#if I already sent this I'm sorry

[racfoam]

“Was it the hair or the eyes?”

“Ah, Harry. I would know you blind.”

- Harry & Voldemort, your fingers seek mine, Chapter 1

[mattodore]

theo and matthias with a tiny baby :')

[mintjeru]

taking a break between tasks, time to post old kvthm doodles

open for better quality | no reposts | ID under the cut

[Image description: A page of uncolored digital sketches of Kaveh and Alhaitham.

The topmost sketch is a redraw of a scene from the Archon Quest in which Kaveh frowns while looking up to meet Alhaitham's gaze.

The bottom left drawing depicts Kaveh and Alhaitham in an embrace. Alhaitham is nestled into Kaveh's chest and looking forwards with a neutral expression. One of his arms reaches around Kaveh's waist. Kaveh smiles as he looks forwards. One hand loosely caresses the back of Alhaitham's neck while the other lightly touches his jawline.

The bottom right drawings depict a chibi Alhaitham and smiling chibi Kaveh. An arrow with the phrase "do not separate them!!" points at them.]

[boyfridged]

You may have already mentioned this in some of your other metas, and I just missed it, so please ignore this if it's redundant.

Do you think Bruce is projecting onto Jason by pushing him as a Robin? Obviously, Jason wanted to be Robin and was excited about it, and Bruce let Jason do other things, but (if I'm not mistaken) before Tim came into play, solidifying the whole Batman needs a Robin/support to keep him upright, Bruce and Dick becoming Batman and Robin, in the beginning, was also sort of a coping mechanism.

I think there are a few examples of Bruce enabling this kind of mindset. Like in Gotham Knights #43–44 (sorry), every time Barbara brings up Jason's inner turmoil, Bruce refocuses on his ability as a Robin; similarly, when Jason finds out about Two-Face and his dad, he is hurt, and Bruce acknowledges that but then does the same thing, zeroing in on reassuring Jason that he made a mistake but is still a good Robin.

Like, Jason got it from Bruce, but he unintentionally encouraged that kind of thinking.

oh, i definitely think that bruce is projecting on jason and that it profoundly affected jay. and, while every single one of your observations is apt, i would add that what truly made it so tragic is that he projected his own worst traits on jason while being blind to the fact that jay already shared his best qualities.

tldr: bruce projects himself on jason in terms of grief (saying that jason needs vigilantism to work his grief through) and sees his own worst traits in jason (anger) but doesn't see his own best traits in jay (compassion, love, and sensitivity). ironically, jason does end up developing all of the (projected) worst characteristics of bruce (obsessiveness, and relentlessness in pursuit of the respective perceived idea of justice). this happens even though they were barely present in his early storylines, and only ever manifested when jason was scared or lost. later, they truly came to be because of his trauma relating to vigilantism.

and the long, long version, coming with panels and quotes: under the cut.

first i want to say that the following analysis focuses very specifically on bruce's mistakes, but i don't view the overall of jay's upbringing by bruce solely in these terms. from text it is also clear that bruce deeply loves and cares about jay, and that jay enjoys being robin. now that this is clear, let's get to particularities, and start with jay's origin story.

i truly never stop thinking about the significance of bruce meeting jay in the crime alley, the place of his parents' death. there's a lot to be said about it, but here the focus is, of course, on the fact that he sees a little boy, very much similar to himself, angry and hurt, in the same scenery that brought him so much grief. and jay in some ways does appear to be a mirror of bruce's own agonies, as well as a mirror of his own inclination for seeking justice; and somehow, bruce fixates on the first one, while almost completely dismissing the latter.

bruce looks at him and assumes that the remedy to jason's pain and anger is being robin; and he doesn't stop to think about it. (it has to be noted that there's also classism at play, classism that is mostly a result of writers' own beliefs – collins did state in a couple of interviews that that the motivation behind jason's background was to make his introduction into vigilantism seem less offensive, as jason has already been exposed to crime...)

