#I need to keep calm

[museenkuss]

Not to paraphrase Breakfast on Pluto but I have to ignore everything that’s happening because otherwise I might cry and never stop.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Happy Year of the Snake!

[independent-fics]

Rewatching “The 12-Step Job” and actually processing that Hardison and Eliot in the end are arguing who has to sit in the middle/next to happy pills Parker.

[cobaltfluff]

goro picks up a clingy nyakiren

[realfruittaste]

I saw this post a while ago, where someone pointed out to me, that mike interprets every fight he has with will romantically.

So, I was thinking about this, and yes! He always pushes back harshly “We’re friends. We’re friends!” “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!” which to me, either means that he knows Will is in love with him, which his reaction would then just be cruel OR there's some feelings there from his side too, and because of his internalised homophobia he deals with it in this way.

Viewing it from the perspective of a closeted gay/bi guy, he feels the need to enforce and emphasize a heteronormative perspective on his relationship with will, while actually he is the one viewing it from a homosexual lens. He feels this need to point out not only his own "straightness" but also Will's presumed straightness. He views and experiences every fight he has with Will romantically, similar to a fight you'd have with a significant other.

This is why the rinkomania fight remains the best byler proof to date because “We’re friends. We’re friends!” didn't make any sense! Because yes mike, obviously... Will was talking about y'alls relationship as friends... This could mean Mike is aware of his feelings for Will but is actively surpressing them. Which can be interpreted in one of two ways to me personally, namely Mike thinks Will is straight and his feelings are unrequited, or maybe Mike is scared of Will reciprocating?

I feel like that's an overlooked perspective, especially considering the time in which the story takes place, the 80s, during the aids crisis. Most bylers tend to assume that Mike isn't aware of Will's feelings, but what if he is? What if he has known this whole time, or maybe since some time before the rain fight? Or atleast prior to season 4?

In this case scenario, what if Mike is scared of his own and Will's feelings. Not only having the fear of whether Will would reciprocate, but also what if Will reciprocates. Maybe, both could be equally scary... Doubts about what if Will is actually straight and he misread the situation, but also being scared that maybe he is gay and they do indeed both like eachother, and where does that leave them...

Mike having grown up in a homophobic small town, growning up hearing and reading about gay people dying, in the tens of thousands, to aids which was often referred to as the "gay plague", the government doing very little to adress the situation, no gay marriage, obviously. The idea that he wouldn't want neither himself, nor Will to be gay doesn't seem far-fetched to me.

So, yeah… the idea that his internalised homophobia (which stems from fear) extends to not only himself, but also the person he's in love with (aka 'he isn't gay because I don't want him to be gay because if he is then I have to face my own feelings) is a perspective I haven't seen many other byler shippers talk about.

[screwpinecaprice]

Oh oof I slipped and hit them with dark and serious beam. 😣

[kit-screams-into-the-future]

drawing your favorite guys being silly is very effective at keeping The Horrors at bay

bonus doc from a different canvas:

[lesbiangiratina]

[aprilblossomgirl]

Hey? I thought you were with Jun. I cleared things up with him already, but I’ve got a new problem now. What is it? I don’t have your number. Huh?

ThamePo Heart That Skips a Beat | Ep.03

[kindaasrikal]

Do you think Cole used to help Nya with feeling comfortable in her own skin again and feeling flesh and bones, as well as acting alive again, whilst also helping her keep her form and be more conscious and sure of it after merging with the sea, simply because he gets it?

Ghost Cole you will not be forgotten.

[burningcheese-merchant]

Gut reaction to the CRK Pride 2025 Twitter post no lie:

In all seriousness though. I gotchu Anon #1, you can always trust me to be on top of Beast x Ancient news and Big Gay Reveals 🫡🫡🫡

Anon #2 is right though, people are getting too worked up over that tweet lol. Even if 2 of the pairs shown (EternalBerry and SeaMoon) have actual canonicity behind them, it's still just fanservice. It's a fanservice post. They did this last year, too, with Herb x Sparkling and ChiliRye and Espresseleine. Just trying to scrounge up likes on social media, it doesn't actually mean anything for canon. No sense in either throwing a rager or getting bent out of shape about it. Just smile at the ship additions you like and roll your eyes at the ones you don't and then go back to business as usual. CRK-onlys are so unbearable lol. CROB players aren't all that much better, but I feel like they've calmed down some in recent years and CRK players are just... a whole different animal. A lot of y'all are either children or have the mindset of children and it really shows loo. Living in some scary, horrifically parasocial and entitled times, indeed

