#but I really don't lie here

[antimony-ore]

Do you ever get upset that when you whine no one seems to listen, but when people who are perfectly fine and/or literal scammers whine they get like 50 bucks, head, and a kitten?

[tridentkickflipper123]

[glitter-stained]

Woke up a hater today so shout-out to those three for failing beautifully at their goal:

Special shoutout to:

-Jim Starlin for trying to portray Jason as a bad kid and portraying a good kid with sensible issues considering his past trauma, who cares about victims and doesn't accept rapists getting away scot-free on technicalities

-Chip Zdarsky for trying to convince us Jason was always the one (and only one) in the wrong and feeding us a classist narrative and portraying Jason "accepting responsibility for his death" as a show of maturity, and instead portraying an accurate rendition of an abusive family dynamics

-Chuck Dixon for somehow, despite hating women and not wanting Dinah and Barbara's relationship to be interpreted in a romantic way, writing fun and intense super homoerotic Dinahbabs and feeding my lesbian ass

They really were right that minus times minus equals plus: the least favourite character of your least favourite writer can sometimes become your favourite character (if only that had worked for Morrison and Daniel too...) And Dixon's is just the funny, why are you writing blatant homoerotic stuff then getting mad it's pointed out lol (also shout-out for the artist of the infamous Dinahbabs panel, they truly understood the assignment.)

[diyasgarden]

merry christmas, please don’t come

“Oh, golden boy, you shined a light on our home and at your best you were magic we were sold. But don't tell 'em what you told me. Don't even tell 'em that you know me.I would rather burn forever”

from “Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call” by the Bleachers

“What do you mean Patrick isn’t coming?”

Art doesn’t know how many times they’ve had this conversation. (He stopped keeping track after the fifth time)

Memory loss, a dwindling attention span, and blanking. All problems the doctors said his grandmother would struggle with after her stroke. He’d expected difficulties with remembering her routine or where she was. Even the people around her. General things, he could walk her through. Not something so specific. And frankly, considering all the things she could forget, this feels like a cruel joke.

He lets out a steady exhale, stepping closer to where his grandmother stands by the small fir covered in lights, tinsel, and other markers of the Christmas season. Sebastian, the old tabby, is nuzzled right by where his grandmother placed the small, wrapped box under the tree, looking up at him with a cautious gaze.

“He isn’t able to come this year,” Art repeats, reaching to the home-made popsicle candy cane ornament hanging at arm’s length on the tree. It was the decoration he made with Patrick when he came to visit Christmas in 2000 — the first of a long line of ornaments they’d make together for the holiday. 

His grandmother lets out a gentle, albeit unbelieving scoff as she shakes her head. “He always comes,” she remarks, a blatant dismissal of Art’s words. 

His thumb rubs aimlessly over the painted birchwood decoration, as he looks back at her with a tentative gaze. She wasn’t wrong, Patrick would always come for the holiday. After spending Hanukkah with his folks, he’d fly out to the midwest by the twenty-fourth and spend the rest of winter break with him. “For a proper Christmas experience” he’d tease, although Art knew that he just didn’t want to be at home.

Now it’s the twenty-third and he was nowhere in sight. 

“Well he isn’t this year, grandma,” Art sighs, eyes quickly darting back to the tree. The ornaments he made with Patrick are there on nearly every other branch. His thumb presses down harder on the candy-cane popsicle, continuing it's steady back and forth motion, as his eyes jump from one decoration to the next.

Her eyebrows knit and she looks down to the present she placed for Patrick, Art’s gaze trailing behind her’s. In smooth, cursive black sharpie, the word “Pat” is written on top of the metallic red wrapping paper. It's small enough that Art can’t figure out what it is, but its presence may as well take up the whole room. 

“Did he say why?” she suddenly asks, instantly looking back up to him. 

The question is ironic. As if Patrick had any say in the decision. As if he chose not to come. Really Art should just say "he isn't welcome here" and move on. But that's an over simplification in itself.

