#problematic in nature

[dykeomania]

i’m also really sorry but continuing to actively promote a brand or a franchise that is notably guilty and complicit and even exploitative of what’s happening in palestine not even just financially but promotionally (continuing to write for said franchise, continuing to repost things relating to said franchise, at all) is morally counterproductive and contradictory and i just have to say that because i feel like no one else is going to

[duckysprouts]

ares, aphrodite, and harmonia

‘he feeds her bloodlust and she dresses him in softness

[kelaeri]

The Many Languages of Dick Grayson

Apparently, according to Nightwing #54, he can speak 12, so I went on a little quest to see just how many I could identify.

Starting off with The Essential Batman Encyclopedia, the entry for Dick Grayson lists him as being trained in French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Mandarin, and Cantonese with having some proficiency in an unknown Romani dialect. Given there are multiple examples of him speaking these languages throughout the comics, I am inclined to trust this claim. To start, we've got several examples of French (Gotham Knights #14, Detective Comics Annual #12, Nightwing #73, Grayson #10-- also featuring Spanish)

In Grayson #1 he speaks Russian only briefly, but in Detective Comics #36 he speaks it throughout.

As far as the Chinese languages go, while I believe Dick can speak Mandarin and/or Cantonese fairly well (Batman/Superman World's Finest #3), his Hanzi recognition and literacy could use some work.

Similarly, when the Titans head off to Japan in Titans Annual #1, we have Nightwing speaking Japanese in battle; however, when it comes to the prospective job of being a manga translator in Nightwing #125, he claims he doesn't know Japanese, which leads me to believe he is only proficient in speaking Japanese/Chinese and struggles with the writing systems.

So what about the languages not covered in the encyclopedia? To start, we have another romance language: Italian (Nightwing #72).

Followed by some alleged German (Nightwing #51, JLA #44)

And conversations in Farsi (Robin #175)

While I've seen some Tumblr and Reddit posts claim he knows Kikuyu, The Power Company: Manhunter #1 only says he "brushed up" on his Kikuyu before going to Kenya, so it is unknown how much of the language he actually speaks, but to me it doesn't seem likely to be a lot.

He also, to some unknown degree, speaks Tamaranean-- at least enough to hack into an alien computer (Action Comics #842).

As far as unspoken languages go, Dick is fluent in ASL, which is proven numerous times when he communicates with Jericho (New Teen Titans 1984).

And lastly, the two languages that remain rather uncertain are Romani and Cant-- largely due to the nature of the languages themselves and their representation in comics. "Romani," for instance, has several different dialects, and when Devin Grayson introduced it for Dick (Gotham Knights #20-21, Nightwing #91), she never specified which, and based on the lines she wrote, her research into the language was questionable at best. Writers since have recognized Dick's Romani heritage, but have not otherwise suggested he retained much of the language to be considered fluent.

Cant is an even wider term than Romani and can be seen as more of jargon for a particular language than a language itself, sometimes even being called a "pseudo-language." The colloquial term for American circus cant is Carny, or "Carny speak" as Boston Brand puts it in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #14 when he and Nightwing encounter a kid who speaks it.

So... this leaves us with 11 languages Dick has notable proficiency in: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, German, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Farsi, and ASL. And ~3 languages he has unknown proficiency in: Tamaranean, Kikuyu, Romani, and Carny/Cant (if you want to count it).

Maybe memory-loss Dick was including either Tamaranean or Kikuyu in that count from Nightwing #54, or maybe he knows some other language we haven't seen yet. Given how close the family is to the Al Ghuls, I personally think it would be cool if one of them was Arabic.

But anyway, hope you enjoyed this post! A lot I've seen covering this topic are very surface-level and label some of his more iffy languages as "fluent," so I hope this cleared things up. I've read tons of Nightwing, and I swear there are more examples, but sifting through the 1,000+ comics I've read of him is a lot haha. If y'all know of some others, let me know!

