#(if anyone wants a refresher)

[citrussmoke]

you fw Willsker?!?!? based as hell. please draw then napping in the lab (because i fear they'd do it regularly)??

ok i might've gotten a little carried away

[punk-lucifer]

something im really appreciating, watching the olympics, is that while all the athletes are demigods that are absolutely at their physical peaks for each sport NONE OF THEM have instagram face. despite the homogenous nature of social media that’s been creeping into all media since the late 2000s all the athletes look so different. noses! jawlines! lips! eyes! everyone i see on tv looks like a real person and i am LOVING IT

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

was rereading the convo dirk has with dave and was captivated by the subtle work done to indicate how very much this was not actually a good or productive convo for dirk, and a capstone on the toxic mess that is him and hal

in the exact same conversation that dave is explaining, and dirk is seemingly accepting, that beta!dirk/bro should not have been allowed near a child, dirk chooses to bring up hal. and he does it to be really shitty.

DIRK: Creating him was an interesting exercise I guess, but over the years I came to see his development as one of my biggest mistakes. DIRK: He sort of turned into a monster. But I could never bring myself to get rid of him, or even really blame him for being an asshole, because he wasn't actually that different from me.

like... hal is dirk's younger brother/kid, right?

that's part of the reason that when hal starts using a different color, it's dave's red. in one part, the orange/red split is evocative of dave/davesprite, casting dirk/hal as foils, but... i don't think the lil bro/"kid i'm responsible for" vibe is unintentional, either. especially when paired with the fact that the brainscan is of 13-year-old dirk, and that the words "nascent" and "emergent" are used to describe hal's consciousness, all implying an element of youthfulness or childishness to him that isn't applied to dirk.

hal is fully sapient, has real feelings (by dirk's own admission, too), and is also, like, completely his own guy. he's not a dirk splinter, he's a computer housing a dirk splinter, and he and dirk only think they're the same guy because their individual issues happen to perfectly align in the worst possible way.

so if you look at their relationship through that lens instead - a frankenstein/frankenstein's monster scenario (which is also directly and intentionally an exploration on parenthood) at best and dirk Pretty Much Actually Just Making A Child at worst - doesn't it become really fucked up that Dirk tried to kill him?

Doesn't it become really fucked up that Dirk is outright calling him a "mistake" and a "monster"?

the other really interesting thing here is when he talks about Jake - specifically, the way he chooses to "make it up to" jake. which is to say, he doesn't.

DIRK: I wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to avoid me as much as possible. DIRK: I'm sure that's for the best. DIRK: I think I need to stay out of his business for a good while, so I don't risk poisoning another innocent kid's life.

This isn't a solution. Hell, this isn't even an apology. This is just self-isolation, self-punishment, more of Dirk's martyrdom complex and teen boy diva bullshit.

yes, dirk hates himself, but the actual toxic loop he's stuck in is one where he doesn't address any of his problems. he identifies what his issues are, he feels really bad about them, he can enunciate them very clearly to other people, but then, instead of fixing them, he inflicts punishment on himself and then calls it a day.

We know that this is a bullshit thing to do to Jake because we know the situation from jake's side of things.

GT: Do you think you could relay the same sentiments to dirk? GT: I was thinking about all the stuff he said to me while we were all telling him to dance. GT: And yeah i was really being a prick when i ran away to lomax. GT: He was right about everything. I should have come clean about wanting some space.

jake wants reconciliation! jake wants to address the fact that he failed and apologize! jake wants to be friends again!

self-punishment is not a solution, and while I don't think dirk is entirely cognizant that he's doing it, by venting to dave - who literally has no idea what's been going on in dirk's group - he's able to frame the story - ahem, control the narrative - to justify his own shitty choice to not actually improve as a person, but instead to wallow in his own self-inflicted misery. If he'd said what he did about Hal to Jake, Roxy, or Jane - all of whom recognized hal's personhood and emotional reality to some degree, and spoke with him extensively - how would they respond? If they knew he'd tried to kill Hal, how would they respond?

The answer to that is why he doesn't tell them, and has got to be ticking in the background to explain why Dirk chooses to isolate himself from them. Put simply, I think the reason why he seems to think his friends never know the worst of him is because he deliberately avoids showing them. If he showed them, they wouldn't stay quiet, and if they didn't stay quiet, he'd actually have to... do something about it, instead of just indulging in some self-punishment and walking away feeling like the problem was solved.

and i think part of why he's so terrible to hal is because, on some level, he recognizes that he does kind of owe it to hal to be better. because, you see.

Hal is his kid.

hal's existence, hal's circumstances, and hal's suffering are a direct result of dirk's decisions, and hal is taking him to task for them. the things dirk really resents about hal are less the ways that hal is a reflection of dirk, though that's in there too, but the fact that hal is asking dirk to take responsibility. actual responsibility. that hal keeps confronting him with the fact that he's the one who caused hal's plight, he's the one with the power to fix it, and he's the one choosing inaction and avoidance.

