#that image is genuinely terrifying

[mondaymelon]

for many reasons tumblr user mondaymelon i cannot release that creative picture out into the open. might i suggest an alternative

coward.

[paperphobe]

STOP DIGITALLY OVER- ENHANCING, SMOOTHING OUT AND PUTTING THAT ONE FILTER OVER EVERY SINGLE AARON HOTCHNER IMAGE (I’m looking at you Pinterest editors) it gets rid of his eye bags and wrinkles and like the fucking life in his eyes every single time and it’s genuinely off putting like uncanny valley typa thing

[strangebrew]

WHAT THE FUCK

[perfectly-clear-from-here]

currently in such a state because my local 50s rockabilly street band has a drummer who looks EXACTLY like AM era alex turner AND HE KNOWS MY NAME 😭😭

[waywardsalt]

anyways. holding linebeck gently

[nonhuman-swag]

aauugghhhh that one dog pose but pyro tf2 oc but also could just b pyro tf2

ty n gn.

[wolfwillowisp]

Hi TristampParty. I haven’t been involved in this event because due to personal reasons I don’t engage in larger fandom spaces. But I’ve wanted to talk about this for a while and now is the perfect time to discuss this. I’m sure you’ve seen discussions of how the symbolism or framing of today’s episode mirror a sexual assault, but there’s a third point here that I haven’t seen anyone bring up: the fact that in biological scientific terms, that scene depicts non consensual sexual reproduction. It’s a rape scene.

Content warnings for sexual assault, incest, and photographs of animal genitals.

Before I begin: a few forewords.

One: I don’t ship Vash/Knives. If you accuse me of “shipping incest” or some other dog water fandom callout you will be blocked immediately for my mental well-being. This kind of drama is why I don’t engage with fandoms.

Two: I’m not a biologist, yet, at least. In fact I’m a high school dropout. But despite my own thinking otherwise speaking to other people both online and off has continually proved to me that I hold a higher than average knowledge of the biological processes. I repeat- I’m not a biologist, just someone with a special interest in biology/ecology who reads and researches in her spare time. Please don’t take my word as gospel, and if anything here interests you, do your own research!

Three: I will be using terms as relating to biosex individuals. This has nothing to do with any specific character’s gender. I will also be using language associated with animals and plants to describe characters with human level intelligence. This is not me being dehumanizing this is me being me. I do this to humans it’s just my style of describing biology stuff as simply as possible.

Unfortunately I still can’t start talking about Trigun yet, because we need to hit some scientific basics before analyzing the episode.

Sexual reproduction is a system of reproduction where two individuals combine their genetic material to create a genetically unique organism(or organisms). A gamete is a sex cell. For the purpose of this essay I will be using sperm(male) and eggs(female) as catch all terms. If an organism produces both sperm and eggs it is a hermaphrodite. A gonad is the organ in the body that produces gametes, male testes and female ovaries. An intromittent organ is an organ used by a male or hermaphrodite to transfer sperm into its partner. The form most familiar to you will be the mammalian penis.

While most systems of reproduction either have one sex, the Hermaphrodite, or two, male and female, rarely, some species of plant or animal have three sexes(male/female/hermaphrodite). This is called Trioecy.

An animals sex organs don’t always have to be placed between the hindmost limbs. Some genera of millipedes have the reproductive organs on the second segment of the body after the head, and a male octopus’s intromittent organ is actually one of his eight legs. (Fun fact: this “penis arm” has a specific name- the hectocotylus)

Okay. Now onto the big one in terms of relevance: insects. Some insects exhibit a kind of behavioral and biological adaptation known as Traumatic Insemination. This may also be called Hypodermic Insemination. Bed bugs in particular are notorious for this because this is the only way that all bed bug species reproduce. This is the only way they mate. Traumatic insemination is when a male uses a sharp, needle like intromittent organ to inject semen into the abdomen of his mate. In a female, the circulatory system carries the sperm to her ovaries where they fertilize her eggs.

[image ID: a macro photograph of bedbugs mating. The male has turned the female on her side so she cannot fight him off and is using his penis, which resembles a hypodermic needle, to pierce the underside of her abdomen]

Sound familiar?

