#have been considering a lot if I should post this

[demigod-shenanigans]

I’ve had a convo about the teasing line with another person in the replies before, but that’s not how I personally interpret it! Leo pointing out Jason doesn't tease him is something that’s very specific to this situation because it’s a situation he feels vulnerable/embarrassed about due to past experiences. It’s not that Leo minds teasing in general. Leo teases people all the time and also makes fun of himself plenty as a coping mechanism. It’s normal that other people will tease him back a little in return, and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Plenty of friendships include mutual teasing, and that’s fine as long as it’s not malicious and you know what boundaries not to cross (General example here: I feel like Piper may joke about Leo being married to his tools because he disappears into the workshop so much (which is a joke I can even see Leo leaning into for the bit), but she wouldn't stark cracking jokes about his mom, for obvious reasons.)

Leo has teasing relationships with a lot of people. And that’s not a bad thing. But joking things off is kind of his thing. Leo isn’t usually the guy who goes “hey, don’t joke about specific thing X because it’s something I feel insecure about or have made bad experiences with in the past”. He would probably much rather explode himself a second time. And him not talking about his past experiences outside of jokes (in this specific case: the bad experiences he made at foster homes), there’s no way for other people to know this is something he feels insecure about. Him laying there hugging a statue probably did look kind of ridiculous. If someone else had walked in and made a joke about it, it probably wouldn’t have been with malicious intent.

But Jason can read Leo better than anyone else does. He picks up on his insecurities and his coping mechanisms and small changes in his behavior that no one else notices. (My favorite example of this: the fact that, post-Calypso, Jason immediately picks up on the fact that something is wrong with Leo because he’s not fidgeting and he remembers Leo doesn’t drink coffee so him drinking coffee now strikes him as weird/concerning. And then he also immediately knows Leo won’t want to have that conversation in front of the others, so he decides to pull him aside later, when they’re alone.)

And like, considering past experiences, the fact that Jason can read Leo like that should terrify him. He deflects and doesn’t talk about stuff because he can’t stand to be vulnerable in front of other people. But Jason sees him. And he treats him gently. And he doesn’t have to be told which boundaries not to cross (which, in some cases, are stuff Leo just isn’t ready to verbally get into) because he knows Leo well enough that he’s able to tell without Leo having to say anything at all. And it’s a relief. It’s comforting. Leo likes having a person who just sees him and can tell when he’s having a vulnerable moment without him having to admit it out loud. (So, yeah, I do think that bit is gay as hell, I don’t think it fundamentally means all of Leo’s other friends are garbage, though.)

The bit where Leo is describing Jason is even funnier because in Mark of Athena Leo had a section where he’s narrating going “I usually don’t pay attention to the way guys look, probably because I hang out with Jason”. Followed immediately by a description of what Jason looks like and how girls don’t notice him because Jason is being so attractive in his general vicinity. I adore this little train wreck bisexual.

Leo. Genuine question. How much time did you spend staring at Jason’s lips to figure that one out?

[himluv]

Man. Woke up to some absolutely rancid developments in the fandom this morning. I haven't had coffee yet, so bear with me:

Dragon Age: The Veilguard came out almost EIGHT MONTHS ago. Even before launch, the negativity was there — art style complaints, "women aren't allowed to be hot," complaints about the OST, etc. – but once the game was out, the shitstorm really got rolling.

Every article suggested to me was about how "woke" Veilguard was, always with thumbnails of Taash, as if their mere existence in a video game was cause for outrage. Within DAYS, Metacritic user reviews were at a 3 vs. a then aggregate score of 85 from critic reviews. And almost EVERY negative review talked about top surgery scars, Taash, the use of the word nonbinary, and how the character creator didn't allow for "hot" enough female characters.

I ignored it then, because that sounded to me like typical Dude Bro™ capital G gamer bullshit. I stayed locked in and played Veilguard through to the end in less than a week. I loved it, and I was unabashed in my love for the game then, posting about how much it affected me, what I loved and what it gave me to think on. I immediately started another playthrough and began writing fic a few days later.

As of this writing, I have written 254,000 words of fanfic since November 13, 2024. When I tell you I love this game... Let that be the proof.

I thought, surely, as the newness wears off and the spotlight fades, the conversation around Veilguard will change. And... I guess, it did. It got worse. A very vocal subset of fans – of whom I would previously have considered myself a member – decided that this game and its treatment of our sad little meow meow (affectionate) was a personal attack. "Fans" started talking about the developers like it was celebrity gossip and wrote honestly brutal and horrible things about NORMAL PEOPLE doing their JOBS!

Things were circling the drain then, and I read the signs well. I blocked some folks and merely unfollowed others, some I'd been following since the start of this blog back in 2017. We disagreed about Solas in Veilguard in basically every way, to the point where it was negatively affecting my love for the character. I extricated myself quietly (not that I'd been a huge presence to begin with).

But, I'd spent the majority of 2024 consuming all the Dragon Age tie-in media. ALL OF IT. And Veilguard relies on tie-in media a lot, So, I started posting about that, and how Veilguard did a good job, actually, of using that media and how having read the books/comics only heightened my experience with the game.

That went... poorly. I blocked some folks who accused me of things I didn't say and who clearly weren't reading my analysis with any sort of positive intent. I was Wrong and my interpretations were Wrong and how dare I have the audacity to love a video game of a franchise I have been hyperfocused on since 2009??? Apparently the game is bad and my reading analysis and comprehension skills are Bad and I should be yelled at for it.

(y'all, I went to school for English/Writing, am a librarian by day and a professional specfic author by night... like. You don't have to agree with my analyses, but... this is what I do???? I read things and think about them and write about them and help others do the same???).

But, I blocked and moved on with my life. And I have been absolutely PROLIFIC with that block button. And I've largely avoided any backlash (yes, backlash – to deny its existence is willful ignorance and, frankly, dishonest) because of my willingness to block any and every shit take I've seen on this site.

