#my boy did not deserve that

[ghostinthegallery]

Re-reading Twice Dead King, the character I was most struck by on a second viewing was Mentep. Now there’s a tragic figure. Simultaneously a mentor, an ally, an antagonist, someone so terribly understandable who I want to smack upside the head for being a lying liar who lies.

Ultimately, Mentep is a penitent. He has committed terrible acts (that we only get scant details of) and he wants to redeem himself. Thanks to his tampering with his own memories, he doesn't fully know what he is repenting for, which puts him in a bind. However, he knows that he played a role in creating the flayer curse/longing sickness, so he goes to a planet where a high concentration of them have gathered and works on his cure. He's respected, he's able to do his work with only occasional interruptions from the local angsty youth. Things are good-ish (until the armada shows up.)

Mentep and Oltyx have a weird relationship. Despite being his normal asshole-teenager self, Oltyx does respect Mentep more than most. Trusts Mentep enough to let the guy perform experimental brain surgery on him. Twice. And Mentep is able to be much more candid with Oltyx in return. He's one of the few consistently calling Oltyx out for his bullshit. On the surface, it is a standard mentor relationship, but what got me on a second reading is that there is hardly a single conversation Mentep has with Oltyx where he isn’t lying to and/or manipulating him.

It starts early with Yenekh. Mentep knows Yenekh has been suffering from the curse, he hasn’t told Oltyx, and when he finally has to tell him, he conveniently does so right before distracting everyone with the “oh btw, we’re all gonna die to a giant human armada” news. This is done with the best of intentions. Mentep wants to protect Yenekh (and Oltyx, in his way), so he delivers the news this way to get the bad news out of the way and then both of them on the same side. But it is the start of a pattern.

Which we get again when Mentep fails to mention a that Antikef is a flayer den ruled by a “We have Illuminor Szeras at home” Vizier, and boy does that end badly for Oltyx (see the last 60% of Ruin). Naturally, Mentep has a good explanation:

But it is another lie, one that costs Oltyx dearly (put a pin in this, I am coming back to it.)

There's some little fibs and ommissions along the way as they go to Carnotite, but it all builds up to The Big Lie. The one that sends Oltyx spiraling and gets Mentep killed. Because you know what really helps with paranoia? Finding out your mentor and your best friend have been hiding a secret blood pit in your basement! Again, it makes sense why Mentep is lying about this! He has every reason to believe Oltyx would have rejected the flayed ones he and Yenekh were sheltering (he in fact does exactly this), and Mentep's entire goal is to cure the curse to atone for his role in its creation. However...

I think Oltyx is correct to call Mentep out here (Oltyx is wrong about most things, but not this). Somewhere a long the way he became a means to an end for Mentep. Mentep was focused on The Curse and not the person in front of him who was cursed. He used Oltyx's friendship with Yenekh, his need to save his kingdom, his trust, his fears, all in service of admirable goals, but he was using Oltyx. Is it any wonder this is where it ended?

The lies were Mentep's undoing from the start. Remember the lie about Antikef? The one that led to all the events of Ruin? Yes, Oltyx and Djoseras did talk and avoid a civil war, but Oltyx also went through hell. He saw his home turned into an abbattoir, his father reduced to barely more than an animal. Oltyx was literally vivisected and almost consumed by his own dysphoria. And then committed regicide after leaving his brother behind to die. Antikef is where Oltyx truly learned that compassion was weakness and saw how horrific the flayer curse could become. So how was he ever going to accept the flayed ones as Mentep wanted him to? Oltyx experienced the comically perfect combination of traumas to ensure that would never happen, thanks in part to Mentep's manipulations.

I cannot stress enough that Mentep's individual lies all made sense at the time. May have even been the best option, at the time. But the consequences piled up, and even as he is dying he still refuses to give Oltyx even a scrap of the truth. That is the core of his tragedy for me. Well, that and this:

He bases all of his manipulations on his understanding of people's psyche's, which are usually accurate, but it also traps them. It gives them no room to grow or surprise him or for outside factors to come in and intervene. Contrast this with Zultanekh, who is upfront to a fault. He gives Oltyx advice and resources, but what Oltyx does with those things is up to him. Even when he is screwing up royally, he's allowed to make those mistakes. Mentep causes ones of Oltyx's darkest hours (the secret blood pit), while Zultanekh lifts him out of another (the Blood Angel's attack). In the end, Zultanekh is the one who sees Oltyx's true growth and witnesses the birth of his kingdom. A birth that comes not from curing the curse but embracing it.

