#hint: it's popular

[auuwmk]

yuri di aristel asking for kdj's hand in marriage after only knowing him for 20 minutes was crazy cause im pretty sure they made an entire movie on why that's a bad idea

[eskititgay]

bingge vs bingmei

[genosoffline]

the one that made me realize darkness will come to an end

[olberic]

optimus in earthspark saying his favourite colours are red blue and chrome and the joke is that thats his colours but hmm yknow who else is

[thatsbelievable]

[zal-g0]

Im gonna ask u to draw 7e7 hitting 7n7 with a frying pan bcz i can

i hope this makes up for my next e7 related drawing be prepared

[nenoname]

au where dipper saw the signature on the deed and immediately realised its the exact same handwriting he's been staring at for weeks

[vintagegirl01]

A Christmas Wrap

Steven Grant x female reader

Summary: Steven can’t wrap Christmas presents correctly. Good thing he has you to help him.

You walk in to find Steven sitting on the living room floor, surrounded by wrapping paper, tape, and several gift-wrapped boxes of various sizes. He's focused intently on trying to wrap another present, but it's not going well. Every attempt he makes seems to end up in a messy mess of paper and sticky tape. Frustration is starting to build up on his face.

Not wanting to see the love of your life upset, you decide to catch his attention. “Hey, baby? What’s wrong?”

Steven looks up from his wrapping job gone wrong and sighs in frustration.

"Bloody hell, this gift wrapping is just not cooperating with me. I can't seem to get it right, and I'm about to tear my hair out."

“Would you like some help?”

Steven looks up at you, a mix of frustration and gratitude on his face. He nods and lets out a sigh.

"Yes, please. I'm terrible at this. I don't seem to have the knack for making gifts look like they came from a professional wrapping shop."

You smile at him. “It doesn’t need to look professional. It just has to look somewhat decent until they are opened on Christmas Day. Remember, they are to be unwrapped anyway.”

Steven looks at you and smiles a bit sheepishly.

"You're right, I suppose it doesn't really matter how perfect the wrapping is. Everyone's going to rip it open in a few days anyway. I guess I just want them to look nice."

He hands you the present he was trying to wrap, along with the wrapping paper and tape roll.

You kneel down to sit next to him on the floor. “My family is going to love you because I love you. Therefore, they shouldn’t judge you too harshly on this. If not, I’ll personally talk to them about it. Okay?”

Steven chuckles a bit, feeling reassured by your words. He smiles gratefully at you.

"Thanks, love. I guess I'm just a bit nervous about making a good impression on your family. I want them to approve of me, especially since I'm meeting them for the first time. But you're right, they'll love me because you love me, and that's all that should matter."

You smile. “That’s the spirit! Now, let me show you how to wrap presents more easily.”

Steven watches intently as you show him how to wrap the presents with ease, effortlessly laying the paper out and neatly folding and taping the edges. His eyes widen a bit in wonder as you effortlessly wrap the gift he was struggling with just moments ago.

"Blimey, you make it look so easy. I had no idea there were tricks to this. My wrapping skills are abysmal in comparison to yours."

”At one time, I didn’t know how to do this either. Therefore, I always used gift bags.However, it eventually got to a point where I realized I couldn’t use gift bags for everything. Therefore, I learned from watching others, as well as a bit of trial and error of my own. ”

You then take another gift from the side to get Steven to wrap. “Now you try. I’ll guide you using my hands.”

Steven takes the gift from your hands and follows your instructions, wrapping the paper with your hands gently guiding him.

"All right, I'll give it a go."

He carefully unfolds the wrapping paper, lays it down, then folds the edges neatly and tapes them together, all while your hands are guiding him along the way.

Steven can't help but smile at the comparison to the iconic Ghost scene. The sensation of your hands guiding him brings a sense of connection and intimacy as you work together. As he finishes wrapping the present, he looks up at you, pleased with the result.

"I think we make quite the team, don't we? I never thought wrapping gifts could be so... enjoyable."

“I’m happy to help. If you don’t need anymore help, I’ll leave you to it.”

Steven glances back at the pile of presents still waiting to be wrapped, then back to you with a warm smile.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind a bit more of your company. This task feels a lot more enjoyable with you by my side. Besides, there's no telling what kind of wrapping disasters may occur if you leave me alone."

You give him a quizzical look. “What kind of disasters?”