I've stayed in my corner, loving this game with an absolutely beautiful community of folks who encourage and nurture creativity. Word games, prompt tags, weekly events. It is a wonderful place to be a Veilguard fan.

But, it HAD to be a carefully curated corner, because even a step outside of this bubble was filled with so much hate, and ANY attempt to engage or interact with a Veilguard positive lens was met with complete vitriol. And it has just agitated itself into a rabid froth of cruelty. Not just toward the game, but devs and fans.

Dislike of a game fermented into personal attacks against people who LIKED A VIDEO GAME and didn't think it deserved to be shit on so badly that an entire development team lost their jobs. That people pointing out how VITAL the queer rep in Veilguard is in THIS moment shouldn't be attacked. That pointing out how the game focuses on community action and smaller, personal stories of hope and perseverance is actually REALLY IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW and shouldn't come with a risk of being doxxed.

Eight months. It's been eight months of this behavior and it is only getting worse. I'm not sure what I wanted to say with all of this. I'm mad. Worried for my friends. I'm disappointed. And also... man. I still love Dragon Age. Have loved Dragon Age since 2009. Nothing that happens on tumblr will make that less true.

But, if you don't love Dragon Age any more... maybe... move on? Find something you do love? Because, as angry and disappointed and worried as I am... I'm also sad. I'm sad that so many people are seemingly obsessed with something they don't even like. That's no way to enjoy life. We only get so many days on this planet and spending them so angry and hurt that you want other people to be angry and hurt... it's sad. Not in a like... pathetic way, but in a genuine, heartfelt it-makes-me-feel-sad-that-others-feel-like-this kind of way.

[vaguely-concerned]

thinking about how deeply lucanis' life has been defined by a lack of control of that life -- as he himself points out, even before the ossuary went and carved the headline out again with big bloody letters. of course he reacts badly to losing what little control he did manage to construct for himself even within those circumstances.

(namely: experience has taught him that things (caterina, loss, pain, love, all horribly and indelibly intermingled) will happen to him whether he wants them to or not and there's nothing he can do about that... but he gets to decide what's let in or out of his soul as it happens, even if he has to close it all down and deaden and numb himself out in the process. (even if that means he drifts further and further away from illario, who's been desperately reaching out and trying to keep hold of him until he finally gives up completely and tries to cut the bond all at once when lucanis doesn't seem to reach back anymore.) it's such rare well-observed freeze logic solidly constructed from the bottom up, I'm still so impressed with it.

the way illario seeks constant external means to cope with caterina's abuse and importance in his life -- he can't win her admiration or acceptance or warmth (or like. acknowledgement even, at times :') ), no matter what, so he goes out and finds those things in others and then disdains and dismisses it for how easily and falsely it's won from them. he plots, he conspires, he tries to beat her at her own game however clumsily, he tries. lucanis doesn't try things that way. he's not about 'how do I improve my situation' by nature, he's 'how can I stop this from getting worse'. he avoids, he internalizes, he hunkers down and makes himself nothing until the pain maybe ends. he's fundamentally not a plotter, he's a reacter. an expert assassin pantser, if you will, to illario's clear and stated exasperation fhsak. man I love them. illario says 'get us out of here!!! if you loved me as I love you you'd help me get us out of here before it kills us both', lucanis says 'there is no other place, there's nowhere to go, all we can do is endure. and if it kills us... well, that's just family. that's what love is (the way things are headed I'll die first anyway so it's fine I won't have to face losing you)', and they're equally baffled and hurt by each other's POV. but they're both right, and they're both wrong. there's no 'right' way to deal with caterina's treatment of them, or their situation. the house always wins, if you pardon the expression. house dellamorte still stands and that is what matters to caterina in the end more than anything.

it also fits so well b/c like... their core wounds are that illario is the least favourite and is constantly dismissed, so he has to prove to caterina again and again that he matters. not even that he's worth love or respect or warm regard, but that he's here at all and as such should be considered. he has to shout 'in case u forgot I EXIST!!' at the top of his lungs or else be rendered nothing within the family structure (and himself, because it's all about family, that's all that really matters. in some weird twisted way I think caterina openly declaring him before all the other crows to still be of house dellamorte -- and no one from house dellamorte kneels -- is kind of a victory for him, as much as it's also a furthering of a prison sentence and public humiliation. house dellamorte brainfuckery goes hard.). lucanis is the favourite, and it's the double-edged sword that he gets all the affection and attention but also all the control and impossible expectations. drowning under all of that constant stress and close evaluation, his brain whispers 'I don't exist' to try to escape, to hide and hold on to the deep parts of himself that are crucial to life but not part of the perfect grandson caterina demands of him as the price of her love.)

I think a lot about how what seems to disquiet lucanis the most post-ossuary (as it would anyone with that psychological makeup) is the dissolving of internal boundaries and control he's been relying on, which is part of what spite symbolizes. his anger and reactivity has seceded from the union to the point of personification as a little guy (a little guy he resents and fears for his unpredictability and invasions into regions of his psyche he wishes to stay frozen and barren, and yet cares about deeply, loves! and also constantly dismisses and frequently helplessly lets down unless he's helped to learn to do otherwise. does this remind you of another relationship in his life, perhaps. it makes me feel nuts to think about the illario/spite parallels thanks for asking), and now that little guy is out there running the show freely the moment he glances away or closes his eyes. literal nightmare scenario I feel for him so deeply. so much of his coping is predicated on being able to Not do or feel or want certain things, and that's out the window now, Spite has Opinions. Spite refuses to stay wisely in place even if that place is hell on the logic that if you move you could find yourself in a place that's even worse, somehow. Spite actually wants to experience the world, however fucked up and scarring the way he arrived here, not just endure it. Spite means he has to face that maybe illario wasn't wrong all those years, at the same time as having to admit and face what illario has done to him, and figure out what to do about any of it.

anyway. mary kirby ma'am that's some good fucking metaphor work. thank you, and sorry about all the shit that happened

[idkplzhalp]

Hi I love your post, it's worded so poetically. I agree with all of it, so I now feel compelled to write my idea of CEO Caroline with how she could've acted, along with a lot of my headcanons.