Art turns his head up to her and settles with: “He’s busy.” 

t wasn’t a lie. The last time he checked, Patrick was somewhere in the Mediterranean, probably trying his luck with the European tour. Or at least that’s what Art gathered from Patrick’s recent facebook posts. (He allowed himself a peek every once in a while to keep his curiosity at bay)

His grandma takes in a soft inhale, looking back down at the present. Sebastian moves away from the box to rub against her leg with a purr, and she looks down at the cat, before shrugging. “We’ll keep it in case he comes.” 

He supposed the danger of going no-contact with Patrick meant that his old friend really had no way of knowing what Art expected.

And Patrick always had a tendency to see what he wanted.

we'll keep it in case he comes

Suddenly, Art feels a sharp poke in his hand, and he turns back to where his finger holds the popsicle stick decoration to see a splinter in his thumb.

He stares at it for a moment and then yanks the decoration off the tree.

It’s around midnight when he goes to properly handle the decorations.

He tip-toes down the stairs, cautious to avoid Sebastian on the railing who is already looking at him with an accusatory gaze. If it wasn't for the cat's general hatred of him, he'd assume it knew exactly what he is about to do. When he walks to the kitchen to grab a trash bag, he can hear the cat hiss. Drawing out an eye roll as he creeps towards the tree in the living room.

The place is only illuminated by the yellow-toned string of lights on the tree, and he just stands there, taking in all the ornaments he is about to take down. 

Some wash pin-figures

Couple of snow globe bulbs

Many paper snowflakes. 

And the candy cane popsicles.  

He lets out a deep exhale before quietly pulling each decoration from the tree and placing it gently into the trash bag. He moves quietly and focuses his eyes on the motions of his hands, not allowing himself to look at any ornament longer than he has to. Only Sebastian’s displeased purrs filling the room.

By the time he’s done, his stomach churns at the sight of the tree now mostly decorated by store bought figures, tinsel, and lights. It’s a foreign sight he keeps looking at, up and down, until eventually the little present with the cursive “Pat” written on-top catches his attention. 

The metallic red wrapping of the little box reflects the Christmas tree lights back like a kaleidoscope. Art just stares down at the sight, still unsure of what the present is. 

Hesitantly, he bends to the floor and gingerly reaches for the box, picking it up in a sluggish motion. It fits into the palm of his hand, and makes no noise. There's a certain weight to it that he can’t place. and his thumb deliberately runs against the tape of wrapping paper.

Then with the same sluggish movement from before, he puts it back down underneath the tree. His hands flex against where he holds the trash bag, and he remains on the ground. Eyes tracing the loops of his grandmother's handwriting and the fractured reflections of colored light.

When he eventually pushes himself to go back upstairs, he puts the bag in the back corner of his closet. Tucking it away behind some old duffle bags from his time at the academy before dragging himself to bed.

Patrick posts a photo of a Turkish marketplace on the twenty-fourth. Somewhere in Istanbul. Or Izmir.

Art doesn't really care where.

At least he was right about it being the Mediterranean. 

authors note: this is me fighting the art donaldson hater allegations!! not really sure how i feel about this, but i think of art and patrick everytime i hear this song and knew i had to write a fic based on it for them. although i did change the line for the title, just so it would fit better with the final product. many mixed feelings on this, but i hope you enjoyed it!! tell me what you think!!! and if you want an edit of artrick to this song...check this out!

art credit: from the December 1960 issue of the new yorker

[imagine-to-be-a-pike]

Look me in the eye and tell me that Mu Qing didn't adopt some random orphan in those 800 years. Exactly, you can't, and even if you did, there's no way I'd believe you.

[gamebunny-advance]

Most Inane Rambling Yet

Sorry I haven't been around. Just been feeling *weird* lately. I'm just not connecting with my hobbies right now.

That said, I did go ahead and pick up "Date Everything" recently.

I don't have the "fandom brainworms" for it the way I did NSR, but I am burning through it pretty heavily. (But, I do that for literally EVERY game I own. There's a difference between my fandom brainworms, and the "consume literally every piece of content that exists for this thing" brainworms. They can overlap, but less often than you'd think.)

Anyway, I've got a lot of thoughts about it, but this is the most inane one:

(Frank discussion about sex past this point. Also, spoilers for Date Everything.)

Despite being a game where you can ostensively date and/or f*ck anything, it seems actually kind of unkind to objectum people.

