I love the idea that Nobby likes James; even sorta respects him! What about Nobby and Gordon? I bet Nobby isnt so impressed by bossy big blue babey Gord

Oop, started to respond and then saved this to drafts. And then I forgot about it. Sorry.

I didn't want to answer at once, though, because when I received this we were only about two-thirds of the way through Springtime, and I thought it would be better to talk about this after the story was over.

Because now you've had a chance to see Nobby bossing someone else around mercilessly — and then, on a dime, going into utter, catastrophizing meltdown the minute he himself suffers a mild indignity.

So I hope it makes sense when I say that Nobby and Gordon have some similarities!

Another is that Nobby actually was, in his youngest years, a similar sort of all-important savior-of-the-railway company flagship. His domain was much smaller than Gordon's, of course, but he had the same absolute primacy and pride. And much like the youngest Gordon it's really not that Nobby was a bad sort, but a fellow engine trying to make him see sense when he was on his high horse was just a fool's errand. (Nobby was a lot more respectful of human authority in those early years... which you may consider to make the situation better or worse, lol. He definitely had—and still has!—more of a temper than Gordon, though, and can be way pettier. The counterbalance is that he has higher ideals and a better ability to relate to other engines.)

A final thing they have in common is that they conceive of and hatch rather daring ideas. Leadership qualities run strong in them both.

Of course, none of this means that Nobby will recognize these similarities. Or that they will in any way dispose him to think kindly of the infant galloping sausage.

Hmm, I reserve the right for this to change as I write, but in general I just think Nobby doesn't at first take much notice of Gordon particularly (heresy, I know!). In the same era Gordon is arriving, so are several absurdly large new Sodor engines and to him they are all ill-mannered whelps.

He doesn't get as steamed up about any of them as much you might think, though, because they are fundamentally Not His Problem. His railway is undergoing Grouping at the time — he has bigger fish to fry. Anyway, if any of his lot were a fourth as rude as the Big Blue Bastards, he'd tear them to shreds, but that's because he knows they were taught better and he expects more from them. Nobby kind of regards Gordon in the at first as a sort of orphan. Not in the sense he pities him but that he kind of half despises him as a poorly brought-up urchin and half thinks it's a shame that no one did better by him.

Nobby has definitely at times told Edward, when Edward has the dubious fortune of bringing a train over the bridge, that he must really tell that Gresley to do this or not do that or to act in such-a-such way.

At which point you can imagine Edward just staring at him with weary disbelief. Nobby, you don't tell Gordon things... it's a waste of good steam.

Nobby thinks this is making excuses, lol. To his mind it's entirely Edward's responsibility to Coppernob all those lost boys into respectable engines. Put your frames into it, son.

I'm re-reading the Discworld series for reasons, and honestly the most relatable part of reading these as an adult is how many of the protagonists start out being tired, used to their little routine and vaguely disgruntled by the interruption of the Plot. Sam Vimes wants to lie drunk in a gutter and absolutely doesn't want to be arresting dragons. Rincewind is yanked into every situation he's ever encountered, though he'd much rather be lying in a gutter too. (Minus the alcohol. Plus regretting everything he's ever done said witnessed or even heard about fourth-hand in his whole life.) Granny Weatherwax is deeply suspicious of foreign parts and that includes the next town over; Nanny has leaned into the armor of "nothing ever happens to jolly grannies who terrorize their daughters-in-law and make Saucy Jokes"

Only the young people don't seem to have picked up on this---and that's fortunate, because someone has to run around making things happen, if only so Vimes and Granny and Rincewind have a reason to get up (complaining bitterly the whole time) and put it all to rights. Without Carrot, Margrat, Eric, etc. these characters don't have that reason; they're likely to stay in the metaphorical gutter and keep wondering where it all went wrong or why anything has to change.

............well, that's not quite true. You get the sense that Vetinari knows how much certain people hate the Plot. And as the person sitting behind the metaphorical lighting board of Ankh-Morpork, he takes no small pleasure in forcing the Plot-haters specifically to stand up, and say some lines.

i present to you for your consideration: luo binghe and sha hualing as roommates. also they're both going to be late to their respective dates

i think the turning point in my life both academically and professionally was realizing that. If you Go First, be it a presentation or an interview or whatever. If you go first, you are being judged based on NOTHING but yourself. They aren't comparing you to anyone else, you don't have an act to "follow". You are the Bar. You can literally just do the best you can and at that point it will automatically be the best they've seen so far. And once you're done you're done. You can mentally and emotionally check out.

