#they are like two sides of the same coin to me

[lukolathoughts]

A pound of flesh

An English Teacher’s guide

Shakespeare is staple of any good English teacher. My favourite is of course Romeo and Juliet not only because it is easy to teach and the themes of love, violence, death, destiny etc. are as just as relevant today as they have always been. My fourteen year old self still emerges when setting eyes on a young Leonardo Dicaprio. He was truly something to behold as a young Romeo, excuse me as I dissociate for a moment. Ok, I’m back. There are other Shakespearean texts as a teacher that I teach including Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew and my least favourite is The Merchant of Venice. I do not find this play terribly exciting and honestly, neither do my students until we get to one specific part. The character of Shylock demands his ‘pound of flesh’. Shylock's insistence on his legal right to the pound of flesh being in opposition to his seemingly universal plea for the rights of all people suffering discrimination. Shylock feels he is entitled to his pound of flesh and does not shut up about it in fact. But what happens to Antonio if Shylock extracts the pound of flesh? It isn’t a good outcome I’ll say that.

ZG, where are you going with this? Well, today I want to touch on some similarities between literature and astrology in relation to our lovely main characters and adjacents. Yes, we are all fed up and tired of these incessant people and their crazed sub-fandoms. I am firmly still sat on the lido deck with my margarita partying like it’s 1999. The Sag awards was a glorious evening and one which us Lukola’s are holding onto with a death grip. We know what we saw, and we have receipts, and no one is taking that away from us or Luke and Nicola. Even a bit of sneaky half-hearted PR misdirection in the days after will not sway us. Nicola, you can call him your ‘buddy’ as much as you want, but in my opinion buddies don’t look at buddies that way. Luke had literal heart eyes when gushing over ‘Nic and I’ and Nicola looks at Luke like the sun rises and sets with him. So no, to put it bluntly, I ain’t leaving.

Tarot Talk

In tarot there is a card called the six of coins. ‘The Six of Coins is a tarot card that represents giving and receiving, generosity, and compensation. It can indicate a time when you are either receiving help or providing assistance to others’. (https://colibritarot.com/cards/six-of-coins-tarot-card-meanings/0). In the rider-Waite deck, the card depicts a man handing out gifts to two small children, one on either side. He is holding a scale of balance. This card has often appeared in my readings of the relationship between Nicola and Jake especially. I will touch on Luke and Antonia later, as I feel they have darker themes, but in essence in my opinion Luke offers the same things to Antonia as Nicola does to Jake. Money, success, fame, connections, materialism. I find it fascinating that these two younger adjacents are represented often in my readings as the two children in the six of coins card and they are receiving ‘payment’ from an older person in some obvious authority and higher status. Do not misinterpret my words for implications of prostitution or such things of that nature. What I simply see is an exchange of contract to balance the scales.

 But at what cost does this come to Nicola and Luke? What happens to them when this ‘pound of flesh’ that is demanded from the adjacent is fully extracted? It has already taken some toll as we can infer from Luke’s demeanour and behaviour at the Boss event in January. I have mentioned previously Antonia’s energy is like that of a succubus and anyone with a working set of eyes can see the stark difference in photos of him at Boss with Antonia in comparison to his photos and video evidence with Nicola at the Sag awards. It is like night and day, and I mean that literally. When he is with Nicola, Luke is like a ball of light. He cannot help it. She cannot help it. Nicola shines out her light and Luke reflects it back and out the world. I feel sad for those who genuinely can’t see this. But I do think a lot of people saw it at the Sags and it made a lot of people very bloody nervous. Including Luke and Nicola themselves.

As I was writing this blog last night, I noticed the notifications pinging on my discord and yes my friends, that only means one thing. New pap photos from People magazine. With a weary sigh, I opened the chat to see new People Magazine photos of lo and behold - a miserable looking Luke with a scruffy looking Antonia. Major eye roll again. I’m not sure what narrative they are going for at the moment, but this once again proves my point in this blog that Luke looks like he’s had the soul sucked right out of him or like he’s seen a ghost and Antonia is nonchalantly skipping along like she just rolled out of bed. The comments under the People Magazine Instagram post are brutal and I cannot imagine why Luke is allowing repeated hits to his image, brand and credibility for some girl who he appears to not even like. There must be a good reason. It is not love. We know what Luke looks like when he’s in love and this isn’t it. What ultimately does Antonia want from Luke and is he able to give it?