Granted, it's not a community I have a lot of experience or knowledge about, but despite the premise of the game, it does seem to shame you a bit if you actually want to fuck your furniture.

Not *heavily*, but there is some built-in disdain for the concept. If you bring it up to Skylar (responding with "What if I actually want to fuck the furniture?" when you ask her if that's what's actually happening in the more "intimate" scenes), she reacts in disgust to this. It's not like an "Oh... okay..." kind of dismissal that I think would be expected from the tone of the game, but she reacts with actual disdain for you if you answer like that. Like, this is probably meant to be self depreciating humor, like, "Hey, isn't it crazy that we're insinuating that you're actually fucking your furniture?" without realizing that there are in fact people that want to fuck their furniture unironically.

Like, you can absolutely think that's weird. I'm just in the camp of, "If it's not hurting anybody, then let people do what they want." It just strikes me because otherwise this game is basically about the power of empathy. Most characters are treated sympathetically, in spite of their flaws. Very few characters are taken as "jokes" or shamed, even if their disabilities can initially present themselves in humorous ways. Distinct exceptions to this rule are the characters that present as non-human, even with the dateviators.

The first is Sinclair the sink. Most of the player character's reactions to Sinclair are dismissive at best and outright aggressive at worst. I guess because the player is supposed to assume that he's just a liar rather than someone that's actually struggling with insanity. In reality, he's suffering from drug-induced confusion, but I don't think that should make him a less sympathetic person. And I think they only thought they could get away with this because he is less anthropomorphized than the other characters.

This is a man struggling to make sense of who he is right now, and the player's kindest action to him is just to figure out the cause of his confusion. You are never given options to sympathize with his situation, just try to solve it. It irks me a little because very few of the mental health focused routes expect you to "fix" the person. They usually respect that "fixing" those sorts of problems isn't possible, or at the very least is gonna take a long time to overcome. The best ending for a lot of these is just giving those characters the tools they need to help cope with their bad mental health and/or support them through their journey as they work out their problems. With Sinclair, the player character is never written to actually be supportive of him. He's essentially treated as a puzzle box as part of someone else's quest, instead of a person in need *because* he is a sink.

Second is Dishy, whose gimmick doesn't need additional explaining, but he is nonetheless a less anthropomorphized character that is treated as a "joke" option specifically because he is less human. Don't get me wrong, it's funny. The commentary about invasive smart-appliances is topical, and the evil mascot character is basically a staple at this point. But that doesn't change that he's a joke-character *because* he is a dishwasher.

But, if you want to be totally fair, (at least as I recall), sex-scenes with these characters aren't written any less sincerely than the others. So at the very least, the game does *let* you fuck them if you want to, and it is still described sensually. But it's shaking its head disapprovingly as it does so.

And I wanna make it clear, I'm not offended by any of this, and I don't know if actual objectums would be. I can't really say that the game is "punching down" because objectums are such a niche and unknown community. It's the kind of thing that would sound ridiculous to the average person, and is thus a source of comedy. And, these characters are funny. It is funny that I get to have a boss battle with my dishwasher and then willingly fuck it afterwards. It is funny when the sink-man breaks the 4th wall to tell you to get him off the character introduction screen. It is funny that both of their human forms are decidedly off-putting on purpose to further emphasize that they are very different from the others.

I just think it's weird that a game about fucking your furniture shames you if you want to fuck your furniture. But I think the idea that I'm even taking it that seriously is the most inane thing I've done in a while.

Nonetheless, these are my honest thoughts about the situation.

[teh-nos]

u know what though... i don't think this facepalming is for the witnesses in the room, but i also don't think it's an "oh no, thor's so stupid" facepalm, i think it's a "why the fuck did i do that?" one. i don't think loki especially wants to invade jotunheim, he just thought it'd be a laugh to get thor to do it, but then oh shit thor is actually going to do that so now he needs to sabotage it somehow (telling the guard) but also:

"shit, i've fucked this up, haven't i?" it seemed like such a good idea two minutes ago. couldn't help himself. wouldn't it be funny if? but now they have to go to fucking jotunheim and he could so easily have just not done that. oops! facepalm time!

[brw]

Assorted Ororo and T'Challa moments from Black Panther V6 by Ta-Nehisi Coates

[timothyslucy]

they really weren't kidding about the rom-com vibes in this season.

