#love the steepled fingers

[alfheimr]

LIVEWIRE!

[sneez]

my lord of autism

[xbraveheartx]

Image credit to this youtube video of the song itself

Je t'ai rencontrée simplement | I met you simply Et tu n'as rien fait pour chercher à me plaire | And you did nothing to try and please me Je t'aime pourtant | Yet I love you D'un amour ardent | With an ardent love Dont rien, je le sens, ne pourra me défaire | Of which nothing, I feel, will be able to undo me Tu seras toujours mon amante | You will always be my lover Et je crois à toi comme au bonheur suprême | And I believe in you as in supreme happiness Je te fuis parfois, mais je reviens quand même | I run away from you sometimes, but I return all the same C'est plus fort que moi, Je t'aime | It's stronger than me, I love you

Interesting how this has been made to be the ending theme for the game, and in turn, the overarching theme woven through.

[needlenxggin]

But what if-

He was getting tired of being so damn nice all the time?

[howthesleeplesswander]

surprise starter for @greedbent because Baizhu saw my other muses bothering his "secret" crush and refused to be left out 😤

"I have a prediction. Would you like to hear it?" Changsheng's voice floated into the front room of the pharmacy from somewhere up in the rafters. She hadn't shown herself once since he'd begun work that morning; Baizhu had assumed she'd been with Qiqi or Gui.

"Well, don't leave me in suspense," the doctor replied airily. Faced with a break in patients for the afternoon, Baizhu had begun filling prescriptions. Even while conversing, practiced hands moved of their own accord: one adding leaves and petals from the trays of mint and qingxin beside him to a large medicinal cauldron, while the other worked the milky substance within beneath a starsilver pestle.

Naturally though, Changsheng did exactly that. He'd nearly forgotten she'd said anything by the time she divulged her 'prediction.' "Sssomething tellsss me that today isss about to get interesssting."

Baizhu hummed, attention fixed on his work. "Oh? What makes you say that?"

Her answering snicker came from directly above him. He paused as Changsheng dropped onto his shoulders so he wouldn't spill anything. "You'll sssee sssoon enough," was all she said as she adjusted her coils, and the doctor shook his head fondly. With her affinity for the vague and riddled, sometimes Baizhu wondered if his companion wasn't some long-lost adeptus in disguise.

Minutes passed with only the scrape of the pestle along the cauldron's base to fill the silence. Then footsteps sounded on the stairs leading up to the pharmacy—but there was something...unique about them. Not just a rhythmic tap-tap of shoes on pavement, but with an additional tone layered in unison. Metal on stone. Tap-tapclink.

That could only mean...

Ah. Well, in all fairness, Changsheng was rarely wrong about these things.

Baizhu didn't look up until the steps arrived in the entryway. To anyone else, the sight of a man clad in all black, gazing into their shop with such intent, sharp eyes may be cause for alarm. But Baizhu simply smiled, hands pausing to give his newfound visitor his undivided attention.

"Why, Kaz, what a pleasant surprise. How nice to see you." Likely not a sentiment heard often, but it was entirely sincere. He pointedly ignored Changsheng's muttered 'I told you' that tickled his ear. "Is there something I can do for you? Oh—unless you're here for your 'prescription'?"

The code word was second-nature despite there being no one else in the pharmacy to overhear. With a grin so pleasant adorning his features, the doctor certainly appeared to be speaking of a legitimately prescribed medication, rather than the special-ordered poison that currently sat fermenting on his kitchen counter. "It's nearly finished, but I'm afraid it needs another hour or so to infuse for maximum...potency." There was a dark edge to the chuckle that rolled in his chest. "We must be sure it's strong enough to take care of the problem, mustn't we?"

[dulcesiabits]

So unwell about Mhin and Li. Violence as the most genuine expression of devotion and feeling...... thinking hard. Thinking so hard, rotating them in my head. The commissions giving us glimpses into how they are has me FROTHING

You're brilliant! Have a nice day!

Omg hehe I'm always so unwell about Mhin and Li every day so you're not alone in this.... I spin them super fast in my mind like they're in a microwave... Violence is just such an intimate part of their relationship <3 !!! They were not made for ordinary domesticity or traditional, human expressions of affection at all!!!

I want to commission more art of them in the future, so I'll try to post 'em if I do!!! <3 I have so many ideas and not enough money but that's just how it is...

[not-another-robin]

Autistics..... assemble..... how do you think Bruce stims......

