#was sitting in my drafts for a year and a half...

[raziiyah]

this has been marinating in my drafts for long enough

[platoapproved]

[salamispots]

more various sea angel friend stuff

[raccoonstickses]

[creamiceandsugar]

the "law being haunted by people from flevance" wasnt even a new idea i had i did it for the WIP i still have of the lyric comic i'm making (i'm being optimistic i know it's been literal years) and it's still one of my favorite panels :)

[wartornrequiem]

motionless in white appreciation post, pt. v ↳ most played live [x] feat. 2000s muchmusic countdown nostalgia

[molinaskies]

The thing that bugs me about the many conflicts of interest that happen between sonic and shadow is that no one in the fandom seems to consider that the fact sonic was wrong doesn't mean shadow was right

This is such a good point. Say it louder for the people in the back!

Sonic and Shadow fundamentally butt heads because of how they both view their responsibilities to protect the world.

The most pointed example of this for me is the inciting incident in Sonic Prime. I’ve already said a while back that I think Shadow is equally to blame for shattering the crystal because he was the one who prevented Sonic from doing what he had to do. I got some pushback saying that Sonic was the instigator of Shadow’s aggression, but I have a hard time believing that when Shadow literally greeted Sonic with a punch. Yes, Sonic still made a lot of mistakes that I acknowledged in my original post, but Shadow immediately set the tone for that encounter and it was NOT positive. My point in bringing this up again is to say that they both fucked up, but Shadow, the show itself, and much of the viewers blame exclusively Sonic because Shadow somehow stole the moral highground.

More nuanced, however, is the discussion around Sonic’s moral code as presented in the IDW comics (which are canon to the mainline series, btw, if anyone didn’t know. They are the same picture).

In issue 7, Sonic and Shadow argue over whether Eggman should live freely as Mr. Tinker. Shadow states that Eggman deserves to pay for all the pain he’s put Sonic through (among the other harm he’s caused). While Sonic agrees, he hinges on the fact that Eggman isn’t around anymore. Sonic doesn’t want to punish Mr. Tinker because he doesn’t want to be an arbiter of justice.

Yes, Sonic was “wrong,” but was Shadow really right in this case? Everyone in-universe gets upset with Sonic for not knowing something he reasonably had no way of knowing (literally who tf would have predicted Starline? lol) but what they’re really upset with is the fact that Sonic didn’t mitigate the risk.

I really feel like you can’t ascribe moral boundaries to these things. One isn’t good while the other is bad and vice versa. It’s all shades of gray.

[il-predestinato]

FAVOURITE F1 SHIPS: BROCEDES

“We’re not friends.” - Lewis Hamilton

“I don't regret anything.” - Nico Rosberg

[liamstea]

sherlock: *handing over an ice-cream he's just bought for william* here you go

billy: oh, can i get one?

sherlock: go buy it yourself, you're a grown up man

[acediathemelancholy]

I want to discuss the Divine Comedy references for Mikuni and Lily in more detail because both of them descending an endless spiraling staircase is clearly a reference to Dante’s work. I wrote another post here, about how Mikuni’s decapitation stunt was intended to associate him with Bertrand de Born, a resident of the Eighth Circle of Hell - the resting place of those whose sin is Fraud. 

Dante divided the Eighth Circle of Hell into ten different levels or Bolgia.

For Bertrand to Born and Mikuni, their sin is sowing scandal and discord in religion, politics, and families (the Ninth Bolgia). The punishment for that was disfiguring wounds from a demon with a sword. (There are at least two characters that could fit that description, maybe three if Tanaka decides to go there)

Now Lily’s sin is also Fraud, but his sin is likely from a different Bolgia than Mikuni. Dante had his protagonist be guided by demons through the Eighth Circle of Hell. The demon that guarded the Fifth Bolgia was called Farfarello ("butterfly"). And the Fifth Bolgia was for people whose sin was using their positions in life to gain wealth or other selfish advantages. Their punishment was being thrown in a river of tar. 

So, as for what that means for Lily: it could be that someone used their social position in a way that led to Lily’s death or could be referring to how Lily used his own position in the Alicein House to fulfill his own personal goals. Knowing Servamp, where the humans that became the servamps are also victims of their own sin, it’s probably both. 

