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#and he still feels slightly more distant from the main characters in general
kareenvorbarra · 28 days
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doomed to always be the only nahuseresh fan in the chat
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scp230kinnie · 1 year
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Hcs for the titans mcs pls (Dick, Gar, Rachel, & Kori)
Lowkey gonna marry whoever sent this 😜
TITANS RELATIONSHIP HEADCANONS
I assume you meant relationship, so here’s that
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Characters: Dick Grayson, Rachel Roth, Gar Logan, Jason Todd, and Koriand’r
Genre: fluff 😜 relationship hcs
Warnings: SPOILERS ⚠️ mentions of death & injury. Slightly suggestive. None of the characters mentioned are mine, all Headcanons are made up by me, not canon whatsoever. Everything said/mentioned is fictional.
On with the fic
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Dick Grayson
He a baddie
He tries actually so hard to keep you out of danger
I feel like he would try to hide the whole titans thing from you if you didn’t know about it, but realistically finding out would be inevitable
He can always tell when you’re lying. It’s like a sixth sense to him
As a matter of fact, he can tell when anyone lies to him
He probably likes it when you help patch him up after a fight (not that he would admit it)
If you’re expecting a man who’s open about anything (his past, etc) you have another thing coming
It would take a lot for him to actually open up
Even if he does open up, he doesn’t like telling you much about his time with Bruce.
Dont bring it up either lol
Man is so touch deprived omggg
It’s not exactly that he never got it, it’s more that he never wanted it
He would like flinch if you ever touched him, but he would get used to it
He has a fat ass I wanna slap it
If you do that, he’s probably gonna slap yours back
No PDA. Holding hands at the MOST. Unless you’re upset or hurt, then he’ll give you a quick hug or something
He likes to stay serious generally, but sometimes he’ll be silly and it’s so cute ong
He wants you to stay away from the crime fighting scene.
He even gets scared for your health in case one of his enemies decides to go for you
He would try to teach you some self defence
If you are a crime fighter, he helps you train, and stays close to you on missions if he can
His favourite part of your body is your face. He loves looking into your eyes or kissing your lips or cheeks
Next 😜
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Rachel Roth
She’s probably so sweet and understanding
You are always her main priority
All she ever wants is to keep you safe
Sometimes, she gets very distant because she can’t control her abilities and she doesn’t want to accidentally hurt you
If you didn’t already know the titans, she would absolutely introduce you to them as soon as she can
She can’t help but smile when she looks at you
She gives you her clothes if you want <3
She’d only open up after a while, it wouldn’t take too long, but she would still be a little distant
She loves being close to you and like hugging you or holding hands
Very up for PDA
No making out or anything, but will hug you and hold your hand in public
She just thinks you’re the most interesting person ever
She remembers every word you tell her
She would probably get matching piercings with you omgggg
She loves painting your nails to match hers
Like Dick, she can also tell when you’re lying. (But that’s just a side effect from her abilities)
She always posts pictures or videos of you on her social media if she has any
Will always offer you an earbud if she’s listening to music, will be very happy if you do the same
She loves learning about what music you listen to
Loves getting matching anything (hoodies, rings, even online profile pictures)
Her favourite part of you is your eyes or your hands
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Garfield Logan
When he sees you’re upset, he will say the worst jokes he can think of to make you laugh
Even when you’re not upset he does that anyway
He just loves hearing your laugh or seeing your smile
He thinks it’s the cutest thing ever
Absolutely LOVES playing video games with you
It’s literally his favourite thing in the world
If he notices you’re cold, he might give you his jacket for a bit
Will defo turn into your favourite animal for you
Especially if it’s a dog or a cat so he can cuddle with you
Opens up so fast tbh
It’s good tho that means he trusts you
Little spoon fosho 😜😜😜
He loves holding or touching you in some way
Loves PDA sm
Just loves proving you’re his
The titans probably knew about you the first day he saw you💀
He’d get you guys matching white shoes and get sharpies to Color them together <3
Would draw a wiener somewhere on em tho
PAINT HIS NAILS
He would make you do some stupid ahh tiktok dances with him
Would give you some stupid nicknames
His favourite thing about you is 100% your hair. He would absolutely adore touching it/playing with it, no matter the length
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Jason Todd
He a little cute patootie
IDC WHAT HES DONE
Everyone he talks to knows about you tbh
He’s just so proud of you
He makes so many sexual jokes it’s wild
Also always grabs your ass 😢
Gives you some cringe nickname
He doesn’t like opening up, I can understand that
He prefers hearing you talk, rather than him
Would protect you with his mf life
Also would teach you to fight
He wants to know that you can protect yourself when he’s not there
Adores it when you clean his wounds or rub his shoulders after fights
He’s pretty secretive but would probably break down one day and tell you everything
Would definitely give you his hoodies/sweaters
Into PDA
He just likes to prove to everyone that you’re his tho
Loves to hold you
His face part of you is ur nose
Easy to kiss
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Koriand’r
She’s gorgeous my wife
She seems more stoic, but she really cares about you, more than anything
She loves to talk shit with you tbh
Only abt people who deserve it ofc
She loves when you make her laugh, it makes her feel more comfortable with you
Matching jewelry 🔛🔝
Loves it when you play with her hair
She can’t really use words to express how she feels about you, prefers to use her actions instead
She doesn’t want you to think differently of her because she is a princess or whatever
She’s had plenty of past lovers, but she knows you’re her favourite
She’ll take a while to open up, but she will eventually
Doesn’t do PDA
Or very much physical affection as it is
Will still hug you tho <3
Like everyone else, she will do everything she can to protect you and make sure you don’t get hurt
Will k word anyone who looks at you the wrong way
She’s very protective
And kinda jealous
She loves every part of you lowkey
The end guys idk what else to write
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smolstarthief · 3 months
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P5 Until Dawn AU
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"O Death, O Death... Won't you spare me over 'til another year?"
Inspiration struck upon remembering this gem of a game (took me a bit to save EVERYONE though!!)! Before I start, some notes to keep in mind:
*Character personalities are primarily determined by player choices in the game generally so as a result the P5 Cast will STAY as their respective canon characterizations.
**Given that you can have the whole main cast survive, this will be based on a no-death run except for characters that do die no matter your choices (Ex: Beth, Flamethrower Guy)
***Some story beats will be changed to better accommodate the characters and their personalities... That and small canon complaints (Josh deserved better... Forever bitter about that)
Now let's dive in
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Characters and traits:
Kasumi Yoshizawa
Protective, Passionate, Cheerful
Sumire Yoshizawa
Shy, Trusting, Dreamer
Ren Amamiya
Caring, Adventurous, Resourceful
Ryuji Sakamoto
Loyal, Empathetic, Humorous
Ann Takamaki
Bold, Peppy, Playful
Yusuke Kitagawa
Eccentric, Creative, Blunt
Makoto Niijima
Studious, Brash, Thoughtful
Futaba Sakura
Intelligent, Introverted, Mischievous
Haru Okumura
Ambitious, Loving, Strong
Goro Akechi (Adoptive Brother of the sisters and the oldest)
Complex, Withdrawn, Motivated
Zenkichi Hasegawa
Driven, Inquisitive, Rational
Akane Hasegawa
Rash, Impulsive, Childish
Sophia Amamiya
Curious, Bubbly, Innocent
****I couldn’t figure out a role for Sophia now matter how hard I tried so her being a little sibling to Ren it is!
Others:
Flamethrower Guy- Iwai (Sadly doesn’t survive the story, his motivation for hunting Wendigos is tied to Kaoru though)
Dr. Hill- Dr. Maruki (Starts out patient and empathetic but then grows more unhinged and assertive as the story progresses)
Other Plot Info:
+Zenkichi was hired by the Yoshizawas to investigate the disappearance of the twins on the side along with chaperoning due to his occupation and being a family friend (he was passed out drunk with Akechi at the time of the incident and wants to make up for his mistake). He decides to bring Akane with him in an attempt to bond with her before she enters High School (Aoi is still dead).
+Potential Pairings- PegoRyu and YuMako
Full Plotline still a W.I.P. but so far:
-Akechi was an orphan who was adopted by the Yoshizawas, he immediately grew attached and protective of his new sisters (which naturally becomes warped due to grief)
-Sumire develops a crush on Ren when she gets introduced to the group, he sadly doesn’t return them and sees her as a close friend. Like Hannah, she gets a tattoo of a butterfly at one point.
-As previously mentioned, Zenkichi is a family friend and would often join their getaways with Aoi and Akane until the former’s passing and the latter growing distant from him. After that he mostly chaperones.
Prologue- One Year Ago
-The context for this particular getaway is celebrating Haru, Akechi, and Makoto graduating High School with the others entering either their 2nd or 3rd years.
-The prank is given slightly different context but still not good at all. It’s not out of any pettiness or spite but they thought it would be “funny” somehow (they quickly learn that it really wasn’t and are quick to feel ashamed).
-Ren actually starts to have second thoughts about it and was going to try to stop Sumire but the others give themselves away before he could. Sumire naturally feels upset and betrayed as she impulsively runs off.
-Kasumi meanwhile, catches wind of something being up and briefly sees Sumire run by through a window. She tries to wake a passed out Akechi and Zenkichi but fails, prompting her to investigate.
-The others head out the door, calling after her in concern. Kasumi questions them and when they admit what they did, she gets furious with them and goes to find her sister (they briefly consider going after both of them but feel like that they were the last people they’d want to see (Sumire especially))
-Fast forward to Kasumi finding Sumire, they hear a loud noise and run for it. They get cornered at the end of a cliff and slip, Kasumi being able to grab a branch and catch Sumire.
