#I'll stop tagging now

[ingravinoveritas]

Earlier this year, a new blog was started here on Tumblr with the aim and intention of harassing a group of fans in the GO fandom. I previously made a post addressing this, as I was the initial target of this blog (whose original handle was a dupe of my own Tumblr handle).

I had hoped not to have a reason to revisit this particular subject, but given recent disturbing comments made by both this blog and its followers, and a post written by @nightgoodomens describing the situation from their perspective, I feel compelled to make a post of my own, to talk about what I have experienced and continue to experience at the hands of these individuals.

By now, some of you may be familiar with the blog in question. In my prior post, I did not mention this blog's name publicly, and I have no intention of doing so at this time, either. Yet I think it's important to be clear about what this blog's specific intentions were, which were made evident by its original creator on Twitter at the end of May:

It was only a few days after writing this tweet that the author did exactly this, and created this main blog. I feel that this has somehow become obscured over time, as given the negative response that this blog's initial posts engendered, the original creator apparently retired from the blog and gave the reins to someone else, and the blog's focus soon pivoted to defending Georgia and Anna. Prior to this, however, the blog began publishing Anons attacking me, including one that seemed to be threatening to doxx me:

What particularly perplexed me was seeing a gradual distortion of my own words and writing here on Tumblr, as well as people buying into it so readily. I also noticed one particular blog that became friendly with this main blog--they've changed handles a number of times, but at the time they were known as michaelsheendaily (then michaelsheensource, then thesheenantbergs). For months prior, they talked specifically about how awful the things I/others were saying about Georgia and Anna, and then seemingly joined forces with this main blog.

…Yet one year ago this very month, that same person (michaelsheendaily/thesheenantbergs) felt similarly to many of us and had sent me an Ask wanting to know if I thought Anna was being abusive to Michael. This Ask was sent from their (at the time, now deleted) main blog, but they helpfully DMed me from michaelsheendaily to make sure I had seen their question:

I answered this question (as I try to do with every Ask/Anon I get) straightforwardly and honestly, and firmly said "No" in response, as well as how serious it is to accuse someone of abuse, and that it is not up to any of us to try and break up a relationship, as Michael has people he can turn to if he needs to do so. I have also previously defended Georgia on my blog (and provided rationales and examples for why my perspective has gradually shifted over time), but it seems that the people harassing me have conveniently chosen to ignore all of this/have never looked at my blog beyond a cursory glance.

As this main blog continued its posting, and despite having Anons turned off, I began to receive a number of hateful Asks, which culminated with another blog suddenly coming into being about a month after these initial incidents. This blog claimed to be Michael Sheen (using a handle of his from Facebook), and published this despicably homophobic and noticeably un-Michael-like post:

The aforementioned main blog immediately drew attention to this post, and claimed that they had "proof" of this being the real Michael:

It soon became apparent that this blog was a fake, and despite its prior insistence that it could possibly be him, the main blog backtracked quickly as more people pointed out how obviously this was not Michael. Yet even the notion that someone would think this was acceptable--to pretend to be Michael, to (poorly) attempt an approximation of his writing style, all for the sake of attacking one person, and despite the fact that we know Michael already has a Tumblr that he hasn’t posted on in years--is just absurd beyond words.

But clearly this ill-conceived post inspired others, as only a week after this post appeared (and subsequently disappeared, along with the blog itself), I received an Ask from yet another recently-created blog of someone claiming to know Michael personally, saying that he would "destroy" me:

Which brings me to the present day, and how these themes have presented themselves yet again, in an even more unpleasant fashion.

Over the last four months, this main blog and its followers have continued to obsessively read my blog (despite how very easy it would be to simply block me) and screenshotted my posts in order to add their own vile commentary. I have not wanted to draw attention to any of this, but one particular instance has now made me change my mind.

I've recently talked on my blog about my upcoming trip to London, where I will be seeing David in Macbeth. A few days ago, it was brought to my attention that the main blog screenshotted one of my posts--which was a reblog of a video of David with Jodie Whittaker--along with my tags talking about the way David was sitting. One of the blog's followers commented this in response, and subsequently received a reply from the OP:

The "daggers" commenter currently runs several blogs dedicated to worshiping/defending Georgia and Anna (at least one of which is run in tandem with the original creator of the main blog). Numerous accusations have been levied at me and others from these blogs, one of the most outrageous of which is homophobia...yet this is their response to me simply saying David might not be 100% straight, and which eerily echoes the tone of the post from "Michael" three months ago. And while there are a lot of things about the last few months that have rankled me, nothing does so more than the hypocrisy I have witnessed, such as this.

