(Source: willliamgraham)

hanjizoe:

so i don’t talk about armin a whole lot, which is a shame because he’s actually really great. i mean, he fulfills the snk requirement of initially seeming cliche before CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT and EXPOSITION take place (other notable examples: mikasa, eren, jean, sasha, krista, etc). but once you actually start thinking about who he is and why, it’s like HOLY SHIT THIS KID IS TERRIFYING and i also want to hug him because wow what a sweetie

basically i love how him not being a very skilled fighter and having more intelligence/interpersonal based talents is never disparaged by the narrative. it’s made clear that he’s valuable—he saves eren’s ass almost as much as mikasa does by simply talking people down (this happens on a good 2-3 separate occasions). he uses his intelligence to actually DO stuff—he’s the one to figure out the identities of the various titans, and to come up with plans to catch them. in other words, a smart guy who’s actually smart.

but in-universe, he has 0 self esteem and constantly beats himself up for his weakness. which also really makes sense! in case you weren’t clear on this, the world is a cruel place. only the strong can survive (seriously this was really subtle and you might have missed it. you’re lucky i’m here to hold your hand). it makes sense for him to feel so worthless because in his world, it is very likely that if you can’t physically fight off your enemy it will eat you. there’s no reasoning with titans—it’s kill or be killed. and as someone who isn’t so great with that whole business, and constantly runs the risk of being dismembered and ingested because of that fact, the whole angst about being useless kind of makes a whole lot of sense.

but then character development. once he saves mikasa and eren’s lives using that very skill set he thought made him weak, he realizes that they don’t view him as a burden. it’s a touching scene! armin gains some self confidence, he starts to come out of his shell. cake for everyone.

but that’s when we really start seeing that armin is morally ambiguous as fuck. he has the same kind of issues as eren, your friendly neighborhood nine year old psychopath, or mikasa “why is the corpse talking?” ackerman. seriously, this kid starts talking about moral relativism and the necessity of sacrificing individuals so the many can survive and it’s like… holy shit. he’s not all sweet and innocent. not completely. his life didn’t just make him feel worthless, it also forced him to harden.

obviously armin isn’t bad. he remains one of the kindest guys in the series, but you can just see the wheels turning in his head—“this is the reality of my world. this is what i have to do.” what i love so much about snk is the complexity and ambiguity of its characters, and armin is no exception.

(Source: zoehange)

hannibalsprotege:

I saw this gif and had to post this xD!

fuckyeahjasontodd:

cornflakepizza:

So Batman #15 was kind of amazing. There were a number of subtexty BruJay instances within this issue that made me smile, but these two panels alone just had so many gay great things about them that I had to give them their own post.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR BATMAN #15

The context of these two panels is that Bruce (who has been knocked unconscious) is dreaming about himself waking up with his family around him. The entire scene takes place in Bruce’s imagination.

1. So first off, the dream itself is pretty obviously focused on the idea of Jason - who was brutally murdered by the Joker - gaining retribution by being the one to deliver the clown to justice. Joker killing Jason was one of the most significant experiences in Bruce’s life, so the fact that his fantasy of the ideal resolution of Joker’s recent criminal spree is Jason getting retribution is both heartbreaking and touching.
   
   
2. The other main topic of Bruce’s fantasy is his entire family getting along and being at his side. Really, the only thing that makes this scene actually surprising and different from Bruce’s lived experience is the inclusion of Jason, since the other characters all get along relatively well with Bruce and each other. Bruce’s idea of his ideal family is literally just one where Jason is finally reunited with the rest of the gang.
   
   
3. In his fantasy, Jason is the one to capture Joker, save the Alfred, and save Bruce himself. Jason literally saves the day, and basically all by himself in Bruce’s fantasy. Jason “saving” Bruce is a theme that shows up numerous times in the comics (usually in reference to his time as Robin), but here Bruce’s imagination goes so far as to make Jason saving him literal.
   
   
4. What really stands out to me is the fact the the entire scene revolves around Jason. Dick is talking about Jason; Damian is talking to Jason; and Jason is talking to, well, Bruce.
   
   
5. Which brings me to my next point: in Bruce’s fantasy, Jason solely talks to Bruce. He ignores Dick, ignores Damian, and instead is directly focused on Bruce himself. Wow.
   
   
6. In the second panel, Bruce imagines Jason pulling Tim out of Joker!Alfred’s way. This symbolizes the way Bruce sees Jason as fundamentally good and compassionate, even if Jason himself sometimes doesn’t see it that way. For all of their disagreements about tactics, Bruce views (and will probably always view) Jason as ultimately a good, compassionate, caring human being. He essentially idolizes Jason, and by juxtaposing his actions against the rest of the family being essentially useless, Bruce presents him as his moral center and potentially the most compassionate and commendable member of the bat family.
   
   
7. Bruce’s fantasy of Jason’s actions become especially significant in the context of what the rest of the family does. Dick, Barbara, and Damian just sort of flip out of the way of Joker!Alfred’s axe, but Jason actually acts the way Bruce would, which is that he tries to save the others around him. Yet again, the focus of Bruce’s imagination is solely on Jason, as Jason is the only active member of the family in that scene. Well, other than Joker!Alfred.

I could continue on and talk about the way that Bruce spends the rest of the issue growling at Jason, the way that Jason’s presence acts as a physical and upsetting reminder for Bruce of how the Joker’s latest killing spree could very well end, and how Jason’s death was the result of the last time Joker attempted to attack Batman/Bruce (as Barbara’s shooting was Joker’s attempt to attack Commissioner Gordon, not Batman)…but I think I’ll just save that for another post.

Just to add one final thought to this excellent essay: Bruce’s dream sequence shows Jason capturing the Joker, not killing him. Very important aspect as well (and all so perfectly in character).

lern2speell:

Haha, Damian you’re such a little shit

You mad? Damian thinks outside the box. 

knightwing:

!!!!!!!!!!

I obviously need to catch up quick.

discowing:

fyeahlilbitoeverything:

My favorite part.

“And you meet the impossibly high standards of beauty I expect from all my co-workers.”

(Source: fyeahlilbit2point0)

fuckyeahjasontodd:

rambosaysso:

Okay, I’m off to bed. But I just wanted to note…see how Jason caught Damian? Whilst shooting bad guys.
Best bit of that panel. Its the subtle things that matter.

Yeah, that’s right, Jason saved Damian even after the crowbar incident. #Jasonprotectsinnocentpeople. #Jasonprotectsallkids #writingJasonright 

Reblogging because it’s Jason’s birthday and there’s so many Robins in one panel.

Evil Witch Yuuko

lusilly:

satosexual:

The Avatar League

ASAMI AS HELENAAND LIN AS RENEE AND MAKO AS BROOOOOSE BRUCE AND BOLIN AS DICK AND TENZIN AS KAL??

YES

THIS IS THE BEST THING I’VE SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE

LIN BEI FONG AS RENEE MONTOYA I CANNOT

spitfiretime:

I can see Barry’s going “That’s my boy” in his head

Wally breaking the 4th wall.

odinsmightymustache:

flatbear:

dead-logic:

I just read this very interesting article:

Why Loki Won in the Avengers.

Warning: spoilers. Make sure you’ve seen the movie first before you read this.

Mind: Blown. It always bugged me that Loki was so careless about drawing the Hulk out, knowing full well he could be beaten by the creature. This is just…ahhh. AHHH.

YES

loki-cat:

joebloodyhunter:

The firebender running around offing everyones parents is a time-displaced Amanda Waller trying to create a new Batman.

It’s so obvious.

Come on.

I could get behind this.