Idk if it's in character for her but I think Caroline would've been really depressed as CEO. Like you said- she's doing just enough to keep the company afloat. She's not as erratic and forceful as Cave, she definitely knows how to not get into as quick a trouble- or knows how to keep troubles hidden -from having to deal with fixing Cave's legal messes over the years (such as in PotatOS cut lines about the missing astronauts, and among other weird random jobs that Cave tells her to do in his own cut lines):

GLaDOS is very theatrical but that's more circumstancially shown with Chell (I'm thinking about her boss battle lines in Portal 1 here). Caroline would likely be distressed/angry but it hasn't reached GLaDOS' point of aggression and revenge after her activation. While I don't think Caroline would have her same light heartedness from the 50s, I do think she could have the same conformity from that time, to assist with what she's told to and not do anything irrational. Though I feel she'd be more short tempered with the lab boys.

In scrapped lines, PotatOS is definitely more bitter and judgemental. So that could be Caroline as CEO, too. GLaDOS could be reverting to Caroline's feelings from when she was last alive.

During Cave's lemon rant, PotatOS says "Burning people! He says what we're all thinking!" Maybe Caroline was more like Cave on the inside? She seems very kind and patient in her voice lines on intercom but she could have very different ways of acting off mic (ie, the astronaut lines).

Back to how she ran the facility, LabRats announcements are prerecorded messages from Cave, so maybe she chose to do something like that? Though these were after GLaDOS was initially activated so Caroline was already gone. Either she didn't record any or the employees didn't like her enough to keep her voice playing on the announcements. Maybe keeping Cave's voice on the intercom left an illusion of Aperture still being alive and just as well off as they were in the 50s.

It makes me headcanon that Caroline didn't record any messages at all so that's why we don't hear her in game (and nooot just that she was added as a smaller part really late in development & it wouldve dragged on too long because Cave's speech closed that part of the story).

Like they probably didn't give Caroline a section of testing since she was written as a small role, thus why Ellen Mclain was used in the first place and not Greg. Having a full section of tests run by Caroline may have been too much for the slow and tragic reveal of the GLaDOS twist & how GLaDOS would've reacted to hearing her voice consistently (though maybe someone can email the Portal writers/devs and see if they ever thought about including something like that?)

I headcanon Caroline would stick to herself more and be seen by staff as ominous (if they didn't know her in the early years), or weak (if they did know her in the early years, considering Aperture hired mainly men in the 50s-60s and period typical misogyny). But she doesn't have the energy to actually argue with any of them, they don't matter in the end goal.

I sometimes go between thinking she would try to act like Cave while CEO or just a really deflated version of herself. Maybe she'd have his same anger and reactions at stupidity. Over time I'd like think she took his mannerisms and became more "boyish". I always draw CEO Caroline in one of Cave's suits, like as if that could help her channel him, I guess.

Cave did have a bit cut from his final speech that Caroline should be taken care of and treated just like him, so I assume the employees didn't respect her as much as they respected Cave, and as much as Cave respected Caroline.

"..Now she'll argue. She'll say she can't. She's modest like that. But you make her. Treat her just like you'd treat me. Hell, put her in my computer, I don't care. Just make sure she's taken care of.."

We also know she argued against GLaDOS but couldn't get out of it as CEO, therefore the employees may not have listened to her (if she actually tried to stop it after being appointed).

"Mr Johnson, I don't want this."

"No, listen to me! Sir, I do not want this!"

Maybe it's like Aperture Desk Job? Where no one checks on her and she's left alone in her office forever until GLaDOS is done. She's leaving the facility to be self sufficient or maybe has someone helping to keep things running behind the scenes like Cave had with her (I headcanon Greg. Bring him back).

Idk if this needs to or even can be factored in but we know from the Portal co-op that there was a prototype chassis. Would Caroline have been attempted to be uploaded to that?? It does control parts of the facility when messed with, ie the birds, so maybe there was an alternative where Caroline could've controlled the facility through this chassis instead of being uploaded? This could have been the prototype for Cave, using his computer like he mentioned in his speech. Maybe this is what she used to keep up with such a massive facility by herself until she was uploaded.

I mean she was appointed as CEO for at least 10 years, earliest from 1982/late 1980s when Cave died to 1996/2003, whenever they uploaded her. So her time was significant enough to make a difference and shift over into the modern era. It does make me sad at the lack of decoration and warmth of old Aperture. There is no facade, what you see is what it is. Caroline is TIRED, give her a break.

It's sort of curious how Caroline's (probably quite brief) tenure as Aperture's CEO is never explored or really brought up save for Cave's dying wish for her to take on his mantle. Its likely that Aperture took on the form we see in Portal 1 specifically under her jurisdiction. While she was in charge the building took on this rusted jagged shape, burning with hellish red light. The building at what is probably its most inhospitable state until GLaDOS has a go at rearranging its innards.

The fact that her management of Aperture is so understated makes me think that, unlike her predecessor, Caroline operated quietly and in the background. Didn't bother with the same theatrics that Cave did. Aperture seems to operate in a manner a little more insidious than usual after he's gone. Test subject acquisitions are all hush-hush. Chell's generation of test subjects probably don't even know any of the employees that well, let alone whoever runs the place. No more "Welcome to Aperture! I'm Cave Johnson - I own the place." - you simply wake up in a concrete box with warped faces observing you behind the glass. Clearly, she seems to have figured out a way to keep the company afloat, but the place is still a slowly decaying carcass of its former self. She's just managed to slow, stall the rot that started staining the place ever since the astronauts went missing. Funny it took a piece of her to build the machine that would force this decay into retreat. The place was a slowly settling corpse until life was forced straight into its wires, giving it self-devouring immortality.