[soo-won]

Nobody is asking Yona to sacrifice herself or stay with the dragons forever. That's not why ppl are upset with her imo. What's disappointing was that when the gods say Kouka would turn into hell, we didn't saw any hesitation in her. She could've argued w them or showed some determination like: "hey, I won't let you play with me or my country no matter how hard you try" something she did while zeno was trying to kill himself. But no she's like oh hell sounds fun as long as I'm with my family. She even hesitated when Hak's life seems at stake. So what does it mean? And there's is a difference between her running away from the gods vs Suwon not depending on the gods. She's ok to enjoy the blessings but when it comes to pay back, she's running away. Yona acted like a selfish brat like she used to be in the castle, which is disappointing if we consider her development in the past

I'm not gonna lie in this case I feel like people are just looking for something to be mad at her. Like, in chapter 257, I was more bothered by Yona not hesitating because the consequences of that decision were 100% assured and known : all the dragons of the past waiting and suffering in vain until the current generation. And the whole time paradox twist was a lot to process and swallow in a few pages, that Yona's reaction felt sudden too. I wanted to see her hesitate then because I was affected as a reader by the twist that it was technically Yona that made the cycle happen? Even if from her POV it was about not erasing the past like damn that's a lot.

But the circumstances are not the same at all here imo. Yona has been in this chalice for like an entire volume. She tried already to negociate with the gods. It didn't work. They went against their words. They hurt the dragons. She tried everything she could here. They're basically bullying her, they keep tormenting her, she's not getting through them at all. Yona is affected and upset when they tell her about the dragons' limbs. She came here to begin with to save them, she made a deal with the gods that made her stuck inside the chalice against her will but supposedly in exchange of the dragons being freed, and now she realizes that even that failed and that they lost body parts. It's devastating. And Yona looks sick of it. From this point, it's clear to me she realized it's useless trying to get anything from them, because she won't. They're only toying with her and her feelings. All she can do is leave with them and defuse. There's NOTHING she can do more from the heavens, she can't ask the gods to save the dragons and even less protect Kouka.

Yona has been having nightmares about natural disasters and wars breaking out since chapter 257, she's already past hesitating about this too. So I don't mind she doesn't hesitate for it here. Yona in chapter 257 was scared of even falling asleep because she was scared of this future where she's all alone and it's hell everywhere. But she can only stop it by facing it and standing against it. It didn't happen yet, she has to keep her eyes open... She already learned this lesson. As we've seen with Yona protecting Hak from Zeno, her nightmares can be prevented, but this won't be if she stays still in heavens. Staying in a peaceful garden and shivering because intervening outside could cause more problems is much more like Yona of the beginning before her development, than Yona leaving to live in Kouka and fight against problems arising there. Yona was told her existence and actions were a pain that could create more problems at different occasions, and her conviction has always been to make her own place in the world anyways. Before she asks for the gods' divine protection, she should face her own fears and try to do something herself...that's how she always worked. She has always refused to rely on the gods alone.

The motif of living outside and in not the most comfortable place but finding purpose in getting through struggles together has been a thing forever that Yona's reaction about life outside being preferable only seems natural to me. I don't know... Her hesitating here would have felt redundant and would have surprised me. Yona has long ago developed the conviction that she finds more purpose in life in the struggles and difficulties because of all the people reaching out their hand to help, than her peaceful and confined, lonely days in the palace. She always found more purpose in helping people on the ground than to take decisions from above. Even in the castle and south kai arcs it was visible how she wanted to go help prisoners herself, and the way she went to rescue Meinyan shows it well too. I don't want her to hesitate for this. She already said she'd rather live in the mud in chapter 263 too. That's the most Yona thing ever imo, it makes me happy personally. It doesn't need to be said she's concerned for others, and she will keep running to their help to do something with her own hands. I don't need her to hesitate because personally I have no conflicted feeling about the situation and I think Yona is 100% right, here. I have no doubt she is intelligent enough at this point to say this too.

You could argue it would have been better if she had a speech like the one she had in chapter 43, and I can't argue about that (it's true it's very good!). I can understand, I just personally don't need it, because the fact chapter 43 exists is enough in itself to me and the present automatically resonates with it and everything before. I can't be mad at Yona not saying word for word "I'm going to save people struggling outside" because I already know that. I personally don't need that reassurance at this point.