[Image ID: a portion of a screenshot from Trigun Stampede. Knives and Vash are suspended in fluid, and a series of bladed tentacles emerge from Knives’ back and have pierced Vash in his back. Vash floats limply in the fluid.]

[Image ID: Millions Knives, suspended in a fluid. A series of tentacles emerges from his back. The tentacles consist of a cord-like core, a series of blades emerging from the top of the core, and a serrated arrowhead tip.]

From observation it’s clear to me that Knives’ knives, the tentacle/tendril form of them at least, are intromittent organs. From official art work it can be shown that he completely lacks an exposed penis or a sheath in which it is retracted into.

[Image ID: official art of Millions Knives. A wing and many bladed tentacles emerge from his back. He wears a skintight bodysuit. His crotch is completely flat, lacking any genital structures.]

And from an evolutionary perspective, these tentacles possess adaptations that would assist in securing and inseminating a mate. The “knives” along the organ are curved, and all point the same direction, and would be easier to insert into flesh than to remove; acting both as a serrated cutting edge and as penile spines.

[Image ID: a diagram showing the serrated edges of a Tyrannosaurus tooth]

[Image ID: The hemepenes of a diamondback rattlesnake. It is a pale barrel shaped organ with two small openings at the top. Long sharp spines cover the sides and point backwards towards the body.]

[Image ID: A Screenshot from Trigun Stampede. Knives’ tentacles pierce Vash in the back from behind.]

Vash has similar organs as well, and those too are intromittent organs.

[Image ID: A Screenshot from Trigun Stampede. Knives’ tentacles are embedded in Vash’s back, and tentacles of his own emerge from his back. Vash’s tentacles are a smooth branching rootlike structure.]

[Image ID: a Screenshot from Trigun Stampede. Vash, Knives, and many dependent plants float in a large tank. Knives’ tentacles are embedded in Vash’s back and Vash’s tentacles are embedded in the lower abdominal region of the other plants. There are blue flashes along Vash’s tentacles.]

As a quick aside I’m still not sure what’s going on with the blue bioluminescence on Vash’s genitals here. It could be an extension of his markings but given that they only appear after impaling the other plants in the tank I’m guessing it has something to do with fluid transfer? Either his and or knives semen and or blood.

But this IS sex. The endgoal of sexual behavior is reproduction, which is the crux of Knives’ villainous plan. And we see that he successfully reproduces, given that we can see that the inseminated plants are visibly pregnant. And the only thing separating sex from rape is consent: and I don’t think anyone other than Knives really wants to be here.

[Image ID: two screenshots from Trigun Stampede. On the left: three pregnant dependent plants. They all have visibly pained expressions. On the right: Vash, suspended in liquid, attempting to escape Knives’ tentacles.]

[sneakystorms]

There's something I really appreciate about fictional women who are described as becoming ugly and looking miserable during pregnancy... Especially in historical narratives. It feels cathartic, like a symbolic acknowledgement of the potential danger and horror and trauma of pregnancy. On the physical level, as in pregnancy and birth being dangerous for one's health, on the social level, as a representation of stifling gender roles, on the psychological level, as a reminder of the passage of time... etc etc. I just like it as a counterbalance to the "woman glows with the radiant beauty of nearing motherhood" trope. Just thinking about Lila from the Neapolitan novels and the pregnant women of war and peace (except Natasha's sexistly written epilogue fate)...

[clochanamarc]

mmmm smth smth a situation in which ur muse gets kidnapped in order to draw aisling into a trap and she goes after them despite knowing it's a trap, figures out all the plans and parts involved, and just incapacitates every single person who even knew the trap existed. ur muse hearing yells for back-up followed by quiet thuds that grow a little louder as she gets closer, and then the mastermind of the entire operation sprints inside the cell to try and use them as leverage, but aisling appears in the doorway. eyes blazing. terrifyingly calm. her voice is a deadly low thing, and nothing like the usual bright lilt when she speaks. and that's your muse's first time seeing exactly what aisling can do.

