#the madness is fucking killing me

[charleemoon]

thinking about the ONLY mention of klavier in aa6 and its THIS.

it starts as a simple conversation, inspecting a (slightly ridiculous) bouquet of roses:

Athena: Oh, these are from Prosecutor Gavin.

Apollo: Roses, huh? How like him: pretentious.

Athena: They might be pretentious, but you know what? He makes it work.

Apollo: Hmph.

Athena: Apollo, I've noticed this for a while now, but… you get awfully prickly when it comes to Prosecutor Gavin.

Apollo: Y-You think so?

Athena: I mean, don't hate him just because he's beautiful.

Apollo: Th-That's not it at all!

the first thing he associates it with is pretentiousness. not entirely because it's, to be honest, a gaudy and absurdly large display, compared to the others. which is just how klavier is, and that's something apollo laments. no, instead he focuses specifically on the roses. red roses, which are almost exclusively associated with love and romance. they're maybe a little tacky, a little cliche, but apollo outright calls them "pretentious". showy, flamboyant, literally:

"attempting to impress by affecting greater importance than is actually possessed."

which he immediately compares klavier to; he finds him pretentious. (do i think there is some kind of intentionality behind this word choice? that apollo, as he seems to always have, sees through klavier's personas, his grand, artificial behaviors and gestures? and that maybe it irritates him because he knows it's partially false? no. i think it's just a word. will that stop me from reading it that way? never)

and when athena agrees that, while yes, it's maybe a little pretentious, klavier "makes it work", that his overdone extravagant (outward) personality is well pulled off when done by him, apollo insists on this irritation with a "hmph." (like come on. 24 year old man crossing his arms, looking to the side and going "hmph" like a kid, refusing to admit that klavier does something well. i can see him now)

and it's interesting how athena says "i've noticed this for a while now" which means there's been more than one instance where klavier has been so much as mentioned around and/or to apollo and he responds with either irritation or a weirdly cagey shut down. and it's not "you get angry", "you get irritated", "you get frustrated", it's prickly. as if Klavier Gavin is a "touchy subject". and WHY would he be??

apollo and klavier are, for the most part, on good terms. they work in unified tandem in 4-4 and have near identical ideals in law and justice and the pursuit of truth. apollo's main irritation seems related to his dislike of klavier's more embellished and exaggerated behaviors; his incessant flirting, brash overconfidence, generally overwhelming and loud presence. an obvious foil to apollo's professionalism and staunch seriousness, so he finds him grating, ridiculous, and other things. but it's also envy, embarrassment, maybe a bit of shyness. either way, feelings that only seems to rear their head in klavier's presence, because they are aspects of klavier's performative, in-person nature.

so why is it that the mere mention of klavier makes apollo "prickly." on edge, touchy. there's seemingly nothing unspoken between them. at most, they were partners in court a few years ago for a case or three; at least, klavier is simply an irritating person to apollo. what in the WORLD would make apollo act like that. what is it about a peer and friend of his sister's sending her flowers for a show that makes apollo so irascible.

and on TOP of that, when athena points this out, he doesn't double down. he doesn't insist that he simply doesn't like Klavier, that he finds him annoying and absurd, he's taken aback. surprised, inquisitive, like when someone points a nervous habit or tic of yours that you never noticed. as if he's not aware of the way he acts when klavier gets brought up

and then when athena teases him about klavier's good looks, (which athena may not know, but we, as the player with access to his inner thoughts in aa4, know he is envious of, and even flustered by at times. offhandily calls him pretty or handsome when he's irritated with him) he gets embarrassed and defensive, saying "That's not it at all!"

IT. WHAT IS IT. he says oh no, that is not why i act that way. that is not It, you know. The Reason. which means there IS a reason. AND WHAT IS IT. WHAT IS IT.