[sunforgrace]

ooo.... lady casito

[4x01 Lazarus Rising entrance set to Chromatica II/911 by Lady Gaga]

[rrrromeo]

some trc doodles cause i’m on my bullshit

[crowns-of-violets-and-roses]

Translation State

Anne Leckie returns to the world of her Ancillary trilogy for a second independent novel in the setting. This one rotates between three protagonists. An heir to an old family shuffled off world on a diplomatic mission to find someone who meant missing three hundred years ago (explicitly a sinecure - there is no expectation she makes more than a token effort to find them). An adoptive child working an ordinary job who finds he may be the descendant of the disposed ruling dynasty to a deceased station. Lastly and most interestingly a young translator one of a species created to server as an intermediary between humans and the incomprehensibly alien

The beginning of the book is attention grabbing. Each of the protagonists are interesting in their own way. After that initial burst of promise it never felt like it reached it's potential.

Getting a perspective from a Translator was great. They were one of the most interesting parts of the Ancillary books but the best chapters about that were all early in the book and the facts that a point of view was a translator felt less and less relevant as the story continued despite it being crucial to the climax.

By the end of the book the diplomat Enae's perspective became increasingly superfluousness. The other two protagonists are deeply tied in to the climax and Enae is also there.

My biggest complaint about the POV's is that we didn't get to see Reet and Qven's viewpoint after they matched. It would have automatically made me like the book a lot more if we saw that and it was even half decently executed.

It's not a book with surprising twists. It telegraphs everything. The first idea you have about what will happen will nearly always be what actually happens. It does this all well in advance of events happening. You can see plot points long before they actually eventuate. I don't need shocking twists but events happening exactly how you would have expected a hundred pages ago gets tiresome.

There's references to the setting's history but they feel like isolated events with no real connection to each other rather than a detailed fleshed out history.

The depiction of polities and how those with influence in them act was simplistic. Leckie only seems to view them at a very high level and an individual level and is blind to anything in between. A lot of the political beliefs of background characters are more like caricatures rather than what someone would genuinely belief. In other cases the beliefs are plausible but the manner in which the characters frame them or justify themselves rings false.

The arcs of the main characters are didactic and the book is equally opinionated about events that are only focused on in passing. We can never just be shown or told about something; we must be told what to think of it. Leckie's views aren't objectionable but the messages imparted aren't complex or novel. It often seems as if Leckie simply doesn't trust the reader to draw their own conclusions rather than her having something she feels is important to say.

All this combines to make the world feel wooden and hollow. A mere facade constructed by Leckie to attempt to wow the reader rather than a fully realized world.

I am being somewhat harsh here. This isn't a bad book. It's certainly better than the average SF novel but I see Leckie in general and this book in particular in the context of award nominations and accolades and it doesn't meet that standard.

Simplistic is the word I keep coming back to for it. The world, the non-POV characters and the messages it intends to impart all lack any real complexity. It was a reasonably enjoyable read albeit frustrating at times but ultimately not anywhere near as good as the accolades suggested.

[alilbatflies]

I wrote a short continuation of this amazing prompt by @thepenultimateword, which goes as follows:

“What are you doing?”

Alex jolted violently, nose still buried in the watermelon musk of Ben’s hoodie as they whirled around.

“Uhhh…”

Ben stared dryly between their open locker and Alex’s wide eyes.

Alex held the hoodie out in front of themself, face suddenly twisting in confusion. “Wait, a minute, this isn’t mine. Did I get the wrong locker?”

The scrutinized the numbers a few seconds before clapping their hand dramatically to their forehead. “Will you look at that, I’m in the wrong row! Sorry, Ben, I’ll see you later.”

Alex went to march away but was promptly caught by the collar of their shirt and yanked a couple stumbling steps backward. “You still have my jacket.”

“Oh.” Their cheeks burned with a mixture of embarrassment and displeasure. “So I do.”

They reluctantly let the soft fabric fall back into Ben’s long, scar-nicked fingers and bustled away before their coworker could ask something stupid like: “Why were you sniffing my clothes?”

They should have walked faster.

...

for sake of clarity and my sanity (seeing the word henchman so many times while editing nearly melted my brain), I named those two:

Henchman A = Alex, Henchman B = Ben

... ... ...

Avoiding someone who works for the same person as them was... Manageable. 

Alex would know, for they managed to avoid Ben for all of two weeks despite their shared tasks, appointments and whatnot. 

Were they caught sniffing Ben's clothes again? Not yet. At some point Alex assumed Ben knew and just rolled with it. Which was odd, since Ben never rolled with anything, spare the orders from their boss. 

And yes, they could just say your scent helps my powers calm so uh... thanks but wouldn't that just be the creepier? Openly admitting it wasn't Ben they were fixated on, but their smell? How fucked up was that.

Besides. A rational, well-mannered, unimpressed Ben. Getting their quirks and unexplained tendencies. Not happening.

