#he's just an awkward boy

[klancer-warrior]

i think ppl forget how much of a tease keith is, and how silly he can be when he's around lance. i need more silly keith!!!

anyways this is part 1 of this tiny comic

[itseghost]

very straightforward redraw because this quest and this whole scene have been ON my mind.

[inkskinned]

you're grabbing lunch with a nice man and he gives you that strange grimace-smile that's popular right now; an almost sardonic "twist" of his mouth while he looks literally down on you. it looks like he practiced the move as he leans back, arms folded. he just finished reciting the details of NFTs to you and explaining Oppenheimer even though he only watched a youtube about it and hasn't actually seen it. you are at the bottom of your wine glass.

you ask the man across from you if he has siblings, desperately looking for a topic. literally anything else.

he says i don't like small talk. and then he smiles again, watching you.

a few years ago, you probably would have said you're above celebrity gossip, but honestly, you've been kind of enjoying the dumb shit of it these days. with the rest of the earth burning, there's something familiar and banal about dragging ariana grande through the mud. you think about jeanette mccurdy, who has often times gently warned the world she's not as nice as she appears. you liked i'm glad my mom died but it made you cry a lot.

he doesn't like small talk, figure out something to say.

you want to talk about responsibility, and how ariana grande is only like 6 days older than you are - which means she just turned 30 and still dresses and acts like a 13 year old, but like sexy. there's something in there about the whole thing - about insecurity, and never growing up, and being sexualized from a young age.

people have been saying that gay people are groomers. like, that's something that's come back into the public. you have even said yourself that it's just ... easier to date men sometimes. you would identify as whatever the opposite of "heteroflexible" is, but here you are again, across from a man. you like every woman, and 3 people on tv. and not this guy. but you're trying. your mother is worried about you. she thinks it's not okay you're single. and honestly this guy was better before you met, back when you were just texting.

wait, shit. are you doing the same thing as ariana grande? are you looking for male validation in order to appease some internalized promise of heteronormativity? do you conform to the idea that your happiness must result in heterosexuality? do you believe that you can resolve your internal loneliness by being accepted into the patriarchy? is there a reason dating men is easier? why are you so scared of fucking it up with women? why don't you reach out to more of them? you have a good sense of humor and a big ol' brain, you could have done a better job at online dating.

also. jesus christ. why can't you just get a drink with somebody without your internal feminism meter pinging. although - in your favor (and judgement aside) in the case of your ariana grande deposition: you have been in enough therapy you probably wouldn't date anyone who had just broken up with their wife of many years (and who has a young child). you'd be like - maybe take some personal time before you begin this journey. like, grande has been on broadway, you'd think she would have heard of the plot of hamlet.

he leans forward and taps two fingers to the table. "i'm not, like an andrew tate guy," he's saying, "but i do think partnership is about two people knowing their place. i like order."

you knew it was going to be hard. being non-straight in any particular way is like, always hard. these days you kind of like answering the question what's your sexuality? with a shrug and a smile - it's fine - is your most common response. like they asked you how your life is going and not to reveal your identity. you like not being straight. you like kissing girls. some days you know you're into men, and sometimes you're sitting across from a man, and you're thinking about the power of compulsory heterosexuality. are you into men, or are you just into the safety that comes from being seen with them? after all, everyone knows you're failing in life unless you have a husband. it almost feels like a gradebook - people see "straight married" as being "all A's", and anything else even vaguely noncompliant as being ... like you dropped out of the school system. you cannot just ignore years of that kind of conditioning, of course you like attention from men.

"so let's talk boundaries." he orders more wine for you, gesturing with one hand like he's rousing an orchestra. sir, this is a fucking chain restaurant. "I am not gonna date someone who still has male friends. also, i don't care about your little friends, i care about me. whatever stupid girls night things - those are lower priority. if i want you there, you're there."

he wasn't like this over text, right? you wouldn't have been even in the building if he was like this. you squint at him. in another version of yourself, you'd be running. you'd just get up and go. that's what happens on the internet - people get annoyed, and they just leave. you are locked in place, almost frozen. you need to go to the bathroom and text someone to call you so you have an excuse, like it's rude to just-leave. like he already kind of owns you. rudeness implies a power paradigm, though. see, even your social anxiety allows the patriarchy to get to you.

you take a sip of the new glass of wine. maybe this will be a funny story. maybe you can write about it on your blog. maybe you can meet ariana grande and ask her if she just maybe needs to take some time to sit and think about her happiness and how she measures her own success.

is this settling down? is this all that's left in your dating pool? just accepting that someone will eventually love you, and you have to stop being picky about who "makes" you a wife?

you look down to your hand, clutching the knife.