[greedbent]

no listen you guys you have no idea how hard it is to resist also writing wylan here bc

[bugeyedfreaks]

While I don’t personally ship it but I do love the idea of Mitch/Buttercup, mostly because he’d definitely be her type. She’ll go for edgy troublemakers bad boys, though she’ll also prefer tough/strong person that can hold their own, so Mitch better toughen up

I feel like as long as she’s the comparatively stronger one, she’d go along with whatever mischievous antics the person she likes would get up to (maybe after the whole Ace deal she wouldn’t want to be put in any situation where she could potentially get taken advantage of, and being stronger would give her some security at least?). Of course, I’m sure it’s possible that Mitch would probably strain himself to try to bulk up in order to tag team with her/impress her with feats of strength… or perhaps if he cant quite cut it in strength, he’d just accept the fact that he can’t match the power of such a badass queen and settle for letting her bench press him. 😆

[sanseitm]

I will elaborate later but it’s been simmering on my mind...

Actually evil!Lupin AU? Like sure he’s a criminal but this time purely chaotic evil alignment, and instead of merely pursuing the thrill of the heist (and riches that come along with that), he’s after the power he could obtain. By winning over powerful allies and thieving important documents and more, he could become a lynchpin of the underground criminal world, where things simply don’t happen without his knowledge – and in some cases, without his sign off.

Lots more bloodshed and outright merciless killing, etc. in this AU.

[creationtainted]

Smash or pass Lucifer

Send Smash or Pass + a name and my muse will say if they would smash or pass on that person.

"This is the Second time today that someone's asked Me if I wanna shAck up with that little blonde asSHole! Do I look like I would ever want that to happen? You—look at me! Look me in my eyes!"

Or at least, look him in the mask. He's not too keen on taking it off just yet.

"Not happening! Alright? Sorry to disappoint, apparently, but I don't play like that!"

[blujayonthewing]

where I tend to think about the elyss and june au crossover: the world's slowest burn. I'm gonna replay their wildly self indulgent little meetcute contrivance in my head one million times. I'm gonna muse over all the little ways they each repeatedly talk themselves out of believing the other could possibly actually care about her. eventually they get on the same page somehow and eventually they're so SO good for each other but I wanna chew on that oblivious mutual pining and the interplay of Longing with their respective Issues

where I tend to think about the melliwyk and felix au crossover:

[thymechaos]

i just can't believe that oda fucking create sanji, a stereotypical ladies man who simps to an embarrassing degree for women while having his hackles comically raised around everyone he perceives as a man - and most notably butting heads with the more obvious ~manly man~ of the crew. haha, classic anime running gag, the kind that gets obnoxious at times but still makes you laugh.

AND THEN, like a billion chapters later, motherfucker steeples his fingers and goes "soooooooo... what makes a person Like That?"

and the answer is that he grew up in fucking Toxic Masculinity, The Kingdom. the answer is that he was always Different, in a way other guys instinctively perceived as weak, and that made him the target of visceral scorn and violence. the answer is that he was sensitive, sweet, caring, nurturing - feminine-coded traits which are only valued by patriarchy insofar that they're performed by women in service of men. the answer is that in a kingdom comprised almost entirely by violent men, the only ones who were ever kind to him, the only safety he ever had, were a girl and a woman.

so cooking is for women and servants, it makes you less of a man. only women will ever really value you for your passions and dreams. women are also actively hurt by the way the world works, they are unsafe unless they comply with men's violence, and you have to protect them.

(men will always know what you are, and they will hurt you if you let them.)

and even after he leaves... at baratie he is cherished and respected, but even that is an extremely masculine environment. we don't talk about our feelings, we don't let our guard down, the only love is tough love. when he tries to express his artistry and express himself through his cooking, rather than just filling orders and making money, he gets mocked.

so here is a man who will not raise a hand to a woman, because he rejects the masculinity he was raised with and refuses to become yet another man subjecting women to violence. he is desperate for women's attention and affection because it's SAFE, it's the only kind he can trust. other men are potential threats and must be treated as such. he must at all times be snarky, tough, Not Feminine, because to be perceived otherwise is to be powerless, to be hurt.

like y'all. the queer coding of it all? the overtly feminist themes? the active rejection of toxic masculinity and the way it's shown to be directly tied to imperialism? what the fuck.

