#im thinking way too much into this

[mdawgswizzleinthehizzle]

okay im definitely reading way too much into this but whatever.

during this scene when joel confesses to tommy all that he has been going through (god bless pedro and gabriel for their amazing acting), joel talks about his dreams. he says “i have dreams, every night… i just know that when i wake up, ive lost something”. and in episode one and six we can obviously see and hear from the muffled screaming when joel sleeps, that he doesnt sleep well. he has nightmares of sarah, and after meeting ellie, he most definitely now has nightmares about her too (like in episode six, in the cave where he immediately sits up and looks for her).

and now to my point. in his monologue here with tommy, he refers to these nightmares (yes, they are most definitely nightmares or maybe even worse), he still calls them “dreams”. i thought maybe that was a little weird because dreams are often thought to be good, positive thoughts and the term nightmare is used for the scary, negative night terrors that your mind conjures up to deal with trauma.

yet, joel calls them dreams.

why does he do this? maybe its a way to cope. he can’t possibly associate any more negative thoughts, words, actions, etc. with his daughter sarah. he already relives the horror of her death and his “failure” every night when he sleeps. calling them dreams instead of nightmares allows a smidgen of positivity. whether he does this consciously or not, im not sure. even though these nightmares are horrific for him to have to endure every night, its the only time he will be able to see sarah again. so maybe they are dreams. a good thing in one sense. its the only way he can see her again, even if she dies every. single. time. and every. single. night. sarah is his dream. she couldnt possibly be a nightmare. and now ellie is too. he cant think of sarah, or ellie for that matter, as nightmares. they’re his only dream.

[henrysfedora]

So the whole Tommy/Norman conversation happens in '35 and Norman says he's been in town 3 years which means he left Empire Bay '32, middle of the Vinci-Moretti war

Now I have more questions then answers. Did he do something wrong? Was he forcefully relocated? Was he just sick and tired of gangster war? What exactly made him move to Lost Heaven?

Also, he moved just a year before the war ended, so he didn't know from first hand who won, probably heard on the radio or old associate let him know?

And the last and most tripping thought. Did he ever met young Henry? Henry full of life and cockiness? I can imagine Henry getting pinched by Norman for something like public intoxicating and indecency (imagine Norman catching him and Bettina during lovely time in the car)

don't the intermezzo's take place in '38 though? which means he would've left two years after the moretti war ended in '33. but I mean honestly a lot of things you mentioned can still be applied to him none the less (dw just pointing that out lmao). Norman is incredibly stuck up I wonder if he ever even cared about the Vinci-Moretti war? unless he was assigned any certain cases involving them, in that case he probably would've cared a lot about the war (in the sense of doing his job, he doesn't seem to like the mafia life at all but is really decent at recalling information so he mustn't hate his job either) but he could've done something wrong, he could've fucked up a case big time and got relocated to lost heaven and by then he just didn't want anything to do with the war until one of his old mates brought it up. could be why he's so pissy when he does get to lost heaven and has a harder time making friends, because last time he made friends he fucked up so incredibly bad for maybe not seeing that their group ideas weren't satisfactory or thought through smart enough. or if we're considering more norman headcanons from earlier - someone just got so far on his bad side and pissed him off so badly he wanted to leave the whole ass city and move somewhere else where he could start anew. take on cases by himself and maybe this time have more control over his informants and partners, or at least now that hes older push them around more than he did his old buddies in lost heaven that didn't necessarily steer him wrong, but he was young and he made younger friends and now he can be more mature and in charge, not to be an asshole just to hopefully protect his friends. Imo from how norman acts in '38 (a fucking dick, a polite dick in the end tho) he was way more easy going in his younger years and after shit things happened to him and he got older and was moved into lost heaven - he just became a much more uptight person, a bastard to others, he could no longer risk getting too personal with other people. like how he falls for tommy in the end- he tries covering up his feelings so much he flat out doesn't make friends anymore because he knows that if he does he might not be able to say no to them or disagree. tommy got into norman's head pretty well in the end because he ended up getting protected by him, norman probably walked into that building ready to ruin the life of a mobster but ended up helping him because he couldn't fight that voice in his head.

also young norman meeting young henry aldjalsjdlkjdlasd. noRMAN FINDING THEM IN THE CAR ALSJDLASDJ. wrt henry's FP files maybe norman was the police officer he punched and that's why he's got records of going to prison for brutality lmao. or norman could've been given a case in researching the docks where henry was doing some suspicious shit at - another way they could've met. honestly wouldn't be surprised if norman ever ran into a drunk young henry and luca. lord I wonder if he ever ran into drunk eddie- he must've the empire bay cast are AWFUL, they would blow up a whole ass palace if they could, they aren't hard to miss.