Jakey boy

Let us touch on Jake’s play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennesse Williams. As most of you know I teach drama as well and I as part of my own studies of Drama and teaching, I know Tennessee Williams very well. I was shocked to hear that Jake had landed the leading role of Stanley. I furrowed my brows and thought hmm. Jake is quite young to play Stanley. You need a lot of ferocity and brute physical prowess, as well as being intimidating. But I thought, we’ll give him a chance. He obviously did well in his audition to land the part, right? Well, in an interview Jake did with Exposed Magazine on 5th March 2025, not only Jake seemed shocked he had an audition for the part, but he also seemed even more shocked he actually go it. What flummoxed me was Jake’s ignorance of who Tennesse William’s was and the fact he had never heard of the play. I’ll just give you a bit of context. In the UK you can’t just rock up to drama school age eighteen and hope for the best. At age fourteen you must start GCSE Drama in year 10. It must be one of your options to sit exams in year 11. I know for a fact at 16 I was taught A Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and The Crucible. You study Naturalistic Theatre by Stanislavski. Miller and Williams are good playwrights for this both being American and writing plays that are naturalistic in performance. This ultimately means that the audience is watching a real performance. Actors do not break the fourth wall. After you pass your GCSE Drama, you can either go on to A Level Drama that is further study of playwrights – definitely Tennessee Williams or you can do BTEC Acting or Performance Studies at Post – 16 college. These are less focused on the study of plays, but they are still definitely studies of practitioners such as Brecht, Stanislavski and Artaud etc. My point is, Jake would have had to have do these qualifications to get into drama school where again you study practitioners and playwrights. It is what I had to do to even get an audition at my university. Some Jakehole on X accused me of being ridiculous for implying that Jake would have read every script and playwright going. That is not what I am saying. What I am saying is, he should have heard of Tennesse Williams. He should have known who Marlon Brando as the original Stanley was. Why did he bring artist Jackson Pollock into it? Who advised him on that? Stanley is a Polish immigrant, wife beater and alcoholic. I get that Pollock had some of these traits, but he was flipping rich and highly educated in art schools.

If Jake was so ignorant of the play and his character, then how in the holy moses did he get the part? This is the most half – assed answer to an interview I have ever come across. I hope Nicola was seen disappearing into a hedge somewhere like Homer Simpson. “I don’t know, if I’m honest. I was surprised when I got to audition for the part, and even more surprised when I got the part. I hadn’t seen Streetcar before, so I didn’t have a relationship with it prior to rehearsing at the Crucible.” Jake Dunn. As his mentor, and that is what I firmly believe Nicola is, I bet she was silently livid. It’s no wonder she’s barely said anything about the play. But wait a minute, maybe Jake got the part because he’s such a good actor? Right? Right. Well, not according to most of the reviews that came out last week absolutely slating the kid. “Jake Dunn has the honed torso, surface swagger and below-the-surface anger required of Stanley, but not the sheer brutish charisma. More neighbourhood yob than full-blown Brando, he lashes out at Stella, hurls plates around in explosive bursts of fury and, in the climactic rape scene, is almost comically reptilian as he crawls onto the bed in his strange satiny pyjamas.” On Magazine. Cut to me snorting my coffee everywhere. And this is just one review my friends. What are the reviewers implying?

Did Jake land the role by sheer dumb luck? I find this next point quite hard to write as I want to be clear that I am not accusing Nicola of anything, especially not nepotism. But it has been alleged that Nicola has some connections to the Crucible Theatre and a friendship with the director. That is all I am saying. What cost do these reviews and Jake’s general attitude have towards Nicola’s overall reputation? What cost is that Jakola narrative having on Nicola? Every time I google Nicola; several articles insist that Jake is her boyfriend. I have a few theories about why Nicola has not set that record straight, one being she does not feel she has to, and she will not publicly out her friend without his agreement. In my opinion, Jake is open about his sexuality, and it is clear if you look through his Instagram account.

