#So have at whatever this may be LOL

[solar-nightengale]

helloooooo, if you feel like it, 'defending the other when someone says something only slightly criticising about them' or 'comforting the other as soon as they're alone' from the protective prompts list for the two betrothed idiots please? :)

HI HELLO!!!! Ngl I leapt for JOY when I saw the choices for this ask!! And, most unfortunately, I couldn’t decide between either. 👏 So lucky you!! You’re gonna get both of them just for the hell of it JHDGKU like another one done previously, this’ll also be from the past. Which part of said past, well… 😏, you’ll find out 😉

~ I GOT YOU ~ PROTECTIVE PROMPTS

1. defending the other when someone says something only slightly criticising about them. AND 14. comforting the other as soon as they're alone

!! CW !! : There's hints at manipulation and childhood trauma

Lampwick had to admit: while he had been ready for as bothered of a reaction as they got, the Blue Fairy was taking the news pretty well.

He had expected very loud protests and public degradation, given what she had just been told. But they were neither in any public setting and no shouting had yet to be heard from the kitchen. Perhaps that was him simply wishing she’d give him a reason to bite back just as hard. Despite Pinocchio’s displeasure of him doing so, Lampwick loved getting on the Fairy’s case whenever he could. Someone had to do it—he felt—and he knew Pinocchio wouldn’t dare try his luck with her, so it was up to him. A task he so gladly took on.

Unfortunately, it looked like the Blue Fairy had no intentions of giving him that satisfaction today. Instead, what stood before them was the pest, silent and stoic as ever, her expression just barely withholding her displeasure on receiving the news. He wondered how she’d take it if she found out she was the last to be told.

“Well, this is quite the-,” she paused with a huff, “shocking development.”

Lampwick cocked a brow up from where he sat at the table, taking a quick peek at his, ah, newly proclaimed boyfriend. Pinocchio stood by the edge of the table with his arms crossed. He reclined warily against the wood, his fingers digging into the fabric of his dark shirt. His pale face, even whiter than usual, held a tame frown on it, Lampwick unable to tell if the man was more frustrated or more terrified.

The fairy stood across them both, pose straight and unmoving as though she were made of stone. Her gaze had yet to leave Pinocchio’s face, Lampwick seeing the subtle way that Pinocchio tried to avoid looking at her properly. The red-head scoffed as he leaned back against the table, kicking his leg out and crossing it over the other.

“Really? You’re tha’ surprised.” he asked, finally drawing the gnat’s attention to him.

He pretended to not see the look the woodcarver gave him, as the fairy bristled.

“Well, no, of course not. Seems Pinocchio has always had a strange intrigue in you.” she explained, glancing between the two of them. Her words sounded almost bitter, Lampwick’s smirk only widening as he sighed wistfully.

“What can I say? I’m both a charmer and a good-looking guy, am I right?” he asked, cocky grin shot at the woodcarver. But Pinocchio gave him no response.

“Right.” the fairy deadpanned, looking back at the woodcarver once more. “Pinocchio, are you sure this is the right choice for you-”

“Yes.” Pinocchio responded curtly, finally glancing up, “Yes, I’m sure. I’m as sure as I was the last three times that you’ve asked me that question.”

The fairy seemed as surprise as Lampwick was by the tone, but her shock faded away quickly enough as her expression melted to something softer once again. “I just want to make sure you’re doing what’s right-”

“And I feel that what I’m doing is fine.” Pinocchio continued, is tone equally as terse as before. Lampwick noticed how tightly he gripped at his arms, the nervous tension from the young woodcarver visible from even a mile away. “Is-is it so wrong to love? He’s not as bad as you’re making him out to be.”

“I’m not saying he’s a bad person, but-”

“No buts! I don’t want to hear anymore buts, you’re not even listening to me!” Pinocchio interjected his voice pitching upwards, as he ground his teeth together. “I said I was sure about my choice, so why can’t it be left at that?”

“Pinocchio-”

“No, I’m- I’m done listening to all of this! Like I didn’t call you over and-and tell you this stuff for you to go on about how wrong it is. I’ve made my choice and I’m sticking to it. I’m sticking to him.”