I will say though. It's veeeeeerrrryyyy odd that ShadowVanilla isn't there. That ship is the new juggernaut in CRK. I actually raised my eyebrows when I saw they were missing. WildChip I understand, sure. But no ShadowVanilla? No Vanilla Milkshake? That's pretty crazy

cheesecakemermaid1048 commented on someone else's post about the Pride 2025 art saying that they heard that the English CRK social media manager hates ShadowVanilla and the art is just a big edit of the ships they personally like. Idk if that's true, but if it is, that is the funniest, most petty shit on this planet lmao

[phinnking]

"Entschuldigung, fraulein, but I really found that man intolerable."

honestly same Heinrich. i think you did us all a favour

[wired-heartbeats]

For the record I think Vox is being effected and possibly swayed by Val’s poison just like Angel is, the pink signifying it on Angel shows up on Voxs screen during and after interacting and being influenced by Val directly, when Vox is operating independently it isn’t an actual normal feature of his

This paired with an earlier moment from episode 2 when Val first mentioned something had happened with Angel Dust, Vox seemed happy about the idea of Angel quitting

“He quit? :D”

It’s interesting for sure, makes me wonder what Vox actually thinks about Angel, and more importantly, actually thinks about Valentino. He’s a business man, and clearly the Vees all teamed up (at least initially) because it helps elevate their status and power spread, they may be friendly with each other but we as an audience don’t actually know if there’s more to it as of now. But still, interesting

[sadagios]

im not sure to whom ill pair martyn for the au anymore because initially i wanted solidwood, then i got into renchanting, and now im rewatching lahast life and suddenly ahasbands is piquing my interest.

(watching all POVs of the AHA segment. i love how martyn was so distracted by the aha jokes that he made two crafting tables when he already had one behind him. i also got a headache from trying not to lahaugh)

c martyn is so shippable and i am so indecisive so if martyn ends up with so many boyfriends in the au (like canon) then im sorry in advahance

[respectthepetty]

The Heart Killers' Colors Parallels? - Ep. 7

Before I watch the next episode of The Heart Killers in a few hours, I need to sit in my truth — as far as episode seven I am concerned, Style and Kant are a Red Rascal and a Green Guy, but they've been turning blue as they fall in love with Fadel and Bison, so they can help them calm down. Therefore, everyone is being tamed.

Kant and Style are best buddies who are worried about each other.

And they should be worried about each other since they are living the same life!

Several people have pointed out that Style and Bison get along because they are both brazen while Kant and Fadel are taking care of their younger brothers and willing to do anything for them. The characters are the same text, but different font.

Style and Kant's (hit)men are in love with them (and they aren't faking it as much as they would like to believe).

Which can be seen by Fadel and Bison being surrounded by their men's true colors.

But that's the thing that keeps throwing me off about Kant and Style because I don't think they've actually hidden their true colors. Kant is a tattoo artist with a record, a younger brother, and a fear of the water. Style is a flirty mechanic whose mom died from cancer. The only thing they've really hidden from Fadel and Bison is that they know exactly who their guys are - hitmen.

Bison, who carries his poison in his ring, gets a necklace from Kant.

Fadel, who carries his poison in his necklace, is presented a ring from Style.

Style and Kant not only know their guys well enough to find their balance jewelry, but Style and Kant are Bison and Fadel.

Or at least them-adjacent.

Bison and Style truly believe in the power of love while Kant and Fadel . . . not so much.

But Fadel and Bison don't really think they know Kant and Style because they believe everything that has happened was part of a con, which is why I think Fadel and Bison are making Kant and Style into (dis)loyal Blue Boys.

People have pointed out that Black Brooder Fadel questioned Red Rascal Bison wearing red outfits in the beginning of the series only to end up wearing a red shirt, but I want to take it further because I find it more interesting that Kant and Style ended up in a pool and a lake wearing blue with guns pointed at them by Bison and Fadel who were wearing blue and red.

It's fascinating that when confronted by these two fiery brothers

That these two turned blue in places that hold water.

Because I think that's the true taming!

We started with the heat.

But maybe we need to douse that fire (you see where they are, right?! bathtub, pool, eh?).

And a chill Green Guy and a wild Red Rascal only made the fire in Fadel and Bison worse.

But if we had two calming Blue Boys . . .

Fadel and Bison would be a hell of a lot cooler.