Steven grins sheepishly."Oh, just the classic wrapping chaos. Tape sticking where it shouldn't, paper ripping, bows falling apart... the list goes on. I can be a bit clumsy when left to my own devices, you know."

You shake your head in amusement at your boyfriend’s silliness. “You’re not hopeless, my love. Nevertheless, how could I ever refuse us having time together?”

Steven chuckles warmly, appreciating your understanding and good natured attitude.

"True, I suppose I'm not completely hopeless. But spending time with you is always a pleasure, so I'm glad you'll stay. Now, shall we continue this merry wrapping adventure together?"

You nod eagerly, leaning into kiss Steven. Steven leans into your kiss, enjoying the tender moment. As the two of you continue wrapping presents together, the evening passes by in a blur of paper, laughter, and the occasional wrapping mishaps.

Despite the mishaps, the atmosphere is filled with warmth and companionship. It's a reminder that even mundane tasks can become treasured memories when shared with the right person.

Taglist:

@autismsupermusicalassassin

@my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction

@missdictatorme

@emma23

@clemdango04

@lunalockley

@bit-dodgy-innit

@angel-of-the-moons

@ominoose

@melodygatesauthor

@juneknight

@female-hysterics

@reallyrallyauthor

@faretheeoscar

@official-mr-knight

[yours-the-author]

I tried to find the original source of the audio I used for dialogue, but I couldn't find it (I'm assuming it's from TikTok; if anyone wants to point out the creator of these lines, let me know so I can credit them!)

THIS TOOK LIKE TWO WEEKS! Almost everything except the sticks and the speech bubbles are colored in, there's a ton of dialogue, and a lot of the poses are complicated. I wanted to color it completely because I felt it wouldn't seem as "serious" (and therefore not as funny) if I stuck with my usual stark white backgrounds, so this is all my own fault, really. But it's finished! Hooray!

I saw this audio in a YouTube short and immediately thought of these two. Toxic yaoi at it's finest, if I do say so myself. They will tear each other to shreds, and they will secretly like it.

Erm, anyway, gonna go... not draw for a week. Probably. That's fifteen whole pictures I colored in completely! That's the biggest art I've ever art'ed! I gotta go be eeby deeby and get some sleeby.

[outersyourwilds]

Continuing my outer wilds comic project again and I wanted to share a sketch that I'm particularly happy with (that'll unfortunately be cut off by the panel outline-)

[canisalbus]

Random guess that you of course don’t have to answer, is his name Valentino?

Good guess, but no.

[ships-n-bats]

SonAmy is one of the funniest pairings to me because, on one hand, SEGA doesn’t want to ever officially give Sonic a girlfriend, stating that it’s not in his character to be “tied down.”

But on the other hand, they still went out of their way to design him a whole love interest, has had multiple romantic moments and hints shared between him and said love interest in the games, comics, and cartoons, and even markets merchandise of the two as a couple.

“They’re not a couple! …But we’ll still present and market them as such, because we literally created her to be his love interest.” – SEGA, probably

[rosieyart]

you've likely been getting this a lot but i was ECSTATIC to see your saiou art, i remember having such a big hyperfixation for them in 2020 and your art has me relove the ship even more. i love how you draw them!! im super curious at how they also got you super hooked like the rest of us </3

aaa i’m so happy to hear this!! i’ve said this before but it’s actually so refreshing to know that people still enjoy seeing my art of them. i still can’t get over the fact i’ve joined a fandom so late…. sighs. but i’ve been swallowed in and i don’t think i can turn back at this point

as for why i am hooked on them? hmmm bit of a tough question to answer. i think i just really enjoy their dynamic and how it fits in with the overarching themes of v3 as a whole. truths vs lies. are lies truly evil or can they be used for good? are truths always good, or can they sometimes be vile? esp the whole aspect of saihara chasing after ouma and trying desperately to figure him out; he’s a walking puzzle and saihara, the puzzle solver he is, can’t help but try to piece him together.

i actually typed out this long ass essay worthy response to a friend of mine a few days ago…. not sure if anyone gives a shit to read it but perhaps i’ll post it at some point…

errr but also. i feel i will just naturally gravitate towards characters and ships i find interesting. i like saihara bc he’s pretty imo (he has lashes for days and that facial card is absolutely lethal) and ouma, well, i’ve always had a thing for black/white color schemes and his character is just simply bizarre to me. i need to study him under a microscope. little gremlin creature thing.

the yaoi ship chooses me, really, i don’t choose the yaoi lmao

[amykiriwosdefenselawyer]

Is nobody gonna mention the first villain we see in the Mafia AU isn't Baal or Kiriwo but Maemaro, the sixth finger?

