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Latest Posts by otoculast - Page 4
REDRAW of this peice [Link] 2 years later
Plus a black & white version under the cut
Once again thinking about Vincent as pope…
Vincent hating the attention he’s given for doing simple things such as carrying his own bags, knowing the Swiss guards names, hugging children when they run up to him. Vincent despising how every human thing he does immediately becomes a headline: “Pope listening to music!” (He was wearing headphones and listening to some old favorites while hanging out with the turtles) “Innocent XIV goes shopping!” (He forgot to bring a book to the airport and just wanted to buy something to read on the plane) “The pope wears converse!” (He’d owned the same pair of shoes for three years, and he’d stitched them up himself after the fabric tore)
Vincent feeling more isolated than ever. Despite never being alone, there is not a single person who treats him as a person. He’s constantly watched, yet never invited into casual conversations, no one asks him to join them for coffee, no one rants about their boring work or tells him about their favorite books or talks about the weather.
Vincent waking up in a cold sweat most nights. Dreams of war haunting his sleep, the faces of the dead burned into his mind. He wakes up gasping for air, or screaming, or running to the bathroom to throw up.
Vincent sleeping on the floor more often than the bed. Vincent flinching at loud noises and always scanning the room for threats and ways to escape.
Vincent having flashbacks and panic attacks on the floor of his bathroom, not being able to call anyone for help because he’s the pope, he’s not allowed to fall apart or ask for help or take a break.
Vincent who cannot handle being snuck up on from behind, who can’t have meat that isn’t well done, Vincent who hides his shaking hands behind his back as he speaks about the saints who were stoned to death, because he knows what that looks like.
Vincent who once gets so startled by the bang of a bible being dropped onto the floor of St Peter’s cathedral while he’s holding mass that he instinctively ducks behind the altar, covering his head, sure that he’s back in the war. Vincent who has to continue his sermon with shaking hands and voice, with his normally so present and kind eyes suddenly showing a far-away look. And Vincent who has to read the headlines afterwards, despite Aldo doing his best to shield him.
I also think about Thomas.
Thomas who tries to joke with Vincent about how the masses have never seen a pope young enough to have the strength to carry his own bags, Thomas who reminds him that even though he is the pope, he’s still human.
Thomas who, despite this, is unable to call him Vincent. Thomas who has always seen the papacy as closest to the God he has such a hard time reaching, and Thomas who no longer sees Vincent when he looks at the pope.
Thomas who tries to comfort Vincent, but keeps calling him Your Holiness, and watching as Vincent pulls away more and more.
Thomas who once entered Vincent’s room at night to leave him an urgent document, and found the pope curled up on the floor.
Thomas who always sees when Vincent’s hands start to shake, who can sense Vincent’s breathing quicken and his eyes start searching for escape routes. Thomas who can’t do anything to help, because the pope cannot be seen having to be escorted away because of anxiety.
Thomas who tries to learn what triggers Vincent, Thomas who takes notes on what makes the pope flinch or shake or hide away. Thomas who discreetly informs the rest of the staff closest to Vincent about how important it is to never sneak up on him from behind, or serve him anything resembling torn off flesh.
Thomas who finally sees how Vincent is actually doing once the incident at mass happens. Thomas who argues with everyone to try to allow Vincent to end mass early, but failing. Thomas who sends the altar boys and deacons away from the sacristy once mass is over and finally greets the pope by his original name.
Thomas who opens his arms and his heart as he sees the shaking man in front of him. “Oh my dear Vincent” he says, and his heart breaks as Vincent falls into his arms and sobs.
Thomas who holds him tightly, whispering apologies for letting this continue, who promises to be better. Thomas who helps Vincent change out of his sweat soaked vestments, and who lets Vincent explain the horrors he’s seen.
I also think about Aldo
Aldo who’s in the background of it all. Who sees how the new pope seems to be getting even thinner than he was. Aldo who tries his best to minimize Vincent’s amount of paperwork on the days where the pope arrives to breakfast at 5 am with bloodshot eyes and holding his mug of tea with trembling hands.
Aldo who more than once has held up Vincent’s hair as he throws up after stressful meetings with world leaders who are decimating entire populations. Aldo who sometimes pretends not to see invites from some of the dictators he knows Vincent hates the most.