[inkskinned]

nobody ever gets the mugshot of gluttony right. these days you think it has nothing to do with bodyweight. what a good trick: that gluttony could take a shape. no, there was never any fault in finishing a meal or in taking second helpings. it was always in taking from others that there was an issue - the oil baron's fingers steepled over dead bodies and stolen lands. gluttony - twin of greed, although most think greed and envy are the siblings - gluttony is pleased with the experience of gaining, is thrilled just-by-having. greed is the one that stays hungry, that has to move forever like a shark. gluttony likes it - "a glutton for punishment" is one who is seeking the harm, who loves the rush.

gluttony is a mother using her daughter's body for a diet testing ground, sharpening the bone angles. gluttony is saying why, well not! to the seventh and eighth mansion or yacht. it is not just wanting the six white horses, it is making sure that the horses came from your stables. it is not just bathing in milk - it is bathing in milk while others are starving.

oh, it's true that some sins still blaze in their bright floral prints. wrath in a white woman yelling at a person of color for even daring to be in her neighborhood. the red, incipient rage of a neck tightened at even the thought we would take the guns away. wrath has laurels, and she is good at her job, and works hard.

but sloth wasn't ever the sleepy morning of depression, the hours spent begging a clouded body to please move goddamn it; the protestant work ethic claiming even rest is somehow demonic. it was never chronic fatigue. sloth was subtle, a grey mist. she is watching you get bullied and she is deciding it is none of her business. she crosses the picket line because - what! it's just chicken, isn't it? she is closing her eyes and turning her head when the next anti-gay legislation passes. someone else will handle it. not the tense freeze of anxiety or a lack of preparation - she knows you're hurting and would rather you stay quiet about it. she tells other people i just don't see what the big deal is.

sloth is a father that doesn't do the dishes. sloth is your boyfriend's innocent shrug you're just better at household shit. sloth isn't the missed opportunity - it is the purposeful desire to just get-someone-else-to-do-it.

greed and envy are doing body shots in the back of a private jet. they are the way they always have been, but are lovers in the age of the internet. greed just finished union busting, is rolling a bitcoin over his knuckles, is about to start another MLM. envy is in a broadbrimmed hat, showing off her instagram life, grinning about how if you want it, work for it.

okay, it's true. you have a soft spot for lust, gathering dust in a corner. so tame in comparison to the others. but how funny lust is always painted as being a woman in tight clothes. you've met actually lustful women - the ones that purposefully climb into your partner's lap, the ones that say lesbians are gross but ask bisexual women into bed with their husbands. a lustful woman is not donned in lace and garters and red: that's how men think lust looks, painting their own sins into frame. this way, the sin displaces as fog and hovers above her: a woman in a dress is lust; what the man experiences is just the natural consequence.

here is the thing: lust is doing just fine, save your pity. lust is running more circles than any of them. lust is shutting down safe sexwork sites while also making teenagers in knee-high socks sex sensations. lust is CEO of an advertising network where women never pass 25 years old. all the bras lust makes are pretty to look at but, when worn, legitimately hurt. lust has a podcast, his fur coat looped around his shoulders, sells the idea that only certain people have value, that sex raises some and destroys others. lust is tilting his head and asking what did you expect when you dress like that? lust shuns you, sneers that everything you want is disgusting and taboo - right until he can figure out how to capitalize off of it. lust has the midas ability: everything he touches becomes an object.

people usually say wrath is the scary one. you agree with FMA here, though: the real dangerous one is pride, and the shit-eating grin. the white cloaks and the nationalism and the inability to apologize. it is every partner who threw a book at your head because you don't respect him. it is every mother who said my son doesn't deserve to have his life ruined over allegations. it is the teacher that fails you because you talked back.

you worry you have this one. you feel guilty when you need help but don't ask for it. prideful. ashamed when you complete something and feel good about it. too proud for your own good. but pride is not the reward of hard work or accomplishment: pride is a twitter feed. it is the thing that has to mask i didn't do anything with look at me.

pride is your father's raised hand, his raised voice. how he was never there when you needed him, but he is still "head of house." he ruins dinner and blames it on you: you're an embarrassment to this family. this is the glass you walk around, the cuts in your feet. how he says this isn't how i raised you and you have to bite back the retort: that's because you didn't actually fucking raise me.

[the-composer]

“ do you ever hear yourself? ” (From Beat if that's okay!)

QUESTION PROMPTS. / accepting ~

" Do I ever hear myself what, Daisukenojo? You're going to have to use your words. " His insidious little smile betrays the fact he knows what Beat's implying, but it would be so much more fun to bait him into a round of banter. It's been some time since he's been presented the opportunity to amuse himself with the RGers, so why not?

[exghul]

@starm4n   &   ♥ !

❝ well, how did it work? ❞ he asks an absurdity in such an incredulous tone for such a young boy. robin himself has been offered to death's door multiple times in his young years, three times to be exact ( stabbed, heart ripped from his chest, neck snapped ). when a hero, especially a GROWN one, dies & returns ---- damian is the first to inquire ( rather insensitively ).