The thing is, though, that when I saw these comments, all I could honestly think of was how sad I felt.

Because here I am, just days away from going on my trip--a trip I have been so anxiously awaiting, that is my first non-work trip in a very, very long time--and now the thought of, "Could someone try to attack me?" has crossed my mind. Yet my sadness is less for myself and more for the person who thinks it is acceptable to wish or even encourage violence against another human being. My sadness is that this person feels so unsafe or discontent in their own life--a feeling I know all too well--that their chosen course of action is to make someone else feel unsafe. To assuage their own sense of powerlessness by going after someone they perceive as having power.

My sadness is at these people being so sure that the celebrities they are a fan of would agree with them, yet needing/wanting those people to act in a way that aligns with who they want Michael and David to be, rather than who they actually are. I know that the Michael and David I became a fan of are two of the kindest, most intelligent, warmest men you could imagine, and that there is no part of me that wants or needs them to scream at or dislike the same people I do for the sake of my own self-serving purposes.

To that end, I have also been distressed by the apparent frenzy that was recently generated in the form of a "rallying cry" against myself and others in this group of fans facing ongoing harassment. But what I've tended to see as a response to said frenzy is some variation of, "People are saying these terrible things. I haven't actually seen any of these posts/comments, but it must be terrible, so I'll block this person/people." I am no stranger to fandom chatter/gossip, but every time I hear something, my first impulse is always to find the receipts. To learn more information what is being claimed so that I can make up my own mind. And that is the very same ethos I have espoused on my blog for years, because I would much rather people think for themselves than "fall in line" because they are being told to do so/threatened with being "cancelled" if they don't.

So if you want to find out something about my opinions or takes, it is all here on my blog. Everything going back five years since I joined the GO fandom, tagged and catalogued. I have not privated anything or deleted anything, nor do I have multiple blogs or side blogs--just this one. And if after reading what I actually have to say you still want to block me, you are certainly welcome to do so. I would just much rather you block me because of the truth, not because of someone else's personal vendetta and agenda.

To say that dealing with all of this for months on end has been surreal and stressful is a profound understatement. Especially because I have never once engaged with this blog, never replied to any posts of theirs, nor sent them an Anon or made threats of any kind (despite receiving numerous threats myself). Nor have I replied to the multiple incendiary Asks and DMs I have repeatedly received from the blog's original creator.

Again, I have not wanted to draw any further attention to these people, but the staggering awfulness of the most recent comments finally made me feel that enough is enough. I truly shudder to think what the response would be if someone made a similarly threatening comment toward these individuals...yet it's somehow completely fine to say these things about me. To make me and others into the "villain" that you need us to be to justify saying these heinous things in the first place. And while these individuals and anyone else are free to dislike me and to express their dislike in a public forum to their heart's content, that freedom of expression ends where my right to not feel that my personal safety is in jeopardy begins. A line that should never have been crossed has been crossed, and we as a fandom and as human beings are much the worse off for it.

No one should ever have to feel this way. Not even these people. And by talking about all of this and bringing these incidents into the light, my hope is that no one else ever will.

[radiance1]

The Destroyer and his just as Great Apprentice

In a land on the continent of Beast Yeast, where strength ruled supreme and all lived in fear and awe of Destruction. Sat a temple that stood still in time since aeons past, through the rise and fall of various civilizations, untouched by the Tide of Change and the single largest surviving piece of history since the primordial past.

Sat upon a throne that once laid empty yet forever unclaimed, sat none other than the one once regarded as the great Herald of Change.

The Great Destroyer.

“Bored…” The Destroyed grumbled to himself, head resting on his hand as he looked down upon his throne room. “So bored…”

“Great One.” Nutmeg Tiger Cookie, general of the Spice Swarm, stepped forwards, bowing her head as she spoke. “Whatever ails you so?”

Burning Spice Cookie scoffed. “Tell me, Nutmeg Tiger Cookie, how goes the preparations to begin our bird hunt?” 