Aldo who tries his best to keep the news away from Vincent whenever he’s in the headlines. Aldo who brings Vincent hot chocolate whenever he knows an article will have upset him.
Aldo who always remembers to make his steps louder or clear his throat if he’s walking up to the pope from behind. Who will always make sure there is a vegetarian option that won’t remind the pope of wounded and dead bodies.
Aldo who every so often sees the pope’s eyes flicker to the side, and knows it means Vincent is quietly suppressing the most horrible flashbacks, even with a smile on his face. And Aldo who always makes sure he has an excuse ready to get Vincent out of situations when it happens.
Aldo who tries his very very best to make Thomas realise that Vincent needs him.
Aldo who feels a weight leave his heart once he sees Thomas leading a shaking Vincent through the halls of the Santa Martha, and who smiles when they both enter the Homy Father’s room.
Heres a NSFW jovier headcanon for y'all. Javier accidentally Pavloved John.
If you don't know what that means, Ivan Petrovich Pavlov did an experiment where he would ring a bell before feeding dogs. The dogs came to associate the bell with food and began salivating each time they heard a bell ring.
So basically, whenever John and Javier had sex, Javier would dirty talk in Spanish because it was what he was most comfortable with and John found it sexy (even though he couldn't understand it). Over time, this unintentionally conditioned John to get hard every time Javier spoke Spanish.
They discovered this during a job when Javier got hurt and began cursing in Spanish and John immediately got rock solid. They were just kinda like, "... What.. What do we do now? What do we do about this?"
That was a very awkward ride back to camp.
Master splinter be looking kind of different :0 lol can't believe he used to voice 2012 splinter haha
Ended up finding clips via TikTok of the last few episodes of DMC and ohhhh boy..
In White Rabbit’s last words and warning to Dante he tells him that he will “be welcomed by no one” and that he will always be “an unlovable orphan”.
My gods…
It makes me wonder how many times he’s told himself this as motivation to keep himself going…it makes me wonder how many families told him this as a child…
His warning was really to himself… ironically.
Even more ironic that he technically DID combine the worlds…just not in favor of the demons.
i have no other purpose in life but to make self indulgent elibarra fanart to cure my longing for noli me tangere crumbs
this lowkey looks like a part 2 to my kaulayaw piece 🍃☘️ thank you for all the love for that one!
(im also on tiktok, @/ad0bong.palaka !)
Neoptolemus’ mouth curled—not quite a smile.
“I was twelve when I first killed a man,” he said. “The Achaeans brought me to Troy, put a spear in my hand, and told me to avenge my father.”
Telemachus didn’t know how to answer that. He looked at Pyrrhus' bare arms, the way the band flashed in the dimming light.
He thought of his own twelfth year—chasing birds off the terrace, shadow-fencing with olive branches, waiting for a ship that never came.
A child tucked away, far from battle.
Neoptolemus tilted his head. “You want to see what it made of me?”
Telemachus blinked.
Pyrrhus' eyes gleamed.
“Come on, son of Odysseus. Show me what kind of man you are.”
🎶Would you fall in love with me again? If you knew all I’d done, the things I can’t undo. I am not the man you knew.🎶
🎶I would fall in love with you, over and over again, I don't care how, where or when, no matter how long its been, you’re mine🎶
STARTER
Odysseus laid in the bed that his wife used to sleep in, carved into the olive tree with his bare hands. Small specks of water seemed to be left over from the pillow he rested his head upon.
He was tired. Not from work or fatigue, although he tried his best to activity-fill his day so he could rid his mind of the worries that filled his head, but from the stress of it all, his wife leaving him suddenly after only a week of him being home for another man that was supposed to be him. He felt like he wasn't good enough.
And after the argument about the infant, who could really blame him? He wasn't quite pleased with himself; and who would ever be? He was a monster. If Penelope was pushing everything aside just for this other him, then maybe really he was just inferior.
He didn't feel like getting up. But what other choice did he have? The Fates and the Gods watched over him, almost ridiculing his every action from afar.
How could he live with himself?
He was a monster.