The chapter shows her being concerned for Kouka and everyone on Earth when she flies on Ouryuu's back. Yona always planned to return from the chalice for everyone and everything she left behind on Earth. Of course she's concerned. She wants to bring her friends back from the chalice AND help everyone in Kouka. She promised Yun she would come back with everyone, she planned to return to Suwon too and not abandon her duties as Princess. All these things exist inside of her. Anyways, Yona doesn't need to tell the gods to stop toying with her country like she did with Zeno before too, because the ways things are presented, it seems like it's not like the gods cause this on purpose either? It's a consequence of everything going to shit, and it's also Ouryuu who is on her side talking to her before she says she prefers hell than here. So she doesn't reply angrily, she replies with hope. That's why that page is beautiful too, imo. The gods might not see and understand the value in such a world that Hiryuu and Yona are so fond of. But they can't help but love this messy, "hellish" world. Talking angrily to the gods didn't work in ch263/264 either, so I feel like it was also her trying a different approach when she told them she would live in Kouka maybe? Like she doesn't want to let herself be affected and be upset by them and she simply, intransigently voices her intentions to them?

You say you don't want her to sacrifice herself and stay with the gods forever, but also accuse her of "running away" from the gods and call her a selfish brat for her reactions in this chapter, so I really don't understand your point here. How on earth is Yona supposed to not depend on the gods in this situation but by not making a deal with them? Staying in Heavens, contract done to protect Kouka from doom and ending it at that (because she would be stuck there) would be truly the coward move imo. Yeah she's turning back and trying to get out of Heavens but... it's...good to stop moving forward and further if doing so brings you to extreme loneliness and/or death I think...? I think that's the point...Getting desperate, leaving everything behind and sacrificing more and more of your true wants and isolating yourself has been a pattern that never brought anything good to the characters that tried before. She struggles and things didn't happen as expected, many things are still unresolved, but she can only do so much in this situation. She tried. She tried discussing with the gods, asking them to free the dragons, to let her out. It didn't work, it was a blow on her when they forced her under a sea of flowers, when they tried torturing Zeno, and when she learned the dragons got injured. From that, she adapted and tried to leave. That's it.

I think Yona wavering when they threaten to kill Hak and what it means is pretty simple and is no secret. Yona loves and cares about Hak. Hak is someone important, personal and intimate to her, so obviously she's not unaffected. Yona from the very beginning has been trying to get stronger and do all she could to protect Hak again and again. Losing people dear to her is what scares her more than anything, it always has been so, even if it coexists with her caring about the world around her too. And you know, even if Hak is special to her, I honestly think that if the gods had threatened the lives of the dragons and not only their limbs, Yona would have been affected too. She would have also faltered had they threatened the life of people she doesn't know in the same terms. It's just extra cruel to use Hak in particular against her. It shows again the gods atp are only interested in destroying everything that might be connecting Yona to Earth. It's the exact same form of abuse that Chagol used against Meinyan. It's about isolating her. It's also not really the same as claiming people will die without the gods' divine protection that is more like a potential consequence than a term of a contract like it is at the end of the chapter. She can stand against conflicts outside and protect people there, but what can she do against Hak just, being killed by divine intervention if she doesn't return to heavens (supposedly)? They fucking coerce her here. Maybe it's just bluff, and she should not give a fuck about Hak and still leave. After all, what is one person against the world and her freedom! But well, she cares. She never discarded her loved ones and never compromised Hak and her friends' life. She never compromised the life of anyone really (which is different from sparing and refusing to kill anyone). That's who Yona is. Yona doesn't sacrifice and compromise people's lives, That's why she wants to save everyone AND wants to go home. And that's why she's stuck now. Yona wants to live. But she can't sacrifice someone innocent either, especially not someone she loves. It's the perfect dilemma for her. And that she's forced into it is what is heartbreaking. She shouldn't have to choose. That's why she needs help now.