Alex prepared for all alternatives, avoiding serious conversation and hiding behind excuses to leave the moment work was done. See that spider on the ceiling? Gotta go. Bye. It wasn't their best but it worked despite all the confusion that it caused.

What Alex did not factor with was outside of work. 

Much like seeing a teacher at a grocery store was odd, seeing Ben leaning against their apartment door hit them like a mirage. Not quite there. Not quite right. A miracle kind of pleasant surprises, except somehow out of place and chilling in its suspiciousness.

Ben nodded at them in greeting, unimpressed eyes focused with unfair intent. They meant business when they looked like that.

Alex was so screwed. 

“Good evening.” 

Alex's head reeled at the greeting. Deep and quiet, yet perfectly clear. Politely blank, just there. 

Manners, Alex. Your fucking manners.

“Evening,” was all they managed, searching for their keys. They had to find out what Ben was doing there. “Thought you lived downtown?”

“Thought we had things to discuss the boss doesn't need to be involved in.”

Alex's blood ran cold. They swallowed. It helped nothing. 

Ben tilted their head to a side. “Don't we?”

“I guess.” Alex was pretty sure their voice did something weird. They gestured inside once they managed to open the door. After you, except they didn't say it, because they would stutter for sure.

Ben slipped inside, waiting for them to pass by only to follow close behind. Maybe they didn’t know which flat Alex lived in exactly. Maybe they did but didn’t want to be obvious about it. Maybe they wanted to make sure Alex wouldn’t bolt.

Alex let them slip into their flat without comments. Their mind chanted a really not helpful chain of I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead.

“So.” Ben looked around curtly. They leaned against the door.

Alex considered inviting them further in. They also considered Ben’s stance and decided maybe Ben would take it as an attempt to avoid the conversation, and so they fiddle with the straps of their bag and waited.

The realisation that Ben was effectively blocking the way out really did nothing to calm them down.

“You’re avoiding me.” Ben tilted their head again, focused look studying every shift in Alex’s expression, no doubt reading them like an open book. “Is it because of the locker accident?”

Accident. Not on purpose. Alex nodded their head perhaps a little too vehemently.

Ben didn’t look like they were quite buying that. “What were you doing there?”

“Uhhh…”

One would think two weeks was a reasonably long time to think of an excuse. One would be wrong.

Alex did not have an excuse ready. There were really not that many plausible, normal-looking excuses for being addicted to someone’s scent.

Ben looked like they wanted to talk again. It startled Alex’s brain back into function. They didn’t think they could handle anything that came out of Ben’s mouth next.

“I have the same hoodie at home,” Alex blurted, “it just… smelled different.” Lies. “Different but good.” Oh gods, shut up.

Ben was staring into their eyes and somewhere behind, presumably scanning their soul and weighting how well they could hide their body from everyone and their absence from their employer.

“It uhhh… caught me off guard.”

“What about all the other times, then?”

Alex felt their soul leave their body. They know about the other times. They needed to sit down. They didn’t think they were getting such chance.

Ben let them suffer in silence. They reached into their bag, searching for something.

Alex closed their eyes, hoping that whatever it was, it would at least kill them quickly. I won’t have to clean the mess if I’m dead. It was a small reassurance.

“Here.”

Alex blinked. Their vision was not blurry and it was not tears. They blinked a few times and finally managed to focus on what Ben was holding out to them.

“Shampoo…” they managed weakly. It was two bottles… Watermelon scented shampoo and shower gel. They were smelling those clothes. Right.

“You could have just asked, you know?”

Alex laughed. It wasn’t an entirely comfortable laugh. Better than bursting into tears, they supposed.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m…” Alex realised, belatedly, that it was a really nice gesture. A solution. Ben was always good at finding solutions, but that didn’t mean they had to go out of their way and get Alex things instead of beating them up and threatening them to stop. It was a gift. Ben was being nice to them. “I’m alright.”

They were so not alright, although admittedly for a different reason than a few seconds ago.

“I’m not mad,” Ben said. “So, stop avoiding me.”

Alex nodded.

Ben looked like they wanted to add something, but then shook their head. They pushed away from the door and turned to leave, hand on the doorknob already when Alex found their voice.

“Surely you could uhhh... Stay back for dinner?” 

Ben's lips quirked into the tiniest of smiles. “I have a bus to catch.”

“…maybe you don’t.” You could stay here. With me.

Ben tilted their head in confusion. “And how else would I get home, silly?”

Stay, I’ll lend you a sleeping bag. Stay, there’s a spare blanket here somewhere.

