#“just the right touch”

[puppyeared]

filipina miku!! my mom helped me with her outfit ^_^

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

You keep telling yourself that Namari.

[captainjonnitkessler]

Do you guys notice how when Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers union, started planning a general strike, he did it by a) targeting his messaging towards unions with the ability to safely and effectively strike in large numbers, b) laid out a clear, actionable plan for those unions to follow (setting contracts to all expire at the same time, since many unions cannot strike while under contract), c) is using union contracts to set clear, actionable demands that can be met in order to gauge success and provide an end goal, and d) started organizing FOUR YEARS before the proposed strike date to give people the chance to plan accordingly, because it takes a really freaking long time to get tens of millions of people organized?

You notice how he didn't do it by slapping a message on Twitter saying 'hey nobody go to work on Monday, that'll really show 'em'?

[inkskinned]

the thing is there's like, a point of oversaturation for everything, and it's why so many things get dropped after a few minutes. and we act like millennials or gen z kids "have short attention spans" but... that's not quite it. it's more like - we did like it. you just ruined it.

capitalism sees product A having moderate success, and then everything has to come out with their "own version" of product A (which is often exactly the same). and they dump extreme amounts of money and environmental waste into each horrible simulacrum they trot out each season.

now it's not just tiktokkers making videos; it's that instagram and even fucking tumblr both think you want live feeds and video-first programming. and it helps them, because videos are easier to sneak native ads into. the books coming out all have to have 78 buzzwords in them for SEO, or otherwise they don't get published. they are making a live-action remake of moana. i haven't googled it, but there's probably another marvel or starwars something coming out, no matter when you're reading this post.

and we are like "hi, this clone of project A completely misses the point of the original. it is soulless and colorless and miserable." and the company nods and says "yes totally. here is a different clone, but special." and we look at clone 2 and we say "nope, this one is still flat and bad, y'all" and they're like "no, totally, we hear you," and then they make another clone but this time it's, like, a joyless prequel. and by the time they've successfully rolled out "clone 89", the market is incredibly oversaturated, and the consumer is blamed because the company isn't turning a profit.

and like - take even something digital like the tumblr "live streaming" function i just mentioned. that has to take up server space and some amount of carbon footprint; just so this brokenass blue hellsite can roll out a feature that literally none of its userbase actually wants. the thing that's the kicker here: even something that doesn't have a physical production plant still impacts the environment.

and it all just feels like it's rolling out of control because like, you watch companies pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into a remake of a remake of something nobody wants anymore and you're like, not able to afford eggs anymore. and you tell the company that really what you want is a good story about survival and they say "okay so you mean a YA white protagonist has some kind of 'spicy' love triangle" and you're like - hey man i think you're misunderstanding the point of storytelling but they've already printed 76 versions of "city of blood and magic" and "queen of diamond rule" and spent literally millions of dollars on the movie "Candy Crush Killer: Coming to Eat You".

it's like being stuck in a room with a clown that keeps telling the same joke over and over but it's worse every time. and that would be fine but he keeps fucking charging you 6.99. and you keep being like "no, i know it made me laugh the first time, but that's because it was different and new" and the clown is just aggressively sitting there saying "well! plenty of people like my jokes! the reason you're bored of this is because maybe there's something wrong with you!"

[soldierandawar]

Eddie is such a good father. It takes a good parent to give their child the space they need but still invite someone in who can be a safe space so that Christopher is talking to someone. Giving your child that time speaks volumes of who he is as a person and a father.

He doesn’t want to bust the door down he wants Christopher to open it. He wants the privilege of being allowed back in and he recognizes that he needs to earn it. That he cannot force it upon him. Until then he’s going to do what he can to provide Christopher the support and trust that he probably feels like he’s missing from his dad right now.

