#Is it necessary to be fear

[pseudophan]

normal about it thank you

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

it is so important to me that more people realize the collective nouns for cats include "a pounce" and "a glaring." society cannot heal until we acknowledge this basic truth

[deoidesign]

Thinking about vampires, death, life, and the space they occupy in between

[canisalbus]

To me, Machete kind of has the energy of a secondary villain/coldhearted side character in someone else's story that a lot of fans latch onto, moreso than the protagonist. Question is, would he be the villain in anyone's story?

Why, thank you! I'm actually glad to hear he gives off that vibe. I don't think he set out to become a villain but a lot of people certainly view him as one.

[cobaltfluff]

so i started playing persona 4

where are the QoL features

[galacticlamps]

ok I have A Lot of thoughts about the staircase confession (well really about Edwin's whole character arc, but all roads lead to rome) but for now I just wanna say that, yes, I was bracing myself for something to go terribly wrong when I first watched it, and yes, part of me was initially worried its placement might be an uncharacteristically foolish choice made in the name of Drama or Pacing or Making a Compelling Episode of Television but at the expense of narrative sense--

But I wanna say that having taken all that into account, and watched it play out, and sat with it - and honestly become rather transfixed by it - I really think it's a beautifully crafted moment and truly the only way that arc could've arrived at such a satisfying conclusion.

And if I had to pinpoint why I not only buy it but also have come to really treasure it, I'd have to put it down to the fact that it genuinely is a confession, and nothing else.

That moment is an announcement of what Edwin has come to understand about himself, but because it takes the form of a character admitting romantic feelings for such a close friend, I think it can be very easy, when writing that kind of thing, to imbue it with other elements like a plea or a request or even the start of a new relationship that, intentionally or not, would change the shape of the moment and can quickly overshadow what a huge deal the telling is all on its own. But that's not the case here. Since it is only a confession, unaccompanied by anything else, and since we see afterward how it was enough, evidently, to fix the strangeness that had grown between him & Charles, we're forced to understand that it was never Edwin's feelings that were actually making things difficult for him - it was not being able to tell Charles about them. 'Terrified' as he's been of this, Edwin learns that his feelings don't need to either disappear completely or be totally reciprocated in order for him to be able to return to the peace, stability, and security of the relationship with which he defines his existence - and the scale of that relief a) tells us a hell of a lot about Edwin as a character and b) totally justifies the way his declaration just bursts out of him at what would otherwise be such a poorly chosen moment, in my opinion.

Whether or not they are or ever could be reciprocated, Edwin's feelings are definitively proven not to be the problem here - only his potential choice to bottle it up - his repression - is. And where that repression had once been mainly involuntary, a product of what he'd been through, now that he's got this new awareness of himself, if he still fails to admit what he's found either to himself or to the one person he's so unambiguously close with, then that repression will be by his own choice and actions.

And he won't do that. Among other things, he's coming into this scene having just (unknowingly) absolved the soul of his own school bully and accidental killer by pointing out a fact that is every bit as central to his self-discovery as anything about his sexuality or his attraction to Charles is: the idea that "If you punish yourself, everywhere becomes Hell"

So narratively speaking, of course it makes sense that Edwin literally cannot get out of Hell until he stops punishing himself - and right now, the thing that's torturing him is something he has control over. It's not who he is or what he feels, but what he chooses to do with those feelings that's hurting him, and he's even already made the conscious choice to tell Charles about them, he was just interrupted. But now that they're back together and he's literally in the middle of an attempt to escape Hell, there is absolutely no way he can so much as stop for breath without telling Charles the truth. Even the stopping for breath is so loaded - because they're ghosts, they don't need to breathe, but also they're in Hell, so the one thing they can feel is pain, however nonsensical. And Edwin certainly is in pain. But whether he knows what he's about to do or not when he says he 'just needs a tick,' a breather is absolutely not what's gonna give him enough relief to keep climbing - it's fixing that other hurt, though, that will.

