So I’m Finally Watching His Dark Materials, And Uh…

My six-year-old (who has recently discovered stop-motion animation) was off school, so the two of us made this.

I still think everyone is too harsh on JK Rowling, and they don’t give her enough credit.

This is the woman who has created so many brilliant characters, but especially female characters.

JK Rowling gave us Ginny Weasley, who taught us to stand for what we believe in, never give up, and how to be strong while also witty.

JK Rowling gave us Minerva McGonagall, perhaps the most badass teacher Hogwarts has ever had; Minerva who didn’t put up with any shit even from her own colleagues, who was fair and took away house points from her own house when appropriate, who told Peeves how to unscrew a chandelier to annoy Umbridge.

JK Rowling gave us Molly Weasley, who showed us that women can wives and mothers whilst still remaining valid and strong. She showed us that a mother’s love is unconditional, extending to children who were friends with her kids, who destroyed a witch for threatening her family: “not my daughter, you bitch”.

JK Rowling gave us Nymphadora Tonks, an auror who had a sense of humor, was clumsy but endearing, and who loved a man who didn’t think he could be loved. She too showed the strength a wife and mother could have, sacrificing herself so her son could live in a better world.

JK Rowling gave us Luna Lovegood, who is unapologetic about who she is; she’s quirky and strange, and that’s what makes her so wonderful. She has strong beliefs and loves her friends dearly, remaining positive even when people snicker about her behind her back.

JK Rowling gave us Queenie Goldstein, a beautiful blonde witch living in 1920s America who is witty and far more than her looks; despite hearing everyone’s thoughts - good and bad - she remains so bubbly and cheerful most of the time. She falls in love with someone she shouldn’t, and she does some drastic misguided things because of how much she loves him - even if it’s illegal for them to be in love, she knows it’s not wrong and will prove it.

JK Rowling gave us Lily Evans-Potter, who was strong who was stubborn, who stood up for her friend when he was being bullied, who sacrificed herself intentionally so that her son - her baby son, innocent and unaware - could live. It’s her love that saves him from death so many times, teaching us that we should never underestimate a mother’s love for their child.

JK Rowling gave us Leta Lestrange, who was haunted by her past and her family name, who grew up knowing she was unloved and unwanted, knowing that she killed her mother just by being born. And yet she managed to become a friend to a young boy who needed it, and she fell in love with someone who adored her. She showed that you can’t judge someone by their name, that she was brave, strong, and even died to help the ones she loved escape.

JK Rowling gave us Fleur Delacour, who at first seems vain and rude - but who loves her fiancée-later-husband and stands by his side when he’s attacked. She loves her little sister and would do anything for her, would be lost if anything happened to her. She moves to a foreign country away from her family because of her love for someone, even when that person’s family didn’t want her to marry him and treated her with disdain.

JK Rowling gave us Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein, an American Auror in the 20s who’s demoted for helping an abused boy, who broke the law to stop him from being beaten. She’s a woman who has cared for her little sister for years since their parents died, a woman who probably had to give up her childhood to take care of her little sister, a woman who just wants to protect her people. She’s also a woman who makes mistakes and learns from them, who learns that beasts are not necessarily monsters or completely dangerous; she learns to see how wonderful they can be too. She learns to open herself up to someone, taking that chance and eventually starting to fall in love with him.

Perhaps most memorable of all, JK Rowling gave us Hermione Granger. Hermione who was not pretty and had buck teeth with bushy hair. Hermione who valued books and learning but also bravery and loyalty. Hermione who made friends with two boys and helped them along the way, falling in love with one of them along the way. Hermione who fought for the things she believed in, who fought back when bullied or attacked. Hermione who showed generations of girls to never dumb themselves down just for a love interest, showed that being beautiful was not the most important thing a girl could be.

JK Rowling deserves so much more credit than she currently gets.

Sloth playing with water

(via)

𝚑𝚘𝚣𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏-𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚕𝚢𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚜 (click + right-click “open image in new tab” for high-res).

wasteland, baby! booklet lyrics: here.

Gwaine doesn’t deny it he’s just ready to fight

I know this isn’t for everyone and there are different versions of self love and acceptance that benefit different people for different reasons, but speaking of my own experience, becoming self-neutral has been better for me than any steps I took to become self-positive. Accepting that I have inherent, intrinsic value simply by Being, unrelated in any way to my appearance or my mental health, has been everything.

I spent time enjoying the concept of reclaiming ugliness and craziness, which I’ve discussed here. And that was a good first step for me. But even then, ugliness and craziness only means not fitting in to certain societal standards of beauty and mental health. It’s also made up and bears no weight on my value as a person.

So beyond understanding that some people will find me ugly and that’s okay, and beyond accepting that some people will find me crazy and their opinions don’t matter,

I’ve found a lot of peace in knowing that ugliness and craziness, on a true, inherent, universal, spiritual level, don’t exist. They’re concepts. They’re smoke.

I do exist. And because I exist, I have value. My life has meaning simply because I am alive.

I don’t have to love myself. I just had to stop hating myself so I could finally simply exist as myself. And I’m really enjoying who I’ve discovered I am.

Let’s talk about the battle in the Department of Mysteries for a sec. So after the group gets split up, Harry, Hermione and Neville go one way and Ron, Ginny and Luna the other. The next time we see the latter group Ginny’s ankle is busted and Ron’s brain is addled. Luna says that the Death Eaters blew up a planet in the planetarium and hit Ron with some sort of hex.

Let’s take a moment to examine that. If the curse that hit the planet had hit any of the kids, they’d be dead. So the Death Eater probably missed, hit the planet ahead of them, injuring Ginny. But here’s the important part: the one who actually gets hit by the hex? Ron.