-A strange person looks down at them, appearing to reach for them. Kasumi panics and lets go, both girls falling into the cave below.
One year later and the real story starts:
Dr. Maruki: So, you have committed to commence with this 'game'. This is significant. And I want to help you see it through. Sometimes... Sometimes these things can be a little scary... Even terrifying... But I am here to make sure that no matter how upsetting things may get, you'll always find a way to work through it.
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That's about it so far guys! I'll admit I had a lot of fun with this one!
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ericmhe · 1 year
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I mentioned on Godzilla that I was going to do four of these and see how it went. Probably obvious that Ghidorah kind of has to be on the list, so I was just going for the kaiju cast of Godzilla vs Gigan. However I've felt slightly weird about not doing Mothra but figured that there should be another aggressive enemy kaiju for balance. Someone asked for Biollante and you know, I think she has great potential so I'll expand it to six monsters for now. "Hero-verse" Anguirus Not a big variation from the Showa design, just taking advantage of being drawn and not needing to accommodate human proportions and turn him into a poorly proportioned quadruped. Overall there's a little tweaking to try and give him something of a loyal dog sidekick vibe. His shell is also a ways more turtle-like because I really like turtle shells and use any half excuse to make something more like a turtle shell. Anguirus was originally intended be the main support character for Godzilla but he was initially over-designed and after his first couple of appearances animators complained about the complexity of his shell and spike combo. This caused him to be hastily written out and replaced with other benign monsters for a few episodes that are known for being a bit janky writing-wise and displaying strange characterization for monsters like Rodan and Mothra. However the design was eventually fixed and the character re-introduced. As a result Rodan undergoes a very rapid character shift and Mothra is treated as though being introduced for the first time a little later. Fan theories go from alternate realities, out of order episode airings and suspiciously aimed amnesia. "Horror-verse" Anguirus Mostly pulls from his appearance in Singular Point but there's references to everything from injuries recieved in various media, Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee and the abandoned idea of a splitting shell in Godzilla Raids Again. While a giant prehistoric reptile set loose in the modern era has often been depicted as a destructive event, it's hard to paint it as gross out or gory horror so it took some thinking here. Anguirus is well known for being a stubborn creature, applauded among some western fans, and showing up again in spite of dying in his first appearance. Therefore, horror Anguirus has enhanced healing fueling the never give up attitude, even apparent death is just a delay. However his healing is flawed, the initial tissue is incomplete and merely enough to stop bleeding but then as the process continues the tissue is erroneously replaced with armor or claw. Anguirus sports several patches of sprouting bone armor, claws and teeth from the areas he's been wounded in the distant past. More recent injuries like the lower torso wounds from Godzilla, the neck and shoulder wounds from Gigan, and the jaw injury from what seems to have been another bout with Godzilla are all still partway through the healing process and bony material can bee seen emerging. Another apparent death saw his thagomizer being claimed as a trophy by a robotic adversary only for Anguirus to ressurect once again and begin growing a new club of much more random spikes. Anguirus lacks true energy attacks like Godzilla and other kaiju, but is capable of producing a roar so loud it generates a shock-wave. If it raises its shell it can vibrate it at intense speeds and seemingly harmonize with its roar to amplify the effects. Humans and animals at our scale can easily be killed some distance away from Anguirus' threat display alone. The tissues and tendrils exposed when its shell is lifted seem to serve some other purpose in making Anguirus hyper aware of its surroundings, the most commonly accepted theory is that these organs feel and smell the air with great sensitivity allowing Anguirus to track things that it doesn't seem should be able to, however the odd crackpot will insist that Anguirus's predictive abilities are too great for that to be the explanation and hypothesize the creature is somehow seeing the future. The retort to that is easy, surely if the creature knew the future it would get wounded much less. All in all Anguirus is one of the more benign kaiju but can still cause intense destruction in its wake.
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My sister and I were discussing this today. Do you think the story or Yuu's role would change or not change if Yuu became a teaching assistant instead of a student prefect?
I personally don’t see it affecting the plot much, because at the end of the day, all that would be changing is Yuu’s “position”, not really who they are. Since they’re still a magicless entity from another world, they’d still have the same overall impact in terms of the main story with the Overblot boys.
However, this is not to say that the TA position would impact NOTHING. I can definitely see this affecting the relationships and interactions that Yuu has with others.
Some students may be generally nastier toward them because Yuu (in this TA position) is an “authority figure”, or because some random magicless person is suddenly promoted to a junior teaching/tutoring position. The students of NRC are definitely vindictive enough to think and act this way (and I don’t mean JUST mob students, I mean some of the main cast as well). Even in the light novel, Ace confesses that he was mean to Yuuya because he was jealous that a magicless student was allowed to stay at NRC while he had to work his ass off to make it there. 
On the flip side, other students might be nicer to TA Yuu or purposefully kiss up to them because of their position (probably in hopes of getting favors, or to get the TA to turn the other cheek). I can see this being the case for characters like Azul. Other characters, like Riddle and Vil, might demonstrate a certain level of respect and professionalism toward a TA, but this respect would still likely slip when they’re at the end of their rope and succumbing to their own negative emotions/Overblot.
Honestly, I think being a TA would be more of a disadvantage than an advantage. A lot of students might see a TA as “just another teacher” and would thus be distant toward them, or not want them knowing details of their lives outside of school/not want to hang out with them because of that. TA Yuu would mainly be engaging with the students out of a necessity to fulfill their “mentor” role rather than as a concerned classmate or peer. This is slightly different than the initial story, but it’s so fine of a detail that I’m not going to count it as really impacting the plot, as the major story beats would still be largely unchanged.
Teaching assistants are also sometimes paid, so if Crowley is feeling yasashii kind enough, he may be able to provide TA Yuu with slightly more pocket change for their services. It probably wouldn’t be a huge difference from the allowances that student Yuu gets though, nothing substantial enough to really change their living conditions, but maybe just enough to give them a little more flexibility with spending.
Maybe the biggest potential impact to the main story would be TA Yuu’s relationship to Malleus? If only because as a TA, they would figure out who Malleus is so much sooner than Yuu does in the main story as a student. A TA would likely have access to student files, maybe even see Malleus in class or around school if they are frequently helping the teachers out.
I’d also like to point out that “TA” is a very generalized term. It really depends on the school structure and student body composition whether or not a “TA” position means a lot or will or won’t be respected. I’ve seen some schools were “TA” is a volunteer position that any student can take on if they need something to put on their college resumes (and if their score in a certain subject is high). I’ve seen other schools where “TA” is a salaried position only for older students (or even masters or PhD students), with an extensive interview process to attain the job. Some students respect TAs almost like they respect their teachers (especially if the TA has seniority or mastery over a subject), others don’t really care and treat TAs no differently than another student. Additionally, sometimes “TA” is just like any other free tutor, and other times “TAs” extensively work with teachers and help with lesson plans and grading.
The social dynamics of a TA Yuu would change a lot depending on how hard it is to become a TA at NRC, how much work is expected of them as a TA, and how much say-so and authority a TA really has in the classroom and within the school. Honestly (with NRC being a magic school), I don’t think Yuu would really qualify to be a TA in the first place (especially not for the advanced courses which require magic), or if they did, they probably wouldn’t be allotted to handle anything to the same extent of a teacher, which in turn would grant them very limited power in a student body full of asshole magicians that likely don’t respect them to begin with.
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apocalypticgargoyle · 3 years
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meet clay, he knows how you'll die.
intro filler chapter sorry
☾ pairing: dream x reader
☾ cw: interact at your own risk; contains graphic depictions of various character death and violence, suicide, blood, gore, and other triggering material. angst, language, guns, adult content, mentions of sex, slow burn friends to lovers
☾ wc: ~4100
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Clay pulled the strap of his backpack further on his shoulder as he wove through the mindless sea of college students, eyes scanning the crowd for you, his best friend and the only person he could stand at the early hour. His knuckles flashed white as he sighed, taking the blunt impact of someone walking into him. He removed one of his headphones, mumbling a quick apology and swatting off the enthusiastically apologetic sophomore girl. All he could focus on was how much she bit her lip as she stammered on about not seeing him. It wasn’t alluring to him when most girls tried to sway his affections by looking at him with a puppy dog expression; all his mind drifted to was the dead skin across the body of her lower lip.
He finally nodded and reinstated his headphone, turning on his heel and heading for the front of the building. He received a few greetings from his peers as they crossed his path, people who shared past lectures with him and who had cheated off of him during exams. He wasn’t popular by any means, but he stayed out of people’s business and didn’t express his opinions loudly, so people tended to like him. The autumn breeze picked up as he stood in the dwellings of political science majors on the front lawn, acting as if they hadn’t seen one another in years when it had been only a few days. Clay absent-mindedly looked down at his cellphone, flipping through music as he leaned against the cool brick of the hall’s facade, waiting for you to find him.
Clay’s usual brooding manner was often off-putting to outsiders, with the careless-hollow look in his eyes giving bystanders the impression that he was nothing but a machiavellian. But you always saw the brightness in him; the side that you always experienced was specifically for you, and he made sure to keep it that way. You had wedged herself into his life and he was ever grateful for the love you had given him.
Despite the understood truth between the two of you that nothing was to be left unsaid, Clay still found himself keeping one of the most important aspects of his character unknown to you. His bloodcurdling secret was his own curse, something that would only be poison for another soul to know.