[artbyblastweave]

Funniest thing I've seen recently, and not funny in a ha-ha way, more funny in a "the endless entropic void gnawing at my will to live" way, was somebody asking around for alternatives to Neil Gaiman, in the light of Neil Gaiman's ongoing fall from grace. As though what we're currently sitting through isn't the collapse of the carefully curated "Good Guy Neil" image that caused people to parade Gaiman as the same kind of preferred progressive alternative to, say, Rowling. As though we won't be in the same goddamn situation in a few years or months, with some number of the new progressive sci-fi/fantasy darlings- not all of them, to be clear, but at least some of them- when their impeccably-curated marketing implodes in on itself and they're revealed to be the same kind of sex pest or abuser. Can you not see the wheel to which you are strapped. The game of human pinball you are condemning yourself to with this mindset. Maybe you do see, and you're just resigned to taking it one soul-crushing disappointment at a time, one "I never would have guessed" after another. I mean I think we all need to get resigned to that one way or another, sun's gonna go out before it stops happening

[wegog]

And I'm more than just your dear beloved wife, aren't I? Seeing as I am the blasted Queen.

The fact that Zeus presents Hera in the first place as his wife (while Hera distinguishes herself primarily as the queen) is interesting because it's the complete opposite of how Hades speaks of/treats Persephone...

My Queen

Our Queen

The Queen

bonus:

True rivals for Hera and me!

No, Zeus, sir, it could never be a competition...

[horreurscopes]

this is my brother and i need a shovel to love him (prints)

[beifong-brainrot]

in your opinion, why do you believe Ozai hated Zuko so much? He physically scarred him, while he mentally scarred Azula

Honestly, this is a very layered question, because the life of the Fire Nation royal family seems to be very much filled with intrigue, subterfuge and spite. So much spite. It also depends on how much grace we want to give Ozai, whether we want to percieve him as a character with potential redeeming qualities. Don't get me wrong, all versions of canon compliant Ozai are morally deplorable, but it is possible to interpret him as a character more fleshed out than the cartoon villain he is on the surface level.

The reasoning for Ozai's treatment of Zuko can be traced back to Ozai and Ursa's very volatile relationship. It is plain to see that Ozai was an abusive husband, from the coercion of marriage and sexual relations, holding the abuse of their children over her head to physically grabbing and yanking Ursa.

It's hard to say whether Ozai just got off on the control he had over Ursa, or whether he genuinely wanted some kind of relationship with her. It seems like the family was at least comfortable for some time, and Ozai did appear to want to at least 'act out' romance with Ursa, kissing her on the cheek, and wanting her to call him 'my love'. Whether that be another level of control, or genuine, I can't really tell.

Whatver he wants from this relationship, all that is effectively shattered when Ursa begins sending letters to Ikem. Ozai seems so insecure due to this that he hires an elite assassin just to try and take down his wife's peasant ex boyfriend.

When Ursa lies in her letter, claiming Zuko as Ikem's son, Ozai confronts her. And he seems genuinely hurt, or at least distraught that Ursa wishes Zuko weren't his son. And so it appears he became especially cruel to Zuko to spite Ursa.

I want to highlight that it is difficult to blame Ursa for her actions, as she clearly isn't in a good place mentally due to what is happening to her

Another reason could be Ozai seeing Ursa favour Zuko over Azula. I go into this more here so I don't want to repeat myself. But I believe Ursa, unintentionally, isolated Azula. Now, whether or not Ozai saw this and reacted by favouring Azula and bullying Zuko. Or he saw his daughter was in a vulnerable position, prime for manipulation and control. Again, it depends on how nice we're being to Ozai here.

Azula really is just a more convenient child for Ozai. One of the reasons Ozai cites for perfering Azula is that she is a more talented firebender.

Zuko: You're like my sister. Everything always came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy, and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born.

Azula is also, for all her cunning and glib, more susceptible to manipulation. Unlike Zuko, who has Ursa and Iroh, Azula lacked supportive adults in her life. I talk about how important support systems are in redemption arcs here.

I think Ozais displeasure with Zuko was that, he wasn't as easy to control as Azula. He spoke out of turn and had ideals that went against Ozai. I believe that this is why Ozai became so enraged by Zuko's behaviour and actions. Zuko unintentionally undermined him.

