#isn't it fascinating???

[introspectivememories]

i think one of the reasons i really like bernard and darla is because they met him at a time when he wasn't robin. to me, tim drake has always felt like an amalgamation of robin and tim. and he's good at it y'know? being tim drake and robin but when bernard and darla meet him at grieves he can't be robin. he has to just be tim drake. and he's obviously struggling but he tries for his father. and that's so interesting to me because who is tim drake without robin? he obviously doesn't know either. and we see him explore this in urban legends. he even asks himself in urban legends, "who am i if i'm not robin?" and i don't think it's too much of a surprise that at the end of urban legends, when he's figured out what he wants, he chooses the boy who only ever knew him as tim drake.

#isn't it fascinating??? #tim drake who is always tim and a mask‚ and if he isn't robin‚ then he's drake or red robin or something else #and when then sits down‚ and takes a good look at himself and starts asking questions #who am i without the mask? what do i want in life? who is tim drake? #when he finally figures it out at the end of urb.leg and he realizes what he wants‚ he chooses the boy who only ever knew him as tim drake! #doesn't that make you want to start chewing on drywall???? #doesn't that make you want to sit on your kitchen floor and start rocking yourself as you sob???? #HE CHOOSES THE BOY WHOSE NEVER KNOWN HIM WITH THE MASK *wails* #also disclaimer i feel like i'm simplifying war games a little bit #and like i don't think he stopped being robin until like 2/3/4? months into the school year?? #but like for the sake of the post you kmow what i mean #dc #bernard dowd #timber #tim drake #timbern

[arabian-batboy]

Jason and Catwoman in 1986 vs Jason and Catwoman in 2023

#in all honestly the 2023 doesn't make sense considering that Selina is wearing heels #like she's not that short #isn't she like 5'7? #either way seeing the difference is so fascinating #Jason Todd

[salt-and-shade]

BARBENHEIMER - July 21, 2023

The most ambitious crossover event in history (artists cited under the cut!)

I hyperlinked the original posts to the artist handle wherever possible so go show the artists some love!! ROW 1: @JohnBeLucky on Reddit @anglespizza on Twitter (they made this for a class-iconic) @whovianrad on Twitter @shadowknightdk on Twitter @BossLogic on Twitter ROW 2: @rahalarts on Instagram @justralphy on Instagram @GrungiestBunny on Instagram, available as a poster here @envelopandkissme on Tumblr (I think? idk this one was hard to find) @shirtsthtgohard on Twitter, available for purchase here ROW 3: @omarg294 on Twitter (possibly not the original source) @raichu.copper on Instagram/@raichucopper on Twitter @galactic_psychedelia Instagram, available on Redbubble here @thesenatortheatre on Instagram (possibly not the original source) @nannymcghee on Tik Tok

ROW 4: Retro Travel Design on Redbubble @rahalarts on Instagram @stevereevesart on Instagram @jonattfieldart on Instagram @gringgieespons on Tik Tok

ROW 5: @BossLogic on Instagram/@BossLogic on Twitter @rahalarts on Instagram @nolanlounds Tik Tok @seanlongmore Instagram @Cornettogod on Twitter

ROW 6: @readfulthings on Instagram (aka Adam Perocchi) I cannot find this artist but you can buy the shirt here and here @moviemantis on Instagram (possibly not the original source, idk) Jason P on LinkedIn (ok career barbie!!) and finally, you can buy the shirt here

huge love to all the incredibly talented artists that put their work on the internet for free for all of us to look at, we love you!! (please sign/watermark your works though, the amount of art theft I found while looking these up made me sad for you)

anti-shoutouts: to google for nerfing their reverse image search with google lens (seriously-CHANGE IT BACK), to twitter for making it almost impossible to use the website after I deleted my account, and to basically no one on tik tok (or any other social media site for that matter) for crediting artists because that made tracking down the original posts so much harder than it needs to be :')

#barbie #barbenheimer #oppenheimer #barbie movie #barbie 2023 #margot robbie #cillian murphy #ryan gosling #fan art #movie art #movie poster #the art isn't mine but the collage is #the hype riding the marketing train has been fascinating #and now with the strikes hollywood is really going out with a bang! (pun intended) #embarrassing number of tags bc sorting these by aspect ratio to make a pretty grid took forever #ok this got more notes than I anticipated so I went back and cited the artists bc I'm not an asshole

[jakeperalta]

