#phew sorry that was a lot

[dokani]

this came to me in a dream

[knightbun]

just some observations I’ve made

[pricklepicklepie]

Bunch of green lantern guys! I've been really enjoying Kyle's run, Jen is funny and I love Kyle having a little brother dynamic with Terry and it's just generally very cute

[strawberriemarswrites]

CHAPTER EIGHT

Chapter Summary: You've made a harrowing discovery, and you can't shake the suspicion that someone you trust is behind everything. Pairing: Bartolomeo x F!Reader Rating: Mature (18+ for the story, referenced NSFW) TW: none in particular this chapter, mentions of the stalking that's going on but that's about it. Ao3 Link: Chapter Eight (4.036 words)

Your heart thundered in your chest. Bartolomeo promised he’d look out for you. He hadn’t mentioned seeing or hearing anything since you asked him to start. How did this get past him? How long could this have been getting past him? You really didn’t want to think that he was failing to keep his promise, so maybe whoever had been getting in stopped for a time, and they were picking back up again now that the weather was warmer. You had to tell Bartolomeo what you found.

The racing in your mind should have ended there. You should have closed the window and just hoped that the fan being on would be enough and wouldn’t blow around stale, hot air. You should have gone back to bed, ready to talk to Bartolomeo in the morning.

Instead, you leaned out the window, peering down the fire escape, wondering how someone could even get up to your floor without anyone noticing. Though it was hard to tell for sure, the ladder at the bottom looked too high off the ground. The average person would need to get a little creative to reach it. Although, on the subway commute you’d seen pretty tall locals, so it wasn’t that it was impossible to reach without having one’s own equipment or by exerting a bit of effort. Just unlikely.

As you leaned back in and closed the window, a tiny voice in the back of your mind piped up: Barto could reach that ladder.

You froze. No. No, that was highly unlikely. Bartolomeo wasn’t the type to do something like that. No way. He was kind to you, protective even, and... and he knocked that guy’s teeth in today!

He showed up with pretty convenient timing.

He could have just been out running errands. It was lucky that he showed up like that.

Your stuff stopped going missing for a little while after you asked him to help. How long was it before things got weird again?

Bartolomeo tricked a creep into drugging himself, he wouldn’t stoop so low as to be a creep!

Unless he was protecting something he thought was already his.

No. No, no, no.

You slowly sank to the floor, your face in your hands. There was no way that all this time, Bartolomeo had been stalking you. You felt nauseous at the thought. He’d been so kind, and supportive — he was your friend for fuck’s sake! No. You just weren’t thinking straight. You were panicking over some fucking debris on the floor, that could have come from anywhere.

Luffy hopped down from the bed and approached, purring and nuzzling your ankles. In his little kitty mind, he was trying to ask why you hadn’t come back to bed, because since you weren’t going to the kitchen to feed him, it was obviously still bed time. Then, when he leaned into your palm as you reached for him, he gradually became aware of your distress. You started making sniffling sounds, like the ones he’d done when he had gotten a little sick. He began to purr louder — purring always helped him, maybe it would help you.

You scooped up Luffy into your arms, petting him against your chest. His purring softened for a moment before picking back up, and you gradually felt the panic leave you. There was no way Bartolomeo was the one who’d been breaking in. It couldn’t have been him.

Right?

...It was too late at night to keep dwelling on the thought. You set the fan against the window — if it opened, surely the fan would be knocked over — and turned it on, carrying yourself and your cat back into bed.

Your paranoia would have to wait until morning to be sorted out. You needed a clear head to do so.

Vivi snapped her fingers in front of your face a few times. “Hello? Anyone home?”

You jumped, shaking your head free of the image of the debris in your bedroom. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

She propped her elbows up on the table and placed her chin in her hands. “I asked if you’re okay. You’ve been extra quiet today.”

You nodded, picking at your takeout lunch. “I’m fine. Just... distracted.”

“Over Bartolomeo again?” Drake asked, sipping at his coffee.

“No,” you said a bit too quickly, turning pink. “Sort of.”

Vivi cocked her head. “What’d he do? I thought you guys were doing the ‘just friends’ thing.”

“We are. He didn’t do anything.” You tapped your fingers on the table. “Or he did... guh, I dunno.”

Vivi stared at you expectantly. Drake eyed you suspiciously over his glasses.

You sighed. “After I moved in, someone started breaking into my apartment.” You scratched the back of your neck, avoiding their surprised gazes. “Barto said he’d keep an eye out, and it seemed to stop for a while. I figured he had it handled. But just last night I noticed something that makes me think the break-ins didn’t stop.”

“Do you think he’s been missing whoever’s doing it?” Vivi asked.

Before you could answer, Drake read your mind. “You think he might be the one doing it, don’t you.”

You shrank back, putting your face in your hands. “I don’t know what to think.”

Drake took another drink of his coffee. “Well let’s start with why you would think that.”

You sighed again, running a hand through your hair. “He seems kinda protective of me, the more I think about it. Like what he did at the bar, and then yesterday...” You again avoided eye contact. “He might’ve. Beaten some guy to a pulp for harassing me.”

Vivi’s brows ticked upward. “Wow, really? I would’ve thought that would be more reason not to suspect him.”

“That’s the thing,” you continued. “It was when I was going home. Bartolomeo and I — we weren’t even hanging out. He just... happened to show up.”

Drake’s frown deepened. “Sounds a little too convenient, if you ask me.”

You nodded. “Exactly. And when I think about it, the times I noticed that something was off in my apartment line up with times when he’s been home.”

“Then that settles it!” Vivi jumped up, her hands splayed out on the table. “It’s gotta be him!”

