#putting those tags to be safe

[victorckk]

Don’t have any new art of Blythe, but these doodles are from a few weeks ago

Haven’t been focused on TOH as much as I used to be, so that’s why I haven’t really been posting or doodling him much recently

He’s the only OC I really have that’s a father figure / an actual father so I figured,, why not make a Father’s Day post of him and just talk about him in general?

Sure, he may be as horrible and awful as Philip. He may have brought an end to his own father. And he may have agreed to the Day of Unity and didn’t give a damn about his home realm being wiped out due to being blinded by the Emperor’s affection.

But he always wanted the best for Hunter, even if he knew that it was practically impossible after watching countless Golden Guards succumb to the Emperor’s wrath. Hunter was different, though. After retiring as a scout, Blythe was given the responsibility of raising him.

He would usually get into arguments and fights with Belos about Hunter’s wellbeing, even going so far as to decking the Emperor in the jaw while trying to protect Hunter (but we don’t speak about that incident).

Hunter accidentally stabbed Blythe through the heart during the final battle, resulting in Hunter wanting to destroy Belos even more.

In Hunter’s eyes, it was Belos’ fault that Blythe was the way he was, and Blythe would’ve been a much better person if Belos wasn’t in the picture.

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

So we finally got to see the Daemon that has been shown to us through some slight glimpses over the season, that the showrunners have been hinting at all of this time.

Look familiar?

Just sayin'.

[hydrachea]

Thinking about Robin and Sunday's halos.

About how Robin's halo isn't a closed circle, but more like a branch forming a circular shape, where the start and stem don't touch. It's also uneven in shape and splits into three flowers, like it's allowed to grow freely, unobstructed. Something about Robin having left Penacony and having escaped the confines of her cage, being able to flourish. About her being able to let people in, and connect to them.

Meanwhile Sunday stayed behind to be the head of the Oak family and conform to the strict role that's expected of him, and his halo is a perfectly symmetrical shape that's practically fully closed off. It's sharp, almost more like a crown of thorns than a halo. And it almost doesn't have any openings to let anything, or anyone, in easily. It actively discourages getting close to it.

And then if you want to get sappy about, which I will - Sunday doesn't let anyone in, with that almost completely sealed, thorny halo of his... But there's an opening in Robin's halo, and so it can fit around Sunday's. Something about him always being able to find solace in her, because there's room for him in her (halo) heart always, by design.

Anyway I'm not normal about them.

[boydykedevo]

Fuck it. Taako fancam.

[dabingusbongus]

ME AND MY BOI RAZ FUCKING UP THE KITCHEN!!!!

do not look at the monster.

Raz is staring disapprovingly...

[carlottastudios]

Every day I get closer to making an unhinged behemoth of a post listing all of the things about Kaeya and his possible connections to mythology & stuff that I notice but NOBODY ELSE SEEMS TO BRING UP IN THEIR THEORIES

(edit: OMG I reached the tag limit I'm so sorry)

[pyrosomatic-metamorphosis]

im gonna be honest i dont care that the eggs bedrooms at NINHO look super scary rn. NINHO is a nuclear bunker built for survival, and that should ALWAYS be the #1 priority when building a space meant to be safe. If it isn't safe, then it has failed as a safe space, just by definition. That SAID- gaining functionality doesn't mean they have to give up a nice room entirely. There's still ways to decorate. The space has to be different now, but remember that each room started out as a double-block layered square box. even a nuclear bunker can have paintings on the wall

[homosexualsdotorg]

"Riley why are you drawing mystic messenger stuff in 2024???" Uhhhh ya momma 🤣🤣🤣anyways let's be serious now. This is a redraw from 2020 (like.. right after the quarantine started yikes) and it's just cool to see how far I've come in my art journey. Even if I'm still drawing cartoon men. Sighs

Comparison under the cut ^^

[katlynthecat]

tw for... gore? kinda?? idk its marx torn in half

i think hes dead

[shannonsketches]

lays on the floor do you guys ever think about how in ResF Bulma falls for Vegeta's fake-out with Freeza and both she and Yamcha are worried about Vegeta's villain fake-out strategy in Champa and Beerus' mini tournament and how it's only been a couple of years since the Buu saga and how Vegeta straight up stopped using that strategy after that tournament

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

Sure there were a lot of Easter Eggs in the season finale but can we talk about the parallels to GoT they threw there?

HotD chose to put distinct differences into their show that clearly display just how off the track Dany was as a would-be ruler. Like, they really did that and I applaud them for it.

I mean, they literally mirrored this scene:

To this scene:

To show us the difference.

In HotD, Rhaenyra has lost one child and is about to lose another. In GoT, Dany has lost Viserion and more recently, Rhaegal, two of her own children. Both are standing at the painted table in Dragonstone with fire in the background, planning what to do about KL and the IT with their councilors.

Rhaneyra: "I do not wish to rule over a kingdom of ash and bone."

