#or anything water-based

[thisusedtobeafanpage]

chat did I cook

(it was a homework assignment)

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Lan Wangji might be an unstoppable force, but Xie Lian has 800+ years of practice of being an immovable object.

(poll results here for context)

[lazycranberrydoodles]

i've been wanting to show off my crown prince design since november of last year lmao / follow for more xianle epic fail compilations

[endless-nightshift]

Heaven officials blessing version of this. They fill me with joy <3

[the-broken-pen]

“You’re going to blow out your arms,” the villain observed. They watched as the hero merely grit their teeth, shoving themself through another pull-up. It looked painful, and if the sweat slicking the hero’s brow was any indication, it was.

They waited for the hero to let themself drop from the bar and accept the villain was stronger. But they didn’t.

Three more pull-ups, and the villain stepped in.

“Hero,” they said slowly. “You’re about to tear the ligaments in your arms. You need to stop.”

The hero blew out a shuddering breath. Struggled for purchase, fighting gravity—and let themself drop.

The hero’s hands were bleeding, calluses torn open by the bar. The hero didn’t seem bothered when their own hands shook so much that their blood began to splatter on the gym floor.

For a moment, the villain could only stare at them.

Shit.

They didn’t know how to handle this. They knew the hero was dedicated. They knew the hero was strong, and perpetually trying to be stronger, but they hadn’t thought…

They hadn’t thought the hero would be so willing to tear apart their own body for success.

It was supposed to be fun, the villain thought. They felt a little sick as the hero pressed their palms together to soothe the bleeding, an action that was practiced and familiar. As if they had done this before.

The hero reached for something in their bag, smearing blood on the side, and pulled out a roll of blue electrical tape. The villain didn’t understand why, until the hero tore a strip off and made to wrap their hands with it.

The hero would be the death of them.

They crouched in front of the hero, plucking the electrical tape out of their hands.

“What are you doing with this?”

The hero blinked at the villain like they were the strange one in this situation.

“Wrapping my hands?”

The villain hissed in a breath.

“With electrical tape?”

The hero flushed slightly, looking down at their bloody hands. They looked close to tears.

“It…sticks to skin, really well. And it doesn’t move, either, when you move your hands or wherever else, even if you’re fighting. Plus, blood doesn’t make it come off, at least, not for a while.”

The villain blinked at them.”

“Blood doesn’t make it come off,” the villain repeated, processing. The hero nodded, reaching for the electrical tape. The villain settled it out of reach.

“Not if you wrap it right.”

Dimly, the villain realized that meant the hero had done this enough times to have it down to a science.

“And you couldn’t use a bandaid?” The villain asked incredulously. The hero shrugged a shoulder, then winced at the motion.

Yeah, the hero had absolutely blown out their arms.

“Bandaids move—“

The villain hushed them.

“Be quiet for a second.”

The hero, wisely, went quiet.

The villain rubbed a hand over their face, then studied the hero for a moment. They took one of the hero’s hands into their own, studying the damage.

“Why did you do this to yourself,” the villain murmured.

“What do you mean, why,” the hero snapped. “It’s my job.”

“Your job is to save people,” the villain corrected. “Not destroy yourself.”

“I’m not destroying myself—“

“You are.”

“Shut up—“

“Hero.”

“I need to be better,” the hero snapped. Their voice rang out across the gym, echoing into the rafters, and they both froze. After a moment, the hero spoke again, voice soft. “I need to be better.”

They said it like they needed the villain to understand. The villain wondered who they were really saying it to—the villain, or themself.

“Better than who?”

“Everyone.” It was hushed, like a secret.

The villain watched them, waiting.

The hero took a shaky breath

“My whole thing is being the best. I have always been the best. That’s the only reason I matter. If I’m not strong enough, then I am nothing, so I need. to be. better.”

The hero had started crying, very quietly, like they were afraid to take up too much space.

The villain was not equipped to handle gifted kid burnout.

“There’s more to you than just being a good athlete,” the villain said hesitantly, and the hero shook their head.

“No. There isn’t.”

“Hero.”

“Can you give me back my electrical tape?” They hiccuped to contain a sob.

“No,” the villain said firmly, and then the hero really was sobbing.

“You don’t understand—“

The villain didn’t. Not really. They had never been the kind of talented that the hero was.

They wondered now if maybe that was a blessing.

“I don’t,” the villain agreed. “But I do understand that you’ve saved half the city, and you give everything you have to give, and you always do your best.”