“Slow down,” Drake said, putting an arm on her shoulder to coax her back into her chair. “What would make you think it’s not him?”

You fidgeted in your seat. “Well, he’s been so nice. He comes across as this tough, scary guy, but you should see how he plays with Luffy. He even calls him ‘Mister Luffy’ in this tiny voice I didn’t even know he could do. He’s been helping me keep him secret from the landlord. And he works at that bar partly because he’s helping out his friend’s grandmother. He’s kind of... tender, y’know?”

Drake cocked an eyebrow, silently prodding with a look that said “That’s the best excuse you have?”

You relented, “He doesn’t seem tall enough to reach the fire escape. I haven’t had a chance yet to look at it from the ground, but it looks pretty high up.”

Drake nodded. “All right. How far off the ground do you think it is?”

You leaned back in your chair and twisted your lip. “Eight feet? Maybe nine?”

He pushed out his chair and stood. “How tall is Bartolomeo compared to me?”

You eyed him up and down, tilting your head. “Almost the same height. Maybe a little shorter.”

“But that’s just from your memory,” Vivi said as he sat back down. “Maybe Drake could come by and see if he can reach it? Just to make sure.”

“It’s probably best that I don’t,” Drake said, though with a tint of reluctance in his tone. “If he’s the one behind the break-ins, and if he was stalking you home yesterday, it’s better not to let on that you’re on to him. Not yet, anyways.” He finished his coffee and added, “We also don’t know how he’ll react to other people in his territory, for lack of better term. You said he beat someone to a pulp yesterday?”

You flushed at the memory of Bartolomeo’s shirt and knuckles splattered with blood, quickly nodding your head to dispel the image.

Vivi piped in, “Didn’t you say Cavendish stood you up?”

You blinked, furrowing your brow. “I did, but what does that have to do with this?”

She leaned forward, glancing around as if anyone aside from the three of you were in the breakroom. “What if Bartolomeo had something to do with that, too?”

After a beat, you shook your head. “That’s too far.”

“No, no, think about it!” Her voice was suddenly hushed. “What if he figured it out somehow? If he’s as protective as you say, then someone going on a date with you would absolutely be a threat to ‘his territory’.” She then sat back, her voice returning to normal volume. “Come on, tell me you don’t see it.”

You turned the thought over in your head for a moment, and it sent a sickening shudder down your spine. You knew if you said “no” that Vivi would call you out on the lie, so instead you moved on. “What should I do? I don’t have enough to prove it’s him to go to someone about it, but I also don’t feel like I have enough to prove to myself that it’s not him.”

The three of you sat in silence for a moment, before a phone alarm chimed. Vivi sighed and stood, silencing her phone with an annoyed grumble. She was stopped from leaving when Drake put his hand on her shoulder again.

“I think for now,” he said, “we should keep this between us. No need to worry anyone else until we know more.”

Vivi’s look of annoyance turned serious, and she gave a short nod. “Right.” She then turned to you, making a zipped-lip motion. “Just keep me posted, okay?”

With that she hurried out of the breakroom, just as an alarm went off on your phone to signal the end of your lunch. As you stood, Drake did as well, though he looked deep in thought.

Finally, as you were both leaving the breakroom, he said, “Test him.”

You frowned. “How?”

He slipped a hand in his pocket, leaning against the threshold. “Get him to say something he shouldn’t know about you. Or get him to do something that needs the fire escape. See how he reacts.”

You thought for another moment then nodded. “Thanks, Drake.”

“Any time.” He pushed off the threshold and gently patted your back. “Keep us in the loop. You know anyone here will come running if you need help.” He then smiled, adding, “That’s what friends are really for.”

Bartolomeo was getting nervous. Something was off about you — you weren’t distant or anything, still making time to chat with him and texting him, but you seemed more... tense. He’d asked a couple of different times if you were okay, and you always answered with a shrug and a smile, saying you were just tired from work. Though he could tell that definitely wasn’t the full story, he didn’t want to push.

His patience seemed to pay off, as one evening you invited him into your apartment again for dinner. You’d said you wanted to repay him for knocking the one jerk’s lights out, and who would he be to resist a chance at dinner with you? Let alone a dinner made by you.

Bartolomeo showed up at your door right on time, again wearing a flannel he’d forgotten about. He wondered if he should invest in some nicer-looking clothes, before shaking the thought away — he never before cared about the way he dressed, and he’d only start caring if you said something.

When you answered the door, his heart melted, seeing you again in the blue sailor dress he liked when you... when that Pretty Boy attempted to go out with you. His heart melted further when you hugged him before leading him inside, his stomach doing backflips at the contact.

“Thanks for coming on short notice,” you said, beaming and heading back into the kitchen.

“No prob,” he said, sitting in the dining chair closest to you. “You don’t have to go through all this effort for me, though.”

“I want to,” you said, again making his heart weak. “I’ve actually been wanting to give you a proper ‘thank you’ for a while. Honestly, probably since I got stood up by...” you paused. Your back was to him as you stirred the pot on the stove, and you tipped your head back in thought. “Shit, what was his name again?”

Bartolomeo’s posture stiffened, and he bit down on his tongue. Pretty Boy. Cavendish. But he wasn’t supposed to know that. “I dunno, you never told me.”

You shrugged before returning your attention to the pot. “Well, either way. You put up with me then, and then you saved my ass the other night. I think that’s more than enough reason to go through the effort.”

He smiled. “Whatever you say, sweetheart.”

Something in the back of his mind, however, began to gnaw at him. He started chatting your ear off to stop thinking about it.