Astrology

Last Saturday, the fandom went up in arms after Becky from Jake’s friend group posted a Tik Tok video to her public Instagram of the air bnb details for a stay in Sheffield. I was again confused by this act, because who in their right mind makes a TT video of air bnb details and posts it publicly? I was completely baffled. It was deleted almost immediately, but not quick enough. It had the address details on it and the WIFI details. Uh oh, Becky’s in trouble. Also, the video featured a picture of Jake wearing “I love my Irish girlfriend” t shirt with Nicola’s face on it. Lukola FBI were quick and we learned it was an old t-shirt of Camilia’s and the ‘Jecky’ gang was going to be in Sheffield for St Patrick’s day. But the real question was, where was Nicola? Had her safety been compromised by these idiot twenty-somethings? As of this moment there is no evidence that Nicola was there. Nicola has had to suffer through Jake’s performance at least twice, I am hopeful she did not have to endure a third. Why did this anger me so much on Saturday? I felt like Nicola’s image was being used a joke. The ‘Jecky’ friend group are trolling the fandom at this point, and they all think it’s hilarious that their gay friend that has more boyfriends than I’ve had cooked dinners in 2025, is dating Nicola Coughlan. Also, if she was with them, Nicola’s safety was possibly compromised just like Luke’s safety had been in Sorrento. Us Brits do like to ‘take the piss’ as I have stated previously, but who are the ‘Jecky’ group taking the piss out of at this point? Us, Jake or Nicola? Is it even funny anymore?

What I find most interesting from the weekend was Dylan Brady’s post on Instagram on Monday morning. A very good reader friend of mine pointed this out to me after I had discussed with her the image that Dylan took and posted of Jake stood in front of the Crucible Theatre. What stood out to me initially was the bright full moon being revealed behind a rolling cloud. The moon is bright and clearly visible. The Moon card in tarot often comes up in relation to Nicola and Luke and the adjacents. “The Moon is fundamentally a card about misunderstanding. Something remains unclear, making it hard to discern fantasy from reality.” To me the card signifies illusion, and I find it fascinating that Jake is pictured standing in front of such a visible full moon. The full moon last weekend was also a blood moon. There are two other Blood Moons following on September 7th 2025 and March 3, 2026. A total lunar eclipse is often called a Blood Moon as the Full Moon turns a reddish colour during totality. “These three Blood Moon Eclipses will tell a story, a story that usually involves some sort of shedding and release. Blood Moons tend to strip away all that is unnecessary, forcing us to peel back the layers to a greater truth.” (Forever Conscious.com). How interesting that Jake is stood in front of a blood moon on Saturday 15th March. So, could it be Jake’s full eventual truth will be revealed by 3rd March 2026? Did I just hear a collective groan from the Lukola’s? Don’t tell us we have to wait another year! Well, this is Jake’s truth, it has nothing to do with Nicola. She is not pictured here; she is not in Sheffield. Dylan (Jake’s rumoured boyfriend) took the photo.

Another interesting point to note is the statue of Mercury that is pictured above Jake’s head. “Sheffield Theatres today announce the reinstallation of the Lyceum theatre’s famous statue. On Monday 22 July, the figure of the Roman messenger god Mercury – affectionately nicknamed by theatre staff as ‘Freddie’ – was reinstalled atop the dome of the Lyceum Theatre.” (Sheffield Theatres.co.uk.) Mercury is the Roman God of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication (including divination), travellers, boundaries, luck, trickery, and thieves; he also serves as the guide of souls to the underworld and the "messenger of the gods". (Wikipedia). The words that are standing out to me are ‘messages’, ‘financial gain’, ‘trickery’. It is in my opinion that the real story of Jake Dunn is this photograph, it is who he is and the person taking it. Mercury is the messenger, and this photograph is sending a clear message. I’m not sure if Dylan is aware of astrology or the moon, but he was definitely intentional in posting this picture with a red love heart no less. He is basically screaming the truth, but certain people still aren’t listening.

