#'i was born following you. i'll die following you. next question.'

[codename-adler]

when you cannot handle class discussion;

a non-aftg post still addressed to the aftg fandom because i know the aftg fam got me.

CW below: Harry Potter and JKR.

TERFs et al. not welcomed, fuck off.

one of my uni classes this semester is called Children's Literature in English. i will abstain from relating my whole life background, but here is the issue: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is on the syllabus, due to be discussed for the next 2 weeks. other works on the program are: both Andersen's and Grimms' fairytales, Enid Blyton's The Twins at St. Clare's, The Catcher in the Rye, A Little Princess, Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese and Neil Gaiman's The Wolves in the Walls. (the latter is a whole other issue in itself that is not the point here)

the objective of the class is worded as followed by the professor in the syllabus:

This course will involve a critical study of children’s and young adult literature (in English) by analyzing historical and cultural connotations of childhood, adolescence, and related subjects. By analyzing a variety of texts students will explore several dimensions of children’s literature including children’s education, questions of race and identity, children’s understanding of abuse and trauma, young adult adventures and more. Literature in this course will range from the eighteenth-century concept of children’s texts, twentieth century popular school stories, as well as contemporary popular fiction including picture books and graphic novels. Students will be expected to critically engage with the texts and appreciate the sophisticated themes present in them. Children’s literature is often considered to be repositories of cultural values and deemed as agents of socialization—students will be encouraged to dissect these texts from their literary and political perspectives.

now. i've known about HP as assigned reading since the summer. initially i was very, thoroughly disappointed. and pissed. and helpless, because i did not know who the professor would be. therefore i had no clue as to how it would be handled, from what angle it would be approached. from the list of texts, i could assume a certain theme around school as a major setting for children's socialization and growth. fairytales is also always the starting point. but apart from that, no clue.

then the syllabus came, and it was grief all over again. because as you can see, nothing indicates that HP will be discussed with current events in mind. moreover, the thematic section under which it is to be read, in the syllabus, are: coming-of-age stories, adventure, YA fiction. so... nothing, you know. and so since August, i've been nursing this weird wound?

i'll admit, i was much, much, much more affected by the news than i ever thought i would. i haven't interacted with the texts and fandom for years. i actively avoid it. my ex-bestfriend who i've 'broken up' with in April was the only contact i had, because she is a die-hard fan that, although disagreeing with JKR, did not try to change the ways she engaged with the content. i rarely discussed HP with her, because i did not like it, and it was never as of major importance to me as it was to her; she has grown up with HP, whereas i only read the series around 14, never saw the movies in theatre, etc. that is not to say that i was not an ardent fan; i was immensely taken with the books, the world, that author herself. i was in awe of her genius. was.

all this to say, i have carefully curated what i'm exposed to and what i engage with. i've laid down pretty good boundaries. a little too good, perhaps, if my deep shock and perpetual grief are anything to go by. my surprise at my own feelings certainly does not help to lessen them and process them.

and now has come the time for discussion. i won't reread HP1, because i still have it pretty much memorized, and because i simply refuse to. i have so many other things to do and read and write for other classes and clubs, i cannot be arsed to give that book a single glance. but for the next 2 weeks, the next 6 hours of that class, everything will be HP and JKR. and i do not know how to handle it.

because. because the students of the class are, mostly, fans. still. and the professor too, i believe. i do not see a discussion on transphobia, homophobia, racism, antisemitism and misogyny in the cards. i'm really not getting the 'vibe' from the prof that there will be a portion reserved for those aspects. i hope i'm wrong. but i cannot prepare myself on hope.

just the discussion from some girls, during the break, about their favorite fanfics and eagerly and enthusiastically chatting about HP and the reboot and whatnot, i'm feeling awful. and, well, apart from me, these women are among the students that participate the most in discussion. (as it is, a discussion-/seminar- based course)

i understand, okay? i understand. that HP/JKR permanently changed the children's lit landscape and market. whether it was deserved/original or not, it remains that they have had a very important role in the history of kids' lit. it cannot be erased, though i wish it would. and that is, fine. nothing anyone can do about that. the mark (stain) is there to stay. i understand.

so i cannot change:

the syllabus

the professor

the students

history

i can only control the way i will handle this. i will try my very best not to engage in the discussion. though 15% of our final grade goes to participation, i have secured my full mark by now and know after HP i will pick up the work again. that is no concern to me. when i say try not to engage, i mean try not to waste energy and peace over whatever bs is bound to be said. i'm not afraid of outright far-right problematic 'opinions' or responding to them if be the case, but i doubt it will happen, which is a tiny bit of relief.

but i cannot skip those sessions. it remains that i must be present and actively listening. that is tiring and hurtful enough. and i do not know how to plan how to cope. i do have a dear friend i know i could talk to in person afterwards. and i have you guys.

so what i'm asking, after all this blah-blah, is advice, tips, ideas, to help me remain calm and well for the next 2 weeks suffering through the HP bs.

i sound dramatic af. i feel dramatic af. i don't understand why i am so affected. i don't even know for sure if the professor will skip over that crucial evil of JKR. i might be pleasantly surprised.

i'm happily open to provide any additional info if you have questions or need clarifications. i don't know how coherent i'm being. feeling real blurry rn.

yeah. that's all.

- Love, Adler xx

[aeide-thea]

all these polls that are like 'what was your first/gateway X' and i'm just like. bold of you to think i remember that far back lmao

[stars-and-the-min]

☆ the wrong way to hard launch (14) | OP81

summary : oscar's girlfriend is a walking pr problem for literally everyone (including herself) social media au

pairing : oscar piastri x zhou!fem!singer!oc

a/n wait wait let him cook (imola)

masterlist | last part | part 14 | next part

INSTAGRAM

oscar piastri just posted to their story

TIKTOK

comments

FOLLOW UP QUESTION, WHICH RACE ????

something about a formula 1 driver and a rockstar having like the most normal story of meeting is hilarious

"took me a while to actually start dating her" i'm deadddd, u pulled her in the end tho bro

best relationship on the grid, i would die for them

didn't win the race but won her number, u have ur priorities straight

y'all gas her up too much it's not like she's that big a deal 💀 ↳ she's at least ten times more famous let's be fr for a sec, most of the world doesn't know what f1 is but they've probably heard one of lina's songs on the radio

REDDIT

r/EmptyBottles · Posted by u/luckyluna9364 1 mo. ago Lina x Oscar Timeline [read new comments]

fantstic013 · 12 hr. ago reviving this post bc of oscar's tiktok; they met at a race, which race??? when did lina attend a race?? whatthekermitdid · 11 hr. ago her f1 race debut (her words, not mine) was literally suzuka last month so i'm just as confused niaphilia283 · 11 hr. ago she might have done it behind the public's back. i think we all know that lina is only seen when she wants to be seen; we basically only saw her at scheduled events for the entirety of 2020-2023 like where was she even? what was she doing?

luckyluna9364 OP · 3 hr. ago ppl out there scrambling wondering which race but it has to at least be from the 2023 season bc i bet my whole life savings that their talking period was like 3 months so the new proposed meeting is like... abu dhabi grand prix (at the very least) which was back in december 2023

TWITTER

emme @flowersforcami · 4h still not over last night's show... the shit was phenomenal, it the cherry on top ↳ amie <3 @mieflrs · 4h i don't think we acknowledge how masochistic t*mmy must be to follow lina around europe and enduring those 2 hour shows where almost every song is the biggest middle finger to your existance; personally, if a song like aconite was written about me, i'd just never show my face again

kayla @luna_apocolypse · 5h oscar's story??? sir are you talking about the actual view or the stunning woman on the balcony?? it's important that i know

president linami @ linaminami · 6h 24 days since lina's posted on any of her socials... i can't believe i miss her unserious ass so much 🥲

oscalina real ?! @emptyginbottles · 33m "oscar could do so much better" respectfully how do you get better than selina fucking bui? ↳ oscalina real ?! @emptyginbottles · 33m "he should be with someone like him" she's australian, she's born in 2001, she's got cat energy, she loves sleeping and chocolate, she's slightly unhinged, she's known as a prodigy in her field, she keeps down low and most importantly, she's hot as shit, what more do you want

piaa⁸¹ @ papayaeightyone · 2h he called her his lucky charm 🥺 i love them so much 😭 ↳ lila💚 @kasdanrights · 2h wait lina?? where's this from?? i have terrible signal and no videos are loading ↳ piaa⁸¹ @ papayaeightyone · 2h it's from a video of them entering the paddock, someone asked him what's its like to have her at a race again and he grinned and said she's his lucky charm ↳ lila💚 @kasdanrights · 2h WAIT NO THEY'RE SO CUTE I CAN'T

MESSAGES

from the phone of oscar piastri

TWITTER

oscalina real ?! @emptyginbottles · 4h WE'RE SO BACKKKKK

↳ piaa⁸¹ @papayaeightyone · 4h that lucky charm must be working 👀

pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 34m OSCAR PIASTRI P2 START YES YES YES

oscalina real ?! @emptyginbottles · 21m oh he was not kidding when he said she was his lucky charm ↳ oscalina real ?! @emptyginbottles · 20m i'll have whatever he's having bc he was like a cat on steroids

jess @OPIXSTRI · 28m we were so close to a maiden pole why is it always a fucking haas ruining everything

Jonny @EB_jonno · 32m @ OscarPiastri Mega quali mate, way to absolutely send it (don't give Lina too much credit)

INSTAGRAM

oscarpiastri Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola

liked by cameliazzz and 218,496 others

oscarpiastri Well, it was fun while it lasted 😂

opeightyone Time to have better fun tomorrow then

cameliazzz i bet she found it hilarious ↳ oscarpiastri @ cameliazzz She found the timing hilarious, she was pretty upset it happened

TWITTER

pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 3h oscar piastri is now incredibly familiar with the rear wing of that ferrari it's just a shame it's the hideous hp logo

oscalina real ?! @ emptyginbottles · 3h LANDO??? LANDO OML U ARE SCARING THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYONE

piaa⁸¹ @ papayaeightyone · 2h i mourn the mclaren double podium we could've had... ↳ piaa⁸¹ @ papayaeightyone · 2h what matters most is that oscar finished ahead of sainz, i'm a happy woman

ZG24 future WDC · @zhoupdates · 21m the most iconic cousins are having dinner together in imola after the race

tagged: 周冠宇 | Zhou Guanyu 🇨🇳 and lina !!! ↳ clara @ zgy24 · 5m oscar finally let lina out of his sight this weekend?

INSTAGRAM

oscarpiastri

liked by logansargeant and 264,586 others

oscarpiastri En route to Florence (got really sidetracked)

amelia_belrose who gave them the right to be so cute?

pi4str1 the anticipated road trip happened 🥺 ↳ linasgirl4 @pi4str1 from a mention in a rolling stones interview to reality, they did it guys 🫶

opeightyone Nice quick break before the double header

siera_mblanc he's never looked so boyfriend before this is insane, the girlfriend effect is slowly kicking in

TWITTER

pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 2h something real funny about oscar driving down to florence with lina to spend a day or two before having to helicopter over to monaco by wednesday for the mclaren senna tribute livery/monaco gp promotions like 😭 OSCAR, BREATHE A LITTLE ↳ pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 2h idk how u think this is lina hate, it's just me pointing out that oscar had found a gap in his schedule and immediately went: i'm spending as much time as physically possible with my girlfriend before they forcibly drag me to monaco

Oscar Piastri @ OscarPiastri · 4h Searching my family tree to find any trace of Monégasque roots ↳ Charles Leclerc @Charles_Leclerc · 1h I can adopt you if needed ↳ Jonny @EB_Jonny · 13m did we just become in-laws to the leclercs???

piaa⁸¹ @papayaeightyone · 1h oscar piastri-leclerc 😭

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:

taglist @ririyulife @ashy-kit @fionaschicken @namgification @cherry-piee @urfavsgf @eiaaasamantha @sp1rl @destinyg237 @iloveyou3000morgan

[kkurisuac]

𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲

Sypnosis: a suicidal girl meets the boy who saved her

Pairing: Baji Keisuke x Fem!Reader

Warning: depression, suicide

It's cold. I'm cold. I can't breathe. Someone is talking, but I don't understand what. My eyes are so heavy.

My head hurts. It's so hard to breathe. Where am I? Why is everything white here? This is definitely a hospital, but what am I doing here?

"Are you awake?" asked a boy with long black hair. I raised my eyes to him and suddenly everything came to me. I wanted to commit suicide. But even that didn't work.

"Are you feeling okay?" he continued to ask, but I just started looking at the ceiling.

I remember now. I walked into the sea to drown. I wasn't fully conscious anymore, I almost made it, but someone lifted me out of the water. I don't remember completely, but I felt someone holding me and trying to wake me up with no success. So that would be the boy.

"Why did you save me?" I asked him the question, not very nicely.

"Because you were drowning?!"

"That was the point."

"Oh, well, sorry I didn't let you die, next time I'll watch from a distance." he said wryly.

"You'd be doing a favour for me."

"You're welcome by the way, no thanks necessary." he left me alone. Of course, let me be the one to blame.

I just want to be dead already.

I was discharged from the hospital and went home, where I was immediately yelled at for where I was. No, they didn't ask me where I was, how I was. Again, the point was not to ruin the family's reputation.