Part way through your conversation about the difficulty of mahjong in Yakuza 0, it started pouring rain. You cussed, taking half a step away from the stove before freezing, then looking over your shoulder. “Can you do me a favor? I don’t wanna leave this alone.”

Bartolomeo jumped up from his seat. “Sure — you need me to watch it?”

“No, no, that’s fine,” your eyes then flicked toward the hallway. “I just left my fan in the fire escape window. Do you think you could pull it in and close it?”

He nodded, turning his body instinctively toward the hall and taking a step toward your bedroom, before freezing. His brow then furrowed — would it be weird that he already knew which room the fire escape was in? By process of elimination it wouldn’t be hard to figure out, but... something felt wrong about immediately going for your bedroom.

“Which room is it in?” he asked, trying to ignore the hairs standing on his neck.

And then he saw it. Your shoulders sank just slightly, and your gaze softened. Like you were relieved that was his response. “It’s in the bedroom. Just down the hall and to the left.” You then pointed accusingly at him with a slotted spoon and grinned. “Don’t go poking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Bartolomeo nodded again, heading for the bedroom and being careful not to trip over Luffy on the way there. He opened the door and hesitated, glancing around. It was the first time you’d willingly let him into your bedroom, and he tried not to think too hard on how you’d looked at him — maybe you were just relieved he was doing you a favor.

As he pulled the box fan out of the window frame and slid the pane shut, something falling to the floor caught his eye.

Flakes of chipped paint and bits of rust, littering the floor by the fire escape.

Fuck.

“Everything okay in there?” you called.

“Yeah, just. Distracted.” He quickly set the fan down over top of the debris and hurried back out, looking just a hair paler.

You cocked your head at him. “You feeling okay?”

He nodded, sitting back down. “I’m fine. You’re room’s just... cute.”

You gave him that thousand-sun smile, a faint blush in your cheeks as you continued cooking. “Thank you. Food’s almost done.”

The rest of the evening went surprisingly smooth, especially considering Bartolomeo was now paranoid that you were catching on to something he really didn’t want you catching on to. He didn’t think that you noticed the debris — after all, it could have been something that just happened. But that little gnawing feeling in the back of his mind told him that it may have been happening for a while, and he wasn’t as good at covering his tracks as he thought. Then it hurt him a little, to think that if you did notice it that you didn’t bring it up to him. He pushed that thought aside quickly, deciding that you were far too good to keep something like that secret from him.

Nevermind that the gnawing feeling tried to convince him you were trying to trip him up.

As Bartolomeo laid in bed that night, after jacking off for the umpteenth time since he’d started stalking looking out for you, he worried at his lower lip, his teeth dangerously close to digging in and drawing blood. The solution was easy — just. Back up off the break-ins again.

Far easier said than done.

Meanwhile, your dreams about Bartolomeo ramped up in frequency. Sometimes he came to you as the beast-like creature, his mouth dripping with blood and drool. He always brought gifts, your tired mind’s way of accounting for the weight of a kitten on your chest. He’d so far brought a heart, a hand, and something that shifted between being a head and a liver. 

There was once when he appeared normal, grinning at you like he’d just seen the sun for the first time. It was a smile offset by the broken skin on his knuckles, and the red stains on his shirt and the cuffs of his jeans. It was arguably a more unsettling dream than the monster ones, as he then approached and talked to you like nothing was wrong.

And those were just the dreams where he wasn’t fucking you. Over the kitchen counter, on the couch, in your bed, in what your brain could only imagine as his bedroom. Always moaning “mine” in your ear and leaving bite marks on your shoulders. To your immense frustration, you always woke up before you came.

Apparently, the efforts you had made to try and prove his innocence weren’t enough for your nerves to settle down. You decided to try one more idea.

After much further deliberation, you had a plan. It was pay-day, but you already declined to go out for the usual drinks. You were texting Bartolomeo when he told you that, by some miracle, he didn’t have to work, and you were going to try something a little riskier. That morning you made sure Luffy’s gravity feeder had enough food and his water fountain was still running and full, so you knew he’d be okay by himself for a little longer than usual. Then, during your shift, you pulled Robin aside. After explaining the situation to her, with only the slightest bit of judgment that you didn’t come to her sooner about the part where you worried about a stalker in the first place (though she figured you had your reasons), she listened to your plan.

“I need you to hold on to my apartment keys.”

She nodded, holding her hand out. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to see if Barto’s tall enough to reach the fire escape.” You shuffled through your purse and handed them over. “If he can reach it and unlock my apartment from within, then that might be enough to prove he’s been breaking in this whole time.”

“What if he says no? Or it turns out he can’t reach it?”

“I’ll text you and ask if you can swing by the archives to get them when you guys are done with drinks.” You shrugged, blushing faintly as you added, “I’ll hang out with him until then.”

Robin considered for a moment, before nodding again and dropping your keys into her purse. “If he does agree to help, what’ll you do then?”

You paused, frowning. You hadn’t thought quite that far ahead.

Robin could sense as much, and gently took one of your hands. “If he does it, still text me. I’ll come get you and you can stay with me for a little while until we figure it out.”

You stared at her with wide eyes, then tears began to prickle in your periphery. Without much warning you hugged her. “Thanks, Robin.”

She laughed, lightly hugging you back. “You don’t have to thank me. If this will bring you peace of mind, I want to help you. Rooster’s been good to you, so I hope he’s not behind all this.” She then held you back by the shoulders and gave you a look that sent chills down your spine. “And if he is, I’ll castrate him.”