“Saffron Buffalo Cookie is assembling his army as we speak.” Nutmeg Tiger Cookie stated. “Though it will take some time to prepare the transportation to Crispia, I assure you Great One that we shall find the thief and bring her before you soon.”

“Oh?” Burning Spice Cookie hummed, raising an eyebrow. “And just how soon is ‘soon?’”

“At the very least, a few weeks-”

“Too long!” Burning Spice Cookie shouted, slamming his fist down against his throne. “I have waited eons within the Silver Tree, months for Dark Enchantress Cookie to grant me a new body, and now you tell me I have to wait even more just to have a good fight!?”

“Apologies, Great One-”

“An apology is not enough!” Burning Spice Cookie stood up from his throne, stalking over to Nutmeg Tiger Cookie. His hand wrapped around her throat as he lifted her from the ground, a literal fire in his eyes as he stared into her own. “Go to Saffron Buffalo Cookie and tell him to hurry up, or I shall crumble both him and his pathetic little tribe!” 

“O-Of course, Great One!” Nutmeg Tiger Cookie coughed out, a grunt leaving her lips after Burning Spice Cookie threw her onto the ground. She quickly got up to her feet and bowed her head. “I shall inform him right away!”

“Hmpf.” Burning Spice Cookie huffed as he watched her leave, walking back to his throne and sitting back down. “Pathetic. So many cookies and none can offer me a good fight, ‘Spice Swarm?’ Don’t make me laugh!” He leaned back on his throne, a frown on his lips.

“When will the little thief make her way heeeere?” He groaned out. The boredom was killing him. “Daring to claim my Soul Jam and daring to make me wait? The absurdity of that fallen Sovereign!”

He itched to destroy something, to have a good and enjoyable fight. 

Yes, a good bit of destruction always sent his jam boiling!

But what to destroy indeed…?

Perhaps that little Kulfi tribe? No, no. Too weak to offer him the fight he craved. Perhaps the Pepper Pangolins? Breaking through their armour would be easy, but if he wanted to play around a bit they should last him a while. Hm… No. He wasn’t feeling it. How about the Cilantro tribe? They have been growing a bit numerous compared to the others as of late, culling their numbers could prove fun… But then again, destruction without destroying all of it was always unsatisfying.

And the Saffron Buffalos were preparing to head off to Crispa to capture the fallen sovereign.

“Ugh!” Burning Spice Cookie threw his head back against his throne, hitting the arm of his throne once more. “There’s nothing to destroy! If I didn’t need that pathetic storm to bring me Golden Cheese Cookie I could have destroyed everything and cure my boredom by now!”

Honestly! Years of imprisonment and boredom, now finally free to walk Earthbread once more, and he was only met with even more boredom!

Perhaps he should pay a visit to those little Faerie-

Oh?

What was this?

He brought a hand up to touch against his Soul Jam. It felt as if it were… Resonating. How odd…

Was Golden Cheese Cookie already here!?

Haha! Wonderful! A little threat and they were already working fast! Fast indeed!

He closed his eyes, peering into his Soul Jam to see through Golden Cheese Cookie’s own, just to get a look at her. To once more see the thief that dared to claim half of his power before he got to see her with his own eyes.

So he was impatient, whatever.

Except for the fact that-

“What.” Burning Spice Cookie growled, snapping his eyes open as they leaked with flames.

-Golden Cheese Cookie was still in her ruined kingdom.

“How dare they!” He got up from his throne and grabbed his axe. “Those pathetic little bulls dare to try and deceive me! They’re looking to be crumbled, I see!” Burning Spice Cookie smiled, stalking out of his throne. “Ohoho, if that’s what they wish for, then I am happy to oblige!”

Before he paused.

If Golden Cheese Cookie wasn’t in Beast Yeast, then who or what, exactly, was his Soul Jam resonating with?

The Beast’s brow furrowed, momentarily forgetting his anger in place of his confusion. Was this another trick of the Witches? No, most likely not, those blasted creators were most likely still unaware he was free from his imprisonment. 

Did they bake another Cookie with the power of the Soul Jam? If so, then why on Earthbread was it resonating with his Soul Jam in the first place?

