#and a penchant for violence

[silcoitus]

I know from experience that the Silco merch at the 18+ con this weekend will be few and far between.

But hoooo boy am I hoping this con season brings me some Cooper Howard/Ghoul merch. Pretty please. Pretty pretty please with sugar bombs on top!

[thewhizzyhead]

before I do the long feminist recontextualization ramble on lmm's warriors album, I must note that the album, despite it being lmm's grittiest work, has such a hopeful tone in it especially near the end. Perhaps the hopeful tones really shine through especially in the backdrop of among the grittiest subject matter featured in MT, but there is something so heartwarming in this being a VERY intentional choice - what with cyrus' dream and the songs that follow with cleon and the gramercy riffs. in their grief and sorrow especially they still sing of giving life meaning - breathing in and believing in the hope of unification against the bigger forces in tow (acab). And this shines especially so with this album's interpretation that the gangs are more of community protectors than deviants and ruffians - and the reason they all believed in Cyrus in the first place is because they wanted a better city for their constituents.

simply said in "somewhere in the city" and simply repeated in the album's finale, they seek a city where they all come home alive.

[thats-pretty-gay-art]

POV: They’re bullying you.

[egginfroggin]

*yeets this and runs*

My hand regrets my decision to try for more realistic wings, frankly

Transcriptions:

Mabel Pines - Steller's Jay

Dipper Pines - Blue Jay

fledglings

can't quite fly yet

wing's aren't adult-sized yet

Dipper often forgets to preen

Mabel likes to put glitter in her wings (and Dipper's, when possible)

Dipper collects his primaries to make quill pens

Mabel collects their feathers for crafting

Yeah so I'm just gonna drop this here and uhhhhh run, thanks for checking this, and I hope you have a good day

(program: krita; time taken: about 1 hr 45 minutes)

[mamawasatesttube]

i need to put him in a shoebox and shake it violently

[inkshadow]

      ❝ someone really fucked you up this time, huh? ❞ dax whispered, brushing thumb over a streak of blood on her face. ❝ or is that someone else’s blood on your face? ❞ 

starter for @neveraftcr​​ based on this

[italiantea]

thought about it a bit and yk what ivan's snaggletooth is actually a really good design choice. he tries so hard to appear normal and obedient but theres just something a lil bit wrong with him that peeks through

[noirtek]

always wondering what exactly hoffman planned to do with strahm had he ended up in the coffin (via trust or sedative) because he certainly wasn’t going to let him turn him in

[tinynap]

snf

[pyrrhiccomedy]

How’s Tomassin doing? Besides, you know, wretched.

Surprisingly good actually? He's fallen in love with Innokenti, that blind and wild fairy-knight; who loves him in return. Bastian set them up, on the queer intuition that the two loneliest people he knew might have something meaningful to offer each other, despite their obvious differences.

It's very hard for Tomassin to be loved. It goes against the grain of that flinching thing at his heart to take up that much space in the world, to anyone. He will love - in quiet, aching solitude - very easily, and never ask for anything, or give any indication of his feelings. But how could he allow anyone to love him - blighted aberration that he is? How could that not be a great and selfish unkindness? What future could he offer someone, when he is on a forced march to kneel at God's feet and accept a seal of condemnation? How could he let someone open up a country in their heart for him, when he knows the touch of his feet upon its soil would poison the ground with salt?

But Innokenti had a blunt counter to all of Tomassin's objections: and had the nimbleness of mind, and perverse persistence, to make his case. Oh, you think you'd salt the earth inside his heart? Salt it, then: nothing grows here already, not anymore. At least you would be one living thing, in this vast and barren continent. Oh, you are afraid you couldn't offer him a future? He is fairy - what is the future to him? He lives in an endless present, and never thinks about tomorrow. You think you are condemned by your God: Innokenti has already been abandoned by his. He won't say that's not true or God doesn't hate you, Tomassin. What does he know about the Christian God? You could well be right. But he can hold your hand, in the darkness outside of salvation: and we could be a comfort to each other.

They've been very good for each other, since their love has been acknowledged between them. Innokenti has made Tomassin more comfortable in his own skin, more willing to speak up and less mortified to take up space; and Tomassin has made Innokenti more grounded, more patient, and more thoughtful. They are nearly inseparable, these days, and Tomassin's grief and shame over the unavoidable circumstance of his own existence has been undeniably, a little, alleviated.