Like everything else in that scene, there's a lot of layers to him promising Charles "You don't have to feel the same way, I just needed you to know" - but I don't think that means it isn't also true on a surface level. It's the act of telling Charles that matters so much more than whatever follows it, and while that might have gone unnoticed if anything else major had happened in the same conversation, now we're forced to acknowledge its staggering and singular importance for what it is. The moment is well-earned and properly built up to, but until we see it happen in all its wonderful simplicity, and we see the aftermath (or lack thereof, even), we couldn't properly anticipate how much of a weight off Edwin's shoulders merely getting to share the truth with Charles was going to be, why he couldn't wait for a better, safer opportunity before giving in to that desire, or how badly he needed to say it and nothing else - and I really, really love the weight that act of just being honest, seen, and known is given in their story/relationship.

[rt3nenbaum]

tippy toes, man hugs, ear touching and admiring glances 🫂

[deadbaguette]

I loved your hcs for the "Diomedes goes to Ithaca au" sm! May I ask more about that? In your au does Telemachus ask Diomedes to teach him how to fight? And what kind of relationship do Penelope and Diomedes have? Are the suitors scared of Diomedes?

Omg I’m so glad to hear you liked it! Yes, I would love to answer more questions about it !!🥹❤️

Does Telemachus ask Diomedes to teach him how to fight?

I would say so! But I think Diomedes won’t end up teaching him much for one of the following reasons (i’m not sure which one yet):

Telemachus is young when Diomedes first meets him, like tween/early teen. It’s the first time Diomedes confronts the thought that maybe, he shouldn’t make a child warrior out of Telemachus. He’s seen child warriors, HE was a child warrior. He personally had no problem with teaching Telemachus, but he hesitates this time because he considers Odysseus. He knows Odysseus didn’t want to go to war, he knows he would’ve done anything to keep Telemachus safe, and if there is anyone that should teach Telemachus to fight, he felt it shouldn’t be him.

Athena tells him not to lol. Not his fate or some bs. This is obv a much easier route, and I could probably get away with Diomedes teaching him some form of self defense. < this is with probably a lot of persuasion though, since Athena likely doesn’t allow Telemachus to get so strong yet in this scenario because it could impact his fate.

And what kind of relationship do Penelope and Diomedes have?

Considering this IS an Odypendio AU, it’s not entirely platonic but romantic isn’t there perfect word either. But I also don’t imagine it to be a friends with benefits type situation. It’s more like partners?? If that makes sense???? Diomedes at the surface level is taking Odysseus’ place. BUT, it is very important that neither Diomedes of Penelope really think of it in this way. Penelope cannot think of Diomedes as her husband while Odysseus is gone, because he’s her husband. And likewise, Diomedes cannot think of Penelope as his wife because that’s Odysseus’ wife. The one all his stories are about, the one that lights up his world, the one he longed to return to.

Both of them are kind of at this like impasse where they have grown to care for each other, and they’ve built some level of codependency that is reminiscent of a relationship. But until they’re sure Odysseus is there and alive, they’ve both acknowledged that nothing is official. They care deeply for each other, but like at the same time they both love Odysseus too much to make it official. I’m sorry if this is a very confusing and borderline incoherent answer 😭

Are the suitors scared of Diomedes?

Terrified. Diomedes is like the strongest soldier in the Achaian/Achaean army that’s alive. Plus, considering how in the Odyssey, Odysseus wiped the floor with the suitors, I imagine Diomedes could do so even easier! And they know this, so they still push Telemachus around (Diomedes has been forbidden from intervening, something about politics and fate), but when Diomedes tells them to get out they will.

Tysm for the ask! It means a lot that people are interested in my silly AUs <3

[ddarker-dreams]

there needs to be a name for the emotion you experience when you can tell a guy's about to turn a normal convo into something real awkward

[cowboy-caboodles]

Nightmares (1/2)

took me awhile to put this comic together but now that the holidays are over (at least for this Yid) i have time on my hands!

i like to think that the jacobs’ apartment is a safe place for the manhattan newsies, and a few of them come over for dinner or a warm place to sleep when they can. (most specifically Jack, who took a while to warm up to the idea of Davey’s parents offering him shelter and food, but once he did he spent half his time sleeping over)

[not-a-heretic]

never a frown with golden brown

(quick nigel study to recover from whatever tf that water drawing was.)