[laniidae-passerine]

don’t get how you can watch iwtv and be a sincere diehard lestat hater. like the world’s biggest lestat hater is louis and that man can’t even commit to it for more than five minutes before literally hallucinating lestat wearing a wedding ring and talking pretty to him. this show is about louis and every road leads back to lestat for that man

[radiance1]

@puppetmaster13u You called Danny a space whale in the tags of one of this post.

Now what if that was literal?

Hear me out, Danny outlives his friends, parents, sister. Danny becomes a literal whale.

Well, not a literal one because he's a ghost, but he takes the shape one of at the very least. He's just a giant, glowing white whale that looks pretty divine not going to lie.

Danny leaves earth. It wasn't safe for him anymore, what with the GIW and all that as even the ghosts found it not even worth anymore to visit the mortal world.

Except for Desiree and Spectra, but that's besides the point.

But Danny doesn't retreat to the zone, he's always longed for space, but because of his new half humanness he doesn't get believe he could've ever gone because, well. Yea.

But Danny goes fuck it and goes anyway. His form shifts from human to that of a giant whale, and he swims out into the vastness of space.

Years pass, and Danny does start getting bigger as he aged. He explored the vastness of space, marveling at many things, the different planets, the stars, the formations of rock and other things.

Then he encounters someone he never though he would've.

Vlad.

Well, he knew Vlad was left behind in space by his father but he didn't think he would find him again and Vlad seemed... different, from what he remembered.

For one thing, he didn't even know where Vlad began and space ended. He got only see those red eyes that even hinted at it being the man. His body was void black and filled with stars upon stars, all glittering from his body and Vlad barely even seemed to notice him, or if he did, he didn't seem to care at all.

So, Danny took him.

He was both curious and felt a bit bad about what happened to Vlad, even if he didn't know exactly what happened, and he couldn't just leave him there either.

So on his back Vlad went, and his travels continued.

It seemed to be the correct decision, really, because slowly overtime Vlad seemed to be regaining his awareness. Then slowly, tentatively, started to speak with him through ghost speak.

Vlad only seemed to vaguely remember what he was before space. He remembered hating a man, loving a woman, wanting a son, loneliness and a boy with white hair and toxic green eyes.

Even though Vlad was his former enemy, his nemesis, and someone who took the world hostage.

He couldn't help but feel pity for him.

Then their travels continued.

Years pass unnoticed, when in space, with Danny slowly getting bigger and bigger as the two travel throughout. They've come into contact with various civilizations, some hostile, some peaceful, some neutral.

The hostile ones never lasted long, even if Danny never lifted a flipper to do anything most of the time, Vlad made sure of it.

They came at went as they pleased, and Danny believes that they've gained a bit of a reputations over their adventures, but neither he nor Vlad knew exactly what they said. It did prove useful in some cases, however.

A few more years, and Danny feels that this system is vaguely familiar. Which happens sometimes, considering he's been travelling for so long. He then finds out why it was so familiar.

He came across Earth and, oh. When was the Earth so small?

Well, not small really, but when was he just only a bit smaller than it?

Did it shrink when he was away? Or did he just grow?

That doesn't matter though. What does, is the fact that currently seemed to be an invasion going on, on his home planet thank you very much. He did not like the fact that there was a massive fleet parked right outside his home.

So he spoke to Vlad, expressed his displeasure, Vlad responded back knowingly and went off to make the source of his displeasure disappear. That doesn't Danny was idle either, the fleet was big and, well.

It's been a while since he's stretched himself in a fight.

[motherwench]

jeanette lee, a brooklyn-born pool player nicknamed the “black widow” for her tendency to wear all black outfits and “lure [her] opponents to the table and eat them alive.” some of my favorite photos of her :)

her vogue article here. sports illustrated article here.

photo creds: 1 - drew endicott via vogue. 2. 3. 4.

