#of course he gets the girl in the end!

[nymika-arts]

watching yet another movie that would have been 5000x better if it was written by a woman

[araneapeixes]

in the bathroom at the gay clubbbb

[youngpettyqueen]

I know the decision to have Julian's parents have him augmented was made on the fly but imo its pretty obvious from early on that Julian has Family Issues because he avoids talking about his family like the plague and I think they should've incorporated this into the Julian and Sisko dynamic right from early on because I think it would've made for some really compelling stories and moments and could've set up a REALLY interesting Julian and Jake dynamic which they kinda started to do but never fully went for

[frontierpsychopomp]

some birds

[backhurtyy]

ten’s season with donna is really just. you will find your twin flame. you will fail to save so many people. your twin flame will save you again and again. you won’t be able to save her. you will forget what it means to be human. you will laugh more than you have in years. you will struggle to do the right thing. you will remember to care because your best friend is there to remind you. you will fall in love with the universe all over again. the universe will show you the cruelest things it has to offer. you will heal from your wounds. you will never forget your pain. you will be there when it matters. you will have to walk away. you will get back the woman that you love. you will have to say goodbye. your twin flame will promise to stay with you forever. she will forget you ever existed. you will become a new man. you will become this man again.

[bugeyedfreaks]

I bought the comic! 💖

I have a couple of my usual little minor nitpicks (as I am want to have), but I don’t even want to get into them because there were so few and they didn’t impact my enjoyment of the comic all that much. I thought it was super cute!

I won’t spoil anything in case anyone’s interested in buying it for themselves (which, I would say… yeah, buy it, totally!), but what I appreciated the most– especially since this is the first issue and it’s establishing who the girls are for anyone not super familiar with them– is that the girls end up saving the day together. It shows the importance of them not just being heroes, but also being a team (and also being supportive sisters, which… 🥹🫶) and that makes me feel like, even on a basic level, they get the characters. And that’s reassuring! Yay!

[junebugtwin]

even while it was happening, you knew it wasn't going to last

[123pixieaod]

Inspired by this godly post which unlocked a part of my brain I didn't know existed, and solidly gave me complete and utterly brainrot until I wrote something

A thousand thanks to Lily for her wonderful help :))

"Does Kelly not mind you spending all your time with me?" Daniel asks, because she's Daniel and once she's thought something she can't keep her fucking mouth shut, even if she knows it's trouble.

Max looks up, pausing his set of weights, and blinks at her. Daniel feels her cheeks warm. One day, that mouth of yours will run you straight into trouble, young lady, her mum used to tell her, voice firm. Good girls know when to keep quiet. Daniel used to just laugh at the warning. Her laugh is loud and the opposite of quiet, but she used to know that everyone always loved her laugh.

"No," Max says after a beat and then continues lifting. Daniel hates the way her gaze tracks over him, lingering on the movement of his muscles, the ease with which he lifts the weight. Tawny hair brushed out of his eyes, cheeks dusted warm from the exertion. "Of course not."

"Why of course not?" Daniel asks. She wants to sew her mouth shut. This time, Max didn't look over as he answers.

"Kelly's very secure, she's not like other girls. And besides, she knows you."

It's strange. When Daniel was seven and Michelle eleven, they'd gone rock pool fishing. Michelle had been crouched over a shallow pool of water, her finger delicately brushing the tentacles of the anemone. Daniel had been scaling the rocks, wanting steeper, taller, more.

She'd found the shark first, nestled high at between the rocks, and for a beat she hadn't known what she was looking at. Just details, but nothing collective. Rotting smell. Shrivelled holes where eyes should be. Scales of silver lightning. Rubbery fish picked clean. The flash of bone, pearl white.

Then she realised what she was staring at, and screamed. Her father held her while her mother scolded her. I told you not to go climbing! It's too dangerous, Daniel. Why can't you just be good like your sister and stay by the shallow pools?

And then, later, ice cream. Her dad, beside her, explaining the horror away.

It's just nature, Dani. The waves wash them up, and they get stuck there. They can't get back to the sea, and then the sun dries them out.

They drown on air, Michelle helpfully pointed out, her feet kicking happily as she licked her 99. Daniel just just nodded, ice cream untouched. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the sunken holes, the rotting flesh.

She hasn't thought about that moment for years, but suddenly it washes back over her. She feels simultaneously both. The child, staring at the carcass, frozen in shock. The shark, burning up in the sun, chocking on air.

"What does that mean?" She asks, and somehow her voice is normal, is fine. She's fine. She's not a girl or a shark. She's stupid and a fool and a gawky, ugly idiot, but she's fine.