[mair-s]

Accidentally Yours

(Heavily inspired by Mischievous kiss / Playful kiss.)

si-eun x f!reader.

pov : first-person

genre : one-sided —> slowburn, grump genius x chaotic sunshine, forced to live together.

Y/N finally decided to confess your feelings to Si-eun, the person who you had truly loved for 2 years straight.

Unfortunately Si-eun terribly rejected her.

But… fate had other plans.

chap 1 : Unfortunate luck

On a breathtaking starry night, you were awestruck as you witnessed shooting stars streaking across the sky for the very first time in your life! Each brilliant flash filled you with wonder, igniting a sense of magic that you had never experienced before.

You gazed at the sky while listening to the radio and writing in your diary, which was filled with fantasies and things you wished were true and would happen.

“I recently came across a heartfelt blog post from someone who deeply regretted never confessing their feelings to their high school crush. It made me reflect on how important it is to be brave and speak our truths. If you are in a similar situation, remember that now is a beautiful opportunity to express your feelings. Just like the shooting stars lighting up the night sky, take a moment to make a wish and take that step.” The person on the radio said. This led you to wonder, if you should finally confess your love to Si-eun that you kept to yourself for 2 years straight.

So, you mustered up the courage and decided to write a simple love letter.

You wrote ;

“Dear Yeon Si-Eun from Class A,

You may not know me but I know you, I am Y/N from Class F.

Ever since the start of the high school, the moment I laid eyes on you. My heart felt different, something it had never been like before. Every time I look at you, everything around me freezes and my eyes just focus on you.

All I have to say is that— I like you. A lot.

I know you don’t but I just hope you read this letter and show you how much I admire you.

You are perfect. You’re quiet, strong, athletic, and intelligent. You are the person everyone looks up to. And I hope you see that.

And I’m going to say this again, I like you and I do hope one day you can consider it and maybe… give me a response? Thank you.

From,

Y/N from Class F.”

You read through the letter over and over, making sure it was perfect and up to his standards and placed it into a small envelope sealed with a heart sticker.

Next day . . .

You woke up extra early to fix your hair and to look near as possible. After that you hurried your way back to school, preparing to give him the letter.

Once you reached school, you hid behind the bike shed, waiting for the perfect time to hand him the letter. After about 30 minutes, Si-eun arrived at school. Your heart pounded nervously as he slowly got closer and closer to the school gate. You went up to him, letter in hand.

“Yeon Si-Eun… Uh.. I am Y/n from Class F. I have this letter for you. Could you please read it?” You stuttered nervously, hands—trembling, while you looked down. “Why should i?” He retorted, giving you the most worse death stare as you stood face to face with him. You looked back up at him in shocked. He walked past you and purposefully shoved your shoulder, hard.

Tears swelled up in your eyes as the letter flew out of your hands and seeing Si-eun step on it, leaving a faint dark mark.

You made her way to class and once she entered into the school’s common area, which was where students would crowd and sit there together while talking about the latest gossip. Unfortunately it was you who was the latest gossip, you confession was already being spread around like the plague.

As soon as you stepped foot into the common area, for a split second the whole school went quiet, then burst into laughter, you heard a few girls giggling and commenting loudly, “Haha!! What made her think she had a chance with THE Yeon Si-eun! She isn’t even all that.”. The group of girls looked at you making sure you heard it. You busted into tears, and ran as fast as you could into the classroom blocks, until two of your friends, Bae-rin and Kim stopped you. They looked at you, both of their faces filled with concern. “Y/n! Why are people talking about you? What did you do!” Bae-rin questioned anxiously, “Yeah! I kept hearing your name everywhere I went! What’s going on?!” Kim followed.

You looked at them, face covered in embarrassment. “I kinda… confessed to Si-eun at the school gate. Where everyone saw.” Both of them exclaimed, “WHATTT?!”.

“Why didn’t you tell us?!”, Kim nagged as she face palmed. You stayed quiet and continued to make your way to class.

As you were walking in the hallway you heard someone scream your name, “Y/NNNN!!!!” It was your boy ‘best-friend’, Wooyoung, who has the BIGGEST crush on you, but you don’t like him back. He’s not your type.

“You confessed to Si-eun?! What did he say? What happened? Did he accept you? What is it?” Wooyoung asked anxiously, praying he did not accept you.

"He didn't even take the time to read my letter," you replied, showing your frustration. Wooyoung eyes widened, not in shock but in excitement, thinking he finally had a chance to get with you once you mentioned you were going to move on from him. Despite him being super excited for you to move on, he decided to cheer you up with your favourite snack, truffle-flavored chips!

You gently smiled as he passed you the chips and you kept it in your bag to save it for lunch, clearly BLIND on what he is actually trying to do. (he’s trying to persuade you)

days go on . . . till sunday.

chap 2

[whateverisbeautiful]

Hello!! I see a lot of RJ criticism and hate on social media from the TWD fandom. I think he gets an unfair shake as he hasn't had much screentime - definitely not enough for the audience to develop such strong disdain towards him. I never buy into their rationale and I think they hate RJ for being half Black and carrying on the Grimes legacy, although the fandom never admits this and when you press them on it, they come up with every reason under the sun to dislike RJ. None of which ever makes a lick of sense to me. What are your thoughts about this? Also, do you have any headcanons about who RJ will be as he gets older and who he will connect the most with. I find his character exciting and the TWD writers have a lot to work with if they decide to do a spinoff based on the next generation. The possibilites are endless if they execute his character arc well. With him having Richonne DNA, he's destined to be bada$$. I always envision him being very bonded to Rick and having both of his parents' quiet demeanor, and strength, and natural instinct, yet also being highly intelligent and diplomatic like Michonne and even connecting with Eugene to develop some new tech that could change their world. I remember Rick not being able to understand what Eugene was talking about during their few interactions and looking at him crazy and Mich getting frustrated with him as well. It could be interesting to see RJ be the one person who gets Eugene. Anyway, sorry for the long, rambling post and interested in hearing your thoughts! Take care 😀

No need to apologize! Thank you for asking these questions! And I agree, I think the hate comes from that very place. There are parts of the TWD fandom who loudly disliked the Richonne pairing for racist reasons, and there are also those who maybe said they're indifferent to Richonne but definitely did not want their relationship to be of any real importance. RJ made it a lot harder for both those parties to dismiss the fact that Rick Grimes genuinely fell in love with Michonne and now has Black/half Black family members who are his whole world.