[ryllen]

x

[zuppizup]

My angsty brain: So… Callum’s Dad died of some kind lung condition, eh? Sure would be a shame if that was hereditary

[canisalbus]

.

[unclefathersantateddy]

Bob Belcher hyping up his own strip tease with "you won't even want it, you- you'll wanna leave" is on my mind tonight fellas

[cienie-isengardu]

Zuko and Azula in "The Beach"

Lately I think a lot about "The Beach" episode [x], especially about this small detail of great teamwork Zuko and Azula have during the game.

Zuko is looking ahead, directly facing their rivals (who had the control of the ball at this moment) but his body is clearly lowered to the ground, left hand most likely touching the ground, legs bent and widely spaced - a clear contrast to Mai standing near and how he stood before on two separate occasions

which is why I think Zuko willingly create an opportunity for Azula, so she could jump higher - something she definitely used to their team’s advantage. If Azula simply jumped on her brother’s back when he wasn’t expecting it or wasn’t ready, he would probably just fall face down from the impact but as the scene shows, he had no such problem nor was angry about it in the following scenes.

During the game sequences there was no dialogue shown between our protagonists, so it is hard to determine if Azula in advance called Zuko to give her a “lift” or Zuko offered on his own, or did they were that much in sync they just acted without thinking. Regardless I like this few seconds long interaction, because for me it implies how they trusted each other despite all the rivalry and bitterness from previous episodes. Like Zuko trusted Azula won’t use that moment to hurt/humiliate him by overuse of force, the same as Azula trusted in Zuko’s strength and that he won’t mess up by losing his balance. It is a small thing but no less sweet to see them working well together when fighting for the same goal - what reminds me a bit their teamwork from the previous season finale.

Interestingly, it was also the second time Zuko assisted Azula in scoring against their rivals while not scoring himself any point on screen. The first time happened almost right at the beggining of the game (second from total five sequences)

while each girl have the solo sequence of winning a point:

Azula's first attack,

later Ty Lee landing on the net

and Mai kicking the ball (and presumably scoring)

while Zuko’s two actions are shared only with his younger sister while there is no sense of competition between the siblings, something contrasting a lot with some previous and later episodes.

Azula is bossy and competitive through most of the episode and her brother lets her be that without a complaint. Azula and Zuko get along pretty well and A) do not argue (with the exception of the campfire scene and then they argue not even for the whole scene itself) and B) don't get on each nerves the way they do in the palace, with Ozai's presence looming in the back of their mind. I absolutely adore this episode, as it humanizes all our Fire Nation characters by showing them as teenagers outside the war zone but also giving us a bit of insight into what Azula and Zuko could be if Ozai didn't pit them against each other. And they could be a great team!

[mccromy]

TGCF/SVSSS crossover in which Jun Wu transmigrates into the former CQM sect leader (let's pretend they look alike too) who died by botching a Heavenly Calamity and now Jun Wu wakes up in his body in the aftermath.

He realizes this world is very different from his own and then while he tries to figure out what actually happened, takes over sect leader duties. Which is very easy with his experience as Heavenly Emperor. Also, this sect has a peak filled with Ling Wens! :D (An Ding Peak) easy peasy.

He assists the disciple trials and takes notice of a malnourished boy, just at the age limit for starting cultivation, working diligently with the barest hint of desperation under an otherwise determined face. He invites him to Qiong Ding Peak, and while they perform the acceptance ceremony he asks his favorite question (2 men 1 cup.... lost in the desert)

And the boy instead of answering asks:

"Who are these men?"

Jun Wu hums.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

Jun Wu stares at him but the boy doesn't squirm or look away. The desperation suddenly stark.

"Would their identity change your answer?" The boy nods. "Very well, let's say you don't know either of them. You can't tell if they're rich or poor, neither is ugly, neither is handsome. You stand in front of them holding a cup filled with fresh water and the knowledge that if they don't drink from your cup they'll die. How would you fix this problem?" He smiles placidly as the boy thinks.

He doesn't think too long.

"I drink the cup."

Jun Wu is surprised, even the most selfish and entitled try to at least give the appearance of caring.

"Even if they died?"

"As long as I don't."

Jun Wu realized his mistake, this boy, dirty and thin as he was, was probably used to fighting for his food. Survival of the fittest and all that.

"Even if you knew one of them, what if they had a family? What would you do then?"

"I drink the cup."

"I see... Is there any scenario in which you don't drink the cup?" Jun Wu is amused enough he starts preparing the tea himself. He's already decided he'd take the boy in. He could do with someone unapologetically ruthless.

"If my brother is with me, I'd give him the cup."

Suddenly, Jun Wu doesn't like the boy anymore.

"I see. If one of the men in the desert is your brother, you'll give the cup to him, even if you die." Typical. Idealistic boys, who think they'll still know themselves at their worst.