THE HUNGER GAMES APPRECATION WEEK → day 7: free choice

The Tributes maintaining their compassion and humanity (or, being more than just a piece in the Capitol's games)

#thgweek24 #the hunger games #thg #thgedit #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #tbosas #tbosasedit #creations* #hope this set makes sense. i just think it's soo fascinating how snow/gaul view the games as exposing human instinct as brutal and violent #and yet in every games we've seen glimpses of there's repeated instances of compassion #whether it's self sacrifice or honouring the dead or mercy kills. even in the most horrific circumstances where they're forced into violenc #the humanity that comes through despite it all isn't cruel it is caring #500*

[kerryweaverlesbian]

Castiel comes to Sam for advice about his crush on Dean but he obfuscates who he's talking about successfully because Sam doesn't know just how much he and Dean hang out without him.

Dean, obliquely trying to come out to Sam during a conversation about settling down: besides who would even want to date me long term. Cas is the closest thing I've had to a girlfriend in years.

Sam, casual and oblivious: I think Cas has a boyfriend.

Dean:...What????

Sam: yeah he told me about him. He's like a drummer or something, travels cross country a lot. I thought you knew? It's pretty serious, they've been together like 8 years I think?

Dean, seething with jealousy and horror: What's he like? Have you met him? What the fuck??

Sam, delighted to have more info on Cas than Dean does for once: Cas really didn't tell you? Well I guess that makes sense. I've always thought he and I share a more profound bond.

Dean: Sam.

Sam: Okay, okay. I haven't met him but from what Cas says, he's like, a real dork. Won't let anyone touch his CD collection, always brings up movie references no one has ever heard of- although it is Cas, who knows what his scale of normal movies is. He's good with kids, apparently.

Dean: sounds annoying.

Sam: ha! That's funny. I said he sounded like you, and Cas gave me a death stare. Yeah just like that one.

Dean: what does Cas want with a normie guy like that? And why didn't he tell me? There's gotta be something going on with this dude. This whole thing stinks. And - wait. Hold the phone. Cas is gay????

Sam: dude, you've met Cas, right?

Dean: shut up!!!! Keep talking. Where can I find this sonofabitch and how can we find out his intentions

Sam: well according to Cas he intends to be [cas impression] 'adorable and infuriating at the same time and succeeds on both counts'. Cas seems pretty happy with the guy, I think we should just be happy for him.

Dean, heartbroken and hiding it gruffly: yeah. I'm fucking ecststic.

#destiel #*zaps supernatural with my beam* sitcom NOW! #sitcomnatural #I love writing silly dialogue like this it's soooo fun. sam isn't stupid he just has Sam Plots happening whenever Cas confides in him #Castiel: he's got a psychosexual fascination with his car. Sam (actively fighting off lucifer in his brain): and he's in a band you say. #cawis creates

[deadliestpieceontheboard]

Kevin, the scathing diva

Thank you Jeremy Knox for providing me with this description

#I'm done for #reading this so slowly because everything fascinates me #aftg #tsc #the sunshine court #tsc spoilers #the sunshine court spoilers #i hope there isn't any tag i missed

[softmangoes]

how the LIs kiss

18+

pure!sydney's kisses are sweet, mouth soft and his tongue warm. he kisses you in the same way he savors the hard candies you'd slide over the library counter, slipping them into his hands just so your fingers could brush. when he pulls away, his glasses are foggy, a nervous smile on his face. "was that..." he says, blushing. "was that alright?"

corrupt!sydney's kisses are hungry. he's got his hands under your shirt and his tongue deep in your mouth. he's been waiting so patiently, after all, and now he finally has you to himself. "you taste divine, beloved." he says, fingers slipping under your waistband. when you sigh against his mouth, he smiles. "but i think it's time i have my dessert."

whitney's kisses hurt. they're full of teeth and bruises and blood and his nails digging crescents into your skin. whenever he crushes his lips to yours, he always makes sure to leave you aching. and like every fight you've had against him, you never come out unscathed. "there," he says, marveling at the fresh marks blooming along your neck. "now everyone will know whose slut you are."

kylar's kisses are desperate. his hands roam your skin as his mouth murmurs endless promises into the hollow of your neck. "we'll be together forever," he says, drunk on the scent of you. he presses his body to yours, eager to get closer, to envelope you in his embrace. to never, ever, let you go. "nothing will ever change that."

