#i see him but i don't understand him

[lanatusnebula]

Jamming to coldplay and drawing boys in the wrong outfits!

[prlssprfctn]

I actually need some fanfic, where Bruce and Jason are in the middle of some argument, and a casual (and a well-practiced with Dick before) sentence leaves his mouth, something along the lines "How old do you think you are?!", meaning that he is acting childishly. And because Jason is irritated, and his tongue runs loose in his anger, he screams back that he is nineteen, and Bruce just freezes, because... Oh. Jason is nineteen. He is a fucking kid - his kid - that lost years of his teenhood, and was forced back without anyone giving him a space to catch up, with everyone else already treating him like an adult... When he isn't.

[lotus-pear]

drew my beautiful wife today.....hes as beautiful as i remember

[sherurose]

challengers twitter pointed out something very cool: art's coach speaking to him in german!

the subs says "just invite her to serve." (which doesn't make any sense? and art doesn't even go to her after that lmao?) but he apparently actually says "wirf den ball etwas höher." which means "throw the ball a little higher.".

so art knows what patrick's house looks like which means he went there, he understands when his coach speaks to him in german and he's the only one who can pronounce "zweig", a german surname, the right way.

art learning german for patrick and spending holidays with him and his family is canon, i don't make the rules.

[frodo-a-gogo]

Let us be brutally honest with ourselves and with eachother for a moment. If he weren't obese you motherfuckers would be capable of percieving evrart claires sexy sexy moral ambiguity and complex charms

[technically-human]

Ooh, now that we’ve seen N!Edwin and DP!Edwin talk about Feelings could we see the same with N!Charles and DP!Charles?

As simple as that.

Edwins version

ko-fi

[2hoothoots]

been chatting with a friend who's playing through PN2 again and i want it to be known i will not hear anyone say a WORD about Hollis giving Raz a hard time at the beginning of the game. if anything she is OUTSTANDINGLY accommodating to this random ten-year-old who wandered in unattended off the plane in the middle of an extremely tense situation

[formulaonedirection]

"Even when I was winning all these championships, on one level I was miserable"

Lewis on healing and opening himself up to people ❤️‍🩹

[dunmeshistash]

People feeling bad for Laios at the ending is a common sentiment I see in my notes, more recently because of the this post canon extra and while I understand I think sometimes it's a little infantilizing towards Laios.

The sad points about the ending for him is that

He can't see living monsters anymore

He became a king along with everything it entails (politics)

He can no longer be an adventurer

And it is pretty sad! But I don't think this indicates he had a tragic ending at all? These were all sacrifices he chose to make, it was his decision and the responsible thing to do.

Maybe if he had sacrificed himself in a more "dignified" way people wouldn't feel so bad for him? He complains and he whines because making difficult choices is well... difficult. But in the end nobody is actually forcing him to do any of it. His ending isn't tragic just because he didn't get every single thing he wanted, sacrifices is just something you have to deal with in life, he says himself he's willing to lose things to get what he wants, if we look through the lenses of what he got from the things he sacrificed it's pretty obvious it was worth it

He saved the whole world but more importantly he saved his sister

He helped create a country where humans and demi-humans can coexist

He concentrated his efforts into researching food to help people not go hungry

His ending wasn't sad just because he lost some things, he gained way more, and at the end it was all his own choice to do it

[pianokantzart]

Ravenous about the fact that Super Paper Mario actually ties off the loose ends of Mario and Luigi's character dynamic in Paper Mario 64. Mario goes from leaving his brother behind out of worry to leaving his brother behind... reluctant every step of the way... because he trusts him and cares enough about Luigi to show that he trusts him. It's like poetry, it rhymes, listen-

[egophiliac]

swipes everything else off of the table to yell about diasomnia flower bookmarks

(I gave Silver one too :D)

[beifong-brainrot]

I am definetly in the minority here, but I was always so deeply touched by Mai's confession during that scene.

There's just something about Mai's confession that makes me feel so unbearably sad. I think the first thing that hits me is just how... empty she seems in this situation compared to the rest of the Firesome Foursome. Zuko is angry™️ and lashing out, Ty Lee is sad and concerned and Azula is posturing. But Mai is just so devoid of even sadness around her chidlhood trauma.

It's sort of like she shut down emotionally to some extent, (even more than usual) especially after her fight with Zuko.

This is quite a common reaction to arguments from someone who was raised to be obedient and non-confrontational, so I'm not surprised she was acting like this.