@young-prince-telemachus @owl-of-wisdom @live-inthe-madness @fishcake-anon @lady-hearth-and-home (let me know if you wanna be tagged!)
a whole bunch of gazan mutual aid projects and nonprofits. if the decision of which individual fundraiser to give to feels too daunting, or if you just want to help as many people as possible in one go, these are great initiatives to support.
care for gaza - focuses on providing food and essential supplies. donate here or here.
connecting humanity - securing internet access via donations of virtual sim cards (esims). if you can't afford a whole plan yourself, crips for esims is a communal pool that will use your donation to purchase and maintain esims
gaza soup kitchen - provides food, medical care, and classes for children. also has a gofundme
glia gaza medical support initiative - provides medical care through field clinics and tents at hospitals. donations can also be sent through their website.
ele elna elak - provides clean water, food, clothing, and shelter. they also have a gofundme
life for gaza - raising money for the gaza municipality to repair water and waste management infrastructure
taawon - partners with local civil organizations to provide food, water, medical care, shelter, and basic supplies
the sameer project - running various initiatives providing tents, medical care, and necessities. they have their own encampment project focused on sheltering families with children, sick and disabled members, or members in need of perinatal care
islamic relief worldwide's gaza emergency appeal - provides food, water, hygiene kits, medical supplies, and psychological support
baitulmaal - provides a variety of necessities, including food, water, shelter, and medical supplies
gaza mutual aid fund - distributes food, hygiene products, water, and other essential supplies, including financial support. run by @/el-shab-hussein's amazing friend Mona. updates can be found on her instagram.
hygiene kits for gaza - provides hygiene supplies including menstrual products, wipes, and toothbrushes/toothpaste
anera - provides a variety of necessities, including food, water, hygiene supplies, medicine, blankets and mattresses, and psychological care
palestine children's relief fund - provides supplies and support with a focus on children. also has an initiative for lebanon
dahnoun mutual aid - provides water, food, tents, baby supplies, financial support, and other necessities. updates can be found through their instagram
certainly this is not an exhaustive list, so please feel free to add on other projects or organizations that i didn't include. and as always, please take the time to donate if you can and share. it truly makes all the difference.
“Like his namesake, he’s running out of time.”
tagging those who enjoy that one analysis of white rabbit: @twigg27 @majo-tsukiko @dmbakura @beowulfblades
so i had a really cool idea that i can use this for :) my capstone graphic design course has me in a summer salon rn and i think im gonna print this out and install actual clock hands and set it up in the gallery real fun hehhehe
woke up and first thing i do is be insane about white rabbit again. anyways here's another thread about him, focusing on his fatalistic views and relationship with the makaians he experimented on (this was formatted for bsky so i didnt go into as much detail as i wanted due to character limit and im too lazy to write more so)
white rabbit is a death seeker. like bro wants to die, plain and simple. he's on borrowed time with his artificial demon heart sustaining him. whatever freedom he hopes makaians will gain from bringing down sparda's wall, he knows he's probably going to expire before seeing it
it's pretty obvious with how he interacts with dante and lady. it's not just about killing them (he honestly seems pretty reluctant to kill lady in particular, perhaps thinking death is too good for her/wanting to thoroughly make her suffer first) it's about making them understand him
a lot of his decisions come across as reckless and kind of careless but i think it's by design. he shows a lot of himself to dante and lady, especially by leading them to his room. he wants to be "caught" in a sense. and it also explains why he doesnt just fall back and regroup when it's obvious he has no shot of winning against dante after his army gets decimated. he doesn't have the time or resources to try again (always running out of time!) and figures one last hail mary. and he does succeed! for a moment anyway
all of this is probably why he doesnt even sound particularly bothered when dante kills him, just leaves him with spiteful words about how this world fucking despises orphans and he has no place in it (holy projection batman!) he's completely resigned, and narratively, he's right.
another moment i keep thinking about is when he pulls himself from the river and finds bloodstryke (his last demon soldier). he doesn't look crazed or elated that he still has a shot or anything like that. he looks resigned and sad and empty. even regretful.
and bloodstryke, for a moment, actually looks happy to see him! which makes me think that it's very likely a lot of the makaians he augmented/experimented on were probably completely willing to donate themselves to the cause. why wouldnt they be? they have just as much a reason to fight.
idk we don't actually get too much follow up or fleshing out of his current relationship with the makaians, but to me it reads less like "mad scientist" and more like a weirdly twisted way of "caring" for them. it's not like white rabbit isn't also experimenting on himself and pushing his own body to its absolute limit. he knows what's at stake here.