“But I-“

“No.” The villain stopped them. “You are doing your best.” They tipped the hero’s chin up until they met the villain’s eyes. “And it is enough.”

The hero froze, eyes darting over the villain’s face. They wondered if anyone had ever said that to the hero, if whatever mentor they had was giving them anything other than orders to be stronger. Be better. Be more.

The villain had some new targets to take care of, it would seem.

For now, though, they had to take care of hero.

“We’re going to go wrap your hands,” they said softly. “And then we’re going to take care of your arms, and you’re going to take a nap.”

The hero nodded, watching them like they were some kind of good, selfless person.

“And if I ever catch you using electrical tape again, so help me, I will put you six feet under.”

That startled a laugh out of the hero, and they let the villain guide them to their feet.

“Fine.”

The villain turned to them. “Okay?”

Are you going to be alright?

The hero seemed to understand.

“Okay,” the hero agreed.

Yes.

And so, it was.

[montydragon]

honey help i've been thinking too much about zora biology again

[detectivehole]

i've never been able to convince myself people into music-based subcultures exclusively for the fashion are entirely posers. these are music based scenes so yes it's a little odd, and sure they're more likely to fall into consumerist habits- but you (generally) have to pay for music or access to clubs and venues so it's not like the rest of us are immune (and none of us have to fall into consumerists habits anyway). if fashion is a type of communication and self expression through art, and is so deeply associated with most subcultures as to be almost a dress code, then i see no reason why it's significantly less valid a mode of participation than a shared and publicly displayed love of music- another form of communication and self expression through art. if you can be goth but not dress the part i feel like you could make a good argument that you can be goth and not listen the part. i understand defending the origin of a subculture you care about but it's not 1979 anymore things have changed. definitions are always reshaping themselves around time. sometimes it feels like it's just a rejection of fashion as a legitimate art form more than anything, which is absurd because it's one of the loudest and most immediate forms of cultural connection, communication and self expression we have as a species. i don't think it's what anyone means, but i always wonder

[sudden-memory-loss]

I want to extend my deepest thanks to everyone who convinced me to watch doc. I understand why hermits think it's so fun to mess with him now

[pigeon-butch]

I certainly have my own concerns about the treatment of moo deng but um. well i think some of you may just be racist

[7roaches]

gaspipe gaykeep girlmusk

[anannua]

when i look up 'heart burn relief', it means i already HAVE heart burn, I am not trying to prevent it, I am trying to RELIEVE it 😭😫❤️‍🩹

[insaneiceshard]

What if Rivulet,,,,,but pokemon sprite...

[1ore]

i used to want a cooler and more cryptic internet persona but after being on the other end of peoples' projection i have realized it actually rules to fail peoples' expectations over and over and over again. i hope i'm mortifyingly human. i hope we're both mortifyingly human

[goldensunset]

to add onto that post about people always trying to be so careful and artful when creating fakemons and fake regions making everything so culturally intentional. people also overthink it when trying to create pokemon of a specific type combination. 'if it's ice/fire it should be like some kind of igloo with a hearth inside' meanwhile at gamefreak they're like here is a sicko monster freak. this is a fairy btw

[eikichi-supremacy]

sick because curly was like "I know Jimmy" but Anya was the only one that really knew Jimmy. I knew you wouldn't let me have the gun so I wanted to at least keep him from getting it. Because she knew she wouldn't do something drastic over losing her job like curly thought. Jimmy would. The way she asked why Curly would do something like this. Praising Jimmy so he'll do the bare minimum. Deciding to end herself before eventually Jimmy killed them all in some way or another. It's like Curly got to see the parts of Jimmy that were palatable and maybe even endearing in some way. But Anya got something that made her ask questions like why aren't there locks on the sleeping quarters and how many days do we have left. Curly got some sort of companionship and Anya got what was real.

[author-a-holmes]

Top 5 movies you've seen for the first time in the past few years?

Oooo! Tough one. I watch more tv series than movies, but I think I can probably grab five movies I've seen for the first time in the last 3 years...

Boss Level (2020) with Frank Grillo and Naomi Watts

The Lost City (2022) with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum

Mr. Right (2015) with Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick (I picked this one up because I love Anna Kendrick, but I loved Rockwell in Mr. Right so much that I went and looked at other his other films, which led me too...)

The Best of Enemies (2019) with Sam Rockwell and Taraji P. Henson And last but not least, the film that helped spark the inspiration for the Kavians in my novel Changeling...

Dark Waters (2019) with Mark Ruffalo and Anne Hathaway