#one for the record books!

[bookwyrminspiration]

I can behave normally around books

[morganbritton132]

Eddie, posting to TikTok: Look, I love my husband. I adore this man and I have for the majority of my life. He is the shining star in my sky.

Eddie: And I know. I know he wants to read more this year. And I know that when you’re dyslexic, it can be really difficult and I’m happy every time he accomplishes what he wants but…

*Flips camera to show Steve reading on the other side of the couch*

Eddie, gesturing: What kind of demented book handling is this? That book is bent in half. It’s a hardback!

[eemoo1o-animoo]

Finding this image so interesting because Sebastian lets himself be photographed.

[choilacanth]

TES Summer Fest: profane

UHHHHHHH I'll show myself out hahahaha (click to zoom in)

Visible book titles: “On Artaeum”, “Mudcrab Rearing 101”, “Chicken Soul for the Soup”

All credits go to my partner for the idea. :]

@tes-summer-fest

[tiredandoptimistic]

So, in the photo of Ford and Fiddleford in college that you can find torn in half in the Book of Bill, it says "MISS YOU" in the code the Stan twins came up with as kids. Fiddleford has to be the one that wrote it there, so does that mean that Ford taught him his childhood secret language? I've got so many thoughts and feelings about that.

[shusuikokuto]

hey. is anybody listening. hello

One Piece x 天官賜福 (Tian Guan Ci Fu)

citations under the cut:

Luffy / 謝憐 Xie Lian

unending optimism!!! even in the face of the worst situations

extremely powerful but often underestimated to be harmless

wears a deeply treasured plant-based hat (OP: straw; TGCF: bamboo) given to them by a significant person (Shanks, OP Ch.1; Nameless passerby with rice, TGCF Ch. 196) and always retrieves it even in the midst of danger (OP Ch.18, TGCF Ch. 199)

"you can hurt me, but you can't mock/threaten my friends" (OPLA S01E01; TGCF Ch.198)

Zoro / 花城 Hua Cheng

king of hell/ruler of the underworld

one-eyed (OP: Zoro post time-skip; TGCF: HC after Mt. Tonglu)

extremely strong killing intent/demonic aura (OP Ch.3, Ch.687; TGCF Ch.8, Ch.35, Ch.95)

extremely lucky (OP Ch.97; TGCF Ch. 15 )

has cursed swords (OP: cursed katana Sandai Kitetsu; TGCF: cursed scimitar E-ming)

Red eye (OP: Zoro as king of hell Ep.1062; TGCF: HC's right eye that he carved out)

takes on the other person's entire curse/pain (OP: Thriller bark Ch. 485; TGCF Ch.198)

[magnus-rhymes-with-swagness]

OKAY who wants to hear about why i think nimona challenges amatonormativity? you do! 🫵

one of the main ways this is accomplished is through ballister and ambrosius’s relationship. it’s arguable that it doesn’t necessarily fit the traditional model of romance - not only are they a queer interracial couple, and not only is their relationship ambiguous in the book, but there are certain instances, especially in the movie, that subvert traditional ideas of romance and friendship.

one instance that really stands out to me is when the director asks ambrosius what’s on his mind and he goes on his imagined rant about how arm-chopping isn’t a love language - you know the one. when he mentions ballister, he refers to him as “the man i love, my best friend.” and not just one or the other, but both! the man i love, and my best friend. he places equal emphasis on both the romantic and platonic aspects of the relationship, valuing ballister in both a romantic context and a platonic context without treating either one as more important than the other.

and even moments such as the first “i love you” and the kiss manage to subvert tradition. both of these things are generally seen as a pretty big deal, especially in fiction - if the characters are kissing or saying “i love you,” it’s usually a moment in which everything changes. a line is drawn, dividing the story into after and now. sometimes it’s dramatic and climactic, with fireworks and a swell of music, but even when it isn’t it’s still seen as a turning point of sorts. now it’s official, now it’s real. but this isn’t the case in nimona. both moments are certainly significant - they do a good job of showcasing the character development and where ballister and ambrosius are on their respective journeys, and are certainly important in terms of representation - but neither one follows the path that most fictional romance does.

another way in which nimona challenges amatonormativity would be the emphasis on friendship! in the tavern scene (in the movie) when ambrosius suggests killing nimona, ballister disagrees and says “she’s my friend.” ambrosius replies with “aren’t i more than that?”, implying he’s more important than a friend - thus upholding amatonormative ideas. ballister becomes angry at that and leaves - challenging this idea and prioritizing his platonic relationship with nimona over his romantic one with ambrosius, as nimona is the one he wants to defend.

