#OR SOMETHING I'm paraphrasing

[swagstar]

yesterday i was thinking about a tldr to the prisma info megapost i have in my drafts and i don't remember much but the last sentence was "and 10 years later im going insane about her - wiki empty, nothing archived. what's there not to love."

[marshmellowtea]

in speaking of the barbie movie i'm thinking about the time one of my older sisters tried to insist that it's "for everybody" and she explicitly said something along the lines of "it's for women to feel empowered and for men to learn to stop being so terrible" and that really is it huh. that's really a perfect distillation of why this movie falls so flat for me it's that black and white superficial view of gender that cis society just can't seem to escape. again, trying to interact with cis feminist media is just painful as a trans man because cis women just refuse to acknowledge our existence or their role in our oppression.

[sergle]

talking about the topic of animated movies not Hitting, I accidentally reminded myself of one time on twitter, I think around the time that Raya came out?? I was poopooing on how much the dragon looks like elsa, and then talked about how I wish 2d animated and hand animated films were still The Medium instead of nothing but the highest resolution skin texture fur textured 3d animated films bc I'm tired of seeing it, etc etc and then someone who I was not mutuals with, they must've been someone working under the disney IP in some form, and must've either done some work on raya or just worked on 3d animated projects in general, replied to me SEVERAL TIMES as if I was subtweeting them, with something to the tone of "just say you hate me and you think my art is trash" and I think about that ALL the time

[idonotbitemythumbatyou]

Thinking of the theme of “giving up” in Garak and Bashir’s relationship.

“So that’s it? You just going to give up and let them win?” in the Wire The Lethean mocking Bashir for giving up tennis, and romance with Jadzia. “Is that what they taught you in the Obsidian Order? To give up when things get difficult?” in Our Man Bashir "ohh don't give up on me yet." "Don't give up on me yet, Doctor"

Giving up on each other, giving up on themselves, giving up on their goals.

Julian seems to see giving up as among the most shameful things he could possibly do. It's such a tender spot for him that it's an easy way to attack him. As a doctor, of course. What is the point of his augmentations if he gives up before he can save everyone? But it's tipped over into his personal relationships too. He's relentless, he's too forward, he will not leave well enough alone.

Garak on the other hand knows the value of giving up. He's been trained to recognize the right moment for a strategic retreat. What an inconvenience then, that he's found someone who will not give up on him no matter how hard he tries to make him

[feykrorovaan]

Jaheira:"You long for greater company Astarion?"

Astarion:"Gods no! Who would want to spend time with anyone great or good?"

*his lawful good bard girlfriend who's standing right there*:

[thatswhatsushesaid]

more salty commentary about.... salty fandom commentary, but for a fandom i'm not really involved with

ftr this is about the gay-ass (affectionate) vampire show

squinting at some of super vitriolic anti-armand commentary that tumblr's algorithm keeps throwing at me like 'this? you want this one bestie? no? what about this one instead?' when in fact i want none of these takes, actually. "i don't believe a word that comes out of that lying liar's mouth!!" "of course he could have stopped claudia and madeleine's murders, he's the most powerful vampire in the world!!" (uh, i'll come back to that one later. maybe. if i feel like it) "he was onboard the 'let's murder claudia!' train from the very beginning!!!" etc. if you're even peripherally keeping your finger on the pulse of this fandom's discourse, you've probably seen some of this, too.

and... okay. bearing in mind two things:

it's been about 20+ years since i read the original novels, and

the show's relationship to the original novels, as well as the 1994 movie, is both conversational and subversive,

two seasons into this delicious mess, how are we still collectively failing to recognize that the central conceit of amc's retelling is that, intentional or not, all recollection of louis' past is both catharsis (for louis) and performance (for ???)? that all of louis' recollection of his own actions, as well as the actions of the other vampires in his orbit, is filtered through the lens of his own feelings about those vampires in that moment? like this isn't a subtle storytelling device, this is something the show is repeatedly bashing us over the head with again and again and again: louis' reliability as a narrator of his own experiences can't be trusted even when he isn't so consumed with rage that he tries to drain twenty year old daniel molloy dry for the unforgivable crime of /checks my notes, mouthing off at him like a dumbass, or goes into vulgar detail describing to lestat precisely how he is going to kill him, cut his head off, and then feed his decapitated head to lions at the zoo. which, it bears mentioning, is not the version of events that we were presented with during s1, but it is the version of events that louis himself comes to reluctantly believe is the more accurate recollection of the past.

does that make lestat into The Real Victim™️ who did nothing wrong to louis or claudia, ever? please tell me you're not actually asking me this question. be serious.

the point is that louis is right in the thick of feeling his intensely passionate vampire feelings about armand in real time, in the present day, while looking backwards through time at the 77 years they have spent together, and he is questioning everything. justifiably so, for the record! why wouldn't he question the actions and motivations of the supposed love of his life after discovering that such an important memory from his and daniel molloy's shared past was erased from his mind? but seriously, if you have reached this point in the story and your takeaway from the last episode boils down to "THIS TIME louis' recollection of the past is definitely 100% accurate! the rose-tinted glasses are OFF and we can see the TRUTH about you now armand!!!" then i just. i don't know what to say to you. lmfao.

anyway rather than getting into the weeds with anyone actually in the fandom about which of these diva vampire daddies is right, actually, find me hanging out with claudia and madeleine's ashes giving all of them the proverbial finger. because honestly, fuck all these vampires (affectionate).