“Hmm.” Burning Spice Cookie crossed his arms, a thoughtful expression on his face as he thought over the matter for a moment later. Before a savage grin overtook his face. “Well then, I suppose I’ll just have to go and see for myself!”

If there truly was another Cookie baked and bestowed with Soul Jam in his realm, then he could finally have the fight he craved while waiting for his little thief.

—

This was outside of his expectations.

He expected a worthy adversary baked and blessed with Soul Jam, a Cookie he could throw beneath the Tide of Change to see if they could overcome it or be swallowed whole!

Yet what he got was not what he expected.

“You dare to mimic my appearance, small fool?” Burning Spice Cookie scowled down at the tiny imposter, the one that his Soul Jam resonated with as if they were actually someone of note.

“I want to grow up to be feared and powerful just like you!” The Cookie exclaimed, lifting up their imitation of his own axe as they looked up at him with such clear admiration and adoration that lit up their face. “So yes, I did!”

Burning Spice Cookie froze.

How long ago was it, since a Cookie had dared to look at him in such a way before? To dare make such a boastful claim to his very face? To imitate him of all Cookies. Children looked at him with naught but fear and apprehension, as did all of the Wild Spices under his domain.

Except Nutmeg Tiger Cookie, but there was something wrong with that one, so she didn’t count.

“Well…” Burning Spice Cookie crouched down, still towering over the small Cookie who looked so similar to him that it was almost praiseworthy. His Soul Jam was still resonating, though at a lesser degree than it was before, a gentle thumping compared to before. To have a child look at him in such a way was… “You have guts.”

It seems he had gotten soft.

—

“Keep your eyes open, my apprentice!” Burning Spice Cookie shouted over the roaring of the Spice Storm. “You wish to be just as fearsome as I? Then you cannot allow yourself to fall victim to something as paltry as this!”

“Yes- achoo!- sir!” His apprentice shouted back, letting out a series of coughs as he struggled to keep his watering eyes open. 

Burning Spice Cookie lunged, raising his axe before bringing it down on the smaller Cookie. Who quickly raised his own to block the (very much held back) strike.

“Good!” Burning Spice Cookie laughed, the fire in the child’s eyes was adorable. He brought up his knee to crash into his apprentice, sending him flying for a short distance before he managed to get his wings under him. “Keep that energy, my young destroyer! That fire shall serve you well!”

His apprentice flew towards him with a cry, swinging his axe down the exact same way in which Burning Spice Cookie had done a moment prior. “Ack-choo!” He sneezed, missing his strike entirely from his shifted focus. Burning Spice Cookie stepped to the side, bringing up his knee once more and crashing it into his apprentice’s stomach, knocking the air from his lungs before batting him away with the flat of his axe.

“Come now, you can do better than that Golden Spice Cookie!” He shouted, resting his axe on his shoulder and his hand on his hip. “You hold but a fraction of the Light of the Change, yet even that should be more than enough to overcome this! Do better, young destroyer!” 

Golden Spice Cookie coughed, looking at him through one watering eye before sneezing. He slowly got up to their knees, using the shaft of their axe as a crutch to get up on their own two legs, wings low to the ground.

“Yes, that’s it!” The Beast encouraged, raising a fist. “Don’t you dare just lay down and accept defeat! If you are able, get back up again! Fight until your last breath, even if your very dough begins to crumble, keep fighting until you are able to no longer!”

“Yes sir!” Golden Spice Cookie shouted, wings spreading out to their full extent behind him before he rushed forwards. Closing the distance between him and his mentor before flapping his wings and taking to the sky, before crashing back downwards like a meteor.

A metallic clang was muffled by the Spice Storm as their weapons clashed, the ground beneath Burning Spice Cookie cracking into a small crater from the weight of the attack as the Light of Destruction and a small fraction of the Light of Change resonated between wielders.

“Good, good!” The Beast of Destruction laughed, manic and proud as he easily held his ground before the clash. “Just like that, my apprentice! The power bestowed upon you should be used in its entirety! You hold power leagues and bounds beyond that of pathetic Cookies, now use it and entertain me!”

Burning Spice Cookie swung his axe, knocking the far younger Cookie away and ending their clash. He ran after them, following up with a two handed, overhead strike.

The ground cracked, a clear line splitting it open as soon as it and his axe met.