Lampwick couldn’t help but grin. He was almost tempted to reach out and give the man’s arm a reassuring squeeze as he continued to talk, held back only by the tenseness of the man’s poise. Maybe touching him at all wouldn’t be all that helpful right now, he wasn’t entirely sure. Still, it was nice to see him holding out on his own for once. A rare sight to see but one that made him feel proud of the man when it did happen.

Blue sighed that typical sigh of hers that Wick could only understand as “I’m gonna say something no one is going to like here.” And whether he liked it or not, he couldn’t help but brace himself for it, spotting Pinocchio do the same out of the corner of his eye.

“I’m not saying that it’s wrong, dear, but understand that what may be a good choice right now could go south still. And I know how easy it can be for either of you to take a less pleasant route that’ll lead to them-”

“Blue, that’s enough.” Pinocchio cut in, steely eyes on the fairy. “Please, I’ve heard this time and time again before any of this. And you’re still not listening to me! Lampwick is here to stay for as long as we’re happy and I don’t plan on changing anything here. We’re not suddenly going to dive off a cliff into darkness for fun for goodness sake!”

“I understand. And your intentions are well-meaning, but even with the best intentions it’s easy to fall astray without someone there to guide you down the right path. I only want what’s best for you, you know that. I wouldn’t say what I’m saying if I didn’t think it was the right thing to do.”

Lampwick’s smile dropped, peeking up at the woodcarver curiously. Much as he was eager to hear if the man would have anything to say on that matter, he knew that face. He knew that daunting gaze and the silent gaping that it all came with. He knew far too well that the man had little else to say on the matter; not so much because he didn’t want to but because he simply couldn’t. And judging by the sudden patience that the Blue Fairy seemed to flair, he wondered if he knew what she had been doing the whole time.

He slammed his hand hard on the table, watching both jump as he stood up, his expression carrying a strained but polite smile as he stared the fairy down.

“I’ve reason t’ believe you’ve outsayed your welcome.” he stated, watching her bristle.

“You have no means of-”

“Yeah yeah, though you seem to have forgotten that this ain’t your house.” he retorted as he led her to the door, feeling her grow more tense under his hold. “Maybe come back once ya’ve aired out your aptitude!”

“Pinocchio is-”

“A grown ass man and doesn’t need babysitting when it comes to the choices he makes, aight?” Lampwick cut in, his grin widening all the while the fairy seemed to grow more frustrated. With a wave of his hand he shooed her past the threshold and leaned against the doorframe. “Take your leave.”

“You-”

“Good day, Reul Ghorm!” with a final cheery grin he slammed the door shut, locking it for good measure.

Lampwick let out a breath, his smile still plastered on his face as he turned back around and moved to the kitchen. “Well! I’d say that went pretty well!”

Pinocchio peered up as Lampwick drew closer, ice blue eyes holding a haunted look on his ashened face. “Yeah?”

“Well, given all things considered about her!” Lampwick snorted with a half-hearted shrug. His smile soon vanished, as Pinocchio only hummed in response and returned his gaze back to the ground. “You okay?”

“Sure.” he heard the man mutter tersely.

Lampwick hummed, as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Mmmmmm yeah don’ really believe ya.”

“You just asked me the question and now gonna doubt my answer as well?!” Pinocchio snapped as he looked up, the irritation once more alight in his gaze.

Lampwick looked taken aback, even as Pinocchio ground his teeth together with his shoulders drawn in as he pulled his gaze down to their shoes again.

“S-sorry.” he heard him murmur, Lampwick taking the time to scoff this time around.

“Geez it’s fine, no need t’ use any of those wit’ me. You know I’ve said worse.”

“Maybe. But that doesn’t mean I-” the man shook his head, Lampwick withholding a frown as the words sunk in.

Doesn’t mean what? That he wanted to do the same? Wanted to stoop to his level?

He shook his head, revoking the thoughts any chance of taking further hold as he looked down at the man.

“It’s no big deal,” he shrugged, “B’sides, not so much I’m doubting your words jus’…” he trailed off, his hand hovering over the other’s shoulder.

It was strange how until he started dating him, things like gentle touches and hugs still felt normal. Now, even just the thought of doing that or Pinocchio trying to kiss him had his heart beating faster than any festival drum and his face warmer than the summer sun. He pulled his hand away and rubbed at the back of his neck, clearing his throat and avoiding the blue eyes that were now looking up at him. Fuck it should be illegal to look this pretty, shit.