[sbd-laytall]

I just think it's really special how Peter acknowledges that MJ is his best friend as well as his wife because it proves that there is friendship in romantic relationships.

Spider-Man and Batman (1995) #1

[buryam-soul]

Man. Mashiro's letter.

It's okay. It's okay if you stop being a Precure, it's okay if you stop fighting. Just rest at home. I want you to feel better.

Like, of course narratively, and character-wise, Sora would bounce back. Of course she would. We know she would. But Mashiro accepting Sora's decision regardless, Mashiro saying, essentially: it's okay to stop, what matters is your well-being....

I'll admit, I teared up at that.

[podcastenthusiast]

A fic featuring: ace Geralt, some trauma, discussion of consent, and a whole lot of love.

---

Touch is difficult for Geralt. Desire, too; witchers are made to want nothing except to serve their purpose. He wants even less, yet somehow more than he should.

He's been known to spend months, even years, on the Path with only Roach for company. Never touching anyone beyond the brush of hands as coins are exchanged. He will go to brothels occasionally--let the whores trace his scars, cataloging each one like it's evidence of something, asking for the story behind it. He satisfies their curiosity and fucks them, too, because he knows how this transaction works, what is expected. He gives them whatever they want, and takes what pleasure he's supposed to. It's too much and it's over too soon.

Sometimes he leaves the brothel feeling lighter, almost like a person. Other times he is empty, bereft of that warmth, and unsure why he can't feel the way others do.

Geralt has theories. He keeps them to himself. Doesn't even tell Roach.

One theory goes like this: witchers are rendered sterile by the mutations, and Geralt was given an extra dose. Maybe that stripped away his sexual desire as well as his capacity to procreate. Or maybe it's still in there somewhere, buried deep along with a majority of his emotions and the kid he once was.

Maybe it has nothing to do with being a witcher at all. His brothers don't seem to share the same experience.

And Jaskier isn't at all like him; he loves fiercely and loudly. Jumps into bed with practically anyone who's willing. He will meet a barmaid and perform a ballad he wrote about her all in the same evening.

So it shouldn't be a surprise that Jaskier's soft heart has room in it for Geralt, too, but it is. It's also a surprise when the bard stays, like no one ever has before.

They share a bed now, as they have many times, but it's different as lovers. At first Geralt assumes Jaskier simply wants sex, and is fine with giving him what he needs.

But the bard loves to please others. Jaskier asks what he wants, and Geralt replies, "Nothing."

Truer than it's ever been, in this context.

"Everyone wants something. Even you."

"I..."

I just want you to stay. He can't say it. He is a creature defined by what he lacks--desires, fears, feelings, humanity. He has little to offer Jaskier or Yennefer or anyone else, just danger or a quick fuck. It isn't enough. He has no business asking for anything. He was made to be useful.

"Geralt?"

"Hm?"

"That's all right. We'll figure it out together. For now let's take things slow, yeah?"

"Been twenty years."

"And I wouldn't trade them for all the wine in Toussaint. But this--" He kisses Geralt's neck. "--is new."

"Hmm."

"I just want you to be comfortable, dear witcher."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

It's too quick. Defensive. Like parrying before your opponent even draws their sword.

"Well...I know you feel things differently." Fuck. Fuck! He knows. "Heightened senses and all that. I imagine it could make certain things...a bit intense."

He doesn't know. He can't.

"I'll be fine."

"And if we do have sex, I want it to be good for you. Because...honestly, Geralt, you deserve pleasant things, more than you know. You always say you don't want anything."

"I don't."

"And that scares me to death, darling." Jaskier's voice is low, suddenly breaking. "There's no shortage of awful people out there who will at best take that as an invitation not to care, or at worst to hurt you."

The wolf inside him snarls. He's not weak. Witchers might be harmed in battle, never in bed. But he takes a breath and tries to hear what Jaskier is really saying. He owes him an attempt at decent communication.

"Jaskier," he says. "You'd never hurt me."

"Not intentionally, no, which is why I need you to talk to me. Tell me if I ever do something you don't like, even if you've liked it in the past, and I'll stop."

Jaskier's calloused fingers idly trace a scar below his collarbone. He won't ask about its origin because he doesn't need to; he was there. Geralt's muscles grow tense even so.