[starks-hero]

The kiss isn't even what killed me it was how gently Aziraphale touched where Crowley had kissed him–

[firehose118]

If Buck has any single glaring omission in his dating history pre-Tommy—besides other men, of course—it's that he'd never really dated anyone who was athletic in the same way that he is. He'd dated plenty of yoga instructors and runners and even a few surfers, but he'd never dated anyone else who was interested in weightlifting or bodybuilding. That wasn't intentional, it just hadn't happened.

Buck didn't even notice it was something he was missing until he started dating Tommy. It's far from the only reason he likes Tommy, and far from the only reason why it's working so well between them, but because of it, there's a comfort between them that Buck hadn't felt in his past relationships. Their lifestyles fit together seamlessly. Tommy eats the same way he does, meal preps the same way he does, works out as hard and as often as he does, and doesn't judge him for his periods of bulking and cutting. Their routines aren't the same, but they're close enough that it works.

Buck doesn't have to explain any of it or justify himself. Tommy just gets it—both the strength training and the psychological aspect of why Buck does it. Tommy understands firsthand the desire to see the physical results of the work you've done on yourself; to be proud of the man you see in the mirror. Of the commitment you’ve made to yourself.

It's common ground. Buck doesn't do Muay Thai or play basketball, but this is an interest they share. Tommy compliments Buck on his results and his dedication. He seems genuinely interested in how Buck's routine has changed over the years. He gives feedback and asks for tips. He's encouraging and enthusiastic and appreciative about it all in ways that none of Buck's past partners have been.

Of course, there's also a thrill in dating someone else who bodybuilds.

Tommy is strong. He can lift Buck up onto the countertop while they're kissing in the kitchen if he wants to. He can carry Buck across the room and throw him onto the couch. He can pin Buck down with nothing but his body; his big arms and his powerful thighs pressing heavy into Buck and quieting his mind in a way that restraints have never quite managed.

It's hot. It's not something Buck ever thought he wanted from a relationship, but now that he has it he doesn't think he could give it up easily. Heedless of his own strength, Buck can twist and thrash and play in a way that he hasn't been able to do with smaller partners—at least not without ropes and handcuffs. It's freeing to be able to be so unselfconscious of his own body. It’s amazing how easy Tommy makes it.

Tommy's strong arms around him make Buck feel safe. He feels taken care of. Buck has never felt weightless like he does when Tommy wraps Buck's legs around his waist and presses him securely against the wall. That's usually Buck's move.

And it still is. As big and strong as Tommy is, Buck matches him easily. Buck can carry him too; can press him against the wall, get both hands under his ass and lift Tommy up onto Buck's hips. The noises Tommy makes whenever Buck does that make the years of post-workout muscle aches and uninspired protein-heavy dinners worth it a thousand times over.

Buck's favorite is this, though: Tommy flat on his back in bed, Buck riding him like their lives depend on it and holding Tommy down by the shoulders.

It's not like Buck hasn't had partners who wanted to be held down by him before, but he never put his full strength into it for fear of hurting or scaring them. With Tommy, Buck doesn't need to hold back. With Tommy, Buck can lean all of his weight into Tommy's strong shoulders and move and keep Tommy exactly where he wants him. He feels powerful. He feels trusted.

It's clear that Tommy loves it, too. He melts under Buck's firm touch and stays where he's held. He'll struggle against Buck's hands just to get Buck to press harder, to really feel the way that Buck wants to keep Tommy pinned under his body like this.

It's not so different to how much Tommy loves Buck cuddling him while they sleep, he says, or wrapping an arm around his waist when they're out in public together. Buck gently gathering Tommy in his arms to keep their bodies close all night, Buck letting everyone know Tommy is his with a simple touch, Buck pressing his hands demandingly into Tommy's shoulders to keep him still beneath his body—it's all the same feeling to Tommy. It's Buck claiming him; wanting him enough to get a little possessive. To press their bodies together and insist that they stay that way. It lights a little fire of belonging inside of Tommy.

