^-^

[beenbones]

Eughhh soggyy >-<

[targetedknowledge]

[mellifexfarm]

[beenbones]

🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳

[rylandsgrace]

💀

[eizneckam]

I love Sam but the Sam glazing by LOTR fans has to stop.

[ach-sss-no]

#and if you don't understand that frodo gollum and boromir are the most important characters in that story i feel like you're missing something

I sometimes find it genuinely alarming when people don't seem to understand what Frodo's role in the story is or why he's like that. I do understand that Frodo's struggle is mostly internal and he's not the POV character and Sam is way more visible and relatable, so I'm not shocked that Sam is generally liked better. but sometimes it goes way beyond 'I prefer the more active and personable character', it's more like Frodo walks into the story 'hello I am a person who is not physically strong taking on a burden much too difficult for any living person because I want to do the right thing but i'm struggling intensely because it's difficult' and people look at that concept- which is not really that complicated!- and go 'what the heck is this? ew'

[eizneckam]

It's also like... listen, guys. "If Sam had taken the Ring-" the quest would have failed because he would have killed Gollum. I feel like people don't understand that this is a severe flaw of Sam's. He's a nice boy with a good heart but he just does not have pity in his heart until it's too late. Sam's inability to understand why Gollum acts the way he does dooms Gollum's redemption to failure. Unlike Frodo, who perseveres in the (vain) hope that Gollum can be redeemed, Sam does not until near the end of the book - when Gollum attacks the pair on the mountainside, he spares Gollum because, having carried the Ring now, he "dimly" grasps at what it would really mean to be Gollum. It's too late, though, because his earlier mistrust of Gollum has already set him against the hobbits for good.

And I know, the scene where the Ring tempts Sam with being "Lord of the Garden" is funny and awesome, but people forget that A) Sam had been wearing the ring for all of a couple days (compared to Frodo's 17 years in the book), and the Ring was clearly desperate and at the end of its tempting rope. Tolkien himself said that "no-one", not even Sauron himself (if he were inclined to do so), could destroy the ring at Mount Doom. The temptation at the ultimate moment would be too great. In fact, in the initial draft, this is exactly what happens to Frodo - the Ring shows him a vision of him using it to protect and save the hobbits from Sauron, and that's what causes him to finally put it on. (Presumably, Tolkien cut this because it didn't make sense for Frodo to narrate this moment.) So Sam's vision doesn't seem so ridiculous or out there now.

And ultimately, the whole point is that Frodo fails. He gives up everything on this quest he knows he is never going to come back from. He keeps going when it's obvious to him that they're all going to die. He keeps going when it's obvious he's not up to the task and never was. The fact that he only stumbles at the very end should be seen as a testament to his mental fortitude, not a failing. Frodo is all of us. We all love to think we would be Sam, or maybe Bilbo, or maybe Faramir wisely saying "I would not take it if it lay by the roadside" (note how Faramir, the smart guy, refuses to even look at the thing - in fact, notice how all the people who best "resist" the Ring's temptation do it by simply removing themselves as far away as possible from it!). But in reality, we would be Frodo. We wouldn't be up to the task, because who would? Instead, what saves Frodo is not his heroic willpower, but his mercy. Because he took it in his heart to have pity on Gollum, a fellow hobbit corrupted and twisted by the Ring's power (just like Frodo), the creature is there at just the right moment to destroy the ring. That's the message of Lord of the Rings. You have to understand that, right?

[mergimergi]

She's stimming I'm not polishing this catgle any more i have assignments on track waiting to stab me in the back.

[catsbypawty]

the cool s, the crudely drawn penis, and the among us crewmate are in a beautiful poly relationship on the inner door of the bathroom stall

[moniquill]

[beenbones]

🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐓🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔

[diala7sblog]

Even $10 can make a difference in their lives and bring a smile to their faces, my friends.

I wish you a happy year filled with joy, success, and happiness. Please don’t forget us. Thanks to you and your donations, I am able to feed and clothe my children. Make it a year of goodness for you, and start it with a good deed. Please share or donate, my friends.

Donation link 👉 HERE

(#715) @gazavetters

[savemosabfamily]

I will not forgive anyone who sees this post and ignores us.

I am writing these words with tears streaming down my face. I can no longer bear this pain. My wife is suffering from a severe deficiency in vitamins, especially vitamin D, and she urgently needs surgery to save her life. Her body is growing weaker day by day, malnutrition is stealing her strength, and I stand helpless watching her suffer.

All I wish for is to see her alive and healthy. Please help us provide healthy food, her medications, and fund the surgery that could save her life.

Even if you cannot donate, please share this post. Every support, every word, could be the difference between her life and death.

Vetted by #520

[todaysbird]

[kat0ninetails]

@medusaoddball happy tpigeon Tuesday

[medusaoddball]

tboys & tgirls shudder when tpigeons walk in

[beenbones]

pgn

[beenbones]

Crumbus!!!!!! 🦋🦭🦭🦭🦭🦭🦭🦭🦭🐬🐬🐢🐳🦎🎄

[dogpuppy]

[its-axel]

I hate the attitude this fandom has about Whirlpool so I'm gonna talk about it.

TWs for discussion of Pedophilia

Also, don't just judge this post based on the title. Actually read it.

So if you're in this fandom at all, you know about Whirlpool. And chances are you're aware of the absolute unbridled hatred that the fandom has for this character specifically. Whether it's in a serious manner, or in a joking "EWW KILL HIM" way, you've likely witnessed it at least once within discussions.