It is interesting to note that Mercury was known for his promiscuous nature and for having many lovers and wives. He was not tied down to any one person. I often get this from my readings of Jake and that is why it hard for us as a fandom to pinpoint a definite lover for Jake. He is 25 (too old for my beloved Leonardo Dicaprio), but still young enough to sow his wild oats and live! I was doing the same at his age. If the Jakeholes honestly expect this young actor, with very little life experience to be an eligible match for our Nicola, you are sorely mistaken. Jake is no Lord Debling. It is in my opinion a relationship of transactions. Nicola helps Jake with his career and in exchange he gives her a plausible way of hiding her actual relationship. It is very clever, but no doubt extremely draining by this point for all parties involved.

So how will this saga end? Will Jake and Antonia take all they can from Nicola and Luke until there is nothing left? Will they successfully extract their pound of flesh? What will become of our Eros and Psyche? I wish I knew my friends. I wish I had all the answers. I am unfortunately not psychic, and I cannot predict what Nicola and Luke will do. What I absolutely do know is that we must not blame them in any way. They are human beings, and they are navigating things as best they can. All we can do is be patient, watch and listen and not try to extract our own ‘pound of flesh’ from them as a fandom. Let us be hopeful for our happy ending.

For never was a story of more woe Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

[odileeclipse]

I wonder how the Shadow Milk we know, his corrupted self–once the Sage of Truth, the passionate and patient tutor of the MC, would react to the Reader somehow interacting with Pure Vanilla, in one way or another. I honestly feel that deep down, he already feels jealous of what PV has in the game–the support, friends, etc., though of course their dynamic is much more complex and nuanced than that. PV and SMC are basically two sides of the same coin; Sage of Truth is also quite similar to Pure Vanilla in a lot of ways, too. And so that makes me think of the possible reactions corrupted!Shadow Milk could have when he sees the MC interact with Pure Vanilla–someone who is so much like his past self. A version of himself he's left in the past, so long ago. This is just me rambling, but I've been THINKING. Sage of Truth would be so proud of me guys /j

Sage of truth would 100% be super proud of you in fact he is I can confirm it as canon.

But for this yes, in fact you can't blame me if the reader sees glimpses of him in Pure Vanilla so much so that the reader finds themselves falling into a similar dynamic with pure vanilla except pure vanilla is a lot more forward he carries himself so much differently but both of them well at some point both of them both cared most about spreading good will and intentions to all.

I love the rambling it really gets me thinking about everything and allows me to structure the story better because these characters are genuinely so complex.

[midnight1nk]

How is fish related to this? 😭😭

Congrats, you unlocked the significance of the black goo's spiral symbol! 🎉

...wait what?

I'll get to the fish part dw. Every design detail the Team has made was completely intentional, whether they knew it at the time or not. The simple glowing symbols of the black goo explain narrative themes, why 4 is the goo's host, as well as other things. Out of all the ones here, the swirl was the most convoluted symbol I had to deal with. Let's start with the obvious meaning of these spirals:

Hypnotism — obviously, it's 4 being possessed by the keyboard itself. But it can also mean in a different sense, 4 is being lured to the idea of the perfect video. And yes, while he was possessed for the most part, he was still in there. (and you can interpret it by how the spiral isn't exactly fully drawn.)

Creativity and Imperfections — I think we are very much aware of how 4 is an artist, aside from being a content creator. Y'know how (mostly traditional) artists struggle to make a perfect circle first try. The truth is, no one can. Even with the best-looking circle, it'll never be perfect. So think of these spirals as harsh "attempts" to make a circle, for 4 trying to be perfect. But in the end, there is no such thing as perfection, which fits with the movie themes.