The young destroyer avoided the attack by taking to the skies, wings carrying him the furthest they were able (and dared) to within the Spice Storm before folding against his back. Gravity quickly took hold once more, sending him on a downward descent towards his mentor with both hands around the handle of his axe.

Burning Spice Cookie grinned. His Soul Jam roared, his jam was boiling.

This was going to be fun!

—

“Ah, Great One…” Nutmeg Tiger Cookie began slowly, tentatively, as she stared at the sight.

“Hm?” Burning Spice Cookie dipped his thumb into a cup of gathered lassi, bringing it up to wipe at the spice in his apprentice’s eyes. “What do you want, Nutmeg Tiger Cookie?”

“Forgive me for asking, but who-”

“Achoo!”

“Cease your squirming or we’ll be here forever!”

“-Is that…” She said, staring at the winged Cookie that, for some reason, was being cared for by her master. Alongside that, looking like a carbon copy of him.

If she didn’t know any better, she would have believed-

Burning Spice Cookie snorted, a snarl coming up on his lips as he glared at the general. “Do I need to explain myself to you, Nutmeg Tiger Cookie?”

“Of course not, Great One!” She said hurriedly, to which Burning Spice Cookie simply huffed and rolled his eyes.

“How much longer?” Golden Spice Cookie whined, causing Burning Spice Cookie to click his tongue.

“Patience, my young destroyer.” He said, gently rubbing some more lassi onto the child’s eye. They had been fighting in the storm since it had begun (Burning Spice Cookie’s idea, of course) and to its very end, so to say that his apprentice was covered in spice was an understatement. “Good things come to those who wait.” 

“Hmm.” The Cookie whined, but said nothing more.

Burning Spice Cookie paused briefly, very briefly, before continuing.

When was the last time he had ever uttered those words to another? It was most definitely a very, very long time ago.

What was he even doing, sitting here and rubbing the spice from the eyes of a child as if he were his guardian? Burning Spice Cookie was not, of course. A mentor was far different from a guardian, but still. Why was he being so… Lenient? Soft? Gentle, with a child he barely knew for less than a day?

A child that held but a shard of Destruction and Abundance, yes. But if anything, he should have just crumbled him right then and there and reclaim the fragments of his power. Yet instead, he had taken him under his wing.

Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Hm.

Perhaps it was something he was to think of later.

He got up to his feet, throwing the cup of lassi behind him and hearing it shatter on the floor. He then strode past his general. “Clean that up.” He commanded, before beckoning the young destroyer with a hand. “Come, Golden Spice Cookie.” Then he walked out of the room.

“Oh, coming!” Golden Spice Cookie said, quickly getting onto his feet as he ran after his mentor. “Bye miss tiger lady!” He said, waving at Nutmeg Tiger Cookie before a shout of “Hurry up!” Made him turn away and run out of the room.

Nutmeg Tiger Cookie crossed her arms, slowly looking towards the shattered cup and spilled lassi before glaring at it in disgust.

She was not cleaning that.

She then walked out of the room, looking for a Kulfi.

That was all they were good for, after all.

///////////

Not even going to lie, this inspired by this post made by @totallygray and this comic made by @mixierupperc20 to be honest. Check em out and allat.

[tedlebred]

boop boop scadoop

(I don't know what to say can you tell)

anyWAY here's a Loki I really like

[bananonbinary]

Crab Day

okay, so here's a new info post from the top.

the problem: tumblr is extremely extremely in debt. the current model is not profitable. this is why they are trying to turn the site into a shit clone of every other social media site, so they can attract new users and their money.

solution: not a ton of people can afford a long-term subscriptions like ad-free. however, many of us CAN afford $3 to inflict crabs on another unsuspecting user. (and those that can't, can still enjoy crabs everywhere)

the idea: in the grand traditions of mishapocalypses and goncharovs and tumblr users' obsession with [random inconsequential thing] Days, we create a fund drive/holiday on July 29th, dubbed Crab Day. buy your friends crabs. buy your enemies crabs. blaze posts. post memes. change ur icon. whatever. actually put your money where your mouth is and show @staff that there actually IS profit motive to listen to the current users about what we want this site to look like. (and yes, that means accessibility features too. we currently have zero leverage to demand these features. let's change that.)

i don't know if this will actually go anywhere. worst case scenario, a few of us have fun, tumblr gets a small amount of money, and nothing changes. best case though, we actually provide incentive to keep our stupid hellsite unique.