Some act like their RJ hate is just because of the acting skill of this elementary school-age child, but that's weird because anyone's acting level, especially a young child, should never merit such vitriolic comments. Or they act like they can't stand him since RJ "didn't do anything," and even call him "useless," which has always been a wrong and egregious take. They can comprehend that when Judith was small, her expectation was just to be "the baby" in the story, and yet when RJ is just about kindergarten age, they felt he needed to be doing big things for the plot and biting necks out, or else he serves no purpose. To me, it's largely all thinly veiled ways to skirt around not wanting the next Rick Grimes to be half Black.

And it's crazy because RJ's very existence serves an immense purpose for the show & TWD's closing message of being the ones who live. On a personal scale, RJ is living proof of Rick and Michonne's love and resilience and an extension of their legacy. On a larger scale, he and the other children born in this apocalypse represent a victory for this world, considering Earth became consumed with the dead, and yet the resilient living came out on top and even produced life, giving everyone hope for a future. The kids really represent that life can persist.

Also, I really like your headcanons for RJ. 😊 I can see adult RJ having all those traits you've noted - his parents' quiet demeanor, strength, natural instinct, and being highly intelligent and diplomatic. I always picture RJ being very bright and drawn to STEM. I never thought about how that could lead to him connecting with Eugene, but that's true. I could see a shared interest in science and tech being what helps RJ understand Eugene more than most understood him. I'm so convinced that RJ and Rick will feel very bonded early and have a special lifelong father/son connection.

In terms of who a grown-up RJ would most connect with, outside of his Grimes family, I could also see him maintaining a good bond with Ezekiel. Had he lived, I think RJ would have really liked Nat and his knack for invention as well. 🥲 Being part Rick and part Michonne, I feel like RJ will be a thoughtful fighter. And I also always felt like he'll have this innovative mind that develops something that really enhances their world!

[dailyrothko]

Do you mind when other people blog Rothko

Ha, no. The whole point of this blog really is to educate people on his art and spread it around, the problem is that there are some things that go along with that.

One of them is that if I correct somebody online about their fake painting or a painting that's upside down generally they will not pay attention and if they do pay attention generally they will not fix it. Sometimes they block me. Other times, a "lifestyle blog" will put a bunch up and those are much more popular than art blogs so it's difficult to correct this new audience to the possibility that what they're looking at is fake or mutilated,

Sometimes, as many of you know, I will re-blog one as an example of something to avoid. I try not to blame the people that are putting it up because there's no reason they should know any better, but some of them don't want to know any better and it puts me in a weird position because the work is copyrighted and it could be taken down, and I'm not going to encourage that, but I also don't like to encourage people mutilating works of art. I'm not the person who thinks it's cool when you colorize old movies so we can all "relate" and I'm not the person who thinks that presenting color photographs in black-and-white is good if it goes along with your "theme", I just don't think we should meddle with the artist's intentions if possible

I have a close relationship with many people in the Rothko world and I know that, for instance, if a museum person sees a painting at their museum and somebody has photoshopped it or it's a terrible picture? they would love to see a good one in its place. This blog is often able to provide those pictures by keeping up with the newest scans, but people don't want to re-blog because they like to get the credit for posting the pictures in the notes, which, to me, is very immature blogger attitude.

My blog has greatly benefited from submissions and I get a lot of them, many here and many on Instagram, and I always credit the photographers and keep their credit intact, which seems like the normal thing to do, and that way when one of the people that takes museum trips and takes good pictures gets to the next Rothko exhibit, they are sure to offer me some pictures they took because I'm not going to just steal them. It's not that I am a saint, I think it's polite but its also practical, and I think that sometimes if you play the long game rather than alienating everybody, you end up in a better position to do the things that you like to do. (obviously I am speaking of etiquette here or not alienating nazis or punching fascists which I am greatly in support of).

It can also be a little bit frustrating when all the information is stripped from the painting, when a lot of people would like to know the details and they are right here.

I don't mean all of this to sound holier than thou I think of it as a simple fact. I have put this work in for reference. If you don't want to reblog me, or let's say you were at San Francisco MOMA and took a picture of number 14 1960. You could look it up here and get the details if you did not know them, and I would consider that to be a good use of this blog.

So no I am happy for people to spread the word and get the art around to different audiences and different people but I wish they would have cared about it, partially because I'm right here to help and it would not be much effort to ask me or Reblog, but the truth is that most people don't care about that stuff and there's nothing I can do about it unless I want to go to great lengths.

Sometimes frankly I just don't understand it. There are particular blogs who put up bad scans but worse they put up fake paintings year after year after year and it's not like they have not been informed that they are fake. I don't know if they are art bots like the off the easel scammers who had all the "artist Rothko" type blogs, but those people were tech Bros stealing your personal information and mining wiki paintings which is a terrible place to get art, and they were spreading paintings that were sideways year after year. There's a rule on Tumblr against bots but it's not enforced, like everything around here.