“L-listen,” he cleared his throat again, acting that he didn’t stammer. Keep it cool, Wick. He was your best friend only three weeks ago, remember? “I can’t pretend to know what’s on your mind, bu’ given who w’s just here—” he paused and gestured towards the door, the brunette sighing as he hung his head.

“I don’t regret it. What I said I— I don’t take it back. Not really.” Pinocchio glanced up once more. “I don’t regret having what we got.” Aaaaand the look paired with the words has the older boy’s heart leaping to his throat again. “But at the same time–” The woodcarver ran a hand through his hair, the movements growing more frantic and expression more tense, “Fuck me, Lampwick! I knew she would take it like this but that doesn’t mean— I-I still wanted—”

“You were still hoping for a better reaction.” Lampwick finished, as Pinocchio huffed. Though the frustration sounded less angry now. He face, previously paler than snow was growing red, the brunette blinking rapidly as he gripped at his arms once more.

“Was that too much to ask of her?” Pinocchio murmured, glaring off to the side. “Have I- Have I sunken so low in her expectations that I can’t even get a smile out of her or what?!”

Lampwick’s eyes narrowed. “You know what she’s like.”

“But is it really too much to ask of for her to be proud just once? To approve of-of anything? To be happy with me? Am I really that much of a screw-up?” The man’s voice was barely above a whisper by that last point, his bottom lip trembling.

Fuck!

“No!” Lampwick gritted out. “Cut that shit out, you hear me?!”

“I just want to be enough for her for once.” Pinocchio’s eyes had dropped to the floor as he gripped at the fabric of his shirt.

“You’re enough. You are enough.” the red-head retorted, his eyes widening as Pinocchio’s eyes screwed shut, his shoulders shaking harder.

“Not for her!” The young woodcarver choked out, the grip still tight around his arms.

“Then forget her!” Lampwick exclaimed, the previous flutterbyes forgotten as he pulled the man closer. “Just… forget her. Her opinion matters as much as… m-much as- as rotted through wood!” he finished off, feeling a jolt under his hand as Pinocchio hiccuped.

“It matters to me! And that’s more than enough!”

Lampwick’s gaze narrowed, ignoring the thoughts that spun around in his head as he instead focused on the man he was holding. He sighed, cupping the crown of the woodcarver’s head and rested his chin on top of it. He tightly held onto the woodcarver, as the storm of emotions waged on, soaking into his vest as he listened to the man quietly sniffle. “You need a chance to grow, Pinks. Without her dictating every step for you.” he murmured.

“It’s not been easy without Jiminy. Or Papa. I don’t- I still don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Pretty sure half th’ realm doesn’, it’s not that huge of a deal.” Lampwick muttered quietly, “B’sides, was it really easier wit’ either of them? Be real with me here right now, was i’?” Lampwick asked, looking down at the other man. “Cause I feel you were more often left to your own devices back then as well. And if not,” He held a finger up in protest at the glare Pinocchio’s eyes were already forming as he peered up at him. “Even if I’m wrong, ya still have others. You don’t need t’ rely on her, Pinou. You’ve Eugene, Kin—dare I suggest—. That other fairy… and that ruddy Woodcutter friend—or whatever he was—of your dad’s that’s still alive somehow. Fucking…. Anthony was it?”

“Antonio.” Pinocchio corrected bluntly.

“Eh, close enough!” Lampwick shrugged, smirking as Pinocchio rolled his eyes. “Bu’ yeah you’ve… several behind ya. And you’ve,” he glanced up just a touch, just barely meeting those pretty azures as he felt his stomach turn to knots. “You’ve… you’ve me as well.” Awkward pause. “Grace, Isk and Jefferson too I guess.”

He didn’t think he hid the noise in his head as much as he would have liked to. It took all his strength to keep his leg from bouncing, yet the proximity meant Pinocchio could still hear how hard his heart was hammering in his chest.

One thought escaped containment, rolling around in his mind as he watched and waited.

Would that… be enough? Could they be enough?

“I wish I could rely on her too though,” Pinocchio murmured, Wick letting out a breath.

“Well, you can’t.” He shrugged, watching the other deflate even more. “I know tha’s not the answer ya wanna hear, bu’ look at her. She can’ even give you a congratu-fucking-lations all because that stick’s so far up her ass and she needs everyone t’ know about it.”