While this line separates HotD from GoT, it also shows us the difference in who said those lines. Two Targaryen daughters who feel they have a destiny that they must meet.

Rhaenyra is planning to prepare the realm for the coming threat, as per Aegon's dream. Dany is planning to start a new world she envisions, hoping to be Aegon come again.

And of course, we have the father parallel/contrast:

Daemon: "You sound just like your father."

Rhaenyra: "My father's dead."

Danenerys: "I'm not my father." (which we know she actually ended up being just as bad as)

...

Lord (sorry, I couldn't hear the name): "Are you considering the Hightowers' terms, Your Grace?"

Rhaenyra: "As queen what is my true duty to the realm, Lord __? Ensuring peace and unity or that I sit the Iron Throne no matter the cost?"

Varys: "I beg you, Your Grace. Do not destroy the city you came to save. Do not become what you've always struggled to defeat."

Daenerys: "Do you believe we're here for a reason, Lord Varys? I'm here to free the world from tyrants. That is my destiny and I will serve it no matter the cost."

...

"Ruler of ash and bone" is different than "queen of the ashes", especially in the wording. Bone is left amongst ash, a consequence of the war Rhaenyra was trying to avoid. Ashes means there is nothing left...but ash. Not even bone survives. And no matter what action Rhaenyra takes now and no matter how this all ends, we know that KL will still be standing when the time comes for the GoT story to start and Dany's arrival.

Two very different Targaryen female rulers indeed.

Bonus:

They're already starting to show you who leans more towards what we've already seen.

Daemon: "Do you acknowledge the true line of succession?" "I'm grateful for your long service to the crown so, I'm presenting you with a choice. Swear anew your oath to Rhaenyra as your queen." "Or if you support usurpers, speak it now. And you will have a clean and honorable death. But if you choose treachery, if you swear fealty now only later to turn your cloaks, know that you will die. Screaming."

Daenerys: "An oath is an oath." "I offer you a choice. Bend the knee and join me. Together we will leave the world a better place than we found it. Or refuse and die." "And I swear this, if you ever betray me, I'll burn you alive." "I am the dragon's daughter and I swear to you, that those who would harm you will die screaming."

Plus:

Daemon: "Dreams didn't make us kings. Dragons did."

Daenerys: "They were terrifying and extraordinary. They filled people with wonder and awe." "They grew small. And we grew small as well. We weren't extraordinary without them. We were just like everyone else."

Not to mention this whole scene where we really start to see the true Daemon come through to the forefront:

And while there's no direct parallels here, this very much sets up a distant parallel between these two relationships:

Daemon: "You cannot bend the knee to the Hightowers, they stole your birthright."

Rhaenyra: "You know my oath reaches beyond our personal ambitions."

*Rhaenyra tells Daemon about Aegon's dream & her destiny*

*Jon tells Dany he's Rhaegar's son & Dany realizes this threatens her claim to the IT which she considers not only her birthright but her destiny*

Daenerys: "What happens when they demand you press your claim and take what is mine?"

Jon: "I'll refuse."

Not to mention how bonded Rhaenyra and Daemon are to their dragons (compared to Aemond and Lucerys), just like Dany and Jon were.

Parallels galore.

[mergaliscious]

"oh but [pwNPD or ASPD] don't have empathy! Or the ones that do usually don't and they just flip a switch to have empathy when it suits them!" And you flip the switch off whenever you see a homeless person how's that better???

[giantkillerjack]

Uh-oh! You are like, SOOO awkward!!

You're so awkward that it is occasionally mildly uncomfortable for people!

You're so awkward that sometimes people are confused by you and then there are awkward silences!

You're so awkward ...... that ultimately no one is harmed!!

Oh damn!!! What a vile crime you have committed! What an unforgivable thing it is to make a fellow human briefly confused!

Why, if *I* were ever briefly confused and kind of uncomfortable as a result, I'd be devastated.... by the absolute net zero change in my happiness and health! - From which I might never recover!! Yes indeed! No punishment can ever be enough for you!!

So you better absolutely hate yourself for it.

Better be SO MEAN to yourself about every single missed social cue so you don't forget your horrible crime! Meaner than you'd ever dream of being to someone else for the same thing! This is YOUR responsibility!

You need to show the world that you KNOW you are bad by punishing yourself constantly! After all, think of all the people who BENEFIT from you punishing yourself! - No, really! Think about it! Think about who benefits from your pain.

Think of alllllll the definitely-good people that your definitely-necessary self-torment definitely helps! I mean, you can't just cut off their definitely-life-sustaining supply of your suffering, right?? Sure, everyone else has a breaking point, but you're probably the only person in human history who doesn't, right? Best not to question it probably. Sure, it's a symptom that billions of people with trauma have had, but who knows? You could be a one-in-seven-billion exception. Anything's possible!

Instead, better just accept that idea that bullies carry like guns in holsters - the idea that people who have trouble with social cues deserve to suffer. Better carry on the burden they placed on you until you drop. Aid the cause of the callous by enforcing shame and suffering upon yourself extra hard; try your best to do their work for them. They're very busy.