Iroh: Zuko had spoken out against the general's plan, but by doing so in the Fire Lord's war room, it was the Fire Lord whom he had disrespected.

Ozai, at his core, seems like a deeply insecure man. Most of his acomplishments aren't his own. His wife (who was secured for him by his father btw) is the one who masterminded the assassination of Azulon and Ozai's subsequent coronation. And while Iroh, the one whose titile Ozai essentially stole, was in disfavour for abandoning Ba Sing Se, he is still a decorated war general.

And Ozai isn't stupid, he probably knows he is pathetic. There's a reason he didn't want to share his glory on Sozin's comet with Azula. He's fucken insecure and makes it everyone else's problem.

And to some extent, I don't think Ozai really hates Zuko, at least not pre- Black Sun Day. Zuko tells us that his family was "happy once" and it's implied Ozai had been an at least passable father a t some time.

I simply think Ozai's pride, insecurity and spite towards Ursa took priority over whatever affection he had for his son.

I don't want this to seem like I'm making any excuses for Ozai, his actions towards Zuko and his entire family were deplorable. Him having his own rationale and reasonings doesn't moralise his behaviors. However, I do like to think that he isn't just a one note cartoonish villain and has his own motivations other than being a dick.

[shakingparadigm]

what is the theory that ivan manipulated the event where till and mizi met the wagyein?

It's not a theory, actually! It's confirmed that Ivan orchestrated the whole event. The true reason as to why however is still unknown. The information provides more context to this scene, though:

During the earlier times of ALNST the most rational explanation for this scene was that Till ran after a flower crown (presumably Mizi's) and Ivan followed him in out of curiosity. Now we know that Ivan was conveniently just standing there because he was waiting.

Side note, I find it heartbreaking (and maybe a little funny, sorry) that Till most likely didn't notice Ivan in this scene. That's just like him, isn't it. Always too busy running after Mizi while Ivan trails behind, an ever-present shadow.

I'm not sure how Ivan manipulated the circumstances for both of them to end up there, but it is confirmed that everything was intentional. What strikes me most is how they describe this particular scene:

I can't copy down what they said word-for-word (Patreon info), but they described Ivan watching "creepily" as Till and Mizi are faced with danger. We know that Ivan was familiar with the Cerberus wagyein beforehand, enough to touch its teeth and even to rest himself inside its maw. To Ivan, the wagyein is not dangerous, but to Till and Mizi, it could be. Ivan prepared the wagyein, led them there, and watched "creepily" from afar as Till fell on his knees, seemingly injured.

The closest I can get to making sense of Ivan's "scheme" is that he wanted to see how other children would react in a dangerous situation. Ivan's always been an observer, after all, and he's learned to survive by copying the more "normal" behaviors of his peers. This situation occured when Ivan was still young and had not yet developed his more charming mask, so perhaps he staged this encounter to study a situational response, to learn and mimic the emotion of fear. And what better subjects for the experiment than two of the most expressive and reactive humans of their batch? It helps that he was already fixated on Till beforehand, too. I think Ivan became irreversibly obssessed after this incident, especially since it's framed as a turning point in Ivan's life, comparing Till to the stars.

This is just my attempt at an interpretation, though. It could very well be for another reason. He most likely chose Till and Mizi specifically for personal reasons, not just for reaction. I'm still not sure on the purpose behind the whole thing.

The team wanted to capture Ivan's "dark emotions" through the shot of his stalking, which could relate to his more sinister intentions. His gaze can be read in a few different ways, though. Curiosity, interest, fear, etc. Maybe that's why they decided to redraw the shot in ROUND 6.

I think this better sells the feeling they were trying to convey.

[my-name-is-apollo]

I know Ares being Zeus' least favorite child is a popular interpretation, but I think it's interesting that Callimachus' hymn says otherwise:

And thou didst not tremble before the anger of Hera, who murmured terribly against all child-bearing women that bare children to Zeus, but especially against Leto, for that she only was to bear to Zeus a son dearer even than Ares.