Personally, in a vacuum, I don't see anything wrong with having comedic hatred towards a character. It can be fun to goof around. The issue I have comes from when these goofs turn into judgement against real people, widespread mischaracterization, and double standards.

MISCHARACTERIZATION

Let's start here since I believe this to be the root problem of this whole thing. You've probably heard something on these lines of; "Ew I hate Whirlpool he's a pedo." I'm gonna come right out here and set this straight.

WHIRLPOOL IS NOT A PEDOPHILE. HE IS A PREDATOR.

Let me explain. Whirlpool does not like Anemone, and he NEVER HAS.

He is, by definition, not a pedophile. Allow me to get pretentious for a second with some definitions.

If the pedophile label were true, Whirlpool would at least be seen being affectionate towards her in some manner, or at least any remotely positive advances. Whirlpool is only ever seen acting patronizing and antagonistic towards her.

Doesn't this work better? If influencing a vulnerable young dragonet with incredible magic potential to lose her soul, and making her aware you've hidden a dagger on an island specifically for her to challenge her mother with isn't exploitation of some kind, I don't know what is. These are all things he'd done in order to secure his future in being king. Some very nasty and shifty tactics. Does this make his predation and exploitation of this 3-year-old (or his mentioning of Auklet) no longer weird? No. Don't get it twisted, It's still weird. But don't forget his entire motivation for this is power. Not romance.

I'm just so tired of people thinking that he's attracted to her and using that as a weapon against anyone who expresses non-hatred for him.

Wow what a great segue let's move into;

JUDGEMENT AGAINST REAL PEOPLE

Whirlpool has this unique characteristic within the fandom that I haven't seen with any other character to an even remotely similar degree. That being if you express any sort of opinion of him that isn't negative, you get hit with suspicious tones, accusatory questions, and (metaphorical) judgemental looks. Now, I can get a feeling of where this attitude could've sprung from. Considering how widely his mischaracterization spreads through the fandom, there's more than one case of actually weird people using this incorrect interpretation to feed their own immoral fantasies. And I will not be defending these people. But it's also important to note that this is not a majority of people in the fandom, nor is it a majority of people who like Whirlpool. As always in these spaces, It's a loud minority that you may hear dramatized ghost stories about. And these people perpetuate the Mandela Effect-esque mischaracterization of Whirlpool as a result, which then, again, results in the actually normal people who enjoy this character for what he is being lumped in with the degenerates. All of this just creates an auroboros of dogshit and I hate it.

But you know what the most frustrating part of this is?

DOUBLE STANDARDS

You know, whenever I see a post about whirlpool with a non-negative tone, I always see OPs feeling like they have to clarify "Obviously I don't support his actions" as if he's a real person who's done the most reprehensible shit in the series. You know who's done objectively worse shit, and are objectively worse people than Whirlpool?

I'm not trying to use this as a logical fallacy or anything. I genuinely do feel like there's a double standard with character discussion in this fandom considering all the shit the above characters have done, and not once have I seen a post discussing any of them where the poster feels the need to clarify they "don't support their actions" in fear of being judged, criticized or looked at funny. Half of these characters have a rather large fanbase and are many people's favorites, and to my knowledge/experience, they've never been treated the same way.

I really think we should just have a more chill attitude about Whirlpool and people who don't hate him, or even people who like him. We shouldn't have to have a lengthy discussion about morality and whether or not you're allowed to like him every time he's brought up in a non-negative way.

CONCLUSION

Now, I may have a different view/criteria for enjoying characters than other people in this fandom. For me, as long as they contribute something to my experience and don't actively detract from my immersion or enjoyment, I can comfortably say I like them or am neutral with them. I wouldn't say there's a single character in this franchise I overtly dislike, so my feelings on Whirlpool are not an outlier in my mind. If anything, ruminating on all this for so long has unearthed a newfound appreciation for him and his contribution to the story. So, to cap things off, I'm gonna list off some things I like about Whirlpool in no particular order.

He's an absolutely unapologetic loser. Pretends to know everything about everything even when he doesn't. I love losers.

He contributes far more to Anemone's character arc than a lot of people give him credit for. He briefly haunts the narrative of book 9 and gives Turtle and Anemone something to bond over, being their fear of turning to violence. His death kicked off Anemone's new character direction and something to heal from.

His audio book voice is funny.

He's an absolute suck-up to Coral which is entertaining to read

He's just such a cunt I love him lmao like look at this

My Final Statements;

Just take it easy, dude. If you're not worried about stating your love for Scarlet or Blister or Wasp, you shouldn't be afraid to show your potential appreciation for this little shit either. And if someone tries to get all snippy with you about it, just show them this post. And if they keep going, block 'em. We could always do with more critical thinking in this fandom but it's also important to sometimes just let yourself enjoy things without worrying.

And if you still don't like him?

That's fine, and who cares? Just as long as you don't dislike him for the wrong reasons and you don't judge people who do like him, you're entitled to your own opinion and I think that's fucking awesome.

Rant over. Thanks for tolerating my yapping.

[beenbones]

To be honest when i read the books i didn't get an inkling that his interest in Anemone was sexual or romantic at all and the fandom is the first time I've heard it mentioned like that. Marriage was always treated as a tool for political use with the royal dragons so I feel like it's pretty clear cut that Whirlpool is just a power hungry sack of slime

[shalmonsdraws]

honkin yappin

[transmortifried]

genuinely fucked up that if i want to interact with someone online i have to say words and have a conversation instead of just mashing my face against them like a cat

[anakachow]

reblog to mash your face against your mutuals like a cat

[beenbones]

ř

🤨