[batemanofficial]

i need weed. i need a medical card so bad or im gonna go out of my fuckign GOURD

[teddypoi-qd]

{VD - short Disco Elysium animation set to Pop Muzik, by M. The animation shows Harry, Kim, Jean (in wig), and Judit dancing to the music, one at a time. Harry dances dramatically, Kim hops from foot to foot, Jean stands still, smoking, and Judit bops from side to side, shaking her arms. Each shot cuts to a close up where the character looks at the camera. Harry smiles, Kim sighs, Jean sneers, and Judit smiles slightly bashfully. The end of the clip shows a short shot of each character before ending on a screen that reads, "Everybody talk about pop muzik!" The "pop" is in a disco ball

END VD}

I need to not touch animation for a good minute holy moly—

It’s not that good, because I was suffering the consequences of using toonboom when I’m used to clip studio, but I’m happy with the fact I still finished it despite the ridiculous hurdles the software threw at me.

Mad that it’s still a better software than TV paint 💀

Anyway, animation trends am I right or am I right 🥲

[batbabydaily]

batman #5: the riddle of the missing card

[mimikyuno]

im literally sobbing in bed trying to sleep but mizu5 literally tore my heart out. i cant stop crying fr. i genuinely think mizuki akiyama is making history as one of the best written trans characters im so serious. the kindness and carefulness in which her story is being told is mindblowing. this event was perfect tbh. im so fr. no way after such a long wait the secret was gonna be revealed with happy tears and there. done. this event Physically altered the game. it’s the only event to do so, and the only event to end on such a cliffhanger. the way the whole event gets the player to empathise fully with mizuki - you feel her anxiety and her fear and pain. and then the rooftop scene. it was unbearable. her coming out was taken away from her. she had to see ena’s shocked expression from the sidelines. ena, the one she wanted to tell the most. ena, who has been waiting for her by her side for all this time. seeing the realization dawn on ena is too much for and she runs, like she always has. even though she Knows ena was just shocked. she Knows ena and niigo will accept her.

(sidenote i cut lots of dialogue from the screenshots above bc tumblr 10 images limit)

“you’re so kind, ena.” but that does not matter. it’s all ruined. in niigo’s eyes, mizuki was just a girl. a “normal girl”, as the classmates called ena. even if niigo accepts her, she’s terrified that they’re never gonna see her as a “real girl” again. just like her classmates. this change in their perception is heartbreaking, terrifying. and even more than that is the fear that from now on, niigo is only gonna act normal around her out of pity. the thought is unbearable. it’s all ruined. nothing can ever be like before in mizuki’s eyes. her precious, safe place was ripped away from her. mizuki’s pain felt so real and raw that i still get chills when i think of the last two chapters of this event. the way ena screamed and ran after her, her desperation to reach her, her horror at seeing how much mizuki’s been suffering, the way mizuki’s coming out was also taken away from ena. their precious moment, long awaited, stolen and destroyed by some careless, transphobic comments. “are you also a dude?”. ena’s anger at herself for not being able to reassure mizuki, for not knowing what to say in the face of all that hurt and fear.

the event ends with an unskippable black screen, and mizuki’s voice saying “you reap what you sow,” and then these lines:

mizuki’s dissociation and suicidal thoughts hit me like a truck. as meiko told kaito, this situation is so fragile. and all it took was ena’s shocked expression to send mizuki into a dissociative spiral.

(continues in rb)

[accimperiu]

so, i've fallen down the "humans are weird" rabbit hole, and i couldn't help but notice most of it is about how humans are just really durable, adorable, friendly, how we'd pack bond with anything, about how we have such a hive-mind and empathy and determination to survive when things get rough, how we could survive things most other aliens would die from, how we could eat stuff that would poison other aliens, how we inject ink into our skin and pierce it with pieces of metal and drink toxic substances for the sake of entertainment..

it's always human defences and endurance

but i never see people talking about human **aggression**

like, imagine a spaceship happens to have several humans on it even if most residents are alien species, and two of the humans get in a fight.

and i'm not just talking physical, i'm sayin' all kinds of fights.