"Why can't you behave yourself? Look at your sister, she'd never do that!" shouted Dad.

"She studies normally, she works, she helps your mother at home, she does voluntary work and she's smart and pretty too. But that's less true of you." he continued to shout at me.

"Tell Y/n where were you last night?"

"I wanted to commit suicide." I declared, and my father laughed at me.

"Y/n how many times do I have to tell you not to draw attention to yourself like that! Follow your sister and believe me everyone will know about you."

Enough. Stop it.

I refused to listen any longer to how much better my sister was, so I went to my room instead.

I looked in the mirror and saw the same girl I saw every day. The girl I want to kill because her existence is useless. She'll never be good enough for anyone because she's an insignificant little girl. She's not even pretty, she's not smart, she doesn't stand out, she's not even average. Her parents don't like her, then others even more so. No one would even notice if she died.

I went down to my family's for dinner and hoped to get away with all kinds of bullshit today. But a night like this only exists in my dreams, because I'm the target of the whole family.

"Y/n you're not having this for dinner tonight." Mom said like she was normal.

"What? Why?" I asked, because I didn't understand what was going on.

"You've put on a few pounds lately so you can't be seen in public. You need to lose a few kilos."

"Look at your sister's beautiful figure. If you ate normally and exercised, you could be as beautiful as your sister."

Enough. Stop saying that.

Since I was in no mood for anything, I went back to my room and listened to music.

Why was I born? What have I done to be treated like this? Why doesn't my own family love me? Why am I alive?

"Miss, would you like some dinner?" knocked one of the maids.

"Aren't my parents having dinner or something?" I asked, because I don't normally get that question.

"Your parents and your sister are eating at a restaurant today. And they asked me to give you this." he handed me a little piece of paper with Dad's handwriting on it.

'We're off to celebrate your sister's graduation, we won't be home till late. Learn, so that next time we celebrate you.'

My father is so nice. They left me out of this one too. Not so surprising, I think.

I wanted to kill myself for two weeks. It's time to try again, maybe this time I'll succeed.

Walking down the dark street, waiting for a car to come and hit me. First and last time I would finally get lucky.

"You again?!" a motorbike stopped in front of me. Right in front of me, so I didn't even get a scratch.

"I can't die because of you again?!" I saddened.

"Alright, why do you want to die so badly?" he asked rather nervously.

"It's none of your business."

"Where are you going now? To hang yourself? Or what will you try next?"

"That's a good idea. I'm going to get some rope."

Taking my hand, he wouldn't let me take a step.

"Let go of me. Don't interfere with my suicide attempt."

"Why would a girl like you want to die? And answer me normally!" he squeezed my hand a little.

"Don't take your anger out on me." I took my hand away. I wanted to end the conversation, but he stopped me.

"You want to take your anger out with me instead of committing suicide?"

"I'd rather be suicidal." I replied without thinking. "But before that, it doesn't sound bad. What are we going to do?"

When I agreed I hadn't fully thought it through, but I felt that there could be no harm in it, after all, I was leaving this world anyway.

"Are we really going to set a car on fire? How legal is that?" "Not at all" he handed me a match. I was a little unsure about what we were doing, but it seemed exciting to do it.

As soon as the boy said I could do it I dropped the match and the car started burning nicely. I had no idea it would feel so liberating.

"I am Baji Keisuke."

"Y/n."

"Now that we've committed a crime together, will you tell me why you want to die?" he looked at me seriously. Sighing heavily, I gave in and quickly began to summarize my life.

"I'm an accidental child raised by a foster woman because my parents put work first and I found out at a young age how untalented I am, unlike my sister. She's good at everything, really. She dances, she studies, she works, she competes, she volunteers, she's beautiful, she's smart, she has everything to be perfect. But I'm not. That's it." I was satisfied with that, but as I could see Baji is not satisfied.

"Every day I'm told how much better my sister are, that I'm useless, that nobody cares about me. They always compare me to my sister. Today, for example, they went to celebrate my sister's birthday, leaving me at home to study. It's terrible to be born into a rich family where fame comes first." I finished.

Baji sat in silence for a while waiting for me to speak.

"Is that reason enough to commit suicide?"

"No. It may be bad now, but if you commit suicide, you will never know what the future would have been. You might meet someone close to you who will help you realize how wonderful you are."

"We just set a random car on fire, how did you get so serious now?" I asked, laughing slightly.

"Hey, don't laugh at me." he said to me.

"I've never thought about the future."

"Then maybe now would be a good time."

"And tell me, can you help? I mean, save me when I'm about to commit suicide?" I asked, completely serious, and he agreed

"You told me not to commit suicide because I never know what the future holds. It's a bit ironic, isn't it Baji?"

"I came to your grave, not the other way around." I put the flower down in front of him.

"Six months ago you saved me when I needed it. Why didn't you let me save you too? Why did you commit suicide? That was my role."

"Thank you for saving me every time, but tell me I can commit suicide now? I'm not interested in a future that doesn't include you. Baji, I want to be with you." I wiped my eyes, but my tears didn't stop for a moment.

It was because of him that I had been able to survive so far, but he chose to go ahead. However, I can't leave him alone, so it's time to go after him.

[writers-potion]

What's your take on this idea? I'm struggling with the execution. Good and Evil are actual entities/personifcations, not characters simply representing them. These two get separated - split into two worlds. The plot is to reunite them and restore balance. But I don't want to get stuck with a Utopian Society, or Dystopian... I just hate the idea of a world that's overly light and good or overly dark and evil. But if Evil is absent, then how can it exist in Good's world?

Is there anyway to work with this or should I discard Good and Evil as characters entirely?

Story Ideas for Good vs. Evil Societies

Hey there! Sorry for the long wait and no, your question was safely in my inbox :)

Here are some ideas about how you can introduce Evil back into the land of the Good

Good and Evil as Parallel Universes

I'll just throw some ideas for linking the good and evil worlds structually. These ideas assume that although Good and Evil were separated, they can never truly stand on their own.

When someone evil pops up in the good world, they are immediately whisked away to the land of the Evil through some sort of magic. One day, this magic stops working.

Good and Evil are actually parallel universes with the exact same people, economy, buildings, etc. The only difference is that Person A in the Good world will always make the right decisions while Person A' in the Evil world will make the bad ones. So, people in the good world doesn't know hardship or failure, and they lead a relatively boring life (they will ALWAYS choose to eat salad rather than cholocate cake for dinner, how boring is that?). Evil "creeps in" to the good world when a person chooses to eat...(gasp)...a whole pack of Oreos at midnight.

The way this "separation" works is Good and Evil divides the newborns entering the world by foreshadowing their predetermined fates. One day, a baby is born and none of them can see their future...would this baby grow up to be a saint or murderer?

Bad As the Shadow of Good

Shadows and darkness are long-standing analogies for the evil. So the "Good" world is the world in the light, while shadows are in fact the world of the Evil, living a life of their own (think your shadow moving and having a life of its own).

The Light World and Shadow world don't mix (You can't touch or hug your shadow, right? Your shadow cannot harm you physically)

The Shadows and Light People can't talk to each other

A woman falls in love with a Shadow man and she somehow manages to give him a proper body rather than being a shadow on the wall...what next?

None of the people in the "Good World" have shadows, which means they are transparent (think Invisible Man). Now, one of them happens to figure out that if they get a shadow, they can see themselves in the mirror...

Twisting the Concepts of Good and Evil

How do you define good and evil? The yardsticks of morality have changed with time and cultural development, and it truly isn't easy to draw a clear line on what each of your societies would have.

Instead, try working with other concepts of good and evil.

Good = Love for self and others vs. Bad = No Love. The "Bad" society will comprise of people who have no love whatsoever, not even for themselves. Thus, all of them would end up committing suicide. When a child is born, Good and Evil can foresee how the child would die - if they're destined for suicide, Evil takes the child. When the two worlds are combined, the good people bring love into the lives of those who had none. Problem solved and balance restored.

The Banality of Evil. This concept is based on Hannah Arendt's book, Eichmann in Jerusalem. She argued that the average person is capable of horrible deeds if they don't "think for themselves" and "mindlessly follow instructions" of bad leaders like Hitler. You can show a world where Evil rules over such mindless people who does anything Evil will say while people in the Good world will act under their own values.

Good = Balance. Evil = No balance. This is based on Virtue Ethics. The sheer fact that there is no balance is in fact a bad thing. Thus, Good will lead its people to strike a balance between two values while Evil would encourage his people to always do too much of everything.

I hope this helps!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

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[aphinthestars]

Didi Explanation and Aph and Miguel's Relationship

Hey yall I'm back and finally did a post for a question I got about my spidersona! (Did I take almost a month to cook? Yeah and? Also I'm sorry, everytime i draw Miguel it comes out so so so different from one another and also i didn't use a reference for one of these) As always trigger warnings for this post such as child abuse/neglect, spiders, experimentation, death etc.

The question comes from @sweetimpurityloves (thank you Sweet love youuuu!)

Also thank you @didipayasito for letting me talk about your sona <3 go follow her she's awesome

Also also dividers I used for this post made by @/saradika-graphics

For this question I'll make a small explanation first and then go on to the lore!

There are two versions of Didi in our story or AU, Didi Stella and Didi O'Hara, for simplicity sake we'll call them A!Didi (As in Aph's Didi or Didi Stella) and M!Didi (As in Miguel's Didi or Didi O'Hara)

A!Didi comes from Earth-117, also known as Nueva Lunaria or Aph's earth, A!Didi was one of Aph's best friends and roommates with Nico, they were so close they all literally changed their last names to Stella so they could at least be sisters symbolically.

For those who have not read my sona's lore post, A!Didi dies at 24 years old in Aph's story as one of her canon events, Aph blamed herself for it horribly even if the own Didi said she shouldn't as she was dying.

And M!Didi comes from Earth-928, also known as Nueva York, she is Miguel's adoptive child in that universe, being some convoluted version of Spiderwoman (I'll explain in the next part of this post bare with your girl)

Now onto the actual question!

How did Didi become Miguel's adoptive child in this AU?

I think most of Miguel Nation knows how Miguel became Spider-Man so I won't go into detail with that.

Well, Didi was born from a one night stand between a revered scientist and a very famous model, neither of them wanted a child but by the time Didi's mom noticed she was pregnant it was too late to do anything about it.

Didi grew up in a household of emotional abuse from her mother who she lived full time with.

That was until her father became obsessed with the notion of creating another Spider-Man.

They obviously needed a live subject, someone young enough so that they could indoctrinate them into doing their bidding but also someone that no one would go looking for.

And that's when Didi came in, as it turns out her parents had done a fantastic job of keeping her hidden, knowing her mother's career would plummet if someone knew about the child, it was better for them like that, well for her parents not for Didi.

The perfect subject, someone who was already loyal to the scientist, who would do anything for his approval.

And that's how it happened, Didi was bitten by a radioactive spider, she was experimented on trying to see what limits her powers had.

Until one fateful night where her life would change for the better.

A fire.

No one knows how it started or when, but Didi in her contention cell couldn't do much about it, thinking she would die there until she heard how someone took down the door and huddled her in their arms.

The next thing Didi knew she woke up in a hospital bed, she was one of the few survivors, and the cherry on top, the only experiment that survived.

The fire erased any document of Didi ever existing with it, shoving it into the depths of who she had been in that horrible laboratory.

She could hear soft voices outside her hospital room, one in particular who declared sternly "I'll be her guardian until her parents are found" She was terrified thinking it was one of the scientists that worked with her dad.

But no, the man who walked through the door, though a scientist as well, couldn't be confused by any man she had seen before, tall and intimidating for a little girl.

He talked softly not wanting to scare her, introducing himself as Miguel O'Hara, though Didi interrupted him the moment she saw his fangs, becoming completely excited to see someone who had such a feature as well.

Miguel was stunned, but he knew what he had to do, he couldn't let these little girl, these girl who had barely stopped being a toddler and turned into a kid to be at the hands of people who could put her in danger because of her powers.

As it was obvious that her parents wouldn't appear he made the decision to adopt her.

Being 24 years old but having inherited Alchemax and a fortune from Tyler Stone (In this AU Tyler dies with Aaron and Miguel inherits Alchemax) he was able to easily sway people to let him adopt the little girl.

From that moment on Miguel would visit Didi in the hospital and eventually in the orphanage until all the papers were in order.

He breaks the news to her as Didi is doing makeup on him, her saying "It's almost time for you to leave and I haven't finished this yet" and Miguel answering by accident "Finish it when we get home" stunning Didi as he finally breaks the news to her and her sobbing in his arms as she finally gets to have a home with the only loving parent she has ever known, after cleaning Miguel's face up and calming Didi down, the papers are finalized, her little suitcase packed up and Didi gets to go home with her dad, the only dad she has had from that moment on.

(And for those who love Gabi, don't worry she is still part of this AU and that part of the story is intact)

So onto the second question, how did Aph react to the news that a Spiderperson version of Didi existed and Miguel had hidden it from her? Not only that but that that version is Miguel's adoptive daughter? And also that her other best friend also had a spiderperson version of themselves?