The sad look vanished as he glared up at him once more. “Don’t be so rude!”

“I’m just saying how it is.” Lampwick chuckled, cheekily sticking his tongue out the moment Pinocchio scoffed. “Maybe she’ll eventually suck her shit up and be nicer but for now you jus’ gotta– Jus’ gotta keep going on you’re own. Maybe that other one will be nicer ‘bout it.”

Pinocchio carded a hand through his hair and nodded. “’m sure she would. Probably already has my letter about it.”

“Then I say fuck the first fairy and get ready for what the hell the other will put ya through, yeah?” He asked with a lopsided grin, watching as the other sadly nodded. “But for now, how’s about a visit to The Pear, eh? Food’s good t’ chase all the bad shit away, and heard Gene’s cook got something new on the menu.”

Pinocchio groaned as he rubbed at his face and exhaled heavily. “It’s not ‘food poisoning’ again, is it?”

Lampwick waved him off with a snort. “That was one time and that was ‘Kin at the pot. Trust me, b- Pinks. It won’ be the death of ya. Heard it’s something good.”

The woodcarver hummed and shook his head. But his eyes seem to lighten a touch as he gazed up at the red-head once more. “I’ll hold you to your word.” A gentle smile spread across his lips, something that Lampwick felt like he hadn’t seen since last night, yet it rendered him utterly frozen to the floor. Worse yet, the tease took the opportunity that Lampwick was still close enough to stand up on his tip-toes, and press a kiss to the corner of his lips. Lampwick felt the air leave his lungs entirely.

“And if you’re wrong, good luck with dealing with my current patron.” the woodcarver whispered, any response gone from Lampwick’s head as he grew completely aware of how close they were. The startlingly blue eyes that peered up at him, cheeks still red but gaze so gentle and warm; to the breath Pinocchio exhaled close enough for him to feel it; to the hand still pressed against his chest, as Pinocchio worked to keep his balance. He even felt the weight leave once the brunette pulled back.

Lampwick’s brain was still working to catch up, even as stars danced in front of his eyes from the lack of oxygen, the one thing clear to him being the warm smile the woodcarver held on his face.

Pinocchio passed him by, fingers brushing softly yet so carefree against over his arm, Lampwick still unmoving from his spot as he felt his ears burn. The part of his arm he ad been touched on tingled, the man still feeling the touch as though it was still there even though it no longer wasn’t.

He inhaled deeply, nonchalance gone the moment the other was out of sight as he leaned against the table and looked behind him in stunned silence. He saw Pinocchio looking back curiously, though he was so fucking sure the man knew exactly what he had done. Despite having a breakdown almost moments ago, that puppet sure knew how to work his strings whenever.

Gods, fuck the bad food. This man would be the death of him first.

[turtletoria]

i wanted to try drawing older Mabel and Dipper !

[skygremlin]

He has such sopping wet cat energy I love him

[dykephan]

the 2 weeks between big and coty are the definition of love to me. but i'm being so normal about it

[secret-sageent]

Brando Sando Book Enjoyer confession time: It took me years to finish the original Mistborn Trilogy because I got so mad when Kelsier died that I refused to read the next two books for over a year

[froschli96]

You know what, fuck it, I have to speak my truth! (this is gonna be a rant, so anyone who actually likes assassin's creed revelations and/or the secret crusade, be warned or maybe don't read this at all)

remember how altaïr talks to king richard at the end of ac1, and richard is like "[humans] come into the world kicking and screaming, violent and unstable. it is what we are. we cannot help ourselves."? and how altaïr answers "no. we are what we choose to be." and how that ACTUALLY has meaning bc he himself was "violent and unstable" at the beginning of the game but he has learned and is now CHOOSING to be a better person who cares about others and humanity at large? remember how his calmness and gentleness was something that he ACQUIRED over the course of the story?

and remember how in revelations they then suddenly had a PRE-AC1 altaïr say about the first of his targets "no man should pass from this world without knowing some kindness." and be all wise and calm and collected during a nice little chat with al mualim, who suddenly acts all fatherly? (like, this is suddenly supposed to be a positive relationship? what??)