So the short answer is no, but the long answer if you made it through it, is  that I wish people had a little bit more interest in precision. This month I must've told 20 different people that they had a problem in their painting post, not a single person changed it. And everybody makes mistakes, but I actually prefer if people correct mine because it embarrasses me!

Apologies for the long reply

[sylveriasarcana]

some more The Passenger fic recs because why not!

previous rec list here (x)

Black Bile Husband by krrs - one of my new favorite TP fics! i just love fics like this: short and sweet with a genius premise that is executed very well through careful characterization and sharp writing! go read it!

Just Like Velvet by Incy Little Spider - incy has contributed a massive amount of fics to the TP tag, but today i'm gonna highlight this one - i just love the imagery in this and how well it connects to the characterization presented in the story. in this moment, i was truly inside benson's head. if that's somewhere you wanna be, you should definitely give this one a read!

feel my heat, suffocate by Anonymous - ...my OCD talked me out of recommending this one on the last list because "recommending anonymously published fics is basically doxxing!". ... yeah, anyway, here's the road head fic!

Don't Forget the Joker by devovitsuasartes - okay. you know what? i'm mad at you guys. all of you. because APPARENTLY. there was a fic out there?! the whole time!!! where benson is bad at sex with women and blames the women! and NOBODY TOLD ME?! y'all KNOW THAT'S MY FAVORITE BIT?!?!?! (very good multichapter with lots of neat twists considering its short length that is funny and tense and heartwarming all at once!)

i drink the honey inside your hive by jacktrost - this author is your favorite fic author's favorite fic author. and if that's not the case, it's because they're YOUR favorite fic author. and rightfully so! clover has recently finished up their magnum opus and now i am linking it for you to read. and then read their other stuff!! you won't regret it!

ranson fills by Anonymous - hello new TP fans! are you looking to get into Ranson fics but aren't sure where to start? look no further than ranson fills! a series of one-shots named after their contents that makes for an enjoyable and varied reading experience, whether you're new to the fandom and looking to get into fic or just want to spend a little time with our favorite weirdo freaks! (this also would have been on the last list if not for The Brain Gremlin)

sidewalk rule/iron pills by scenedenial - these fics are girlfriends. stray cat girlfriends. separate them and they'll bite you. and also they're really good so you should read 'em one after the other anyway <33

Lucky by Coileddragon - a short but appropriately devastating post-canon fic which has one of my favorite tropes: brutal recontextualization of a canon line of dialogue at the end! (also, this author came up with Boudreaux as a last name for Benson. that was this person!)

Like Splinters Under Your Skin by pissedoffeskimo - yes, everyone recommends this one. but I couldn't help myself! a quintessential Benson Lives road trip fic, Splinters contains all the pining you could possibly want, seamless shifts in POV, and Jake. Look. Jake is important to me in ways no one can fully understand-

[trangtravishere]

Hello guys it's Travis, just wanna say that I'll be on hiatus once again, but I'm making an AU of S5 that I'll post when I come back, sneak peek below

Hand of a snack dude

[pinazee]

Nick mentioned in the commentary that Ruth was like saying things under her breath and now when i rewatch these scenes i watch her haha

This is where he pointed it out. You can see shes certainly mouthing something

Ruth has got shit to say and not a lot of courage to do so

And heres a few little mannerisms from the digital ticket. I love her and richies friendship

Awww look at her

Bonus: Richie telling ruth shes not meek 🥹

[joeeatsdvds]

somebody really needs to teach russell on how to properly tie up loose plot ends by the way before it becomes a reoccurring problem

[bumfuzzled-bee]

NOT AN ASK, I JS LOVE UR LIL OJIROS MWAHMWAH ART AMAZING

Thank you !! I’m glad people still enjoy my lil guys. Have this gif I finished <3

[wardensantoineandevka]

I see there's posts floating around directly and blatantly arguing against mine (same wording) by completely misunderstanding what I said. I'm fucking BACK, babey. Should've bought some hay-scented fragrance while I was at Sephora today, because I am once again your strawman!

[queerofthedagger]

i mean this in the like... nicest way possible, but there is no way to post your writing and/or art on the internet without running the very high risk of it getting scraped, whether you post it on tumblr, pillowfort, or ao3. sites being 'anti ai' does not mean your art cannot be scraped. it is simply almost impossible to prevent, much less guarantee that. I'm not saying this to be a pessimist or to stop people from being rightfully pissed about this. it sucks. massively so! but if the idea does in fact bother you that much, you should know that moving sites won't fix the issue. ao3, as far as we know, has been scraped/is getting scraped. you can set your fics so that only logged in users can access them, but it only makes scraping one step more difficult, and by no means impossible and the otw has stated this clearly.

which, again, this sucks! i don't have a great solution either!! but tumblr is relatively honest, at least, when it tells you that it cannot prevent, only discourage it. ao3 said the same thing. any site promising you otherwise is, to the best of my knowledge, lying to you.

[neolxzr]

moar sketchbook pages

[queenofthursday6599-blog]

Mmmm Jinx AU where after being taken in by Silco, thinking she's been abandoned by Vi leads to her not latching on to Silco as the most important thing in her life who she must be loyal to above all else, but full on swinging into the direct opposite direction and becoming like Sevika.

[This AU is in part inspired by the idea of Jinx becoming more idealogically like Sevika, but also from OG Jinx's personality.

OG Jinx is a character who's primary drive is her own personal enjoyment and happiness. Which comes from building weapons, causing explosions of all kinds, and pranking Piltoveans.

Jinx doesn't go out looking to kill people, she goes out to to have a good time, and if people happen to die while she's having her good time, then that doesn't really concern her.

Like there's this one quote about OG Jinx that basically boils down to: "If Jinx found a box of firecrackers that had a person sitting on top of it. She'd light the fireworks without even thinking about the person on the box because she was so focused on her excitement about fireworks, that she didn't even notice the person."