Well, that's what I have at least, the most concrete. As for the rest, it's going to sound insane but I promise that it works. Buckle up and put on your tinfoil hats for this one. Ok so, hear me out: astrology

You should know anything about me is that I have this giant book of semiology, the study of symbols and their significance in human affairs. During my research, I've seen two zodiacs that resemble a lot like the spiral:

Cancer ♋️

Obviously, one half of its symbol looks similar to the spiral, but its zodiac personality fits 4 and IGBP in some way. to quote:

"Nurturing and loyal, Cancers are also protective of their loved ones. While reserved, they stand on a foundation of strength – and aren't afraid to act when they feel it's necessary. Cancers are also known to be an emotional — and moody — sign....Cancers take pride in their work — and more than a little part of them wants to be the best at it. They are motivated to work hard not only because of personal satisfaction, but so they can support their loved ones. In the sign, [the crab] translates to creative, artistic and intuitive minds, with the power of (sometimes psychic) perception."

While Cancer was pretty solid, it wasn't what caught my attention.

Pisces ♓️

Ofc the symbol itself has no spiral but for its constellation form, there are a lot of depictions have 2 fish circling each other, similar to the yin-yang symbol. (Now, in the goop!4 theory itself, "two sides of the same coin" is a big part when talking about character/narrative parallels. 4 and Mr Puzzles, 4 and 3. While they may act upon similar hopes/dreams, they are different people too.) Sometimes, it's only depicted as one fish.

It might be a stretch to say this spiral is a VERY simplified version of the fish's form but the zodiac significance is quite interesting, quote:

"Pisces are highly creative and imaginative as well as compassionate and loving. Their emotional sensitivity factor is high, helping them to remain in tune with others but also leaving them vulnerable to criticism, worrying a lot about the effect that their actions might have on others. They sometimes put their own needs on the back burner to make sure others are happy. Their intuition helps them guide others often effortlessly. They can also be self-deprecating, which can cause them to underestimate their worth. It may take a lot of work from their friends and family members to convince them they deserve respect and care."

Now, doesn't that sound familiar? That's literally 4 in IGBP, and even beyond that if you think about it. A lot more fitting than what Cancer had.

This might be nice and all, but is it actually proof?

It can, if we correlate the zodiac to a specific date. Yes, we're going to calculate the stars on this one, and it's a good thing yours truly is an astronomy girly to have planetarium software.

Now, for this to work, you have to be very precise on location and time (to its very second). Everyone has a different view of the constellations and stars shift over the years. So, it won't be easy to take any date related to SMG4, such as Luke's birthday, and plug it in. But one date did work:

May 8 of 2011 at 03:15:19 UTC (Sydney, Australia)

If if this date sounds any way familiar to you, then you already know the cake is a lie. That's right, the channel's first ever video, "super mario 64 blooper short: The cake is a lie!" At the same time it was uploaded, right there in the visible sky, it's Pisces.

And if that SOMEHOW doesn't convince you, then let me ask you: (excluding the 3 & 4 episode) What was the meme 4 obsessed over an episode after the Puzzlevision movie?

Yep, a fish.

Everything from the true PV arc, ever since IGBP, is going to come back full circle. To the monstrous Pit, to the Showgrounds, to the channel's very first episode.

Did the Team absolutely plan this? Probably not.

Have I gone insane? Yeah.

But hey, it is a theory after all.

thanks for the ask! and for joining the QnA! [link]

[esper-eclipse]

goro akechi and teruki hanazawa

[asagewitch05]

First of all- DAMN MY HEART ON THIS-

Second- I actually really like to see and play around with the idea that the Grayson's weren't great parents. However, all Dick has to remember them by is Robin, his acrobatics, and whatever else he can keep in his head. Thus, he ends up romanticizing/not really seeing how tragic his childhood was- especially if you add into account the Court of Owls.

Which I think would lead to an interesting (and I think underutilized) dynamic/parallel between him and Damian.

Disclaimer- I haven't read the comics, or watched any of the movies, so if it's inaccurate, feel free to correct me.

But, Damian has been training since he was little. Like, before he could walk little. And if Dick was only starting training a little bit later, then.... Well they both grew up with an enormous expectation on their shoulders- the heir to the Demon's Head and Batman, and the Flying Grayson's third member- and no one to tell them that this wasn't okay.

Dick definitely has issues with perfectionism in his own actions, but I think Damian does too. They both are terrified of failing expectations and hide behind masks- one playful, one sharp.