“What’s up, stud?” Somehow a flush of relief rippled through Clay’s body as his eyes locked to yours, pulling him from his isolated shell. Your hair looked brighter today against the dark hoodie peeking out from beneath an all too familiar bomber jacket. The wind fluffed your locks slightly as you continued towards him.
His eyebrows perked up as if to signal he was attempting to downplay his excited demeanor. “Stud, huh?” You smirked at his response, taking one of his headphones and putting it in your own ear, her face angled up to Clay as you waited to recognize the song, swaying slightly.
He chuckled as you shrunk away from him after muttering the song’s artist disappointedly and rolling your eyes, pulling on his hoodie pocket to follow you. As chaotic as his life often felt, he could always rely on the consistency of you. You usually attached yourself to one of his backpack straps, handles, his belt loop, or ended up under his arm, wedged against his side. It had gotten to the point that he felt naked if you weren’t within arm’s length of him, which was rare for the two of you. “So, I have something for you.” He smugly looked down at you, green eyes masking a hidden sparkle as you handed him a can of root beer, making him chuckle.
“Aren’t you sweet?” He popped the tab, taking a sip as you waved at a group of girls passing the two of you before slipping your hand against the crook of his elbow where his hoodie sleeves were pushed back.
“Actually, I was hoping it could be payment for later. I need to head over to the cemetery for some rubbings. History 270 has me getting into some weird shit, huh?” He laughed again at you, offering you the drink.
“And you need wheels?” You nodded and smiled politely at him, beaming at his words. “Yeah, alright. I have to sketch something for art anyway.” He thought about the week’s assignment and then about your little project he had dealt with the prior year. You had acted like the two of you hadn’t been to the cemetery on a regular basis, but he was grateful that you wanted him to come along with you.
You quietly jumped once. “You are my hero in faded denim, Clay. You know that, right?”
The two of you parted ways to your select destinations, one of Clay’s least favorite parts of the day, which was only solidified as he sunk into his seat and attempted to look equipped for the lecture. He spotted an unfamiliar kid shaking his knee in a distant section of the classroom. In any other circumstance, he wouldn’t have thought twice, but the sie of the class had given him the pleasantries of getting his own personal curse out of the way on the first day.
He carefully watched the boy speak smugly to a few of the more athletic kids in the room. One of the athletes pointed to the general direction Clay was sitting in and they all moved towards him. He, yet again, took out his headphones, knowing full well that they would be talking to him for the rest of the class.
“Oi, Shaman,” one of the main guys greeted Clay like they always did: a strange pattern of slapping and shaking his hand. He was thankful he had gotten all of their first impressions months prior and didn’t have to worry about getting their scenarios again, but he geared up to meet the new kid.
“How are you, Punz?” Clay took a deep breath as the new kid was gestured to and brought into the light.
“This is Mark. He’s a transfer from one of the commuter campuses. Mark, this is the mastermind you pay for notes.”
Clay sarcastically smiled at Punz. “My, you flatter me more than any girl. Nice to meet you, man.” As soon as he touched Mark’s hand, Clay’s mind flashed to a dingy-looking barn out in the middle of nowhere before an older man in his mid-thirties came into view with a lever-action rifle in his hand. In another flash, Clay was in front of the man, now kneeling with the gun in his mouth, red, blurry eyes looking straight through Clay. A pang of guilt broke open in Clay’s stomach as he pushed against the handguard lever and pulled it back into place, squeezing the trigger and sending Ckay back to the class. He let out a sigh and fought to plaster one of his less absent smiles.
“Speaking of our lovely girls, Mark here has a question about her.” Clay’s head tilted towards Mark, not exactly squaring up to him, but sending him an amused look as if to warn him not to cross a line, knowing full-well this conversation would somehow involve you. “We all know that no guy would ever intrude on her without your blessing, but Mark sat near her on the bus before his first class and was thinking about asking her out.”
Clay bit back a laugh, feeling like the Vito Corleone. “Well, you know her, Punz, and you know she would be mortified if I told some guy to fuck off, so I would just ask her yourself?” Oh, how desperately Clay wanted to bash Mark for not even telling Clay himself and the fact that the boy before him was nowhere near your type, but Clay knew better than to burn bridges and he felt bad for the way Mark would meet his end.
Nobody, not even you, knew about Clay’s gift. In the going-on-five years of knowing you, he came breaths away from letting his secret slip but has always kept it hidden, hoping to bury it with him after being married to you for forty happy years.
The visions started around his fifth-grade year, beginning with vivid dreams of dying in the midst of the Civil War, feeling the warm gushing of blood leaving his system, and the stabbing pain of being shot multiple times beside a woman who oddly looked enough like you that he almost called out your name. He had lived what he presumed to be his death in the life before this one several times, each vision taking him a few clicks further.
Soon, he found himself catching glimpses of others’ deaths before they happened as soon as they touched him, but thankfully it was usually over with no time passing and he only endured the visions once for each person, fate having already sealed itself. The only person who seemed to mix him up was you.
It was love at first sight for him, but as soon as you touched his arm, bleak snapshots of a boating accident raced into his mind, only to have to re-experience the scenario a few months later with you stepping in front of a train. Even as a measly high school freshman, he promised himself that there was no way he was letting you die in the gruesome manners being predicted to you. He didn’t think changing fate was possible until he witnessed you in action. He hated seeing you so young in each of the glimpses, tearing him to shreds as he knew time and time again that there was no way he could change what was meant to be.
There were even times when he quietly promised you that he’d die by your side if he couldn’t stop it.
As his lecture let out, Clay found you tucked into a corner of the library, smiling to yourself silently as knew you had finally found what you were looking for in one of the massive books before you. There were many moments like this that Clay wished he could pause and remember for the rest of his life. He was proud that you were there for him even though you could have left instead of playing your own little game of library scavenger hunts.
Since knowing you, he had taken note of how you treated other boys, usually as first dates and never true pick-ups. You didn’t care if they called you the next day or not and he was sure you had never even been kissed before. Something about your guys’ relationship gave others the nod to leave it the fuck alone, and that your heart truly belonged to Clay; a responsibility he wished didn’t plague you with. Despite this, he couldn’t bring himself to be with you, only worried that what you had would be destroyed because he knew that as soon as he told you about his gift, you might leave.
You always brought a bag of marbles and a bouquet of flowers to the cemetery. You loved to find the tombstones that looked neglected or ones with older dates, knowing that the possibility of having family members who remembered the person was lower. The trees in the graveyard were reds and yellows with the changing season, leaves scattered over the grass, naturally piling in large masses. This was your favorite for how neglected it seemed to always be. You had a knack for making inanimate objects and lost souls feel loved; Clay often feeling like he was one of these disembodied figures.
Clay leaned his back against one of the massive trees a few paces from the tombstone you had picked, smiling as he watched you carry out her routine. He flipped to a clean page in his sketchbook as you sat cross-legged in front of the great stone resting place, pulling the long-dead flowers from the concrete gauntlet and replenishing a few flowers in their place while setting an equal number of marbles along the grass line of the stone. A daisy was tucked behind your ear as you ran her fingers against the worn chiseling of the dates, smiling slightly. He began to sketch you out. Your eyes drifted to him before the corners of your mouth curled up into a smirk and you returned to her previous position, straightening your shoulders. “Who is it?” He asked, blending a rough edge with the pads of his finger as you tilted your head at the script carvings.
“George McAfee. Born 1926. Died 1963.” The wind picked up, blowing your hair away from your face as you pulled your jacket closer around you. “What was happening in 1963?” You turned your head to him momentarily before looking back at the lucky man. “I mean besides Beatlemania and JFK’s assassination?”
Clay outstretched one of his legs, swallowing as he thought, his eyes fluttering from the page in front of him to you. “Well, Alcatraz was shut down, Studebaker stopped production, the USSR sent the first woman into space…” he trailed off, watching you as the gears began to spin in your head.
“Do you think he died in the Coliseum explosion?” You wet your lips and he couldn’t help but smile at you.
“Maybe he died in the USS Thresher sinking?” He was thankful that he could capture your thoughtful gaze in this picture.
“You’re smart, Dream. Have I ever told you that?” He chuckled at the sigh in your voice. He detailed the bomber jacket you were wearing---which you’d stolen from his closet god knows when---a bit as you placed a piece of paper over the engraving and rubbed a crayon against the stone, his name coming to life on the paper as you came to life on Clay’s. It didn’t matter why you two would be in the cemetery, you always had a type of bond with the dead, surprising Clay due to how bright you were and your power of holding onto so much compassion. He threw his sketchbook into his backpack and slug in over his shoulder, moving to help you up. You decided to give the rest of the flowers to George as Clay stood next to you, gazing down at his grave.
A high-pitched moan startled the two of you, snapping your heads to look over the hedges separating your section of graves and the one beside it. Clay’s eyes widened as they fell to a girl in all black with porcelain skin propped on top of one of the tombstones. You clasped your hand over his mouth pulling him onto the ground next to you as you peered through a hole in the bushes. His mind noticed your arms first. One of them was secured over his chest and the other wrapped around his shoulder from beneath his arm, holding onto him as he steadied himself in the weird crouching position. “Are you enjoying this?” He jeered, looking over his shoulder slightly as he heard you snicker. The girl began to ride the stone harder.
“How many times in your life are you going to see a girl humping a gravestone? Honestly, Clay, how many?” He shook his head as you both looked at the girl, giggling to yourselves. You dug her face into his shoulder trying to stifle the next laugh trying to rip through your body as the gothic girl moaned, letting out more labored breaths. Clay’s face contorted into a twisted look of disgust as the girl tugged on her own hair. “Oh, do you think that hurts?” You took the words out of his mouth, tightening your arms around him as he shrugged.