Max manages to shrug, even with the 50kg weights. "You know. Just that Kelly knows you. She knows what you're like. And she knows me too, of course."

Daniel swallows. She nods. She hates everything about herself.

"That's sexist," she forces herself to say lightly because if the silence stretches anymore, Max might notice and set his weights down and look at her, and Daniel can't bear that. She doesn't want his eyes on her, taking in every blemish and imperfection. The boyish, ratty clothes she works out in and her curls gone frizzy with sweat and her inked skin, so different to Max and Kelly's pale, perfect complexions.

"What's sexist?"

"Saying she's not like other girls," Daniel tells him, setting down the weights she been doing. Instead, she goes to grab the skipping rope, just for something to do.

Max laughs. Daniel's glad she's turned away. Her cheeks are burning again.

"It's the truth. You, of course, Daniel, are not like other girls either." He says it lightly and ends with a chuckle, as if it's all just a joke. Daniel drags a sweaty hand over her cheeks. Burning, burning, burning.

Apparently, in Max's mind, she and Kelly are the same; both not like other girls. Kelly, with her faultless makeup and wonderful daughter and classy dresses and perfect feminity. One end of the scale. Daniel, the other. Barely even considered "a girl." Always one of the boys, only woman in f1 for a reason.

"Thanks," Daniel says. She wants to make it sound humorous, like she's in on the joke too. Instead, it's too cold; muttered as if she actually gave two shits about the conversation anyway. She has an F1 season to prepare for, she's too busy to care about stupid shit like this.

There's a beat of silence as Daniel stretches out the rope, feeling the plastic flex and give. Then, Max exhaling, the gentle bump of his weights against the floor, the workout bench shifting as his centre of gravity changes. Daniel keeps her back to him, ignoring it all.

"I did not mean it as insult," Max finally says, stubborn. Daniel forces a laugh, turning to give him a smile, all teeth.

"Of course not Maxy. I get that." Voice light and blithe. One of the boys.

She thinks he'll drop it, but instead, his frown only grows. Pinched brows, thin lips, cheeks growing blotchy. Blue eyes regard her, intense and unyielding. She burns from the inside out.

"I've upset you," he says, in that blunt, genuine way only he can do. Daniel barks out another laugh.

"Don't be stupid. You're not important enough to ever be able to get under my skin." She gives him another smile with only teeth. She feels insane. Her mother tells her good girls stay quiet.

"I'm sorry," he tries again, growing frustrated now, "I did not mean -"

"I told you, you didn't upset me," she drops the skipping rope without actually using it. "Anyway, I'm bored. Wanna get lunch now? Or are you still trying to pump those muscle with more testosterone?"

Max gives her one last, searching look before standing. They're almost the same height. She wants to shrink to nothing.

"That is not how testosterone works, Daniel," he says with the air of an overworked teacher. He looks at her with a smile, uncertain but genuine. She laughs, allowing him to move the conversation on.

She walks out of the gym first but holds the door for him. He grins, relieved. His fingers skim hers as he takes it and she lets go. A chill runs through her. Cold like scales, cold like ice cream untouched.

Follow up here!

[hauntingblue]

Last arcane episode ever..... here we fucking go....

[raethereptile]

Merlin AU where instead of Uther being understanding about Arthur falling for a serving girl (because he was understanding remember, he just couldn't allow it to continue) he is furious with him because he thinks Arthur's stepping out on Merlin

Hijinks naturally ensue

[isfjmel-phleg]

The other Titans teammate whom Grant was often paired with was Tara Markov (Terra). Not that Terra, of "Judas Contract" infamy, who of course was dead by this point. Terra II is a separate character, despite having the same appearance, powers, and name as the original Terra. She showed up after some timeline shenanigans, with no idea of her actual background and origin. The possibility of her being the original Terra somehow resurrected was teased during her time with the Titans, but this would turn out not to be the case.

Whoever she is, she seems to be about Grant's age, and the two form a friendship. Of sorts. Tara tends to be abrasive, and Grant tends to take things personally, so it often goes about as well as you would expect.

Story time!

Their first interaction, during Grant's first outing with the Titans, sets up their relationship as teasing. Tara thinks Grant is a "dweeb" (please enjoy all the mid-90s slang featured in everyone's dialogue) and gives him grief about it. Their teammate Mirage tries to call her out on embarrassing him, but Tara sees no problem with her behavior. And Grant dishes the teasing right back.