It's like two sides of the same coin. And while Batman didn't cause all of Dick's problems, he didn't help. And, well, he is half of Damian's pressure.

Just some food for thought really.

I was thinking about the last comics that came out, and... I have two thoughts that have nothing to do with each other, but I'm going to mix them up here anyway.

First, It makes perfect sense that Dick h has the blood type that can give the most, but receive the least. (Empathy: It means you give blood until there is nothing left to bleed).

A long time ago, I had read a fic where Bruce commented on this, actually. I don't remember the name because it wasn't from ao3, but I want to look it up again sometime.

Dick told Bruce that he wasn't his son (because he wasn't adopted), but when something happens, and Dick needs a blood transfusion, Bruce is the donor.

Clark and Bruce are talking, and Bruce tells Clark that there is only one person in the League who can donate blood to Dick... Bruce himself, since they both are O-

He tells Clark that Dick has more of his blood than John Grayson's running through his veins. That's his kid, his son.

Which brings me to my second thought, which is that Dick's parents, according to the new issue that came out, had him training 10 hours a day from the age of three.

A typical workday is usually 8 hours a day, and many adults find it tiresome.

Dick has been training 10 hours a day since he was 3 years old.

And he seems to think this is okay, or something to be proud of.

Also, there's another comic where Dick says he sometimes wishes he was just a kid, watching the show, not being part of it.

And it's terrifying to see how this is always overlooked, how his situation is romanticized. Like, there's talk that Bruce should have done better, that he shouldn't have let a kid take such risks, that if he loved him he wouldn't have let Dick be Robin...

What about his biological parents? Mary and John?

I firmly believe that his parents loved Dick, I really do. But I also think they are simply terrible parents.

Sure, at that time it was normal for children to work in circuses with their parents, for acrobats not to have safety equipment... But the Graysons were known for going further. For their extremely dangerous stunts.

And Dick trained that since he was 3 years old.

Even in the older comics, where it's not specified that he's been training since that age, even if it had been since he was 7 or 8, it's still horrible. He was a kid. He should have been among the children in the crowd, not up there risking his life.

Shit, his parents should have used a net just to have a chance of surviving, to live for their son.

Maybe the trapeze act was their way of showing love. Maybe it was all they knew. Maybe they just wanted to share their life with their son.

But still, Dick shouldn't have been exposed to that. What if he was the one who fell, not them? How would they live with it?

Also, what psychological consequences did Dick suffer? They are always attributed to Batman, but were they really due to his time with him?

Sure, being Robin meant doing your job well or dying... But being an acrobat did too.

Dick always lived with the thought that if he does something wrong, he will die, that someone he loves will die.

It's no wonder he's a perfectionist, as much of a "control freak" as Batman himself.

It would also explain many things, such as the type of response he has. When you face a dangerous life of constant stress, your body loses its ability to react normally to stress, even if it's because of small things like an exam or something even less important. Adrenaline is pumped anyway, because your body recognizes the situation as a survival situation... And it makes you addicted to adrenaline.

Damn, even his heart stopping in the last issue makes sense if we could connect the dots.

They're two totally separate things for two separate comics, I know. Just... Damn.

[hawnks]

You're jealous. It makes you lash out, makes you meet Keigo with claws and teeth and cruel, irrational accusations.

You pack a bag after your last big blow up, shame dogging your every move. A week. Maybe a little more. However long it takes you to stop feeling like a monster, to rein in these dark impulses that have taken hold of you.

He stops you at the door with a firm grip around your arm. Looming over you, leaning down until he's in your space.

"Why?"

How can you even respond. Why? Isn't he angry with you? Doesn't he see how unreasonable you're being?

You tell him the truth. "I'm embarrassed, Keigo."

His hold on you tightens. "So you're running away?"

"I'm not--" You let out a long breath. "I just need to calm down. Get a hold of myself."

"You can do that here. At home."

You tug. He doesn't release you.

"I don't want you to see me like this."

His expression turns stormy.

"You want to keep secrets from me?" You can't even question this before he's continuing, eyes amber bright and sharp as he pulls you further into his space. "You don't want me to see you what --jealous? Don't I have a right to know? Don't I deserve to be with you for this? We're lovers, and you still want to hide pieces of yourself from me?"