“I doubt it’s any rockier than sex with a human.” He bit his lip, a hollow sound interrupting him quietly laughing at his own joke as you thumped him in the chest. The girl moaned louder. “Alright, she’s climaxing. I’m uncomfortable now.” Clay stood and Willow popped up next to him, lacing your fingers with his, bringing color back to his cheeks as you slipped the remaining marbles into his pocket.
“Oh, hi!” In the midst of holding hands with you again and trying to slink back to his car, he hadn’t even realized that the moaning had stopped. The girl now stood near the two of you in what seemed to be a black slip. Clay found it hard to make direct eye contact with her. “Are you guys looking for someone?”
“We were, but we couldn’t find him so-” you began, gesturing for Clay’s car and pulling him next to you.
“Well, I can help. Who are you looking for?” A thousand sarcastically vulgar comments ran through Clay’shead but his eyes flickered from her face to the tombstone she was on previously.
“Uh, my grandpa. His name was Rupert Daniels,” Clay managed to choke out. Your nails dug into his arm while your hand squeezed his. The girl looked around at the surrounding stones.
“I don’t see him right now, but I can look?” You both shook your heads quickly and muttered various responses before finally slipping away from her and getting into his car. Neither of you said anything as you pulled off the gravel driveway until crossing the railroad tracks when Clay burst out laughing.
“Do you think she even knew who it was she was gettin’ it on with or did she just pick somewhere random?” Clay laughed harder at your stunned response. “I’m serious. Clay, what the fuck. How can someone even get off in a cemetery?”
“I don’t know, man. Would you hook up with someone in a cemetery?” Clay quipped, wiggling his eyebrows at you, causing you to laugh. You dug into his console, pulling out a bag of M&Ms you had stashed in there last week, popping one in your mouth.
“Only if it was you.”
He giggled. “Excuse me, what?”
“There are just some things you do with certain people, Dream. You know what I mean.”
“I don’t know if I should be flattered I’m the only one you would have sex with in a cemetery, or like, disgusted?” You laughed at his reaction.
Within ten minutes the sun had begun to set and Clay sang loudly with you to the song playing over the radio as Clay sped along one of the county roads near your apartment complex, not wanting the night to end. He loved these moments with you. You turned down the radio and threw your hair back into a ponytail. “So, what do you think of that new kid, Mark?” Something in Clay shifted, taking away the free feeling he had recently possessed next to you. He thought carefully.
He chewed his bottom lip. “Depends on what you think?”
“Well, he seems like a wannabe Punz. And he asked me out. Naturally, I said ‘yes’ because maybe he’s different?” Clay chuckled at your sarcasm, putting his car in park on the side of the street your flat was on and getting out with you. The radio still hummed in the air lowly. “He insisted on Friday, though.” Clay dramatically acted like you had stabbed him in the heart, even though it did hurt. Friday night was their night. It had been a running tradition for movie night every Friday since your freshman year and you had never canceled on Clay for a date. “I know, I know. But I figured that I’d tell him I had diarrhea when it hit eight o’clock and be over at your place with an extra pizza? Your roommate’s working right?” He chuckled with a nod, walking you up the first three steps to your place as you made it to the concrete landing. You turned to him. “And he said he was taking me somewhere fancy, so I’ll snag you some breadsticks.” He tilted his head at you as you winked at him.
“Nah, don’t worry about it. Wanna be Punz might be fun. Maybe I’ll call up Minx and hang out with her?” He joked. Minx was a friend of yours that hung out with the two of you sometimes. He had never really liked her, but she was friends with you and thus he was always civil.
“You’re still my number one, babe.” You pushed him slightly as you climbed a few more steps, leaning on the railing as he waved to leave. “Hey, Dream?” He turned on his heel as you forced yourself to make eye contact. He stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets. “You could kiss me, you know? For science.” You smiled softly at him from where you were perched. He wet his lips as his heart hammered in his chest. He wanted to scale the steps and close the space between you, to knock you off your feet and show you just how much he was in love with you.
He hated himself. “A first kiss should have more magic in it than just for science. As a romantic, you should know first hand.” You smiled at the ground in front of you.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” The two of you seemed to shake off the serious moment as you stuck your tongue out at him and slipped inside your house as both giggled.
“I love you,” he murmured as you left, punching himself in the shoulder as he got back into his car.
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Clay’s heartbeat pulsed in his ears, making him truly believe he was going to pass out. He had lost his gun at least a mile back. He was running mindlessly now, not knowing how long or where he was going. He trudged through the forest, hearing dogs barking and gunshots erupting around him, the ringing in his ears building with every step he forced himself to make. He wanted to rip open the front of his jacket to release the body heat drenching his collar, but he didn’t move other than propelling his body further and further away from the soldiers. You ran beside him, holding your skirt up while your hair danced around your shoulders like a great waterfall. As soon as his body felt like it might just give out, he would look at you and somehow find more of a drive to pull forward. His breaths were brittle and hoarse as he drew in borrowed oxygen. His lungs felt shallow like they were giving out on him.
You reached back, grasping his hand and pulling him into a sharp corner, hoping to lose the group. You both had managed to weave into the forest, but the dogs were somehow still picking up on your scent. The pair of you finally came upon a clearing and kneeled down out of sight, spotting a house in the middle of a glen. Bullets were streaming through the air. The forest was catching fire and cannons were echoing through the distant air. You squeezed his hand tightly, looking at him with terror in your eyes. He had gotten the two of you into this mess, but he was glad he was beside you.
He pulled you to your feet as the pair of you sprinted for a distant house. A sharp pain stabbed into Clay’s back, making him drop to the ground. How did he not hear the gun? You dropped to your feet, your eyes welling with tears, ripping at his jacket, but he pushed you off, telling you to leave quickly. He leaned forward, eyes locking on the soldiers in gray coming towards them, reloading their rifles. He groaned, pushing himself up, but only having the same stabbing sensation two more times in his chest. He heard you scream, but he couldn’t see you.
His hands were going numb as he touched where the bullets entered, feeling the warm and sticky crimson substance seep between his fingers. The soldiers reached you before you had made it to the house, pulling you to the ground next to him. You were crying heavily as you looked at him. Everything began to run quiet as you held onto him tightly. You were saying something to him, but he couldn’t hear you. He was only aware of his jacket soaking with blood. He coughed, wanting to tell you he loved you one last time, but you were tugged away from him, pressed to one of the men in gray. He raised a hand to you as you fought against the man. And then everything went dark.
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Dream Tag List: (hopefully this works)
@karlkitten @pluto-dizzz @more-like-reyna @honk-izzie-was-taken @marrymetheonott @froggyy06 @ghoulandghost @savingpluto @marshmallow-babe @drunkpumpkincake @unstableye @tinyegg @behzzyboo @twist3dtinkerbell @sparkletash @shroomieissmall @clubfairy @camerondiaz48104 @victory-is-here @rat-poisin @alm334 @acidluvs @pachowpachowbucket @bbigbbrainn @cdizzlevalntyne @idiotinnit @generallysleepdeprived @sacvf @phsychopathetic @froggerrrr @robinslie @essencee @jemalovesmarvel @sbi-is-my-onlysanity @jenlouvre @victoria-a567 @miilliiie @bunnylotl @thegirlwhowritesawksh-t @carlyferrell @dumb-chaotic-bi-energy @nyxieahh @quivvyintheclouds @sarcasticmichelle @book-of-anarchy @millavalntyne @lightdreamy @baddiesforcorpse @sunnynapp @fantasy-innit @rat-poisin @wreny24 @deepestofwaters @exenestea @indecisivehusky @fallxnly @alm334 @skaratjung @punzcanrailme @sap-naps @denki-exe @angeltears18 @silvemistxe33 @andreamalik6 @kris-stuff @sun-fiower-seed @where-thesundoesntshine @dilfdream @esmegregory04 @itsparasocial @mlqcool @mcgoddess404 @rinatdawn @chaoscait @peppermintkisses @libbynotfound @speedrunningtherapy @lunxramour @aoonai @loraleiix @ghoulpixiie
164 notes · View notes
gojology · 3 years
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Lovebirds.
