#thanks for coming to my ted talk

[shouts-into-the-void]

I feel like the aftg fandom has just swung hard from one mischaracterization of Neil to another.

Yes, Neil is not an innocent little soft-boy like a lot of fans made him out to be pre-TSC, but he isn't some cold, calculated badass either.

He took out a hit on Grayson over Thai food. He doodles fox paws in his notebooks and hates vegetables. He insults FBI agents' parking jobs and he spent a bus ride staring over the back of his seat making heart eyes at his boyfriend. He manipulated the agents while eating takeout in the interrogation room. He canonically internally panics and overthinks the entire time he's attempting to manipulate anyone. He uses people's family trauma to manipulate them. He misses his mom.

Neil Abram Josten is a multifaceted character

[lickithrice]

[anxioussailorsoldier]

that feeling when you accidentally hit on the mother of the reincarnated guardian moon princess who you've sworn to protect until the next silver millennium

[a-nybodys]

im doing a little series for lesbian visibility week of my favorite lesbian music artists, so heres everyones favorite midwest princess

[unicornpopcorn14]

Chuuya's reaction to Dazai getting hurt during the Lovecraft fight has always been so interesting to me...

Because it's the kind of worry you'd never expect from a character as gruff as Chuuya, who had displayed nothing but hostility towards Dazai so far. Usually, characters that are labelled as "angry" or "anger issues" (which Chuuya is much more complex than that but you get my point) act more as a tsundere type of way when the one they "don't care about" gets hurt. And show their care in very, very subtle ways (ex. their eyes widen, their mouth parts and closes again, etc) before putting up their front once more.

Chuuya, however, is open, and vocal about it. His worry is clear not only to us, but to Dazai himself, the one he shouldn't be displaying the concern to (as per the cliche). Shouldn't it be some sort of secret that Chuuya does care? Isn't that what skk's dynamic has been shaping up to be until now?

I'm telling you- the way my mind blanked when Chuuya just casually.... showed concern not once, but twice, was a sight to see.

Besides, the context makes it much more confusing, because Dazai isn't some rookie, and Chuuya knows that more than anybody. He was the youngest executive in Port Mafia's history, of course he can handle a hit or two. Of course he'd seen him handle a hit or two, sometimes without batting an eye.

Heck, Chuuya himself was hurling Dazai like a ragdoll in their reunion, which was their last meeting. And you could argue that he was going easy on him, but Dazai has mostly withstood the same damage (as far as I could see), and Chuuya was as bitter as ever.

So that kind of contradicts both what we knew of Chuuya so far, and how their dynamic was shaped to be. I mean, that just makes Chuuya a hypocrite, yeah? What makes him care now, all of a sudden? What makes him care at all?

Well, to me, this backasswards reaction implies one (or more) of the following:

- Dazai rarely got physically hurt during their partnership and thus this is an unexpected thing for him to see (during a mission).

- The four years of separation made Chuuya unsure of how much Dazai can withstand physically now. Also the fact that he isn't in the mafia anymore, aka fighting enemy organizations on the weekly, would naturally make Dazai lose his touch in a way, what prompts Chuuya's reaction.

- Dazai getting taken off guard took him off guard which led to panic. Especially since the situation was (momentarily) out of their depth. Seriously wtf even was Lovecraft?

- During the dungeon scene Dazai was an enemy, while in the Lovecraft fight he was as an ally. The difference might be significant to Chuuya.

- This has always been Chuuya's reaction to Dazai getting hurt regardless of the situation.

- "Only I can hurt him like that" ahh logic

- Asagiri was still experimenting with their dynamic and thus there are some inconsistencies.

This scenario didn't play out again (after their reunion) for me to exactly determine which one is more plausible, but it is 100% canon for Chuuya to shamelessly show his concern and run to Dazai to check on him before properly dealing with their opponent, which I find to be such an appealing layer to their dynamic, and a good spin on the type of character he gets stereotyped as.

Bonus: Dazai also becomes a softy when Chuuya's hurt, especially post corruption. Dead Apple alone displays that multiple times.

All in all, Skk are doing a terrible job at maintaining their 'hostile' and 'antagonistic' relationship post their reunion. Freaks.

[heauxplesslydevoted]

I’m sorry, but if you think Eddie Diaz’s—a single dad, a Catholic, Hispanic war vet from Texas, who has an already complicated relationship with unsupportive parents—coming out story only matters in the context of Buddie, you don’t really care about Eddie.