i think, in this context, it's interesting to look at the two-face storyline even closer, and from the start too. in the beginning, bruce talks of jason's 'street' roots and assumes jay would go "down the same criminal road that took his father [willis] to an early death." he also talks of jason making a lot of progress. later, in batman #411, after jason learns that willis has been killed by two-face, bruce comments that jay "has never been like this...listless...almost pouting--"

this all, along with jay's cheerful and diligent behaviour from the previous issue builds an interesting picture for us: because we essentially learn that jay has been overall an unproblematic child. bruce, of course, attributes this "progress" to the training. however, for anyone else, the logical conclusion would be that jay's quick adjustment was simply a matter of finding himself in a safe and stable environment and receiving continuous support and attention from a parental figure. i find it rather questionable that jason's personality softened down because he had something to punch in the cave–– the more intuitive explanation is of course that he was angry and quick to fight when they first met because he couldn't afford anything else and because he was scared. but months later, in a loving home, he can allow himself to drop his guard; and his cocky attitude disappears until much later.

so the rather unsettling picture that we derive is that bruce is training jay to become a vigilante in order to "channel" his (nonvisible at this point) anger into something useful and just. and he clearly links this to his own trauma in batman #416 (that’s already starlin btw), in his conversation with dick, explaining why he took jay in: “he’s so full of anger and frustration… he reminds me of myself, just after my parents were killed.” bruce also mentions that soon after their first meeting, jason helped him and "handled himself well" in the fight, but he doesn't mention that jay has ran away from a crime "school" and intended to stop injustice on his own only because he was ignored.

the theme of bruce comparing jay to himself appears again in detective comics #574 (barr), where it is approached with a much more... critical look, thanks to leslie's presence and her skepticism of bruce's actions. after jason has suffered nearly fatal injuries at the hand of the mad hatter, bruce reminisces on his own trauma and motives. he tells leslie: "i didn't choose jason for my work. he was chosen by it...as i was chosen." leslie replies: "stop that! (...) you do this for yourself... you're still that little boy (...)" then, the conversation steers to the familiar ground and the topic of anger. in bruce's words, again: “i wanted to give jason an outlet for his rage…wanted him to expunge his anger and get on with his life…” and finishes "and instead, i may have killed him."

the recognition that bruce's projection on jason and involving him with his work might have fatal consequences is, as always, fast forgotten once jay wakes up and proclaims that he wants to continue his work as robin.

but to circle back, i think there's something else worth our attention, something deeply ironic, that is showcased in that issue: that bruce has no evidence for jay's "rage." when leslie talks of bruce's past, she recalls his tendencies to get into brutal fights at perceived injustice as early as in school; when bruce talks of jason, two pictures that are juxtaposed, are that of jason fighting as robin and jason... smiling, playing baseball.

so, in the early days of jason's training and work in the field, we see bruce talking of jason's anger a lot; but we barely see it.

that being said, jay is angry sometimes– and i think your observation about how bruce deals with it is incredibly interesting and accurate.

we first see jay truly and devastatingly angry in the two-face storyline. bruce focuses on jay's reaction as robin, which is, in fact, aggressive. but something that he barely addresses is that jason's first reaction is sleeping all day, and not beating anyone to a pulp; in fact, this vengeful instinct seems to arise only when he is put right in front of two-face. and his third instinct, once the rage (very quickly) dies down after the altercation with two-face, is crying, because bruce hid the truth about willis' death from him. jay, while crying, asks bruce: "you have taken me out into combat-- but you spare me this?" in response, bruce lectures jason about how grief inspires revenge, which is, again, deeply ironic, given that jay seeking out revenge seemed to be prompted and enabled solely by the role of robin. moreover, his question suggests that at this point he saw grief ("you spare me this") and fighting as two different things.

the final is, as you said, bruce focusing on making it into a lesson on vigilantism, or, in his own words, "tempering revenge into justice." personally, i think in this way bruce directs jason to bring his grief into the field as a powering force, something that he didn't necessarily have an own incentive to do. the flash of compartmentalisation between his ordinary life and being a sidekick that jay has shown by questioning bruce's decision is lost. emotions are now a robin thing, and they have an (informal) protocol, a moral code. and when jay is confronted with an emotionally exhausting case next – the garzonas case, i believe that the focus on "tempering revenge into justice" is exactly the problem– we don't see jay crying, we see him frantic about finding the solution. this, right there, is bruce's obsessiveness, that in my opinion, was developed in jay specifically as a result of how his engagement with vigilantism combines with his deep sensitivity.

