Knives Out (2019) Dir. Rian Johnson

it is interesting that for all the talk of “fixing” padme and making her “more than a weeping wife”, the idea of padme choosing to die while pregnant remains this huge taboo. post after post about freeing her from sexist writing, and ppl still can’t imagine a padme separate from her children. her ultimate purpose remains motherhood. padme refusing motherhood/being unhappy in motherhood is taken as a total impossibility. it has to be sith life force draining, it has to be the force choke, it has to be bad space gynecologists (??). it can’t be that a mom lost the will to live despite her babies. that doesn’t happen!!

It's so so important to show badass female characters being moms. It's important to write intelligent cool female characters with deep inner lives also being good parents to their kids. It's actually essential to the future of our society, I think.

Because when people either a.) write mothers as only there to play supporting character to the kid, or b.) write badass women only choosing to be childless, it sends the message that being a mom is for lame loser women who don't have or deserve personalities and lives. And who would want to be that?

And it's not impossible. We do it all the time for men, male characters frequently get to be awesome and also be dads. There's even a whole trope about Badass Dads raising Badass Kids while they trek across the post-apocalypse or whatever. Why can't we give women the same treatment?

Do you have a favorite little quirk of Harrys or trait that he has?

Thank you so much for asking, I have several.

1. His cavity-inducing sweet tooth is something that can be tracked throughout the series, and it's something that I find overwhelmingly endearing ( if only because it's the one part of childhood he does cling to no matter what ). Harry's favorite food is treacle tart, unrivaled in its use of sugar.

2. While Harry is mostly touch adverse, conflating excessive touch with 'fuss' which he is known to hate. However, if he sees even a centimeter between Ron and Hermione you know he is going to wedge himself between it and make himself comfortable there. He does this so often and yet it makes my heart squeeze every time.

3. Owls in particular are treated for their utility within the story. Harry is often the only person that goes to visit his owl at the owlery, and he makes a habit of speaking conversationally to her in a way that we don't see anyone else ( save for Albus and Fawkes who we will lump in owl category for comparison's sake ). Hedwig is -- as he often points out -- his first friend and so he treats her as a friend first.

In general, if Harry sees an animal he's probably going to speak to it and there's also a chance he's going to pet it. I think that's neat.

I love nonfiction that I simply cannot relate to at all. "it's easy to get addicted to buying fast fashion! I used to spend thousands of dollars on it a year!" okay. you're a space alien.

Alternatives for 25 overused words in writing

1. Interesting- note worthy; thought-provoking; fascinating; attracting; appealing; attention-grabbing; captivating; gripping; invigorating; engrossing; engaging; electrifying.  

2. Beautiful- striking; stunning; magnificent; lovely; charming; gorgeous; radiant; dazzling.

3. Good- acceptable, wonderful, exceptional; positive; brilliant; first-rate; notable; stellar; favorable; superb; marvellous; prime.

4. Bad- awful; lousy; poor; unacceptable; crummy; dreadful; rough; inferior; substandard; atrocious; appalling; dreadful; defective.

5. Look- glance; fixate; observe; stare; gaze; peer; scan; watch; study; browse; eye; glimpse; review; inspect.

6. Nice- lovely; superior; pleasant; satisfying; delightful; likeable; agreeable; correct; adequate; swell; fair; okay; approved.

7. Very- extremely; exceedingly; exceptionally; immensely; tremendously; abundantly; particularly; remarkably.

8. Fine- satisfactory; worthy; respectable; exquisite; suitable; well; imposing; decent; admirable; praise-worthy; decent.

9. Happy- cheerful; delighted; pleased; content; amused; thrilled; elated; thrilled; ecstatic; on cloud 9. 

10. Really- genuinely; truly; honestly; actually; undoubtedly; certainly; remarkably; incredibly; downright; unquestionably; extremely.

11. Sad- miserable; gloomy; devastated; down at heard; distraught; distressed; dispirited; sorrowful; downcast; feeling blue; desolate.

12. Big- massive; huge; giant; gigantic; enormous; large; colossal; immense; bulky; tremendous; hefty; sizable; extensive; great; substantial. 

13. Shocked- taken aback; lost for words; flabbergasted; staggered; outraged; astonished; astounded; stunned; speechless; appalled.

14. Small- tiny; petite; mini; miniature; microscopic; minuscule; compact; pocket-sized; cramped; puny; undersized; limited; meager; modest; minute; pint-sized. 

15. Angry- irate; enraged; touchy; cross; resentful; indignant; infuriated; wound-up; worked-up; seething; raging; heated; bitter; bad-tempered; offended; frustrated. 

16. Know- understand; comprehend; realize; learn; perceive; recognize; grasp; sense.

17. Change- alter; transform; replace; diversify; adjust; adapt; modify; remodel; vary; evolve; transfigure; redesign; refashion; advance; transition; shift; adjustment.

18. Old- aged; ancient; matured; elderly; senior; veteran; decrepit; seasoned; venerable; past one’s prime; doddering; senile.

19. Think- ponder; reflect; conceive; imagine; contemplate; consider; determine; realize; visualize; guess/assume; conclude; envision. 