Analysing Mai's behaviour on the beach is interesting.

She seems to try to reach out to Zuko in her own, tepid little way by greeting him, but clams back up when he asks her where "her new boyfriend" was. This leads to her smacking his hand away when he tries to reach out to her by asking if she's cold. They're both trying to mend the bridge, but end up escalating the conflict further.

She remains silent for a good while, but does speak up in order to defend Ty Lee from Zuko lashing out. Despite this, when Zuko persists, Mai doesn't push the issue, perhaps due to her upbringing to be placid.

Due to this, I find it intriguing when Mai mocks Ty Lee for attention seeking, since she had attempted to defend Ty Lee from Zuko's ridicule. But perhaps its due to jealousy or frustration by Ty Lee's freely expressed sorrow and trauma that made Mai lash out in her own way.

Or it's just because the writers didn't know how to jump from Ty Lee's traumadump to Mai's lol

This is where we get into the meat and potatoes of Mai's confession.

Ty Lee bites back at Mai and parrots Zuko's opinion of Mai being "a big blah" as he said.

Ty Lee : Well, what's your excuse, Mai? You were an only child for fifteen years, but even with all that attention, your aura is this dingy, pasty, gray ... Mai : I don't believe in auras. Zuko: Yeah, you don't believe in anything. Mai : Oh, well, I'm sorry I can't be as high-strung and crazy as the rest of you. Zuko: I'm sorry, too. I wish you would be high-strung and crazy for once instead of keeping all your feelings bottled up inside. She just called your aura dingy. Are you gonna take that?

I think what's interesting here is that while Ty Lee saw Mai as recieving the attention Ty Lee had craved, Mai seemed to receive less loving, parental attention, and more scrutiny. Mai's parents also seem to be actually rather neglectful emotionally towards Mai and them just leaving Tom Tom unsupervised behind a screen in Omashu leaves me questioning if they actually cared that much.

Mai deflects, not adressing Ty Lee's question, but rather focusing on the nebulous concept of auras instead. When Zuko butts in, trying to rile her up, Mai gives a sarcastic apology. I find it very interesting that she sets hereself so aside from the others in terms of her not being "high strung and crazy", because it really shows the difference in Mai's upbringing and that of her companions. Azula and Zuko were raised to be leaders and fighters, and their "firebender instincts" were encouraged, while Ty Lee persumably had to compete for attention with her siblings. While Mai was raised with the :be seen and not heard" mentality.

Now is also a good time to mention that I think Mai has almost comically obvious signs of depression, which wouldn't be a stretch.

Zuko calling Mai out for not getting angry over Ty Lee insulting her aura leads me to my next point. Persumably, being a child raised by parents like Michi and Ukano, Mai wasn't allowed to voice her discomfort, offence or upset. Hell we see this in Omashu when Mai complains about being bored and Michi basically shuts her down and tells her to enjoy it.

I mean look at the expression Michi gives Mai when she starts complaining about being bored, a very normal teenager thing to do.

And when Mai finally does speak her mind, it is no less heartwrenching.

Mai : What do you want from me? You want a teary confession about how hard my childhood was? Well, it wasn't. I was a rich only child who got anything I wanted... as long as I behaved and sat still, and didn't speak unless spoken to. My mother said I had to keep out of trouble. We had my dad's political career to think about.

The first thing that jumps out at us is how Mai presents her trauma. She doesn't explicitly express any pain or sadness, despite it being rather obvious to us. This is in stark contrast to the rest of the group. Ty Lee and Zuko are both very open about their negative emotions, hell, even Azula admits that Ursa's actions hurt her.

But Mai? Mai kneecaps her complaint. This can also be seen as an effect of her upbringing. No complaining, no making herself inconvenient for mom and dad.

We also see the theme of conditional love, an implied idea that Michi and Ukano would only give Mai affection or gifts if she acted the way they wanted her to. Now conditional love from people who are meant to raise you will fuck you up.

The comics also add that Michi actively told Mai scary stories about the Kemurimage to keep her in line. Now, telling kids stories about magical beings to get them to behave isn't anything new, but it appears to be so bad that Mai had nightmares over it. Also we're in a world where spirits actually exist, evil chidnapper spirits don't seem too far out the realm of possibility.