[chamerionwrites]

This is not an original observation, but “war crimes” truly is such a dystopian phrase.

Not that there’s no value in being able to describe (and prosecute) violence that’s especially beyond the pale, but the conceptual framework that implies there’s such a thing as good legal “civilized” war, that those acts of extreme violence are the exception to the rule as opposed to the logical outcome.

[waywardsalt]

i think its funnier if linebeck sets a bad example for link not necessarily by generally being a dick or having bad advice, but instead by genuinely advocating for crime as a good solution to any problem

[witchspeka]

Both Teru and Ritsu are very competitive, which you can see since their first interaction Ritsu, powertripping, looking to "test" his limits, tries to intimidate Teru, to assert his superiority Unfortunately, this is Teru he's up against, so he fails, and then Teru retaliates In the end, Teru comes out on top of their little ego battle Cause that's all it really is, Ritsu perceives himself as invincible as of right now, and Teru believes that two weeks was enough time for him to fully integrate Mob's philosophy into his belief system, thus giving him the right to preach to fellow middle schoolers Now, their competitiveness doesn't extend only to one another, they both view their relationship with Mob through this lens of competition. Which makes sense, theyre both keenly aware of how strong Mob is and have been deeply affected by the gap in their abilities Ritsu begins by fearing Mob due to The Incident, realizing later on that one of the reasons he wanted psychic powers so badly was so he could have a way to counterattack if the worst happened On the other hand, the incomprehensible size of Mob's power didnt awaken fear within Teru, but admiration Well. It was probably fear as well for those few minutes that he was floating in the sky But instead of fearing Mob, Teru begins to see him as an example to follow Mob is somebody who taught him a lesson, who is much more powerful than him yet is kind and forgiving That's what Mob becomes. A standard to achieve, a role model to follow

Ritsu, too, views Mob as a standard, as a goal, although much earlier than Teru does. In spite of not having powers, he views them as something normal, ordinary. It doesn't make sense to him while they're so far out of reach. Even once he gains powers, Mobs influence on him doesn't waver. Instead of psychic powers, Ritsu chases Mobs conviction and dedication to his goal, to living the life he wants to live

Ultimately, both Ritsu and Teru come to the same conclusion: that Mob isnt scary nor perfect, that he isn't what either one of them perceives him to be, he isnt a paragon of good nor evil Mob is as messy, complicated, and angry as the rest of them. And that's okay.

In the end, both of them make a statement to Mob, declaring themselves on equal footing with him

(Special mention to Teru being Mobs self-proclaimed rival as he fights "Shigeo") And they both fall back on this idea of competing with Mob; gone is the fear and admiration; both of them have gotten to a place where they can actually see Mob for who he is Where Mob isn't idolized or feared, where he's somewhere in reach of a helping hand.

[thegreatyin]

15,22,32,36 for the scoundrel and the scientist plus one I'd like to ask. Do they have a friend group outside of each other.

Does the Scientist hang out with other people in the University and the like, does the Scoundrel still have cards with Fiacre, the Manager, like, do they have people to hang out in general and who?

ooo! a "weird victorian freaks" collection!! my favorite

15 - How big or small is their family? Who did they live with growing up? Do they live with anyone now?

The Scoundrel probably has a decently large family, given their background*. Large enough to be overlooked and overshadowed for most of their life, but small enough to be noticed and recognized by everyone in the area. They likely stayed under their parent's wings for most of their upbringing, though they did run away the first chance they got. Currently, they exclusively live with The Scientist, and bringing up their family is only going to end with you getting chased by a very angry bat-to-be.

The Scientist on the other hand actually has family in the Neath! Well. Sort of. He's the youngest of two older brothers, one of which is still on the surface and the other of which followed him neathwards a few months after he first arrived in London. They have a slightly estranged relationship, but they're still in touch and they still get along pretty well. This enigmatic neath-bound sibling will actually be the subject of my Light Fingers playthrough when I finally get around to it

Similar to the Scoundrel, he lived with his family for most of his upbringing, though he probably moved out and had a normal adult life before The Whole Nemesis Thing Happened. His only roommate at the moment is The Scoundrel. He hates them. He can't stand them. He'd kill anyone who tried to actually seriously kill them. Their relationship is complicated.

*yes, im aware i've never explained or elaborated on this background. we stay silly around here.

-

22 - Do they sleep well at night?