.....Not well

She ran into his lab, screaming his name like bloody murder, scaring the fuck out of Miguel who doesn't have a spidersense, he was about to berate whoever came in shouting but the moment he looked around his words all jumbled and he didn't know what to say.

He had never seen Aph that angry, hell he had never seen the woman more then annoyed point blank. So seeing her like that, and worse with all her anger directed at him? Yeah....Miguel stayed quiet until Aph had finished berating him to the moon and back.

Eventually Aph settled down, now more heartbroken then anything that he had hidden something so important from her, trying her best not to cry not wanting to be seen as weak.

Miguel got himself and Aph sitting down on the edge of his platform, they had been friends for a bit and he tolerated physical contact from her so he let her seat as she wanted.

Miguel explained his point of view, he was going to tell her, when she was in a place to take it better, he didn't want Aph to use this versions of Nico and Didi as replacements for the family she had lost, for the versions she had lost.

Aph understood, it was an asshole move from him, yes, but it came from a good place, she sighed and nodded, understanding his point of view but still making sure he knew that was horrible to pull and that she wouldn't allow that to happen again, no more secrets between them, at least nothing as substantial as a whole kid.

And that's all for this ask! Hope you all enjoyed reading it and looking at the art as much as me making it! My asks and comments are both open for this kind of thing so be welcomed to drop them in anytime! Just beware I might take a bit to respond specially since I plan on adding art to most of it!

Taglist: @sweetimpurity @sweetimpurityloves @bluemadnessstuff @stressedmacaronisalad

[bellysoupset]

hi soup!! I love your stories and as a new reader I wanted to ask, how did your universe come to be? Did it start off with one or two characters and the cast expanded from there? How much of it is planned and how much do you just write and see where it goes, if that makes sense? I’m thinking of writing a series like yours at some point :)

- ☂️

Hi ☂️! How are you?

Here on tumblr first I dabbled with a bit of urban fantasy, which is one of my favorite genres, but soon the plot kinda consumed me and I started to have this super complicated plot ideas, but no motivation to write them. So I decided to dial down and go back to "what's the most basic world I can write?"

That's how Luke and Bell were born, two college kids, nothing else. Then obviously, if I'm saying Luke is captain of the football team and I love bromance, I needed to give him a bestie and a frenemy. Jonah and Vince were born like this. Then Leo was just because I love "the baby" of the group. Wendy came later, I wanted someone to challenge Vince. And finally Max now because I wanted some change!

Nothing was planned, the only rule I set to myself was that I wouldn't overthink (or honestly even think lol) when writing the Dumbasses. I write a lot of vanilla stuff with very detailed, plotty worlds, and I wanted to keep the stakes purposefully low here, so I never get "oh my god, I'm ruining my plot" fright, you know?

Now, because I was lowkey forced to organize all my writing into a big document for archiving purposes (I'm always scared tumblr will die on me and I'll lose everything), I finally have a clearer outline, but that has pretty much never been the case. Before this year started I never ever put out "what's coming next" lists, because I never knew what would be coming next.

And even then... I barely follow my list lol.

I'm super excited to see what you come up with, ☂️! Would you be writing kinky or vanilla? What's the plan?

I hope this helped some and if you have any questions, my inbox is always open!

[kaus-quietis]

Greetings, Anon! Thank you for your questions. I have to admit, even in the past, I refrained from posting reactions or speculations as BSD chapters release, but you already knew that, so I will indulge you. I'll answer each part of your ask. BSD ch113 thoughts below, manga spoilers ahead.

♠ "What was your raw reaction?" It was not a calm, quiet one, I can tell you that. No, in fact I screamed with excitement as if I was in a Roman amphitheatre and my favourite gladiator just got back up on his feet, out of sheer force of will, grinning and sweaty. My scream was the fastest way I could "verbalize" the fact that I was overjoyed to see him alive again, even if it's in the 15th century, and on top of that he seemed to be some kind of spy monk all chained up and having what seems to be a ridiculous amount of fun getting caught and discussing with Bram. This is all very in-character for him.

♠ "Was that something you expected?" Absolutely not. Yes, yes, I truly did not expect a jump back in time and this infobomb drop, despite the fact that we did get a few hints that Fedya seemed present at past events when all the other character really appeared younger than him (near the end of S4ep3, where on a rooftop Fedya says "It's not V, it's Five" and I am seriously like bruh I give up what I want to say is I need more data to work with, what am I supposed to do with this, rationally speaking?). However, we can't yet extract anything conclusive from this. Is he ageless? A time-traveler? Immortal? Does he revive? When was he born? Was he born at all or created differently somehow? Is he of BSD's world, or an external one (Beast liveaction finale anyone?)? Is this all within the Book and he's just… idk flipping the pages? Anything is possible and I refuse to spend a lot of time working with incomplete data. This is not very follower-friendly (as in, my blog is basically inactive in-between), I know and I apologize, but if after many chapters there will be something worthwile to add to my essay (with what Fukuchi said in ch113 I already have important stuff to add), under those circumstances I will consider writing an update. It's not yet time.

♠ "<Was that> something you felt different for the characterization we all made for Fyodor?" Hmm, I would hesitate to refer to a characterization "we all made" for him (I wish! T o T), because my analysis and blog are but a tiny tiny part of the fandom (I think…? I wonder about my Fedya essay's reach or influence sometimes). But let's say here we refer to one that comes close to what I tried to show in my essay. In that case, I would say that there is nothing to fear here in this chapter, but it's very understandable to have massive trust issues at this point. We went through a miserable, miserable time when the previous ones made the guy who visually memorized a full deck of used cards somehow not notice Chuuya wearing contacts and fake vampire teeth, despite knowing the vampire race since… well, the 15th century! I cannot even begin to describe what I felt reading ch111.5-112, I was beyond repulsed. Lovers of "villain" characters understand the following thing well: in most media, our fav has to lose, he has to die or disappear at some point, with rare exceptions. I, too, know this well, but that was no compelling way to solve BSD's villain threat. I still don't know how BSD will wash away that narrative stain, as I consider it, but then again one of the reasons we love this manga is that it keeps us on the edge of our seats and the most absurd yet fun turns can happen out of the blue. We can reasonably ask ourselves: ok, what is the purpose of showing Fedya's backstory now? If it's for build-up, we can already start grinning like Cheshire cats. What could possibly be next? I'm cautiously optimistic, things look in-character and good to me. Very good, in fact.

♠ "Or do you think it is later on going add some depth to his character?" Backstories are shown usually for a very clear purpose. We don't know the purpose yet, but if it's done well, then… then my whole essay could be at risk lmao (and I love this sensation). New info could add so much depth to his character, in fact, that his previously observed traits could gain new meanings, or even contradictory ones. Whichever it will be, I think it's pretty safe to bet on "his backstory will be very relevant".

♠ Bonus: even if I enjoy going "full analytical" and enter conference speech mode when asked, I am driven by strong emotions, by which I want to say – I am not immune to assassin/spy monk Fedya chained up like that and having the time of his life again. I missed seeing him entertained like that, and his current …………. visual representation in the.. uh. ..chapter, yeah, well, it's doing things to my Depeche Mode-worshipping heart.

Anyway, to conclude with some facts we know as of now:

a. Fedya and Bram are inside the Bran Castle, close to the Romanian city of Brașov, "deep in the Carpathians" although not built at high altitude itself. It's basically a fortress built between 1377-1388, with several later additions. The BSD representation of it is very accurate to how it looks today. It's near perfect, actually, I applaud.

b. Bram mentions King Matthias, and in this context that can only mean Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary for 1458-1490. The meeting between Fedya and Bram thus happens some year during his reign, when Transylvania was still part of the Kingdom of Hungary. What is still strange to me is that I can't pinpoint Bram's exact position, as in… were his people independent? Or avoided? I feel like I need to re-read past Bram-related chapters to think about this.

c. Nevermind Bram, the things that Fukuchi says, those are the real goldmine here, but the gold is still… encrypted? I mean: Fedya made the DoA plan (more than confirmed now), and because Fukuchi asked for the condition to keep casualties under 500, Fedya respected that and we got entertained for like half of the whole BSD manga: using coin bombs for terror, for economic/political destabilization, using the vampire infection to avoid further violence, these things. The more you think about it, the more insane it gets. Since Fedya agreed to this condition, it means causing (more) deaths and violence were expendable things to him. (But imagine this: Fukuchi said "I want max. 500 deaths" and Fedya said "Yeah I can do that", now if Fukuchi would've said "I want max. 2 deaths" I really believe Fedya would've still said "Yeah I can do that". What can't he do, especially since murder for murder's sake isn't his goal?). This is in perfect harmony with his "necessary deaths only" approach so far, and much much more. There are far more implications in what Fukuchi said, which I won't type out here now. Gotta keep them and build around them for a future analysis update.

This was a rather long read, but still, I hope this satisfies your curiosities, Anon. *bows dramatically & disappears in a borderline insufferable ENTP way*

[eruden-writes]

The Unexpected Human Problem - Part 28

Part 1 | Part 2| Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5| Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31  (coming soon)

Tag list: @ajarofpickledtears, @boogeysmoth, @omg-the-nutella-queen

☆ ☆ ☆

Summary: The night her abductors die, Rayelle finds herself running for her life. She doesn’t know where she is, what is following her, where to go. All she knows is she’s not on Earth any longer and the thing chasing her has the capacity to kill.

Tai'qdei never anticipated finding a human when he took the job of tracking and subduing a small contingent of smugglers. It was only when the human attacked and fled fled, Tai'qdei - hopped up on the euphoria of a successful hunt - gave chase, instinct burning at his center.

Will sense return to Tai'qdei before he catches Rayelle? Or will Rayelle be subjected to the yautja’s natural inclinations?

And what happens afterwards?

☆ ☆ ☆

The next time Rayelle roused, it had to be the next morning. Late morning. Maybe afternoon, she thought, as she laid in the bed. Tai'dqei was gone. Most likely, he let her sleep since he'd put her through the ringer yesterday. Multiple times.

Faintly, she realized she wasn't even sure if their continuous fucking had really only been a day. They had stopped to eat or wash at intervals. But, invariably, their hormones would pique and they'd find each other wrapped up in the other.

As she worried at her bottom lip, Rayelle wondered if their carnal hunger stemmed from uncertainty. How long did they really have to be together? Would they soon be separated by time and space? Or was their eagerness born from sexual tension and, in her case, a blessed stamina boost from some futuristic rejuvenation process?

Whatever it was, they had gotten the bulk of it out of their systems. For now.

Sitting up in bed, Rayelle winced as her abdominals twanged with pain of exhaustion. A sweet delicious pain, but still a little uncomfortable.

The door to the room hissed open and the familiar footfalls of Tai'dqei announced his entry, before his soft words broke the quiet, "Rayelle, are you awake?"

"I just woke up." Rayelle flashed Tai'dqei a smile, but something in his demeanor made her sit straighter. Even as he neared her, she could see his mandibles fidget, his fingers flex. Clashing thoughts hurtled through her head, hope and dread. "What's wrong?"

A pang shot through Tai'dqei's chest, hearing the longing anticipation in Rayelle's voice. He paused a little ways from the bed, giving her ample space to get to her feet if she so chose. Even as the lump formed in his throat, threatening to make the words dissipate, he answered her, "The Temporal Authority Council wishes to speak with you."

As he expected, Rayelle scrambled off the bed. "Am I going to be told if I can go back?"

Tai'dqei swallowed down the unfair, bitter feelings at seeing her so excited. Now wasn't the time. He tried to stow the hurt as far down as he could, imagining it taking residence beside the now dull pain of losing Ah'ke. "They didn't say. They just asked for your presence as soon as you're available."

Rayelle nodded, trying to restrain the excitement building in her chest. With the excitement, something else swelled. Something that would make Rayelle cry if she stopped to focus too long on it. That very feeling kept her from looking too closely at Tai'dqei, from brushing up against him. If she touched him, she thought she'd break down into tears, all the same.

Too many thoughts, too many feelings, careened around her head. Taking a deep breath, she tilted her gaze up at Tai'dqei, forcing herself to look at him. "I'll shower and get dressed, then we can eat before going to see the Counsel?"

There was half a beat, before Tai'dqei could answer her. He was too tempted to ask hard questions, too sobered by the potential of losing her to tease about joining her. An uncertainty wavered in the air around both of them, weighing on their shoulders. Right now, he needed to give her some inkling of support, without making the pain worse for himself.

Instead of offering to join her, Tai'dqei simply nodded and chose an alternative, "I'll cook something up while you get ready."

As Rayelle said a weak thanks, watching Tai'dqei turn and leave the room, she fought back a burn at the back of her eyes. She forced herself to gather clean clothes, to head out of the bedroom and into the bathroom.

Briefly, she caught the sound of Tai'dqei moving implements in the galley around, muttering to himself about what to cook. Or maybe he was on a comm with Ah'ke. Rayelle ducked into the bathroom before she could be certain.

It was hard to focus as she started up the shower. Her thoughts chased one another, tumbled over each other. She might be able to go home, be able to see Elliot and Skylar again. If that was the case, what was she going to do? How was she going to make sure Evan wasn't going to hurt them? Or try to hurt her own self, again?

While part of her mind raced through options, trying to remember the restrictions of the past, another part of her thoughts lolled over Tai'dqei.

They both knew this would come... eventually.

