#I'm definitely not saying that

[reasonsforhope]

Sometimes you just have one of those moments where the progress we've made as a culture get thrown into stark relief. You look at something and go "Holy shit, that would never have happened when I was a kid."

Today, I had one of those moments when I realized that the teenage boys I'm working with are just. genuinely, openly enthusiastic about going to Build-a-Bear for their outing.

These are sixteen and seventeen year old boys! They just had a whole conversation about what to name their "cute", mostly new squishmallows! They're genuinely excited that they're going to Build-a-Bear this weekend and asking other kids to pick up specific accessories for them!!

Holy shit, that never would've happened when I was 16. None of the boys would have dared to be visibly interested - and neither would most of the girls! There would have been a million gay jokes and "Haha, you're a girl" jokes and "What are you, a baby?" jokes. Teenagers weren't even supposed to care about anything back then!

Less than 15 years later, and I'm watching three 17 year old boys treat all that as not even worthy of comment.

So let's call that a reason for hope. Even when the kids aren't alright, in some ways apparently they are alright. Go Gen Z, honestly. It's so lovely to watch you guys just openly doing and saying stuff that, when I was a teen, would've been a social death sentence.

#obligatory disclaimer that this really really obviously is not universal #I do live in a major progressive city #there's definitely a level of a liberal bubble effect here #but it's still really powerful to see it #because even in a major liberal enclave there were so many limits on the gender roles and homophobia etc. etc. fronts #and also the limits of the oppressive weight of obligatory teen apathy lol #seriously go gen z. so glad you guys decided cringe is dead. I love you for that so much #and I love it for you #not news #life #hope #homophobia #sexism #teens #teenagers #progress #gen z #btw if it wasn't clear I'm a #millennial #plush toy #plushie #squishmallows #build a bear #stuffed animal #like the idea of almost any teenager much less teenage boys #saying IN FRONT OF THEIR PEERS #that they are excited about their STUFFED ANIMALS #when I was a teenager #????? #cannot imagine that ever happening.

[tagerrkix]

rage.

#welcome to today's episode of “me trying to draw 76 different emotions at once” #rage+grief???sorrow??? anguish????? #hmmmmmmm #definitely pain #and a hint of fear #no but like he's angry but there's sadness underneath you get what i'm saying #the kind of rage caused by something that left you traumatized and you just can't stop thinking about how unfair it was #like “i didn't deserve this nobody deserves this” kind of rage #well anyway #i don't even care about anatomy at this point #just let me see how much i can distort the face and still have it somewhat resemble the character #didn't mean to draw him crying again but my hand slipped oops #astarion #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 astarion #baldurs gate 3 #astarion fanart

[egophiliac]

this is basically what happened, right?

(these guys are very lucky that everyone at NRC 1) has the combined intelligence of a sack of bricks, and 2) is easily distracted by shiny things.)

#art #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland spoilers #stage in playful land #stage in playfulland #these two are SO sleazy and i am utterly delighted by them #can't wait to find out their tragic backstory in approximately 3-4 weeks! #fortunately i have like a month to figure out how the heck to draw their hair (spoiler: i will never figure it out) #also. god. i love it whenever leona accidentally reveals his Mom Side. #he doesn't care about any of this but he WILL be tagging along to make sure no one else gets into trouble #once again he has to be the Responsible Adult and he hates it. the whimsical hat weighs heavy upon his head. #anyway this is me so excuse me while i now talk about diasomnia for three hours #but lilia being all 'kids gotta have some adventure in their lives!' is hilarious #specifically because you know silver would NEVER. #100% silver not only never snuck out but he always went to bed on time AND brushed his teeth AND flossed even when nobody made him. #lilia: aww but you should be enjoying your youth! >:c #silver: i am. i enjoy being respectful and disciplined and honoring you as my father. #lilia: #lilia: maybe i'm TOO good at raising kids #you know i was going to say none of his kids would be involved in this but i actually think malleus definitely would #he would not see it as a moral quandry though. he would just be excited to be invited along. #(the only reason he isn't there is because he was busy admiring a termite-infested beam somewhere and yuu didn't get a chance to ask him) #i mean MAYBE if lilia as his single authority figure told him no then he would have some reservations #but lilia's the one who's screaming HELL YEAH LET'S SNEAK OUT AND DEFY AUTHORITY while dabbing so moot point there #sebek would never and he would rat on everyone else. unless malleus is going in which case he's already there. #and i guess if everyone else is going silver probably would too #but he'd. y'know. feel conflicted about it.