“Right.” Alex nodded, backing off. “Right.”

Ben left through the door, and Alex absolutely did not think about the fact that the way they said silly sounded all too much like silly little thing, and how they would probably fall and never get up if Ben called them their silly little thing. Nuh-uh.

Alex kept thinking about the tiny smile. And the gift. They used it. It did smell like what they were used to. They missed the smell of something indisputably Ben underneath it, that little bit of their presence that stayed behind.

Alex kept thinking about little gestures and everything Ben made. They saw Ben once during a particularly bad magic moment and they did something so unavoidably Ben (like that weird shrug of shoulders) and Alex immediately calmed down and oh. 

Shit no. It might be more than just their smell after all.

Not to mention Ben was the villain’s best attack dog. Killing machine. Quite like the rest of them, except, well, much more dangerous. Alex kind of hoped Ben assumed their avoidance was based on some kind of fear of them after fucking up and ending in the wrong locker by accident instead of… whatever it was. However much they were not afraid of Ben. Maybe that was the issue from the beginning. If they were afraid like everyone else, they wouldn’t have bonded so well.

But then Ben went out of their way to fix it. As if that wasn’t the most gesture thing to happen to Alex in forever.

It was the smallest of gestures. It was the most thoughtful of gestures. Attempting to solve the situation instead of pushing in. 

Strangely, ironically, it was making Alex's craving worse.

Alex refused to think of all those utterly menacing and dangerously enchanting moments of Ben that they’d witnessed over their shared time together at work. Or outside of it. They thought of them anyway. They were so utterly, profoundly doomed. It wasn’t even funny.

They managed to stay in the clear for all of eight days after that, before they found themselves picking the lock of Ben's locker again. Breaking in. Like a creep. 

“Maybe they should just kill me instead of being so fucking endearing.”

Except they couldn’t find the hoodie this time. They ruffled through the bag and patted the notebooks and pens scattered over the upper shelf in the locker. Nothing. Just work stuff.

Alex had exactly two seconds to stare into nowhere and notice the steps stopping next to them.

“What are you doing?”

Alex flinched and slammed the locker closed, facing Ben on instinct. Their mouth opened and closed with no words to form—their brain was refusing to cooperate properly.

Ben was wearing their hoodie. Their hair was wet and they were holding both their bloodied uniform and towel, meaning they probably had been sent home to rest after killing someone.

Wish for death and dead you shall be. Except Ben’s expression was not murderous in particular.

Alex found themselves gravitating towards them. Before they came to themselves, they already stood close enough to Ben to touch. By the time they tried to jerk away, Ben was already holding their upper arm, keeping them steady.

“So,” Ben whispered into the silence between them, “what’s the matter?”

Alex wanted to say something. They really did. Instead, their magic tugged them forward and they buried their face in their shoulder.

Ben went still.

Alex inhaled their scent, calming and there. Their magic settled. They melted.

“Is it my hoodie?” Ben’s voice flowed quietly, almost from afar.

“…just you.”

“Sorry?”

Alex realized what slipped. They wanted to pull away. They wanted to stay close forever. They needed to leave. They needed to cling to Ben.

Their dilemma was solved by those strong fingers curling into the back of their shirt, pulling them closer.

“You might want to elaborate on that,” Ben whispered.

“I’m…” Alex was content with keeping their face hidden.

Ben was drawing circles on their back now. Oh dear. Not even their grandma could help them anymore.

“I might have a little problem, and… it’s you,” they mumbled into Ben’s shoulder eventually. “Except it’s not the appropriate sort of problem at all.”

“Well, lucky you then.”

Lucky you. And of course Alex was lucky, were they not? If it was the villain or one of their higher-ups, there would be far worse consequences, wouldn’t they?

“We might have a similar kind of problem.”

Alex felt their magic settle. Their brain stopped. Their breathing probably stopped, too.

Their heart did the exact opposite, galloping forth.

They tried to look up then, but their head was held in place and pressed back into the shoulder.

“Invite me over, hm?” Ben petted their head. “I won’t catch the evening bus.”

And Alex did.

[answrs]

something something Nimbasa Trio weaponizing their adoring fellow nimbasians for good (we hope) (helping emmet summon and then fistfight god) or inconveniencing authorities (fuck the police) (trying to stop them stealing sacred magical artifacts to summon and fistfight god)

bonus: ¿por que no los dos?

[stopthatfool]

in top gun meta hell rn. what the fuck am i doing in top gun meta hell. i don't think i'm supposed to be thinking so hard about this movie. it's not designed for this.