She was just glad Ah'ke had showed up soon after the liberation of the resort. Ah'ke said she was there to tend to the wounded, but Rayelle was pretty sure she was there for Tai'dqei. He probably told her what was going on between them. What would happen when the TAC got back to Rayelle about her options.

Scrubbing at her face, Rayelle wicked away moisture, trying to convince herself the warm droplets weren't from the few tears that had crested from her lashes.

She wasn't even sure if she was going home! For all she knew the Temporal Authorities would decline her and then... She'd have to live with knowing she could never return. Or fight and find a way back.

With a harsh shake of her head, Rayelle focused on taking one step at a time. First, finish her shower. Second, go eat. Then head to the TAC agents set up on Rerli 3. Any plans beyond that would have to wait, until she knew what was going to be allowed.

Another twenty minutes passed, before Rayelle emerged from the shower. Dressed in a fresh outfit and with hair slightly damp, she headed into the galley area. Tai'dqei turned at her entry, as if he'd been listening for her. "Good timing, I just finished some... oatmeal."

Rayelle couldn't stop the smile that curved at her lips. During their brief reunion, they had talked about a number of things, including foods. She couldn't recall how oatmeal came up - perhaps some teasing remark about something that was good on a cold day? - but it had. And it seemed Tai'dqei had endeavored to make some, probably with the guidance and resources from the humans on Rerli 3.

"Thank you," she said, as she accepted a bowl from a rather large pot of the still simmering food. The spicy sweet scent of cinnamon and sugar and cardamom drifted up on the steam. He definitely had help, she mused with a smile.

The gesture made something in her chest twinge. Ignoring it, she took the warm bowl to the table, Tai'dqei following with his own serving. Sitting down, side-by-side, the two would eat quietly. Neither really tasting the food, with their minds focused on other things.

Each bite, every passing second, got them closer to a possible end. What were they going to do? Both of their minds prepared for the worst. For the sad and lonely path, for the aching and the pain.

"Tai'dqei?" Rayelle finally hedged, placing her spoon at the edge of the bowl.

Her eyes didn't tilt up toward him, he realized, as his attention focused onto her. "Hm?"

A lump formed in Rayelle's throat, a tangle of words that she wanted to say but was having a hard time getting out. She couldn't bring her eyes to meet Tai'dqei. Even as he shifted in his seat, giving her his full attention.

"No matter what happens... I... I am glad, you know. That we..." Despite her mental grip on herself, Rayelle couldn't stop the tears. Couldn't stop the crack in her voice. Her shoulders hunched and shook, quiet tears slipping down her cheeks.

It only took a single crack for Tai'dqei to slowly, softly, lean over to her. Rayelle her head toward him, about to apologize, but quieted as he gathered her up in his arms, pressing his forehead gently to hers. In silence, she stared up at him, finding the weight and texture of his forehead against hers both enjoyable but heart wrenching.

Rayelle realized it took him a long breath, before he said something in a painfully even voice. "I understand."

Those two words hung heavy in his mouth and struck her hard in the chest. As true as they were, his heart ached. Something in his bones told him she was leaving. She would be returning to her time, her world. He tried to shrug it off as paranoia or just being prepared for the ache of losing her. But instinct told him she'd be leaving. Their time together was dwindling painfully short.

As much as Rayelle didn't want to admit it, she felt the same sense of an end coming, as well. Perhaps that's why she threw herself against Tai'dqei, her arms wrapped tight around his neck, still quietly crying.

They sat like that for a little while, both memorizing how the other felt against them. Tai'dqei committed to memory Rayelle's plush softness, her warmth, the scent of her, the feel of her smaller body shifting minutely against his. Rayelle basked in Tai'dqei's arms, his body heat, the certain solidity of him wrapped around her.

It wasn't until Rayelle carefully disentangled herself from him, wiping at her tear-streaked face, that Tai'dqei spoke once more. "Are you ready to go?"

"No, but I don't think I ever will be," she mumbled, turning doleful eyes up at him. It was silly to already be crying, to already feel as if they were saying good-bye. Still, she offered a watery smile while giving her head a shake. "But I have to know."

Tai'dqei nodded, his own mandibles pulling upward in a reciprocating smile. Like hers, it didn't reach his eyes.

Once Rayelle dried her tears, she pushed back in her chair and stood. He followed her lead, feeling slow and heavy despite his lack of armor. Tentatively, she held out her hand to him, half-expecting a gentle wave-away the longer he stared. But his hand soon encompassed hers, swallowing down the premature grief as he burned the memory of her palm in his into a permanent memory.

Together, Tai'dqei and Rayelle left his ship, hand in hand, enjoying whatever time they had left to touch.

—

It took far shorter for the Temporal Advisory Counsil heads to call on Rayelle than she expected. With Tai'dqei by her side, the two were led into an auditorium that had been converted into a sort of hearing room for the head committee. It was a huge room, filled with rows of chairs and a stage. People bustled in and out, carrying stacks of papers, addressing one of the five non-humans sitting at a long table on the stage floor.

As chaotic as it was, it somehow reminded Rayelle of a high school, during some big function. There was a method to the madness. She just didn't know what it was. From the way Tai'dqei held tightly onto her hand, he didn't seem to know, either.

"Ah, you must be Miss Brooks, yes?" One of the five obvious leaders looked up, offering Rayelle what she hoped was a friendly smile. It was hard to tell, since their form seemed to constantly shift. Not that Rayelle could put a finger on how. It just seemed they were... changing. Her mind turned to aliens capable of dimension hopping and time travel, wondering if they were one of them.

What she did manage to register was blue skin and six glowing eyes and two smiling mouths, one right atop the other. Or maybe that's simply how they wished to be perceived? She shook her head, trying to dislodge the complicated thoughts concerning dimensional transmission.

"Yes, I am. I'm supposed to meet with the Temporal Authority Council," she said, diverting toward the stage stairs as the alien waved her in that direction.

Tai'dqei followed her, if only thanks to the fact she still grasped onto his hand. Or maybe he was holding onto her for dear life. That sense of instinctive dread swelled in him. On top of the misery he was doing his best to keep at bay, the busy nature of the area grated on his nerves. His shoulders hunched, tension winding down his back.

The blue shifting alien abruptly nodded, before turning to one of their colleagues. "Oh, ah, Sh'thal, I believe you were handling this case?"

"Which case?" From across the stage, another alien looked up. Their skin shone like purple glass, little specks of light flickering beneath the surface. Crystalline eyes looked to the blue energy alien, blinking owlishly, as if they were readjusting their thought process from one task to another, completely unrelated, one. Even as they tilted their attention to their co-worker and Rayelle, four of their six hands continued to presumably sort through holo-pads.

"The temporally displaced human, Rayelle Brooks of 2022, Missouri, United States." Sh'thal still stared, no answer. Tai'dqei and Rayelle exchanged a look. The first alien sighed, crossing their noodly arms as they said, in an almost deadpan voice, "The one a yautja brought in."

"Oh!" Tai'dqei's stomach dropped - Rayelle's heart twisted - as recognition struck the crystalline alien. She turned to one of her six wrists, inputting data and pulling up a holoscreen. "One second!"

Rayelle glanced up at Tai'dqei, who had - at some point - released her hand. The sudden realization sent a chill through her, but she shoved it away. It didn't mean anything. That was just some attempt to build a new wall between herself and him. Instead, she focused on him in the moment. The physicality of him. The way the lights of the room played off his skin and the metal rings on his tendrils, the barely-there scars that ticked along his arms and knuckles.

He'd been staring off into space, watching the crystalline alien - a Corizite - scrolling through files and messages. Vaguely, he wondered if she was just delaying bad news. Guilty hope fluttered through him, at the mere idea of it. Feeling Rayelle's eyes on him, Tai'dqei tilted his attention down to Rayelle, eyebrow ridges raising with curiosity.

"I just enjoy looking at you," she answered softly, so low that no one else could hear her comment.

To that, Tai'dqei made a scoffing grunt and playfully pushed at her, but couldn't help the way his mandibles quirked upward, just slightly. They'd come so far, she realized, to the point she could catch such expression changes. Returning the gesture, Rayelle pushed back at him, giving a short laugh, before leaning into him. Tai'dqei didn't fight it. His arm came around his shoulders, hand resting on her far hip as he relaxed against her.

For a brief moment, the hustle and bustle around them died away.

Until the Corizite turned toward them with a triumphant trill.

"It has been decided that Miss Brooks may return to her time, if she so chooses." Sh'thal looked up, their countenance beaming as they closed out of the file. They clapped two pairs of their hands together, giving off guidance counselor energy as they chirped, "Isn't that exciting?"

[clubwnderland]

𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈…𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑯𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 [FINAL]

[part one] [part two]

Everything hurt.

Everything.

His toes, his ears, his teeth, even his eyeballs. He felt like he had molten lava shoved into every vein and he could feel it travelling throughout his entire body, burning him from the inside out.

The pain felt endless. Eternal. His throat raw from screaming and just as he begged for the pain to stop - it did.

Everything stopped.

All that is left behind is this ache in his body that is the aftermath of what he went through.

The door opens and Mingi covers his eyes as light shines in and a woman stands before him. Who is she? "Mingi?" Her voice sounds familiar, welcoming, kind. "Darling, can you stand?" He blinks in confusion before he realises he's laying down on the ground. The darkness and pain had caused him to lose his bearings but he manages to get up on shaky legs. "There's a good boy, how are you feeling?"

"G-good," he struggles to speak, hand touching his throat because it feels like stones are digging into it from the inside.

The woman nods, offering her hand, "you'll feel like that for a few days. You'll heal in a few days though, don't worry. I'll make sure to get you a care package when you get home." Taking the hand offered, he gets up and follows her out of the contraption, "now, what do you remember?"

Remember? "Pain."

The woman nods, "anything else?" He shakes his head and she hums, giving him a look over before nodding and smiling. "Well, it looks like it worked so hopefully your memories will come back as your body adjusts. It happens." Why is she talking like this is normal?

"Ma'am," Mingi takes a good look at her, realising that now he can see her in the light, she looks like she hasn't slept in days. "What happened? Did I die?"

She chuckles, lifting a hand and touching his cheek, the feeling warm and motherly, "darling Mingi, you're already dead." The man looks at her in shock, faltering back a step, "don't worry, you'll remember everything soon. We need to get you back to Earth because you and your newly acquired soul are sitting ducks for being snatched."

Nothing she says makes sense but something inside him says to trust her, to follow her and so he does. He spends his time asking questions, slowly walking up the stairs but all she's given him is her name. Irene.

"There's no point answering your questions now, it's like giving you something you already have." He pouts as she cuts his questions short, "all I will say is that what I did for you can never be known. Giving a soul is... it's a lot of power, uses a lot of my power and if everyone that is dead and wandering the earth knew they could gain a soul to feel as close to human as they could without being alive... it'll kill me. Or, close to."

Hearing that has him shutting his mouth because he doesn't think he wants that on his conscious. It's bad enough she sacrificed that much for him, even worse is that him speaking about it could really cause her harm. No, he doesn't want that at all.

"You ready to go home?"

The air is crisper, sweeter almost. The sun is warm on his skin. The birds singing in the sky make him feel happy and causes him to smile. He missed this, everything about being alive, he missed it all.

"How are you feeling?" Ryujin asks, sitting next to him on the bench he's visited for the past few days, "Irene said you should be as good as new now."

Mingi nods, "I am." He lifts his hand and holds it out, feeling the chill from the breeze, "I've never felt more alive."

Sometimes, the impossible happens. The devil falls in love, a demon can learn how to care, children are born from the most unlikely of parents, and a reaper gains a soul. A second chance at life.

A real chance to live.

[abistasiasims]

Generation 7 Expose

ok... i know i took a big break after gen 6, so that's why there wasn't one then... but there was so much weird stuff behind the scenes this time I need to tell someone besides my friends in 3+ min snapchat videos explaining the strangeness that is this save file

first off... daisy... this ugly dog. this dog was supposed to be a shar pei

those are NOT the same dog... this dog gave me nothing but grief... when it died, maeve and elián were in the middle of trying for the twins. not only that, the dog walked into their bedroom during the act JUST TO DIE!

winston was so cute and I honestly miss him, but good god daisy was a piece of work. i also cheated scout to live longer because I didn't want to deal with another horse that would outlive maeve and be left to lottie to care for.

regarding the twins, i had no name ideas for them so i let the sims name randomizer help me out (honestly I only knew spence's name prior to the birth) so when jo was born first I was like "oh little women, that's cute!" and named her that. with teddy, I got teddy first but since I already had charlotte being called lottie, I wanted the same with teddy so theodore it was. it wasn't until the twins were INFANTS and I was in cas that I realized he was also named after little women... not only that, named after the man who falls in love with jo originally. i swear I didn't mean to imply any incest with this generation, the sims name generator did it! (insert crying emoji I would use if I wasn't on a PC rn)

now to thimble... maeve officially has had the most thimble's die on her with 4 or 5. I'm unsure because I can't find screenshots of one of them so I'm at 16 in my game but only have enough screenshots for 15... I will be pretending the current 16 (who is actually the 2nd 16 since the first died in 3 real minutes) isn't real and we will have the real 16 when this one dies.

this is the family tree as of today (3/23)

ik i'm ahead with it because i queue posts in advance (I'm actually about a 1.5 weeks into gen 8 rn) but my god the distant relatives are strange.

i like to go into manage worlds and give distant relatives spouses and children for my own enjoyment to fill out the family tree, but they like to die right after I do that.

hunter sigworth (christian from gen 5's vampire spouse) died... of EMBARASSMENT! his grandson, beejay (the sims picked that name... i didn't), died of burning in the sun because I forgot to cheat him and his brother to be immune to it... still haven't done it but this keeps me entertained so I probably won't.

valentine from gen 5's daughter-in-law died from poison and his son remarried questionably young. that same son's son from the poison wife died from falling by heights when he had just had a daughter with his wife.

oliver's (gen 3) great-grandson died of electrocution days after him and his husband adopted a daughter, while that same great-grandson's mother (oliver's granddaughter-in-law) died by killer rabbit.