What a pleasant surprise!

Bro is GORGEOUS too like that design is just. Yes. Epic cowboy

More tags

[flashypunches]

"Villain, what are you trying to attempt here?"

"I'm destroying the city to recreate it to the best it can be, of course! Only the finest for my heir!"

"The best, I— what? Did something happen to you, are you— are you dying?"

"No! No, of course not, why would you even think that Hero?

Hero touches a hand to their com, never taking their eyes off of their rogue, who was more than definitely possessed to some degree.

Whispering as Villain's back was turned, Hero prayed that the com hadn't died on them as it usually did when around Villain's lair. "Team, I've got some form of mind tampering happening here, and now Villain thinks I'm their heir or whatever— no I don't need any serums or antidotes, I didn't get hit with anything, just send some backup. I have a feeling that this'll take longer than we want it to."

Hero readied into a defensive position that would look like they were relaxing. The best thing to do was to get Villain to think they were getting less tense around them, in order to get the menace to spill something about what their plans were.

"So. Best heir, aye?" Hero tried to muster a crooked grin that landed them the eye of the public's adoration for about... a few days until they moved onto another new toy, in the form of Vigilante. But they didn't have enough in them, the whole situation, misunderstanding, mind tampering draining them of all their pep.

Villain, thankfully, didn't notice this, spinning around from their place overlooking the city's surveillance system, and keeping their attention on Hero. Hopefully it'd stay that way until help arrived to take them off of Hero's weary hands.

"Yeah! I have to say, you've grown to be a wonderful young hero, and while I'd hoped you would take on the family business, you are remarkably good at being good! Guess all my potential went to you instead of me!" Villain laughed, and Hero noted the mention of villainy being a family job. Another clue to who the menace really was.

The mask had already come off, sure, but the face would be different everytime. Shape-shifter powers were the reason, and the mask was only the distraction to taking Villain into custody, so the team stopped wasting time taking it off to reveal some poor sod's face who Villain took as disguise.

[nathaniel-underwood-is-an-intj]

Post Ptolemy's Gate ramble

So I just finished Ptolemy's Gate, thoughts are a bit all over the place and aside from mentioning the obvious I thought I'd dump some thoughts here.

Piper's apathy certainly shocked me. I know she's stressed running the council and she's got loads of organisation to do but oof she sure did come across as cold in her conversation with Kitty. Kitty has that kind of apathetic resignation of grief but it really felt like Piper had already put it behind her despite it only being two days before. Her boss that she worked for died horribly to save them all and she didn't even seem to share a quiet moment of grief with Kitty idk it just felt a little brutal 😅 I had an impression of her being really sweet so I was a bit taken aback.

One thing that really stood out to me was Nathaniel's apathy to the situation, I found it really interesting. I guess something could be said about it being the magician in him.

Nathaniel really has this duality to him, the obvious being Nat vs John Mandrake and of course Nat + Bartimaeus but in chapter 36 part ii something that caught my attention

'it was the feeling of consummate superiority, the delight of power weilded without peril. He danced beneath the night sky, smiting down his enemies.'

It already seems as if he's being elevated to something other- a martyr perhaps, except martyrs have causes and ideals, they do something because they have a strong belief in their justness. And Nathaniel:

'He felt aloof disconnected and alone. If his hatred for demons he had killed was dull and almost matter-of-fact, so was his sympathy for the people whose lives he saved.'

So he seems almost like an avenging angel, I love the religious imagery, especially because it seems to call back to Bartimaeus comparing his body to a holy mosque. But also divine rage is the driving force for an avenging angel and he's no longer even angry at the destruction caused.

'Pride spurred him on.' this almost makes him seem God-like?? His sole motivator is the pride of a deity, and I love that. But it's also just very true to him as a boy, pride spurred him on against Lovelace and against Duval and Whitwell.

