#you just can't

[falling-star-cygnus]

saw a comparison between Bennett and Aventurine and how they were both burdened by their luck and felt compelled to write them meeting -> note: im not really that far or that in to Star Rail. So if Aventurine's characterization is off, i do sincerely apologize

takes place after meeting Sparkle :D {and if it's obvious im bullshitting in some places, no it's not <3} pry Lichtenburg Bennett out of my bony dead hands

{An ornate chip sparkles in the dazzling lamplights as it's flipped high in the air}

{It lands in the palm of an irate blond, one that smiles as he strolls along the pathways of the deserted night. The chip repeats it's flight.}

"That crazed Fool..."

{Aventurine's nose scrunches despite his efforts to keep an elated face. It's not like anyone's around to see him, but- still. The first step to living a lie is to fool yourself first. The chip is weighing heavy in his palm, so he flicks it up again.}

{And again. And again. And again. Sparkle's words echo in his head.}

"- are you from Sigonia?" "I say you belong to the space under the manhole cover, not in a dream." "...the lapdogs of the IPC."

{Lapdog.}

{The next few moments feel wrapped in honey, sticky sugar thickening his mind to a snail's crawl. His fingers brush a blackened code on his neck, a sigh breezing out a clenched jaw}

{For the first time, the chip lands wrong in his hand. It's pinched between the junction of his pinkie and palm, rocketed to the side as Aventurine's fist clenches}

"Ack-!"

{...}

{Who was that?}

{Aventurine hadn't made that sound.}

{Slowly, like his head was moved by marionette strings, he turns his gaze to the side. The sight of a boy with ashy blond curls greets him.}

{He's clutching his nose in one hand, the chip Aventurine had accidentally shot at him [seriously- what are the odds?] nestled in the other.}

"Ow... where did that come from? I almost wish it was a rock."

{The older man shakes himself out of his daze, quickly but casually making his way over. This boy was young- or at least looked and sounded young- so... a gentler persona should be the ideal approach}

{Fuck if he knew how to approach kids though.}

"Hey there! So sorry about that, it slipped from my hand!"

{Bright emeralds snap to attention. It actually gives Aventurine pause, how bright they are. Pure. He would almost believe them unburdened if it wasn't for the snarled scar speared through his bicep and Lichtenburg figures peeking out around his neck}

"No, no- it's ok! I probably shouldn't have been walking so close anyway.. It's just- I'm kind of lost?"

{Aventurine blinks.}

{He wasn't lying of course, for once the chip quite literally slipped from his hand. Which- almost never happens, he'll admit. An unlucky incident that... was kind of thrilling. To be unlucky- not to hit a scar riddled kid in the face.}

{But still, was this new blondie really going to take him at face value? Not even a suspicious side eye? Talk about naivete...}

{And- lost? How do you get lost in a dream. That takes some serious skill...}

{Unless he was lying. Penacony was full of those after all.}

"Sir...?" "I was wondering why I hadn't seen someone like you around here before!"

{The sudden switch from quiet introspection to enthusiasm startles the kid back a step. Minor setback, that was fine. He could still salvage this encounter.}

{He offers his hand to innocent emeralds}

"Lost, huh? That's unfortunate, kid. What's your name?" "Oh- I'm Bennett!"

{Bennett fumbles for a second, going to shake Aventurine's hand with the one still holding the poker chip before switching to the one over his nose.}

{Poor kid pulls that one away too when he sees the speckles of blood on it. Shit, did he really hit him that hard? He knew the chip was heavy but he didn't think it was that heavy.}

{There was already a bandage pressed over his nose too...}

{Aventurine shakes his bloodied hand when he notices the boy growing increasingly distressed. They were both wearing gloves anyway, so it's not like it was a major issue.}

"Well, nice to meet you, Bennett. Even if it's under... unlucky circumstances."

{The older man was hardly ever unlucky. There was a reason he was called Aventurine, damnit. He never lost a game of chance. And he never made a losing bet. Something else was afoot here, he was sure of it.}

{The once white bandages over Bennett's nose slowly gets swallowed by red as the kid gives a weak little laugh}

"I'm pretty notorious for unlucky circumstances, actually. No matter where I go, my bad luck always seems to cause problems for other people..."