For Buck, it's a physical illustration of how he can bring his whole self into this relationship in a way that, for one reason or another, he's never been able to before. Face to face and close like this, there's no hiding. He's pressing his full weight into Tommy and Tommy groans in pleasure as he welcomes every bit of it. It's honest, intense, undeniable: it's full and unequivocal acceptance of Buck. He sees the love and desire and passion in Tommy's eyes and he doesn't have to worry about being too much for Tommy to handle. Tommy matches him effortlessly. Tommy wants this just as much as he does. Tommy wants him.

Buck has never felt more like himself in a relationship than he does with Tommy. For once in his life, Buck doesn't feel like a burden. He doesn't feel weak or helpless or desperate: he feels strong. He feels secure. He's not holding back, he's not overcompensating, and he's not begging to be let in. Tommy accepts and loves every part of Buck. He takes all of his weight with ease and revels in it. Asks for more.

Not because Buck isn't heavy but because he is. Not in spite of Buck's past mistakes and his flaws but because of who Buck is now in his totality. Because Tommy knows a thing or two about leaving behind a regretful past, and he loves Buck for who he has worked to become—the man he continues to work towards being. He loves what Buck has built of himself, day by day and rep by rep.

This thing they're building together now is unlike anything Buck has tried to build before. The giddiness and the trust and the perfection in the imperfections. The acceptance.

They fill in each other's gaps. They keep each other grounded. Buck holds Tommy down and Tommy feels held. Tommy holds Buck down and Buck feels free.

{give me kudos!}

[kaffkanya]

it makes me sick to my stomach thinking about how spock — touch telepath, by the way — touches jim and accepts his touch so freely, almost without hesitation, but denies touch from others. like, okay, you can argue he has his cool vulcan telepathic shields on all the time, but, surely, surely, he can feel jim's mind buzzing, electric and agitated, brushing against his own. like humans brush hands with the one they like.

and he shouldn't think about it, but maybe he does. maybe in the quietness and stillness of his meditation, he feels the ghost of jim's psychic, burning, tingling. like lips feel hours later after a kiss. the memory of it.

but then, he's sure jim isn't even aware of all this. so he keeps touching him and letting himself be touched. and it could mean nothing.

[lesbianelsas]

[On the industry] "I think I feel so relieved, because I was thinking yesterday… I guess House of the Dragon was the first time I had been sort of out as a non-binary person at work. Until then I had sort of split my personal life and my working life. And I was just thinking how annoying it would be, to be down the line this far [in their career], and if I hadn't done that, actually just how tiring I think it would be. I suppose I didn't necessarily know what the ramifications- what all of the consequences of that choice would be at the time. I feel broadly really grateful, it just seems to be fine (laughs), it's just fine." "I feel hopeful; you see and hear about more and more gender non-conforming, trans, and non-binary people in the industry. You know, I guess I didn't know back in the day, that there was space for that. I don't even mean anything by that, I just maybe assumed on some level that they'd always remain separate parts. But yeah, it feels like such a relief. And it's good, I feel like the industry is changing, slowly. So that feels very hopeful to me."

Emma D'Arcy on the entertainment industry & their feelings on being seen as a queer role model (video)

[vwoop-prince]

YJ S3 Dick, still in the midst of his fever dream, hides underneath the 'souvenir' instead of behind some boxes, and accidentally opens the airlock trying to take care of the Parademons. The others get it to close... but not before Nightwing is thrown into space.

There, he stares at the ship holding his friends and mentors. There, he wishes more than anything that he can, somehow, survive. There, he tries to live, if only so his family don't have to bury him like Jason.

There, Nightwing dies, wanting to save everyone, even with the cold seeping into his bones far too quickly for a regular section of space.

Then, Dick opens his eyes to... Earth? There's a little house, and grass, and trees, but there's a bubble of green over it all. Outside of that green was an entire castle, one that looked like it should have far more support beams than it does for even a hope that it stays standing.

And the sky was swirling shades of that same green. It makes him think of Lazarus.