Also as someone who got raised by a heavily Catholic mother who made me believe I would burn in hell for an eternity if I even mildly displeased her, I do sympathise

Azula: Well, that's it, then. You have a controlling mother who had certain expectations, and if you strayed from them, you were shut down. That's why you're afraid to care about anything, and why you can't express yourself. Mai : You want me to express myself? [Stands up and yells.] Leave me alone! Zuko: I like it when you express yourself. [Approaching, attempting to put a hand on her shoulder.] Mai : Don't touch me! I'm still mad at you. Zuko: My life hasn't been that easy either, Mai. Mai: Whatever. That doesn't excuse the way you've been acting.

I love when Mai yells at Azula for frying to psychoanalyse her. Like Azula was right, but it understandably upset Mai, and it's a good thing she expressed that. It means she's growing.

I also do adore that Mai does not let Zuko get away with acting out, particularly towards her. I like that the writer's didn't just have Mai give Zuko a free pass because he had a shitty life and she actively called him out on his actions. It's probably my favourite part of their relationship. And Mai expressing so much anger and upset is a perfect crescendo to her little scene.

I don't know why but Mai confession scene just holds so much weight and emotion for me, I can't help but feel something whenever I watch it.

Also, side note, I find it an interesting detail that Azula's confession only came after the fire was extinguished. Perhaps it wasn't intentional but it kinda feels like its symbolising that the light "went out" for Azula (at least narrativewise) and that while Zuko, Ty Lee and Mai would be able to get out of their shitty situations and from under the Fire Nation's influence, she would not.

[casscainmainly]

I'm very much in the 'Bruce is not Duke's dad' camp, but mostly because I think Duke doesn't see Bruce that way; I actually think Bruce would be more than willing to adopt Duke. My ideal dynamic is Duke being lukewarm to slightly positive on Bruce, and Bruce being absolutely obsessed with Duke.

Duke (on Bruce):

"Can't keep waiting for Batman to swoop down and save the day." (We Are Robin #1)

"I'm fine on my own. As Duke, as Robin. I don't think Robin needs a Batman." (Batman: Rebirth)

"Thank god for my mentor. For my friend." (Batman & The Signal #1)

"I think Batman is wrong." (Batman & The Outsiders #13)

Duke starts pretty disillusioned with Bruce, but grows to like and care about him as a friend/mentor. However, he always treats Bruce as fallible, keeping that initial skepticism in Bruce's effectiveness.

Bruce (on Duke):

"I'm trying something new, Jim. Something... better." (All-Star Batman #1)

"You're a good ally." (All-Star Batman #3).

"Duke, from the moment I met you[...] you were always about one thing... finding a new way to be a hero in Gotham. Something independent of the past, and... of me." (Batman & The Signal #1)

"Excellent job for someone on his first day." "You're a gift to this city."(Batman & The Signal #3)

"You represent Gotham's best." (Batman: The Secret Files: The Signal)

This man has been obsessed with Duke from the start, and it only grows stronger as time goes on. He both idolises and symbolises Duke as representative of Gotham and hope, and Duke's insistence on independence only makes Bruce like him more.

And it makes so much sense in light of Bruce gifting him a suit with bat ears and a bat symbol, encouraging him to adopt the name 'Signal', offering him a place to stay; everything he's ever done for Duke is very much 'I need this kid to be in my manor and be as closely associated with me as possible.'

So does Duke want Bruce to be his dad? Not really. Does Bruce want to be Duke's dad? Almost certainly yes.

[peace-hunter]

so what would the primes think of humans?

it kinda depends on who you ask but in general they find them just. very tiny. and squishy looking.

some like onyx and quintus find them kinda cute. others like prima and amalgamous think they're kinda ugly but in a cute way. liege just thinks they're plain ugly. he learns to appreciate them in his own way but he never stops finding them a little weird.

solus is impressed by how much things they can do and how much destruction they can create when they're so tiny and their technology so lacking. their tech is soooo primitive but she's making grabby hands at some of those explosives to see what they can do.

zeta is grateful solus cannot in fact get her hands on any of those explosives.

and megatronus is for once glad he's incorporeal. just the thought of how careful he would have to be to not step on them at all times stresses him out.

[captain--miracle]

Oh, golden boy, you shined a light on our home

And at your best you were magic we were sold

And the toughest part is that we both know

What happened to you

Why you're out on your own

Bleachers - Merry Christmas, please don't call

[neodiekido]

maki and ouma never trying to understand each other and only seeing the other as the facades they place up is so interesting but no one in the fandom ever does anything with this except to villainize maki and call her stupid or a bitch for it