There was never a sickness to be fixed, which means Mentep never would have achieved his redemption because he was focused on the wrong things. Which does make his death and rebirth as Xott a bit of a reflection of Oltyx. He was too burdened in his first life, but in his second he (or at least a version of him) was able to witness the people he hurt reaching a place of peace.

#warhammer 40k #necrons #twice dead king #oltyx #mentep #shit this one got long #I have a lot of thoughts about the sad robots okay #pro tip: maybe constantly lying to the paranoid teenager with anger issues isn't gonna end well for anybody #side note I do wonder if Mentep's habit of manipulation came from his time on Carnotite #That place got scary man #learning how to work people may have become a survival tactic that he just internalized #poor yenekh stuck in the middle #my boy did not deserve that #zultanekh repeatedly proving that he is best

[c0pper0tter]

Spoilers for xmen 97 ep 5, if you somehow havent seen it dont keep scrolling

Don't cry if you didn't listen to me

I am NOT OKAY

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

WHY DO ALL MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS DIE FUCK THIS SHIT MAN IM TOO CURSED FOR ANY FANDOM

#gambit xmen #gambit x rogue #x men 97 #xmen #xmen gambit #gambit #x men 97 episode 5 #get rekt #why do all my favorite characters die #rip gambit #he died with no bitches #atleast magneto did too #sorry rogue #to live but at the cost of no bitches #dont worry they probably won't stay dead for long theyre too popular and make marvel too much money #they gave him a croptop for a reason #the reason was to rip it away from us from gambits cold dead body #my boy did not deserve that #they stabbed him right in the jesus fucking christ #atleast he went down like a badass #almost makes up for the x men movies #........ #nah i wouldn't go that far #lol

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

while we wait.

may i offer you all a pubby?? lil bby barns?

#i would like to Squeeze Him Full Strength #look at him!!! so proud that he tracked mud everywhere!!! what a good boy!!!! #listen listen. im a cat person. but barnaby..... #in my mind ms beagle is trying to be stern but hes just So Darn Cute #we are ms beagle pov #scribble garnish #welcome home #barnaby b beagle #welcome home puppet show #no okay but real talk the potential of barnaby's backstory has me close to tears #like hes just a little orphaned puppy... he was ORPHANED #WHAT A FUCKING DETAIL TO INCLUDE LIKE???? OWIE???? #did she find him in a waterlogged cardboard box in the rain... just a lil puppy abandoned by the roadside.... #OHHHHHH IM GONNA TEAR UP IF I KEEP THINKING ABOUT IT #who would abandon such a sweet boy.... #listen im weak to animals #but im Especially weak to innocent lil bby animals who are abandoned/orphaned... #like theyre just little guys who deserve all the love in the world... pure and full of love... discarded.... #WAILING AND SOBBING AND EATING YARN LIKE SPAGHETTI

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

The indescribable tension between an overworked and underpaid smut writer, and his biggest fan hater.

(for @frummpets)

#SVSSS #Shen yuan #shang qinghua #cumplane #Normally I don't tag with ship names but this one is a special case. #Confession time: When I first had SVSSS described to me I 100% thought the main pairing was between these two. #The dynamic is impeccable! Even if its 'just a fan ship' I stand by it. #Sorry to the people who like to think of them as handsome pretty boys. I don't. #These guys sit in their rooms and use the computer for 90% of waking hours. They are not looking after themselves well enough for good skin #They can be cute in their own way. People with acne and missed shaving spots deserve to have their romances too. #And sloppy hate makeouts <3 #Hi Sol! I truly did whoop and holler when drawing your name for the raffle! #You've been so kind and generous towards me and I'd happy to finally have the opportunity to give back some of that joy! #Thank you so much for all your support and the incredible fanart <3 You've made my day so many times! #I hope this silly mini comic is to your liking! #Playing around with colours for this one was a blast!

[mcroutfits]

10000/10 famous aesthetics: gerard's camo shorts

#i did one post about the pool boy outfit but #he deserves one especifically on the shorts #my chemical romance #mcr #mcr tumblr #my chemical fucking romance #gerard way #mcr gerard #mcr gerard way #gee way #mcr gee #my chemical gerard #my chem gerard #my chem gee #mcr return #mcr reunion #pool boy at the vampire mansion #camo #camo shorts

[croquettemoon]

Goodbye goodbye goodbye you were bigger than the whole sky.