eden wastes no time when he kisses you. he has known the lean months of winter and the lonely days of fall. you cannot deny him the sweetness of spring. he bites into the curve of your neck like the first fruit of warmer days, licks at your lips to drink in your sweetness. but a hunter is always hungry, always wanting. "it's been a long day," he growls, deepening the kiss. when he takes your shirt in his hands, the fabric rips apart easily. "too long without you."

robin's kisses are warm. they're fingers running through your hair, a smile against your mouth. sunny days and lips that taste like fresh lemonade. he always laughs when he kisses you, like he can't believe he's doing this. like he can't believe he's yours. when he kisses you, the world is a little brighter. softer. "it's a beautiful day to be with you," he murmurs after he pulls away, pressing a peck to your cheek before taking your hand in his.

there is no way you can truly describe how the ivory wraith kisses you, but there is a note of familiarity to it. your mind conjures memories of kisses whispered in passing, of lips locked in darkened halls. "as sweet as ever," he hums, licking your lips with his cool tongue. "as sweet as always." the passing of centuries have done little else but make him yearn. the wraith, with his great and terrible beauty, kisses you like he's been waiting for you all this time.

#degrees of lewdity #degrees of lewdity fic #dol fic #sydney the faithful #sydney the fallen #whitney the bully #robin the orphan #kylar the loner #eden the hunter #ivory wraith #look i know ivory isn't a love interest but he is to me and we are married in cursed matrimony #anyway i am fascinated knowing that sydney has a sweet tooth and think he would just become so ravenous when corrupted #also eden tends to put pc's mending skills to WORK after he gets especially eager #my writing

[grassbreads]

I've been doing a lot of reading lately about the history of vampires in fiction and how the vampire as we know it today first entered literature, and the subject is honestly fascinating. The traditional folklore around vampires and vampire-like creatures is largely very different from what we'd think of as a vampire today, and it's also very different from how vampires appeared in even their earliest literary incarnations.

For one thing, there's nothing particularly alluring about most traditional vampires. They're bloated corpses that have crawled out of their graves, not dashing mysterious counts in lonely castles. They're not a particularly stylish or sexy monster.

However, from pretty much the moment that western literature first turned to the vampire myth for inspiration, writers saw something in the concept to sexualize. The poem "Der Vampir" (The Vampire) by Heinrich August Ossenfelder is often cited as the first ever true literary depiction of a vampire (published 1748!), and it is about a man corrupting a chaste and religious woman through his unwanted kiss/vampiric bite. John William Polidori's 1819 short story "The Vampyre" is widely seen as the first work to truly codify vampire fiction, and the titular Vampyre Ruthven is in large part inspired by the womanizing Lord Byron. Le Fanu's Carmilla depicts an intense attraction between Carmilla and her victim Laura. Stoker's Count Dracula is a man with overly flushed lips and hair on his palms, marks of Victorian fears of sexuality.

From the very start, vampires in literature have been a sexual monster. They're emblems of the seductive and terrible—the kiss of death that you can't help but be drawn to anyway. A violent forced intimacy that will corrupt you and drain away your very life force. There's a great deal of xenophobia and fear of the un-christian in early vampire fiction as well, but the fear of sex and sexual assault have always been a driver of literary vampires' horror and allure. Writers seem eternally split between desire for the vampire and revulsion at that very lust, even from the moments that the creatures first graced the page.

There's a great tradition of vampiric fiction both using vampirism to evoke sexual predators and making vampires themselves desirably sexy. Thus, given that it is very concerned with sexual assault and bodily autonomy as themes, often uses predation by a vampire to evoke sexual violence, and is deeply horny about vampires and blood drinking, Jun Mochizuki's The Case Study of Vanitas is actually one of if not the best modern successor to the canon of early vampire literature. In this essay, I will

#rare vnc post on main bc starting off with my obvious vnc icon and url would spoil the punchline #wanna take y'all by surprise a little ;P #anyway this post is a joke but the point I'm making genuinely kinda isn't #you know how it is #I am genuinely fascinated by the ways that vnc is in conversation with the literary sources that it pulls from #it really is riffing on a LOT of the same ideas through a modern lens #vnc #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #invasion of the frogs