OG Jinx has prioritized her own personal enjoyment over everything else, that people potentially dying as a result of whatever she's doing is so completely irrelevant, to the point of her being effectively unable to perceive the potential collateral damage.

It's not even that OG Jinx wants to kill people, or enjoys killing people, it's just that people dying while she's doing what she loves isn't even a linked phenomenon in her brain. Because people (who die) are going to die eventually with or without her actions, so why shouldn't she enjoy herself even if people happen to die while she's doing so.

Jinx's loyalty to Zaun is prioritized in the same way in this AU. People are going to die with or without the revolution happening, so they might as well have the revolution.]

Loyal to the dream of Zaun over any individual leader.

I mean, she still comes to love Silco as a father figure, and he still comes to love her as a daughter, but also much like with Sevika, they're both fully aware that if Jinx ever comes to the conclusion he isn't the person who's the best bet for securing Zaunite independence, she'll abandon his gang and possibly go elsewhere.

Or even more so, if she comes to the conclusion that he's worse for Zaun than he is good, possibly kill him herself.

Which I feel like wouldn't stop him from loving her more than anything else.

I think he'd just consider it another aspect of her that makes her the ideal Zaunite. The ability to put The Cause even before her personal feelings and attachments, something he's still not able to do.

Basically this Jinx thinks of her loyalty to Zaun and her personal love for individuals in her life as entirely disconnected to each other, with Loyalty to Zaun being her default.

Which adds a number of complications to her relationships. Specifically her being totally unafraid to fight to the death against her loved ones without an ounce of remorse, and then thinking of it as a complete non-issue in the aftermath if they both survive.

Like she fully still considers Ekko her friend by the time Vi gets out of jail in this AU. Full on "We try to kill each other on alternating Thursdays, but that's no reason to stop being friends" feelings.

Which also results in her not feeling an ounce of shame in helping him and the Firelights out when it comes to basically anything they do that isn't in direct opposition to SIlco.

I mean, the Firelights are also working towards bettering Zaun just like she (honestly believes) is, they just have different opinions and methods of how to do so from Silco's gang. While also serving different parts of the community.

[And yes, Ekko and the rest of the Firelights have complicated feelings about Jinx in this AU. None of them know where she stands with them.

She'll help them without expectations one day, and then turn around and kill some of them in a confrontation without an ounce of hesitation the next.

Some of them hate her, some have mixed feelings. Others just think she's completely mentally unstable, and shouldn't be trusted considering she seemingly flips between being ally and enemy with no warning.

Ekko's feelings are especially complicated, as you can imagine.]

None of this is to say Jinx doesn't feel just as deeply about the people she loves, as she does in canon. It's just that trauma has convinced her that unequivocal loyalty to an individual vs an idea is a very easy way to be hurt.

Detached logical decision making as a way to avoid being harmed by making emotional mistakes. Which is what she feels is why she failed so much as Powder.

The belief, that she was so obsessed with gaining approval from individuals in her life, she never had a real personal goal to strive towards that she could measure progress and growth to. Resulting in her always feeling like a failure, even when she was doing good, or at least improving.

She's still deeply hurt by Vi choosing Caitlyn over her (as far as she could tell), the Firelights taking Vi, and her accidental killing of Silco while spiraling in the wake of her Shimmer surgery. She's also extremely frustrated by her freak out on the airship where she shoots Eve (pink haired Firelight).

Because she feels like those are instances where she gave into the impulse to emotional over reaction to specific individuals that caused all of Powder's problems.

She was so focused on Vi, and her desire for Vi's approval, that she couldn't fight the Firelights as effectively as she normally would.

She was so focused on Vi seemingly leaving her to go off with Caitlyn that she couldn't focus on fighting Ekko on the Bridge, resulting in her getting far more injured than she normally would have, and nearly not succeeding in getting the crystal back.

She was so triggered by thinking she was seeing Vi on the airship, that she completely lost it and started shooting indiscriminately and caused the job to go south and injured people on her own side.

She was so caught up in her spiral and hallucinations at the tea party, that she shot Silco based entirely on instinctual protective instinct when hearing the hammer being drawn on a gun on her vulnerable loved one, rather than anything intentional on her part. Which she'd previously had always sworn would be the case should it ever come to her killing Silco.

That if Jinx ever killed another of her loved ones, it would be because she knew with certainty it would result in the betterment of Zaun, not because she made a mistake because she was being an over emotional idiot.

I think the only major change from this Jinx's actions in the Season 1 part of the story would be how she went about stealing the Hexgem, and why she did so.

In canon she does so because she failed a job, and felt like she needed to do something big to prove to Silco that she was capable, in order to gain validation from him that she was. Even though he never tells her he doesn't think she's capable, just that she needs to take some time off because she had an episode.

He said "take a mental health day, even if you don't think you need it," and she responded, "so you think I'm a fuck up?!"

In this story. it's more that Jinx is so focused on what she could potentially do with Hextech to help the revolution and Zaun as a whole. That she was already planning to steal some research notes and crystals to get experimenting with it on her own terms, before the job gone south, and the new advancements in Hextech being whispered about for progress day.

Getting her hands on the newest form of Hextech is just her getting lucky.

This also means she doesn't steal it the same way. She doesn't do anything to kill any Enforcers, but she does cause a distraction with what seems to be a box of fire works going off prematurely on "accident".

With her swooping in to steal the notes and hexgem while everyone's busy with trying to contain the panic the fireworks accident is causing to really pay attention to what she's doing.

Which the Enforcers do react to, but everyone but Caitlyn disregards as an accident. As once it's clear that nothing other than a few decorations got ruined and people getting startled came of the fireworks incident.

They're far more concerned with the stealing of hextech that's happened, and Viktor's testimony of a young woman with long blue hair sneaking out of their lab.

With the fireworks incident being dismissed as an accident that's completely unrelated to the burglary of the Hextech lab. Beyond the burglar potentially using it as a convenient opening.