#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk 236 #gojo satoru #jjk gojo #jjk spoilers #manga spoilers #jjk manga spoilers #jjk manga leaks #jjk manga #MY BOY. MY SWEET BOY WHAT THE FVCK DID THE PLOT DO TO YOU #WE FAILED HIM #HE DIDNT DESERVE THIS IM SHAKING CRYING SO BADLY #OUR BOY :(((

[tittyinfinity]

I just remembered that up until 5th grade, all of the sports teams I was in weren't separated by gender. I played basketball and baseball with boys. And we did just fine.

It wasn't until 6th grade when they segregated it by gender. It didn't make sense to me. I was now in softball because of baseball, because "softball is for girls" and "baseball is for boys" (which confused me bc my dad was on an adult softball team).

Now, my brother's all-male team didn't win a single game. My all-girls team won every single one.

They presented the boys' team with this HUGE trophy, and if you wanted replicas of it, they were $30 each.

My team was presented with a very small trophy. Extras were $5.

That's when I decided gender-segregated sports were bullshit.

#my mom went off on my brother's coach for that #said that it wasn't fair that my brother's team got to celebrate more than us despite actually winning #(it was through the same sports program) #she said she wasn't gonna pay $30 for a trophy whenever he was a horrible coach #bc the boys he had when they were on my team with my coach did just fine #their coach was this horrible egotistical guy who would scream at tbem for not doing good enough #when he didnt even KNOW HOW TO PLAY and was just there bc his kid was praying #my coach was this cool ass dad that was very calm and gentle with us #the coach was like ''oh so you don't think your son deserves to celebrate?'' #my mom was like ''he should but he needs to learn that he can't be rewarded for losing while #my daughter is barely rewarded for winning and i don't want to teach him that gender inequality is okay'' #(my mom is cool af sometimes) #we both quit playing after that

[clownsuu]

How do you feel knowing you converted most of the welcome community to Howdy lovers

The howdy propaganda

W O R K E D -

[mini cw link has mini caterpillars in it]

#So guys we did it HCHCGDHDDH #All it took was giving the caterpillar absolute b a z on g a s #And making him buff as shid LMAOOOO #It was only a matter of time til howdy will finally get the recognition he truly deserves smhhhh #Also if (other) clown sees this I am so sorry for making your worm boy jacked JDHCGHHDJJDJ #And I mean it in my most aro/ace way possible- I purely drawn him buff for headcanon characterization and the goofs #It’s just my thing drawing buff bugs JCHHFDH #Specially large wholesome fuggin buggies #Howdy my beloved smhhh #Welcome home #welcome home howdy #howdy pillar #Still can’t believe the propaganda worked JFHFGFGDH

[ride-a-dromedary]

#I am self sustaining atp and i'm okay with this #BG3 #Wyll Ravengard #Halsin #wyllsin #bg3edit #otheredits #my stuff #would you look at that it's 11pm gif time #i TOLD you wyll was gonna get all the forehead kisses he deserves #and boy did he because i did this at least thirty times trying to get a good shot #it's okay he deserves it <3 #and in thirty+ times i have realized that two out of the four kisses have glitches in their expression animation lmao #anyway them <3 #s/o to the free cam mod for making me more obnoxious than i am usually

[prism2674]

The greatest misfortune for Dazai’s enemies, is that they are Dazai’s enemies-

And the greatest misfortune for Asagiri’s favorites, is that they are Asagiri’s favorites:,)

#bungou stray dogs #bsd #Asagiri bsd #bsd 108 #so folk how we doing after the new chapter- #bc I for one AM A WRECK #Idk why but that quote from Oda was this first thing I thought ab #my boi Sigma DID NOT deserve this #the worst part is I’m not even suprised #but I am however in denial #like I have been for the past 30 chapters #bsd spoilers

[doctorsiren]

Part 12

<- previous | next (coming soon)

#doctorsiren #ace attorney #ace attorney au #gregory edgeworth #miles edgeworth #metis cykes #manfred von karma #eleanor edgeworth #ace attorney fanart #astro boy edgeworth au #digital art #my art #procreate #comic #he deserved a semi-crazed monologue :3 #I love writing those hehe #and yes that is a reference to Goodbye #which I also referenced in one of my Turnabout Goodbyes pieces #and also I did that 1985 animatic with Miles #also he’s self-aware and yet ironically still unaware of how he’s acting #bro’s a contradiction

[thatonegeekygirl]

Murder On the Puppet History Set

or

Ryan Tries to Solve a Confounding Crime While Estranged Producer Shane Madej and The Prof Hang Out and Are Entirely Unhelpful