also, during the confession the target says to altair: "you put too much faith in the hearts of men, altaïr. [...] humans are weak, base, and petty." and altaïr answers: "no. our creed is evidence to the contrary." KJASJFJDKL???? like, it’s almost insulting how close this exchange is to the one with richard. you know, the one that was actually earned after a whole game of character development. like WTF??? cool congrats now that development means nothing. like, apparently that was just altaïr reverting BACK to being the exemplary assassin who understands and believes in the creed that he was apparently just born as. (i also hate how having a young inexperienced altaïr saying this implies that altaïr's faith in humanity is a sign of naivete instead of a sign of the wisdom he has gained after being confronted with counter arguments for a whole game, and also something that distinguishes the assassins from the templars who use humanity's supposed wickedness to justify controlling them like in AC1, but whatever)

altaïr’s development in AC1 mattered BECAUSE he is not NATURALLY a good person, it actually said something about humanity's capacity for both bad AND good and how humans don't have to be forced to be good through mind control bc they can by their own free will choose to be better when taught how and when allowed the freedom to grow. but no. apparently altaïr has just always been calm, wise and gentle. and he just sort of forgot about that during AC1 bc…. ? bc of adha?? bc of abbas???

oh don’t get me started on the whole abbas thing. (it doesnt even make sense that abbas is so hung up about his father and "his family’s honor", like what about the whole point of al mualim not allowing parents to be close to their children bc it would make them weak? like, my dude, you’re not supposed to HAVE any family aside from the brotherhood)

they used the throwaway character that had like 5 lines and made him into altaïr’s main antagonist in revelations… like, abbas wasn’t supposed to be this ONE dude who had personal beef with altaïr, he was just supposed to show how while altaïr’s revered by many, a lot of his brothers also hate him, bc 1) altaïr is a shitty person at this point and 2) bc there’s no real feeling of community and family in this version of the brotherhood, but just a pervasive sense of competition and jealousy — these assassins don’t care about their goal of safeguarding humanity bc they’re too hung up on petty squabbles and divided by rivalries (you know, the things that made malik hate altaïr even before solomon’s temple and that he overcomes in the end which enables him to forgive and to reconcile with altaïr so they can work together and stop al mualim? (you ever just think about "we are one. as we share the glory of our victories, so too should we share the pain of our defeat. in this way we grow closer. we grow stronger." and cry? bc i do. all the time. malik, the man that you are))

and now abbas is altaïr’s childhood best friend turned lifelong enemy?? like, bowden bent over backwards to come up with an explanation for why altaïr is an arrogant ass at the beginning of AC1, when the explanation is right there: he was raised to kill without asking questions and was constantly praised for how good he is at murder, which resulted in him becoming arrogant and disregarding human life. like, it doesn’t have to be some shakespearean family feud type shit. and guess what, this "simple" explanation actually plays into the story’s themes, who’da thunk!

(like, abbas might not have been a "fleshed out" character in AC1, but he had a specific function and now that function is gone. mr bowden, mr mcdevitt, you know characters are allowed to simply exist to tell us something about their worlds and the systems they live in and sometimes that’s more important and also more interesting than having every single character have a detailed backstory to explain all their behaviors, right?)

with all of this revelations loses all nuance in regards to the levantine brotherhood and also the creed in general. like, altaïr being a master assassin at the beginning despite being a terrible person and not actually understanding the creed is a criticism of the brotherhood and the creed itself. like, it said something about the order that someone like altaïr was able to get that high in rank, simply bc he's good at killing, which also tells us what is considered important in the al mualim era assassin order. when you make altaïr’s arrogance the result of his personal conflicts instead of how we was raised by a brotherhood that only valued one's ability to kill, you lose that characterization of the assassin order itself!

and by suddenly making al mualim a semi good "father figure" you also downplay his manipulation of not only altaïr but all those under his care. (altaïr says something about al mualim being "as a father" to him exactly twice in the codex, but he doesn’t mean by that that he WAS a father to him, what he means is that he was the CLOSEST THING he had bc HE DID NOT HAVE PARENTS, not because his mother died in childbirth and his father was executed when he was young btw, BUT BECAUSE IT WASN’T ALLOWED, like his parents actually lived but weren’t allowed to be close to him, he says he came to view al mualim’s "weak and dishonest" love as enough and even better BECAUSE HE HAD NOTHING ELSE, BECAUSE AL MUALIM ISOLATED HIS ASSASSINS FROM THEIR FAMILIES. al mualim "loved" him bc he was good at killing people for him! hm, i wonder if this could be trying to say anything about cults and indoctrination and the inherent contradiction in fighting for peace and free will by taking children away from their parents and raising them to become killers?? like, altaïr wasn't ~the special orphan boy~ taken in by al mualim bc his father died a hero's death, it was "the way of the order" to have al mualim be the closest thing to a parental figure for everyone to ensure absolute loyalty! altaïr saying al mualim was like his father is not supposed to make you go "oh, he must have actually been a good guy for altaïr to consider him a father", it should make you go "oh that's kinda fucked up that he considers the dude who made him into a killing machine and who manipulated him a sort of father figure"!)