"Stop," he snaps before he can think better of it. Jaskier stops immediately. His hands withdraw from the witcher's skin, and Geralt knows he just fucked up everything. He couldn't bear even that and now his bard is never going to touch him again and so few are unafraid, fewer still truly know him--

"Thank you," Jaskier says. He doesn't sound angry or upset. He sounds almost proud. "Can I ask-- Are you feeling overwhelmed emotionally, or was it the touching? And don't you dare give me that tired 'witchers don't have feelings' line right now."

"Touch," Geralt manages although, if he were honest, it's both.

There are times he can't stand to be touched at all, Jaskier has seen that-- after a hunt, when the lingering effects of his potions make the world feel impossibly sharp. But there are other times. There are safe people and places and Jaskier never looks at him like he's a curiosity, an inhuman thing, but Geralt's body doesn't always know that.

"You don't want to be touched right now?"

Geralt shakes his head. Then shrugs. Nods.

"I really need some words here, love."

"It's. The scars."

"Oh. Gods, I'm sorry. Do they hurt?"

Scars trouble him the least of his old wounds. They itch, sometimes, but they don't hurt in the way, for example, his knee aches when it's going to rain. Scars are an absence of pain. Of anything. Sometimes a reminder.

"No. Just numb." He takes a breath. Averts his eyes and counts the stitches on the blanket. "Most people I'm with... it's all they see. Like to touch the scars. I can't feel it. They ask questions; I tell them or I don't. Over either way."

They leave, he means. Or he leaves first. That fucking mountain. He's run out of words. His throat feels tight.

When he looks up again, Jaskier's eyes brim with tears.

"You are so much more than that to me, dear heart."

"I know," Geralt says, and finds that, quite unexpectedly, he believes it.

"Is-- Would a hug be okay? Honest answer only."

Geralt nods, and the bard pulls him in close.

"You know," says Jaskier after a while. He never could let silence remain unfilled. Geralt is grateful. "There are artists who mend pottery by carefully filling the cracks with gold. It's beautiful."

"Sounds excessive. Just make another bowl."

"It adds to the complexity, the beauty of the whole. I'm trying to say that's how I see you."

"As broken pottery to fix?"

"Gods, no. As someone who's survived so much, and is very dear to me. But your scars, your lovely eyes and your hair, all of it-- They're not everything you are, nor is witchering, despite what ignorant fools or careless bed partners may think."

But Jaskier has mended something. His reputation, for a start. His wounds on numerous occasions. And... more than that, besides, he thinks.

When Geralt finally does tell Jaskier the truth about his desires, or lack thereof, he'll think about that and form a new theory. Maybe he isn't a broken thing after all, and even if he is, maybe that can be okay.

[le-bayard-polonaise]

how did you manage to get to be a marshal of France when you are not franch

Ah the marshal title...

I don't care about it. I'm a prince, general, minister of war — whatever but I'm Polish, not French. If there wasn't a war in Poland you would never see me in a uniform

[littlelemontarte]

genuinely feel like some people have forgotten on what position that team was during the world cup break!!! just as a little reminder - we were on sixth. which meant no ucl (aka, less money which is relatively bad if you're more than likely have to replace one of your star midfielders aka jude). and yes, i'm devastated by yesterday. but i can't be angry at that team if i remember that we somehow turned the season around and still managed to qualify for the ucl and reached the second place with the same amount of points as the league winner. and for that they deserve my respect and my applause and my support. a title would've been the icing on the cake but to say it with one of my favorite football players ever - we don't do this because of the titles but because we love the team.

[rowenabean]

.

[mackmp3]

25, 38 for ask game!

hi jamie!!!

25 - favourite beverage?

LEMONADE i loveeee lemonade! or yuzu spritzers... but lemonade is a classic

38 - favourite quote

'virtual reality isn't that real if it doesn't smell like anything' - Kat from the Starless Sea! (i think about this all the time)

[certifiedwerewolf]

I dunno man I just feel like if you're writing Dean as being a good dad to Jack but writing John like he just spent all his time drop-kicking his kids who hate him for it then maybe you are. Mmm. I don't wanna say doing it wrong because that's not what I'm going for but like. I'm just saying there are parallels. That's all I'm saying. And if John isn't worthy of a pass then neither is Dean.

[gay-edwardian]

It's kind of heartbreaking watching interviews with Frida from c. 1982 because she's so adamant that the group will go back in the studio to record "next year" and that she's only releasing solo work "because I had spare time while Benny and Björn write the songs for ABBA."

[frankenhorror]

Queerness and neurodivergency and other ways of being different from the "average" person - inborn ways - are so....applicable. To horror movies.

You see a character succumb to what they've been fighting against - something within themselves, who and what they are - and they just...they let go. They stop fighting. They become whatever they've always been.

Based on narrative, such a letting go is either negative or positive...in some cases, it's both.

This is repeated through countless horror movies. Countless horror media.... It's the personal context that comes from the life of whoever is watching, that is what makes this stuff click. If you do not have a "different" life, you may be able to see the connections but you will not understand to the fullest - because you do not live with that extremely personal battle within yourself.