ANYWAY... thank you all for following along with this family! i have so much fun with them and their ridiculousness and I hope you do as well. I'll see you in the next generation. maybe 3 weeks maybe 3 months, who knows with me lol. my final spring semester (ik crazy I graduate uni this December) ends at the end of April and my only commitment this summer is an internship I still haven't found so I should have more time then! I'm on spring break (as of writing this) rn so that's why I've had so much time recently.

[det-loki]

poison and wine pt. ten

warnings: angst, violence, blood mention, death

pairing: detective loki x female reader

word count: 1,222

A/N: we’ve made it to the end. this whole writing experience has been a challenge but I am so happy with it nonetheless. thank you for this, i appreciate it greatly. happy reading <3

p.s. yes, to some this is rather short, buttt don’t be surprised if a few blurbs pop up in the future. you’ll be prying this tiny world from my cold dead hands :)

 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8  9 ⌽

Bright fluorescent lights erupted through your closed lids, eyes squinting. The stinging smell of antiseptic filled your nose as a warm solid hand squeezed yours. 

"Hey, hey, easy. You're safe." Loki murmured softly as you moved in the thin-bed, gathering your surroundings as you met Loki's baby blue eyes. A bandage was above his eyebrow, his eyes bloodshot, clear that he hadn't slept in weeks. His calloused hand trembled slightly in your clammy one, fingers caressing the soft skin of each other. 

"You've been out for a while. You scared the fuck out of me, you know that?" Loki’s voice was gruff although his eyes were soft. You completely disregarded his question, mind flickering to Anna, “Anna, how is Anna?”

Loki smiled gently, “She’s okay. With her mom, stable. She’s gonna be okay.”

Your eyes slipped closed as you sighed heavily, a weight being lifted off your shoulders. Anna and Joy were safe. That's all that mattered at the moment, you had done enough for now. 

"You got shot." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. You heard the gunshots and the blood that poured down Loki's face.

"I'm fine, baby." 

Fine. He was always fine. 

Sniffling next to you broke the silence, your gaze met David's crying form, he was hunched over, head fallen onto your bed and shoulders shaking as he gasped for breath. You reached over to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. A strangled laugh escaped his lips as he rubbed at his eyes, careful of the bandage above his brow. 

"Marry me."

“What?”

“I said marry me. I should have done this after you found out you were pregnant, made it right.”

“David, we were just kids.” Just kids that didn’t know better. Kids that had already borne the weight of burdens that didn’t belong. 

“Let me finish. You are the only one who knows me outside of work. Truly knows me. You've always been there for me, calling me out when I need it and caring for me even when I don't deserve it. I don't deserve you but somehow you're still by my side and I thank whatever God decided I was lucky enough to have you. Today, thinking you were gonna die was the most terrified I've felt in a long time. I can't lose you too. Not like we lost Maggie. So, marry me.”

You swear you could feel your magnolia tattoo tear itself apart. You had gotten the tattoo along with hers and Loki's zodiac symbol tattooed a few months after the funeral, permanent and final, just like her death. 

You didn't hesitate to answer Loki, “Yes, yes I'll marry you.”

For the first time in decades, smiling didn’t feel like lifting the world. Your face lit up, tears pricking the corners of your eyes, Loki leaning into you, arms wrapped securely around your waist. His embrace felt like home, sheltering you in safety and comfort, blocking the harsh reality awaiting you down the hall in the form of Captain O’Malley.

The bubble of happiness bursts when knuckles rapped on the door, O’Malley followed the sound, appearing in the doorway. He made slow steps towards the two detectives, eyes swimming with guilt.

“I heard about the case. Your daughter.”

The air thickened, both you and Loki tensing at the word ‘daughter.’”

Captain O’Malley sighed heavily, uncomfortable with the grief that had enveloped the room, “I’m not gonna stand here and tell you both that you shouldn’t have taken the case, because it already happened. But you two are going to take some time off, no arguments.” 

Loki opened his mouth to protest, Captain cutting him off, “What you two have been through is hell. You both need to get away from the job for a while. You’re gonna run yourself into the ground.”

Into the ground.

Six feet under.

Just like Magnolia. 

If you were given the choice, you would welcome the bone-chilling ground the earth offered, your purpose fulfilled, your daughter’s killer dead. The conversation between David and O’Malley was muffled now, your head swimming. Your eyes trailed down your hand that was still held in David’s, taking in the ink etched into the skin. Conyers would always be a part of you and David, always dark and gloomy, a constant reminder of what once was. 

O’Malley left the room with a curt goodbye, leaving two broken souls in disarray. While they both should feel fulfilled and satisfied, confusion was left in its wake. 

A week later, you walked hand in hand with David through the trees, gravestones scattered throughout. The wedding bands sat snug around each assigned finger, only leaving the courthouse hours ago. 

‘MAGNOLIA JAMES LOKI’ came into view, the headstone adorned in fake flowers stood out against the weathered slabs next to hers. 

The air was cold, biting through the coats the newlywed couple wore, hands held tightly in each other. You approached her headstone first, David lingered steps behind. The grass was yellowed and crunched as you knelt down, knees meeting the cold ground, fingertips tracing the engraved letters carefully.

“Hi, baby.” You hadn’t visited her in so long, it almost felt foreign. And in your heart, it always would be foreign, you weren’t supposed to bury your daughter, you weren’t supposed to ever get used to this.

“Mommy and Daddy got married today. You, my little flower, should have been our flower girl.”

You could hear David choke on a sob behind you, the grass crunching under his boots as he turned his back to you and your daughter’s headstone, staring solemnly at the dim sky. 

“You can finally rest now, baby. The person who hurt you is gone. Your daddy made sure, he’ll always keep you safe.” Your head was swimming with words but they all felt heavy and jumbled, too much to speak out loud.

David’s hand came to gently support your now shaking shoulders, sobs wracked through your body, “It’s okay.”

“I just want to feel closure. I thought this case would give me something. Or anything.”

The pain was overwhelming, but lurking underneath all that pain was comfort. You were happy your daughter’s killer was dead and that Joy and Anna were home safe. No matter how much that comforted you, nothing would heal the loss of your little girl, and that was okay. 

You didn’t need to be healed, you needed the pain. And with David, you could handle it. You didn't need to fight anymore. 

In the weeks following, you and David went back to work, normalcy creeping back in. Keller Dover was found alive and was committed of his crimes, despite his good intentions of finding his daughter. David moved in with you, just like before the world crashed down around you.

Life was different. You had good days and bad days. You and Loki still ate at the Chinese restaurant weekly, only now you would go to Maggie’s grave every week after the meal. Conyers remained Conyers, but happiness was on the horizon, true and healthy happiness. 

But, you still hated the rain, for it always be a cold reminder of the days that changed your life. On rainy days, you'd pull the duvet tighter around your body and took refuge in David's arms, allowing yourself to finally feel.

It was going to be okay. 

~

TAG LIST: @lexie-wayland @whew-oh-em-gee @winterlavenderskysworld​ @buck-this-nasty @heeyirenee @pinkpunkdynamite @eleventhdoctorsangel @multiyfandomgirl40 @thanossexual ​ @speedybonkuniversityzine ​ @booklove103 ​ @curly-q3 @msfarr88 ​ @glittrguts ​ @space-helen @spidey-is-morgans-brother

[hangezoeenthusiast]

You failed me

multiple x gn!reader

word count: 2,524

warnings: cursing, yelling, arguing, death, angst, blood, explosion, the egg (it deserves its own warning)

synopis: you guys failed me(us)

(the lyrics go with each person, might not get everyone, and also xd’s part is kinda wonky)

song: rät by penelope scott

I come from scientists and atheists and white men who kill God They make technology, high quality, complex physiological Experiments and sacrilege in the name of public good They taught me everything, just like a daddy should

Quackity, Karl, George, and Sapnap left you. Your mentors, your friends. The ones who taught you everything you knew. They went to build their little “Kinoko Kingdom” while you stayed in the ruins, the dust. “They’ll regret that.” you swore. You built something better, something greater.

It was called “Las Nevadas”. A place where everyone was allowed. They would remember not to fuck with you. They would soon realize that they should watch their back for the rest of their short, stupid lives.

“Watch out, you guys, I'm watching your every move.”

And you were beautiful and vulnerable and power and success God damn, I fell for you, your flamethrowers, your tunnels, and your tech I studied code because I wanted to do something great like you And the real tragеdy is half of it was true

Wilbur majorly fucked up. He was supposed to be with you to the end, your guys’ country, right? No. He left you behind. He went to find peace, find his heaven, while you stayed on earth, wallowing away until your flesh seeped off your rattling bones, rotting away by yourself, with no one to bare witness.

“Why didn’t you bring me with you Wilbur?” you asked his stupid grave on top of the once L’Manburg. “Why did you get the ecstasy, why do I get the remains?”

“I’m coming for you Wilbur, and when I do, we are going to wreck upon justice on everyone who wronged us, wronged you, they will feel our wrath.”

But we've been fuckin' mеan, we're elitist, we're as flawed as any church And this faux-rad West coast dogma has a higher fuckin' net worth I bit the apple 'cause I trusted you, it tastes like Thomas Malthus Your proposal is immodest and insane And I hope someday Selmers rides her fuckin' train

"Y/n!" Technoblade yelled. "I TRUSTED YOU, AND YOU BETRAYED ME, FOR WHAT, TO BLOW UP A STUPID COUNTRY, A COUNTRY THAT WAS DOOMED TO FAIL FROM THE START." He started to battle you, missing every single swing, blinded by fury.

“YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY SIDE.”

"LOOK AT ME GODDAMN IT."

You looked up at him in the eyes and boldly said, "No, Techno, don’t you see, you’re in the wrong here, you’re the one who betrayed me." You were blinded by friendship, you couldn’t see that Tommy had betrayed Techno, and that what the Butcher Army did to Techno was terrible.

"What do you mean Y/n, you know what they did, they wronged me, they used me, they tortured me, they gave me hell, so I gave it back to them, I destroyed the things they loved, the people they loved, you see Y/n, those who have treated me with kindness I will repay that kindness tenfold, and those who treat me with injustice, that use me, that hunt me down, that hurt my friends, I shall repay that injustice a thousand times over, do you understand?"

"No I don't, Techno, you can't do this.” you begged. He pushed you out of the way, "Get out of my way Y/n." “No, I won’t, I won’t let you destroy everything we worked for.”

“Well, then I have to fight you.”

And thus the battle began, Swords clashing against each other, blood spilling from open wounds, friends digging each other into a whole both of them couldn’t get out of. Techno was letting you off easy, he knew his strength, he knew that he could’ve beaten you in one swipe, but he didn’t want to kill you.

So when you had the opportunity, you swept from under his feet, and knocked him down. You placed your blade onto his neck, pressing down until a little drop of blood appeared, “Stay down Technoblade, or I’ll do something worse than try to put you on trial.”

He watched as you walked away from him, trying to save L’Manberg from a worst fate than death itself.

“One day Y/n, you’ll see, I’m on your side.”

I loved you, I loved you, I loved you, it's true I wanted to be you and do what you do I lived here, I loved here, I bought it, it's true I feel so stupid, and so used I feel so used

"Why would you do that Dream? You didn't have to do that." you interrogated. Dream had stupidly blew up the community house. You both didn't plan that, he had gone behind your back. "I had to Y/n, you wouldn't understand."

"What do you mean I don't understand, you went against my back, we were supposed to-" you cut off yourself, "Dream, don't you understand, you did something stupid, and what did you get, you got stupid jail." "The reason I did that is because I needed to isolate myself from humanity." he said, proudness lacing his words.

"What do you mean?" you questioned. "If anyone knows I can revive people, I'm screwed, so that's why I need to be by myself, yeah it sucks major ass, but at least no one else will know, well, besides you anyways." "I have a task for you Y/n/n, I need you to find a way to bring Tommy and Ghostbur in here."

"Why Dream?"

"I'm going to revive Wilbur."

I was your baby, your firstborn, the hot girl in your comp-sci class And I was Darwin's prep school dream, bred, born and raised to kick your ass I fell for circuit boards, rocket ships, pictures of the stars If you could only be what you pretend you are

"PHILZA MINECRAFT COME BACK HERE." you were chasing Phil, through the woody forest, covered by oak trees. He had information on Technoblade's whereabouts and you needed it. You chased him with your enchanted netherite armor, netherite sword and axe, and a few op potions. Your goal was to capture Philza and interrogate him on where Techno's place was. The thing was, you were his child. His own child trying to kill his own son.