(New Titans #0)

Which leads to banter about what stock roles that they play in the group and whom they would cast as themselves in a movie (popular heartthrob 90s actors, of course!).

Soon enough they're concerned teammates.

(New Titans #116)

But the insults stick around. And it's not always Tara who initiates them.

(New Titans #117)

As the youngest members of the team, Grant, Tara, and Bart Allen form a trio. During some down time, they go exploring in New York together, and Tara shows a more compassionate side. Like Grant, having friends is new for her. She takes it a step further and identifies them as a sort of family, and Grant agrees.

(New Titans #118)

...right before she goes back to the teasing. When he tries to console her after a rejection by telling her that he thinks she's cute, she makes a big show of pretending to be disgusted. Grant is a bit crestfallen, but this seems to be Tara's love language.

The three are also seen spending Christmas together by exploring Manhattan in Green Lantern 1990 #59.

When Grant and Roy clash over Grant's wish to leave on a personal quest, Tara is flippant. Roy assumes that she and Grant have never liked each other, so shouldn't she be glad to see him go? But she makes it clear that she's fond of him ("a little dorky, but he's cute") and "giving him a hard time" is her way of expressing that.

(New Titans #119)

Unfortunately, Grant hasn't picked up on that in their interactions. When he airs his grievances with the team during a fight, he makes it clear that he resents Tara's treating him "like I'm a walking zit with a pocket protector!" She takes offense at that, but by the time he stalks off in high dudgeon, she is more shocked than upset. This is the angriest that she's ever seen him, and perhaps she's a bit remorseful at how she has come across.

(Damage #13)

Grant never overtly apologizes to the team for what he says about them--as far as we're shown. But he and Tara are working together on normal terms again not long afterward, still bantering.

(Deathstroke #48)

...but now revealing some vulnerabilities to each other too. Grant is suspicious of Deathstroke, who reminds him of the ruthless family that runs the lab that experimented on him (and perhaps also of the Emersons), and Tara is afraid of turning out to be the original Tara Markov, who had a horrifying history with Deathstroke.

At the moment, Grant finds this fact to be TMI. But when it's brought up again during his second time with the Titans, he seems to be shocked instead. Maybe he didn't quite grasp what Tara is telling him here?

She continues to give him grief, pretending to object to his talking and his explosions.

(New Titans #122)

She goes a little too far during preparations for a mission in space, and Grant retaliates by sending energy through the floor to knock her down. She threatens him, but as ever, this is in jest.

(New Titans #124)

When he (not to mention the rest of the team) is in danger later, she is immediately concerned and comes to the rescue.

When the team reconvenes after going on separate adventures, Grant eagerly shows her a flower given to him by a new alien friend, and Tara seems less than impressed.

(This is not important, it just amused me.)

(Damage #16)

When Tara tries to argue with Roy, Grant tries to redirect her focus and remind her of where their current duty is.

(New Titans #125)

And she dishes out advice to him too.

Mid-fight, she goes out of her way to compliment him...backhandedly, of course (this is pretty rude slang). He snarks right back.

But he will sincerely compliment her later.

And she seems to be incapable of returning the favor without being insulting. Grant decides to just go with it.

Her powers are in full force in this scene, and it's pretty exciting for both of them.

And Grant gets the chance to use his powers to defend her after she gets knocked out.

He's a bit carried away with admiration, and there's an implication that they might have kissed if they hadn't been interrupted.

And Tara's last interaction with Grant will be to force a kiss on him as an attempt to placate him when Roy won't let him accompany the rest of the team to take Mirage to the hospital. She promises to keep him updated on the situation. But Grant has finally had it with Roy and walks out on the team permanently as soon as the others leave.

(New Titans #127)

She never does call. Grant seems to be forgotten as soon as he leaves.

Grant and Tara sometimes show up to the same big crossover events, but they do not speak to each other or work directly together again. The closest they get is standing near each other a couple times (notice that side-eye he's giving her!).

(Titans 1999 #39 / Young Justice 1998 #49)

She is killed in action not long after Grant joins the JSA. Her last words are a characteristically fierce "You want a war!!??!! I got your war right here!!!" and she dies from a fist ripping through her chest, a fate Grant will later meet too.

If they had gotten to interact again, I would have liked to have seen more exploration of their shared background of growing up alone and without a real family. They've adopted different coping mechanisms as a result--Terra presents a front of aggression, Grant is a people-pleaser until he's pushed too far--and this has affected their ability to connect. Tara genuinely likes Grant and enjoys his company, but she can't seem to interact with him without being mean. Grant can speak her language up to a point, but his insecurities can leave him vulnerable to her abrasiveness. They don't really know how to connect--so they interpret the regard they have for each other as romantic interest because hormonally-fueled kisses are easier than being open and sincere with each other. Under different circumstances, they could have been good friends, but at this point I think neither of them quite know how to do that.