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Jellyfish Prince 💙

#better drawn mdzs #mdzs #lan wangji #Happy 'It took me a whole month to figure out what Mermay was all about'! #fun fact about me: prior to all this blog stuff I use to be really fascinated by jellyfish. #to the point they were one of the few things I could draw. #when I was trying to practice art before I started making these comics #I was constantly baffled by hair. I did not understand its form or its mysteries. #Then the ghost of my past jelly-loving self suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders and went 'Dude. just like jellyfish'. #cue me going 'Oh my god. Just like Jellyfish'. And then I kinda got the jist of it. #This is all to say that the majority of LWJ's appearances (especially early on) are 100% directly inspired by jellyfish #This idea has been lingering in my mind for months...being able to pull off an idea and translate it onto the page.... #nothing beats that feeling B'*) #This is teenji btw. He isn't complete unless he's on the verge of extremely frustrated tears. Sopping wet and biting. Just like...jellyfish #And now that I know mermay is a thing I finally have an excuse to dunk him into the water.

[ride-a-dromedary]

After moving frame-by-frame for hours (GIF-making), I can confidently say that whether it be twitching animation cycles or maybe not a purposeful thing or what, Halsin's hands have a tremble to them when he moves them about.

Which in itself (while neat) is a tiny and easily missed detail because it's not inherently noticeable, but it's backed up by the fact that Orin - who seems to take traits both physical and verbal from her victims - very animatedly shakes "Halsin's" hands when imitating him (she does not do it nearly as emphatically with other companions she kidnaps, if at all). The key is that the traits she adopts do seem to be pre-existing. Ergo, Orin took that physical trait of Halsin's shaky hands - which would have been believable in itself - but dramatically increased it to 11.

tl;dr - Halsin's hands tremble/tremor when he talks. Thanks for listening.

#BG3 Musing #Halsin #Halsin Posting #this is not at all new halsin lore i'm just really interested in little physical quirks and their confirmation by seemingly unrelated thing #again this isn't really a useful observation nor is it likely a new one however i think about the fact #that Halsin is the equivalent of a fantasy doctor *with shaking hands* #his hands shake more visibly when he's talking #fascinating #i will scrape the bottom of the barrel if it means i have to look this man over head to toe and HC every inch #either this is an indication of his age or he's got something underlying #or he's just anxious - could be all three

[mimzalot]

based off a monastery conversation with Byleth where the ‘thinly-veiled’ part of Claude’s scrutiny was... particularly transparent.

#in case it isn't obvious i had a particular fascination with claude's simmering anger pre-timeskip #another art i wanted to update but who has the time!!! #claude von riegan #fe3h #fire emblem three houses #mimzarts

[waystarresourceco]

Alan Ruck on Conor and Logan's relationship (and a little look into why Connor wasn't a contender for heir apparent). (x)

#everything about Connor and Logan fascinates me #like I think in some ways they have an OK relationship? #like...not good but it's...fine? like it's livable for everybody #the idea that Connor gets called upon though for weird little tasks makes perfect sense to me #there's also something different in this relationship for Logan whereby Connor can never really “threaten” Logan the way the golden trio ca #like because Connor isn't even a candidate for CEO there's some distance in the relationship that's free from the kind of mortality scares #which he has with the others - like the closer they come to taking over the closer he is to being pushed out or dying #their rise is a threat to his vitality - and that isn't the case with Connor so it can be chiller relationship in some ways #does that make sense? #feel free to ignore if not haha #connor roy #hbo succession #cast interviews #succession #alan ruck

[ascorian]

mafuyu brainrot

#yes this is numb by linkin park #did you know that animals avoiding her is canon?? yeah it is #she's also one and only character to see ghosts. isn't it fascinating #my little depression blob #project sekai #pjsk #prsk #niigo #25 ji nightcord de #proseka #mafuyu asahina

[wyvernquill]

Now, this may be obvious to others, but I haven’t seen much discussion of it here on Tumblr, so I thought I’d draw some attention to it!

In my n-th rewatch of the 1389 scene (I keep checking and re-checking the details for accuracy in my fics), I noticed something interesting towards the beginning of the scene: I think Dream was about to “poach” Geoffrey Chaucer, similarly to what he did in 1589 with Shakespeare.

It’s subtle, but you can see Death and Dream pause in front of his table, listen to their conversation, and Dream is noticeably interested - and why wouldn’t he be, Geoffrey here is practically catnip for the Lord of Stories! So he steps closer, he leans in, we can even see him open his mouth as if to strike up some conversation about those “tavern tales”...