additionally, a big part of this scene is the way ballister deliberately rejects institute values while ambrosius unintentionally upholds them. and because the story challenges homophobia and transphobia (and other forms of bigotry) through the lens of the institute, it would make sense for it to challenge amatonormativity too! it’s something that’s become incredibly normalized, to the point that lots of people don’t even know it exists, and this is reminiscent of the institute brainwashing, especially when it comes to ambrosius - he’s been manipulated his whole life and probably genuinely doesn’t understand the level to which he’s internalized institute beliefs.

ballister prioritizes nimona many times, actually. when he tells ambrosius she’s “smart, kind, and quite sophisticated,” when he’s overjoyed to see her again at the end, when he refuses to kill her and saves her instead. over and over, he proves how much he cares about her, even when this involves directly going against what ambrosius wants - which, of course, is really what the institute wants. a core tenant of amatonormativity is the false notion that romantic relationships are more important or valuable than other types of relationships, but ballister actively goes against this!

to conclude, as a story that at its core is about identity and challenging societal beliefs, nimona defies expectations and traditional ideas of what it should or shouldn’t be. it’s possible that amatonormativity wasn’t what the creators had in mind, but the story still manages to challenge it with grace and elegance. just like its main character, nimona refuses to conform to what others want it to be.

[redbean-nom]

krayt's claw reunion

aka: fennec gets to see boba's baby pictures

[starwikia]

oopsie-doopsie looks like someone might’ve realized he did a fucky-wucky!

[hermit-frog]

«“Daniel, you are a gift to me from Louis,” Armand had said tenderly. “What would I do without you? You misunderstand everything.”»

[cowardnthief]

on tv, two men who are best friends always have 100x more chemistry and romantic potential than any actual romantic relationship on the show (and i mean this to include straight and gay couples) because:

1) the creators have to actually put effort into developing their relationship, explaining why they like each other as people, and getting the audience invested and, importantly, believing, without the shorthand of making out which is, imo, a crutch

2) men tend to be more developed than women on tv, so they become more believable characters, and in turn more compelling. two men are likely to both be equally involved in the story, in the world. it feels less like an afterthought - less like oh, she's the only girl here, so i guess she'll hook up with the protagonist...

3) similar thing, and maybe i'm going on a little feminist rant here, but i think relationships with two men are able to get away with so much more because they are on "equal footing." i'm not intending this to be commentary about real-life relationships at all, but on tv there are certain things that audiences expect and accept from same-sex relationships, platonic or otherwise, but not opposite-sex. for example, violence (a tumblr-beloved toxic yaoi trope) is extremely common in male friendships on tv but would be unheard of in a male-female friendship due to what it would imply.

4) instead of spending time on the "romantic subplot" away from the plot, two men spend time together INSIDE the plot. INSIDE the world. their relationship becomes a facet of the universe rather than an annex to it. (this does happen with well-written straight couples of course, but i find it to be less common, especially in the kind of trash camp tv tumblr gobbles up.)

anyway, i think about this a lot - why despite being a rampant feminist and 90% lesbian, i find myself drawn to male friendships over female ones on television, over romantic relationships. why i find weird, twisted friendships where all they do is beat each other up and stare at each other, something dark and unspoken flickering just behind their eyes, more compelling than relationships, involving any gender, where they actually do the nasty.

i think some of this applies to female friendships too, but i see it less often, again because women tend to be less developed, have a harder time dodging boring tropes, and are also just less present on television (and even when they are, they don't interact with each other in any significant way).

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Late Night Talking

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[redstonedust]

this one goes out to the creative projects you made as a kid but lost or deleted when you got older so you'll never get to experience them outside of you own memory.

[tennessoui]

Buddy cop Anakin has both Palpatine and Qui-Gon telling him he is A Very Special Boy (Dooku: he is NOT, he is a GUTTERSNIPE, you have lost your collective minds, I refuse to speak to the Jedi or the Sith ever again, Obi-Wan, if you change your mind, com me, Dooku OUT).

this & also obi-wan is the quickest to say hey you are NOT a special boy you are in fact just a boy who is the worst - but if someone else in his vicinity floats the idea of anakin being a bad and or corrupt coruscanti guard, obi-wan is the very first to jump up and be like 'well actually he has an incredible record and many accolades and no he's no jedi but the jedi cannot be everywhere all the time and so they largely have to ignore most of coruscant so really it's good that there are men like anakin out there in the guard to help keep coruscant safe as there is no one i would trust more with the task'

and then anakin pops up like 20 hours later to arrest him and obi-wan is like (pleasantly) you're the worst most corrupt and laziest coruscanti guard in galactic history

[finleycannotdraw]

spent the afternoon at the library with my boyfriend yesterday (it was very lovely) but I decided, for shits and giggles, to read romancing mister bridgerton and let me tell you I would die for colin and penelope. I. I might have to watch bridgerton.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

hey remember that caramel-carmel Fake Script i was writing? yeah it's technically not done but i'm tired of tinkering with it so here it is! we'll just say it's a uhhhh uncovered partial script or somethin

this is not in any way official! it's a 100% unaffiliated fanwork & i am Just Fucking Around for Funsies

~

BARNABY: oh, I love carmul!