"Well, that's something you don't see every day." He whips his head behind him, a bit too fast for Earth's atmosphere, but it doesn't hurt him. Past the bubble of green was a blue-skinned adult in purple robes, the insides of a grandfather-clock fitted inside their torso, and a black staff with a stopwatch on its top. Beside them was a man with snow white hair, glowing green eyes, a crown of frozen fire dancing above his head, and the most galaxy-like cloak Dick's ever seen clasped to his shoulders. He's wearing... a hazmat suit? Maybe? The twinkling stars and odd lighting of wherever he is were giving him a bit of a headache.

But in front of those two, within this bubble, was...

"DICK!" Wally shouted with unrestrained glee, a blur overtaking his spot for barely a heartbeat before Dick's stuck in a crushing hug that he reciprocates once his brain stops feeling like its melting.

He doesn't know how long it took for them to calm down, but the man with the crown spoke up after a time, as Wally was still wiping their faces free of tears. "Welcome to the Infinite Realms, Nightwing." Dick barely even registered that he was still wearing his suit, but now it felt suffocating. "I suppose you're the one Clockwork was holding out for; There shouldn't've been enough Ectoplasm around you to form a Ghost, and your physical body's still in space. I can see why you like this one, though, Clockie," he states flippantly, turning to his companion. Almost like he didn't expect Dick to pay too close attention to what he was saying.

"Either way, there's two options for you." The man didn't let Dick swallow his tears and question anything. Dick's not sure if he's grateful or not. "First: Stay in the Realms permanently. You'll see Kid Flash whenever you want and learn to be a Ghost with the denizens of the Realms. Maybe find your parents."

"But..." Dick pulls away from Wally, keeping him at arms length, eyes flitting between them. The two outside the bubble were distinctly... ghost-like, so the mentions of 'Ghosts' make sense. But Wally looked... alive. A bit pale, a bit thin... but alive. Dick can't see any of his own skin to see if it was blue or tinted that way, but the Nightwing symbol on his chest kept flickering between its own blue and this 'Realms' green. "But--What about the others? What about you? Why can't you come home?" The last two, he focuses on Wally, because now he can feel a heartbeat beneath his gloves. Wally's alive. He's alive.

His friend just shrugs. "Something about their portals not fit for the living? I'm meant to wait for someone to figure out a permanent portal, but they won't tell me how long that'll take." Wally glares at the... 'Ghosts'? There was a heat to it, but it also seemed like this was a well-worn argument.

"The permanent portal was always an 'if', Wallace West. And that is entirely dependent on if Richard Grayson takes the second option," the clock Ghost--Clockwork?--speaks up. But instead of the adult Dick was expecting, there was an elderly Ghost in their place. Still with the time motif. Was that... more literal than Dick took it?

"Yes, the second option..." The crowned man glares daggers at Clockwork. The temperature dips below comfortable. Dick tries to blink the spaceship and stars out of his sight, withdrawing his arms from Wally to try and warm himself. Tries to remember he's not in space. "The second option is that you return to your body... changed. You'll be able to protect Earth better, stay with your alive family, save the Lost Ones... for a price."

Dick doesn't know if he should ignore the plural in 'Lost Ones'. He doesn't know if he's reading too much into how, in this Realm, apparently only his parents were able to be found. Where's Jason? He doesn't dare hope, but...

"What's the price?"

The man smiles and a ring of blue forms around his waist. It splits in two and travels up and down his body, replacing the cloak and whatever clothes he was actually wearing with a NASA shirt, worn jeans, and red sneakers actually duct taped together. The blue tint to his otherwise tan skin fades completely. His hair turns black. His eyes turn blue.

He was like a taller, slightly slimmer, way hotter version of Bruce.

The man walks through the bubble, but doesn't disturb the grass beneath his feet. "You become the Ghost King's vassal." Dick flinches away and almost hides behind Wally. "Not my idea! But, well... it is either this, or your permanent death."