He felt betrayed, his own child turned against him and their brother, their family. "The Butcher Army must've gotten to you somehow." he thought in his head. Surely, his darling Y/n didn't do it on their own will, right?

He was incorrect, you did it because you believed that Techno needed to be brought to justice, by punishment. You believed that your own sibling needed to die, because he was a "liability" to L'Manberg's growth and future. He needed to die because as long as he would live his long life with his little enderman Edward, retired, he would still cause trouble to everything you, Quackity, Tubbo, Fundy, and Ranboo had built.

He pleaded, "Stop Y/n, you don't have to do this." You argued, "I do Philza, as long as he lives, my plans for L'Manberg will forever cease to exist."

He felt like shit, you called him Philza, not Dadza, or Dad, or anything besides his normal name. "Did I screw something up?" he asked himself quietly under his breath. "Yes you did Phil, you took the traitor's side." you had heard Phil mumble.

"HE'S NOT A TRAITOR." Phil yelled at you. "Yes he is, he deserves what he is about to get, I will say it again, where is his base?"

"I'm not saying, Y/n, why are you doing this, Techno is your own sibling." "He's not my sibling anymore, that stopped when he destroyed L'Manberg, you're lucky I forgived you." you declared.

"Y/n/n, please don't do this."

"I have to Dadza, I can't let him roam free."

When I said take me to the moon, I never meant take me alone I thought if mankind toured the sky, it meant that all of us could go But I don't want to see the stars if they're just one more piece of land For us to colonize, for us to turn to sand

Bad had tried to convice you to join the Eggpire. You had no effect while being next to the egg, and he had to take you out. People who had no effect towards the egg had to be eliminated.

He was creepily following you, waiting until you stopped to get a chance to capture you. He had hope that you did have an effect, that you would join the Egg with him. He didn't want to kill you, you were his best friend, besides Skeppy of course.

"Come back here Y/n." he said. "No chance in hell Bad, get the fuck away from me." "HEY, LANGUAGE!" he exclaimed. "No language, get away from me, you're creeping me out."

He threw his trident, spinning in the air, trying to catch up to your frantic steps. You were trying to get to Church Prime, where no one could kill anyone, hopefully Bad would abide to that rule. You were just about to step on Church Prime when you bumped into a hard, armored chest.

You looked up shyly, and saw Punz, with his red eyes reflecting anger. "Where are you going Y/n?" he questioned. "Somewhere." you blankly stated. You were desperate, you didn't want to die, or anything else that Bad was going to do to you. You tried to dodge Punz, but he placed a hand on your shoulder, "Stay right here Y/n."

"No, get away from me, I don't know what's wrong with all of you, but go away, I don't want anything to do with your stupid Eggpire." He raged, and grabbed your wrist heavily, "DON'T TALK ABOUT THE EGG LIKE THAT, IT WILL TAKE CONTROL OF THE SERVER, AND YOU ALL WILL BE ITS SERVANTS." "LET ME THE FUCK GO PUNZ." you screamed. You were wiggling in his grip, trying to escape his lunatic self.

While he was holding you, you saw two other shadows behind you. It was Antfrost and Bad. "What do you guys want from me, I didn't do anything wrong."

"You are against the Egg Y/n, people who are like you and Tommy have to die."

"Well, I'm not dying today." you murmured under your breath. "What was that you said?" Antfrost asked you.

You smirked, "I'm not dying today, I'll tell you one more time, let go of me."

Bad and Antfrost walked closer to you, Punz right behind you, all of them cornering you into a tight spot. "What you going to do about it Y/n, you're cornered."

"You'll know when they get here, but for now, you better run boys."

'Cause we're so fuckin' mean, we're so elitist, we're as fucked as any church And this bullshit West coast dogma has a higher fuckin' net worth I bit the apple 'cause I loved you, and why would you lie? And then I realized that you're just as naïve as I am Oh, you're so traumatized it makes me want to cry

"Tubbo, don't do this." Schlatt had unfortunately found out that you were a spy, that you were on Pogtopia's side. He had ordered Tubbo to kill you with fireworks, to light you on fire, give you blisters all over your body. "Please Tubbs, you're my friend." you pleaded.

"I can't Y/n/n, or something worse will happen." he whispered to you. "What do you mean?" you asked. "He can-" he trailed off, looking somewhere else besides your eyes. "Tubbo, you don't have to do what that stupid bastard tells you to do, you're your own person, with your own thoughts and actions."

"I'm sorry Y/n, I hope you can forgive me."

"TUBBO N-" you was cut off by firewords hitting your skin, making blisters and burn marks all over your body. You lost your second canon life, feeling betrayed by Tubbo. He killed you for what, a stupid father who never cared about him in his entire life, a father who exiled his friends that actually treated him like a person, and not like some random piece of trash.

You respawned in your bed, feeling bruises and bumps mostly on your forearms and your back.

"I'll help you Tubbo, I’ll get rid of him.”

You dumb bitch I loved you, I loved you, I loved you, it's true I wanted to be you and do what you do I lived here, I loved here, I bought it, it's true I'm so embarrassed, I feel abused

“Come on Y/n/n, come with me.” Punz begged of you. He wanted you to visit the Egg. You didn’t want to be controlled by a stupid omelette. "I'm not Punzo, why are you so obsessed with that stupid thing."

"DON'T SPEAK OF THE EGG LIKE THAT."

You put your hands in front of you, accidentally touching Punz's chest, "Ok calm down buddy." He didn't calm down and instead yelled at you on why you had to join the Eggpire.

"If you join, you will be forever happy."

"If you join you'll get whatever you want."

You were tired of the members of the Eggpire to convince you to join them, you didn't like eggs anyway. "Punz, for the last time, I'm not joining you, stop telling me."

“Then you have to die.”

So fuck your tunnels, fuck your cars, fuck your rockets, fuck your cars again You promised you'd be Tesla, but you're just another Edison 'Cause Tesla broke a patent, all you ever broke were hearts I can't believe you tore humanity apart

“XD!” You were pissed at him, he had destroyed your house, made your friends pissed at you, just everything you liked. All because he wanted you for himself.

He wanted you to be dependent on his every word, and he was being a manipulative psychopath. And you didn’t tolerate that, it was like he was his human counterpart, Dream.

He walked to you with confidence, waiting for to get a hug from you, well, he didn’t get that. You slapped him so hard his head swung to the left.

“WHAT THE FUCK.”

“That’s what you get you stupid son of a bitch. You fucking ruined everything.” “Calm down Y/n/n, what is wrong?” He acted concerned, but you knew that he was faking. He would do anything to get someone’s approval.

“DO YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT’S WRONG, IT’S YOU, YOUR STUPID PRESENCE IN MY LIFE. YOU KEEP ON WALKING AROUND LIKE YOU FUCKING OWN THE PLACE.”

“Calm down darling, just take some netheri-” you interrupted him by slapping the ore out of his hands. “I don’t need jack shit from you XD, you know what, take back the necklace, I don’t want it.” You pulled the shiny, green emerald necklace off your neck, and pulled XD’s palm out.

You placed the necklace filled with memories, and put it on his hand. You closed up his palm, and walked away, leaving XD to his own accord.

“We could’ve had evertything X.”

[wanderinginksplot]

Riye (A Favor) - Alpha-17/f!Reader fic

Previous | Next | Masterlist

Third installment of my Alpha-17/fem!reader fic!

Word-Count: 3,100

Warnings: aggressive flirtation, Alpha is rude.

---

You carefully straightened the neckline of your shirt, eyes on the refresher mirror. It might be silly, but today marked a full month since you had come to Kamino, and you wanted to look your best.

Your outfit had survived the morning, despite a meeting with several Kaminoans who wanted updates on your progress. You had been able to deliver good news - that you were right on schedule - but a sense of doubt overshadowed any triumph you might have felt. The first deadline had been met, but the next one promised to step up the workload, and you were already feeling overwhelmed at the idea.

Still, you were determined to push the negativity out of your mind. You would figure out a better schedule to complete the work later. Today was a celebration.

The bad thing about taking more care with your appearance was that it attracted more attention than usual from the cadets. You had politely turned away two different groups of young men by the time Alpha was due to arrive in the cafeteria. Another cadet - alone, this time - was doing his best to keep from being dismissed as well.

"Was it raining when you came in, ma’am?" he asked, leaning over you. "I have flight drills after this and it gets even more dangerous in the rain."

You did your best not to smile at the obvious way he was hinting about being a pilot. "You know, I think it was raining the last time I was near a window," you told him, voice grave.

"Then I'm going to need some luck to survive," he said dramatically, flashing you a smile he clearly hoped would be charming. "I've heard a kiss from a beautiful woman is a good start. What do you think? It might help me survive the afternoon."

"I wouldn't count on it," a dark voice warned.

The cadet stood as straight as possible as Alpha approached. The captain brushed your new pilot friend aside with a twist of his armored shoulders and sat down. He proceeded to start eating, ignoring the cadet completely.

Any other cadet would have backed away, thankful that Alpha hadn't decided to throw them directly into the oceans of Kamino, but this one was more determined than most.

He winked at you from behind Alpha's head. "By the way, my name is-"

"She doesn't want to know your name," Alpha told him. "Get out of here before I decide that I want to know it."

"Very flattering, Captain," the cadet said cheekily. "But Jango's face isn't the one I want to wake up to, yeah?"

Alpha swallowed his mouthful of food and deliberately set his fork aside, standing slowly from the table. He drew up to his full height before turning around. He was taller than the cadet, forcing the younger man to look up.

"Now I'm extremely interested," Alpha said slowly, his slow and methodical voice dripping with menace. "What's your designation?"

Behind him, you winced. You hated how glaringly obvious it was that the Kaminoans considered these men products. Also, this cadet might die in front of you and that would almost certainly ruin your ability to eat in the cafeteria anymore.

"CT-7115," the cadet said with a grin.

"Ah, part of Zackra Trem's group." Alpha raised his comlink. "Trem."

"Alpha," a female voice returned immediately.

"I've got one of your pilot cadets here in the cafeteria. 7115."

"Broadside," Trem said, clearly recognizing the number. "He's one of my best, Alpha. Don't break him too badly."

"No promises," Alpha replied, turning slightly back toward Broadside. Since you were seated directly behind Alpha, you couldn't see his expression yourself, but it was enough to make Broadside's grin slip for the first time.

"I'll make you a deal," Trem offered. "I'll give him hell here and then send him back to you tonight. I'm sure he could help you demonstrate something unpleasant to your ARCs."

Alpha considered that for a long moment while Broadside shifted uncomfortably. Eventually, he conceded, "That works."

Trem laughed. "Do I even wanna know what he did to you?"

"Harassed an uninterested female."

The laughter emanating from the comlink's speakers cut off abruptly. "In that case, I think we should coordinate punishments. I'll be in touch, Captain."

The transmission cut off suddenly and Alpha looked at Broadside once more. "You had best get to your training, son."

Broadside, looking suddenly concerned, nodded and hurried away. “What was that?” you asked quietly when Alpha had sat down across from you once more.

“I told his superior officer about his behavior.”

“What more than that?” you pressed.

Alpha grinned suddenly, and it was half a snarl. “It just so happens that his superior officer is Zackra Trem. It’s not my story to tell, but she’s got more reason than most to hate that kind of osik behavior.”

You could very well guess the rest of that story. Your heart twisted for Trem, though you had never met her. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Nice, but she wouldn’t appreciate the sentiment,” Alpha told you, not unkindly. “Feel sorry for your little pilot. She’s a Weequay who ran with Mandalorians for the past few decades. Whatever she makes him do, it won’t be pleasant.”

You chuckled at that, trying not to actually feel sorry for Broadside. In the time you had been hanging around Alpha, most of the cadets had eased up a bit on flirting, but every now and then, someone crossed the line.

Alpha picked his fork up again and shot you an intense look. “Why are you dressed like that?”

Though your immediate instinct was to be embarrassed about being overdressed, even mildly, you rolled your eyes at him. “Anything looks like too much when everyone else wears uniforms all of the time. Remember that day I wore a necklace?”

“Yeah, I remember,” Alpha said, snorting. “A necklace. What are you, a Senator?”

“Your ideas of fancy clothing are extremely skewed, I hope you know that,” you told him, adjusting your collar again.

“Hazards of the job,” Alpha replied with a casual shrug as he returned his focus to his food. “Looks okay, though.”

You paused, staring openly at him. Had Alpha just complimented you? Surely not… The universe wouldn’t survive such unexpected behavior, not without signs that space was collapsing in on itself.

Alpha noticed you watching him and lifted an eyebrow in question while he chewed. You just shook your head and applied yourself to your own lunch, avoiding his curious eyes. Explaining your thought process there would be an intensive effort, especially if your goal was to keep him from being uncomfortable.

Fortunately, avoiding Alpha’s eyes let you notice the approaching cadet sooner than your companion did, and you had time to brace yourself before the young man - even younger than you were used to seeing - opened his mouth.

“Excuse me-”

“Kriff,” Alpha said loudly, dark brows crashing down over his eyes. “Go away, kid. I’ve already ruined one cadet’s day and I have no problem adding to the list. She doesn’t want to talk to you.”