{...}

{Aeons, he looked so sad. Aventurine's chest actually hurts a little just looking at the boy. After all, he wasn't the one with a bloody nose. Fake as it was in this dream world.}

"Nonsense, friend. You've hardly caused me any problems. If anything, I owe you an apology for nailing you in the nose."

{Unintentionally.}

{The older man wraps an arm around the kid's shoulder's to steer him towards one of the many shops in Dreamville. They didn't actually have any vendors in them at this time, but they had to at least have one bandage somewhere. Right?}

{Although with Bennett's luck, maybe not.}

"Let's get you a new bandage, yeah?" "Oh-! I have one right here!"

{And lo and behold, he produces a near identical bandage from one of the pouches hanging from his belt. The only difference was the rounded corners.}

{Aventurine plucks the bandage from between Bennett's fingers to apply before the kid can insist on doing it himself}

"You must get hurt a lot to just have this on you, huh?" "Ah, heh. I guess? But that just comes with the territory of being an adventurer! And- with being unlucky too..."

{An adventurer, huh? That explained the scars, at least a little}

{He slowly peels the ruined bandage off Bennett's nose and flicks it off to the side. To his surprise, it doesn't cleanly make it into a trash can. No, the wadded up thing bounces off the side and, for a second, Aventurine resigns himself to having to walk over and pick it up}

{But it does go in- having bounced straight up instead of back at the blond duo- so he won't actually have to pause in treating his new friend's injury. That feeling of anticipation that fluttered in his throat though... was that how normal people felt? Unsure that something would go there way but hoping it would?}

"Woah... that was so cool!" "...It was, wasn't it?"

{For once, Aventurine felt genuine. Like he earned this bout of boasting. He felt... normal around this kid. ...Huh.}

{The older man smooths the new bandage over Bennett's nose, careful with the pressure he applies. The waxy paper slips between his fingers before he can throw the backside away}

{The boy catches it, innocent emeralds widening when it lands secure in atop the poker chip still in his palm}

"Maybe our lucks are rubbing off on each other, Benny." "Ah-! No, I'm sor-"

{Aventurine ruffles Bennett's hair before he can finish}

"Don't apologize, it's a good thing. I happen to have spectacular luck, I'll have you know. It really takes the fun out of winning." "It does?" "Completely."

{Bennett looks thoughtful at that, glancing down at chip in his glove. Innocent emeralds widen again as he shakes the backside of the bandage into his other glove to hold the disc out to Aventurine}

"I never gave you your chip back!"

{The older man reaches for it, but- he doesn't know if he'll ever see this kid again. Hm...}

{He plucks the waxy film out of his other hand, completely ignoring the chip}

"Please, I have hundreds of those. Keep it."

{Bennett sputters, but Aventurine can't see him as he walks to throw the film away}

"I can't take this-! It looks expensive!"

{It certainly can be exchanged for a lot of credits.}

"Think of it as... a memento of our friendship." "But- I didn't give you anything."

{The older man laughs, startling even himself.}

"Give me something next time we meet then, Bennett."

{It isn't until Aventurine is almost out of sight that he realizes he never gave the kid his name.}

{Well. There was always next time.}

#in my flop era #you cannot convince me that Aventurine's bedazzled poker chip is not heavier then a rock. #you just can't #genshin impact #honkai star rail #hsr #hsr aventurine #genshin impact bennett #hsr fanfic #genshin fanfic #aventurine #bennett #genshin crossover #star rail crossover #hoyoverse #mihoyo #honkai #star rail

[ganymedesclock]

I haven't really talked about my opinions on AI art because I don't talk about a lot of broad opinions on here but I think I want to put my hat in the ring, and reblogging a post about spotting AI art is a good time.

I as much as anyone understand the exquisite agony of having ambitions, dreams, images you want created that you just cannot make yourself; your skill level isn't there, it requires something like animating or musical composition, you don't know if you want to commit yourself to making art purely to just have the art that you want. It's maddening. Especially if you're already making art, but you watch other people make art you can barely even dream of and it seems effortless and you have no idea how they got there. I remember that feeling vividly. There are plenty of people out there who can still make me feel that way.

But.