When he's alone with Bartimaeus he's taken on this air of not being entirely human. He feels alone and solitary from everything including humaity. But when he rejoins Kitty, Piper and the rest of the magicians waiting for him he's reinvigorated - 'he felt a surge of joyful impatience - 'he would detroy Nouda, rescue the commoners and return to Kitty.' it seems as though he has to be surrounded by people to remind himself he's one of them. It could be seen as an effect of sharing a mind with Bartimaeus, but of course it could be Nathaniel's own human pride and his memories of being othered even as a child. Just gives the impression of this human / higher entity duality.

But also I partly got the impression that this hints to depression- I'm sure it's hardly out of the realm of possibility for Nat to have it. Though it's never stated I think several moments in the books make a good argument for it, including the above- just the numbness to everything. And I guess the sudden change in demeanor at 'surge of joyful impatience' can be read as hopefulness, but it reminded me of the saying that when people have decided to follow through on their s*icidal ideation they come across as happy and like a weight has been lifted from them. Nathaniel is impressively calm for someone who realises he's gravely injured. And while he can be seen as a martyr or hero for his final actions, the hollowness he felt at that moment gives it a more bitter edge.

I think it's made even more sad when compared to Anthony Lockwood, who has that same sense of pride - because he's trying to make his dead parents proud and because he's trying to hide the fact that he doesn't like himself very much. Nathaniel gives this same impression. And Lockwood at the end had reason to be proud, he uncovered a huge conspiracy, his agency became the most famous in London. And Nathaniel had reason to be proud; he's managing to wield the staff of his childhood hero, something he had dreamed of doing, he's had the bravery to unite with a spirit and he's going to take down the biggest threat to London.

But Lockwood gets something Nathaniel doesn't-

There's this subtle idea seen through Lucy's eyes that Lockwood's biggest achievement was fighting through his s*icidal ideation and discovering he has something to live for, even just seeing his friends again.

And Nathaniel just doesn't get that moment.

He sort of acknowledges that he doesn't have to be a powerful leader, that he doesn't need his colleagues approval, that he doesn't need to erase the fear the commoners have of him and other magicians, but without these things he doesn't know what to do with himself. He has no plan for the future, because even before he's injured the idea of a future doesn't seem to have much appeal to him. He already appears to have given up on trying to uncover who Nathaniel is, depite finally having the opportunity to. Like after everything- being beaten, the fear of his colleagues trying to harm him and burying himself in the John Mandrake persona to protect his sensitive side- he doesn't want to uncover the remnants of that boy because he's worried it'll be too difficult to put himself back together.

Or maybe he feels that he already has discovered who Nathaniel is, a deeply unhappy, hollow shell of a person, whose personality has been pulled in so many directions he no longer has a sense of self. He's been stripped back to the barest version of himself and found he doesn't even have the foundations upon which to rebuild himsef. Like discovering dry rot in your walls and you keep pulling and pulling bits of rotting wood away from the home until you've finally got it all, only to realise the house has come down around you- there's nothing left.

He doesn't get this moment where he works through his trauma, where he realises he has a support system, where he realises he's loved. I don't know if Nathaniel ever really knew what it felt like to be loved. I don't think he did. Ptolemy's death was awful and heartbreaking but his short life was filled with affection. And Lockwood realises people do care about him, depite being told that no one does. It hurts so much that Nat felt isolated and alone his whole life, right up to the last minute. Potential love confessions aside, Nathaniel never got a chance to sit and bathe in the warmness of affection. Like Bartimaeus tells him, it's about 'being not doing.' Nathaniel never got to understand the importance of just being, of simply existing as himself or of being happy. He constantly had to be working on the next goal, the next plan, because if he stops working he'll be forced to sit with his thoughts and realise how unhappy he is. And the thought of that is just too much to bear, it's so much easier to give in.

The ending gave the impression of being very romantic, while sad. Nathaniel gets to be remembered as a hero and never has to confront the consequences of his actions with wars in Europe and America that he had a direct role in. Acknowledging his role and dealing with fallout are two very different mountains to climb. And I think that idea of dying like a hero perfectly appeals to Nathaniel's prideful tendencies, and maybe he views it that way to hide the fact it's a convenient way out of his unhappiness and confronting what he's done. It's quite interesting to see that after he's been stripped back to nothing and can't figure out who or what he wants to be if he gets the chance, he still has that vanity and arrogance to him- despite not really being good character traits, they're so authentically Nathaniel, he's been that way right from the start and it's nice little peak of the real him at the end, being so humanly flawed.