[ineed-to-sleep]

Some sketches I did to try to get a feel for what I want my Rook to look like 🤔

[thelvadams]

STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS - Subspace Rhapsody

"I'm the X" by Tom Polce, Kay Hanley and Ethan Peck

[peachyfnaf]

SAMS I say leave that little guy alONE!!1!! Leave him BE!11!!

like. We all already know Monty's an asshole when it comes to things like this because he admits to never caring much about Nexus. But OLD MOON??? LUNAR???

Even if O.M never saw the good that Nexus did/straight up refuses to acknowledge it, he should react to Sun practically having a breakdown right next to him??? Instead of just frolicking his way back up to his lab??? All this ep shows is that there is a very big difference between Old Moon and New Moon. Cause even if he would've fucked it up, New Moon would've tried to comfort Sun in that moment, even with just a hug or something.

BUT O.M wasn't even who hurt me most- it was Lunar.

I get that Lunar and New Moon weren't as close as Lunar and Old Moon. But Lunar's reaction to his death being like that? And him downplaying how Sun feels by justifying that O.M is back so everything's okay??? I??? The Fuck???

Lunar. Lunar, out of everyone, you should know what it's like to still love someone who hurt you, even if it doesn't make sense or even if you don't want to. Because literal months back by now, you admitted to still caring about Eclipse, or at least how a part of you does, no matter how much you don't want to care, you still do. So this blatant ignorance of Sun's feelings and acting like he should just walk this off??? That hypocrisy ain't cute :/

[almond-gallery]

an enjolras because i miss him

[funkyplantguy]

grian gets saved by hotguy and then pines over him <3

so this "au" (if you can even call it that when it exists exclusively in my brain and now in this ask) is mostly crack and comes from me joking around a couple days ago with some friends so...don't take it too seriously. that being said...

-

you have (3) new comments! view now?

click.

areeongreenday: hey! so this is insane.

click.

h0tguysnumber0n3fan: i guess i kind of understand where you're coming from with this - scar goodman and hotguy do share a similar sense of humor, and i sort of see what you're saying at 47:03 when you compared their voices (more specifically, the inflection they use on specific words) but...i guess i'm having a hard time imagining scar as a superhero. don't get me wrong - he's plenty cool, but...didn't he say that he's a full-time content creator now? i don't know that he'd really have the time to record, edit, and post videos on top of saving the city on a near-daily basis. interesting theory, though! admire the dedication.

click.

scargoodman: ;)

and there it was, taunting him - that damn winky face, yet again, commented nearly instantaneously each time grian uploaded a new video about the man itself. scar goodman - known to many as the man who had risen to sudden fame in the video essayist community with his charming good looks and boisterous personality. scar goodman, whom grian suspected was secretly none other than the city's beloved superhero. after all, they'd both made their debuts within a week of each other and shared not only a similar path of success but a similar sense of humor, a similar speaking style, a similar body type, a similar laugh...sure, there were things that didn't quite line up, but...for the most part, they appeared to be the exact same person.

okay - maybe grian was a little obsessed. but what was he supposed to do, not point out the obvious?

what made matters worse was that nobody seemed to believe him. no matter how many videos he posted, no matter how much proof he gave...nobody was willing to hear him out.

nobody except scar goodman himself, who seemed intent to drive him absolutely insane.

grian grumbled something to himself, pocketing his phone and continuing down the long, narrow sidewalk to his apartment complex. he'd lost track of time at work yet again, and as a result, the sun had long set. this wasn't unusual for him - he often opted to remain late in the office to "finish up a few things" (ie take advantage of the functional wifi his workplace offered instead of trying to upload videos on his crummy home network), so he was...fairly comfortable tracing the path back to his apartment in the dark of night. the street lights in this part of town didn't work exceptionally well, but with the familiarity of it all and the dull light of the moon, grian typically fared well enough.

tonight, however...well, call him paranoid, but...something felt...off. something about the way all the buildings around him were dark, indicating that their inhabitants were either asleep or out (and entirely unreachable if grian were to call for help). something about the absence of the various stray cats that he often crossed paths with. something about how the complete and utter silence made his ears ring.