WHY ELSE WOULD A GROWN MAN WHO HAS NOT SEEN ANOTHER MAN IN OVER A YEAR MOST LIKELY, WHO HASN'T HAD ANY REAL ISSUES WITH THIS MAN IN MULTIPLE YEARS, BE SO UNNESSCARILY IRRITATED BY HIM, EVEN BY HIS ACTS OF GOOD FAITH OR WHEN HE'S BARELY MENTIONED. AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT TO BE GENERALLY UNAWARE OF THIS REACTION, MEANING IT'S NOT DONE INTENTIONALLY OUT OF DISLIKE OR TO COMPLAIN.

they keep klavier locked away and refuse to give him relevance after aa4 (which they somehow barely let him have relevance in despite being the main prosecutor and pivotal key part in kristoph's incarceration) yet THE ONE TIME he is mentioned, its relating to his relationship to apollo. klapollo is trapped in the basement and wants out. WHY DO THEY DO THIS.

WHY MENTION HIM ONLY FOR IT TO RELATE TO HOW APOLLO FEELS ABOUT HIM. ALMOST AS IF THEY ARE INTRINSICALLY TIED TOGETHER. and not only that but about how he's beautiful. and that flusters apollo. EYE TWITCHES

CAPCOM. ACE ATTORNEY. WHY IS THIS THE ONLY MENTION OF KLAVIER IN AA6. WHY DOES. WHY ARE YOU. WHY

essay over this one interaction CONFIRMS that apollo holds deep seeded attraction and feelings toward klavier that he has not even BEGUN to unravel because its buried under 10 layers of "i hate that guy he's so [insert excuse]" klapollo will never happen unless someone locks them in a room together and forces them to talk

i think i've lost it

[theballadofmars]

I love how mqf's oficial description is something like: a good heart who wants to help others but then you read the novel and his reaction to lqg trapping ten infected men who are crying in panic is "great now I can start to work in my experiments with decomposed people to find a cure" and gets out a lot of needles, which makes the man cry even harder.

Even if we only get bits of the other Cang Qiong sect leader's we can reach the conclusion that no one there is normal, sqq is just biased.

[thebat-musicman]

AU where Jason was dead for 2 years longer than he was in canon

Leslie: The results are back. Jason, you’re physically two years younger than you should be.

Jason: You mean…

Tim, jumping out of his chair: YES!!!

Leslie: I’m sorry, Jason. Tim is physically older than you now.

Tim: THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!

Jason: This cannot be happening.

Tim, hugging him: Don’t worry, Jason. I’ll be the best big brother ever.

Jason, haunted: I’m going to ask the Joker to try again.

[lotus-pear]

never forgiving bones for fucking up this scene

[heartorbit]

so when's the wxs phantom of the opera set

[birdiepfft]

OBSESSION.

context.

[backpackingspace]

Odysseus: demanding Athena take off whatever enchantment she put on him the second the situation ends.

Odysseus: who constantly reminds Athena that he has great plans to grow old and die with his wife so don't even think about getting any ideas.

Odysseus: side eye diomedes who has started fucking glowing he has so many enchantments on him: bro you should talk to Athena about getting those removed. You're going to end up immortal or some shit

Diomedes: who has been a solider since he was 5 who has intersting thoughts about his own personhood who has a much more traditional relationship with Athena and would rather literally stab his own eye out with a rusted sword than speak out of turn: I don't know what you're talking about

[demadogs]

some of you need to hate ai way more than you currently do

[jtl-fics]

Kevin and Aaron share exactly one class together throughout their time at Palmetto State University and it is a History of Medicine class. The two become the most insufferable humans every time they are together during this semester.

Katelyn watches on as her boyfriend and Kevin talk about the 'bacteria' parties that were thrown during the course of curing pallegra.

Katelyn: "Wow, so this is what hell is like. I thought it would be warmer."

Andrew: "Hell is never what you expect it to be."

Katelyn: "Well, I expected one thing."

Andrew: "What?"

Katelyn: "You're here." :)

[misty-memories09]

She was a fairy 🧚🧚‍♀️🧚‍♂️

I love how sabito felt the need to pirouette in the air while beating the hell out of Tanjiro. Like??? How did he even jump like that??? How is he even pirouetting??? Why can he jump so damn high??? And then launched himself off the tree while/by spinning???

[mionkings]

Making Heads Turn 🫨

Jason had become a father to a little baby boy, taking him in when he found the poor thing on the streets, in a cardboard box, wrapped in a space themed blanket.