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𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓'𝒔 𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆 |  omg this is my first request. ilysm anon, im now feelin super cool. also, i just realized i put recc (as in recommended) instead of requests. i’m super stupid LOL. anyways, im touch starved too dw bby, i’m servin u up a long one since i rlly like this request and after all u r my first! 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 | Gojo x Wife! Reader 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 | 2307 𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 | None! 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 | Coming home from a long mission in America, precisely 1 year, you’re excited to catch up on Gojo’s students, Nanami, and just Gojo in general.   Leaning out of the car window, resting your arm against your purse, you sighed. A humid wind brushed against your skin, tickling you. It had been quite a while since you had been in Japan, spending almost a year on a huge mission in America. You had killed a battalion worthy amount of special grades.   You spent most of your time in America in mostly horribly rundown places, equally as infested with curses. Although you found yourself enjoying America’s natural beauty, further away from the city life that many of the Americans found themselves enjoying, you much preferred Japan. after all, it was your home, and where you met Gojo Satoru. It would be another day until you could return, and you had gone through hundreds of scenarios of finally being in his arms again, but nonetheless, you were ecstatic at the thought of your husband’s touch.   Your phone’s notification chimed loudly, you threw your phone onto the other seat, heart jumping up to a high rate. It was a recording of Satoru loudly yelling, “OPEN YOUR FUCKING PHONE!” with a flurry of giggles afterwards.    Ijichi jumped, turning left and right. Whispering under his breath, he let out an exasperated sigh, switching the music channel.    The recording was mostly because of the time you had to ghost him due to work. Gojo had snuck on and recorded it, doing some magical tech stuff and giving you the custom notification sound. You had kept it that way ever since, since secretly, you enjoyed that you were so badly wanted by Gojo, that, and you had no idea how to change it back.    But the custom notification was sweet as well.   You smiled to yourself every time you heard it, a familiar twinge of pain flashing inside of you whenever you realized you wouldn’t be able to see him for a while.   Well, today, and the days after that would be different. You’d be able to finally see Gojo again, and his new students that he always frantically texted you about. Nanami, an old friend of Gojo, and also an old friend of yours, would also be there to welcome you back, you found yourself reminiscing about them.   You had heard so much about them, one of the kids being Sukuna’s vessel, you wondered how Gojo could contain such a fear, being around the kid at all times, he always told you about how the kid was actually energetic and happy and an overall great kid, you had heard about Nanami, finally coming back into the jujutsu sorcerer field of work, even though you always found that he still had a thing for finances.   You shook your head, “Save that shit for later, (Y/N).” muttering to yourself, you didn’t want to think of anything but Gojo, after all, it had been one fucking year of being deprived of the man you loved most. You were practically starving for the guy, in more ways than one.   Ijichi gulped, facing towards you, one hand on his steering wheel, “Forgive me Mrs. Satoru, but um.. Forgive me if I misheard, but I think I heard your phones notification go off.. Due to the ah- incredibly loud profanity.”   Now just realizing that you had completely forgotten about the phone notification, you nodded your thanks to Ijichi, a warmth rushing to your cheeks before opening up your phone.    In the small, rounded box containing Gojo’s message, he wrote in all caps, “SUGAR, MY BELOVED, MY QUEEN, HOW CLOSE ARE YOU? I CAN’T FUCKING WAIT I’M LITERALLY BOUNCING UP AND DOWN IN OUR BED.”   Smiling to yourself, you furiously texted back, “Calm down honeybun, I’ll be there in like, 24 hours, I’m not even fucking close.”   You almost instantly got a DM back, making you jump a bit in your seat. Even with the 5 years of friendship, and the 3 years of relationship, and the 2 years of marriage, he still almost always texted you back as quickly as possible.   “God I can’t fucking wait for you to meet the kids! We’ll keep it a surprise, yeah? We have a bunch of treats, and we also got the kids to get some gifts for you! How thoughtful aren’t they? They’re MY offspring by the way, so like, you know, whenever you want a kid, it’s your call ;)”   You snorted to yourself, smiling. He genuinely seemed so excited, and it was all shining through even though it was from a screen.    “Maybe in a few years, I don’t even wanna imagine a little you.”   Despite the excited, bubbling feeling brewing bigger and bigger in your stomach, you figured it’d be best to sleep before the chaos. Happily sighing, you laid down, using your purse as a pillow, drifting into a blissful sleep.  ‧₊˚✩彡.   You awoke to a sudden halt, Looking around your surroundings, you figured you were home. Ijichi looked like he was damn near about to fall asleep on the steering wheel.   Well, maybe that’s what 24 hours of constant driving did to you. You fished around in your purse, silently cursing looking for a water bottle.   “Here, Ijichi, looks like you ran a marathon.” you grinned, handing the slightly crumped water bottle to him.   He beamed as if a guardian angel had descended down and gave him a trillion dollars.   “Mrs. Satoru! You really mean it? The ride was nothing, I was merely instructed to do so and I would’ve done it happily regardless.”   You waved your hand, as a dismissal of the conversation. “You overwork yourself Ijichi, go catch a break, on me. If Gojo tears you apart, tell him he won’t be getting any pussy from me for another year.”   Ichiji nodded vigorously, before dashing off, probably towards a massage center, God that guy needed it. ‧₊˚✩彡.    Gojo frantically hopped up and down, it had been a day, now he was just waiting for you to bust through the door in your wild hair, his legs sprawled onto the whole of a couch, he stared at the ceiling, a dopey smile spread across his face.     “Satoru. (Y/N) will not even want to be associated with you, looking at your current state.” he remarked, staring at the sorcerer with his strikingly dead eyes.     “Nanami, how the fuck am I supposed to act calm?! I’ve waited for this moment for ONE YEAR! Does my hair look normal?!”    “Your hair looks just like an albino porcupine, just as usual.” Flipping the page of his newspaper, he sighed, rubbing his temples. “I will never understand how someone like (Y/N) would be.. Interested in you, Satoru.”     Gojo paid no attention to the insult Nanami had so clearly made, his ears were perked up, eavesdropping on a distant conversation coming closer and closer.     “Gojo-Senpai was telling me about this movie while training my cursed energy! He basically spoiled the whole thing but he told me that the main character was super annoying but apparently she dies in the end in the most gruesome way possible! It’s worth the watch, your soul will feel cleansed as soon as you see her lifeless body!”     “Yuuji, you literally spoiled the whole thing to me just now.” Fushiguro calmly stated, looking bored out of his mind.     “Oh, oops.” Yuuji rubbed the back of his neck. He smiled coyly, tightly hugging his present.    “What’s with the decorations, Gojo-Sensei?” inquired Nobara, stroking her warm toned brown hair. She had figured it was something about the presents that Gojo had forced the trio to get, but he never told them who it was for.    The room had been decorated with various balloons and confetti, scattered about, on the table and the ground. A cake box wrapped with a gigantic bow limply guarded whoever was brave enough to get their hands on something that Gojo seemed to be protecting with his life.    A pink table cover with a crudely drawn Gojo and what would seem to be a girl, a heart in the middle of the pair. In a horrible font with an even awfuller text, the text on top and at the bottom of the drawing proudly stated:    “WELCOME BACK QT”    “-YOU’RE HUSBAND AND THE CREW”    Nobara stood in distaste, trying to disguise the face she made. The drawing, the misused you’re, and the overall poor design choice was enough to almost make her vomit.     Nobara, about to make her distasteful statements about the whole mess, was suddenly shut up as Gojo started hopping up and down, looking directly at his phone.   “SHE’S COMING! SHE’S COMING! EVERYONE IN YOUR PLACES!”    Now, seeing Gojo freak out wasn’t outside of the ordinary, but it was to see him freak out to this extent. He was hopping up and down, blabbering about a certain woman named (Y/N). Nobara was pretty sure that if a curse attacked right now, even a special grade comparable to the one with the uncomplete domain could completely crush Gojo, the guy seemed completely unaware of the example he was setting to the kids. Even Yuuji stood in disbelief, and he had seen multiple tantrums by Gojo.   Nanami, however, licked his finger and flipped the newspaper page. A face of boredom obviously displayed.     Nobara, preparing herself to chew Gojo out about how utterly stupid and embarrassing he made the whole class of jujutsu sorcerers look like, stopped wide eyed as she looked at the doors slide wide open. ‧₊˚✩彡.    You stood, shyly, looking at the ground. Gojo dove headfirst into your arms, laughing like a maniac and digging his face into your shoulder. You breathed in his scent, scanning the room.     Three teens, sat wide-eyed, backs straight as they looked at you with eyes you couldn’t quite read. All three of them held presents.     The one with eyelids underneath his eyes (which you assumed was Yuuji, the vessel of Sukuna) eyed you curiously, his eye twitched.     The other boy, one with wild black-blue hair, sat mouth agape, before closing it. He looked like he was about to say something, before stopping entirely and hugging his present closer to his chest.    The warm haired girl darted her eyes between you two, seemingly trying to put the puzzle together.     Nanami put the newspaper down, glancing over to you two.    “This is obviously Gojo-Senpai’s wife. He hasn’t seen her in many months, and as you can see, really really misses her.” he paused, a small smile spreading on his face, a rare sight.     “I don’t even know why myself, but what can you do with lovebirds?” he thought aloud, his attention now focused to the two of you furiously making out, hands in places Yuuji and the crew didn’t need to see.    “Satoru, (Y/N), leave the kissing for later. Don’t you see the kids?”     You detached yourself from his mouth, panting for breath. The air being exhaled out of his nose fanned over your face, you had just now realized the kids again.     “Satoru, lets sit down. I bet the kids are surprised. “ you motioned to the couch. Gojo whined.     “What? They’re not that dumb, they can tell you’re my wife or at least, you’re my girlfriend, just by the way we kiss right? Isn’t this telling enough?”     “You didn’t tell them about me, ever did you?”     He sighed in defeat, holding tightly onto your arm as you dragged him over and sat down on the comfortable couch, opposite of Yuuji and the crew. Nanami scooched over, before finally getting up to pull another chair from somewhere else. Grunting, he excused himself from the room.     “YOU HAD A GIRLFRIEND, GOJO-SENPAI? AND DIDN’T TELL US?” Yuuji questioned, looking like he was about to faint.    Gojo laughed, snuggling deeper onto you, almost like a koala.     “She’s my wife, aren’t you, sugar? Did you even pay attention to anything Nanami said? He literally said she was my wife.”     Megumi made an obvious gagging sound, but even he didn’t seem as bored as he was usually. He actually looked intrigued.     “Why didn’t you tell us, Gojo-Senpai?” the girl nagged, slamming her fist down on the table.     Gojo smiled, “Uh, well, I wanted it to be a surprise when she came back.”     “Couldn’t you have told us that you had a wife or something?” Megumi butt in.    The door slid open, Nanami coming in with a wooden stool.     “Knowing Gojo-Senpai, that probably went over his head.” grunting as he placed the wooden stool down and sat, he opened his newspaper again.     “Where do you guys know eachother?”    “Was Gojo-Senpai handsome back in highschool too?”    “Do you know what lipgloss Gojo-Senpai wears?”    “Gojo-Senpai, how did you know you loved her?”     “Gojo-Senpai, can we eat now?”     “Do you know why Gojo has such a horrible sweet tooth?”      Before you could even respond, Nanami put his hand up.     “Now, now, lets let the happy couple settle down.” he cleard his throat, not even making eye contact with anyone but the newspaper.     An audible chorus of groans sounded, “What do you expect us to do? We literally just met her!” moaned Yuuji.    “Weren’t you the one that literally asked if we could eat yet?”    Yuuji immediately shut up afterwards.     “Yuuji, she just came back from a 1 day trip. She should be laying down comfortably with Gojo-Senpai and they should be catching up. You’ll have the opportunity to talk to her and learn about her later. Right now she needs space.”    “But-” Nobara whined, clasping her hands together.    Nanami turned to Fushiguro, but even he had his mind set. “I didn’t even begin to think that Gojo had a wife. I really want to know more about her, if you think about it, this is all Gojo-Sensei’s fault.”    Nanami rubbed his temples, staring at the two of you for backup, realizing that you two were making out again.    Nanami sighed, 10 years later and you two were still the same.    