and then in revelations they suddenly portray that relationship as positive and healthy??? like, it would be one thing to give it some nuance by delving into the psychology behind al mualim’s "love" and maybe showing how al mualim did care about altair in a complicated, fraught sort of way (like, you know, there’s a lot of interesting things you could say about al mualim at several points addressing altaïr as "my child" in AC1 and how that parallels Garnier referring to the people he drugged and abused as his "children", and what that says about how the templars view the people who they say they want to save and in whose best interests they supposedly act (in any case, al mualim doesn’t use that phrase because he has any real parental feelings but rather to patronize and to invalidate any objections, like in a "mother knows best" way))

but they even fucking DARE to parallel that relationship with that of altaïr and darim in revelations, by having the reflection in the puddle of darim hugging altaïr showing altaïr hugging al mualim…. like their relationship wasn’t inherently abusive but just tragically cut short because al mualim was just "corrupted by the apple"… like WHAT???? so it’s not the very real problems like grooming, manipulation and indoctrination and the hierarchical structure of the brotherhood itself (all of which are antithetical to the assassin ideology), it was just the evil apple all along. great. that’s DEFINITELY a lot more interesting.

god im sorry i really dont want to spread negativity but this is driving me INSANE. like, somebody please tell me im not crazy bc i feel like somehow most of the fandom is in agreement that revelations and the secret crusade have better storytelling and characterization than ac1.

SPEAKING OF WHICH, can we talk about how, even IF we completely ignore AC1 and treat revelations altaïr as his own character…. the narrative still doesn’t really work?

basically, the whole point of his story in rev is that "he gave his whole life to the brotherhood", this obsession led to him not using his time with his family which has him ending up dying alone in a dark library and this in turn makes ezio reevaluate his life choices…. except. he doesn’t? neglect? his family? or whatever? like, his devotion to the assassins is sort of painted as this tragic flaw that leads to a lonely death bc it supposedly comes at the cost of his family, but… his wife has joined the assassins, (at least) one of his sons is in the brotherhood and even when he goes to protect the assassins against the mongols, he takes his family with him (except for the son who stays behind bc he has a family of his own and who, ironically, ends up dying bc of that)… like, you can’t describe altaïr as a good husband and father in the database and have his son tell him that "everything that is good in me began with you, father" when they say goodbye, and then want to make us believe that he put his family behind the brotherhood and that that is a character flaw that leads to his tragedy.

because you HAVE to have a character’s tragedy be the result of a character flaw. like. that is how tragedies work. otherwise it just becomes tragedy for the sake of tragedy which is… boring bc it has no purpose. and we know it is SUPPOSED to have purpose bc ezIO FUCKING QUITS BEING AN ASSASSIN AFTER WITNESSING IT!

it’s like they want to have their cake and eat it, too — they didn’t want to actually make altaïr a bad husband/father, but still wanted to make his life a tragedy where he loses his family which is why instead they outsource all responsibility to abbas who now has to be the reason for ALL the deaths.

like, they try to make at least maria’s death kind of sort of the result of altaïr’s rashness or whatever but like… these guys KILLED THEIR SON and TOLD HIM THAT ALTAÏR HAD ORDERED HIS DEATH. like, altaïr losing it in response to that is not rash, it’s fucking logical and justified! if anything the scene made me angry at maria for trying to stop him. like, GIRL, he was YOUR son too??? but god forbid we give female characters actual real emotions, she has to fill the role of "voice of reason who dies for altaïr’s man pain" i fucking guess.

like, it’s this weird mix where his tragedy is simultaneously painted as his own fault but also not really bc abbas is the one responsible for all the shit that happens. it just… it just doesn’t really go together.