Bartolomeo heard loud cursing right after the elevator ding. He looked out the peephole to see you digging through your purse, cussing up a storm and bemoaning, “How the hell did I lose them?!”

He opened his door a crack and leaned out. “You good?”

You huffed, frowning. “No, I’m not. I can’t find my keys.”

“Oh, shit.” He fully stepped out and shut his door, trying to subtly lean over and see into your purse. “Where’d you last see them?”

“I don’t know,” you groaned. “I think I forgot them in my work locker. Fuck.”

He couldn’t see them either, not from the angle he had. “Maybe the landlord can let you in?”

“And risk him finding Luffy?”

“...you got me there.”

“So, short of breaking and entering, I’m not getting in until I find my keys.” You pulled out your phone and started texting, before you paused. “You wouldn’t happen to know how to lockpick, do you?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “I might. But it’ll risk messin’ up your lock and you’ll have to pay for a new key.”

“Damn,” you huffed, then eyed him up and down. “...Do you know where the fire escape is from the outside?”

He froze. “Uh—”

“Maybe you could climb up and get in for me? Open it from the inside?”

Fuck. Shit. Shit shit shit FUCK. Panic slithered through Bartolomeo’s veins, and he tried to look anywhere but your face. You were on to him. You had to be. Why else would you ask him this? No — no, this was innocent enough. You did say short of breaking in, so maybe you had — what was the word? an epiphany? — or whatever. But... if you were on to him, and he did as you asked, how long would he have before you left him high and dry? Or worse?! After all the work he’d put into knowing you — shit, he was taking too long to answer!

“I dunno,” he said. “Those ladders are pretty high off the ground. I’m pretty sure I can’t reach them.”

You deflated. “Well, how tall are you?”

He swallowed. “Seven-three.”

“Come on, that’s plenty tall enough!” You looked up at him with puppy eyes. “Please? Can’t you try?”

Bartolomeo almost cursed you for having such pretty eyes. How dare you use them against him like this? With every ounce of resistance he had, he shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Even if I could, I don’t wanna break the window tryin’ to open it from the outside.”

You stared at him for several long seconds, your eyes searching his face. He really hoped you couldn’t see the sweat forming on his brow. Please stop lookin’ at me with those eyes. Please, please, please I’m beggin’ you.

You sighed, finally looking down. “Okay, fair enough.” You then returned to texting. “I’ll see if Robin can bring them to me. I think she has keys to the archives.”

He let out the breath he’d been holding, passing it off as a sigh of his own. Another few seconds and he would’ve broke. His mind then circled back around — you couldn’t be on to him. You just couldn’t be. And if you were, how was he going to gain back your trust?

“Shit,” you hissed. “That’s right, it’s pay-day. I wanted to skip out on drinks tonight, but Robin’s still going. She doesn’t know when she’ll get to the archives.”

After a moment, Bartolomeo realized the opportunity before him. Not only could he regain your trust, but maybe... just maybe... 

“You wanna hang out at my place for a bit?”

[upsidedowngrass]

a bunch of art from the last few months!!

[mpsansy]

Kibosh visits. Not only to monitor the whole McFadden family as they’re a liability to Kibosh, a disrespectful bunch of ectoplasmic idiots that barely listen to him, but what they’re sitting on is a potential time bomb. Kibosh had to feel the sudden ripping of the fabric of well, literally the line between life and death itself. The machine is cobbled together by a man’s desire that lead to his entire family line being cursed to death. It’s probably filled with everything JT found on dark magic, alchemy, and a whole bunch of random practices tossed with no respect as an affront to God and the natural progression of the afterlife. Casper’s lucky it scrambled his manifestation the first time, and there’s no telling what side effects Doc may have from the machine finally doing its purpose, And it’s still there. Sitting under the McFadden Mansion like a beacon to The Dark itself. Even if they had lost the schematics for how to make the potion, even the parts of the machine could end up to be disastrous. And it sits, frustratingly out of Kibosh’s control. Kibosh may be the king of ghosts, but the McFadden Mansion belongs to no one else but the McFaddens (And the Harvey’s, honorary McFaddens).

You… you just opened my eyes to something I failed to analyze. 😳

The potential side effects that the machine may have had on Dr. James Harvey himself. Now that I’m thinking about it, there had to be some kind of consequence for it being used. The consequences of which none of them are aware of in the slightest in the beginning. Why would they, anyways? They didn’t build the thing. But my thoughts now all center around James being very aware of other spirits due to this (may not sound as profound, but it’s supposed to be :0 ).

Ignoring the current ghosts of the estate for a second, there’s not a doubt in my mind that he’d sense another from time to time. Watching with such intent. Such aggression & bitterness that it doesn’t dare hide itself to him. As a matter of fact, he can feel it even from inside the house. Looming like a dark cloud when it comes.

May even strike a little bit of fear into him if he were to confess his true feelings. Don’t get me wrong, the trio also feel this too. But it just doesn’t affect them as it does the many that have unfortunately encountered Kibosh. Why? Best thing to say is that they got guts as they did before their untimely death.

In all the years that the trio were ghosts, they saw all things bizarre and cryptic. Seeing a wide variety of dangers taught these three something very important.

“Better to be the wiser and learn all the tricks so we don’t get played for fools.”

All the things they know about ghosts, witches, werewolves, vampires, etc. They all obtained for protection. It was for themselves initially, but once Casper came into the picture? It was more of an obligation to teach him. They didn’t need to, but they all felt it necessary. They cared. That’s something they wouldn’t have admitted to Casper back then. But perhaps it is now.

In summary:

These four are annoyingly defiant, stubborn, and persistent. Just to list a few. You wonder why Kibosh hates them so much. In life they were all this, and now in death it’s as if the characteristics of all of them have amplified.