“N-no, sir, of course not,” the cadet told him, nodding respectfully at you as he went on. “I wanted to talk to you. Is it true you served with General Kenobi?”

"What?" Alpha asked, sounding uncertain for the first time since you had met him. You quirked your brows, unsure of whether to be amused or concerned.

"General Kenobi," the cadet repeated. "And General Skywalker, too! I heard you went on a mission with both of them. What was it like?"

"Look, kid, I don't have time to answer all your questions about Jedi-"

"That's fine!" the cadet told him. "I already know everything there is to know about the Jedi. I want to know more about your experience, specifically."

The muscles in Alpha's jaw flexed and you quickly interrupted. "What's your name?"

"Dogma, ma'am," the cadet told you, making an apologetic face. "I know names are against regulations, but my batchers won't stop calling me that. My designation is CT-4287."

“Nice to meet you, Dogma,” you said politely.

Dogma's cheeks darkened and he gave a tight nod. "You too, ma'am."

"Stop flirting with the poor boy," Alpha chided and you gaped at the captain. So much for trying to help him.

"Dogma, I'm sure Captain Alpha would love to answer any question you have," you told the young cadet, grinning triumphantly at Alpha.

"Wait," Alpha ordered, catching at your wrist before you could stand up. His hand was ridiculously huge and you found yourself shackled by his gentle grip. "You haven't finished eating."

You grinned wider at him, slipping your wrist out from between his fingers. "I'll take it with me. Have fun, you two!"

Dogma gave a half-hearted wave while Alpha glared.

---

The rest of the afternoon was spent locked away in your office, working on the second major project you had to complete. Your concerns about the deadline were unfortunately proving correct. The icy grip of stress and fear were squeezing your heart, and you were honestly relieved when someone knocked on the door of your office.

“One moment!” you called to the unseen visitor, but they didn’t seem to hear you. Instead, they continued to pound on the door until you opened it. You were unsurprised to see Alpha on the other side, glowering down at you.

“You’re mean for a nat-born,” he grumbled, brushing you aside as he pushed into the office.

After letting the door slide closed once more, you followed him over to your desk and plopped down in your chair. Rather than sit in one of the chairs opposite you, Alpha leaned his hip against the side of your desk, much closer than you were comfortable with.

In a show of belligerence, you crossed your arms and lifted your chin as you replied, “Serves you right for being rude about my outfit.”

“I didn’t say anything bad about your clothes!” Alpha denied, befuddled.

“Yeah, well, you didn’t say anything nice about them, either,” you argued childishly, conveniently forgetting his half-compliment at lunch.

Alpha frowned. “You want me to… talk about clothing with you?”

Well. Put that way, it did sound a little silly. Of all of the things you were sure Alpha did well, deep discussions about fashion might be beyond him. Honestly, they might be beyond you, too. You sighed. “No, I don’t want you to talk about clothing with me, but I was trying to look nice today. I put a lot of effort into this.”

“I don’t understand why,” Alpha said. “You look… fine… every other day.”

“Fine,” you repeated dryly. “Thanks, I was going for fine.”

“I don’t understand what I did wrong.” You were able to hear the growing frustration in his voice. “What do you want me to do?”

“Maybe don’t act like I’m wearing a ballgown to work if I show up wearing a necklace!”

“What is a ballgown?”

You stared at Alpha, the simple question making your brain screech to a halt. It was like a chasm had opened between you, and it made you reconsider a few things. Since you had arrived on Kamino, you had treated the clone troopers as if they were people you might meet out in the galaxy, but that wasn’t exactly true. You still believed that they were people - of course you did - but you were only just coming to realize how different they were from anyone you had ever met. While the troopers shared their own experiences on Kamino and had been trained to be perfect soldiers by the time they shipped out, they were startlingly young by the standards of the rest of the galaxy.

“You know what? It doesn’t matter.” You fiddled with one of the many datapads littering your desk rather than meet Alpha’s intense gaze. “I am sorry for siccing Dogma on you, though.”

“You should be,” he growled. “He asked ten questions before I could shake him off. Ten!”

“Wow, that’s what? Five days worth of questions?” you teased.

“Five days for you,” Alpha told you seriously. “For anyone else, that’s more than I would ever answer.”

You were unreasonably touched by the reminder that Alpha let you learn things about him that no one else would ever know. Moved by a sudden surge of warmth for the ARC captain, you repeated your prior sentiment, but more fervently. “In that case, I honestly apologize for unleashing Dogma. If there’s anything I can do to make him back off, please let me know.”

Alpha’s stare was level and unwavering. “Yeah?”

“Of course,” you agreed immediately, not understanding what a wildly stupid idea that was. That was fine - you would learn… and it didn’t take long.

That night at dinner, Alpha came in and sat across from you, but instead of starting the meal in silence, he leaned across the table slightly to get your attention. Lowly, he asked, “Are you still willing to help me with Dogma?”

“Yes,” you agreed simply. “Do you have a plan?”

“Yeah. Flirt with me.”

You fought not to react visibly to that. Carefully keeping your face blank and your voice flat, you replied, “What.”

He leaned even closer, eyes lit with excitement. “I’ve been threatening and trying to alienate Dogma all day, but the only time he was uncomfortable was when you flirted with him.”

“I didn’t flirt with him!” you reminded him. “I just said it was nice to meet him.”

“Fine,” Alpha conceded. “We’ll just have to do better than that if we’re going to convince him to leave me alone.”

Abruptly feeling like this was the worst idea anyone had ever had, you tried to speak in your own defense. “Alpha, I don’t think this is a good idea-”

“You said you would help me,” he reminded firmly. “He’ll be here in a minute. I need your answer.”

Your heart was pounding, one of many warnings that this was a bad idea, but you nodded anyway. Alpha smiled - he actually smiled - and the expression looked menacing on his face. “Good.”

In a moment, he had circled the table to sit beside you, his huge frame making you feel ridiculously tiny in comparison. He wasn't wearing any armor at all now, and you could feel the heat of his skin through what little space there was between you.

You tried not to obviously tense as he spoke next to your ear. "There he is, get ready."

Impossibly, Alpha managed to get closer to you, tugging behind your knee slightly so that you were angled toward him. When he had finished posing you, Alpha’s large hand lifted to cradle your face. His fingers brushed over your cheekbone before trailing down to your jaw.

"My little neverd," he murmured to you, face filled with affection.

You didn't have to feign embarrassment at the warmth in his tone matched with the intense eye contact he was giving you. When you replied, you tried not to sound squeaky but only managed to sound shaky instead. "You know Mando'a is my weakness."

He laughed, a low chuckle that sent delicious chills running over your skin. “Why do you think I use it?”

“Alpha…” you chided, managing to sound mildly flirtatious.

“Come on, little one,” he urged you, voice velvet in a way you hadn’t known it could be. “Let’s go back to your- Ah, one moment, neverd. Dogma, sit down.”

You looked over to see Dogma standing at the other side of the table. You had never even noticed, your entire focus narrowed down to Alpha. Dogma looked as embarrassed as you felt. While you were focused on Dogma, Alpha’s arm snaked around you, pressing against your waist to pull you flush against his side. Your face flamed and Dogma glanced away.

“Sir, I- I’m sorry, I forgot I’m on duty tonight,” Dogma muttered, speaking so quickly it was difficult to understand him.

“Sorry to hear that, cadet,” Alpha replied gravely, flexing his fingers against your side. It made you push a little closer to him in reflex, the tip of your nose brushing the space under his jaw as you tried to look up at him. Alpha shivered, and you weren’t sure how much of the motion was acting. “Maybe later.”

Dogma gave an awkward nod and hurried off.

Alpha started laughing even before he let you go, his muscular chest shaking against your shoulder. After a moment that felt like it had stretched an hour, he pulled his arm back and slid away a bit. You immediately felt the loss of his closeness and suddenly you were horribly uncertain of what expression you were wearing. Just in case it said more than you wanted it to, you looked back at the entrance of the cafeteria.

“I feel bad,” you admitted.

"Don't," Alpha advised, looking toward the door as well. “He’ll be fine. He’s a good soldier, just a little…”

He trailed off, apparently content to let his thought stay incomplete. You glanced over to him with an eyebrow raised, but his eyes were fixed on the door. “You can see every access point in the room from here.”

“That is why I chose this spot,” you agreed.

“Switch with me tomorrow.”

“Not a chance,” you refused. “This is my spot.”

“Then I hope you like sitting next to me,” Alpha told you. Surprised, you laughed up at him and he met your eyes. “You know, I’ve never seen anyone blush on cue.”

“Hidden talent,” you explained vaguely. Alpha didn’t seem convinced, so you changed the subject. “What does neverd mean?”

“Civilian.”

You laughed before you could stop yourself. “Civilian? That’s what you used as a term of endearment?”

Alpha blinked blankly at you. “What’s wrong with it? You are a civilian.”

“Yes, but,” you thought over it for a second, “-it’s not very romantic. Usually, people say things like ‘dear’ or ‘sweetheart’.”

“How should I have known that?” Alpha asked.

It was the ballgown situation all over again, and more than you were willing to tackle that day. “Well, some warning before you want me to go undercover would be helpful.”

Alpha snorted. “How much warning do you need?”

You pretended to consider that for a moment. “Two business days, minimum.”

He frowned fiercely. “If you get two full days of warning, I expect more. I need you to show up in a disguise with three different accents ready.”

“Harsh terms,” you told him with a smile. “With those negotiation skills, you’d make a great senator."

Alpha gave you the darkest scowl you had ever seen him muster. “Watch it, neverd.”

Idly, you wondered if Alpha would protect you from himself, but the amused glimmer in his dark eyes told you it would be unnecessary.

---

A/N - Pretty sure Broadside is wildly OOC, my bad. Also, sorry for the weird image for this chapter. I didn't really want the text bubbles in there, but I needed to keep Alpha's sassy hip lean.

Taglist - @imabeautifulbutterfly @cagrame @mysticalturtleenthusiast @marvel-starwars-nerd @lackofhonor

[captnjacksparrow]

I wish people would stop caring about the canon pairings and marriages in Naruto/Boruto because they should have absolutely no relevance for SNS shippers in terms of validating said ship. Those who say we are delusional because “Well, Naruto married Hinata so she is THE one he loves!” (I'll focus more on Naruto's marriage here... Is Sasuke's even a marriage?) simply don’t get that it just doesn't really matter who Naruto and Sasuke married because that in no way diminishes their feelings for each other. The main plot of the series revolves around the bond between Naruto and Sasuke. It is their story. They are each other's most important people and this was established back in Land of Waves arc even before the dramatic events that take place on the bridge - the whole point of that very first arc was making this a fact right from the beginning, because the story has always been and was always supposed to be about the two of them and the profound love and understanding that grows between them ever since they exchanged glances, smiles and pouts as lonely little broken kids. No reason to list all proof of their feelings and bond here, it has been done extensively, and if somebody watched the show/read the manga and missed it, they are missing half a brain. That these boys love each other more than anyone else is absolutely obvious.

So what about the canon pairings? Kishimoto stated time and time again that his focus was never romance, and that is not because he can't write romance as we know it (he clearly did), but it’s a matter of concept: what HE considers romance is the attraction that unites people with the purpose of marriage (confessing your romantic love for japanese people is the same as saying you want to be in a relationship, because feelings shouldn’t be voiced without an intention), and that, to him, is NOT the greatest expression of love, nor does it represent the most special bond two people can share.

It is understandable that westerners put so much weight into marriage because we consider it the epitome of love. Well, the truth is marriage in Japanese culture is mainly the only socially admissible means to have children and has very little to do with romantic love. In fact, in Japanese literature, it is much more common for unmarried couples to love each other than married ones. Obviously, there is no absolute truth when it comes to feelings and human relationships, what I'm doing here is generalising social norms and expectations (not exposing my opinion on them - that would turn this rant into something else entirely). A large number of Japanese marriages are loveless (and arranged, but no point getting into that either) and what motivates choosing a spouse is their ability to fulfill familial duties, meaning: is the woman good mother and consequently wife material? Is she going to devote her life to taking care of her children, house and husband, the noblest of acts for a female? Is the man willing and capable of putting his occupation above everything else, working extremely hard and for long hours, with total dedication and diligence for his job, to the point of not even seeing his family most of the time, as an honorable man should do as a provider? That's what makes a GOOD married couple: two people following their expected and strict gender-roles in a nuclear child-centered family (again, please, this is not MY opinion!). What a Japanese man should want in a woman is for her to be a dedicated housewife and mother, since having children outside of marriage is not only frowned upon, it is not acceptable at all, and not being married with children is not respectable enough (same with being divorced). Marriage is, therefore, NOT a symbol of undying love and a deep and special connection between two people, rather, it’s a partnership established with the goal of having and raising children.

Do these descriptions ring any bells?