– Callimachus, Hymn to Delos (trans. A.W Mair)

Only Leto would bear a son who would be dearer to Zeus than Ares is. Which means that the sons that other women bore were not as dear to Zeus as Ares is, if I'm interpreting this correctly. It's honestly kinda fascinating.

[ocelotlesbian]

i think the internet would be a much better place if people could dislike art normally instead of trying moralize their dislike into "oh this art is problematic and bad actually" and just accept that art they dislike & think is bad has a right to exist despite their opinion of it

this isn't about anything in specific, it's just a trend i've noticed :p

[starliteonearth]

Love Oshamir but I'm not sure I quite agree with this insistence that Qimir isn't at all being manipulative because first of all, he basically kidnapped Osha. She is not in his mancave on some unknown planet in the middle of fuck-knows-where of her own freewill. Let's not forget that. Secondly, he may be honest in what he's saying to her but he for sure isn't doing this out of the goodness of his heart. He wants something from her, wants her to be something to him. He's deliberately pushing her in a specific direction to make her what he thinks she can be, what he wants her to be, to be like him. That IS manipulation.

[ghostlypawn]

my #unfortunate trait is that i like how mel/langdon has an undercurrent of toxicity to them 😔

[hawnks]

Dreading the "Yakuza Princess is disgusting and misogynistic 😌" think pieces that are coming.........

[fideidefenswhore]

caved and rewatched a few eps (sort of only pieces tho) of tudors (and BSR, drama scenes only… #ilovetohavefun) last night and like the way… you can literally so plausibly cast so many actors in that cast as hviii… except the one playing hviii….

i know steve waddington is the fan fav, he would be perfect for henry like circa 1530 (except the brown eyes), but i also present:

Kris Holden Reid , perfect for circa 1515 (and 6’3 asw!)

[greycoffee]

I was watching HBO's The Pitt the other night and thought that they looked similar... so naturally I headcanoned them as brothers bc my brain just works like that :p

Xavier Baxter (School Spirits) & Frank Langdon (The Pitt)

LIKE LOOK AT THEM

Frank grew to despise his dad and while studying medicine, left that state to get away from him (sadly leaving his younger brother back home to deal with his shit). Langdon left their Wisconsin town to practice medicine in Pittsburgh, where he invites Xavier over the summer so they can hang out. They both have their own set of problems... and I love them for that lmao

If y'all like medical dramas without the doctors and nurses having quickies in the break room every goddamn episode, check out The Pitt! It's fucking awesome :)))

[every-sanji]

so the most recent post from you reminded me- you're not a zosan fan (neither am I tbh) so what DO you support for sanji (in terms of ships or HCs)

I had to sit on this for a bit since I got home but I do have a few ride or dies so we can start there.

SanUso numero um campeao del mundo!! I love love love sanuso so much.... they have a number of really good scenes together and I'm so tired or I'd try and pull them up but off the top of my head in Water 7 when Sanji worries about if Usopp will come back, and earlier in the arc with Enies Lobby calling Usopp their sniper and getting very excited to see him back...

If Oda wasn't a coward post ts or at least post wci Sanji would be fat. Fatness and weight gain as healing is so important and thematically fits for Sanji as a character especially with all of his backstory but alas.

In terms of gender/sexuality I'm pretty fluid on what I headcanon for him. As long as it makes sense for the scenario I don't care all that much. I know bisexual is really common as a hc for him which is great! I also see him as tentatively genderfluid but I don't think he really knows how to articulate it. Probably with weird food and cooking metaphors.

And the last thing I'm going to say because I'm me and its impossible for me to talk about anything without mentioning Enstars but I think he and Niki share similar worldviews when it comes to food, especially when it comes to feeding the needy, what with Sanji giving Gin the food in Baratie despite being enemies and Niki taking in a strange teenage Rinne he found on the street because he looked hungry and both Gin and Rinne feel indebted to their chefs and saviors. I would love to see a One Piece and Ensemble Stars collab with them specifically someday and not just because they're my favorites from each franchise....