And that machine. It's a disgusting thing that should have never existed. He can only be slightly relieved that it's no longer functional.

[gilgil-machine]

Which media(animes, lightnovels, manga, visualnovels, games etc) containing Gilgamesh have u finished? And which ones did u like the most when it came to Gilcontent?

Oof that's an interesting and kinda tough question because there's a lot of things in which Gilgamesh appeared in which I don't even remember them whole😅 So let's just say that I read and finished things which I was able to get my hands on or managed to find and they were available in English.

And my favorite thing of all time will always be fate extra ccc because that game just made me fall in love with Gilgamesh completely. The way his character was written in this game is just a pure masterpiece because on one hand we have this arrogant asshole king that we all hate love, we also have this big man-child dork that we roll our eyes at adore but also we have this deep and emotional character which just makes you want to just hug him tightly and never let go. And his character development is just so good. The way he goes from "This is your fight I'm just here for my own amusement." to "I am your blade and your enemy is my enemy" and how he slowly opens up to Hakuno and goes from always saying that he's perfect and being all nonchalant about everything to showing his emotions and admitting his flaws. Such a good game. Every Gilgamesh fan MUST play this game 100%.

Also I love fate extra ccc anthology because

Naked dork Gil

Expression of his more emotional and caring side of his character (not without being tsundere as well)

The next favorite thing is of course Babylonia and it's an emotional wrack. Like you see the turmoil of emotions through which Gilgamesh is going through while at the same time hiding it from anyone but still sometimes we see that mask slightly crack and it's just so sad and I wanted to hug him during such moments.

I mean just look at him, this man is so emotionally broken...

Also another thing I love about Babylonia this the way they show how Gilgamesh actually cares about his city and about his people despite him being a horrible person and just full fledged tyrant in the past. Like he knows everyone by name and how he tries to like indulge himself into the news and life of Uruk and play with kids a bit but at the same time keeping his distance from everyone. Ugh, just so wholesome and so painful.

Also this moment, such sweet moment when we see Gilgamesh from different perspective where he appears more human.

Also I like fate hollow ataraxia because again we can see Gilgamesh being a total dork and a geek that loves to read manga (and most likely play video games) and just hang out with kids and go fishing. So precious, so cute. 100/10

[ssreeder]

I'm so looking forward to iroh and zuko properly talking and seeing irohs reaction to zuko being gay.

Like we all know he doesn't agree with the fire nation rn but how will he react?

Will he not support him cause sokkas a guy? Will he not support him because it's SOKKA? Will he accept him? Will he reveal he's known for years zuko was gay?

Especially with everything that happened with zhao, regarding to what jee said to bato on their date. (Which is a very understandable perspective, zuko just got out of this very sexually traumatising situation and almost immediately starts a relationship (his first relationship) with sokka, but then again it is a very unique situation)

One thing I love about some atla fics is how they portray the FNs thoughts on queerness, cause on one hand they were one of the only country's (I think) that treated men and women the same but then again it's also the fucking fire nation.

And I also think zukos whole canon arc can be very comparative to queerness,

His dads an asshole and after speaking out against him he throws him out, and zuko try's for 3 years to regain his father's love and acceptance, and then faced with the opportunity of regaining it takes it immediately regardless of who or what he may hurt (iroh, his own morals etc) but once he makes it back home realises how fucked up everything is and eventually confronts his dad and openly tells him he doesn't agree with him then runs aways.

I also wonder if iroh secretly knows jee is queer it doesn't seem that likely to me but it also is iroh so who knows.

<3

I do think Iroh’s reaction will be a big moment for not only the story but for Zuko’s character development. Right now, Zuko’s technically still a prisoner, holding himself there by assuming Iroh will not understand or judge him when in reality he’ll never know what his uncle is thinking until they TALK ABOUT IT. (Which the FN royal family is just sooo good at healthy communication I don’t understand why this is so hard for them lol?!)

I do agree that the suddenness of the relationship combined with the intensity from both zuko and Sokka is very alarming for people looking at it from the outside (I mean we all totally get it cause we were there but others are like uhhhh hmmmm ok this might be concerning) so I get them gossiping and wondering if this is truly real or what the fucks going on with those boys.

I love Zukos canon arc because there’s just so much about zukos story that can be relatable no matter who you are and I think that’s why he is a fan favorite (it doesn’t explain why we torture him the way we do but ehhhh it’s fine haha)

Hmmmmmm does iroh know Jees gay? Depends on how saucy those music nights got ;)

[sockdooe]

i hope it's ok to ask but what changes you would have done if you were made incharge of vld's canon while it was/before it started airing?

OH ANON SO MANY THINGS

but I shall not get to complicated and just talk about main points !!!! I apologize in advance if stuff stops making sense I’m a little shaky if that makes sense??

1, the show wouldn’t have romance. I’m not saying this to make people mad or say anything against shipping. I’m saying this because I want the focus of the show to be about the paladins relationships towards one another and I don’t want it to be romanticized. I want to represent all the different types of love within the paladins except romantic because I feel as though it’d be really important especially because I want to make them almost like soulmates.

Like yes they’re the paladins of Voltron but they’re meant to be with each other. Like they all can take care of themselves but there’s something so important to their connection to one another that no one else can really understand.