...and then Hob Gadling says “Look, I’ve seen death”, and both Dream and Death stop in their tracks, and the scene proceeds as we all know and love it.

Now, I really adore this little moment for multiple reasons:

1) I suspect Death planned this. She dragged Dream into the tavern and led him over to Chaucer’s table, and was going to make her silly little brother talk to a promising storyteller in the waking world for once - but then they found an even more interesting human to spark Dream’s curiosity instead, which, still a win in Death’s book.

2) It’s just so Dream. Of course he wouldn’t be able to resist a storyteller in the wild, of course he would be drawn to that conversation. Of course he would do his whole “oh, is this your wish then?” spiel and play patron of the arts for a little while. This is what he does and is, which only makes it more interesting that he then turned towards Hob instead (and didn’t talk to Chaucer after, I’m pretty sure we see Dream leave at the end of the scene?) Which brings me to

3) IF ONLY HOB KNEW. Hob “probably still mad at Shakespeare for stealing his date once” Gadling would be OVER THE MOON to know that Dream of the Endless snubbed Geoffrey Fucking Chaucer to talk to him, albeit only because he mocked Dream’s sister within earshot. Please, somebody tell him, it would be the highlight of his century, I just know it.

#the sandman #dream of the endless #death of the endless #hob gadling #the sandman meta #dreamling #the level of detail in this series is astonishing #i keep discovering new fascinating tidbits every time #so much storytelling in blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments like this #and gosh i really want hob to find out about this now #it'd give him a massive ego boost i'm sure #gadling (1) - chaucer (0) #let's forget about will shaxberd (1) though #he doesn't count #(look at me making an original post that isn't art for once)

[ozzieinspacetime]

Yet again I'm thinking about the eradication of culture within the THG universe,, I have very complex opinions on culture wars within Panem and if they would exist at all in certain cases but like. Do you think they still speak Spanish in Ten? Do you think trans people can still change their names and wear what they please as long as they meet their daily quotas? Do families with religious ancestors remember to observe their holy days, even if it's in private, or was the eradication of religion in Panem so concrete that they don't remember anything at all? Much to think about

#even though THG isn't centred around its world as much as its politics (and for good reason!) i still find it fascinating to think abt #i have a LOT of thoughts about being trans in panem. specifically being trans as a victor #we know (or its implied mostly by ballad) that being queer isn't criminalised and katniss tells us people can marry who they like #but i can definitely see transness being an issue specifically for district people in the eyes of the capitol #obviously the class divide the districts represent would eradicate any possible trans healthcare #but i can see being trans as something the capitol would celebrate as unique and. almost fashionable? #so district people who have no trans medicare or even knowledge would be naturally skeptical of this 'capitol' thing #<- basically by making it a capitol thing it ellimates the rebellion present in the concept of being trans and keeps poorer ppl in line #just. something something removing everything a community could coalesce around by normalising some things and eradicating others #thg #the hunger games #thg series

[willowcrowned]

I think what really gets me about Maul post-TPM is that he’s the only Star Wars character with true agency. Because of the way the films were made, every character in the prequels is already predestined for a role—Obi-Wan must go to Tatooine, Anakin must become Vader, every person they care about must be lost to them, and every villain but Sidious must die. Maul isn’t constrained by the narrative because he’s already played his part. He killed Qui-Gon; his job is done. He was never meant to be anything more than a one-off villain, so when he’s brought back, he’s without a destiny in the way that so many other characters are not. He has nowhere he needs to end up, no one he needs to be. He alone has the power to escape from the narrative—but he doesn’t. He buys into the narrative, buys into the conflict between light and dark, buys into the idea that he has to participate in it. Maul dies to Obi-Wan on Tatooine because he makes the mistake of going back, of trying to put himself in a narrative that has no place for him anymore.

#this is not very well articulated but anyways #maul is metatextually the most fascinating star wars character change my mind #even boba fett who had. like. a similar resurrection isn't quite so fascinating #partially because his show was so deeply terrible i would actually pay money NOT to rewatch it #whereas clone wars was admittedly horrible even by kids show standards #and rebels was a mediocre tv series for children with some very powerful moments #but anyways boba doesn't work on the same level bc he isn't a part of the prequels #and the post-OT pre-ST stuff doesn't work the same way as the pre-OT stuff #star wars #star wars meta #darth maul #this is my highly developed opinion #but for once it actually is