#this is my first foray into puppet history art so hope I did it justice!! #shane and the professor vibing at the most inopportune times #holy baloney the background took an era #puppet history #shane madej #ryan bergara #the professor #shane and ryan #ryan and shane #watcher entertainment #all hail the watcher #watcher #shane and the professor #ryan “beef boy” bergara #the prof #pile of diamonds #I guess?? i mean he’s dead but he’s there #since you’ve looked through all those tags you deserve to know who killed him……. #it’s the substitute of course it’s the substitute #guy ain’t going down without a fight #if we don’t get violent substitute comeback next season ill eat my hat #(one of those “is it cake” hats but anyway) #the geek draws

[shima-draws]

Watched the MLB movie and I just. I WANT to gush about it but the fact that Marinette’s regular voice actor and her singing voice actor sound SO different just took me out of it every time and left me feeling very disengaged;; At least Adrien’s singing voice kind of sounds like his speaking voice (and Gabriel’s is 👌 bc my king Keith Silverstein can actually sing and he can sing REALLY fucking well) but Marinette’s. The voices are COMPLETELY different and it threw me off every single time. Like obviously her singing voice is really good and I understand why they picked that person to do her songs but bro you could have at least TRIED to get someone that sounds similar to Cristina Vee. It drove me nuts every time she sang bc I was like “That is CLEARLY a different person entirely!!”

I’m realizing this might have been a dubbing issue but still 😭 I feel like I would have enjoyed the movie way more if it didn’t look like Marinette was lip syncing the entire time bc there was such a huge disconnect between her speaking and singing voice

#Also I can’t fucking believe they did that to my boy Plagg. They RUINED him #He did not deserve that #Miraculous Ladybug #MLB #MLB movie #ALSO. Also. Personally. I don’t think it needed to be a musical #Bc that was very jarring in itself I was not expecting it #Since Miraculous isn’t a musical normally anyway!! #They probably could have fit in a lot more plot and made the story flow better if they took out all the songs #And replaced them with actual character development and stuff. #Idk it just feels like they tried to make it like a Disney film. And it didn’t quite fit with the story #I WILL say tho the character models were top notch. Marinette with FRECKLES?? YES PLEASE #Anyway yeah lots of thoughts but I could not take it seriously bc of the awkward voice casting #It actually ruined a lot of the movie for me :’( Again it drove me nuts lmao #Shima speaks #Idk maybe I'll watch it in French next time. Maybe I'll like it better then lol

[airborneice]

they live in my mind rent free

#why did i ignore my s3 art and all the other stuff i wanna draw to do this. send help #anyway i love these funky lil guys #and they seem p rare like how often do they even find other ones ??? #i just want stray sod to have a buddy he deserves it 😭 #the closest i'll ever get to having a straight ship #hilda the series #hilda netflix #hilda season 3 #hilda s3 spoilers #hilda spoilers #art tag #btw since my boy doesnt have a canon name in my art folder the file is just called sods. just thought i'd mention that bsgdhksvdkhg

[shadowofaghost5]

Give it up for everybody’s favourite street rat!!!

-

Fanart of Aaron from Fox’s Tounge and Kirin’s Bone, an incredible book by @muffinlance

I worked hard on this an am incredibly proud of how it turned out. If you wanna hear about the process, feel free to check out me rambling in the tags.

#fox’s tongue and kirin’s bone #fanart #i really wasn’t sure how this would work out because i rarely ever draw book characters? But I drew this guy Once and that was it #I went ‘yeah that’s my boy. that works’ #i mostly went with what i envisioned though i did check the first chapter again to see if it said anything contradicting my design #and it did say Aaron had short hair but you know what? I really want him to have a little ponytail #I think he deserves a little ponytail #so i kept the ponytail #i was originally going to draw him with his silly little coat and add a heck ton of details #but the pose didn’t work out #There’s always next time! #with his current clothes his sash i guess is the most important part? #in the first chapter it talks about Aaron’s knife had been clad in black&gold previously #I assume in reference to the Man #Though I might be wrong #i binge-read the book in like three days #the details have escaped me #but yeah I did the sash with those colors because I thought it’d be cool #anyways i believe that’s most of it #i also have a bunch of doodles i made for warmup before this #that i’m also going to share at some point #i hope you like it!

[loveapologist]

One and only, Jamison Fawkes!

Support me on PATREON!

#this tho I did traditionally #with the crusties pen and the crustiest paper #just like the boy deserves #overwatch #junkrat #junkrat fanart #overwatch fanart #my art #fanart