and, needless to say, his sensitivity is all the same as that of bruce – they both can't stand looking at other people hurting, they both wear their hearts on their sleeve, caring way too much – the thing is, bruce never quite acknowledges how they are similar in this matter. instead, he focuses on his sparse bursts of anger, wanting to bring jason closure in his grief the only way he knows it – in a fight for a better world. so, as you said, he focuses on jason's ability as robin.

which just doesn't work for jason. at all. we know it from how his robin run comes to an end: in the first issue of a death in the family (batman #426) alfred informs: “i’ve come upon him, several times, looking at that battered old photograph of his mother and father, crying.”  to that, bruce contends: “in other words, i may have started jason as robin before he had a chance to come to grips with his parents deaths.” he also tells jay that the field is not a place for someone who is hurting; a message that is the opposite of what he's been saying for years now, and something that i imagine was difficult for bruce to conceptualise, because then he would have to question his own unhealthy tendencies. it's a bit late to come to this realisation; bruce's self-projection that caused him to worry so much about jay's anger has already turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy that will fully manifest itself in utrh, when jason does the only thing he was taught to do with grief: try to channel it into justice.

[licncourt]

Hii I love your head canons for Loustat. Is there any about them that you've written with the romantic things they say and do for each other? Thank youu

Thank you!! I have a lot of this scattered through my head canon tag, but I can definitely do some more!! Those fucking books have me in a chokehold no matter how long I'm away from Tumblr

Mentioned previously (and I have another ask about it) but Lestat is a nickname guy. The sillier they are the more he actually wants to be earnest but is emotionally constipated

Louis is not a nickname user most of the time but when he does call Lestat something mushy it's like a stand-offish cat rubbing on your legs and purring as they walk by

Lestat is still a gift giver, but instead of giving Louis mindless, expensive, impersonal gifts that just piss him off, he's much more thoughtful now. He brings Louis lots of little tokens from his jaunts into town like books of puzzles (his husband is an old man who does sudoku and crosswords in bed), flowers from street vendors (whatever's white, fragrant, and in bloom) so he always has some for his desk, or whatever Lestat caught him looking at in a shop window that was too frivolous for Louis to justify buying for himself. Sometimes fancy clothes and jewelry still show up, but Louis doesn't mind those now because it's genuine

When he has the time, Louis is a serial letter writer and note-leaver. Lestat finds them stuck to the mirror, tucked in his coat pockets to find, under his pillow, tucked into his notebooks, or anywhere else Louis thinks he'll find them.

When Louis' busy or in the depression hole, Lestat will bring him take-out. It's not hard to lure an unsuspecting human through the front door when you're Lestat and he has a very strong "cat leaving a twitching bird on your pillow" instinct. Later on in their relationship, Lestat is better at verbalizing genuine emotion, but he's still partial to showing his love rather than saying it.

They're both a little weird about vulnerability, so they usually whisper their most "embarrassing" and undignified admissions of love and appreciation in bed just before sunrise when they can't see each other's faces.

They aren't always restrained by that though, especially after a lot of happy years, and Louis tends to get ambushed and bombarded by affection when he first shows his face in the evening or after being away/busy for any extended period of time (longer than an hour or two)

There are two armchairs in the living room, but they really only need one because they're either piled into one together or next to each other on the sofa. It's an unspoken rule that if the other comes into the room they get a lap invitation. If they're in separate chairs, it means they fought

Lestat is very touchy-feely and Louis is very stressed about everything all the time (neurotic little dog syndrome), so he gets lots of back rubs and hair petting to keep him calm. In return, Louis has largely gotten over his PDA hangup and will always hold Lestat's hand (and even initiate it) when he gets Lestatty

[shimmershy]

your chara means so so so much to me you have no clue. we have an alter that heavily identifies with chara & your art gives them so much comfort. we wanna take that little creature out of the screen and hug them. lots of love, and support. love your art style so much. thank you :]]

I'm really really glad to hear that, knowing my art is meaningful to somebody makes me so unbelievably happy. Thank you so much for such a lovely message! I hope you're having a great day/night. :)

[snowangeldotmp3]

'solitude'

(hi! this is a prompt fill that i'm doing, and i decided to do all three prompts that @fishwear sent, so!! thank u for the prompts btw!)

prompt list here

1. slow dancing x ronance

“How many records do you own, Robin?” Nancy asks, sifting through the crate.