i dont have a good way to end this thread im just thinking real hard about a lot of areas in the plot that season 1 didn't really have time to linger on (8 episodes is really damn short) and im hoping we see some sort of follow up on these plot threads (even flashbacks or whatever) in season 2 because i just love wrabbit so much and there's a lot of backstory they can utilize with him.
woke up and first thing i do is be insane about white rabbit again. anyways here's another thread about him, focusing on his fatalistic views and relationship with the makaians he experimented on (this was formatted for bsky so i didnt go into as much detail as i wanted due to character limit and im too lazy to write more so)
white rabbit is a death seeker. like bro wants to die, plain and simple. he's on borrowed time with his artificial demon heart sustaining him. whatever freedom he hopes makaians will gain from bringing down sparda's wall, he knows he's probably going to expire before seeing it
it's pretty obvious with how he interacts with dante and lady. it's not just about killing them (he honestly seems pretty reluctant to kill lady in particular, perhaps thinking death is too good for her/wanting to thoroughly make her suffer first) it's about making them understand him
a lot of his decisions come across as reckless and kind of careless but i think it's by design. he shows a lot of himself to dante and lady, especially by leading them to his room. he wants to be "caught" in a sense. and it also explains why he doesnt just fall back and regroup when it's obvious he has no shot of winning against dante after his army gets decimated. he doesn't have the time or resources to try again (always running out of time!) and figures one last hail mary. and he does succeed! for a moment anyway
all of this is probably why he doesnt even sound particularly bothered when dante kills him, just leaves him with spiteful words about how this world fucking despises orphans and he has no place in it (holy projection batman!) he's completely resigned, and narratively, he's right.
another moment i keep thinking about is when he pulls himself from the river and finds bloodstryke (his last demon soldier). he doesn't look crazed or elated that he still has a shot or anything like that. he looks resigned and sad and empty. even regretful.
and bloodstryke, for a moment, actually looks happy to see him! which makes me think that it's very likely a lot of the makaians he augmented/experimented on were probably completely willing to donate themselves to the cause. why wouldnt they be? they have just as much a reason to fight.
idk we don't actually get too much follow up or fleshing out of his current relationship with the makaians, but to me it reads less like "mad scientist" and more like a weirdly twisted way of "caring" for them. it's not like white rabbit isn't also experimenting on himself and pushing his own body to its absolute limit. he knows what's at stake here.
i dont have a good way to end this thread im just thinking real hard about a lot of areas in the plot that season 1 didn't really have time to linger on (8 episodes is really damn short) and im hoping we see some sort of follow up on these plot threads (even flashbacks or whatever) in season 2 because i just love wrabbit so much and there's a lot of backstory they can utilize with him.
My friend Mahrah (@mahrahpalestine) is an engineering student. She is brilliant and speaks with a clarity of analysis and thoughtfulness (even in a second language, even while living in crisis), that is profoundly impressive and humbling to me. She holds hope that Palestine will be free, and when it is, she will use her knowledge and skill to help rebuild.
Her father lost his job due to the war, and she does not have the money for university fees. The situation for her and other Palestinians is getting more difficult as the duration of the crossing closure increases, and the genocidal famine is leading to sickness and starvation.
Mahrah explained, "Food is missing from the markets. If the food is found, it is usually unhealthy because it contains preservatives and we eat it for a year and 8 months, and this causes diseases. But there are no other options to do without it. My nephews are at risk for my father's and mother's diseases and need healthy food because they are at an advanced age. It's like a famine, but there is no media to cover what's happening. They killed all the journalists."
Donations have been slowing, and she is afraid for her family's health. If you can spare some money to help them, please do.
Chuffed | Help us restore hope and rise again
Mahrah has been so incredibly kind and loving to me in our conversations, even checking in how I've been while recovering from surgery. She has extended so much compassion towards me, and I want to encourage others to extend that same level of compassion towards her.
I think Pope Leo XIV should establish dominance by inviting JD Vance to the Vatican and killing him
I know everyone's disappointed about an American Pope but I think it was a tactical choice. It makes it easier to return to the US in order to complete his first mission as Pope:
To avenge Pope Francis and take out JD Vance