the only way to make his story make sense narratively and to give it actual purpose is by looking at it in the context of ezio’s story, bc the things he sees in altaïr’s memories are supposed to be a revelation (ha!) to ezio specifically. and i guess that’s maybe the crux of it all — altaïr’s story in revelations was conceived of first and foremost to support ezio’s story and development. which is probably also why many people maybe don’t notice bc, having skipped ac1 and started with ac2, the majority of people mostly care only about ezio and only really appreciate altaïr’s story in as far as it serves to push ezio forward. (tho i’ve also seen a few people say that ezio is also written kind of weird in rev, but i’ve never really been an ezio girly myself so i can’t speak to the truth of that)

like, altaïr dying alone in the library doesn’t really have to make sense for his character, i guess, bc it’s only really supposed to be a cautionary tale for ezio.

so, i guess, for once, they actually had a MAN dying for another man’s character development, which is pretty woke actually. ubisoft, i take everything back jksdsfjhgdsahfhsdhfghfdsgjhsdgjh

[xamaxenta]

@itsthefandommash aaaangel im so sorry this took me so long i was suckerpunched by the depression this past weekend and i was struggling with literally everything and all basic tasks and its been exhausting and disheartening but i enjoyed the small serotonins in drawing marcoace 🥺❤️ thank you for commissioning me and forcing me to draw two characters together it was rough i definitely need more practice but this is a start

[sandreeen]

Sung Hyunjae || The S-Classes That I've Raised

[portsandstars]

vere cosplay progress:)

[mothmvn]

more cisgender women should be looking at cisgender boys' puberty as a menopause preview, honestly. i find that cis men treat menopause with more pause, ironically, because they recognise the emotional/physical rollercoaster - gee, your body is suddenly sweating absolute buckets and smelling way outside of your control? you feel gross, you keep growing patchy hairs in new itchy places, and summers have suddenly become unbearable? woof, been there done that, let's get you an ice pack and some gatorade buddy, i mean mom

until menopause hits them, cis women (among others) can sometimes treat male puberty as a gross horror that they are forced to mitigate the consequences of - ugh, men with their hair and their smelliness that they can't keep sanitised, it's a concession to live with them, it's a chore to share space with them. you know it's not just a Boy Hormone, right? this exact same testosterone will jump you in a dark alley 30 years from now, you can accept it before then or keep treating it like an enemy latched onto those around you

[macksartblock]

Every time I see a sad post about Normal post finale, I mentally put him at a Bridgerton watch party w/ like five older queers all dressed in regency garb

[toasts-httyd-hyperfixation]

So i made this lil transparent worm-on-a-string Hiccup a while back

Im leaving him here for yall to watch while i go do a Thing

Im sure when i get back he wont be in any precarious situations, or unsavory circumstances, or anything of that ilk

Anyways

Have fun

Ill be back

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

All I’m going to say I think now that my brain remembered part of what it was thinking is that Taylor and Joe went through a lot together (good and bad) and regardless of how it ended or what led to it they both seem to be determined to keep that private and not throw each other under the bus and in the end they’re just two very, very different people whose outlooks in the long term were just never going to align and never has that been clearer.

[cyanide-sippy-cup]

Obviously a lot of season 2 focuses on Jinx's compassion and love and kindness, what with Sevika's new arm, getting her family back, and everything with Isha. But one scene that really struck me is when Ekko tries to talk her off that roof. She pulls the trigger again and again before he can even speak cause she knows he'll change her mind. But what struck out at me was that, when he complains about being blown up, she opts instead to throw herself from the roof. She had it all planned out but would choose to improvise rather than harm someone who considers her a loved one.

[spotaus]

So this might seem like a weird question, and this IS going anonymously because of it BUT

How many characters in New Age would be able to describe the taste of human flesh.

I feel like with the provided backstory, Killer could be a candidate for it, and I wouldn't be surprised if Nim had some sort of whim at some point even though I'm pretty sure you said they were vegetarian but I could have hallucinated that or smth

You can very much ignore this if you feel uncomfortable with it, btw. I just find this interesting

Hi anon, this ask is unhinged abd I love it SO dearly, please feel free to send more if you get the urge 💖 this is actually something exciting I hadn't even thought about! So... let's see who all I can list off for this idea...