Robin scratches the back of her neck. “Probably too many. I stand by the fact that records are the superior music format.”

Nancy snorts, rolling her eyes. Robin grins.

They’re silent a moment, going through Robin’s collection, before her eyes fall onto a certain record.

She pulls it from the box and looks at Robin skeptically. “Billie Holiday?”

Sitting next to her like this, Nancy can see the pink that blooms through Robin’s cheeks.

It’s pretty.

(She’s pretty. Nancy likes making Robin blush.

You see, Nancy came to the realization not too long ago that she does, in fact, like girls. And, though she’ll never admit it, Robin is the one who made her realize this, even though she’s pretty sure she’s had crushes on girls before Robin.

Oh yeah, and Nancy’s got a big fat crush on Robin.

No big deal.

Except Nancy’s been trying to make a move for weeks. Dropping hints that she knows Robin should’ve picked up. The only conclusion Nancy’s come to is this:

Robin will not make the first move.

So you know, that’s an extra dash of torture to the whole situation.)

“Yeah,” Robin sighs, running a hand through her hair, “one of the best jazz singers like, ever. Seriously. Her music just has so much emotion, like, infused into it.”

Robin’s getting excited, the way she does whenever she talks about, well, anything that she has an interest in. That sparkle in her eye and the curve of her lips and the way she talks with her hands; Nancy can tell she was fully prepared to be ridiculed for it.

“Well,” Nancy says, handing her the record, “put it on. I wanna listen to it.”

“Wait, really?”

Nancy nods, smiling. Robin slips the record out, onto the turntable, and gently drops the needle.

The speakers crackle to life, a soft piano melody bleeding through, the crooning voice of Billie Holiday flooding the surrounding room.

It’s nice.

Nancy has to admit, it’s a really good record, but there’s something… missing about it. They’re both too rigid. Robin’s too nervous that Nancy will make fun of her, which she won’t, but even Nancy feels Robin’s nerves radiating off of her.

(Which… is a little unlike Robin. Usually she’s all snark with infuriating, sly smiles and inside jokes. Nancy’s only seen Robin nervous once, when she thought there was a possibility of rabies from the demo-bats.)

She’s up on her feet, and it’s out of her mouth before it registers. “Sway with me?”

Robin stops. Leg no longer bouncing, cheeks reddening, and wide eyes staring back at Nancy. “Uh… what?”

Nancy’s brain finally catches up with the rest of her. She can feel the heat spreading on her face, blush now matching Robin’s, no doubt. Her mind begins listing every possible reason to back out, to step away from this and pretend like it never happened. To not get too close to her.

Screw that.

Ignoring her brain’s warnings, Nancy holds out her hand. “You heard me. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“I can’t dance,” Robin protests.

“I’ll teach you. It’s easier than it looks, promise.” Nancy smiles, wiggling her fingers, trying to persuade Robin.

Robin sighs dramatically, letting her head hang. “Fine, but let me put on a different one.”

“You have multiple Billie Holiday records?”

Robin shrugs, “I like jazz.”

Because of course she does.

Nancy grabs Robin’s hand, intertwining their fingers, and pulls her close as the opening bars of ‘Solitude’ fill the room.

Robin’s cheeks burn a deeper shade of red, and this close, Nancy can count her freckles, creating mini-constellations out of them.

Robin sways rigidly, no rhythm and almost robotic motions, and Nancy knows it’s because she’s doing everything she can to not make Nancy uncomfortable.

Nancy pulls her impossibly closer, bodies flush against one another. “Is this okay?”

Robin jerks a nod.

Nancy leans her head against Robin’s chest. “Still okay?”

“Yeah,” Robin breathes, like she’d forgotten to breathe until Nancy asked. Nancy finds the rhythm again, swaying comfortably, listening to the jack rabbiting of Robin’s heart.