"aw, what's this? a cute guy? well, pretty boy, you've just entered the wrong part of town at the wrong time. unfortunately, loose lips sink ships, or...uh...however the saying goes, so...sorry, i can't let you leave this visit alive."

before grian could even register the words being spoken (where were they even coming from?? above him? below him? behind him? everywhere, all at once?), he felt hands gripping the back of his shirt. in another moment, he was on the ground, his breath clawing its way out of his chest. above him stood a figure, shrouded in darkness and the billowing, starry cape draped across their shoulders. in their hands was something glinting, something sharp, something deadly -- something that grian's frazzled, spinning mind was unable to put a name to. or maybe it refused to - refused to name the tool that would be his doom. maybe it was better that way, he mused idly, as the figure raised it high above their head. maybe it was best to not know.

"hey! there you are - what did i say about running off?"

and just as quickly as he'd accepted his death, the threat of it was gone, vanquished by the appearance of the tall, costumed man on the rooftop adjacent. grian felt his breath return to his chest in one fell swoop, filling his lungs and sending a wave of sensitivity to his throat. he coughed, hard, tears welling helplessly in his eyes, and the newcomer's attention snapped to him in an instant.

"oh - and you've made a friend! how nice. unfortunately, there are no plus ones in prison."

"hotguy," grian's would-be murderer snarled. "i thought i'd lost you."

"nah. i may have gotten lost, sure. but you didn't lose me. there's a difference."

"you'll wish that i'd lost you when i'm through with you."

"oh, that was lame!" the man cried, hopping over the low rooftop wall and landing neatly on the ground below (how he did it, even grian wasn't sure. by all intents and purposes, his legs shouldn't have that level of shock absorption, even if he had been fed some chemical cocktail by a mad scientist at a young age as he boasted). "listen - we've got to get you a better catchphrase."

hotguy strode forward, his eyes glinting behind his tinted visor. he glanced to grian out of the corner of his eye, then back to the villain - then back to grian again, his mouth going slack in surprise. grian met his gaze - took in his appearance - and let out a bark of laughter, one not missed by either scar goodman or the cloaked figure in front of him. scar returned his laughter, throwing his head back and planting his hands firmly on his hips.

"well, what a coincidence," he giggled, after a moment. "my new catchphrase just so happens to be "subscribe to my youtube channel."

"what?" their third demanded, glancing between the two. "what are you talking about?"

"oh my god. there's no way. there's no way. how - how am i the only one who knows? how am i the only one who suspects?? it's obvious - it's so obvious."

"what's obvious?"

"i know, right? i make it as obvious as possible, and still...still, nobody puts two and two together. well...nobody except for you, apparently. i guess that you're just...special."

"why don't you just come out and say it?" grian mused, propping himself up on his elbows and ignoring the sputtering from their newly acquired third wheel. "i feel like if you said it - either as scar goodman or hotguy - people would have to believe it, no?"

a strange look came over hotguy's face, but it vanished as quickly as it had arrived.

"ah...i don't think that would change anything. plus, i have this thing with this cute guy where he tries to tell everyone my identity and i egg him on to get him to make more silly videos. i would hate to give that up."

he winked, and grian felt warmth climb his cheeks. gone was the fear, gone was the panic, gone was the darkness and the creeping, crawling sense of unease - instead, there was only curiosity, burning brightly in his chest. he wanted to talk to scar - hotguy - for hours, wanted to pull the object of his obsession apart to see what made him tick, then put him back together again, just to see what would happen. he wanted to get to know who hotguy was underneath the suit - and who scar goodman was with the suit. he'd wanted (he'd wanted for so long) and it felt like maybe...just maybe...he'd get to have.

"hey! what the hell is going on?"

"oh, right," hotguy chuckled, turning his attention to the third member of their party. "sorry - didn't mean to ignore you. here - sit tight, for real this time. the police will be here soon."

"dude, i'm just going to leave again. do you really not have handcuffs or something?"

"who needs handcuffs when you have a cub to design fancy gadgets for you?"

"a...a what?" the figure asked, then yelped, startled, as something exploded out of the cuff on hotguy's wrist. a net, affixing itself neatly to their body, wrapping them up in a cocoon of their own folly. grian stared at it, humming in approval.