Game changer insofar as being stressed about presenting because now I just bulldoze over everyone else to go first like a feral hog.

excerpt from "The Ozmapolitan" (Issue 5, Reilly & Lee, 1928) featuring Ozma's thoughts on becoming a girl

Early season 3 fuffy dynamic you are so precious to me <333

I always laugh when i think about the fact that my friends were all certain that i would love edgeworth because i had a thing for "pretty man with a flair for fashion" and "that bitch" type characters, but the second he updated the autopsy report i pulled my own turnabout and made him my rival in life and love instead

I think what makes asoryuu interesting to me is that Kazuma and Ryunosuke knew each other very little, since they only met one year before the game starts, they knew each other at a very superficial level.

From Kazuma's perspective this is probably the first time in his life where he could finally be around someone without feeling the weight of the 'mission' that ended up consuming his entire life. He can act his age and be silly around Ryunosuke, someone that doesn't know anything about his emotional baggage, and someone he's starting to form an emotional attachment to (and boi does this guy have emotional attachment issues), and he probably wanted to hang onto that for a little longer, hence his hesitation about telling Ryunosuke the truth about why he wanted him to come along to England in the first place.

But from Ryunosuke's perspective it's a little different. At first, he didn't ask a lot of questions (probably out of respect for Kazuma's privacy), he just waited because he trusts Kazuma to explain everything to him whenever he's ready. But then Kazuma 'died' and that was it. There was nothing he could do other than carry out his friend's legacy. And in doing so, he was pretty much creating (and hanging onto) an idealized image of Kazuma: someone who's perfect and noble and who would never do anything Bad. So when he finally gets to see what Kazuma is really like, it was only natural for him to be shocked. He's learning that Kazuma is none of those things, he's realizing that he never really knew him to begin with, and it's a lot for him to process.

It's not out of the question that one of his first thoughts is "maybe I was wrong about him all along, maybe he really did kill Gregson. He lied, after all. Who knows what else he's lying about." Ryunosuke is not an omniscient narrator that knows everything, and Kazuma was already hiding a lot of things from him, it's only natural for him to be suspicious.

I just don't think blind devotion works for their relationship? The last thing Kazuma needs is someone who will agree with him no questions asked and lets him do whatever he wants, what he needs is someone who's not afraid to call him out on his bullshit, someone who will help him stay grounded and level-headed, and that's why he needed Ryunosuke to be there as his rival in Barok's trial. He's the perfect person for this.

In conclusion: this ship makes me insane.

🦊: merry christmas! 🎄

✧✦✧ “Fragments” - episode 10 ✧✦✧

“In my darkest moments, I sing for courage.“

Vivi’s living my own dream of hearing Raha sing the Eternal Wind.

New reader? episode list on tumblr | webtoon

1000 notes is my personal arbitrary limit for the number of notes that means a post has already broken containment and therefore i can safely reblog it without feeling like i'm putting anyone on blast

the reason for all the marriage offers isn't because everybody wants a piece of that sweet sweet matoba power but because the old exorcist aunties think it's such a shame that some two-bit soap opera actor is stringing along that nice matoba boy. they just want to help him get over this unworthy charlatan who is clearly never going to give him the time of day. remind him there's other fish in the sea, sort of thing. matoba is taking longer than planned to fall in love with one of their grandchildren but they are not above leaving a little cursed voicemail here and there and one day, their efforts are bound to bear fruit. surely any day now.

shae-lynn bourne and victor kraatz, the ice dancers who invented the hydroblade around 1993.

(later adopted and popularized by singles skaters)

Jane Austen in Chapter 1 of Persuasion: We are all well aware of why a widow with a good fortune would never want to marry again. I’m not even going to explain its so obvious.

Now a MAN deciding not to remarry, that requires a full paragraph of explanation...

Come inside of my heart If you're looking for answers Look at the stars, go a little bit faster Date In The Woods Special (Come Inside of my Heart)