Why is this important? Because Ron is consistently described throughout the series as tall. Like, every time Harry sees him after the beginning of summer he’s described as having shot up. Again. On the other hand Ginny is described as “the small one” by Bellatrix Lestrange. But Ron is behind her. I don’t know if you know this but tall people can run really fast. I am not particularly fit but I am tall. And I can pour on the speed when my adrenaline’s up, which I have no doubt was the case for everyone in the Department of Mysteries. But he’s behind her.

Because he did that deliberately. He kept his body between the Death Eaters and the girls. He shielded them from their spells. Because those he cares about are more important to him than his own life.

I don’t know, I just think about this a lot.

i would like to personally thank oscar wilde for the reminder that to define is to limit, tolkien for the reassurance that not all those who wander are lost, hozier for the promise that honey, there is no right way. you whisper that there will be a light, no matter the tunnel; you ease the burden of not knowing; you show me seeds waiting for spring where i supposed a grave to be.

the crows described using five of this quotes

Kaz

“And then there are the ones who stay awake, running through the trick again and again, looking for that skip in perception, the crack in the illusion that will explain how their eyes got duped; they’re the kind who won’t rest until they’ve mastered that little bit of mystery for themselves. I’m that kind . . . I love puzzles. Trickery is just my native tongue.”

“He knew exactly what he intended to leave behind when he was gone. Damage.”

“There was no part of him that was not broken, that had not healed wrong, and there was no part of him that was not stronger for having been broken.”

“Well, Brekker, it’s obvious you only deal in half-truths and outright lies, so you’re clearly the man for the job.”

“Would you?" asked Wylan, his chin jutting forward. "Trust someone with that knowledge, with a secret that could destroy you?" Yes, thought Kaz without hesitation. There's one person I would trust. One person I know who would never use my weaknesses against me.”

Inej

“You still may die in the Dregs." Inej’s dark eyes had glinted. "I may. But I'll die on my feet with a knife in my hand.”

“She was not a lynx or a spider or even the Wraith. She was Inej Ghafa, and her future was waiting above.”

“For some reason, those words had comforted her. Better terrible truths than kind lies.”

“I'm already a ghost, she thought. I died in the hold of a slaver ship.”

“"I'm not ready to give up on this city, Kaz. I think it's worth saving." I think you're worth saving.” . . . She would fight for him, but she could not heal him. She would not waste her life trying.”

Jesper

“Facts are for the unimaginative,” Jesper said with a dismissive wave.

“There was a long silence, and then, eyes trained on the notch they’d created in the link, Wylan said, “Just girls?” Jesper restrained a grin. “No. Not just girls.”

“That sound - the swift, shocking report of gunfire - called the scattered, irascible, permanently seeking part of his mind into focus like nothing else.”

“Take good care of my babies,” Jesper said as he handed them over to Dirix. “If I see a single scratch or nick on those, I’ll spell forgive me on your chest in bullet holes.”

“If any of you survive, make sure I have an open casket,” Jesper said as he hefted two slender coils of rope over his shoulder and signalled for Wylan to follow him across the roof. “The world deserves a few more moments with this face.”

Wylan

“You’re not weak because you can’t read. You’re weak because you’re afraid of people seeing your weakness. You’re letting shame decide who you are.”

You’re our chemist, Wylan,” said Nina hopefully. “What do you think?” Wylan shrugged. “Maybe. Not all poisons have an antidote.” Jesper snorted. “That’s why we call him Wylan Van Sunshine.”

“You know, Wylan, one of these days I'm going to stop underestimating you.” “There was a brief pause and then, somewhere ahead, he heard Wylan say, "Then you're going to be a lot harder to surprise.”

“Until this moment, Wylan hadn't quite understood how much they meant to him. His father would have sneered at these thugs and thieves, a disgraced soldier, a gambler who couldn't keep out of the red. But they were his first friends, his only friends, and Wylan knew that even if he'd had his pick of a thousand companions, these would have been the people he chose.”

“What do you like?" "Music. Numbers. Equations. They're not like words. They ... they don't get mixed up." "If only you could talk to girls in equations." There was a long silence, and then, eyes trained on the notch they'd created in the link, Wylan said, "Just girls?”

Nina

“Nina stopped laughing. “I am going to turn your teeth inside out.” “That is physically impossible.” “I just raised the dead. Do you really want to argue with me?”

“You aren’t a flower, you’re every blossom in the wood blooming at once. You are a tidal wave. You’re a stampede. You are overwhelming.”

“They were twin souls, soldiers destined to fight for different sides, to find each other and lose each other too quickly. She would not keep him here. Not like this.”

“Nina just liked to flirt with everything. He’d once seen her make eyes at a pair of shoes she fancied in a shop window.”

“What do you want, Kaz?” “You have crumbs on your cleavage.” “Don’t care,” she said, taking another bite of cake. “So hungry.” Kaz shook his head, amused and impressed at how quickly Nina dropped the wise Grisha priestess act. She’d missed her true calling on the stage.”

Matthias

“Nina, I am with you because you let me be with you. There is no greater honor than to stand by your side.”

“Do not be afraid. Fear is how they control you. There's so much in the world you don't have to be afraid of, if you would only open your eyes.”

“I’m trying to compel you to kiss me.” “That’s foolish.” “Why is that?” “Because I always want to kiss you,” he admitted.”

“They fear you as I once feared you,” he said. “As you once feared me. We are all someone’s monster, Nina.”

He doesn’t approve of anything about you. But when you laugh, he perks up like a tulip in fresh water.” Nina snorted. “Matthias the tulip.” “The big, brooding, yellow tulip.”