Therefore, everyone is being tamed.

[luxaofhesperides]

For ghostlights: baby Ellie + tired Danny + Duke the baby whisperer?

He has no idea how his parents did it. 

Babies are exhausting. Toddlers more so. Any infants in the strange stage in-between? Doubly so. 

Ellie is wonderful and sweet and cute and such a terror that Danny genuinely has no idea how his parents managed to raise not one, but two kids. For all their eccentricities and absent-mindedness, he and Jazz turned out pretty well. Ignoring the whole halfa thing because that’s more his fault than theirs even if Jazz says they shouldn’t have created the dangerous environment in the first place.

That environment is exactly why Danny refuses to let Ellie go to his house in Amity Park. His parents say they’ve disabled all the weapons and ecto-sensors since he’s had to reveal himself as Phantom, but he knows that things slip their minds and if they can’t guarantee that the house is safe, then Ellie isn’t going in there. Simple as that. 

This means that they live somewhere else now. Danny had thought about it, during the hours Ellie was asleep and he was awake, exhausted and worn down to his bones, and took Jazz’s advice to accept Vlad’s offer of buying a house for him. Except he argued Vlad down to an apartment in a city of his choosing where he wouldn’t stand out too much and he would be safe, or as safe as he can be, from anyone trying to hunt down ghosts. 

So here they are. Standing in the empty living room of their new apartment in Gotham. 

Gotham may not be very safe as a city, but it’s good for two ghosts trying to pass as normal. 

Danny sighs yet again, and looks at the space he’ll need to fill. At least Vlad is footing the bill. It’s the least he can do for creating Ellie. Frostbite was the one who was able to stabilize her, though it was almost too late and resulted in her reforming as a baby, just one and a half years old. Jazz is the one who’s choosing most of the furniture, thankfully, so it’s something that Danny doesn’t need to worry about it.

It’s a new start to their lives and it feels so empty. So overwhelming. How did his parents do it? How do any parents do it?

Ellie smacks a small palm against his cheek and babbles lightly.

“I know, Ellie,” Danny says, giving her a tired smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll have this place looking good in no time.”

He adjusts her in his arms, then heads towards the bedroom. It’s the only room that has any furniture, and all that’s there is a bed, a crib, and a bookcase. There are a few boxes on the floor, labeled ‘bedroom’ and ‘clothing’ and ‘books’. Most of it came from his bedroom in Amity Park, but he’s pretty sure he caught Jazz sneaking a few things in before they closed the boxes and loaded them up into the car. 

“Can you be good for five minutes?” he asks Ellie. 

She babbles again and smacks his shoulder.

“I’m taking that as an agreement. Just let me open these boxes and start unpacking before you start causing trouble, okay?”

Ellie makes another sound, but it seems agreeable so Danny carefully lays her down in the crib and gets to peeling off the tape on the boxes. The opens the one labeled ‘bedroom’ first, finding blankets and sheets folded and stacked in vacuum sealed bags. One of them is his old childhood blanket, the one he carried around everywhere that was faded with age, barely blue, with white bunnies decorating it. 

He was so small when he had this. It makes him oddly emotional to unpack it and pass it on to Ellie, draping it over her so her pudgy little hands can grab at it. 

This is no time to cry, though! He forces himself to focus and makes his own bed, shaking out the sheets and fluffing up the pillows. He’ll worry about washing everything later; Vlad made sure to get an apartment with an in-unit washer and dryer, which means he was actually sensible while apartment hunting for Danny. 

He doesn’t mean to flop onto the bed once it’s made, but he ends up there anyways. He’s barely gotten a full six hours of uninterrupted sleep since Frostbite deemed Ellie healthy enough to leave his care. The drive up to Gotham was long and wore him down to his bones.

He doesn’t mean to fall asleep, but he does, drifting off as he wonders, distantly, when Jazz will be back from getting them dinner.

Ellie wakes him up at dawn with a loud cry. Danny jolts awake, heart pounding in his chest as he panics because Ellie isn’t here, she’s supposed to be in his arms, where is she? And then he sees the crib, where Ellie is staring at him through the bars, and he nearly collapses with relief. 

“Morning, El,” he says, voice rough from sleep, as he picks her up. She just stares up at him, then leans forward and rests her head against his shoulder.

It’s quiet moments like these that make his heart melt. Ellie’s had a hard life already; he wants to give her a better one, this time around. 