This isn't the solution. The truth is, you cannot lovelessly steal others' hands like a parasite to make your dreams come true. It won't be what you wanted. It won't be what you believed in. The ability to just, press a button and have the art, right there!! feels so wonderful but you have to realize it's all just built on theft, and not even very good theft. For every sleek, pretty superficial thing you're looking for, there's a million ugly messy details and even uglier cruelty made.

This isn't it. This isn't it. Believe me that it isn't it. Take your passion to commission work. Struggle forwards on your own art. Find artists who take requests. These things are all going to have better rewards, better detail, and you're not participating in what's rooted in pure art theft all the way down.

I know how it feels to have a beautiful image inside burning like a razor wire in your guts because you can't get it out the way you want. But AI art generation is a false friend to that, truly deeply and profoundly. This tool isn't some kind of inherent demon but the way that it's being implemented tells us that we aren't ready to use it and right now anything it makes is built on a disrespect of art because the people who make these programs are just grabbing everything they can to mulch into as much data as possible and then draw wobbly lines of best fit.

And your dreams deserve better than wobbly best fit lines.

#ai art generation #listen I know how it is. you dream of making beautiful ghibli illustrations when all you draw is wobbly catgirls #(not a hypothetical I am literally talking about myself) #getting better at art is agony #'practice! it's the only way!' is met with so much frustration #people don't want to practice they want to be good NOW #and into all this debacle the AI art inserts and whispers 'what if you could be good right now without yourself' #and it's tempting when you think that yourself is not a key process of it #but I swear I swear I promise and beg you #the artist is an integral part of the thing #you cannot remove them from the black box #you just can't

[ryebecca]

I’ve been influenced, okay?

#and you can't tell me that doesn't look like lew from the profile #you just can't #top gun: maverick #bob floyd #tgm instagram

[themetalheadhippy]

𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙣𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙 🐍🌾🪨 𝙄'𝙢 𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙖 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚, 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙜𝙤𝙣' 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚?

#I'm serving 💅🏼 if i do say so myself #tell me this is not a slay 👏🏼 #you just can't #night vibes #nightowl #skincare routine got me feeling like that bitch 💆🏼‍♀️ #selfies #photoset #no make up selfie #no make up #brown skin girls #brown skin girl #mixed race #asian chick #asian girls #reblog my face #reblog my stuff #song lyrics #aries #music junkie #plus size woman #ask me #ask me anything #ask me stuff #send anons #send anons please #send anons pls #send me shit #ask me shit #ask me some questions

[theneurodivergentnerd]

Quick doodle before bed. He is dad.

#ahsoka tano #plo koon #star wars #the clone wars #Tell me he isn’t the kind of parent to put their child in socks that match their onesie #You can’t #you just can't

[omegabenaeart]

Hey, you know how Charles Smith from Red Dead Redemption 2 wants a family?

Well, I didn't give him a wife, but I decided he could have a baby.

Dad Charles 🥰

#meg's art #traditional art #art #rdr2 #charles smith #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 charles #you can't tell me he wouldn't be a good dad #you just can't #just....Charles with a baby #i cry #baby

[priapussdick]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY BABY KAWI IS SICK?????

what the fuck

#I'm about to get violent #i can't take it #ripping out all my hair right now #you can't #you just can't #be my favorite spoilers #be my favorite the series #be my favorite #watching ep11

[deadpuppetboi]

I honestly feel like Sun/Moon banned other animatronics from the daycare bc of something personal like Monty telling Sun/Moon that Santa isn't real.

#you can't tell me i'm wrong #you just can't #fnaf #five nights at freddy's #five nights at freddys #fnaf security breach #fnaf monty #montgomery gator #fnaf sundrop #fnaf sun #fnaf moondrop #fnaf moon

[nitewrighter]

I, too, would love to see some Genji Soldier76 interactions of you have any in mind 👀

[During Setup in Havana]

Genji: Angela mentioned it and I'm curious--what did you and Reyes argue about?

Soldier 76: Aren't you the one always saying 'Focus on the task at hand?'

----

Soldier 76: You left earlier than anyone else... why come back?

Genji: I left for my own sake... but... it's different, when it's a team you really care about.

Soldier 76: Hrmm...

---

Genji: I must admit, seeing all those posters of you... always made me feel like I would never belong in overwatch.

Soldier 76: If you're going to go into how I'm a disappointment now, don't worry, I already know.

Genji: Actually, seeing you like this is very reassuring. In its own way.