It’s kinda like that one myth that soulmates are born to one body but are separated so they have to find each other to truely be whole. But platonically. (I’m sorry if that doesn’t make sense I’m really bad at explaining)

Like example Lance has a crush on allura but it doesn’t turn into anything. Allura doesn’t feel for Lance the same way and Lance learns that there is value in just having a friend. (I love allurance and have been thinking about it non stop but I’m strong on this)

2, there will be specific episodes dedicated to different characters bonding and creating their own connections. An example is an entire episode dedicated to allura and hunk or Keith and Lance. (Or even trios ((or more)), just any and all bonding forms)

It doesn’t have to be a serious situation like a mission but something to show growth between the characters and have them bounce off each other.

3, similar to 2 but it’s like filler episodes for the WHOLE team. Maybe they do something stupid or have a beach episode. Something to showcase that they’re getting more familiar with each other.

4, having more personal silent moments to themselves. An example is maybe starting off the episode with shiro taking a shower and you see that his scars are becoming more faded and he’s healthier than the start. He has more of a routine now for taking care of himself like washing his face perhaps.

It’s more of a comparison of growth situation.

5, having the paladins visibly age. I know this is hard for animation but I’d love to see their hands get more rough and their body’s change. Maybe they get some gray hairs.

I’d especially love to see more personal changes. Like with hunk and his hair. I feel as though hunk likes to work with his hands and doing his own hair gives him some personal relief and perhaps even doing everyone else’s hair.

6, interacting with aliens more on a personal level. Like the episode with the balmera was 10/10. They got to speak with the people and actually see what they’ve been living through.

I’d even love to see their gratitude in the form of gifts or supplies. Or even teaching them how to collect certain things (clay for beads for hunks hair and such)

Essentially I want them to build community. I want them to be able to provide resources and work with the people of the planets on more personal levels other than just having Voltron show up.

7, I want their elemental power more involved. Not like avatar the last air bender where they have that power but more …. Sound design and affects wise.

Example if keith is feeling absolutely defeated and devasted and is feeling his raw emotions there will be sounds of fire and even fire around him lighting him but not actually there.

Another one is with shiro, you can hear the sounds of wind in his fighting.

And it changes depending on their emotions. If they’re feeling exhausted and just done it’s quiet.

Like lances sound is more of a water droplet dripping slowly.

8, MUSIC!!!!! Everyone has their own instruments that follow with their element (shiro would be a wind instrument like a flute) so that when forming Voltron it becomes a symphony. Or even when it’s one on one or a trio their music blends together.

9, on the topic of music there has to be a musical episode. I liked the episode where they try to gain support by doing a show but it wasn’t nearly enough for me personally.

It’d be a way for them to earn money since even though almost every planet they go to gives them some supplies it’s not enough to fully sustain themselves.

10, touching, like either having a spa day or just having a little sleep over to have some moral and bring comfort to them.

11, the paladins teaching allura and coran human customs or the alteans trying to mimic the paladins.

an example is matching each others vocal patterns (let’s say pidge always says bless me when they sneeze and Lance picks it up)

12, INCLUDING ORHER ALTEANS BUT NOT THE COLONY CAUSE THAT GETS DELETED

I want romelle to be included but as a “it’s been 10,000 years and generations of altean people have been mixed with other species to the point where they’re almost not even altean anymore or look anything like them besides the marks on their eyes” types of deal.

Showing the change of generations.

Also showing normal galra. Galra that have nothing to do with the empire OR the blades cause I feel as though that would be interesting.

13, SENTIENT LIONS AND VOLTRON

The lions can speak (not in English more like purrs) but the paladins can understand. And they will bond with their paladins (think that episode with shiro and black)

Maybe Lance cleans blue after a battle stuff like that. ESPECIALLY THE LIONS PROTECTING THEIR PALAIDNS MMMMMM!!!!

but the thing is the lions sentience is different from Voltron.

Voltron speaks not well but they do. Their voice is Erieand glitchy.

And there’s something that ….lives in Voltron.

14, I want more mystery. Why does it take 10,000 years for Voltron to form again? Are aliens mad and even betrayed by voltrons existence for creating the galra empire? Why is Voltron sentient? What happened to zarkon? What happened to Hagar?

I want more focus on WHY Voltron exists and what it did for it to exist.

15, I want the paladins to be distraught and form trauma that shakes them to their CORE.

I want pidge to experience what it is to be a child solider to see all your friends almost DIE.

I even want them to resent being paladins as well. They deserve to feel upset and curse the universe for taking them here.

16, I do want elements of other reality but in a different way for sure. I want the universe to be sentient if that makes sense?

OK IM GONNA END IT HERE CAUSE THIS IS SO LONG IM SO SORRY JDJFKEKR

Once again these aren’t really explained well cause I’m going to be honest I’m not the best at doing that. I more picture things in my head than words so it’s hard to even like translate my thoughts? If that makes sense!

I apologize that this is long and confusing but I hope this gives some answers to you!! I love Voltron but I’m definitely more found family oriented in my version for sure.

[bupia]

I finished the last chapter of Love Letter, im going to post it tomorrow due the fact that today there's a ghost ritual and friends of mine will be there and they also read it, so I'll wait for them.

There are 16K of words and... I can't say much, y'all will see it. But i believe that if i reread it again, I'll probably come up with more dialogues or paragraphs.

Thank you for y'all patience and I really hope y'all enjoy the new and last chapter tomorrow. ♡

[xenascribbles]

Hey, do you mind gushing about your tattoos a bit? They look cool. :o

anon, i would LOVE to talk about my tattoos. as of now, i think i have 32? it’s hard to keep track once you hit thirty lol i'm not gonna include pictures, bc that's gonna get way too long and take up so much dash space, so i'll just talk about some of my favorites! (it got long anyway, so you know the drill. under the cut we go!)

my absolute favorite tattoos are my pothos vines that go from my hand all the way up to my neck. i plan to get them expanded even further eventually lol. tucked into that same arm is a poppy - my birth flower, a book with my grandma's signature and her years of life. (she was a writer, too, so ... book!), and a strawberry!