FRANK: [long, disgusted pause] …what? 

BARNABY: Carmul! You know, those tasty little treats you’re holdin’!

FRANK: You mean caramel?

BARNABY: That’s what I said.

FRANK: [scoffs] No, you didn’t. You said carmul.

BARNABY: We’re sayin’ the same thing here.

FRANK: We absolutely are not!

JULIE: [giggles] You really aren’t.

BARNABY: Carmul, caramel, tomato, tomahto! What does it matter!

FRANK: [flustered, stammering] It - it matters! Julie, you agree with me, don’t you?

JULIE: Well… I don’t know, Frank! I think both are fun!

FRANK: You’re both wrong, then! Wally, you agree with me, don’t you?

WALLY: [hesitant] …I say carmul.

FRANK: No! Not you too! How could you poison him like this, Barnaby?

BARNABY: Don’t look at me! I’m innocent, honest!

FRANK: Ha! So you admit that carmul is the wrong pronunciation!

BARNABY: [groans] ah, geez… throw a dog a bone!

FRANK: I’d be delighted to if you’d just-

[distant yelp as Eddie trips off-screen] 

FRANK: Eddie! Thank goodness, finally someone who can put an end to this debate!

EDDIE: [nervous laugh] Oh no, what did I stumble into this time? 

BARNABY: Hold on a tic, Frank. Hey Ed, take this. What do you call that tasty treat?

EDDIE: [with a tinge of fear] A… caramel?

FRANK: [triumphant] a-HA!

SALLY: [approaching] Did someone mention carmul?

FRANK: AGH!

BARNABY: [delighted] Perfect timing, Sally!

SALLY: What, for a delicious morsel? Hand it over, thank you!

FRANK: You’re all wrong, and I’ll prove it! We’re going to go around the neighborhood and - wait. [under his breath] One two three four - [returns to normal volume] we’re taking this to Poppy’s!

BARNABY: Then Home, then Howdy, yeah yeah - might as well ask the daisies, too.

JULIE: Oooh, and the butterflies! 

SALLY: While we’re at it, we should phone everyone in the book, just to get the widest audience input.

FRANK: [unamused] You all think you’re so funny. 

EDDIE: Well, you gotta admit it’s… it’s… 

[brief, tense pause. Eddie clears his throat]

EDDIE: It’s perfectly sensible!

[Frank makes an affronted noise]

FRANK: Poppy will see sense.

-

POPPY: I’d be delighted to have a cah-mehl, but I’m afraid it-

FRANK: [aghast, truly astonished] You’re joking. You have to be joking. CAH-MEHL? Does no one in this town have sense?! Besides Eddie, of course. And Julie - on a technicality.

EDDIE: [oddly pleased] Why thank you. 

POPPY: My goodness, did- did I say it wrong?

BARNABY: [gleeful] Not in the least, Pops!

SALLY: As far as I’m concerned, you added an extra layer of… pizazz to the word. In fact, I may adjust my own pronunciation accordingly!  

POPPY: [flustered] Oh, well, I didn’t - don’t change on my account -

SALLY: Take the compliment, Poppy. 

POPPY: [meekly] Thank you.

[Sally wanders from the group, practicing the slightly adjusted pronunciation]

WALLY: I’m not sure I understand. What’s wrong with carmul or… care… mul… carmel…

POPPY: Don’t strain yourself dear, you’ll get a migraine.

FRANK: What’s wrong is that it’s ENTIRELY incorrect! It! Is! Pronounced! Caramel!

JULIE: Aww, Frank, I’m sure Home and Howdy will agree with us! Team Caramel, WOOO!

BARNABY: [barely restrained disbelief] Boy, won’t they! 

POPPY: I’m not sure what the fuss is about… there isn’t much of a difference, is there?

[Frank makes a high pitched, frustrated noise and stomps off. He can be heard calling Home’s name in the background]

JULIE: Oop, there he goes!

POPPY:  Oh - oh dear. I didn’t mean to rile him up.