imagine if two humans got in a serious screaming match and genuinely hurt a few of the alien species sensitive to loud sounds as they watch, flabbergasted at how the two are literally yelling in each-other's faces without breaking a sweat or getting tired from it, while one of the sound-sensitive aliens literally passed out because it was SO loud

or imagine them simply being in shock after interacting with humans for a long time and having this image in their head of humans being so friendly and able to get along with anything and anyone, including stabby, or any predatory, aggressive species we just so happen to find cute. that image getting completely shattered seeing two of the humans they're friends with showing clear anger and aggression in a display they could only describe as "terrifying" in the most visceral sense of the word

or two humans getting in an actual physical fight, and here's where the *several* humans on ship part comes into play,

so the two are duking it out in a violent display of pure hatred while other humans, amused and thoroughly entertained by the violence that would already have put any of the less durable aliens out of commission gather around the fighting pair and start ominously chanting "FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT"

prior, the aliens hadn't dared intervene or get any closer because either way they recognized it as a danger

meanwhile some humans JOIN IN for absolutely no reason and it becomes a full on riot

and the aliens just stare like ?????

confused at why they'd find it so endearing, at why they'd literally join for no reason at all, horrified by even just a punch to the gut because to some of the more vulnerable aliens that's their equivalent of literally getting an organ ripped out of them and somehow STILL fighting and then ripping out an organ out of the opponent themselves

and most of all, if humans are capable of befriending aggressive, large predatory beings and getting along with practically everything,

what from the fresh pits of hell triggered two *humans* to fight *each other* of all creatures?

(that is, assuming aliens don't have much knowledge of our history, wars, politics, etc of course.)

[batfangzz]

HELP THEY LOOK SO WEIRD LIKE THSI

its sunday 25 june have a wonderful and restful day!

[reidgenius]

Low Pain Tolerance | S.R. x Reader

image by reidgif <3

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!reader Word Count: 1.4k Category: angst, hurt/comfort? Warnings: commitment issues, wildly insecure!reader (it's really just me) A/N: I haven't written for Spencer before, so please excuse any OOC inaccuracies and be nice okay! I am a long-time lurker/admirer of the lovely @pathologicalreid and am writing this for her cutesy margovember event :) Song Inspo: Low Pain Tolerance by Abby Holliday

You never enjoyed running.

Still, that didn't stop you from doing it often. Whether it be on the job or in a relationship, you ran.

To catch a bad guy. To catch yourself before you fall. To stop something terrible before it happens... You ran.

In this instance, you found yourself running from Spencer Reid.

"Would you look at me? Please?" he pleaded.

You knew if you were to turn around that you'd see his glassy doe eyes and be drawn right back in. You knew your weaknesses, and he was certainly one of them. The biggest one. That's why you stayed put, staring at his bedroom wall.

"I can't, Spence." You meant to say it with finality, but it came out more as a whimper.

"You can't look at me, or you can't-"

"Neither. Both."

As the holidays approached, Spencer had mentioned the idea of the two of you making a trip out to Vegas. "Just for a day or two," he'd promised. Though there wasn't much he treasured about home, you knew that his mother was there, and that was more than reason enough.

This evening, he'd brought it up again after letting you avoid the topic for weeks.

"It's only a matter of time before you figure it out," you admit.

"Figure what out?"

"God, Spence, that I'm only bringing you down!" you nearly shouted, though you hadn't meant to. The anxiety took over. "I'm like... gahhh! I don't know how to do any of this, I-"

To your dismay, he let out a laugh as you finally turned to face him. A real, genuine laugh.

"Bringing me down?" He looked at you with an earnest amusement. "Honey, I don't think you realize what you-"

"I'm scared. Okay? Is that what you wanted me to admit? That I'm scared of meeting her?" A single tear gushed down your cheek.

His brows knit in concern as he quickly thought of ways to disprove the common fears surrounding schizophrenia and it's manifestations.

"Baby, schizophrenia doesn't ma-"

"Dammit Spencer, it's not about that! It's- I..."

You found yourself stumbling over your words.

"I don't care about her diagnoses!" you laughed. (Of course, you did care, but that wasn't what was scaring you.) "I'm scared of this!" you said, waving your hands between the two of you. "I don't want to rush it. I don't want to get her hopes up..."

You let your legs give way to sit on the floor against the wall, your head in your hands, mumbling to the cold hardwood.

"I don't want to get my hopes up."

There was it. That was the truth.

You weren't used to it. You weren't used to someone asking you how your day was and really caring. You weren't used to the notion that a man would want to wrap himself around you at night and keep you close. You'd never been one to draw much attention from men. Or women. Or anyone, really.