20. Funny- comical; ludicrous; amusing; droll; entertaining; absurd; hilarious; silly; whimsical; hysterical; joking; witty; facetious; slapstick; side-splitting; knee-slapping.

21. Go- move; proceed; advance; progress; travel; walk; journey; depart; exit; flee; make one’s way; clear out; get underway.

22. Give- grant; donate; hand-out; present; provide; deliver; hand over; offer; award; bestow; supply with; contribute to; send; entrust.

23. Get- acquire; obtain; receive; gain; earn; gather; collect; buy; purchase; attain; score; secure; take possession of; grab.

24. Easy- effortless; simple; clear; smooth; straightforward; uncomplicated; painless; accessible; apparent; basic; plain; child’s play; facile; elementary; cinch. 

25. Fast- agile; brisk; rapid; nimble; swift; accelerated; fleeting; high-speed; active; dashing; winged; hurried; turbo. 

Where does this idea come from that the Black brothers are all dramatic and theatric? Regulus writes sad poems and lies on the floor soaking in his teenage tears and sorrow, while Sirius makes up fancy insults and tries to look artistic, entertaining everyone around him.

None of what they did or said is really dramatic or theatrical.

Sometimes their words might sound a bit lofty, but that's because all the Blacks were raised in a family culture that was a bit "elevated". It’s not about them being "naturally" dramatic or theatrical; they’re brought up differently, part of a family culture where honour, dignity, and "knightly" behaviour are more than just empty words. As the saying goes, some are into painting, some into literature, and some into sausages the Malfoys.

So, it's not just personal; it's the upbringing imposed on the Black character. These attitudes don’t just appear out of nowhere; one isn’t born with them, yet all the Blacks (even Narcissa to some extent, and she’s got more guts than Lucius) have them. Honour means different things to them, but it is still honour. They all stay true to their ideals, what’s important to them, they are fearless, not afraid of death, and honest in their actions and thoughts. I think it’s more family than personal.

Both Regulus and Sirius are very focused on the concept of honour, though they see it differently. You could write this on their tombstones:

Mine honour is my life; both grow in one. Take honour from me, and my life is done. Then, dear my liege, mine honour let me try; In that I live, and for that will I die.

(I’m purposely ignoring whose words these are — it doesn’t matter here)

Regulus "I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more"

And Bella "You should be proud! If I had sons, I would be glad to give them up to the service of the Dark Lord"

And Sirius "I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for..." and "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS"

It's not about their personal theatricality; it's about how such people see the world. These people view the world through a lens where pride, honour, and dignity aren't just idealistic, they're real and ingrained structures that live within them. It's the morality of knights versus a utilitarian approach, choosing what's right over what's just beneficial.

The independence of the Blacks’ thinking leads to unique outcomes — each person has their own idea of what's "right."

Regulus isn't just a sad boy with poems, forced into a vile organisation, then betraying Voldemort out of immense pity and love for a house-elf. And Sirius isn't just an artistic dancer on the bar with witty insults.

Both Regulus and Sirius have very clear views of what's right and wrong. Sirius is incredibly brave, as is Regulus in his own way — joining the Death Eaters at 16 is brave and dangerous, but if it's the "right" thing to do, it's worth it. And if the "right actions" lead to the destruction of the entire line—well, you know... He writes such a letter believing he is dying with honour, in contrast to Voldemort, a dishonourable being who, indeed, views honour as nothing but an empty word. I believe Voldemort was quite adept at manipulating these notions of "honour" among some purebloods. Voldemort is utterly utilitarian.

The same goes for Sirius — his upbringing and ideals are mistakenly attributed to excessive drama and theatricality, as if he's some clown who deliberately makes up fancy insults and entertains the crowd by dancing on tables. This destroys the essence of Sirius, turning him into an aesthetic leech created for amusement and consumption (of attention, things, pleasures, etc.), and turning everything into an aesthetic object. Consumption and Sirius are completely opposite concepts. Nothing he does is for the Other; there's no theatricality in his actions, no fashion, no aestheticism for the sake of it, no consumption for the sake of consumption. Sirius is a man of Grand Concepts, as is Regulus.

angst with soulmates, my favorite genre <3 literally<3 <3

tag your results!

― Catherynne M. Valente, Deathless

So, been leaning into my headcanon of Catholic Blacks recently and been thinking about Sirius knowing about Regulus turning against Voldemort because Regulus confessed as much to his local priest, knowing that the course would result in his own death and fearing this would amount to suicide. Sirius goes to the priest, desperate for answers and while receives no specifics, gets enough to figure out that Regulus tried to back out. This picture is meant to be Regulus in his last confession.

I combined this with my own thoughts about clothing in the wizarding world. I believe the split when wizards went into hiding is some time not long after the Tudors, so I've run with a Tudor-esque outfit. Purples and greens are often mentioned and I think they'd be very fitting for a young Black. Stripped purple/pink and silver pantaloons because after a dream I had of Regulus in stripped trousers, its just too much fun to put him in them. His belt his black leather, with the family emblem in silver at the end. The cloak has crystals sewn into its outer edge to create a glittery effect. He has a ruff, because why not keep around such a funky it of neckwear? The rosary is gold, Whitby jet and malachite.