pose reference

[toastsrambles]

i haven’t read remains yet, but it kills me just how much louis has grown as a person.

in empty hearts, we see louis without his glasses and his hair parted in the center. he puts on a fake name and is able to act the part of a perfect, charming, sympathetic noble to entice a mark. he manipulates and controls the situation via card counting, to make sure the mark plays his part perfectly.

his perfect front and careful manipulation of the situation is so much like william that it’s almost uncanny. moniepeny even says: “before, he was content to sit in william’s shadow. he rarely had a chance to show his own talents. but watching him now, it’s almost like i’m looking at…”

now, to dissect this statement a bit.

for the first part: “before, he was content to sit in william’s shadow. he rarely had a chance to show his own talents.”

i personally think that that was due to a combination of love for his brothers and a lack of ambition. if they were happy and accomplishing their goals, then louis was happy; he didn’t need titles or admiration to feel complete. as long as his brother’s plan was progressing, that was enough for him.

while louis was certainly smart and talented in his own right, he didn’t do anything to pursue attention: he didn’t get a job, try to take a larger part in william’s plan, or anything else. he was content where he was, purely because of william.

if he hadn’t been forced to live without william, i don’t think louis would have matured and grown as much as he did.

and the second part: “but watching him now, it’s almost like i’m looking at…”

almost like. almost.

the more i put william and louis side by side, the more different they are.

while louis has adopted william’s techniques - a charming front instead of charging in with knives - he is remarkably different in that the pressure william suffered under doesn’t affect him.

that is to say, he doesn’t obsess over the morality of his actions. while he does say that killing people on a whim isn’t something mi6 can do anymore (despite the fact that he definitely would have preferred to do that pre-time skip), he doesn’t linger on it. that’s just a fact: they can’t kill people like they used to, because that’s not what they do.

he doesn’t worry about morality or ethical repercussions, and it’s just so intensely practical. the rules have changed, so louis will just plan around them.

and that is so much like louis, even before the timeskip. he doesn’t bother with big questions about morality or atonement; just pragmatic solutions to his problems.

william is shutting him out? ask to be let in.

william is trying to atone for his sins via death? go to the person who has the best chance of saving him, regardless of personal feelings.

and how to stop an evil man when killing is off the table? set up a plan, elaborate enough to work but simple enough to be easily and safely done, and execute it to the best of your abilities.

it’s louis’ pragmatism combined with william’s moral compass, without louis’ ruthlessness or william’s guilt complex. it’s a softer, more confident version of louis.

i don’t know. i just love how much we’ve seen louis grow over the series.

[shinyzango]

I've been craving to draw something in celebration of the news of the Hypno's Lullaby Mod's development being resumed...

So I ended up channeling my freezing ass into drawing some faces I've not attempted yet. Totally not because of the cold lol

It still feels weird to draw anything gore-y in general, but ngl it still was fun to try out. \ o /

[pasdetrois]

Marina Dyachenko and Sergey Dyachenko, Vita Nostra (tr. Julia Meitov Hersey) • Mircea Suciu, Camouflage (2) • Agostino Arrivabene, Immutatio • Matthias Claudius, "Der Tod und Das Mädchen" • Henry Fuseli, The Nightmare • Dragan Bibin, Pull (edited) • Maria Kreyn, Angel's Back • Franz Wimmer, Death and the Maiden • Mel Chin, Bat and Dove • Ana Sanchez, Death and the Maiden

[badly-drawn-pigeon]

If your Aizen wants to abolish a faulty system because he sees how its flaws hurt people and is willing to make bloody sacrifices to achieve the change despite acknowledging that they are wrong... That's not Aizen. That's Kaname Tosen.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

speaking as someone who is 5’6-5’7 and has two 6’ foot tall parents, i prommy that i am not exaggerating At All when i say movieverse!cherik have the ideal height difference for charles to fit under erik’s chin for hugs and kisses on the top of his head. i feel like a little matryoshka doll when i hug my parents and it’s my favorite thing everrr 🙂‍↕️👉👈

li matryoshka doll gotta be the most wholesome thing i read tonight ..... youre also incredibly right ....