---

Soldier 76: Er... Oxton-um... how is she?

Genji: *chuckle* She's fine. She's really come into her own. She still worries about you, though.

Soldier 76: And Ziegler--?

Genji: Oh I can't repeat what Angela's said about you in polite company.

#fanteractions #genji shimada #soldier 76 #jack morrison #overwatch #look you can't tank someone else's career through your own mismanagement of a massive organization and then fake your death for five years #and expect them to say nice things about you #you just can't

[marvelling-at-marvel-blog]

So following tonights episode you can not convince me that games night isnt a thing Buck, Eddie and Chris do. I feel like when Eddie had his Technology Freakout a few years ago they moved to board and card games for a while and even though Eddie has relaxed since then and video games is still a thing they do they now also love a old school game night. Be it Scrabble, Bogle, Jenga, Mouseteap and on the odd occasion Monopoly (it's an odd occasion because Eddie can get ruthless, but Scrabble ain't no light game eithier because due to Bucks research binges he knows the most random words).

As much as they love thier video games night they discovered they found there was something really fun about being disengaged from techology and just being together and playing as thier little family. Chris loves beating both Eddie and Buck and both Eddie and Buck enjoy showing Chris the games they used to play and now this is just as much a tradition as video games ❤️

#9 1 1 #911 spoilers #eddie diaz #evan buckley #buddie #christopher diaz #games night #board games #prove me wrong #you just can't

[epickiya722]

The one thing you cannot be following this blog is anti Miruko or Midoriya.

#you just can't #they don't even have to be your faves #they're my faves #but if you're against them we cannot talk we just can't #just kiya's thoughts #it's appreciate midoriya hours folks! #I'M SHIFTING INTO MIRUKO FANGIRL MODE #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #midoriya izuku #deku #usagiyama rumi #miruko #mirko #💚🐇👊 #💜🐇🌙

[anouchan-jpg]

Yk what makes me sad? Whatever is happening with "what is a woman" in the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and extreme feminism as well.

#you can't tell me its all going the way it should #you just can't #unless you're delusional which a lot of the folks in this and every fuckin spectrum are about their realities #and this is coming from a queer girl #so yeah #anouchan #queer #bisexual #lesbian #pansexual #gay #whatever #eh

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

So, was anyone going to tell me that back at DC Con 2019, Jensen said that the prayer was "a bit of a confession on why he feels the way he feels" when talking in reference to the 15x09 Dean scene and why he "treated Cas the way he did", or was I supposed to just find that out by myself?

#confession #he used that word #why not apology #or just prayer #or explanation #jackles i want to study you #destiel #deancas #dean x cas #spn #spnposts #destielposts #you can't tell me that jensen didn't know the intention of the scene on cas' part #you just can't #in 15x18 i mean #it's right fucking there

[mello-jello]

I made myself almost cry thinking that Hange didn't have the opportunity to see Levi grow old. They couldn't be a pair of cute and grumpy oldies together. W H Y

I-

#ask jello #levihan #naur hange kept watching him #you can’t tell me otherwise #you just can't #😭

[alicuntisms]

i’ve decided that colin can join philip in the mr. potato head club. they both look like potatoes but colin looks like one that i would mash (derogatory) and philip looks like one i would roast (affectionate). 

#i just saw some photoshoots of the guy who plays colin #and like #you cannot convince me that that man is attractive #you just can't #sorry but i'm not buying it. at all. #bridgerton #this is 10000000% in just the show universe #i haven't read any of the books other than anthony's so

[lazylittledragon]

can't believe we're all adults being forced into the club penguin level of censorship in 2024

#ramble #if you say unalive in front of me i will personally kill you with my hands #you just can't muffle and censor and hold someone's hand through some things #some things are horrible. and they should be spoken aloud and they should upset you. because they are horrible #the second we started kidzbopifying the world was the end of taking anything seriously i think #i'm not even joking i've spoken to people older than me who won't even say the world sex #this isn't the playground you're not going to get in trouble just let us say the word!!!!!! #how am i supposed to listen to you when you won't even say the thing you're supposed to be talking about #yes this is the fault of the platforms with their censorship rules but the fact that we all just go along with it like it's not dystopian #you do know it doesn't stop with cursing right. people are already having to censor queer terms because they get flagged as inappropriate