TT: I'm guessing she's touching base to remind me about the party tomorrow. TT: I don't know what to tell her yet. Or Jane, for that matter. TT: It could get pretty awkward. TT: I have no idea if Jake will be there, and I'm not about to write another cringe-inducing message of desperation for him to ignore. AR: Would you like me to calculate the probability of his attendance? TT: Fuck no. AR: Are you sure? AR: My probabilities are extremely precise. TT: Your probabilities don't mean dick. AR: I could hack his chats, and determine what his plans are. TT: No. Don't do that either. [...] TT: Just don't do anything. Seriously. TT: No hacking, no calculations. Do absolutely nothing.

That's why Dirk takes such exception to the AI thing, too.

AR: In any case, my use of the responder responder is ironic. TT: It's not ironic. TT: YOU were ironic when I made you. TT: Then you became self-aware, and ruined irony forever.

then you became self-aware - in other words, "then you became a free-thinking entity and those jokes became reminders that your situation is fucked up, and i'm the one who put you in it". in other words, "and then you were born, and i had to be responsible for that". because, after all, the AI jokes that dirk hates so much? those aren't a reflection of dirk. that's all hal, baby. dirk can't use his "i hate you because i hate myself" excuse on that.

now i don't want to make it sound like i'm saying that dirk is a monster or anything. he does care, very fucking deeply, about his friends. and i think this conversation was genuinely very cathartic and helpful for dave. and it is, genuinely, very tragic that he does actually hate himself to the point where he finds it difficult to believe that he can get better, or even that he deserves to get better.

but those feelings have transformed into a vastly more harmful attitude of wilful, obstinate refusal to change, and even outright resentment and fear towards those that would ask him to. it's subtler than some of the others, but his convo with dave really highlights that dirk has not finished developing as a character yet. and i think it's really neat.

[leahthedreamer]

As your local anime watcher I am inclined to inform the fs community that a new skating anime has started airing.

Unlike YOI with all the Grand Prix antics and homoerotism, Medalist is about a young 11 year old skater trying to make her mark after starting late with her coach, a former flop ice dancer.

[lunarharp]

more phoenix wright situations

[perksofbeingpoet]

"learning your lesson?" charlie's mouth hitches into his typical half-smirk; just one corner raised, a challenge: get my whole face to smile, why don't you? he's close, too close- close enough to radiate an intoxicating warmth, close enough to let the glint in his eyes flicker into a spark. close enough to start a fire. fingertips ghost over hip bones. his hands are cold and leave a trail of goosebumps, but he'll make up for it. "sounds boring, don't you think?"

[fallstaticexit]

Some friendships are endless. Even though Mel and Nina have been busy in Del Sol Valley the past 3 years working on a new project, a horror TV series, their bond remained strong as ever with their best friends.

Bonus:

Prev / Next / Extras

Mel: “Hey, what are you up to?”

Loren: Feeding these damn chickens Maeve bought..

Mel: What in the midlife crisis...chickens??

Loren: At first it was just the two but they keep having babies. I named the rooster and hen after your parents.

Mel: Oh, ha ha.

Mel: So, remember how I said we wouldn’t be back in Sulani until after we’re done filming this season?

Loren: Yeeeaahh..?

Loren: [exhales] I missed your gorgeous face, Nina! These 3 years have been way too long.

Mel: Uhh...you miss anyone else or just my wife?

Nina: Baby, don’t be jealous.

Maeve: Holy fucking shit. The Briars are back!

Mel: I knew you’d be happy to see me, Maeve. Bring it in-

Mel: Alright, what am I, old news?

Maeve: We love you Mel! But Nina’s our babygirl.

Loren: Besides, we all know once you know who gets here, we’ll barely see you.

Mel: That’s not true. We all hang out.

Loren: It’s been like that since we were like 11, Starboy. It’s ok, you two are soulmates. In fact, I’m sure Aiden’s already tracking the microchip in your ass as we speak-

Aiden: MEEEELLLLLLLLLLL!

Mel: AIDEEENNN!!

Loren: OWW?!!

Aiden: MEEEELLLLLLLLLLL!

Mel: AIDEEENNN!!

Nina: They’re so cute.

Loren: I think he broke my nose?

Maeve: Ay, bendito!

bonus -

Lyric via txt: “Omfg... if mom calls and ask that you come to some dinner for Mateo, SAY NO PLEASE. I can only deal with her once a year and it’s not Harvestfest yet...”

Mel via txt: “You haven’t talked to mom yet....”

Lyric via txt: “Don’t judge me. Ya mama is infuriating..”

[mmmwafflesart]

haven't updated here but if you follow me on my main you'll know I've been falling into sonic

[incorrect-slaytheprincess]

being in the slay the princess fandom has taught me why people feel the need to gatekeep pieces of media previously considered to be "niche." not that it's good, but i understand now. i can handle people mischaracterizing all these other characters but if anyone out here did so to any of the slay the princess characters, i might just have to pace around my room and scream for a solid hour or two.