That story has potential to be incredibly complex and moving on its OWN. And it deserves to be told on its OWN, agnostic of a ship.

[useramor]

the thing that gets to me about buddie posts on here is that people will be like "look at them! friends don't do that! there is no platonic explanation for that" and well. friends do do that. their relationship is deep and beautiful and intense but their actions alone aren't exclusive to romantic partners. what — to me — makes buddie romantic over platonic boils down to their intentions. someone making their best friend their child's legal guardian isn't unheard of. but eddie did it and kept it a secret. eddie thought "this is the only man i trust with my son. this is the only person in this world that will hold my heart gently." and then eddie didn't tell him. that makes me crazier than the actual legal document. a normal friendship would discuss this. it'd be an open conversation. the fact that eddie can't bring himself to say it because he knows that what it means to him is too much to look in the eye? because he knows that telling buck about his decision would be the equivalent of bleeding all over the both of them again? that's what makes it romantic. eddie frantically chasing after buck's limp body after the lightning strike isn't necessarily because he's in love with him. plenty of really close friends would do that for each other. it's when eddie desperately tries to pull buck up to him instead of lowering him that makes it more. because eddie didn't climb the ladder to get buck down to safety, eddie climbed up the ladder to get buck to him. the desperation, the intent behind their actions, the way they can't look at each other when they're hurt because it's impossible to deal with even the idea of living in a world without each other says so much more than any of buck's acts of service alone. a best friend would help you take care of yourself and your kid after you have a mental breakdown, if you're physically injured, if you need help. it's the fact that nobody asked buck, it's the fact that he's the first person chris called, it's the fact that bobby didn't bat an eye, because of course buck's there to help eddie. it's a given. who else in the whole world would it be? because they're everything to each other. in a way that's just a little too much, a little too codependent, toes the line of friendship and lovelovelove a little too carelessly. they're not buck and eddie, best friends, they're buckandeddie, one word. and not because of any of action. because they're in massive stupid head over heels gay love with each other.

[darkfaethedestroyer]

I'm very normal about him :')

[yournowheregirl]

yknow what really gets me? the fact that we all seem to think that robin doesn’t enjoy jock things. while she’s canonically seen enjoying and cheering at the basketball game in s4 and more importantly, SHE PLAYS SOCCER!!!! she literally says so in s3?!!!! don’t come at me with your “robin is a music nerd ONLY” because she’s so much more than that!! and we should explore soccer player robin in fics bc i’m pretty sure whoever you ship her with will have an aneurysm watching her play soccer

[wolvesandshine]

*Regulus talking to James*: I’m surprised you can walk in a straight line

*Regulus when James is brought up in any situation*: You mean my boyfriend James Potter? The literal personification of the sun and everything good and kind and amazing -

[dipperscavern]

Cregan's a thigh man an ass man a stomach mean-I just think a lady ain't allowed to be insecure around Cregan Stark in general, he has a sixth sense and can tell when his lady wife isn't happy with her body and he suddenly appears and is like "you're gorgeous don't even think that-"

this exactly sums up my thoughts about cregan in a nutshell. he’s not just utterly in love, he’s in love with every aspect of you. walk with me here

the sixth sense comment is so canon it almost hurts. you could just be having one of those days, not feeling confident in yourself or your body. you plan on just letting the feeling pass, but cregans so in tune with you, he can always immediately tell when somethings off.

he’s in tune with his men in the same regard. as a leader, you have to be. if you can’t recognize their strengths & weaknesses, or when they could be a liability, you can’t hope to rule. such is plain and simple.

and that only concerns his men. you’re his wife, his other half — whom he swore to & cloaked under his protection in front of the old gods. who would he know inside & out if not you?

he knows the bounce in your legs, and how it means you’re more unsettled than usual. he registers the longer, looser fitting gown you’ve chosen today. he can spot the minimal effort you exude to hide yourself from other people, feeling insecure about something only the gods would ever know. to cregan, you’ll always be perfect.

with this information, he makes it a point to express his love for you (not that you’ve ever lacked it with cregan). pulling you in for a kiss whenever you pass each other during the day, no matter how many times you’ve already met. his hand caressing your thigh under the table as you sup; one would think you did not notice, but the flush of your cheeks betray you. when you’ve retired to your shared chambers for the night, standing & taking off your jewelry, and cregan approaches you. allowing his hands to find purchase on your waist, pulling you to him. he sighs, before pressing a small kiss to your temple. you melt into him.

it’s not sexual, the way his hands caress the slope of your waist, and he drinks in every part of you as if it’s your wedding night once more. you burn under his touch, the intimacy of this moment not escaping you. you know your husband loves you, but still, you can’t help but wonder why he’s taken to you in such a way tonight. (he’s been taken with you in more ways than you can count since your betrothal. he reveals more parts of himself as the days pass)

“Cregan,” you begin. he hums, letting you know he’s listening. “Are you alright?”