I also have my mother and sister's initials with their birth years, also in their handwriting. following the handwriting theme, i have some lyrics from a small band i like, all three tattoos in their handwriting, which i got from them after a concert! i also have a tattoo that says "day by day" and it's in louis tomlinson's handwriting from his lyric video for the song Two of Us.

following the ... ahem... one direction theme (leave me alone, i don't regret it, i love them, and i got all the tattoos after they broke up), i have Treat People With Kindness, i have louis' signature smiley face, i have a house for Niall's song Paper houses, and a heart with a flame in it for his song Flicker.

and my last song related one, is a wine bottle with vines on it, for the song Strawberry Wine by Deana Carter - a song my momma and i often bond over.

then I have a matching pinky promise tattoo with a friend i am no longer friends with, but i also have a tattoo on my ass that says "stay wild" that matches with my best friend that is still is and always will be my best friend lol.

i have a hat on my knee so it's a knee cap.

i have a beautiful drawing of a lion with daisies and a moon that a friend once drew for me as a birthday gift -- intended to be a tattoo!

I have some gorgeous traditional work on my chest - a snake wrapped around a dagger on my sternum, and two butterflies under my collar bones. and a similar style tiger guy on my calf

i also got the inside of my lip tattooed just so i could say i did it, and i have a three inch ruler on my index finger that comes in handy more often than you'd expect it to.

oh and here’s a few pictures that get most of the upper body tattoos lol yay, tattoos!!!! i need another.

and this is the best picture i have of my leg tattoos lol

[tolerateit]

having overdramatic feelings about my writing and edits and i'd love to be confident about what i post but i feel so .... like not good enough. and it's really annoying!!!!!!!! because the process of creating art is good enough!!!!!! so can my brain stop please????????????

[theartsyhognose]

Halloween themed versions of my ocs!

[gaykey]

So, Only Friends. Haven't watched it yet, but from the gifs it looks like there's a whole season of stuff happening in just one episode. What's your first impression?

oh anooooonnnn, it is jam-packed! now, i have a lot of feelings about this show, as you probably can tell, so, prepare for an essay.

a lot did happen in ep one, but of course, as it's the pilot, most of it is dedicated to introducing the characters, and their relationships and establishing the setting. and, as these characters are a hugely messy bunch of twenty-somethings, there was a lot going on.

and it was done so well, i felt fufilled after ep, bjt also, desperate to see where it all goes.

my first impression?

genuinely, i think it is gonna immediately be in my ult list of bl's, and a definite milestone for the industry as a whole.

now, thats sounds a bit grandiose, especially after only one episode but, idk, i have a good feeling.

but, it is seriously good. i think our hype was worth it.

it hit all the points that a first episode should, and showed off what each actor was capable of.

it had your mind going mad a little trying to think how it's all gonna pan out. it just? made me feel really excited for what's to come.

there's not a single story arc that i'm not interested in, and ngl, that's rare for me.

and like, queer dramas like this aren't too common, especially on a network like gmmtv. they've delved slightly toward edgy and sexy before, but not to this level.

of course, this is down to the brilliant p'jojo, the director - who also directed other stand out shows 3 will be free which i have watched, and loved, and the warp effect which i haven't watched, but have heard really good things.

p'jojo is a queer man himself (most of team behind this are queer in fact. this is a show for queer people by queer people.) and it really shows in his work. he brings forth discussion of topics that other bl's dont. his shows are mature, and real, and dark, and gritty.

he tends to broach topics, that are still quite taboo in society, especialy for mainstream thai media - or, at least thai media of this kind, which tends towards the silly, fluffy side, which tbh, is also a nkce contrast to the doom & gloom of a lot of gay media in the past. but, he shows issues like sex work, substance abuse, mental health, sex & sexuality - things that queer people may experience, but, who's stories get dismissed as too? dark to be protrayed for a wide audience in the bl sphere.

so, the direction and overall production is stellar, as is the cinematograhy (thanks p'rath), and the cast-!

omg, again, it's only ep one, but, wow, they're so fucking good.

they're all really flexing their acting chops in this one. and they are going all out, to the point where another director of bl dramas, p'aof (moonlight chicken, tale of a 1000 stars, bad buddy) was gagged at their performance

these are characters and roles that most fans would have never seen them on before. it's only recently, as of the last few years, from my experience anyway, that these actors are being taken seriously for their talent.

and only friends is pushing the boat out even more.

so, direction a+

story a+

overall look a+

acting & cast a+

now, all of my feelings could maybe be down to that first ep hype - but i don't think they are.

this is gonna be great. this, like kinnporsche, and itsay and not me, and a select few others, which were all signifcant moments for thai queer dramas - will be a cultural reset.

and i am soooooo excited to make it my entire perosnality for the next 12 weeks.