[verflares]

just how long is forever? // not long enough, with you

pssst. check this out on inprnt :]

[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!"

[aroaceleovaldez]

Nico referring to his mom as "Mama" implies he most likely at least used to refer to Hades as "Papa" and i 100% headcanon he still does but mostly in the manner of him having the entire Underworld wrapped around his finger for being the baby of the family

[scarlct-vvitch]

i know i attract more ace followers than anything else lmao so y'all better show up for this one

[wasyago]

we're at it again🕺

[rayroseu]

HEAD IN HANDS,,,, Just realized the profound realization that at Knight of Dawn and Meleanor's fight, I know they'll never talk it out... But I just realized that the story even expresses that fact visually....

throughout their fight and even until their death, they stayed at their "masked" form.

So, in Knight of Dawn's view, Meleanor was just a dragon and why the story makes it seem like he's just "insensitive" to the fact she's a living person too, because in that fight, he viewed her a monstrous dragon because Meleanor fought him as that. And, Dawn as a human, can't possibly interpret Meleanor's language as a dragon, much like how Humans are inept in fae language and why humans are still having a difficult time understanding faes and their morals.

The same thing with Meleanor, Knight of Dawn was in full armor in that time, so in Meleanor's point of view, Knight of Dawn was just "a piece of metals". (Like how Malleus viewed Ortho as just a "metallic technology"). Additionally, Knight of Dawn was a person who seem to want to say many things but never did(?), so Meleanor never heard him—

So their resistance, in giving up their role was expressed in the narrative decision that Meleanor fights as a dragon and Knight of Dawn will fight her in full armor and also he's a person who doesn't speak much especially in battles (much like a "metal").

Dawn was only "understood" somewhat when he crashed to Lilia, causing his head armor to fall off.... causing his "mask" to fall off

Its the little things to me OKAYY 🥹🥹😭😭

[ruporas]

asking and receiving (bonus below readmore)

[ID: A black and white, digital Trigun comic of Vash and Wolfwood. In the first panel is a close up of Wolfwood's mouth as he says, "Vash". Accompanying it is a close up shot of Vash's eye, widen and cheeks flushed. Wolfwood presses a knee against the open space between Vash's legs and says, "Tell me everything you want from me." Wolfwood's face is equally as flushed. He continues to say, "I'll give it to you. Everything." As he talks, a wide shot shows the both of them in white space. Vash is sitting, leaning a little back with both hands pressed against the surface he's sitting on. Wolfwood is in his white dress shirt, stripped of the blazer. He's still leaning in with one knee in between Vash's spread legs, his right hand touching Vash's lips and his left hand behind his back.

The shot closes in on Vash's mouth and Wolfwood's hand against it, pressing down on the lower lip as he says, "You have to ask though. Go on." His hand moves down to Vash's chin, gently holding it. With a shy and uncertain expression, Vash hesitantly asks, "Um... K... Kiss... Please?" Wolfwood, without wasting a second, leans in and kisses him and indulges by pressing deeper, eliciting a small noise of surprise from Vash.

Wolfwood moves away from Vash first and with a smile, asks, "What else?" Vash tugs on Wolfwood's left sleeve, wordlessly budging Wolfwood to give him his hand that was still behind his back. In the next panel, Vash utters, "Hold me..?" He's holding Wolfwood's left hand with his own while his right hand is reaching for his waist. Wolfwood complies, moving his left hand to Vash's shoulder and his right hand continues to touch Vash's cheek. Wolfwood asks again, "What else?"

More comfortable now, Vash leans in to kiss Wolfwood. Wolfwood catches him immediately, pressing his thumb against Vash's lips to stop him before demanding, "Hey. Ask." Vash looks back in surprise and Wolfwood meets his eye with a quiet, insistent look. They're quiet for a moment before Vash leans in again and curtly requests, "Kiss. Me." Wolfwood says "Good", smiling as he lifts his hand away, and meets Vash's lips. In the next shot, Wolfwood had adjusted his position, sitting on Vash's thigh. The hand that was once on Vash's cheek has moved its way to Vash's nape, pushing away the collar of his jacket with his pinky. His other hand continues to grip on Vash's shoulder. Still kissing, Wolfwood asks again, "What else?"