“Aye. I cannot enjoy my wife, and the beauty the gods gift her with?”

you hum. “You jest, my love.”

“Am I regarded as a jesting man?”

some might think he took offense, but you can feel the hint of that smile of his as he presses a kiss to the top of your head. he relishes in the content smile he spots on your own lips.

[winchester-reload]

I’ve been feeling some kinda way about AI recently, as I’m sure many of you have been as well. While I know it’s not all bad, I can’t help but feel discouraged by the influx of artificially generated images in the art world. Art isn’t just a picture: It’s intention. It’s meaning. It’s thought.

Art is a story, and it needs a soul to tell it, just as it needs a soul to read it. AI has none of that.

But, while I am powerless to stop it, I can pick up a paintbrush once in a while and do something a computer can never do. Please enjoy this little watercolor sketch I made while I mulling over this existential drama 💚💙

And check out the process video if you want to add some chill vibes to your day.

[a-nybodys]

next up in my lesbian visibility week series is the incomparable tracy chapman, of course

[bekolxeram]

I didn't realize until yesterday when someone pointed it out that our two lovable idiots actually did not show up to the bachelor party wearing matching costumes. They both dressed up as Crockett and just assumed the other would be Tubbs. It flew right over my head at the time because the episode was breaking the sound barrier, the drama in the fandom was going even faster.

So here is another thing I somehow missed until now.

Tommy flew Eddie to Vegas for a fight in a chopper. It's inspired jokes such as Tommy initially making a move on Eddie first, or Eddie being on a date without realizing it, but it's also given rise to opinion like Tommy putting more effort into his friendship with Eddie than his relationship with Buck, or even outlandish theories like Tommy trying to infiltrate the 118 to help councilwoman Ortiz bring them down.

But as we can see here, Tommy enjoys flying, he even flies for fun outside of work.

He's also been practicing combat sport long enough to match Eddie, who once participated in illegal underground cage fighting, in Muay Thai.

Tommy didn't go out of his way planning some expensive romantic getaway especially catered to Eddie's personal interests. It's stuff Tommy's been doing before meeting Eddie. He didn't even need to try that hard to get tickets, because he "knows a guy". It's like getting your hands on tickets for a gig you want to go, so you ask your friends to tag along.

To Buck, to the 118, people who don't live Tommy's life, he might seem "SoOo cOoL", but for him flying to Vegas to watch a fight is just another Tuesday. Going to a bachelor party while being on call (probably missing out on most of the fun), rushing to an impromptu hospital wedding after fighting a wildfire overnight without even stopping by to clean up and change, now that takes some dedication.

[thedappleddragon]

@ribbonzregretz

I don’t actually know if the fluttershy doesn’t want to be a pegasus au ever actually gets a good ending where he’s out and trans and wingless and happy, but I like to think so :3 this and the other mlp dysphoria AUs popping up have been inspiring me to draw again so thank you for that!!

[xjulixred45x]

As You may know, i'm a BIG fan of Ariadne and Dionysus as a couple, and FINALLY IN HADES 2 WE HAVE THIS PICTURE OF HER:

SHE IS FRIKING BEAUTIFULL

And some people think that for the vague dialogues of Dio in Hades 1 they MIGHT not be a couple in the Game, but i don't believe this for 1- most of the relationships that dosen't include incest are the same in the game and Mythology, 2- this dialogue of Dio

3- when Theseus use the boons of Dionysus THEY HURT HIM TOO, kinda personal.

And then there's this little easter egg(?) if You could call it that in Ariadne's desing, that makes me CRAZY.

You see, in the myths, when Dionysus marries Ariadne, as a weeding gift, he gives her a TIARA and even makes the same tiara a constelation.

And then i look up in the desing of Ariadne, AND THOSE BLACK SPOTS AND THINK "OH MAN, THOSE THINGS ARE THE TIARA".

Idk, just want them to be a thing, i think they're neat.