A quick check of the time on his nearly dead phone shows that it’s barely past six in the morning, and Jazz texted him a few times. All about furniture, saying that she didn’t want to wake them and that food is in the fridge. 

It’s only the mention of food that makes him realize how ravenous he’s feeling. Danny makes a beeline for the kitchen, ignoring everything else, and pulls out the boxes of take-out Jazz left stacked in the fridge. He devours it like he’s been starving for weeks, then gives Ellie her Ecto-Jello, the only food she’s allowed to eat until Frostbite gives the okay for solid, human food. 

Once he’s got her burped and cleaned up, Danny looks out of the kitchen and realizes that Jazz was very productive while he was asleep. The living room isn’t empty anymore; a dark green couch is against the wall, a low, rectangular coffee table made of dark wood in front of it. Two armchairs are on both sides of the couch, and a television has been installed, fixed into the wall. 

Jazz is asleep on the couch. Her legs hang off an armrest and she’s drooling slightly. 

Her phone is charging on the floor, so Danny takes it and snaps a picture of her for later teasing, then sends it to himself and writes a note to her that he’s going out with Ellie to explore the neighborhood.

He’s finally feeling more settled, energized from sleep and food.

In the warm dawn light spilling in through the windows, Danny looks down at Ellie and thinks that they’ll be just fine after all. 

. . .

Four months ago, Danny had hope. He was optimistic. 

Gotham was a fresh start, a new lease of life for Ellie. It is Danny’s attempt to be a single parent, sacrificing college for Ellie, and he’s planning to go out and beat the gangs black and blue if they start anymore shootouts in the next year.

He had just gotten Ellie to sleep. She was actually peacefully taking a nap.

And then a drive by shooter raced down the street, gunshots echoing down the road, and Ellie work up crying. She still hasn’t stopped, despite how Danny rocked her, soothing her as best he could.

They had been outside when Ellie fell asleep, her head on his shoulder. He had been catching up with Sam and Tucker when the car drove by, people ducking and crying out to avoid the bullets. Danny instinctively covered Ellie and made them both intangible, saving them from any stray bullets, but they ruined her nap and he needs to make them pay for that. 

“Shh,” he soothes, “You’re okay. We’re both fine. It’s okay, El, it’s okay.” 

Her little hands clutch at his back, twisting the fabric of his shirt, and she lets out a heartbreaking wail. He pats her back, hurrying down the street to get back to his apartment building, ignoring the looks people were giving them as they passed by. 

“I know it was scary, but you’re alright. You’re always safe with me, El.”

Ellie’s cries down down a little, but they don’t stop. She whimpers, burying her face against his shoulder as he finally reaches their apartment building.

The door’s locked, which wouldn’t be a problem except Danny can’t get his keys from his pocket. He knows he has them! But his pocket refuses to relinquish them and he has to stop every few seconds to pat Ellie’s back, trying in vain to calm her down. 

“We’ll be inside in a second,” he tells her, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice, “as soon as I can get these freaking keys!”

“Hey, you alright?”

Danny startles, whirling around so fast it makes Ellie go quiet, clinging to him so she doesn’t get flung into the air. There’s a guy standing before him in a gray hoodie, looking at him with clear concern. It speaks to Danny’s level of constant exhaustion that he hadn’t clocked someone sneaking up behind him. 

The guy offers an awkward smile. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you or anything. Um, do you need me to open to door? I live here too.”

Danny wonders for a moment if this someone dangerous, someone hoping to hurt Ellie, but she starts to cry again and he steps to the side. “Please. I can’t get my keys.”

“I’m Duke, by the way. I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”

“Danny,” he replies, watching as Duke pulls out a large key ring, jangling with the amount of keychains on it, and easily opens the door. “I’ve been here a few months, but I’m usually inside. Or walking around in the mornings with this little monster.”

“That would explain it,” Duke says as he holds the door open, letting Danny in first. “I’m usually in classes at GCU, but I decided to take a mental health day after my lab, so here I am.”

Danny walks in and waits for Duke to follow, making sure the door closes properly behind them. “Thanks. How is GCU? What do you study? I was thinking of going there myself once she gets a little older and can go to school.”

“Oh, I’m majoring in English and Human Services.” He goes to say more, but Ellie wails again and Danny winces.

“I’m so sorry. That drive by woke her up and it’s really rattled her.”

“Hey, no need to apologize. I get it, Gotham is rough to kids.”