[mx-myth]

Thinking of writing a mlc liansanjiao modern au where di feisheng and fang duobing are like, in a pool (if they're at dfs', because he's a super rich CEO, but if they're at li lianhua's they're in a fucking lake because lotus tower) and dfs is like oh he's doing that cheeky little sarcastic grin at me (you know the one). How is he so small how is his waist so thin how are his shoulders that broad I can see the water rolling down his chest. He's having an entire gay little panic for the nth time.

This is where it gets revealed that dfs, however, thinks that llh and fdb are in a sugar daddy/sugar baby relationship. Except without the money? Because he sees this attractive sticky little puppy that li lianhua calls xiaobao and comes to that, quote, "very obvious conclusion." So he's all sad about fdb already being "taken." However this is the moment llh walks about and sees them in the water together.

HE thinks dfs and fdb are kinda-sorta hatefucking but they're actually figuring out they like each other. His "irrefutable" evidence to back this up is that he's seen them fighting (physically, 99% of the time) every time they're together and honestly it's all a little bit homoerotic. He cannot be dissuaded from this.

Meanwhile fdb sees llh come out and offer dfs a bottle of water (he has one for him too, but baby boy has tunnel vision) and is like. Ahhhh llh is back. Dfs' boyfriend. HE thinks this because he knows they have history together (aka they were infamous in certain circles for having the HOTTEST beef) and once he saw them sparring except it turned into wrestling on the ground and THAT turned into making out. It was essentially fdb's gay awakening except he already knew he liked boys. It was more like his gay awakening for "men who could definitely pin me down and throw me around and oh my god do I like that???"

They're all moronsexual and don't realise they all like each other lmao (I only focused on these lenses but they do all like each other. Dfs has liked llh since their rivalry days. Fdb attaches himself to llh because even though his cooking is atrocious and he likes playing around with him aka little white lies he has the most beautiful smile fdb has ever seen in his life and he's nice to huli jing. Llh is deep in self-denial because he's doesn't think he deserves them they're happier without him etcetera.)

If anyone wants me to I might be able to write it lol but writer's block has been kicking my ass

(PS: I don't know how they get together (actually llh probably runs away and dfs and fdb team up to hunt him down) or how llh kind of dying comes into play. Maybe he doesn't die at all. Maybe he briefly gets the flu and is like guys. I'm dying. Please don't mourn me *sleeps for twenty-four hours straight*)

[blujayonthewing]

pacing around my kitchen doing 'body swap' voice work with my blorbos where I try to map one OC's voice to another's inflections and manner of speaking, and it's very hard and very silly but I'm having a lot of fun

[cloverskentwells]

thinking about serial killer's daughter clove again! can you imagine the vibes though like.

her dad was supposed to go into a hunger games but then didn't and he tried to live a relatively normal life with like a wife and kids and everything, had three sons on purpose and then an accident baby (clove) like ten years after the third son. one day he allegedly goes mad and kills a bunch of people at the quarry where he works in some vicious murder spree and peacekeepers chase him down and shoot him dead right in front of six year old clove.

her brothers are all grown adults/gone and the mom doesn't want to deal with a grieving traumatised child by herself so she sends clove off to the academy and then disappears to one of the other towns. clove's brothers have either relocated far away or just can't afford to take her in so she gets to live in the academy dorms. then clove spends years getting bullied and teased about her loser deadbeat serial killer dad who couldn't get into a games so she puts on this creepy image to protect herself and becomes so good at knife throwing that it gets her a highly coveted spot in the games.

she plays up the father's daughter image/her inherited sadism and it kind of stopped being an act somewhere along the way. she does obviously have emotions and feelings though, in fact one of the reasons clove grows fond of her district partner is because he deeply respects her and doesn't belittle/harass/tease her about her past or act like her father's actions define her, and he's terrified of her but in an admiring and sweet way instead of genuinely being repulsed by her like most of her peers were around her.

[kanerallels]

All Creatures Great And Small more like Suits but instead of New York it's in a charming British village, and instead of a law firm it's a veterinary practice, and instead of Louis and Jessica they have Tristan and Tricki Woo

[cherry-bomb-ships]

Real talk I think Cherry Coading and R. Marie should switch evil genius partners for a week and see what happens