In conclusion: the pairings were, in fact, created for the sole purpose of bringing forth the next generation, and that was made CANONICALLY true. Would it have been better if they hadn’t gone down that "safe" route? Hell, yeah! It would have been fucking amazing and could even have been groundbraking, for several reasons. BUT as unsatisfying as it may be, the fact is they chose a very TRADITIONAL depiction of marriage that has little to do with feelings, and that in itself shouldn’t be taken lightly, since it leaves the strongest bond, which is grounded on genuine love, untouched. In this scenario, justifying romantic love through marriage alone won’t cut it, and trying to discredit the obvious unmatched connection and feelings between two characters because they never got married to each other or married someone else is ludicrous. Yeah, a married couple can love each other deeply and above anyone else, but that is just not what marriage is ABOUT in Japanese culture and definitely not what Kishimoto wanted us to believe was the case here after dedicating 699 chapters to a story about the special bond between two boys that didn’t culminate in marriage. 

You know what IS a symbol of romantic love in Japan? Being willing to die together when the love you feel goes against your moral obligations, holding on to the belief that you will be reunited in the afterlife, where you will be free of any burden and able to love freely.

Are more bells being rung?! 

Oh, some bonus info: We also tend to associate sex with romantic love. Well, Japanese married couples with children rarely have sex, if at all. After a woman becomes a mother, she is no longer considered sexually desirable and becomes a mother figure to her husband as well (what happened to Hinata’s big "attributes" in Boruto? Huh). This is especially true when couples sleep in separate rooms and the mother shares a bed with her children. (Hinata co-sleeps with Himawari and we know Naruto sleeps in a separate room. Just saying.)

What's your say?

Is Sasuke's even a marriage?

Geezz!!!! LoLLLLL!!!! This sentence just made me cackle so hard for a good 5 minutes, Anon!!!!!

Hmmm.... So let's get back to your ask.

Well, I don't know how to react to this ask, Anon. Because, I don't know whether you are from Japan or you have a very close Japanese friend who might've told you all these cultural thing about marriage and relationships.

So, what I am going to do is to analyze from the facts you have provided , combine with my own cultural relevance and provide my answer. If there is any Japanese readers who are reading this, you can confirm or dispel this by sending me an ask. But again, I don't want exceptional case like, 'No, my family is different'. I want to know about the general lifestyle of a common citizen and their married life.

Having said that, this ask made me just yell at myself, 'Goshh!!!! Seriously???'

Because whatever you said, It fucking exist in my country too and is still followed by almost 70% of people in my country and I absolutely detest it. That is,

Most of the marriages here are loveless nd arranged - Check

Is the woman good mother and consequently wife material? Is she going to devote her life to taking care of her children, house and husband, the noblest of acts for a female? - Check

People following their expected and strict gender-roles in a nuclear child-centered family - Check Check

What a man should want in a woman is for her to be a dedicated housewife and mother, since having children outside of marriage is not only frowned upon, it is not acceptable at all, and not being married with children is not respectable enough (same with being divorced). - Check Check

Marriage is, therefore, NOT a symbol of undying love and a deep and special connection between two people, rather, it’s a partnership established with the goal of having and raising children. - Awww!!! A million Check.

That's why I was envious of Western people in this aspect, because they have a freedom to choose their own partner without any time constraints and when they do, their marriage can be said to be 'The Epitome of Love'.

My parents marriage is also an arranged one. And whenever they have disagreement and that leads to verbal war, they let out this words, 'I'm here with you because of my 2 daughters otherwise I would've left you long back'. So... Yeah. Here, most of the marriages are child-centered. Again, it's not just my opinion. Majority of the arranged marriage based family revolve around their child.

And I was born, a year after my parents' marriage, and If I hadn't been born, then people will question my parent's fertility factor and start to discriminate them. So, I can boldly claim that, I was not born out of Love or something. I was born because of social obligations.

But it doesn't mean, my parents don't love each other now. How should I say???? It's like a Stockholm Syndrome??!!!! Like when you stay with a person for a long time, you will eventually start to develop some feelings over the course of the time. It took them 15 years to come to a complete understanding of each other. It's the same case with many couples here.

Considering all these, Sasuke never even stayed with Sakura enough to make her understand him, So I wonder what kind of couple are they????? Weird!!!!!

In conclusion: the pairings were, in fact, created for the sole purpose of bringing forth the next generation, and that was made CANONICALLY true.

Awww!!!! Man, Seriously???? I made this claim long back in this post where I said, these women were used as a tool to bring out Next Generation Kids. My claim was based on Analytical Perspective.

And then one of the rabid SS stan reblogged my post and pulled out a hetero card stating, 'They are married and blah blahh...' when in reality, I never discussed about their sexuality in that post. That post was purely based on the number of pages each hetero couples shared with each other against the number of pages Sasuke & Naruto shared together.

Now, you have provided a cultural perspective for those shitty canon pairings.

On one side, I feel the need to smirk, because I am right.

But on the other side, I feel bad like, 'Is this how, this show must go on?? What are you trying to convey from this?'.

You know what IS a symbol of romantic love in Japan? Being willing to die together when the love you feel goes against your moral obligations, holding on to the belief that you will be reunited in the afterlife, where you will be free of any burden and able to love freely.

Hmmm.... It's interesting to know this. Anon.

This is where it differs slightly in my country.

Romantic love here is,

No matter what happens, I'll stand with you, You are just not alone. I will leave my fucking clan, parents, relatives if they don't approve you and we will start a new life somewhere.

[[Here, marriages happen mostly between their clan members. If you love a person from another clan, you will be ostracized or tortured or honour killed by your very parents. It just differs from clan to clan. I was subjected to this same problem and that's why I hate my Clan and left my parents. And this is also one of the reason why I love Itachi. Because we share similar Ideals. That is, Not to be obsessed over your clan and think beyond this restriction.

Also, here in Asian Culture if someone is willing to leave their family (when they don’t approve you) and prefer you over everything.... It means.... that's some Love beyond Comprehension. Just like how Naruto was willing to leave his Family (like Sakura and Kakashi) and like to stand with Sasuke... Just like how Naruto was willing to leave his own family and go on a long mission with Sasuke]]

So does it remind you of anything?????

It's the whole SNS dynamics starting from their childhood to VoTE2. That's why I started to ship SNS, because it represents the true love we always wish for.

Would it have been better if they hadn’t gone down that "safe" route? Hell, yeah! It would have been fucking amazing and could even have been groundbraking, for several reasons. BUT as unsatisfying as it may be, the fact is they chose a very TRADITIONAL depiction of marriage that has little to do with feelings, and that in itself shouldn’t be taken lightly, since it leaves the strongest bond, which is grounded on genuine love, untouched. In this scenario, justifying romantic love through marriage alone won’t cut it

This is very true, Anon.

I mean, they don’t even have to take a groundbreaking route. 

They should have given everyone an open ending, just like Kishi left at chapter 699. What is the need of a marriage, if Naruto is going to adopt Kawaki??? If Orochimaru was going to create a Baby Artificially?? If Rock Lee is going to have a child out of nowhere???

But I am happy that SNS bond is the only one that wasn’t diminished in this hot mess called Burrito. So, atleast we should be happy about that.

When someone pulls the marriage card, I just block them immediately because they are not even worth having a good conversation. NH will pull out the Last movie and SS will pull out, ‘Sasuke called Sakura ‘My Wife’.... So, it’s just pointless.

So, to conclude

Considering my Analytical perspective, I already made earlier in other post and your ask which provides some insight about Japanese culture which eerily resembles the culture I belong to, It all makes sense that this whole pairings and trash is just for the sake of bringing out Next Generation series and those boys never loved those girls whole heartedly. And I agree with you on this.

[tsutsumi-kaina]

Theory: AFO Gave Tomura Decay (Part 2)

Continued from this post (link!)

Warning: This post has spoilers for both the most recent chapters of MHA (up to ch. 316) as well as spoilers for Vigilantes (up to ch. 109).

Straight to the point:

5. Tomura’s eyes and hair change color with the activation of Decay

It’s easy to write this one off as the anime making questionable choices about Tomura’s color scheme yet again (five years of baby blue hair ya’ll)— but just for giggles, let’s just assume that Horikoshi did intend for Tenko's natural eye color to be black, just like Nana and Kotaro. 

Now, there's a theory that Decay's activation destroyed all of Tomura's melanin, which is a theory I enjoy because it totally tracks (albinos lack pigmentation and they have "red eyes" because we're seeing their blood vessels rather than the actual color of their irises). I also like the “his hair went white from the trauma” and “he straight up went super saiyan” theories, because I’m a sucker that kind of specifically anime bullshit. 

But what if none of those theories are right? What if there was another reason why Tomura's hair and eyes change color? What if the change was meant to foreshadow something just a bit more... sinister?

Presented Without Comment

Through Dabi/Touya’s story we know that quirk factors do have an effect on things like hair color, and can even change a person's hair color upon activation— when Rei’s quirk factor becomes “dominant,” we see that Touya's hair gradually begins to turn white as his body changes to become more suited to an ice quirk despite his own quirk being fire-based.

That sound familiar?

So, Tomura's change to red eyes and white hair specifically  starts to look more than a little insidious if we assume that A) AFO has always  planned to turn Tenko into a new vessel, and B) Tenko actually got his first “dose” of AFO in the form of Decay + a pseudo-vestige, and his body has been gradually changing to become more hospitable for AFO's quirk factor. Exposure to AFO’s quirk factor (and it raging around inside of him like a damn virus) may be the true cause of Tomura’s palette swap.

6. Tenko is 5 when decay manifests, even though it’s been repeatedly stated that age 4 is the latest age that quirks manifest.

This point has also been discussed to death, with people arguing that Tomura simply had to amass enough hatred for Decay to fully manifest (see point 2 on why this “explanation” was most likely just AFO being a gigantic fucking troll). I’ll instead encourage folks to evaluate this point from a narrative standpoint— Hori drew attention to Tenko’s age and his quirklessness for a reason.

“Will he like me if I get my quirk!?”  Uhhh....

And Tenko likely having been born quirkless leads to the next point:

7. Tenko, The Quirkless Wonder (or: how having a quirkless vessel is an integral part of AFO’s plan to snatch OFA and not straight up fucking die in the process)

Tenko being born quirkless makes him a perfect candidate to tolerate the simultaneous burden of both OFA/AFO without his lifespan getting completely drained in the process-- the nomufication surgery was more likely just a measure that was taken to make sure Tomura's body was strong enough to make use of both quirks right away.

8. You know what? *beats the dead horse anyway*

Man, isn’t there a sale at Men’s Warehouse you’re late to???

I know I said I wouldn’t touch on this point but come the fuck on, mister twenty-four-seven biz cas isn’t even trying to hide it 

Bonus Points:

Machia's sense of smell - Machia tracks others through scent, and is somehow able to locate Tomura after the LOV has hidden themselves deep within the mountains. This is in spite the fact that they've never met before (Machia literally asks Tomura "Are you the one who succeeded AFO?"-- so we can assume he was not secretly tracking or observing Tomura from afar).  We know that if Machia's never met a person before, he obviously can't track them via scent-- we see this when he has to stop and literally ask Mina for directions during a flashback. But he still manages to track down the LOV when not even the police/heroes had any inkling of their location. So. If Machia and Tomura have never met before, how was Machia able to find him? As funny as it is to imagine AFO rubbing a pair of dirty sneakers in Machia's face like he's an overgrown bloodhound, I'll put forth the following theory-- Machia was sniffing out Decay's quirk factor rather than Tomura himself. If Decay was formerly in the possession of AFO, and/or if a part of AFO’s quirk factor already exists inside Tomura, then tracking him down is a cinch for Machia.

AFO's pasttime is villain creation - There's a whole scene in Vigilantes where AFO discusses the true nature of a "villain," then brags about being able to create villains by causing imbalances in one's quirk + giving people unsuitable quirks + stimulating quirks with a "violent will" and forcing them to go haywire. It's, uh. Fairly damning, to say the least.

AFO may have used Decay to kill Nana - This one is more conspiracy theory than actual theory, and it may seem like a huge stretch, but hear me out! In its untrained form, we see that Decay reduces people to chunks instead of dusting them-- but it leaves their hands perfectly intact. It feels far too coincidental that AFO just so happened  to leave Nana’s hand intact after killing her, and apparently decided to preserve that hand for 30 years on a total whim— and then, wouldn’tcha know it, Tenko just so happens to manifest a quirk that pulps everything but miraculously leaves the hands of those victims perfectly intact. And AFO being sick enough to give a little boy who wants to be a hero the same quirk that killed his hero grandma is a given at this point.

 - - - - - - - - -

Anyway, I get that a lot of folks dislike this theory because it takes away a lot of Tomura’s agency-- but honestly, his entire character arc has been about him trying to rediscover his true self and reclaiming his agency after a lifetime of having his identity abused out of him by pretty much everyone he’s ever met. AFO was always going to be the final boss of that character arc, which has been less about “becoming the greatest villain” (and hoo boy people on twitter are reeeeally hung up on this particular misconception about Tomura’s arc) and more about discovering his true convictions and “becoming his own person”-- Just as Izuku’s character arc is about becoming his own person and learning to actually value himself, rather than him just becoming All Might 2.0 who acts as a hero at the complete expense of his own personhood.

I don’t feel that Decay being an implant from AFO harms Tomura’s character arc in any way-- rather, confronting the lie that he was somehow “born evil” and exists as a slave to Decay’s destructive impulse feels like the next hurdle Tomura needs to overcome before he can truly reclaim his agency.