The Scoundrel sleeps just swell, thank you very much. They don't have nightmares. They don't have troubles. They don't lay awake at night staring at a fig for hours. They have no idea what you're talking about. They sleep like a baby. Obviously. Blatantly. There's no other argument to be made or had. Why are you asking. Stop asking. Stop it. Pay no attention to the bat behind the curtain.

In all seriousness, they sleep surprisingly well, all things considered. It's probably mostly because they're an accomplished silverer that guards their dreams with a vengeance. God help you if you head to Parabola and decide to give them night terrors. You'll be dealing with your own for weeks if they're feeling merciful.

As for the Scientist...

Ha. Lol. Lmao even.

No. He's likely a chronic insomniac. He's the type of guy who closes his eyes and even his daydreams are the universe's most horrific god-awful nightmares. That's just the sort of world he lives in.

(The Scoundrel offers him help sometimes. He doesn't always take them up on it. But the few times he's had good dreams? It's always been due to them. Take this as you may.)

-

32 - Do they have any habits that aren't particularly self-destructive, just maybe odd?

The Scoundrel picks at their bandages when they feel nervous. Not enough to take any of them off, just enough to nick some of the gauze with their claws. They can also make like a dozen different high-pitched squeaks depending on the situation, which isn't nearly as noticable to the average Londoner, but it is cute and goofy when it happens.

The Scientist bites at his scarf. A lot. He hides his mouth behind it most of the time, but the fabric is very much worn down and he's very much kind of self-conscious about it. He doesn't even usually realize it's something he's doing, it's just... y'know. An instinct. As one has.

-

35 - Do they ever return home?

Since 36 isn't a question on the prompt list, I'll assume you mean 35. Consider it a freebie.

The Scoundrel is home. They, with full sincerity, consider the Neath to be a better and more comfortable home than they ever used to have on the surface. They wouldn't give up London for the world.

The Scientist...

Well. He doesn't really think of himself as having a home anymore. His home died when his lover did. The Neath is merely a place he happens to reside in, and he doesn't conceptualize it as anything more than that. Maybe, with enough time, he'll find a new home. For now though? He's just cynical and tired and is well-aware he's never going to get that sense of sanctuary back.

-

Bonus question - Do they socialize with literally anyone besides each other?

The Scoundrel has lots of friends! They're buddies with a good chunk of high-society, they're the darling of bohemians everywhere, they're a frequent attendee at the Dilmun Club, they like to say they're friends with their coworkers, they've got a complicated relationship with the Silverer that's been made especially awkward by their recent acquisition of an Irem destiny-

They hang out with tons of people on a daily basis. They're never truly alone. Or so they tell themself, at least. They tend to most frequently socialize with poets and socialites, though they've definitely attracted more than a few devils. I don't have any specific NPC compatriots in mind for them, but there's definitely more than a few they get along amicably with. If it's a pro-establishment person with relatively high importance in society, they're probably at minimum friendly acquaintances.

The Scientist is, unfortunately, quite the opposite. He's not a social person. Like, at all. Ever. Not even remotely. His friend group is pretty much just solely the Scoundrel, the Silverer, and his aforementioned brother currently living in the Neath. And of the three, he's really only actually friends with the Silverer. He's not exactly welcomed with open arms at the University and he's nowhere near well-connected enough to be hanging out with any other factions on more than a case-by-case basis.

Maybe in the future he'll be able to have people he can rely on that aren't "insufferable bat he's literally living with" and "mentor that randomly kidnaps him to hunt crocodiles and go dancing, not always in that order". Maybe. Hopefully. It'd do him a lot of good.

[musical-chick-13]

Mini-preview Monday (because I missed six-sentence Sunday as;dlfkajs;dls)

What finally ends the whole ordeal is River setting a trap for the leading military general and, once captured, holding him at knifepoint.

“How many lives do you have? Just the one?” She asks coldly, inching the knife at his throat marginally closer to his skin.

The man stares at her in barely-concealed terror. 

“I asked you a question.”

“Yes,” he chokes out.

“Good.”

“What are you,” his eyes dip down, warily focused on the blade she has in her hand—striking silver and glinting ominously, despite the relative darkness of the section of the woods they’re standing in, “Going to do with that?”

“Well that depends.”

A heavy, disgusting, pitiful gulping sound erupts from somewhere in the general’s larynx. “On?”

River moves the knife, exacting and steady, until it’s resting just to the left of his sternum, directly over his heart. “How much you want to keep your life.”

[akkivee]

kuukou meant that when he said kids imitate their parents lmao