Danny tries rocking her back and forth, but it doesn’t help. He resigns himself to another hour of her crying before she exhausts herself, and makes for the stairs, going up to the fourth floor. Duke holds open the door again, then follows after them. It makes Danny wonder if Duke is planning to do something to them, then decides he can beat Duke in a fight, so it’s fine.

Duke doesn’t try to hurt them or steal Ellie away. He opens the door to their floor and stops before they do. “I’m in here,” he says, “If you ever need me to open more doors.”

“Thanks. Um, actually, I might need help opening mine?”

Duke just smiles and makes his way back to them, following them farther into the hall until Danny stops in front of his apartment. 

“If I could just get my keys,” he starts.

“Here, let me hold her for a second so you can get them,” Duke offers. Danny wants to insist that it’s fine, but Ellie cries directly into his ear and Danny, at the end of his rope, passes her over. 

Like magic, Ellie settles as soon as she’s in Duke’s arms. She sniffles and hides her face away, clutching to Duke’s hoodie, but she stops crying. They both go still, surprised, and stare down at her. 

“Seriously?” Danny says as he finally pulls out his keys, “Are you trying to say that I’m the problem?”

Ellie babbles lightly, and Duke turns his head to futilely hide his grin.

He grumbles as he unlocks the door and pushes it open. Ellie is acting as if she’s never been upset before a day in her life, making herself at home in Duke’s arms. 

“I can’t believe this. Betrayed by my own blood.”

Duke laughs as he follows Danny into his apartment, lightly patting Ellie’s back. “It’s always the smallest, cutest ones that do this.”

“Yeah? Do you work with a lot of kids or something? Used to being betrayed by the little ones?”

“I don’t work with kids per se,” Duke says, “But my foster family is a hot mess and the youngest of them likes to keep us all on our toes.”

“Family,” Danny says in a tired, fond tone.

“Family,” Duke agrees.

With his door open and Ellie calm, Danny’s ready to just lay face down on the floor for the rest of the day and not deal with anything else. He moves to take Ellie back, holding his arms out, and Duke tries to pass her over.

The key word being tries. 

Ellie tightens her grip and kicks at Danny. She refuses to be taken away from Duke, making him awkwardly try to pry her off his hoodie. Danny really hopes Duke doesn’t notice how she goes slightly intangible to make his hands fall through her arms and legs. It shouldn’t be noticeable, but it’s hard to focus on anything but a kid that clings to you, so Danny holds out for Duke’s goodwill and silence.

“As nice as it is to meet you, you need to go back to your… parent?” Danny nods when Duke looks at him in askance. “You need to go back to your parent. Okay? Come on, kid, he’s waiting for you.”

Ellie shakes her head, makes a frustrated noise, and then turns and reaches out a grabby hand towards Danny. 

She still refuses to be taken from Duke when Danny tries to pick her up again, so he settles with just letting her hold two of his fingers. 

“I’m so sorry about this,” he says to Duke, face burning. This is why he hasn’t been going out and being social since he moved in; Ellie is a handful even on the best days, and Danny doesn’t want someone to judge him as unfit to parent her and have her taken away.

Duke shakes his head, stepping closer. “It’s all good, man. I don’t mind. It’s not like I had any plans today. I’m already skipping my classes, might as well spend it with you two than sleep all day.”

“Are you sure? I’d be happy to invite you in, but I know Ellie can be a lot and not everyone wants to spend their day off with a baby.”

“I’m sure. Besides, I’d just be down the hall anyways. It’s no skin off my back, man.”

“Well,” Danny says, stepping to the side to give Duke full access to his open doorway, “Come on in, then.”

Ellie keeps them connected, one hand in Duke’s hoodie and the other holding Danny’s fingers, and though her cheeks are still red from how hard she had been crying, she’s calm now with her eyes shining with mischief. 

As the door closes behind them, Danny realizes that this is the first time someone he’s not related to has been inside his apartment. Not even Vlad has come in, always choosing to invite Danny and Ellie out for lunch instead. 

It should make him nervous, but Duke is calm and easy going and kind. 

He’s making silly faces at Ellie to make her laugh, completely at ease with her in his arms, as if he’s done this a thousand times before. 

Gotham is a second chance at life for Ellie. It’s a sacrifice for Danny, to be alone and without friends or family around. He’d been ready to give up everything for Ellie, to focus solely on raising her, but with Duke filling his apartment with laughter, he thinks that he can make a life here too.

All he needs to do is take that first step, reach his hand out, ask Duke to stick around.

He can do this.