"What does becoming a vassal do to him?" Wally asks, gently trying to stop Dick from breaking his ribs with how tightly he was hugging himself. Does he even have ribs?

"He gains my powers. Ice, electricity, invisibility, intangibility, flight... He becomes a Halfa. He becomes what I was, in life. Just... needing to make offerings to me, now and then. Something like that, at least. I give him powers, he gives me a chunk of, I don't know, chocolate once a week. Like a warlock."

Wally keeps talking to the man, keeps getting information that he knows he should pay attention to, but something in his chest screams to accept this deal, and he can't focus on anything else.

Nightwing can protect. He can return to life and go back to Blüdhaven, be the Vigilante they need. He can visit Gotham every now and then, help with cases and stop criminals from harming others. He can see his brother. He can see his friends. He can eat Alfred's cookies, and have little get-togethers with Babs and the Team--hell, he can argue with Bruce.

And all he has to do is... give an offering to this guy? The Ghost King? Every once in a while?

"There's no other price?" The King turns his attention to Dick. His eyes had shifted to a blue-green that almost hypnotize him. The green swirls, the blue forms and melts like snowflakes, and he can't look away.

He takes another step forward and Wally steps to the side. There was familiarity between them. Wally deferred to him. Dick can't quite tell why. Though, with how Wally hasn't once looked at Clockwork, maybe it's because he's... grounded? Are all speedsters in trouble with, what, the Ghost of Time? That... actually makes perfect sense.

"I'll be honest, Nightwing: You've impressed me." The weight behind the King's words lifts the ones that've been on his shoulders since he was nine. "You remind me of myself. Maybe, if I wasn't a Halfa... If I had a mentor... I could've been like you.

"Despite Clockwork's insistence over the years that I get back in touch with the living, I've held off. When he eventually suggested that I help create another Halfa, I locked him in his tower for twenty years. I didn't want anyone to go through what I had. But, now... I see that you won't. You can't. Even if you hide this deal--our shared powers... You'll still have people by your side. Strong people. Smart people. You can already handle yourself. And I'd love to see what you can do--who you can save--with my help."

There was maybe two inches between their faces when the King finishes speaking. Dick roves his eyes across the other's face, trying to find the common and familiar ticks that show lies and deceit and manipulation. All he finds is sincerity and genuine care.

Wally plays with his fingers from the corner of his eye, gaze hopeful as he looks between the two of them. Wally, who was alive and breathing and able to leave if he accepts. Eventually. Somehow.

Dick Grayson sends a quiet apology to his parents and hopes they will forgive him for being a little bit selfish.

"I accept."

He flings his eyes open. Above him, domino mask too wobbly to be properly secured anymore, was Robin crying and begging him to wake up. His hands were sloppily placed over his heart. Batman was trying to drag him away, the firm set of his jaw screaming grief.

Nightwing gasps once he registers his lungs burning.

There's a large cacophony of noise, multiple bright suits and people hounding over him, and the distinct artificial taste of slightly-too-much oxygen that the ship with the Parademons had. That he flew out of and died. He was still too cold.

Someone moves their arm beneath his knees and shoulder and Dick passes out.

(Dick 'Nightwing' Grayson dies in space. Ghost King Danny Phantom likes this too-human Hero. They split their souls in half, take one piece of the others, and all they know is that Phantom is now Nightwing's Patron Deity. Danny uses ice, for electricity killed him. Dick uses electricity, for ice killed him. They are opposites, and yet so incredibly similar. Clockwork was looking forward to when Danny starts putting off his paperwork to hang out with his new 'friend'.)

[humming-fly]

I know I've thought of a good shitpost when the premise is only funny to me and maybe three other people

[soupysundae]

🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍

[zarla-s]

[previous] [next]

A long way since being afraid of getting infected when they first found him! Although Pink WAS the first one to pick him up...

[index] [comicfury]