[demigods-posts]

i've been thinking about that scene in ep 3 when annabeth apologizes to percy before pushing him into the lake. and on the surface, it seems like she's apologizing in advance for her actions. but what if she's actually expressing sympathy toward percy for how his life will change once his father claims him? once he has to suffer through the same torment as thalia did? once he becomes the outcast amongst the group of demigods who understand his struggles but will do little to help him through it?

#what annabeth said: i'm sorry. #what annabeth meant: #“i'm sorry for forcing you into this situation but you can't run from destiny” #“believe me when i say I've tried” #“believe me when i say that someday you'll have to single-handedly save the world” #“and us demigods may not be standing next to you when it comes time” #“well i definitely will be there” #“but i won't make it easy for you seaweed brain” #“now get up and fight hero” #pjo #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo text post #pjo headcanon #percy jackson #annabeth chase #percabeth #percabeth headcanon #percabeth agnst #she knows and i know she knows

[knifearo]

i hate the concept of platonic and romantic as a binary i hate the concept of platonic and romantic as a sliding scale of "less" to "more" i hate the concept of platonic and romantic as the only two options i hate the concept of platonic and romantic as significantly different things i hate the concept of platonic and romantic as all encompassing i hate the concept of platonic and romantic as the two halves of a shallow concept of love that doesn't actually encompass anything at all i think we need to overhaul every popular conception about "types" of love so we can talk about things that are real and true for once

#in conclusion. alloromantics stfu up about love challenge #hate using the term platonic so much actually. cause even if it has a definition that is what it Should mean #you know that people don't actually think about it that way. #you say 'platonic' and you might Mean an all-encompassing love. but how it's interpreted is shorthand for 'just friends' #so like. the word platonic isn't Really for me is it :| #platonic gets presented like a consolation prize for aro people no matter where you turn #but fundamentally rn it comes from a concept of platonic and romantic as the two kinds of love #where platonic is for family and friends and nothing More. #and romantic is for the relationships that overhaul all else #so 'aros can still feel platonic love!' ok. what if it's not platonic as you know it though. #'oh then it's romantic!' k but it's not romantic either. will your framework explode if i say that #'aros can still feel platonic love!' why do you say that like it's a second-best option and expect me to identify with it... #again. platonic might Actually mean smth i experience. but it won't be Heard that way. do you get what i'm saying #i don't experience 'platonic blurring into romantic' cause i will never feel romantic love actually. those lines are still blurring though #ummmmm in conclusion. killing and biting #aromantic #aromanticism #aroace #arospec #talking

[wildflowercryptid]

please enjoy my analysis of these two's dynamic bc i can't stop thinking about them.

bonus w/ their actual in-depth feelings on their dramatic ass divorce :

i also feel like i should clarify what i mean by "florian's main goal." in mjverse, (aka my interpretations of the game's universe,) florian & juliana are siblings and essentially act as co-protagonists. while juliana is the more talented battler of the two and ends up serving as the main protagonist of the victory road & starfall street storylines because of that, florian wants to become a pokémon professor so he focuses on helping out arven in the path of legends storyline while filling out the pokédex. the only reason why he's a competent trainer is so that he doesn't get completely bodied by wild pokémon in the midst of doing field research. and yes, knowing that probably ends up making kieran's complex about his own skills as a trainer even worse.

#NOT TO DUMP A BUNCH OF TEXT BUT UH. HERE. #hopefully this is still readable despite that ajshfj #i'm gonna schedule this so i might not be up when i goes up btw! #it's fun to draw these two i'm excited to do it more :) #btw yes florian still has a crush on kieran but it's.... complicated for obvious reasons #kieran had also started to develop a crush on florian but those feelings are kinda up in the air after everything that happened #(he'd definitely still say some shit that'd make carmine & the bb league go 🤨🏳️‍🌈❓ even while he's in his villain era tho) #okay i'm gonna shut up & go sleep bye bye #pokemon #pokemon scarlet and violet #pkmn scarvio #pokemon florian #trainer florian #pokemon kieran #rival kieran #tealmaskshipping #ship : florian & kieran #chara : florian russel cavallari #chara : kieran hinoki #mjverse #🎨 : mj draws #scarvio spoilers #sv dlc spoilers

[dumbfilmschoolkid]

no fucking way

major greek news channel used kojima’s insta photos saying he’s the man who killed the former prime minister of japan. i am not joking.