Trembling, you let yourself be drawn back into the penthouse. You couldn't fight him even if you tried.

He sets you on the bed, so he can push you down, curl up on top of you, all around you. Caging you in.

"There," he says. "You're not going anywhere. Would it help if I told you about all the times I wanted to kill anyone who touches you? How about how I want to lock you up, forever and ever? I can show you the collar I picked out, if that would make you feel better." He leans up so he can nibble your ear, whisper, "Or you could put it on me, if you want."

[im-here-homie]

Been thinking a lot about @cryptidmickle 's amnesia au

[cafefiorentini]

izutsumi and laios being friends. me and my 26 year old coworker

[little-linda]

COME ON 😭😭😭😭 ok first of all, putting the last yuri against the soulmates that are Valvert is EVIL.

But also helloooo VALVERT SWEEP

Come ooon. Eposette is a sweet ship but guys. VALVERT. Main characters. Two sides of the same coin. Two halves of a whole Vidocq. They have "Seize and devour". The Paris edging. "Punish me Monsieur le Maire"??? The Barricade scene? They even die in span of the same year like freaking kakadus, how much more soulmates does it get?

Vote for the old men. Can’t have the twinks winning everything (which they will if we don’t keep the old men in the race)

Les Mis Shipping Showdown: Quarter Finals

Learn how to steal this poll here!

valvert art by @littledozerdraws

eposette art by @skepsies

[thechaoticrow]

so we all know about “who the hell is jordie?” “someone i trusted. someone i couldn’t afford to lose”, right, but what we forget is the significance of kaz calling jesper ‘jordie’. it’s not just that jesper is a brother to him- jordie was kaz’s protector. jordie was the 13 year old that protected kaz and who kaz protected, the goofy one who made him smile and bought him hot chocolate at night. he felt safe around him. he trusted jordie with his life. in calling jesper ‘jordie’, kaz shows that subconsciously, he trusts jesper to protect him, that he could turn to him should he need it. and every time he yells at jesper, the gambler who couldn’t stay out of the red, for losing another bet, getting in debt again, all he can see is that same thirteen-year-old boy, swindled out of everything he owned and left for dead on the street. with every word he yells at jesper, he silently urges him to stay alive. with every bet jesper makes, all kaz can think is “i can’t lose a brother. not again.”

[justaz]

oh hot take for people to ignore bc its not that deep, ship what you want, but merthur physically cannot have a third. i think that's literally impossible. they're so inextricably bound to one another that it's always going to be MERTHUR and that person...i guess. like. merlin and arthur are always going to chose one another above everything. i just. don't think being their third would be fun. unless you just wanna watch. i guess.

[valiantothello]

This interpretation really has my heart. Seeing Bruce make his vow not because of some arbitrary moral reasons but because he sees himself in ZUCCO and not Dick and fully realises the ability he has to hurt people like how Dick and his parents were.

Lemme walk you through my thought process here.

Bruce and Zucco come from the same tax bracket. The same luxurious homes, the same neighbourhoods, the same status and ethnicity and privilege.

And in the first iteration of Dick's introduction Zucco RAN gotham city like how Bruce was this influential philanthropist even way back when he was just a millionaire and not a gazillionaire.

So we have two sides of the same coin here, right?

So, what does he have in common with Dick that he doesnt have even MORE so with the likes of Zucco?

Tragedy. Thats all.

It's like this, Bruce protected the city through violence and the killing of people he thought didnt deserve to live.

Zucco ravaged the city through violence and killing people he thought didnt deserve to live.

So, tell me. Who could Bruce REALLY truly see himself in? The kid who faced the death of his parents like him or the guy who mirrors Bruce in everything but intention?

As such, by vowing not to kill when making Dick Robin, Bruce USES his privilege to protect gotham and as such never allows himself to become Zucco. Never allows himself to be a man who kills people who doesn't follow the rules he sets for the town he lives in with no regard as to how others many feel about said rules.