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erictmason · 2 years
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Sonic Boom (A “Sonic the Hedgehog 2″ Review)
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OK, full disclosure: I didn’t especially like the first “Sonic the Hedgehog” movie.  I appreciate what other fans saw in it, and I’d even say I agree: the movie’s portrayal of Sonic himself was genuinely pretty good, an interesting reinterpretation of the character that plays him more as an overly energetic Kid in contrast to the Teenager With Attitude he’s traditionally portrayed as, matched with a charming vocal performance by Ben Schwartz and an intensely appealing design from fan-favorite artist Tyson Hesse.  But as important as getting Sonic right is to a “Sonic” movie, for me it’s not enough to compensate for a story that was, at best, pretty generic, with some frustratingly poor effects work and some thoroughly uninspired directing.  Oh, and I also really didn’t like Jim Carrey’s Robotnik, who for me never stopped feeling like An Excuse For Jim Carrey To Do Schtick first, with any sort of actual consistent characterization a very distant second.  Again, I get why others feel differently, but that’s just where it lands for me.
So it should tell you something significant that I find myself a lot more favorably disposed to “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”.  
To be clear, that’s not the same as saying I thought it was the absolute best; it recreates a lot of the first movie’s weaknesses and adds on some truly baffling ones of its own.  The story especially remains less than spectacular; it’s thankfully not as bland as the first one, pulling more overtly from the narrative of the “Sonic” games enough to give itself a slightly more distinct personality, but it still struggles with things like Pacing (the second act especially is inexcusably bloated, but we’ll get to the specifics on that in a minute) and Coherency.  That last point is especially frustrating when it comes to Tails, a mainstay of the “Sonic” games who joins the movies here.  While still voiced with appreciable charm by his long-time VA Colleen O’Shaughnessey, the story only ever kind of knows what to do with him; his motivations are left frustratingly vague, and he ultimately isn’t given as much to do or as much importance to the story as you might expect.  It’s not a total failure, indeed ultimately Tails’ presence (and Knuckles’ as well, but again I’ll get to that in a bit) proves a worthwhile one for how he brings with him his iconic friendship with Sonic and how well that works for both characters, but it is hard to miss how minor Tails feels here, especially compared to some of the stuff the movie wastes time on that I rather wished it hadn’t.  In particular it attempts to beef up the roles of returning minor characters from the previous film in ways that didn’t really work for me; that’s bad enough when it comes to a needless sub-plot involving Adam Pally’s Deputy Wade and Lee Madjoub’s Agent Stone which at least has the good sense to be short even as it doesn’t really add anything to the main story, but it is very bad in the case of that distended second act I mentioned.  That’s where the movie very obviously and forcibly twists itself in such a way as to shift focus away from literally any of the characters we are actually supposed to be following to instead turn into a completely different movie focused around Natasha Rockwell’s Rachel and newcomer Shemar Moore as her fiancé Randall, a pair of characters who, up until that exact moment, have been utterly inconsequential to the main story, and will in fact return to being completely inconsequential the moment their tedious mini-movie runs its course.  Mind you, I’m even willing to say something half-way nice about this, as the nasty jokes at Rachel’s expense were one of my least favorite aspects of the first movie, and I also at least theoretically appreciate the chance this affords Tika Sumpter’s Maddie to do more this time around, but it’s just so enervating and unfunny to me and it seriously comes out of nowhere and grinds the entire rest of the movie to a halt.  I don’t even especially like it for the Lore-Building function it’s meant to serve (which I won’t spoil here), which feels like it could and indeed should have been handled literally any other way.
But for all those criticisms, I did ultimately say I came out of this one feeling fairly good about it, and that holds true.  The key (and you’ll notice this applies to why so much of what I just talked about doesn’t work for me) is that the movie is much more explicitly centered on Sonic, who remains as charming and endearing a presence here as he was before but now has even greater room to really flourish because everything now relates much more directly to him, rather than having to be mediated through other characters first.  That’s especially true of Carrey; I’m still not entirely sold on him in this particular role, but not only does the movie at least work a little harder to make his Robotnik feel like an actual character rather than a fairly random string of Comedy Moments, but moreover Carrey’s willfully petulant take on him plays so much more effectively when it’s bouncing off of the childish Sonic, and especially when complemented by the real MVP of the whole thing, Knuckles the Echidna.  Played by Idris Elba, who is hardly taxing himself here but nonetheless delivers a fun performance that makes perfect use of his signature deep voice both for Menace and for humor (the movie gets a very impressive amount of mileage out of having him deliver his portentous proclamations with the exact same tone with which he naively blunders through misunderstandings), he acts as a great foil to both Sonic and Robotnik with his earnestness and forthrightness, which both makes him a meaningfully difficult obstacle for Sonic to conquer and a plausible stooge for Robotnik to manipulate toward his own ends without either one just rendering him a total clown.  Despite my earlier complaints, Tails too works at fleshing Sonic’s character out by being a genuine peer to him, someone Sonic can relate to on his own level, and perhaps even more importantly by being someone Sonic feels obligated to protect.  That last point is especially significant; the first movie was mostly about Sonic trying to keep himself out of trouble with others coming to his rescue, but here the emotional and thematic arc of the film centers on Sonic trying to be the Protector to those he cares about most.  The way that initially starts with his belief that he needs to find an Epic Quest with which to prove himself but ends with his recognizing that it isn’t just about him honestly works far better than I would’ve expected; it’s not exactly the freshest storyline, but the movie commits to it sincerely enough, with enough emotionally authentic moments (again, especially when it comes to how Sonic’s affection for Tails develops and then drives him) to make it resonate.  And pushing all of that over the edge is the movie’s action sequences.  I will say that another problem from the first film that the sequel carries over is a certain weakness for compositing its animated characters into shots; it’s mostly fine when they’re primarily interacting with each other, but there are several instances where they interact with real-world objects that just look and feel notably poor.  But this time around, a lot more of the movie is almost entirely animated than isn’t, so it never becomes that distracting a problem, and moreover the various action set-pieces here feel a lot more energetic and inventive than the original.  I give a lot of credit for that to Tyson Hesse, for the record, who returns here in a major creative role as Storyboard Supervisor, and his influence on things is very keenly felt all throughout, especially during the movie’s climax, which handily serves as the big highlight of the whole thing with its delightful mix of Epic Action, Charming Personality, and Satisfying Pay-Offs.
Look, if you’re not already a big “Sonic” fan, I don’t imagine this movie is going to do much for you; I enjoyed it myself, but it’s not especially hard for me to recognize its limitations.  Still and all, though, rounded out as it is by some very well-picked fan-friendly references, a sense of humor that works more often than it doesn’t (well, outside of that truly bizarre tangent in Act 2), and a brighter more energized overall spirit, as a long-time “Sonic” fan this definitely feels a lot more like the movie I would want out of this series. Which probably slants my opinions in a fairly biased way, but so be it; there’s only so far one can fight against one’s self in the name of objectivity, and in this case?  Yeah, this movie gave me a lot more of what I wanted, and I’m really glad for that.
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heckinhacker · 3 years
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Rakan x Red Panda Vastayan!Fem!Reader - You’re welcome.
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word count: 916
requested: yes! by my friend behind anon: "Can I get Rakan x Reader? I mean fanfic, where they fall in love after Xayah abandon Rakan for her goal // the reader is female and she's vastayan sth like ringtail or lesser panda // she met him in the piltover's pub!!" note: I usually make reader gender neutral, but it was specifically for my friend so yeah...sorry--
addictional information: /tw alcohol , /tw break up (on canon character's side, is that a trigger? ;;)
A/N: I'm not really the proudest of this work. I am still fighting with writer's block, so I intented to make a longer one-shot about it, but it became a short one, it doesn't even have 1k words. Kinda dissapointed in myself ngl...
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Rakan sighs, looking around pub in Piltover. As expected - everything looks modern’ish, interior is classy, music is jazzy and people are not making that much of a mess around. Mostly drinking, talking normally and joking around - sometimes even dancing, there is a section for that. Even though dancing is something special to his kind - dancing was the only resolution to his actual problem. His heartbreak. Xayah was really busy with whole rebellion thing and it’s really not that he did mind. She did. She knew deep inside that he never was in rebellion for the case - he was there for her. She knew he needed her and he was in pain seeing her struggle with pressure and duties - so she ended their relationship for their own good. She got more space to focus on the main task - he got more space for romantic topics, even though it hurts him now. They didn’t even have a fight about it. It was...generally calm conversation. Even though Rakan cried, she made her point clear - and he agreed. Xayah was always smarter than him, so he knew she may have a point. It hurt, but they seperated their ways. He promised he’ll check on her, she agreed to that, and they became friends. Maybe distant ones, but still, they’re not on ex to enemy relationship, which made him slightly happier.