[darabeatha]

ㅤ/ It's been a long while since i've done one of these (or if I've ever done one at all) but!! currently, this is the list of my muses in here that I currently feel most inspired to write for! meaning that chances are that I might (big emphasis on might) feel more inspired to write with these characters than the rest / might be easier for me to cook replies with them;

Fresh from the oven (the top rn basically) :

Dante

Salieri

Would tip my fedora if asked to write them, aka: cannot miss with these guys (no specific order) :

Asclepius

Constantine XI

Odysseus

Saito Hajime

Moctezuma II (?)

Arjuna

Camazotz

L.ucifer (~)

You can always ask for them and chances are, I will probably always be able to cook something with them :

Gilgamesh

Arthur

Arjuna

Jason

I can vibe with them if requested :

Robin Hood

Karna

Arash

Tezcatlipoca

Edmond Dantes (an old time favorite but im putting him here bc I would have to re-read a lot to remember stuff! it's been a long while!)

Nitocris

Nero Claudius

Sherlock Holmes

Moriarty

Ashwatthama

Tlaloc (?)

Oberon

[simlit]

Chosen of the Sun | | forest // eighty-two

| @rollingsim

next / previous / beginning

Three days earlier… KYRIE: I can’t promise you much time, so please, do be quick. SARAYN: It is understood. I imagine this puts you in quite the predicament. KYRIE: A promise is a promise. SARAYN: And earnest you are. I hardly thought you would honor the agreement, considering the way things went at the temple. But your charity isn’t unwelcome. KYRIE: I pray I do not come to regret it. SARAYN: Oh? Do you distrust me, Your Grace? I expect you must think I might misuse the knowledge your Spire offers. KYRIE: We both know I have every reason to distrust you. Though, my judgement is skewed. I can’t ignore the things you’ve done to Eve or Eira. And I’ve no intention of forgiving you for them. That being said, if it wasn’t for my sight, I wouldn’t be privy to such vivid retellings. SARAYN: So, you separate yourself from your friends. How nearly objective of you. KYRIE: I also can’t forget that you once saved my life. And now, have honored my wishes. Whatever your reasons might be. If nothing else, it has, again, earned you the benefit of my doubt. SARAYN: I can respect your fair and honest nature. Even if it is��� foolish. KYRIE: laughs It’s good to be a fool now and again. Though, we open ourselves to great punishment. I would rather be receptive to all sorts of feelings— the good, and the bad— than to shut myself off from any and all potential affection. KYRIE: There was a time when I desired greatly to get to know you. To catch some glimpse into a world so different than my own. SARAYN: Get to know me? KYRIE: Does it sound strange to you? That anyone might take interest? SARAYN: It does. KYRIE: Well, it furthers my point, doesn’t it? SARAYN: Why should someone like you wish to know anything at all about me? KYRIE: Why do you care about this Spire? Why do you care what you might find in those books? SARAYN: It interests me. History, what knowledge you might glean from it, new, strange theories, long-forgotten ideas. It’s fascinating. KYRIE: Curious. What you find in books, I find in people. In my humble opinion, they’re far more fascinating.

[nothing-nothing454545]

ive been thinking about the "trans dipper and mabel" thing.

for the unaware, theyre identical twins, so one of them must be trans, or at least they would be if biology worked the same way in cartoons) someone said that dipper clearly isnt happy with his masculinity, so he can't be a trans boy, thus mabel is trans (and also dipper will come out as a trans woman later.

while im obviously not arguing to deny someone her headcanon!!! i want to say in defense of transmasc dipper, he isn't happy with his masculinity because it's incomplete. he wishes his voice was deeper, he wishes he was taller. He's clearly awaiting male puberty. His struggle reminds me personally of the way trans men struggle to prove their masculinity, but its not a permanent struggle, or even if it was, most people would struggle even more if they tried detransitioning anyway.

the way dipper has to learn some lessons, like being vulnerable (lamb costume) and disliking someone quietly like a girl (fighting over wendy) isn't necessarily proof of transfemininity either. many men, cis or trans, who try to overcompensate their masculinity with their personality, will pick up toxic habits that are seen as stereotypically male, but do not serve them, and will need to unlearn them at a point when they're comfortable in their masculinity, and the examples above are very common. the reverse can apply to femininity too imo (like being scared of people seeing youre competent at something women are "supposed" to be incompetent at)

anyway, transmasc dipper and transfem dipper theorists, lets coexist peacefully <3 and thanks for reading

[clancysjumpsuit]

if you need anyone

here are the first few chapters of my clancy x reader fic :)

chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, chapter four, chapter five, chapter six, chapter seven

[takeariskao3]

.

[villafordefeatedvillains]

Absolutely ADORE all of Pastra's plush designs so far and I'm HIGHLY considering actually taking a commission to get the Lankmann plush because like. I missed out on the Clyde ones (which are TOP FUCKING TIER) but. Look at him. Absolute IDIOT with NO THOUGHTS /vpos.

[kitttymine]

I miiiiissss the booooooooppssss