(Nancy silently thanks whatever higher power out there that Robin can’t hear her own heart hammering against her rib cage.)

After another song or two, Robin relaxes a bit, finding the rhythm and swaying along, no longer stiff and robotic. Nancy closes her eyes, the swaying almost hypnotic, lulling her into a strange sense of calm that she’s not felt in… well, she’s not sure if she’s ever felt like this.

Nancy doesn’t know the song, but Robin hums along freely now. She can feel the vibrations against Robin's chest, her heart still a bit fast, but not as erratic as it was two songs ago.

It’s odd, she notices, just how well they fit together.

(Nancy doesn’t believe in soulmates, and she knows Robin doesn’t either, but she finds it a little funny that they fit so well together. Like they were made for each other, and perhaps they were. Perhaps they weren’t, but Nancy wants to make it work. Wants to try, at least.)

She pulls away a moment, just to look at Robin.

Robin’s head tilts, and for a moment, it reminds Nancy of a confused puppy. It’s adorable, and a look she’s never really seen on Robin, either.

Her tongue darts out to wet her lips, like she wants to say something. Nancy stares at her lips before meeting Robin’s gaze. Robin swallows thickly. Whatever she had to say disappears, and it's back to Billie Holiday filling the silence between them.

And then,

The music stops.

Nancy reaches up to Robin’s face, tucking a strand of her hair behind her pierced ear, before cradling her jaw. Robin’s eyes search Nancy’s, flickering down to her lips, and back up again.

“Robin,” she murmurs, “can I kiss you?”

[moodymisty]

Just saw a post of someone snooping at the fics where their gifs are used (apparently you get a notif if someone does) in xreader fics and shitting on all of them and wow, new fear unlocked...

EDIT: reblogs are off because this is starting to breach containment, but dang, didn't know so many of y'all felt the same way. I'm happy to have found such welcoming people <3 Write or read your little hearts out.

[presidenttyler]

Kys dumb bitch get some rope and tie it around your head

if you want to see me dead just come here

[altruistic-meme]

if you could... describe aftg in 5 words

oh this is not as easy a question to answer as it should be akfhsdkf bc like. i could describe its plot, or my thoughts on it as a fan, or how it makes me feel, or just make a joke, or or or and bc idk why you're asking it makes it harder :'))

but let's see...

plot: gay sports mafia found family.

fan: drama, familiarity, trauma, comedy, home

feelings: love, understanding, chaos, joy, comfort

joke: you know, i get it-

(as you can see, i couldn't pick which one to go with, so choose whichever 5 words you want lmao)

[coollyinterferes]

"Back by unpopular demand:"

"Us!"

[whatudottu]

Concept: Ben 10 Alien Force AU where everything is the same except Kevin is just insanely passive-aggressive towards Ben for the entire duration of the series

“No worries Tennyson, I buried the hatchet ages ago! That bad blood between us? Water under the bridge! I mean, it’s not like you got me stranded in a prison dimension for five years and never bothered to try and rescue me or even check up on me or anything like that! Of course I’ll help you save your grandpa! After all, what kind of hero just leaves someone for dead in the hands of vicious aliens that proceed to inflict them with severe psychological damage that will take decades to fully heal?”

I feel as though that would be a whole lot more realistic of a thing to happen, especially as the Tennysons realistically react to Kevin's passive-aggression with their own Tennyson brand passive-aggressiveness, though it might not be the most enjoyable trio to watch, which would be basically the complete opposite of the previous trio of Ben, Gwen, and Grandpa Max-

Ben and Kevin would have more personal beef (something about stealing a way too high security unreleased but already boxed game vs making two trains crash into each other for free money), but Gwen never particularly liked Kevin in the first place way back when, so even if Ben and Kevin settle their differences with admitting what they had actually done wrong (probably fighting over the more petty shit or arguing about the worse shit they did), Gwen doesn't have much basis to forgive Kevin because ultimately she did not get involved. Which I mean I don't think would be that great to watch nor that great to create a team around, especially in the earlier more mystery focused side of AF-