Caitlyn's not convinced, and it's already happened so close to the airship shootout incident, so she still goes down and ends up freeing Vi from Stillwater with some of Jinx's drawings as evidence, from the airship shootout.

Which does mean that her trajectory in the Season 2 part of the story would be a bit different.

She still goes into a depression after Silco's death. Mostly because she feels that she's broken her most important self imposed rule: not killing because of personal feelings about someone, but for The Cause.

She killed Silco not because she felt killing him would make things better, but because she was scared and spiraling and in that vulnerable emotional state, she defaulted to the same way of thinking that had gotten her loved ones killed the last time.

She protected Vi who she loved, and couldn't defend herself, based on gut instinct. And it resulted in the death of another loved one, and the complete destabilization of Zaun.

Now because Jinx is more focused on Zaun than on her personal relation ships, I don't know if she fires on the Council immediately after Silco's death the way she does in canon. I don't really think she would.

I could see her doing it because she's still in the peak of the Shimmer high, which is heightening all her emotions. Driving her to seek revenge on Piltover in her grief. Even though if she could think more clearly, she wouldn't do it, and would instead wait to gather an actual following and doing an organized and planned strike to be the most effective.

But I could also see SIlco's death snapping her back to reality as she sees it. That she simply takes the gem, her guns, and Silco's body and Disappears, vanishing into the night with neither Vi or Caitlyn knowing of the weapon she's built or what she's going to do next.

Which could have interesting repercussions on the story. Considering Piltover's council would to have agreed to Zaunite independence on the conditions of handing over Jinx.

Except the man they made that deal with is now dead, no one (except Sevika) knows where Jinx is to hand her over, and the Undercity is and of itself divided on handing one of their own over to Piltover (to potentially be executed, because of how dangerous Hextech can be, and a lot of the counsel fully thinking Zaunites are inherently dangerous, not to mention thanks to Caitlyn, Jinx is a known weapons builder, so what else do they think she'll do with access to Hextech other than build weapons) in order to gain independence.

I'm sure the chem barons would have no issue handing JInx over, because then they'd be free to divide up territory and completely take over with no one like Silco holding their leash, or PIltover dictating what is and isn't legal on their side of the river in the first place.

Oh the Firelights would be around to oppose them, but they'd never really were able to gain any ground beyond causing problems for Shimmer production.

But I'm not sure how more ordinary people would react.

I mean, in this AU it's pretty well known that Jinx holds the idea of Zaun above anything else, and was willing to help people who weren't affiliated with any specific group, as long as doing so wouldn't harm the independence movement of Zaun.

She's not really shy about expressing that stance, it's just up to everyone else to believe it or not.

Jinx, who would use her high position in Silco's circle to help ordinary Zaunites. Be it from one of the gangs overstepping and trying to start rackets Silco had forbidden, from unjust arrest from Enforcers, or even pointing them in the direction of the Firelights if she thought that was for the best.

Declaring that so long as the help she gave random people didn't harm or slow the march towards independence, helping her fellow Zaunite was helping Zaun, was part of the fight toward an independent Zaun.

She's the Loose Canon, shooting for Zaun and no one else. Loyal to no kingpen or Chembaron, but to The People of Zaun as a whole.

She has a bit of a following even without firing on Piltover or turning the Grey back on them. She's a bit of a living folk hero to some people, especially those she personally helped out of a bad situation, for no reason other than "I could, and doing so doesn't hurt anyone else. So why wouldn't I?"

Not to mention I definitely feel like Jinx would be way more intentionally politically educated in this AU than she is in canon.

JInx as she is in Arcane, never really gave a shit about Zaun's independence beyond what it meant to Silco (and later Isha), and she very obviously never bothered to learn anything about politics. At least nothing Silco didn't force her to learn.

But with Jinx's primary drive being Zaun, I feel like she'd definitely be way more politically minded, and while I do think she would consider turning herself over to Piltover to secure Zaun's independence (in a direct parallel of Vi's willingness to hand herself over to get the Enforcers to leave the Undercity alone to keep her family safe).

I don't think Jinx would actually go through with handing herself over.

Not with the Undercity being actively torn apart by gang disputes in the wake of Silco's death, no way of ensuring Zaun's prosperity after handing herself over, and no way of securing actual tangible betterment of conditions in Zaun even with Zaunite independence.

I mean from what we're told, Piltover's offer of independence was essentially cutting the Undercity loose.

Stopping their dumping of industrial waste into Zaun's water supply, ceasing utilizing of Zaun's air duct and water system for the climate control of Piltover's Hexgate system, release of Zaunites from Stillwater (or at least transfer to Zaunite custody)), and the Kiraman family handing over control of the vents that suppress The Grey over to someone from the Undercity weren't anywhere in that deal from what we're told.

[I don't think everyone on the counsel would have agreed to it if it was, they're all complete capitalists, no matter if some of them value sapient life more than others (Mel, Cassandra) on a conceptual level.

I believe the ones who outright hate Zaunites (which some of them clearly did) would have staunchly opposed if it meant having to alter how they actually approached how they ran their businesses, vs just cutting Zaun loose.

Hell I think those councelors would have gotten even more lax with their business regulations. I mean, Zaun wouldn't have been part of Piltover, and their citizens not their legal responsibility any more.

So why should anyone from Piltover worry about them dying? The trenchers wanted independence and if they can't survive without Piltover's support, how's that anyone's problem but the trenchers?]

It was, if you hand over Jinx, we'll legally make you not our problem any more.

Which I don't think a politically educated Jinx would go for. It would just leave Zaun to the messy power struggle that appeared because of the power vacum caused by Silco's death. None of the Undercity's actual problems would be solved, besides Enforcers no longer being able to harass them.

So the Zaun Piltover conflict would stay more political and less outright invasion than it is in canon as a result.