt with before, situations entirely outside of his control.
we know that ballister was literally the top of his class. when he's fighting the knights, he absolutely dominates. he initiates the fighting (they're surrounded, swords are drawn, but nothing starts until he gives nimona the okay to go wild). he is in control and he knows what he's doing.
his unwillingness to take risks isn't because he's a wet noodle, it's because he had to learn to stay in line to get ahead. he's been training since he was a kid. he's been facing classism and societal pressure since he was a kid. he learned that the best course of action is to not cause trouble, to not act out, to do what he is told. he has been raised with systems and rules and regulations and that's all he knows.
then the knighting ceremony happens and shit goes down. all of a sudden, everything that he's been working for for decades collapses. and then nimona appears and she is so radically different from him and she is encouraging him to do things he doesn't want to do. and he doesn't know how to handle her, he's used to obeying authority and doing as he's told, he doesn't have social awareness.
and it might just be my autism speaking, but you don't shove a knight in the deep end and then blame them for floundering.
the urge to write never leaves but the motivation to do so is a lover lost at war
“how did you get into writing” girl nobody gets into writing. writing shows up one day at your door and gets into you
#thank you
i ended up liking how gendered french is solely because i can say that i want people to use he/him pronouns for me the same way they use it for angels, blood and blunts
Thoughts that are mutual between cats and their people:
Yeah you're cute when you sleep but you didn't let me sleep either so I'm going to annoy you now because I'm bored. Hahah get poked, sleepy idiot.
How do you not comprehend this when I am literally staring at you. Like I understand that your brain can't understand things this nuanced but come on, how do you not get this.
I don't know if you know that what I am currently doing is an expression of affection, but that won't stop me. Knowing that I showed you that I love you is enough.
I heard a crinkly material and the sound of you chewing so I have to know what's in your mouth RIGHT FUCKING NOW.
I can't communicate with you and you can't communicate with me, so I'm just copying the tone of the sound you're making in hopes that you understand that I try.
You are doing activities beyond my comprehension, and I find this fascinating. I will never understand what the fuck you are trying to achieve here, but I am intrigued nonetheless.
Hey are you ok, you haven't done your weird thing in a while. Yeah I don't get why you do that but I know you do that when you're ok.
This
“Did you see the way that little girl looked at me? Kids. Little kids. They grow up believing that they can be a hero if they drive a sword into the heart of anything different. And I’m the monster? I don’t know what’s scarier. The fact that everyone in this kingdom wants to run a sword through my heart or that sometimes I just wanna let ‘em.” “We have to get you out of here. Over the wall. We won’t stop until we find some place safe, okay? We’ll go. Together. No matter what we do, we can’t change the way people see us.” “You changed the way you see me... Didn’t you?
NIMONA (2023), based on the comic by ND Stevenson, who came out as transgender in 2022
Zuko: Sokka I still can't believe master Piandao trained you. Did you get to make your own sword as well?
Sokka: yes I did! At first I was scared it wouldn't work, but I'm glad he allowed me to use the meteorite for it!
Zuko: ... i'm sorry did you say meteorite?
~
Toph: it was such a coincidence running into your uncle in ba sing se.
Zuko: yea, it was very weird for him being back, y'know, since he kinda laid a 100 day seige on the city a few years prior
Toph, who hadn't connected the two dots until now: ... THE DRAGON OF THE WEST??
~
Aang: Katara... you sound like Jet
Zuko, who definitely knows a guy named Jet:
Katara: this is different. Jet attacked the innocent.
Zuko, now suspecting they were talking about the same Jet:
~
Zuko: how did toph even end up becoming a pro wrestler?
Aang: she did it to escape from her oppressive parents
Zuko: oh, that sucks
Aang: yeah, those beifongs sure were strict with her
Zuko, who probably has knowledge of the aristocracy in the other nations: THE BEIFONGS???
and of course the classic
There’s something so nice about how cats have always been the center of the internet. I don’t think there has ever been a time where you cannot easily find a silly photo of a cat on the internet