"Yes, but I meant, if it's my brother, me, and two men in the desert, the cup goes to my brother."

"Hm."

He lets the tea steep, he's angry. He realized he might kill this boy if they keep talking. As he's about to dismiss him, acceptance ceremony be damned, the boy speaks again.

"And if there were a cup for each of us, then all would go to my brother."

Jun Wu stills. Then places a cup in front of the boy, pours tea, sits back.

"And why is that? only one cup would be enough to survive."

"To survive, yes, but he might still be thirsty after. Maybe he'd want to wash off some sweat, he's very fussy."

Ah, like Shi Wudu then. Jun Wu might have an useful piece in his hands after all.

The wicked always think that as long as they're acting on behalf of the truly virtuous, every action is justified and therefore merit no punishment. Everything goes, if it's to let the innocent remain ignorant.

It might've been fun had he not met this type before.

"Is he older or younger?"

"Younger."

"I see. And, if your brother wouldn't die from thirst, and you had five cups in your hand."

"Four would go to him, and one for me."

A bit more selfless than Shi Wudu. Which makes him a bit more boring. This boy probably wouldn't even try to strangle his brother before he was killed.

"And let the other two die?" The boy nods again, though now there's something his mannerisms are coated in embarrassment.

Well, since he already went down memory lane, Jun Wu simply must ask: "And if the price was to let a kingdom burn for getting that brother a cup of water even if he wouldn't die without it. Or let a kingdom thrive, while your brother stays as he is. What would you do?"

"Is my brother thirsty?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll give him the cup."

"He would not die."

"He would be thirsty."

Disappointing, this new disciple of his, but the boy might just live.

"Is your brother so righteous and kind that his life is worth more than the lives of the people of this kingdom?"

"My brother's life is worth two cups of rice, and as of late, a gold coin."

Jun Wu paused in confusion. What a horrible thing to say. Stated as a fact, hard as a stone. Is his brother's life not worth other's? How can he be so certain of the needed currency to bargain his brother's soul.

"And would he be happy? All those lives lost just for temporary comfort?"

"He wouldn't be happy."

With strong morals yet not worth enough to buy more than a few meals. At some point worth only two meals? What sort of contradictory creature is this boy related to?

"He would hate you for it."

"No, he wouldn't be happy either way. But if I did give him the water, he would not be sad. Just upset."

"Upset at the deaths?"

"Upset at all the smoke."

Jun Wu bursts out laughing. He laughs and laughs so hard he starts crying. The boy remains still as a statue, confused, scared.

And Jun Wu laughs, laughs as he wipes tears, laughs as he pours himself a cup and drinks, tea spilling on his robes. The boy quickly copies him, studies him as if to decide whether he's a threat or not.

Jun Wu forces himself to stop, his smile uncontrollably pulling at his skin.

Oh what a nasty, selfish child must this mysterious brother be. And yet, this soft spoken boy would doom hundreds for his ephemeral comfort.

"Where is that brother of yours? Was he at the disciple selection trial?"

The boy looks away for the first time, shakes his head.

"No... He's in a bad place. I need to go get him, this is why I need to become a cultivator, so I can help him."

"How noble, he needs rescue, hm?"

"Yes."

Jun Wu smiles, eyes gleaming.

"Then you're in the right place to achieve the power to do so. Welcome, Disciple Yue, to Qiong Ding. From now on you will refer to me as Shizun, and you'll work hard to do our sect proud."

The boy perked up, shoulders sagging in relief.

"Yes, Shizun."

"I see great promise in you, Yue Qi, and a good heart."

"Thank you, Shizun."

"It would be nothing less than tragic to see it break. Because of that, when you're ready, I'll go with you to retrieve your brother, and we'll find a place for him in our sect."

The boy's face illuminated, eyes wet and hopeful. His lower lip trembled, but he did not cry. Yue Qi took a deep breath, and then let it go. He regarded Jun Wu as if he knew the true identity of the man he was facing, as if he had been given the most marvellous of blessings.

"Shizun will help me save Xiao Jiu?"

Jun Wu nodded with a serene smile as the seed of worship was planted in the soul of such an unlucky boy.

Worship would not do it, not anymore. Worship was conditional to what miracles he could perform, and Jun Wu was no longer a god.

Love though. Love could bring down empires, change fates. Worship could never compare to love. Being worshipped wasn't enough.

"This Shizun swears. We'll rescue Xiao Jiu, Yue Qi."

Not likely, but who knows what the future holds.

"It all depends on you, my disciple. I have put all my faith in your hands. I know you won't disappoint your brother, and you won't disappoint me."

Yue Qi bowed as tears finally started pouring down his sweet, dirty face.