Slightly.
He could swear that when she ended their relationship, some part of him went missing with her going away. She just took one piece of his heart and vanished from his life.
It hurt.
That's why he danced as long as his legs allowed him, sometimes took a break to sip on his drink. Just to throw everything out of his system. Every negative feeling - he wanted it gone, but longer he danced, longer he felt emptiness in his chest. He had nothing better to do.
He had another break now. He was taking deep breaths because he tired himself by dancing, his thoughts consumed by sad stories. Then a very nice looking girl came by. She had fluffy fail and small, round ears on top of her head. She smiled kindly at him. He would notice another Vastayan earlier, she must've come by a few seconds ago. - Are you okay? You seem sad, kind stranger. - How can you tell I'm kind? - You look like someone reliable, not sure if I'm right. I'm eager to get to know the truth, though~ One's on me!
She called a barman and asked him to refil Rakan's glass, to which he sighed with...relief? - Thank you... - You're welcome. - she said confidentely, asking him now what was wrong. Instead of answering, he asked instead... - What is your name? - I'm Y/N, and you? - Rakan. I'm Rakan. And they talked a little, but he excused himself and went back to dancing, just so he can go back to thinking what was going on and what will happen with his life now.
This one dance took him longer than others, so more people came by, some admired his moves, some ignored him, some even wanted to give him money, but he just got invested into his own thing.
So when he heard some arguement, and key words "stupid animal!" flying around pub, he stopped his motions just to see.
There was that girl again - Y/N - hiding her face as some drunk males threw ugly names at her, just because she was different. Just beacuse she was smaller. It was a good suspiction though. Noone said a word towards him. That's why he stepped in.
- Gentlemen, I beg for your attention. Leave a lady this instant, or things might get violent. - Rakan started, carefully approaching the group.
- And you are?! Her little boyfriend, or something?
- Hrm... - he mumbled, word 'boyfriend' ticking his nerve. He still wasn't over his break up with his...actual wife. - Please, think thig through. I don't want to hurt you.
- Animal like YOU, hurting ME? Hah! - he laughed, too full of himself.
Rakan sighed deeply, making first moves preparing for battle dance. One moment he shows his pretty feathers to those drunkards, another they're sent flying up, Rakan slapping them with his feather cape ocasionally. After they dropped on the floor with loud thump! Rakan looked at other vastaya with kind smile.
- Are you okay...?
- Th...-she stuttered. - Thank you...
- You're welcome. - Rakan patted her back, leading her to bar's direction.
When they sat down, Rakan bowed his head slightly.
- I'm sorry for the mess, boss. - No, no. They deserved it. Any drinks for you two?
And they drank a little more - this time Rakan not leaving her side.
Rakan promised that he'll walk her home. Silence was comfortable, Rakan humming some calm, cultural song of his people. When they were here, she asked him in full honesty: - Do you have anywhere to go? - Uhm...no? Not really... But I'm used to sleep in the wild, it's okay! - No, listen. Come inside. You're after drinking some alcohol, you won't be that aware of your surroundings. Let me do it as a... - No, Y/N, it's okay.
Then she placed her hand on his shoulder, and at this moment he decided to let himself in for tonight. - Let me. Thank you so much for tonight, Rakan...
- You're welcome.
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I Am Not Starfire, And That's Okay
I recently read I Am Not Starfire and I had lots of thoughts, which are under the cut. It is spoiler-heavy and an analysis of the main character, who I find to be a charming, flawed, and incredibly human character.
Mandy is a fascinating character and a great look at a teenage girl who feels ostracized by the people around her and who feels disconnected from her parent. Mandy is by no means flawless, and that's what makes her very interesting. It also makes her relatable.
Mandy starts by talking about how she's noticeably different from her mom, being the "Anti-Starfire". She's a regular kid, can't fly, and doesn't own a swimsuit, while her mom is a superhero, can fly, and always wears bikinis.
On page 11 she mentions "her mom hasn't liked how I looked since I was twelve. She wears less than a yard of fabric every day, yet somehow, I'm the one who's dressing weird". While I understand people who call this slut-shaming, and I'm inclined to agree, but I think it's a little more nuanced than that. The next page reads, "My friend Lincoln convinced me this is the cultural divide that happens between family generations born in different countries or universes. His parents were born in Vietnam." This tells me that the authors intended to point out the difference in dress more as another difference between Starfire and Mandy, and less as a reason to blatantly slut-shame Starfire. I think there's absolutely a conversation to be had about why the authors decided to use this language instead of conveying the point differently. I also think it speaks to how Starfire has more or less been sexualized from inception, and how people look down upon her character because of that. In the context of this book, though, it's one of Mandy's character flaws that I think fits her both as a character and reflects what I've seen from actual teenage girls. Our society coaches us to view women who dress a certain way as less than women who don't and unlearning that takes time and effort. I don't think this comment about her mom should have been put in there by the authors, but I do think it fits in with the values American society in particular teaches about women.
Page 15, 16, and 17 all point to a far more complicated state of existence than Mandy points out within the first few pages. For one thing, Mandy has to deal with people who love her mother and only want to use her to get information about her mom and the other teen titans. This is shown by the "Titan groupies" who ask her to tell Starfire what they say about her. Another thing she has to deal with is the expectation to be a superhero and have powers like her mom, and the questions about who her dad might be. She gains her first real friend, Lincoln, because he tells the people asking about her parentage that they are assholes.
It is revealed that Mandy has a crush on Claire after she gets assigned a group project with her. Mandy is in denial over the crush. She thinks about the fact she's meeting Mandy at the end of the day throughout the rest of the school day, causing her to explode something in Chemistry Class. I find this to be highly relatable and gives her character a softer side to the edginess she desperately tries to portray herself as.
While talking about the project with Claire, it is revealed that Mandy ran out of her SATs and didn't complete them. While Mandy tries to paint this as a cool badass moment, the way the comic artist portrays the scene makes me think Mandy had an anxiety attack. Mandy didn't run out of her SAT because she's some kind of alternative badass who doesn't need to take them. Mandy ran out because she got overwhelmed by the sounds of people chewing and the pressure of the test. While she frames it differently, it's clear to me that Mandy is avoiding taking the SAT again because she doesn't want that to happen again.
When Claire invites her to hang out with her friends, Mandy gets treated like she isn't there, or as some kind of unwanted outsider. The topics they discuss seem to be specifically made to make Mandy uncomfortable, like mentioning how stretchy jeans are only made for fat people, and asking if aliens don't go to college. Jaded by this, Mandy makes up that aliens actually have to go through this huge blood right and battle to the death, but tells Claire's two friends she was joking before leaving. This tells me that Mandy deflects her pain by using humor to cope and has no issue clowning on people who are trying to belittle her for being an alien.
Starfire tries to bring up going to college after this, and Mandy just flees to her room. She hasn't told her mom she didn't take the SAT yet or that she isn't going to college. She feels distant from her mom, which is explained further through a montage of birthdays where she never got her powers. Her mom expects a lot from her, and Mandy thinks Starfire is disappointed about her lack of powers.
Later, Mandy invites Claire over to her house to complete the project they are working on. The Titans are still there when Claire arrives, but she seems to ignore them, as they leave shortly after. Mandy and Claire bond as they continue the project. Mandy reveals to the reader that she's never had a girlfriend, except for one time at sleep-away camp where she kind of dated a girl for four weeks. She didn't tell her who her mom was because she was tired of living in the shadow of a superhero. But the relationship ended because Mandy had lied about who her mom was, and the girl she was dating didn't understand why she would lie. I think this really shows just how much Mandy actually wants to be a normal girl like everyone else, to the extent that she'd lie about who her mom was. Her edgy demeanor at school and around town where her mom is known to be her mom is a defense mechanism to having lived under the shadow of a superhero her entire life.
When it's revealed that Claire took a photo with the Titans at Mandy's house, Mandy is understandable heartbroken, and furious. She thought she had been making a real connection with Claire, but this photo makes her think she's been used, again. Claire seems genuinely baffled by Mandy's reaction to this, thinking little of it. But to Mandy, it is a breach of trust from someone she thought cared about her. I think her angry reaction to Claire makes sense because of this, even if it might have been disproportionate to the offense.
On top of this, Starfire has discovered that Mandy walked out of the SAT and doesn't plan to go to college. After a heated conversation, she runs away, but her mom finds her. And then Blackfire finds her. Turns out the fake story she told Claire's friends earlier in the story was actually true, even though Mandy didn't know it.
Since Claire actually cares about Mandy, she tracks down Lincoln who explains to her why Mandy reacted badly, and that she should probably apologize for taking the photo. Claire also admits that one of the friends from earlier, Deb, actually dared her to take the photo. Claire is a good person at heart, but this action shows that she can still be influenced to do something that would hurt another person. And while she might not have known it would hurt Mandy, Deb probably did.
Starfire and Blackfire fight since Mandy has no powers, but Starfire gets injured causing Mandy to realize just how much she loves and cares about her mom, even though they don't see eye to eye on most things. This finally unlocks her powers, as she's let go of most of the resentment she's held against her mom. She even gets asked for an autograph by someone in the audience after the battle.