While the obstacles a new parent goes through is tough. He knows it's worth it to have Danny, his baby, his son in his life. He doesn't regret adopting him.

Danny is now at the stage of his little life that he babbles and giggles, Jason always had fun having a conversation with his baby. Although Jason's sure that his hair is getting whiter with the chaos Danny brings now ever since Danny's baby brain realized that he can CRAWL to PLACES >:D

However this new development... is a little strange.

Whenever Jason puts Danny down in his crib to make dinner or any other important errand. Danny will begin to babble to the air, as if his little tyke is trying to talk to someone, making grabbing hands and scooching over to grab someone's attention.

It sent a slight shiver down his spine...

Ever since he made his introduction to Gotham as Red Hood, for the first time to those gang leaders with the bang of the AK-47. Taking over the Gotham underworld by storm with anger and precision.

He always felt a chill down his spine... When he was alone, yet... the Pit Madness flared everytime, making him feel enraged and paranoid. As if he was just waiting for a fight... for a confrontation...

Being alone in his apartment, having nightmares, more like repressed memories of what he had done... Lots of things, but for some reason—his mind... keeps going back to the moment he threw that duffel bag at the table infront of the gang leaders that night... the night he went after the lieutenants, taking their heads.

He doesn't know why.

But ever since the precious cargo that was his baby Danny, arrived in his life. That all went away as he took care, fed, and loved his baby boy.

Jason never had an episode with Danny; he couldn't bare the thought of hurting the child.

Jason was even having less episodes when he was with the Bats!

The chills; however, Jason still feels them occasionally... but they would always disappear the moment Danny would demand attention or to nap.

And instead he would feel something else hang over his baby everytime Danny slept peacefully...

———

Second ever DPxDC prompt that I've ALSO been getting brainrot over ❤️ I'm having fun 😄

Basically this prompt idea is Jason adopting a baby Danny, while seemingly unaware that he's being haunted/watched by the people's he's killed to become a crime lord. More specifically, being haunted by the heads/headless ghosts of the lieutenants Jason killed as Red Hood.

While Jason can't seem to see them, he can feel 'chills' from them. Danny, however, CAN see them mostly because I based this on that thing where babies/toddlers can see spirits in those typical YouTube videos that list ToP 5 ScArY gHOstZ VidEOz!1!1

Whatever happened though, this causes the ghosts to instead focus more on Danny than on Jason.

How much will Jason freak the fuck out when he finds out? Who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Although Danny is absolutely having fun here ^^

Anyways, I might add extra stuff soon to this!

[sergle]

The unspoken part of that too, being called "soft squishy marshmallow mom shaped uwu" and then going, hm, no thanks. That's weird and uncomfortable. Is that people get SO TAKEN ABACK. And almost immediately switch straight into anger, because the idea of a fat person turning down a "compliment" is absolutely unthinkable.

[fern3031]

holy crap i love sharks its insane how awesome sharks are like what do you mean you're a shark thats awesome

my favorite shark is the leapord shark i think he looks neat

[dootznbootz]

Yes, Odysseus was "Defending what's his" and "reclaiming his kingship, riches, and masculinity" during the killing of the suitors but Leiodes' death shows how it was also still very much personal and about Penelope.

Then Leiodes ran out, grabbed Odysseus’s knee,                                   and begged him—his words had wings: “Odysseus, I implore you at your knee—respect me and have pity. I tell you I’ve never                                       injured a single woman in these halls by saying or doing something reckless. Instead I tried to stop the other suitors when they did those things. They did not listen or restrain their hands from acting badly. So their own wickedness now brings about their wretched fate. Among them I’m a prophet who has done no wrong, and yet I will lie dead, since there’s no future thanks for one’s good deeds.” Shrewd Odysseus glared at him and answered:                           “If, in fact,                                           you claim to be a prophet with these men, no doubt here in these halls you’ve often prayed that my goal of a sweet return would stay unrealized, so my dear wife could go back to your own home and bear you children. That’s why you won’t escape a bitter death.” As he said this, Odysseus picked up in his fist a sword that lay nearby—Agelaus had dropped it and left it on the ground when he was killed—with it Odysseus struck Leiodes right across his neck.                                       His head was rolling in the dust as he was speaking.