By Bruce swearing the oath WITH dick which is so so so key here i feel, unlike in later iterations which has him loom over Dick as he swears fealty to him like a dog to its master, they both swear themselves servants to GOTHAM as a whole.

It's justice and chivalry and heroism and a fairytale. It's a fight against exploitation (for Dick) and a fight against corruption (for Bruce). Its Bruce seeing this tiny kid and thinking I'm not going to become someone who hurts and kids like this him. Kids like ME!

It's Bruce learning class consciousness I feel.

And Its REALLY all thanks to @internal-ethics here on tumblr who came up with the brilliant meta of Bruce seeing himself in Zucco and not Dick. Shoutout and kudos to them they live rent free in my mind.

Batman Robin and Candles

(Detective Comics #33, Detective Comics #38)

Thinking about the first days Batman and his serial killer rampage across Gotham (he killed like nine people). About how he vowed to avenge his parent's murder by a random crook by warring on all criminals.

And then how Bruce met a little orphan at a circus and changed his tune to fighting corruption and "never swerving from the path of righteousness". And Batman never killed again.

(Dark Crisis #7)

And they brought this vow back up. Even Bruce's vow how it helped him as a child. But they didn't explore the implications enough here. That candle represented a promise to justice. What Bruce is saying here is yes the candle was there but the candle itself didn't matter. He was making a promise to Dick Grayson to never sway from the path of the righteous. Batman made a vow to Robin.

The candle was what they physically swore on but every time Bruce looked over at Dick he was and is reminded about his vow to fight corruption and be righteous.

I want someone to ask Batman why he doesn't kill and to tell them he made a promise to his son that he wouldn't. I want a bitter angry debate about a promise Bruce made a child overriding the reality of how terrible the villains are. Of what 'the path of righteousness' means.

Also, it would kind of go crazy for Bruce to look Jason in the eyes and say he was responsible for protecting Jason and he's so so sorry he failed but he has never and will never be responsible for avenging him or anyone else ever again.

[plorpl]

Where’s that text post that’s like “Wilson is kind, gentle death and House is rough, painful life” because first of all, GO OFF; second of all, I have more to add:

House is justice; Wilson is clemency.

House is harsh truth; Wilson is comforting lies.

House is abrasive idealism; Wilson is resigned realism.

House is spiky vulnerability; Wilson is velvet guardedness.

House is constructive cruelty; Wilson is destructive kindness.

House is focused passion; Wilson is diffuse romance.

House is a gleeful perpetrator; Wilson is a willing victim.

House is self-sabotage; Wilson is self-sacrifice.

[buttercupshands]

I've been thinking a lot lately

ref to the quote under the cut

under the cut for maybe some people that would like to try and guess *shruggs*

[promisedhexvens]

Having a friend like Tobias back in her life certainly felt like something which she needed. She didn't have to worry about anything. She could simply just be. They knew each other well enough to know how each other ticked. "I will bear that in mind. Thank you. Though I do not ever wish to trap you in something which you don't want to do." She was sure that there would be something. She would work it all out. But she truly appreciated his offer. Especially knowing that the two of them were like two sides of the same coin. They longed to be free. "I'm sure that I can help distract them if needs be." She smirked. She'd do just about anything for Tobias, after all. "I will do absolutely anything you need me to do." Josephine smiled. "Name it."

Given the circumstances he’d returned home, a friendly face was the furthest thing he expected but speaking with Josie he fell so easily back into something comfortable that you could only do with a true friend. “If you ever are in desperate need of that sort of thing, I am more than happy to be the rebel that allows you to live the life you want.” Arrangements were made with less thought, but he still didn’t want to be wed to anyone. That would tie him deeper into society, something he wasn’t ready for yet and was still too angry to start. “I would hope I can escape at any point, but my father has paid handsomely for a watchful eye to ensure that doesn’t happen,” with a subtle nod he gestures to the person watching him. “As if I could make a run for it in the middle of this,” he laughs but takes the opportunity to straighten up his sleeves to ensure the marks of his past hidden. “Maybe I could outrun him with your help!” A joke but he thinks its about time for one.

[beargyufairy]

Another version of me