If Someone Makes You Happy, Make Them Happier

#and then crowley came up with something

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Although often taken for granted, Google Earth is an incredible feat accomplished by mankind that people 300 years ago would have considered completely mental.

29 adorable animals with rare and interesting markings (x) 

Movie Rec: "Jab We Met" (Bollywood)

“Jab We Met” is a pretty traditional romance narrative at surface level, which is also quietly but very effectively subverting a lot of the common romance tropes.  It’s one of my favorite Bollywood movies, but it’s rarely one that I use to convert people mostly because it isn’t a movie that could only exist in Bollywood.  It’s a pretty universally awesome romance narrative, all around. 

HOWEVER, there is an aspect of it that makes it more subversive given the cultural context, which is that the heroine, while wanting a romantic happy ending for herself, wants one that’s traditionally frowned upon by her culture.

While the narrative starts with the premise of a Brooding Hero meeting his Manic Pixie Dreamgirl, that’s where the similarities end.  Because we find out a lot more about Geet, her hopes and dreams, and her family than we ever do about him.  One of the only things we do know about him is that at some point in his childhood, his mother ran off with another man because she didn’t love his father.  The language used to describe her elopement will give you an idea of just how huge of a deal elopement is in this culture, and what kind of social disgrace Geet is possibly setting herself up for by wanting to elope. 

However, the movie has Geet identifying with the mother pretty early on, and before the movie ends, this turns into an epic commentary on women and their choices and about doing what makes you happy rather than following social conventions that stifle you.  So the most important thing we DO know about him still becomes about her.  <3 

I never have much to say about men in fiction, but the male protagonist of this movie is one that I quite like.  He spends a good part of the movie being in love with her, but never even telling her, because he sees that as his own issue, and nothing *she* should be burdened with.  Like, he has ZERO need for his feelings for her to be validated or returned.  Which NEVER happens in romance narrative (except for in “Pride and Prejudice,” and that’s why it’s my favorite.)

And Geet!  <3  Geet is one of the most self-assured and confident heroines I have ever come across in any narrative.  She knows what she wants, and she has no hesitation or doubts about how she’s going to get it.  She has a strong sense of self that briefly wavers in the face of the utter force of everything that’s against her, but comes back stronger than ever. 

This is, by all means, set up as a narrative where the heroine would Learn Her Lesson about Wanting Unconventional Things, but the entire movie sets out to show HER way of life as the correct one, with everyone around her adapting to her worldview.  Even though the specifics of what she wants for herself change, she still gets the exact kind of happy ending she set out to chase for herself.

 I also love her need to create drama and constantly strive to write out a more interesting narrative for herself than the one life would otherwise give her.  She reminds me of Jane Austen’s Emma Woodhouse or Catherine Morland, except that both of these women had to learn a lesson about Needing to be Serious/Mature (from the men they loved), while Geet keeps on being herself, and the guy has to change himself to adapt to her viewpoint.  <3

Like, the speech that both Emma and Catherine get from the Men Who Love Them and Know Better?  Geet gets that about halfway through the movie, only to totally set the guy straight, and that is literally the actual moment he falls for her.  BECAUSE SHE REFUSED TO SUBSCRIBE TO HIS WORLD VIEW.  And then he subscribes to her awesomeness.  You should, too.  

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Tum se hi

Aankhon mein aankhen teri, baahon mein baahein teri, 

mera na mujh mein kuch raha, 

hua kya?

Baaton mein baatein teri, raatein saugatein teri, 

kyun tera sab yeh ho gaya? 

Hua kya?

Dedicated to the brilliant @ferociouspompom , for being my fave person in the whole wide world. Geet has nothing on you! ;)

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ACADEMIC PHRASE BANK MASTERPOST: CONNECTING WORDS FOR ESSAY WRITING

Addition

To begin with, 

In the first place, 

Firstly, 

The first reason

Additionally

Furthermore, 

Another reason why

Secondly, Thirdly, 

Next, 

Pursuing this further, 

Also

Lastly, Finally

In the same way,

Comparison

Similarly,

In the same way,

Likewise,

As with,

Equally,

Contrasting

On the same contrary,

However,

Nevertheless,

On the other hand,

Even so

Alternatively

At the same time

Otherwise

Instead

Conversely 

Result

Hence

Therefore

Accordingly

Consequently

Thus

As a result

In consequence 

For this reason

For this purpose

Time

Meanwhile

Presently

At last

Finally

Immediately

Thereafter

At that time

Eventually

Currently

Subsequently

In the meantime

Importance

Importantly

Especially

Above all

With attention to

Example

For example

For instance

That is

Such as

As revealed by

Illustrated by

Specifically

In particular

For one thing

This can be seen by

An instance of this

Literary

Clarifies

Conveys

Depicts

Demonstrates

Determines

Displays

Emphasizes

Establishes 

Explains

Exemplifies

Highlights

Illustrates

Indicates

Potrays

Represents

Shows

Signifies

Suggests

Beginnings/Causes/Effects

Affects

Generates

Ignites

Impacts

Imposes

Influences

Initiates

Introduces

Involves

Launches

Leads to

Presents

Promotes

Prompts

Results in

Summary

In conclusion,

To sum it all up,

To summarize,

In the final analysis

You can see why …

Finally,

To wrap it all up,

Therefore,

In summary,

In short,

In brief,

Aziraphale once decided to gift Crowley a plant, because he knows that Crowley likes them, and it’s all good, except, Crowley can’t put the fear of, well, himself into this plant. It is a gift from Zira, after all.

Crowley: YOU ALL, YOU’VE DISAPPOINTED ME. GROW BETTER!!!

Crowley, turning to the plant that Aziraphale gave him: not you, sweetie, you’re doing great

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tropes i will never get tired of

fake dating

omniscient narrator who immediately contradicts the characters (“This is fine,” she said. It was, in no way, shape, or form, fine.)

deadpan jokes while swordfighting

the “I FUCKING LOVE MY WIFE” guy

oblivious pining that slowly escalates until A is going on page rants about how pretty B’s eyes are but still doesn’t seem to recognize they’re in love

Strong Leader Type having to physically fall down in order for the other characters to see how exhausted they are

funny villains who talk and make jokes with their heroes while they’re fighting them

the villains presented as the protagonists

*increasingly pulls out bigger and bigger weapons from more unlikely places*

“I said all of your weapons” *pulls out more*

“ALL OF THEM” *pulls out one last tiny dagger*

traumatized character using humor to cover up ptsd

characters going out for a break at a restaurant/movie/whatever and something bad happening

using the “*gasp* what’s that over there???” trick to avert the enemy’s attention and it working

a villain’s weakness being something totally random and nonsensical

a hero duo arguing over who’s the sidekick while fighting a villain

“don’t be silly, we don’t need [important thing]”  “you lost it, didn’t you?”  “yeah”

“what’s the one thing I told you not to do tonight?”  “raise the dead”   “and what did you do?”  “raised the dead”

“I think that went pretty well” *explosion in the distance*

I still think it’s hilarious that Crowley canonically slept for decades and centuries just because he could and apparently not a single one of his superiors tried to interfere? They’re known to demand regular updates of his demonic activities and apparently Crowley’s absence doesn’t make a difference at all. Crowley really is a shitty demon and I love him

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tickety-boo?

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