Bringing up payback like this rubs me a bit in the wrong way...This damn idea of paying back is what has been haunting the narrative for so many years i can't conceive repeating it for Yona too. To me it comes from the same mindset that asks for retribution, punishment and karma for every character that upset Yona in some way or should be grateful and kneel to her and Hak that has been so sickening for so long. I don't want anyone to be forced to pay anything back ever. Every character should get all the help and support they need for free at all times imo. I don't think Yona nor the dragons should have to pay such a harsh price either. Because that's what a blessing is. That's what love and kindness are. That's what wishes are. If the gods really cared for Hiryuu, they wouldn't ask her anything in return, they wouldn't torment her, they wouldn't punish the dragons either. It can just...stop. (Because yes this favor shouldn't be at all to begin with) Which is what Yona wants.

Aren't we so tired of all this "contracts" and "punishment" and "paying back" bullshit by now? I so am. It's exactly what has been ruining the lives of the characters forever and now (and my mental health as a reader lol). She's paying back right now by being in this situation already. And that's not a good thing at all. It's very good narratively though because yeah, they want her to pay back! They make this about contract when she was asking a favor! She's paying the price for her decision in ch257, for ever using the dragons, for entering the chalice as Hiryuu's reincarnation...But it's nothing but sad. There doesn't need to be this payback. That's what the story is exploring. Looking for the dragons to survive (whom she never forced, even if yes they were bound by their contract thing) and protect Hak is not a crime, not erasing the past to save her friends isn't so evil that she deserves to sacrifice herself. Making it end is enough. It may be selfish that yeah she enjoyed the good parts of it until it bothered her but honestly I think it's okay lol. As long as it ends. As long as no one has to pay back anything for doing their best to survive and struggling to protect something. Like Meinyan doesn't need to apologize or to pay back anyone for all she did and was done for her, just like Suwon doesn't need to be even and be punished, like Shinah doesn't need to executed for attacking Suwon, like Zeno doesn't need to be punished for betraying Yona and the ddhhb, etc... Because it's better to look at the bigger picture and at people's circumstances you know...That's how I interpret this arc, at least.

Yona doesn't pay back by sacrificing things, she "pays back" by giving back out of gratitude. That's precisely what she does by doing all she can to save the dragons right now. The dragon warriors gave her so much without ever asking anything back, they saved her from danger and they saved her from despair, she's so grateful and loves them so deeply she wants to bring them happiness too. But Yona can't give the Gods what they want without sacrificing important things to her, and not when they're the way they are now. So she can only leave.

Of course Yona/Hiryuu alone getting this treatment from the gods was always unfair and it shouldn't be at all, especially not at the cost of so many dragons suffering for so long. But well, she did. And when learning how this "favor" was hurting the people around her, she was affected, grieved it in ch253/254, and then she opposed it and tried to stop it in the present. (Also she's been concerned by the dragons' use of their powers for a very long time even if she doesn't go deeper) But the gods don't care. You can blame her for not questioning things more before, I'm critical of this too, I still conflicted about chapter 257 as well, plus everything irt the crimson illness etc but like, she says it, she doesn't want their powers if that's the price. She only wants the human them. She doesn't need the dragons' powers and she doesn't need the gods' protection. When she throws away Hiryuu's sword they give her, it's her rejecting that again. She doesn't want that special power and favor, that's not what she's asking. She wants agency and power, but not at the price of the agency and free will of others. She wants everyone to have normal lives where they can decide things for themselves, to live with their whole free will. That's her development in this arc. I like that she finally faces these things.

Maybe it's just a question of preference, and you might be affected by Yona's reactions in a way I can't relate. But personally I like the chapter this way and I like Yona in it. I don't think she's a selfish brat (god. it's...such a thing to call her honestly it irks me sorry, despite all criticisms I have of her character.) I don't think she doesn't care about Kouka and its people at all. Ive seen people say that too but...Even if yes Yona is still a 16 years old girl with struggles and feelings and still some immaturity which is important to take into account, I don't think she's as childish and inconsiderate as people make her either. People often seem to say her reactions and decisions are emotional and with no reason but I think they're emotional AND with reason, at least here. Yona doesn't say this about Kouka struck by disasters being preferable than Heavens from emotions alone (because yes, she just wants to go home and she genuinely loves the people in Kouka), but also from experience and conviction. They don't cancel each other out. It doesn't make her a hypocrite to have personal interests in it too.