[blindmagdalena]

I am curious to ask, this question has been haunting me for ages but would Homelander care about Ryan just as much had he been born without powers? I mean I feel like he would be pretty disappointed and feel conflicted between having a son but a son who is a "mud person" from his genes, I could also see Homelander maybe considering injecting Ryan with Compound V. Never really being able to accept his son bring human. I bring this up because I keep seeing platonic father Homelander with human daughter s/o (Platonic mind you) and I just don't think he'd be very loving to a human child from him. I could see him sorta seeing them as a runt of the litter so to speak. Your thoughts?

suuuuch a tough question to answer. honestly, one of my theories for season 4 is that Butcher may attempt to "de-supe" Ryan in order to wipe away some of the shine on him from Homelander's eye. it feels a very Butcher line of thinking to have, assuming Homelander only cares about Ryan so long as he's a supe. from Butcher's point of view, it may be the only thing that ultimately allows Ryan to live a normal life, and obviously it would very much be Butcher's preference.

back to the point, Homelander's first question about his child was "was it a boy?" but i think this question is more nuanced than just 'he wanted a son.' i think he asked this because vogelbaum is describing to Homelander what we the audience see; the baby had laser vision and freakish strength. Homelander wasn't JUST asking if the baby was a boy, he was asking if this baby was him.

Homelander needed it to be true. he needed Ryan to be him. he's extremely defensive about Ryan experiencing any of the same traumas he did, but from the very beginning he's also wildly sensitive to any implication that Ryan is anything less than a god. anything less than he is. part of this is due to Homelander seeing Ryan as an extension of himself; a means to heal his inner child. give himself the life he deserved through his perfectly super child. just like he was confident Ryan was as tough as him and could definitely fly, despite zero evidence, i do think he would be extremely confident Ryan, were he born normal, would survive a round of V, and have all his dads same power. i can see him trying to convince Ryan of accepting it. could Homelander accept Ryan as a human? maybe not as enthusiastically as he did in canon, but I also don't think Homelander would be able to abandon his own child. not after what happened to him.

now, with all that in mind, had the baby been a daughter... i think that would have completely changed the role she plays in Homelander's psyche. in terms of his emotional healing, it would instead put him in the forward facing role as her father, and what that would mean for his future and growth, rather than what her experiences mean for his inner child healing.

i think the introduction of a daughter would elicit that reaction in him whether she was a supe or not. Homelander is vicious towards humans broadly speaking, but he's not immune to caring about them as individuals. i think any child of Homelander is still inherently better to him than any other person simply by virtue of being his. i think a non-supe child would be less of a runt and more of a... pet. not his equal, but above the others.

ALL that aside, we can theorize to our hearts content based on the writing we have what Homelander may or may not think/do with a human child, but in the end we don't have a precedent for it, so it's entirely up to interpretation, and what stories we as the fandoms want to see/engage with. i think the reason we see so much dadlander content is because we have daddy issues it's fun to engage with! it's as much a fantasy as any of the romantic x reader content i write. people read fanfic for all kinds of things, and girldad's are a common trope in fan communities for a reason. it's endearing, we love them, and it tells a good story. Homelander is consistently shown loving people for what emotional need they fulfill in him. we've seen supes and humans alike in those roles for him. he may have a bias against humans, but it's undeniable that he still craves the validation and love of them nonetheless. the hatred he feels for humanity is a defense mechanism for his own feelings of abandonment, isolation and rejection in childhood. his conversation with mirrorlander illustrates these conflicting feelings perfectly.

[whiskeyswifty]

thank you so much for recommending the nyt popcast. Their Midnights discussion was heeealing to me and i love how the general consensus amongs Midnights dislikers is that Taylor needs to work with actual songwriters as co-writers again. Because it's TRUE. And I am sad she has lost her ability to be succinct a bit. Not a single lyric on the album comes close to some of the gut punches we got on previous works. (Or, for that matter, incredible lines we get from writers like Phoebe who actually mull over every single line for days.) I love that Taylor is efficent i suppose but the quality of her work is suffering – art is not efficiency – and the amount of musical input can be so overwhelming for fans.

yes!!! i'm so glad you loved them as much as i do and i totally agree with everything you said, and it's what often frustrates me as well. and you're absolutely right about efficiency. yes her volume output is threefold what it used to be but..... is any of it as masterful as what it used to be? with art it's always quality over quantity. and quality takes time to refine and hone something good into something great. And anyway, any creative class i've ever taken they've taught us that famous saying that your first idea is your worst idea. that is to say the first idea is not inherently a bad idea on it's own, but it's the first idea you came up with, meaning it's the first place your brain went when answering a prompt making it the most obvious. and obvious = uninteresting or unchallenging or way too derivative of something else. i've always been taught to apply immense pressure to an creative idea like it's a lump of coal. interrogate it, poke holes in it, throw it against the wall. have other people whack it with a hammer, slam it into the ground. all figuratively of course. you can't be precious with it and you can't create it in a vacuum of just yourself or only yes-men. you need to shape it and apply that pressure from all sides if you want to turn that coal into a diamond. and all of that takes time and collaboration with people who aren't too afraid of you to apply that pressure.

There's also a great Ira Glass piece on something that is the driving force behind some of the greatest artists and that's that they not only have talent, but more importantly they have good taste. Taste is what allows a creative person to recognize that that first idea is their worst idea, or at least isn't what they would consider great from someone else. Having good taste means you won't settle for anything that isn't what you see as the best, even your own work, and you'll push yourself further than people with poor taste because they'll make mediocre art and say "that's great!" and then stop there. and sometimes.... i mean i've said this many times before... but SOMEtimes i don't think she has the best taste! and it shows in what she feels confident putting out into the world which is not.... the best, definitely not HER best. and that means it's important that she gets people with good taste in the room, co-writers and the like, who can be the good taste she lacks and push her to make something great.

but also to your last point over-saturation is absolutely deadly to an artist, not just for fans but for the market as a whole, so.... she needs to pump the brakes a little imo over the next few years. the tour/movie will be good for her place in the music market because at least it puts her in another market sector where she actually is in high demand (hasn't made a movie ever before/hasn't toured in like 5 years now? something like that).