(Book 22, Johnston)

Leiodes: "Hey, we're good, right? I didn't even do anything with your servants or riches." Odysseus: "I don't care if you didn't do anything else, your crime is that you were trying to court my wife in the first place. You're fucking dead."

Also, he was so angry that he cut off his head in one stroke (Athena was juicing him up but still)

Touch the Wife, you get the Knife.

[glitter-stained]

I used to dislike Lazarus Pit Madness headcanons but I've seen people say "he doesn't need magic madness he has normal madness" and "why would you need a magical explanation for his behaviour have you people never heard of cptsd" and while I understand the sentiment (and Jason definitely has cptsd) this is exactly what I'm talking about when I say dc has a dangerous habit of demonizing/villanizing mental illness and it has a real impact on the fandom's perception of mental illness. Winnick isn't the worst when it comes to Jason's writers but the fact that he wrote Jason as both a brilliant hypercompetent villain and a sympathetic character that makes you go "oh hey, he has a point..." should not distract you from the fact that no, decapitation is not a common symptom of cptsd.

[gingermintpepper]

Why did Apollo favor the trojans in the Illiad?

So, dear Anon, I've been thinking about how to answer this question since I got it a couple days ago and I think I kind of want to make something clear before I get into it.

The Iliad by itself as a poem only covers some of the events that occur in the final year of a long protracted conflict that had been brewing for at least two decades and was an active war for ten. Within the space of the Iliad itself, the motivations and affairs of the major players are often referenced but there are many, many parts of the story that are not there because they belong to a different story cycle that has been since lost or was never recorded with words. In the space of the Iliad Apollo's motivations are questioned a lot - his pride is questioned by Poseidon who thinks Apollo should be just as angry at the Trojans as he considering Apollo was treated equally as poorly by Laomedon while they worked together. His honour is questioned by Hera who chastises him for taking the Trojans' side when he'd proclaimed that Achilles would live a long life and prosper at Thetis and Peleus' wedding. His own sister calls him a coward for refusing to fight when Zeus gives permission for the gods to go wild on the battlefield. For all that there's this image of Apollo in the Iliad as some staunch and unwavering protector of the Trojans, believe it or not, I largely think of Apollo as neutral in the war.

Which, I suppose, comes back to the question - why did Apollo favour the Trojans? The truthful answer is that I don't know. The Iliad and all its connected stories isn't something I've done enough research on to have an answer or a reference to an answer off the top of my head. The reasoning I'm aware of is that Apollo was a Patron God of Troy and really a god doesn't need any reason besides that to protect his people but it's not like Apollo abandoned the Greeks either. Calchas is the biggest example of that I can point to - descended directly from a priest of Apollo and one who attributed his mantic power to the god, Calchas was pivotal in ensuring the Greeks even got to Troy in the first place.

From a personal perspective however, I think Apollo was more dedicated to the house of Priam than he was the city of Troy itself. Apollo's affection for that house and all its members ran deep - from his admiration of Hecuba and Hector to his love and attempted courtship of Cassandra to his blessings given to Helenus, Deiphobos, Cassandra, Troilus and even his partnership with Paris - Apollo loved the house of Priam. When you think about the times Apollo lashes out against the Greeks, it's generally because they've done some nonsense to earn his ire. The plague was caused by Agamemnon disrespecting his priest, his aid in the slaughter of Patroclus was because he didn't respect him, his minor grudge against Diomedes too was because he tried to test Apollo's mettle and well, the less said about Achilles the better. Apart from his obvious favouring of Hector in the skirmishes, Apollo doesn't really oppose the Greeks. He has a ton of reasons to by the time the Iliad rolls around, including avenging the death of two of his sons, but he remains mostly satisfied with conducting his father's business and overseeing the war from a somewhat professional perspective. To me, it's always been less about Apollo caring about the fate of Troy as a city itself and more about him just really wanting to protect the people in the city that he's come to love and respect.

Of course, I encourage you to take my words with a big tablespoon of salt - like I said, I don't really know enough about the facts in particular to give a solid, confident answer but I can give you my interpretation of it. Maybe consult someone like @littlesparklight for a more comprehensive and grounded response 🤔