[roraimae]

Guess who finally had time to start playing Veilguard and is now faced with the Minrathous vs. Treviso choice

Emotional damage.

[t-errifier]

feeling a little down about myself & my blog lately, i cannot lie.

[naradreamt]

thinking about this twitter post a lot lately

[veinsfullofstars]

“I. Am going. To kill that rat.” “What was that, Boss?” “I said, BACK TO YOUR POSTS NOW!” “Y-Y-Yes, sir, right away, sir!”

(ID: Kirby series fanart comic, four borderless panels featuring Dark Meta Knight, Mirror Axe Knight, and Mirror Mace Knight, in which the latter two comment on their leader’s interesting new battle scars, much to his restrained dismay. Transcript below the cut. END ID.)

Good thing his minions aren’t the brightest bulbs in the bunch - otherwise they’d’ve found out about all the friendly hugs he’s been getting in his off-time.

(… this isn’t too much, is it? Stars, I hope not. I tried to keep it vague enough that it doesn’t have to mean anything spicy. Maybe it was just a very competitive game of tag. Or maybe DMK couldn’t quite reach an itch between his wings and Daroach got a bit overenthusiastic trying to help. Basically anything that could ruin his “big scary cool toughguy” reputation. As long as DMK is too embarrassed to admit to it in front of his crew, they’re all viable options, haha.)

Started 12/25/23, finished 12/28/23, updated 01/04/24, updated for color correction 11/02/24. NOTE: This was originally posted on my deleted account on 01/04/24. | Kintsugi AU Masterpost

—

Transcript:

Panel 1

*DMK walking forward towards our left, M!Axe and M!Mace passing by in the opposite direction, M!Axe waves cheerily to DMK, who glances at them over his shoulder*

M!Axe: Oh, Boss, there you are! Hey, how was the fight? Didja win?

DMK: Hm? What’re you talking about?

Panel 2

*reverse shot of DMK, still glancing over his shoulder, several pink scratch lines can be seen on his back and the base of his wings, each in sets of three*

M!Mace: Got some new scratches on your back, Boss. Nasty ones, too, by the look of it.

M!Axe: (laughing, impressed) Ha! Musta been one heck of a scrap to leave marks like that! I’d hate to see what happened to the other guy, haha!

Panel 3

*front shot of DMK, his eyes shrunk to dots in realization, as a thought bubble hovers over his head - a simple headshot of Daroach, grinning roguishly beneath the shadow of his hat, showing off his claws as they glint sharply*

Panel 4

*front shot of DMK, sweating and glaring fixedly off to the side, eyes still shrunk, a vivid blush inside his visor, while M!Axe and M!Mace stand where they were before behind him, heads tilted in innocent confusion*

DMK: (strained) … … … Yes. … … A fight. … That’s what happened.

[clowningaroundmars]

blocked the person who's answering (i'm p sure everyone knows who they are by now LOL), but as i went to do it i couldn't help but see this ask and just.

like.

well, okay 🙄

one, this take is as stale as a corpse. like WHAT a lazy answer that misses the point of mason and the entire verger storyline not just in the show but also in the book. but i guess if your only point of reference for mason is the show (which was forcibly halved by nbc, therefore leaving out a few important key details abt his character) then i SUPPOSE i understand where this attitude comes from

and two, fuck them for making me break down and analyze and lowkey defend mason's character??? not mason verger himself but i mean his character and the role he plays in the series. bc thomas harris is many things but a lazy writer he is NOT, thanks very much

i hated going back thru a great book only for mason's parts but whatever. i'll do it

so let's get into it ↓

yes, mason's character serves as a point of reference to judge hannibal and his morality against. however... that is literally. every single character in the series both in the show and the book.

the other serial killers in the show like ingram, the human mural guy, alana, jack, abigail, even margot are at times temporary stand-ins serving as mirrors to reflect what we know and understand about hannibal right back to us.

so if you're gonna complain about mason's character serving as a backdrop to gauge hannibal's own actions and supposed moral compass against, i'm afraid you're going to have to carry that energy across the entire cast.