-> Killer. Like u said Anon, I think he IS the most likely candidate! I don't think that it's a meal he'd have eaten often, nor would he openly joke about it, but I think that somewhere like the Temple where he was raised, or on the streets after he left Chara (the Black Market wasn't picky-) would be where it happened.

-> Nim. Oh. Yeah. She would've, I'm sure. (Also tbf I have no idea if I said that or not, my memory is SO bad, I'd probably have to check w/ Ancha lol- but for this let's imagine she's not.) I don't think anyone would be able to convince her if she knew what it was up-front (she thinks humans are lesser, but kinda in the way ppl don't usually think of brown bears as a food source?) But she's definitely had it before. 'Exotic cuts' that she never bothered to fact check lmao. Fancy and expensive, so she bought them!

-> Dust. Now, this one is a little weird, but I have good reason! Dust has a reputation to uphold when he's a crime lord, and has to get along with leaders of other crime branches to keep his power AND keep the lines running. One of the other kingdoms (which I'm establishing is basically full of shape-shifters which eat human flesh) was a prime source of income for Dust because they had a LOT of animal meat they weren't harvesting. In meetings, well, sometimes the meal involved the dishes of that kingdom, so human flesh! (He will NOT admit it didn't taste bad.)

-> Fresh. And no, not for the reason he'd normally know lmao. I think that Fresh's connection with the beasts (which I now realize are kinda stand-ins for his furby collection-) leads some of then to bring him gifts! And he lives usually out in the wilderness so a hunt is a hunt, y'know? Monsters are off-limits but like. If the beast brings him *just* the meat? He takes his chances abd hopes it's not People. (Some of it is, and he knows it, he could definitely identify it if given to him 🙏)

-> Reaper. He's not proud of it anymore, but back in the day when he was the general? Bringer of Death? Yeah, he ate a guy once. Used it as a fear tactic against their enemies, which in his defense DID work. But he wouldn't do it again. He would recognize the taste tho!

Soooo..... 5 of the New Age characters would be able to describe the taste of human flesh! (At least for the main cast lol-)

I do have honorary mentions though.

-> Ink: Has bitten people enough to *probably* have an idea of the taste.

-> Geno: Tried to do it "for science" when he was in the academy working on decay magic. (He reversed the decay enough that the flesh was fresh, he was curious!) He was told that if he did they'd suspend him, so he missed his opportunity :(

-> Cross: Can't tell you about the taste of flesh, but human blood used to get into his mouth all the time when he worked in his old kingdom, so he could tell you about that instead!

[lesbiancarat]

want to give my two cents on the AI usage in the maestro trailer--

i think seventeen doing a whole concept that is anti-AI is very cool, especially as creatives themselves i think it's good that they're speaking up against it and i hope it gets more ppl talking about the issue. i also understand on a surface level the artistic choice (whether it was made by the members, the mv director, or whoever else), to directly use AI in contrast to real, human-made visuals and music in order to criticize it. i also appreciate that they clearly stated the intention of the use of AI at the beginning of the video

however, although i understand it to an extent, i do not agree with the choice to use AI to critique AI. one of the main ethical concerns with generative AI is that it is trained on other artists' work without their knowledge, consent, or compensation. and even when AI generated images are being used to critique AI, it still does not negate this particular ethical concern

the use of AI to critique also does not negate the fact that this is work that could have been done by an actual artist. i have seen some people argue that it's okay in this context because it's a critique specifically about AI, and it is content that never would have been done by a real artist anyway because it doesn't make sense for the story they're trying to tell. but i disagree. i think you can still tell the exact same story without using AI

and in fact, i would argue that it would make the anti-AI message stronger if they HAD paid an artist to draw/animate the scenes that are supposed to represent AI generated images. wouldn't it just be proof that humans can create images that are just as bad and nonsensical and soulless as AI, but that AI can't replicate the creativity and beauty and basic fucking anatomy that's in human-made art?

it feels very obvious this was not just a way to cut corners and costs like a lot of scummy people are using AI for. ultimately it was a very intentional creative decision, i just personally think it was a very poor one. and even if some ethical considerations were taken into account before this decision, i certainly don't think all of them were. at the very least i feel like the decision undermines the message they want to convey

i would also like to recognize that i myself am not an artist, and i have seen some artists that are totally on board with the use of AI in this specific context, so clearly this is not a topic that is cut and dry. but generative AI is still new, and i think it's important to keep having these conversations