BARNABY: Don’t twist your beak about it - Frank’s just bein’ Frank. Now if you’ll excuse us, I wanna see how it goes with Home.

WALLY: [quietly, thoughtful] But Home doesn’t talk like us…

POPPY: If you’re sure… Do let me know how it goes. 

SALLY: [swaying back to the group] I’ll phone you post-haste! Or even better, I can come by for one of your delicious muffins and regale you with the whole escapade, in detail.

POPPY: [audibly pleased] That sounds - well that sounds like a wonderful idea! I have some fresh from this morning-

BARNABY: Sounds great! See you around, Poppy.

-

FRANK: Home, I have an important question to ask you. Is the correct pronunciation for this candy ‘carmul’, or ‘caramel’? One creak for caramel, two for the incorrect carmul.

BARNABY: Talk about a bias…

[Home stays silent. Sally yawns.]

FRANK: One creak for caramel, two-

[Home slowly shuts their curtains]

FRANK: Hmph! The nerve… well, I suppose a house that can’t speak shouldn’t have a say, anyway.

WALLY: Home can speak. He just does it differently.

BARNABY: And I’m pretty sure they just agreed with me, Walls, an’ Sally.

JULIE: They did not!

BARNABY: Looked like it to me!

SALLY: I have to agree with Julie. Home just declared itself a neutral party, and so the vote can’t be counted either way. On to Howardson!

JULIE: Yes! Howdy! Our last hope!

FRANK: He may have terrible taste in company, but he’s a sensible businessman. Poppy and Home have let me-

JULIE: Us!

FRANK: -us down, but surely Howdy will back us up. 

BARNABY: [faux-serious tone, knows something they don’t] Absolutely. Without a doubt.

-

[store bell chimes]

HOWDY: Howdy-do - [brief pause, a tinge of surprise] everyone! My my, what brings the entire neighborhood to my bountiful bodega? Finally decided to clean me out for good?

BARNABY: [snorts] With how fast you restock? I think I’d break my funnybone!

FRANK: We have important business.

HOWDY: [mildly curious] Do we? That’s news to me! But I’m letting you know now that I don’t deal in bugs, Frankly. It’d be hypocritical. 

FRANK: Believe me, I wish I were here to talk insects. Unfortunately, I need to settle a score. Mr. Dear, if you would?

EDDIE: If I would what?

SALLY: [stage-whisper] Barnabello gave you the, ah, parcel earlier?

EDDIE: The…? Oh! Oh, right - I have it right here, just… give me a second… which pocket…? There we go.

[sound of a small, hard candy placed on the countertop] 

HOWDY: A carmul all for me? You shouldn’t have! No, really, you shouldn’t have. I’m on the clock.

BARNABY: [loud bark of laughter] I knew I could count on you, pal! So what’s the tally, Frankie?

[Frank mutters something inaudible]

BARNABY: What was that? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of me bein’ right!

FRANK: [explosive] You’re all wrong! The correct pronunciation is caramel, CARAMEL! You’re all - you’re all just - heathens! Heathens, I say! I’m taking my company elsewhere! 

EDDIE: Mr. Frankly…

JULIE: [overlapping, following] Aw, c’mon Frank! 

[the door jingles. Julie and Frank’s hushed arguing in the doorway underlies the dialogue]

HOWDY: It sounds like I missed quite the context! Mind filling me in?

BARNABY: That was pretty much it; a real potato potahto argument.

HOWDY: If you say so, Barn. Speaking of potahtos-

[the background argument abruptly cuts off, the door jingles again as it's closed]

FRANK: [rapidly rejoining the group] Hold it! You don’t really say potahto, do you?

BARNABY: [under breath] Here we go again…

SALLY: [deeply amused] Where on Earth did you pick up such a butchered pronunciation? I must have missed the sign on my tour down from the heavens.

EDDIE: [baffled, underlying the dialogue] I’ve never heard anyone say it that way.

JULIE: Oh! Is it a joke? Like, Barnaby says potato-potahto, and then you jokingly say potahto to make us laugh? 

HOWDY: It’s not a joke. That’s how it’s said.

FRANK: [genuinely disturbed] No - no one says that. It’s potato.

HOWDY: Well I say potahto, thank you very much! And if you ever want one from my store again, you’d do well to accept that.

[Various grumbles of reluctant acceptance]

HOWDY: Good. Now, can I get any of you a refreshing drink after such a squall? You must be parched! 

WALLY: I wouldn’t mind a glass of mulk.

[Horrified silence. A pin drop would be deafening]

[Sudden uproarious and overlapping argument]