but sure, let me entertain the idea that mason-- and only mason-- has one role to play, and that role is "to make hannibal look like the lesser evil". even then, that argument dissolves into complete and utter horseshit once you take a slightly longer look into mason and his kiddie pool playskool leapfrog-esque levels of sadism

and i emphasize how childish and petty mason's level of sadism and villainry are because... that's exactly what they are. a child's idea of a villian, not a real psychopathic sadist. not like will and hannibal are.

mason is literally nothing. like i said in a previous post attempting to break mason's pathetic character down, he is actually a sniveling spoiled little coward who can only dream of having what hannibal-- and most importantly, will-- has.

mason does not touch hannibal. in terms of intellect, confidence, self-acceptance, sadism, cruelty, cleverness, taste... hannibal sweeps all of the medals across the board and does so effortlessly. to name mason as the worst character in the show or even the books wrt villainy would be like quivering in fear over barney the dinosaur

because in a subconscious way... hannibal represents molson, mason and margot's father, and molson knew exactly how deep to stick the knife into a pig's back to check the depth of the fat

in the book, molson's grand (albeit evil) schemes and numerous accomplishments in his efforts to build the verger empire into what it was, was contrasted by mason's own pithy little attempts to helping dear daddy out on the farm: at one point, mason stepped in to lead the sales of some american swine so that they would be imported to haiti after a "disease" (the excuse the us govt used thanks to verger cash) forced the UN to step in and slaughter most of the native pigs there.

it failed spectacularly after the pigs immediately died once coming into contact with an environment unlike anything they've been raised in, thus forcing the haitian farmers to keep purchasing pigs to replenish their stock and eventually they grew frustrated and ended their contract with the verger company altogether

mason can never live up to molson, and that shit hurts him deeply. he literally lives and dies by his father's legacy, the bastard can never stop talking abt him in the show for even a minute!

for an empire to grow to the size and power that molson helped it get to, that requires a level of empathy and understanding that even mason himself acknowledges in both the show and the book... a level of empathy mason could never achieve, even in his wildest dreams. "papa always said that the slaughterhouse business was always a people business first and foremost" and no one knew that better than mason himself.

to emphasize this, hannibal points out quite accurately that mason often miscalculates. mason lacks the empathy and understanding that his own father wielded like a tool, like the knife he used to check a pig's fat. mason often miscalculated, and that deficiency in his imagination cost him dearly; he underestimated hannibal, that cost him his freedom. he underestimated the upkeep of the pigs he was in charge of, that cost him his father's respect and money for the business. he underestimated margot, that cost him his life.

miscalculations all around

but hannibal never miscalculates. he never underestimates or overestimates anyone. neither does will, because will has the gift of hyperactive mirror neurons to aid his sadism. they both toy with mason like a puppet and neither of them even have to try that hard to do it at all.

to say that Mason Roland Verger is worse and more evil than Hannibal Lecter is the most inaccurate and god awful take i've ever had the displeasure of seeing. sure, you could say it's a matter of opinion and most people find mason's character and personality revolting, rightfully so.

but to say he's more evil than hannibal by asserting that he's "the perpetrator of the most vile act" is such an insult. (and btw which act is that? The Most Vile Act? uhh which one? cuz he's done quite a lot lol)

mason's character serves not to make hannibal "look like the lesser evil", but to make him look like the Even Better evil. the more sophisticated, psychopathic, chilling and effective evil. the REAL boogeyman, not the monster hiding under children's beds at night, despite everything that mason ever did.

but hannibal? hannibal doesn't get off on petty acts whatsoever. it's usually never emotional bc people are always just a means to an end for him, never quite the source of his pleasure; even when hannibal's victims are wealthy, powerful, or both, hannibal is never swayed by anyone's identity or existence. he kills indiscriminately, and he kills opportunistically, with barely any discernable pattern aside from what he takes.

yeah, mason gets his sick kicks off making children cry, visiting violence upon women, engaging in rape and incest with margot, pedophilia, racism, sexism, public masturbation, etc. i would never defend him as a person bc i'm not stupid... for the most part

put some mfing respect on mr. harris' name!

hannibal isn't the "lesser" evil. neither is will. mason is. that's mason's entire point of existing in the story.

anyways, rant over.

thx for reading :)

[pc-specs]

i keep forgetting to post here oops. anyways