#it has less to do with racism i think and more with the fact that they wanted to show he was 'obessed' with che guevara #definitely on purpose is what i'm saying #hideo kojima #shinzo abe #japan

[saltpepperbeard]

gnawing on my arm because i think there's something to be said about how stede not only dreams about himself with a beard, but ed with his full beard back too. like, the dream seems to be riddled with imagery that he thinks ed would want.

and i say this especially because of how stede reacted when ed had to shave his beard. he freaked out on his behalf. he shrieked in horror whereas ed was entirely unbothered. he feared he had ruined him, had dragged him down to some despicable level, when in actuality, ed was completely content to shed that part of his persona.

and then there he is dreaming about ed with that part right on back.

so there's very clearly still a part of his mind that's convinced that's what ed wants. because why wouldn't he? everyone else seems to. and why would he want the softness and femininity stede had been bullied for his entire life?

which in turn plays into his own imagery too. bearded, masculine, fiercesome, rugged...

because how could someone love what everyone has hated him for? how could someone want what everyone has tried to quite literally beat out of him?

#OFMD #OFMD Season 2 #OFMD S2 Spoilers #Gentlebeard #Blackbonnet #Edward Teach #Stede Bonnet #Revenge Rambles #ALSO #I SAY ALL OF THIS TO SAY #I really REALLY hope they have a conversation about it #Because Stede clearly has some issues going on with his self-worth still #He's getting BETTER #But he's definitely still having issues #And I really hope I'm on the money when it comes to that one shot where Ed seems to be looking at him drinking/partying in Spanish Jackie'z #And is looking TROUBLED #I keep envisioning an exchange where Ed is like 'Well this is...different' #And Stede cheerily goes 'Ah yes. Trying something new! Do you like it?' #And Ed looks him dead in the eye and goes 'Do YOU?' #Also it kills me how they're both sort of having the same issues just in different fonts #Ie Ed worrying that he's unlovable how he is #And Stede ALSO worrying that he's unlovable how he is #They both want to change parts of themselves/shy away from parts of themselves #When in reality both of them love each other for who they really are #AND I HOPE THEY HAVE A CONVERSATION CENTERED AROUND JUST THAT #I HOPE THAT'S WHAT AAAALLL OF THIS IS BUILDING TO

[im-just-as-sane-as-you]

From this:

To this:

#There's so many I've definitely missed a lot but these are what came to mind #I was gonna add in movies but kept to tv shows otherwise I'd be here forever #feel free to add on #superwholock #good omens #the sandman #amc iwtv #bbc merlin #ofmd #heartstopper #wwdits #I'm totally saying something without saying it

[allgremlinart]

see the REAL reason they killed off Jet was because if he lived and he got the required Southern Raiders-style field trip episode with Zuko they would have like just killed the guy. like no this time actually we're killing the guy. yeah nobody is learning anything its just murder in this one. and also because theyyyyy would have had horrible gay sex about it too. him and you know. the two of them.

#like Zuko knows who Colonel Monke is too like he's seen him before. he could definitely find and kill him. #is all I'm saying. like RIP Jet you would have LOVED to kill the guy who murdered your family with #that twink who you begrudgingly have to work with now. but nooooo internal bleeding. sad ! #jetko

[francy-sketches]

weird little guy

#asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #valyrianscrolls #joffrey baratheon #my art #idk I just wanted 2 draw baby joffrey being weird and offputting. likely place for him to be #when you're so mad at your dad you dissect his fursona #I <3 giving asoiaf characters cute little plushies of their house sigils idc if it's anachronistic #little baby joffrey makes me sad to think about he's my eraserhead baby...I could be a good mother...I could still save him :( #ok maybe not but I could definitely be a better father than robert I'd give him litte pats on the head and say 'I'm proud of you sport' #I could not save him but I could love him </3

[crabsnpersimmons]

I love the art you drew of DCA wearing a raincoat!! 💗💗

And this is a small gift! ( •͈‎ ̫ •͈ ꢏ💝ꢖ

Haruka!! THIS IS BEAUTIFUL! THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I'VE EVER SEEN! YOU'RE AMAZING!

