Grumpy Martyrs

[grumpymartyrs]

Here's a dump of why Donna is so important to me as a female character and why I want characters like her in EVERY show.

First of all, she's not feminine. Or intentionally masculine. She's literally just a woman who doesn't give a shit, but also doesn't have to give a shit. She wears no makeup, her style is plain and utilitarian, there's literally nothing extra in what she wears — which obviously is somehow dictated by her role and the fact that she lives in a fucking haunted horror town, but anyway. Her hair is shoulder length, which is literally the most unintentional genderless style to me, because shorter hair would probably suggest butch more stereotypically, longer hair would be stereotypically more feminine and, more importantly, impractical.

She's not beautiful either. You wouldn't call her ugly or anything, but 'pretty' is just not her category. I also really like the fact that she's not skinny, and she wouldn't be this cool if she were skinny, because there's this unapologetic, physical presence about her that implies strength.

And yet, which is really important, she's not unshakable. She doesn't just do everything on her own, she isn't 100% confident. Moreover, she's breakable, and it's been shown many times. She has feelings and worries, but it's the fact that she struggles that makes the viewer see her as strong. There's also nothing special or 'heroic' in an action way about what she does, she's just doing what has to be done, and this is so much more, because it's real and even relatable.

Second (or third, or wait, where was I?), to the great joy of my asexual ass, there's no romance implied, involving her. As much as I love the headcanon that Donna is a lesbian, I'm happy that she doesn't have an explicit partner in the show and all of her relationships are based on respect rather than attraction, and it's just so good.

Finally (or maybe not, because I could actually talk about her forever), her interactions with Boyd really are the heart of this show for me, because 'two people who dislike each other but have to work together to survive and thus turn into something close to friends but not quite' literally is my favorite trope.

[grumpymartyrs]

I'm 99% sure Donna's gonna die and 100% sure I'm gonna weep if that's the case.

[grumpymartyrs]

If you think this show has destroyed you, wait for the next scene — it will destroy you more. It will absolutely annihilate you.

[justdonotaskmewhy]

Camilla Macaulay would stan princess Diana

i will (not) elaborate

[grumpymartyrs]

They are the same person in different universes

[grumpymartyrs]

'So is this what you’ve been doing, Minister, shut up in your office, trying to break open a Snitch? People are dying, I was nearly one of them, Voldemort chased me across three counties, he killed Mad-Eye Moody, but there’s been no word about any of that from the Ministry, has there? And you still expect us to cooperate with you!’

‘You go too far!’ shouted Scrimgeour, standing up; Harry jumped to his feet too. Scrimgeour limped towards Harry and jabbed him hard in the chest with the point of his wand: it singed a hole in Harry’s T-shirt like a lit cigarette.

It wasn't Harry’s tone or accusations that made Scrimgeour lose his temper here; the "too far" was the mention of Alastor Moody's death. Because Harry could blame anything on Scrimgeour, call him incompetent and worse than Umbridge, tell him that he imprisoned the wrong people, etc, but Scrimgeour just won't let this arrogant child taunt him with the name of the man he knew for decades longer, the man who he fought with side by side, and the man that he was probably mourning a lot more than Harry could imagine.

[grumpymartyrs]

Not making Scrimgeour a dictator is such a waste of potential. It could have been a ruthless wartime ministry; martial law, auror raids everywhere, Harry Potter taken into custody for protection, all previously convicted Death Eaters officially wanted.

Instead of "How are you any better than Fudge?" it could have been "How are you any better than Voldemort?" — and the fall of this totalitarian Scrimgeour's ministry would have hit so much harder.

[grumpymartyrs]

IMHO, it would be so much more realistic, considering he was basically head of elite magical military forces, I mean, even with luring Harry in the ministry, he definitely knew some psychology having worked with top magical criminals of Britain. But for the sake of Harry's pov we got him playing the "Percy Weasley came to visit his family" trick.

[grumpymartyrs]

If one person reblogs this, I'm doing a detailed analysis of Scrimgeour's acting in the Burrow scene from HP6.

This is a threat.

[grumpymartyrs]

Not making Scrimgeour a dictator is such a waste of potential. It could have been a ruthless wartime ministry; martial law, auror raids everywhere, Harry Potter taken into custody for protection, all previously convicted Death Eaters officially wanted.

Instead of "How are you any better than Fudge?" it could have been "How are you any better than Voldemort?" — and the fall of this totalitarian Scrimgeour's ministry would have hit so much harder.

[grumpymartyrs]

IMHO, it would be so much more realistic, considering he was basically head of elite magical military forces, I mean, even with luring Harry in the ministry, he definitely knew some psychology having worked with top magical criminals of Britain. But for the sake of Harry's pov we got him playing the "Percy Weasley came to visit his family" trick.

[grumpymartyrs]

Not making Scrimgeour a dictator is such a waste of potential. It could have been a ruthless wartime ministry; martial law, auror raids everywhere, Harry Potter taken into custody for protection, all previously convicted Death Eaters officially wanted.

Instead of "How are you any better than Fudge?" it could have been "How are you any better than Voldemort?" — and the fall of this totalitarian Scrimgeour's ministry would have hit so much harder.

[major-knighton]

Edmond Dantès and Jean Valjean are like opposite ends of a spectrum of "how does this 19th century French prison escapee who likes to wear disguises and fake identities a lot deal with his trauma?". And neither of them are doing it well, but they're still doing it in opposite ways.

[ladymoonstardust]

guys Im fucked everywhere I go Victor Hugo just bumps into me

[grumpymartyrs]

I always hated it how the movies treated minor characters, particularly Rufus Scrimgeour who was erased from "The Half-Blood Prince" and whose role was basically reduced to bringing Dumbledore's will to the Trio.

I especially hated it how they didn't even mention his heroic death. Until today.

I may be imagining things (I most certainly am imagining things), but if you look at the dark times speech scene, there is this tiny moment right at the end of it

showing Scrimgeour standing alone in the Atrium

facing the crowd of reporters

with their cameras clicking loudly and all those flashlights that resemble... spells?

Could this be an allusion to the Fall of Ministry? I doubt very much that it was intentional but you know what

now I'm going to see it as one.

[knitepercival]

The aftermath of attempting to cuddle Chauvie

[grumpymartyrs]

Chauvie's evil "job done" face made me reblog this