And this is the obligatory mention of @kariachi for introducing the idea of the Ben, Gwen, and Argit trio- you can have passive-aggressive Kevin (and the Tennyson's appropriate responses to him) all you like if Kevin takes Argit's role and Argit fills in that missing main trio slot in his stead. Depending on where and how he's introduced you could totally have a fake-out trio of the Tennysons and Magister Labrid, you know, with the assumption that someone's filling out Max's 'experienced plumber' slot. Not sure how convincing that might be but oops, I did a little ramble lmao-

[luna-lovegreat]

I'm not anon but I think I understand where they're coming from. There are some people who refuse to put pronouns in their bio/pinned posts to make a statement that they shouldn't have to specify their pronouns because they are obviously male or female and that trans/gender-nonconforming identities are invalid and not real. Unfortunately this is more common with blogs that are openly religious, which might be why anon asked you that.

It sounds like your lack of listed pronouns is more so because you didn't know it is preferred to list them and not because you have any queerphobic intentions.

In your bio, which is the space under your blog title where you can add extra notes, people usually list their preferred name, pronouns, whether they're an adult or a minor, any extra key info they feel it is essential for people to know in order understand their blog (such as English is a second language, person is a system or autistic, blog includes nsfw, religion, continent of residence etc.), main fandoms (like LoZ/LU), and role in fandom (writer, artist, analysis post maker, meme maker etc.). Any and all of these things are optional, but at a minimum, I recommend listing your preferred name and pronouns.

Pinned posts are optional. People use them to add extra info (like do-not-interact lists, switch friend codes, other fandoms, etc.) and to list/link fandom contributions such as fanfics written or popular posts.

What you should not put in your bio or pinned post are your exact age, birthday, real name, real names of relatives, city where you live (even including state/province is not recommended), health info that isn't relevant, is excessive, or is TMI.

Look at your mutuals/friends bios and pinned posts for inspiration/examples and create your own bio/pinned post however you want.

Oooo thank you!

Yayyyy advice :)

You are correct, I don't know these things. I'm glad it was brought to my awareness in a nice way :D

I overreact and talk too much- I hope I didn't scare my anon off just from such a long response /j

I definitely do not want to be saying I don't think pronoun clarification is needed, or invalidating my trans friends. That's so awful??? I did not know, and never intended any such implications

Thank you for the advice it's appreciated <333

[arklay]

RESIDENT EVIL → DR. DIANA WESKER

"This is how a girl becomes holy: first she becomes empty." — Brynne Rebele-Henry, Prelude

[templates × & × — insp — playlist]

[heading-down-to-georgia]

For the Shades of Red AU I was also thinking of a scenario between Shadow disguised as Red and Blue. There's usually a thing in the fandom of Blue and Red being close to each other and supporting each other when they need it, so what if one day Blue was to be in a bad mood for some reason and Shadow in an attempt to keep up the Red Act would have to try to give him support? It's just a fun idea to think about!!

Yes I love this idea! The Blue and Shadow dynamic is one I don't seem to see a lot of content about??? But in a lot of ways they're quite similar- both can be pretty emotionally volatile and quick to anger, whilst both having a softer, more insecure side they try to hide from others. I get that in other ways they're also very different from one another, but I'd love to see more interaction between them in the manga, especially after Shadow's redemption arc!

With the Shades of Red au I love the idea of Blue getting ticked off at something and Shadow disguised as Red has no idea how to help calm him so instead ends up unintentionally annoying Blue more and more until someone else has to step in? I can see this happening a few times until Shadow actually starts paying attention to how the others-especially Red- treat Blue when he's in a bad mood. And the other three just watching in horrified amusement because the next time Blue starts getting worked up over something or other, then Shadow just gives him like. the biggest hug? And it's kind of awkward but also super efficient because Blue is thoroughly shocked out of his bad mood. And Shadow is doing a mini victory dance in his head because now they'll all think he's the real Red for sure (...but also the hug is nice?)

[slashesotron]

Fuck sakes.

Like others- I'm not going to sterilize my blog of his presence, but if anyone else would like to reveal themselves as a secret transphobe, do so now so I can fucking block you.

Not to be dramatic, but I'm tired of trusting anyone tbh.