In the next shot, Vash is starting to turn, moving Wolfwood with him. Vash asks, "Let me on top of you?" Wolfwood says, "Mhm" before asking again, "What else?" The next panel shows a close look of Vash's face. He's looking down, flushed and shy just as he had been at the beginning, but now, more decisive. Vash asks, "Wolfwood... Let me have you..?" A panel of Wolfwood taking Vash's hand into his, pulling it towards his chest. The next panel shows Wolfwood lying down where Vash had laid him. Vash's hand is on Wolfwood's chest, covering the cross of his rosary while Wolfwood's hand lingers against his, loosely pressing Vash's hand in place. He looks up at Vash with a shy smile of his own, flushed cheeks. He says, "All yours."

A panel shows a close up of Vash's tender gaze before he leans down to be closer to Wolfwood. The final shot is a front view of their positions, Vash's face turned away from the viewer; Vash is leaning over Wolfwood who's lying down with his right leg draped over Vash's legs. Wolfwood's left hand holds onto Vash's left arm. With finality, Vash says, "...Mine." End ID]

[ID: A follow up bonus comic in a looser, sketchier style. They're laying comfortably in bed when Vash asks, "What was that earlier?" referecing to the start of the previous comic. Wolfwood glances away and says, "To get you used to it. Asking. And getting what you ask for. Since you're alwasy hesitant about it." Vash's eyes widen, tight lipped. Wolfwood continues, "Knowing you, it'll be a tough habit to break..." When he says this, Vash can't help but laugh, unable to deny it. Wolfwood slowly brings a hand to Vash's cheek and continues to say, "So I'll keep trying -- whatever ways I can... to get it through your thick skull." Vash takes Wolfwood's hand with his, kissing the the palm gently. Wolfwood's eyes soften and holding onto Vash's cheek, he leans in to try for a kiss. Vash says, "Hey..." before stopping Wolfwood's lips with the back of his hand, a smug look on his face, "Ask." Wolfwood's embarrassed and with little irritation, asks, "Really?" Vash smiles, saying, "You're in need of practice too." They pause for a moment, Wolfwood looking contemplatively, before he's leaning in again, asking, "May I please kiss you?" Vash looks him in the eyes and says, "Yes." The comic ends with a "chu", indicating an off-panel kiss. End ID]

[bottombaron]

just me thinking abt the insidiousness of the Familiar Clinic

a place where every familiar is recommended to be put down

not because of any injury or disease

but because their vampire cared about them enough to take them there in the first place

[skunkes]

[shrimpwizards]

i can be your angle or you devil...

[ohplasticheart]

I'm not sure

[reineydraws]

so there's this post that talks about how people call jason's curved knife a kris but it's not a kris 'cuz why would he have a southeast asian knife? and op's tags say if you're gonna give him an 'exotic' weapon at least make him malay or something. a later reblog adds a filipino kris as an example, and then i was like, 'omg, jason in a barong tho.' SO i tried designing a bat-barong inspired by his hood logo, for a filipino jason haha. and now here we are! 😊✨️🇵🇭

[inkskinned]

he says i hate everyone except you and that is addictive and that is kind of romantic and beautiful because you're young and you're kind of a sarcastic asshole too and you don't like bad boys, per say, but you don't really like good ones either. and you like that you were the exception, it felt like winning.

except life is not a romance book, and he was kind of being honest. he doesn't learn to be nice to your friends. he only tolerates your family. you have to beg him to come with you to birthday parties, he complains the whole time. you want to go on a date but - people are often there, wherever you're going. he's just so angry. about everything, is the thing. in the romance book, doesn't he eventually soften? can't you teach him, through your own sense of whimsy and comfort?

at first - you know introverts often need smaller friend groups, and honestly, you're fine staying at home too. you like the small, tidy life you occupy. you're not going to punish him for his personality type.

except: he really does hate everyone but you. which means he doesn't get along with his therapist. which means he has no one to talk to except for you. which means you take care of him constantly, since he otherwise has no one. which means you sometimes have to apologize for him. which means he keeps you home from seeing your friends because he hates them. you're the single exception.

about a decade from this experience, you'll type into google: how to know if a relationship is codependent.

he wraps an arm around you. i hate everyone except you. these days, you're learning what he's actually confessing is i have very little practice being kind.

[waterghostype]

If you and I had met under more peaceful and carefree circumstances, I wonder how well things would have gone.