I love love love everything about your art! The rainbow in the background! The ripples in the puddle below! The flowers and trees! The lighting! The little sun and moon in their raincoats and boots!! They look so cute in your style! And! You even incorporated the textures in moon's hat! Oh my gosh your attention to detail is amazing! Your art is such an inspiration!

I drew a little response from the boys:

The boys love it too! They haven't budged from the fridge all day! I'm not judging, I have this beautiful art set on my phone and my desktop wallpaper. It brings me so much joy! Thank you again, wonderful friend! ♥️♥️♥️

#fnaf sun #fnaf moon #fnaf dca #dca fandom #ahhhhh I can't say enough about how beautiful this art is! #just know that sun and moon's reactions are 100% my own reactions #I'm just in awe #I have amazing friends #I'm also glad so many of you enjoyed my little raincoat dca doodles #they just started off as a doodle to give me a boost during my course work #but you'll definitely be seeing more of them! #other people's art #crab art

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Alternative form of 'Hitting Wangxian with a Catboyification beam'

#poorly drawn mdzs #mdzs #wei wuxian #lan wangji #I don't have much more of an explanation to this other than 'i was struck by the vision and needed to create it' #They are both catboy coded. To me. On slightly different alignments of catboy but still. #LWJ is catboy: Fussy + bites and WWX is catboy: Stinky #Neither of them take well to being moved from their nap spot. #I love reading lying on my stomach and my cat just loves it. Hates being moved. We are locked in combat post any cuddle sessions. #I am a cat lover. I love them. They are Rotten little Stinkers. I love them #LWJ is like. *the* definition of 'cat that only likes those its in a bonded pair with. #The kind of cat that screams if it sees any neighborhood cats wandering outside. #wwx is a 'outdoor cat that wandered inside and became domesticated but NOT owned' kinda guy. #he is a menace on the local bird population and the only reason he's not dad to all the kittens is that he got fixed young. #UNLESS: the golden core transfer here was the balls (?) Animal control took JCs balls and WWX gave his up (????) #((I Also Don't Know What I'm Saying))

[agrebel18]

Nimona 🤝 Gwen Stacy: being Very Transgender/Not Cis to the point where you can’t separate it because it’s literally woven into their character arcs and even having trans flags surrounding them in some scenes yet some people only call it “coding” and “theories” purely because neither of them said “oh btw I’m transgender” on screen

#the fact that I'm cis yet I can tell the intention behind the flags everywhere and their arcs being about repressing their true identities #if y'all can't tell I'm gonna say you're fucking stupid #it's an intentional thing atp #also it DEFINITELY would've been cool for them to say that they're not cis on screen but they didn't need to because IT'S OBVIOUS #nimona #nimona movie #gwen stacy #across the spider-verse spoilers #spider-man: across the spider-verse #nimona spoilers #atsv spoilers

[soapsod]

little wip

#tim drake #my art #fanart #red robin #batfam #there’s something about the connection between Tim’s hypercompetence vs. his desire for affection that rly just Gets Me #like the cognitive dissonance between the desire to be independent & the desire to be cared about?? #wanting respect but also love & to be trusted but not forgotten?? #idk i have lots of feelings this time of year (and more time for comics than usual lol) #what i'm saying is that tim has definitely wallowed in his fair share of yearning #more to come later or maybe not #tim drake fanart #batfam fanart #dc fanart

[astrophilip]

i think a lot about how coming out has changed the way dan talks about phil. the basic label he applies to them hasn't changed — he (generally) maintains they're best friends first and foremost. the thing that has changed is how dan focuses on describing the nature of their relationship now, rather than just pushing its status. like yeah, phil is his best friend — but that's not even the point anymore. the point is what phil means to him. he's his soulmate, life companion, fellow immortal being / 4,000-year-old tortoise chewing grass and watching the sunset with him, etc etc. the metaphors can be hilarious, but the point is that dan places more importance on the metaphors now and what they're fundamentally saying rather than anything else. so if you wanted to know at a glance, an equivalent of their facebook relationship status would read "best friends" — but give dan a minute more of your time and he'll want to tell you what that really means.

#i care a lot about this #i'm just happy he feels comfortable saying things like that now #and he SHOULD. the beauty of their connection is what's most important - more than the definitions #dan and phil #dnp #dapg #dan and phil games #danandphilgames #my thoughts