"nice."

"thank you! it's new."

"i know."

"i bet you do," scar responded, and grian flushed further at the teasing edge his tone took on. "i bet you know almost everything about me, at this point. obsessed, much?"

"i could say the same," grian huffed back, pulling himself to his feet and brushing off his jeans (there was a rip in one leg, now, he noticed with a frown). "you recognized me, like, immediately. it's pretty dark out, too - sounds like you're the one obsessed."

"what can i say - you're pretty and smart. i happen to like my men pretty and smart."

grian sputtered incoherently in response, all confidence gone out the window. oh god - he was even more charismatic in person, even in costume. and god, was the costume more attractive in person, as well - baggy cargo pants and a tight, fitted top that exposed his tanned midriff. not the most tactical, sure - but damn was it hot.

"you can't say that," he moaned, covering his reddened cheeks with his hands. "oh my god. i hate you. i've known you for five minutes and i already hate you."

"sure you do," scar responded, grinning. "i - oh, hold on."

he raised his hand and tapped the earpiece affixed to the side of his head, concentrating. after a moment, he sighed - and for just a second, grian thought that his shoulders drooped in exhaustion. as quickly as they sagged, however, scar was straightening, turning back to grian with an easy smile.

"sorry, handsome, duty calls. are you alright to get back home on your own? i doubt this guy will be giving you any more trouble. those nets are pretty sturdy."

"wait!" grian sputtered, his heart hammering painfully in his chest (no, no, he couldn't let scar slip through his fingers, not now, not when he was finally so close). "don't go - i...can i see you again?"

scar's smile wobbled around the edges, and any panic grian felt was replaced with guilty - heavy and suffocating (though he wasn't sure why)

"ah...isn't it more fun, this way? don't you like the chase? isn't that exhilaration enough for your pretty little head?"

"i mean...it's a fun hobby, yeah, but -,"

"then we'll stick to the status quo. after all, i'd hate to rob you of your favorite hobby. goodnight, grian. can't wait for your next video."

and with a wink, he was gone, disappearing back into the shadows so quickly grian could have sworn he was made of them. and grian...well. he had an apartment to get home to, a cat to feed...and a chase to continue. and maybe, someday, if he was fast enough...he'd catch up.

[ingravinoveritas]

Apologies for barely posting in the last day--I had a presurgical appointment yesterday because I'm having a procedure done at the end of the month to remove cysts from my ovaries, and I was mentally drained by the time I finished with everything. The cysts are benign (thankfully) and I'm having the procedure as a preventative measure, but God, I wish it wasn't so involved. I will just be glad when it's all over with and done in a few weeks.

But for now I'm cheering myself up with a gif from one of my favorite Michael and David moments, of them planning out an entire date for Aziraphale and Crowley/themselves... ❤️

[bia-bonne]

When I saw Shinjiro with Fuuka on his shoulder I dropped EVERYTHING to draw them.

Maybe I'll re-do this doodle and make it better, drawing Fuuka is fun.

[hiding-under-the-willow]

Listened to The Mountain Goats' 'Answering the Phone' one too many times. Started to feel some type of way about him

[mattodore]

birthday boy 🎂

[itwoodbeprefect]

the thing about bad buddy is that calling it enemies to lovers is not entirely wrong and is a very succinct and easy way to indicate the general plot, but also one of the only moments that the two main characters are actually personally in conflict with each other lasts about four minutes and is expressed mainly through upset shirtless xylophone playing contrasted with a montage of happy moments that features a time there was triumphant shirt-wearing xylophone playing. and then they both say sorry at literally the exact same time

[red-moon-at-night]

okay the whole vase is great but something about Helen sitting on Aphrodite's lap as she wraps one arm around her shoulder and brushes her leg with her hand, staring into her eyes like that... as she is persuading Helen to go with Paris (while Peitho aka persuasion stands behind them) is so incredibly iconic.

and gay. toxic yuri, if you will.

[biblically-accurate-dca]

first meetings (bonus panel under the cut!!)

i didnt wanna add it to the main post bc it's a different size and it would mess up the format lmaooo

i think about these two a lot i think they could be really fun together in several ways. monty golf is right next to the daycare after all!!