Better not recognize that you need patience and kindness to heal from your trauma. Better not find out that it was trauma rather than personal weakness filling your head with self-hating thoughts. Better not find out it wasn't your fault.

Better not find out that awkwardness is not inherently harmful or unkind, and, in fact, the people who act like it is *are the ones enacting harm and being cruel.*

Better not get righteously angry when you realize just how much unnecessary damage this has done to you. After all, if you get mad, you might realize you deserve better. You might even feel brave enough to DEMAND better! You might build boundaries that keep you safe! You might make other people think they deserve to feel safe too! And we obviously can't be having that, so...

Better not show yourself even a little kindness a little bit at a time.

Better not make a habit out of it after all that practice.

Better not get confident.

Especially if you can't first wipe out every trace of awkward. (And you probably never will. Because people who experience absolute social certainty at all times tend to be insufferable assholes that enforce the status quo. And you just don't have the stock portfolio for that.)

Better not be confident and awkward because then you might confuse and delight people

- you might accidentally end up making other people feel less shame for their social difficulties

- you might make isolated, traumatized, and shy people feel like they deserve to be included in social situations

- you might even make them feel they can be themselves around you

- you might start loving the effect you have on a room

- you might enjoy conversations more

- you might forgive yourself and bounce back from shame more easily and frequently

- you might come to enjoy some of those moments of harmless confusion you cause because NOBODY expects the Confident Awkward, and that can genuinely be an advantage in social situations

- you might stop apologizing so much.

- you might find that socializing is like a video game: it requires practice but also a safe space for it to be fun and positive.

Or if you can't become assertive and confident, better not remain awkward and shy and quiet, and then love and forgive yourself anyway!

Why, it would be carnage!!

In either scenario, you run the risk of finding out that it's not your fault that safe spaces full of kind people can be really hard to find, create, and nurture. You could end up building a skillset that helps you do those things if you're not careful!

If you start giving yourself even the tiniest amount of grace at a time, you will find that you've accessed a gateway drug with extreme long-term side effects:

- You might realize that it was never your fault that it took so long to like yourself.

- You might realize that you were always worth talking to, even when you didn't like yourself and communication felt impossibly difficult.

- You might realize that you'll still be worth talking to even if communication becomes harder as you age and/or experience disability.

- You might come to know that you deserve to be heard even on bad days when words come slow and blurry.

You might discover that you were always deserving of kindness, first and foremost from yourself.

So. As you can see, it's FAR too much of a risk to start granting your awkward self free pardons for your many heinous and harmless crimes. Better to just leave it there.

[yorshie]

reading this post made me realize I needed some maskless Donnie in my life

[tmae3114]

So I originally wrote this back in August when this release was fresh and then!!! APPARENTLY!!! just COMPLETELY forgot to post it!! so you get it now, three months late.

-

Some of the dialogue from the Guardian Tower has been living rent free in my head and now I want to yell about it because it’s SO GOOD for background lore

Okay, so, on the first floor, Mindi tells us this:

I really like this because it helps illustrate one of the logistical problems of the Rose. Like, even if you took away everything else that makes them bad (which, admittedly, is most of the organisation and its purpose), the fact that they tend to, by default, present themselves as the only option and drive out competition is bad. On paper, a force of people trained in combat against magical threats, with reasonably easy access to that training, which has garrisons stationed across the land, is actually a pretty good solution to the whole Recurring Evil Magical Threats thing. We know this because the guardians and the paladins and the dragonslayers exist! They do this! The Rose seems to make membership easier to access but, frankly, I suspect that is in part because their training is less thorough.

And when the Rose show up and drive those other groups out (like they’ve done with the Guardians), they don’t actually improve anything. Best case scenario, everything is exactly the way it was before. More likely, things would get worse, because the people with active experience defending a particular area have been driven away and now the Rose members have to play catch-up

(A good example of how on paper a group like the Rose could help an area is Book 3 Amityvale. The local Guardians were long gone, so the Rose were able to help without doing that extra damage and made Amityvale a safer place to live....... but that’s specifically for the human inhabitants. Plus, we know they’re affecting the magic of the area - Amaris’s moon has started having phases - and that’s! probably not good! Also see: Raven having to flee for her own safety after getting bitten by a werewolf. Even where they are ostensibly doing the most good, the Rose are still an active danger to many, even their own in the wrong circumstances)

And, meanwhile, on the ground floor...

......further proof that the Rose actively try to drive competition out of the area. Falconreach has repeatedly made it clear that they want nothing to do with the Rose and they keep picking fights with the patrols.

[maplefield]

"compared to 2.0 the trailblaze mission in 2.1 may not be as easy breezy and light hearted" rip us ig 💀 i fear no one but Shaoji laoshi scares me. man is all smiley and happy meanwhile he's probably cooked up some trauma fest again