"Thank you, Shizun. This disciple promises to exceed Shizun's expectations." His voice wobbled but his speech was clear. Jun Wu rested a reassuring hand on the poor child's shoulder.

"I'm certain. I have been waiting a long time for a disciple like you,"

Jun Wu made the mistake of trying to mould Xie Lian to his image, and it ended with that boy proving Jun Wu rotten and weak.

Jun Wu would not try the same with Yue Qi. That was not what he truly wanted, what he actually needed.

He needed a ruthless, devout, unlucky, little tragedy of a boy who would never, ever leave.

Someone who could love nasty, rotten, selfish, creatures who only get upset at the smell of the bodies at their feet.

[skitskatdacat63]

2011 Italian Grand Prix - Vettonso

[andhumanslovedstories]

Love Iroh interacting with White Lotus shit. Zuko’s over here yelling “why do you two gas bags keep saying weird shit instead of instantly solving the problem?” and Iroh’s just smiling at other old guy saying like “The Crane Flies North On Silent Wings. Also You Simply Must Excuse My Beloved Autistic Nephew”

[theloveinc]

There's a lot of validity in the idea that older Bakugo is a traumatized pro-hero with major PTSD... but you know what's kinda fucked up to think about? The fact that Bakugo is also a 22-year-old pro-hero with major PTSD even before that, too.

It's almost easy to imagine that things are actually better when he's older (the therapy finally a routine, the trauma long set and on the path to being healed)... and that it's his whole 20s that are spent as a pool of disaster trying to recover from the war(s).

He looks back and barely even remembers being twenty, much less twenty-five or twenty-seven. Barely remembers how little he slept, not at the hands of trying to balance hero work and getting a degree at the same time, but just out of the pure insomnia that came from trying to move on and every nightmare attached.

Hardly ever showering, never shaving (not that he ever grew much of a beard, but the facial hair was definitely there. There's pictures of him on the news with an awkward, grown out haircut and patches on facial hair that make him look positively... immature), barely even eating more than a few protein bars or an energy jelly drink-a day. It's a blur, and his friends are hardly there to pick him up out of it because they're all going through it, too. Somewhat.

It's definitely weird if you meet him during this period. He's not all there, at least, not all of the time. He doesn't really register your interactions, the friendship you extend to him (a younger, or ever older, version of him would've shown you that deep seeded ferocity in response, tried to bite the hand that fed him, even if it were love... but 20s Bakugo... doesn't seem to notice). Even though only one of his eyes is clouded over, the good one never seems to brighten up.

There's definitely moments when the old him shines through: when he's with Deku, when he's in the midst of battle, when he finds out that Todoroki still does a shitty job at chopping scallions. But it's a long time before he's even close to the same, able to step out from underneath the fog of simply surviving and into the sunshine of recovering.

But I think sticking through it with him is worth it.

(It's a weird moment, a happy moment, the first time you realize that Bakugo has changed. That the pouring rain outside hasn't bothered him since he showed up at your apartment. He forgot his umbrella, he's been quite careless ever since the war—wet and shaggy hair frizzed up, cheeks red from cold—but he doesn't seem to mind, with his bare feet up on your coffee table, his eyes gazing out the window. You hand his tea, and instead of gulping it down in one go, letting it burn in his throat, he winces at the heat.

"Tastes like shit," he says, and you laugh because it always does. Just this time, he noticed.)

[call-me-copycat]

Did I hear right? They animated my favorite manga panel?! (　･`ω･´)✨

This is great! This is amazing! I'm so happy right now!

[shima-draws]

Watched the MLB movie and I just. I WANT to gush about it but the fact that Marinette’s regular voice actor and her singing voice actor sound SO different just took me out of it every time and left me feeling very disengaged;; At least Adrien’s singing voice kind of sounds like his speaking voice (and Gabriel’s is 👌 bc my king Keith Silverstein can actually sing and he can sing REALLY fucking well) but Marinette’s. The voices are COMPLETELY different and it threw me off every single time. Like obviously her singing voice is really good and I understand why they picked that person to do her songs but bro you could have at least TRIED to get someone that sounds similar to Cristina Vee. It drove me nuts every time she sang bc I was like “That is CLEARLY a different person entirely!!”

I’m realizing this might have been a dubbing issue but still 😭 I feel like I would have enjoyed the movie way more if it didn’t look like Marinette was lip syncing the entire time bc there was such a huge disconnect between her speaking and singing voice

[greghatecrimes]

HELP this one is even funnier

[iridiss]

something something about autism masking and how it relates to Mystreet Garroth’s character development. something about how Mystreet Aphmau “Has Never Masked Her Chaotic Audhd Once In Her Life” McGee influences Garroth to crawl out of his posh boy shell and goof off and run wild