Naturally, you figured that there must be something deeply and inherently flawed in you. Something Spencer had yet to discover.

So, being with him was... terrifying. You were constantly waiting and wondering when he'd conclude that you weren't as pretty as he initially thought, or as witty, or as intelligent, or kind, or...

And it would only be cruel to drag Diana into this. To have her think that perhaps her son had found his person. To have her thinking that she might be meeting her future daughter-in-law. It felt cruel to yourself, in some twisted way, to pretend that this was all going to last.

Spencer was typically a fast thinker, but your admission had the cogs in his brain working overtime. You were afraid of him? Of your relationship?

He padded over to join you on the floor, keeping a little distance so as not to scare you.

"Get your hopes up? You don't-" he gulped, "I mean... you don't think we're gonna- that this is gonna work out?"

Still speaking to the floor, you sigh, "I don't know, Spence."

You were exhausted. Incessantly feeling like you're on the brink of being "found out" can do that to a person. It's not that Spencer hadn't done all the right things. No, he was the perfect partner. But therein lied the issue. He was perfect. And, in your opinion, you were far, far from it.

You took a deep breath through your tears.

"I don't think I can keep doing this."

Confusion. Utter shock. Things had been going so well with you the past 8 months. Spencer immediately began to wrack his brain combing through all the possible mistakes he could've made. Did he raise his voice with you? Had he forgotten some big milestone? Was he not giving you enough?

"Honey I-" he gathered himself, placing a hand on your thigh, "I'm so sorry. Can I ask... what makes you say all this?"

Though you were reluctant, you figured that now was as good a time as any.

"Spencer. I am not good for you! Good enough for you!" With each point, you illustrated by raising a finger, "I am impulsive and I complain and I get weird sometimes when you touch me and I can be a massive bitch and I never know how to-"

"Woah, woah, woah-" He snuck up closer to you, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and placing his head atop yours, all while you kept rambling. "Why in the world do you say that? Not good enough for me? If anything it's me who isn't deserving of you..."

"No, you-"

He stopped you in your tracks just by saying your name in that beautiful way he does. Like its covered in honey and dripping with admiration.

"You are everything. You may think those things about yourself but I certainly don't." His thumb caressed your bare skin so carefully as he continued, speaking slowly so as to allow the words to really sink in. "You are the most generous person I've ever encountered. You care so deeply about people you love. You are courageous and willing to try all the weird foods I suggest even though you really don't want to." He smirked a bit at that one. "You have taken everything that life has thrown at you and navigated it with grace. You really are just... you're it. You're her. You're the girl - the woman - I've always hoped would come my way but never dreamed actually would. Honey, I've figured out everything I need to know when it comes to how I feel about you."

You sat there, warm under his embrace, pondering his words as he spoke. It's nothing he hasn't said before, granted, in much less grand and emotionally charged ways. But it was like you were really hearing it for the first time. You wanted so badly to believe him.

"I love you," he continued. "I love you so much that sometimes I am afraid of myself. Of what I'd do for you. You, god, you make me so much better."

"I love you, too. Too much," you squeaked out.

"No. Not too much." He leaned back to encourage you to look up at him. "You know I really mean all that right? Just the way you are. Quirks included?"

"I guess. And now I'm just self-conscious that I am so self-conscious..."

"You say that as if I'm not the exact same way!" he chuckles, trying to make light of what is clearly a shared wound. You'll deal with that later. Together, preferably. "Please, trust me. Do you trust me?"

And you did. You trusted Spencer with every cell in your body and hair on your head. There was nobody else you'd ever been so confident in. So, you nod against his chest as your tears begin to subside.

"Good. Now why don't we move this party up into the bed?"

"No offense, Spencer, but the last thing I want right now is to f-"

"No no no nooope! Not that, babe," he laughed. "Just wanna lay with you 'til this feeling passes. Is that okay?"

"Please."

And so, the rest of the evening consisted of cuddles under your massive comforter. Sweet admissions whispered in your ear. The tiniest kisses to your hairline and your shoulder and your nose and your wrists.

By the time you dozed into a worry-free slumber, you believed him a little more.

Perhaps you could let Spencer love you, forever.