The story ends with Mandy training her powers, studying for the SAT, and reconciling with Claire, sharing a kiss, and becoming girlfriends.
I've seen a lot of discourse that frames Mandy as being "not like other girls". I don't believe this framing actually fits Mandy very well. The only girl Mandy ever says she is not like explicitly is her mom. She is the only woman she compares herself too, and the only person who she seems to have a lot of resentment for, aside from people who use her to get to Starfire. Additionally, Mandy falls for someone who is what a stereotypical, normal popular girl is often portrayed as. She's preppy, wears makeup, gets good grades, has friends, and runs a fairly popular Instagram account. If Mandy was extremely into the "Not like other girls" rhetoric, she would've made fun of Claire for all those things. Instead, she admires her for them. Mandy is fat, has acne/freckles, dresses goth, and wears a nose ring. If this is the reason people are identifying her as a "Not like other girls" girl, then they don't understand that trope. Simply dressing differently from your peers, being fat, and hating your mom does not make her the "not like other girls" trope. It actually makes her like other, real-life girls who dress and act similarly, because that's who they are, not because they somehow think they are better than other women.
I'd also make the argument that, fundamentally, Mandy IS different from other girls on the account of having a superhero mother and potentially a superhero father. Her life is completely altered by Starfire's existence as her mom and is likely only relatable to the children of other superheroes and celebrities. She is not like other girls because of her mom, and that still doesn't make her someone who falls in line with the conception of being "not like other girls".
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope others do too. I read Mandy as a flawed character who was trying to figure out how to exist outside the Shadow of her mom- and eventually succeeds, by learning to embrace her mom. I would've preferred if Mandy had a slightly darker skin tone, as her features seem black-coded to me and Starfire is also often black-coded. Otherwise, I do think this was one of the best DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults I've read, alongside Teen Titans: Beast Boy and Teen Titans: Raven.
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The Mermaid Theory
Or, as i like to call it:
How is Kenji’s trauma related to Mantah Corp
subject: Kenji’s obsession with mermaids and how it can be related to the storyline in general
(warning: this is longer than anticipated)
Lettuce begin:
Kenji Kon (age: 15) is one of the main characters appearing in Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. He ended up on the camp because his dad is filthy rich which Kenji often uses to make a point. Some other traits that we relate to his character are: general dorkiness, loyalty and self-esteem issues (deeply rooted with how his entire confidence is mostly based on how much he thinks it depends on his wealth, however it is not a subject for today)
One of the things that the fans picked on while watching the show is Kenji’s strange obessesion with mermaid.
The first time a mermaid is mentioned by Kenji is actually in episode 2 season 1, when he says “a dream is like when you save mermaids from a shark”. We all thought that this comparison is just a form of a comic relief. But bro, I don’t think it’s funny anymore, in fact I think that it’s one of the signs of trauma or a distant memory. The kind of memory that maybe even Kenji himself doesn’t understand quite well.
The mermaid keeps coming back every now and then, the two moments that I want to mention here are:
the scene when Yaz wakes Kenji up and he mumbles something about “saving a mermaid” to which Yaz asks him if he only ever dreams about mermaids (which is an indicator that it’s a re-occuring dream)
little Kenji’s drawing that Sammy finds in his father’s photoalbum. The drawing shows a family (presumably Kenji’s family) and a mermaid
Based on that we can assume one thing for sure: mermaids (or one mermaid) were an important part of Kenji’s childhood. Whether they were an imaginary friend or something more real is up to you to decide.
Let’s keep that in our minds and focus on something else. Or rather: someone else aka Kenji’s father.
He’s a bizzare character. We’ve never seen him. He seems absent from Kenji’s life and yet he is in the background to everything that happens in his life. Ha, more than that. This seemingly gloomy and very neglectful person seems to also be looming over one more thing:
The entire Jurassic World.
Kenji’s father is a part of Jurassic World (the park) in a way that seems fitting and completely out of place at the same time. Yes, sure, he is rich but the more you think about it, the weirder his “presence” is.
You know what resonates with the same exact energy? 
Mantah Corp. They are there but at the same time - where the hell are they? Who’s in charge? Where are all the big, phat fishes, huh?
I know that this theory may be slightly far-fetched but I think that one of these fishes is in fact Kenji’s father. Kenji’s father who has a bazillion of secrets (for some reason Kenji is not allowed to enter one wing of their house). Kenji’s father who is always busy. Kenji’s father who is so influential that park empoyees allow his kid run around Jurassic World mostly unsupervised. Kenji’s father who owns a very suspiciously-looking building in a part of the island that is closed to the public. A building with a dock that is not on any map.
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A building that doesn’t look like “just a penthouse”. It looks like a business building. Everything in Jurassic World has a meaning, everything more or less fits into that “jungle-like” aesthetic. But not Casa de Kenji. No, it looks like a place where important people hold their meetings. We know for sure that it’s not a hotel and yet it has many floors. Casa de Kenji is a building that for some reason keeps at least 5 limos in the garage. 
My point is that Kenji’s father and everything related to him is very suspicious. And the fact that Kenji doesn’t know much about him doesn’t help it either.
So let’s theoretically assume that Kenji’s father is related to Mantah Corp. What do we know about Mantah Corp?
Mantah Corp is a bioengineering and genetic oriented company. They hired (more like black-mailed) Sammy to spy for them in JWCC because they wanted to aquire InGen’s research and technology. 
Now, some of you could ask: “Okay but if that’s the case then why Kenji’s father didn’t steal the genes/technology already? He has access to everything after all?”
That’s a great question and I have a very simple answer to that - money and power. I think that Big Kon has too much to lose. If it was discovered that either he or Kenji are spying he could lose everything he accomplished so far. If there’s one thing rich people love it’s using other people to do the dirty work (enter Sammy).
Now. Now for the final question:
How is it possible that Kenji has no idea?
The answer is, once again, simple - mermaids.
As I mentioned earlier Mantah Corp is a company that deals with  bioengineering and genetics. Just because they are not as sucessful as InGen doesn’t mean that they’ve never accomplished anymore. Or - should I say -  that they accomplished something that they’ve never showed to the public. 
I think, that in fact they probably accomplished a lot behind the closed doors. But you know who had access there? Innocent baby Kenji who didn’t even know what he was looking at.
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(using e750 picture in a tank because I don’t own a mermaid in a tank therefore I can’t offer a realistic picture)
What would a child think if they saw weird creatures trapped in tanks? What would he think if he saw creatures that didn’t look very human-like, yet that were alive and perhaps even showed some form of intelligence? 
The kid would assume that it’s a mermaid. Or marmaids. That someone trapped. That need to be saved. (Kenji never indicates that he is afraid of the mermaids, if anything he wants to be their protector)
And if said child started talking, mentioning the mermaids, drawing them, what would the parent do? They would lock the doors and never let the kid inside ever again. They would try to protect the kid (or protect the business, with Kenji’s father it’s hard to tell).
One more thing.
I’ve seen some people say that the mermaid on Kenji’s drawing is actually his mother. I gotta be honest I’m not completely sold on this theory). But it doesn’t mean that the mermaid can’t be related to Kenji’s mother at all. Think about it. If Kenji’s father is so dedicated to work, maybe his mother was just the same. Maybe she worked at Mantah Corp’s labs and when Kenji asked “where is my mum?” his father (or a babysitter, my bet is on the babysitter) would tell him “she’s at the lab”. And what’s also in the lab? Mermaids. that’s how Kenji connected mermaids to his mother, who most likely died at some point.
Because he had little to none memories of her, he connected the mermaid with his mother. Yet the memory of a mermaid was still more vivid. It replaced the memory of his mother. That’s why he’s more focused on this creature than his mother (that he never mentioned).
My other theory is that his mother actually died even earlier, maybe in an accident that happened in the lab, or maybe she simply worked there and that’s the only thing Kenji remembers about her. Either way baby Kenji saw mermaids are part of his family. Because his parents spent most of their time with these creatures.
The third theory is that Kenji’s mother was against what Mantah Corp was doing with their research and experiements. She wanted to expose them and the people at Mantah Corp didn’t react too well. Being aware of that Kenji’s father promised himself to keep his kid away from that mess to protect him. That’s why he never allowed Kenji to come back to the lab. (seems gloomy and sad but not entierly impossible)
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Conclusion:
Does The Mermaid Theory explain everything? Absolutely not. there are still many questions left. I feel like the theory would be more complete if we knew a little bit more about Kenji’s mother or more about Casa de Kenji.
Either way I thought this little theory was interesting enough to be shared with the community. 
If you’ve made it this far - thanks for reading. It would mean a lot if you passed it on, shared it, shared your opinions, shared your own theories. My brain is jwcc-wired so the more conversation this theory sparks, the better for me.
Once again, thanks for reading! I really hope that season 4 will explain a little bit more in terms of Mantah Corp and Kenji’s mermaids.
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lycanr0t · 3 years
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thoughts on why people thinking joshua is a sweet boy in any way or like "secretly a cinnamon roll" or some shit drives me NUTS because hes actually the biggest asshole dick fuckhead bitch in the games
under readmore for MAJOR twewy spoilers (first game, A New Day, and neo twewy)
ok to reblog just don't argue with me I don't care and will just block you
Joshua isn't heartless but he isn't NICE.
Joshua is a complex and super interesting character that I've spent YEARS thinking about and analyzing because TWEWY means the world to me so.
Joshua isn't heartless, and isn't ENTIRELY cruel, though he certainly can be.
You never fight Joshua, he is never a big boss fight or anything like that, however he is arguably, the MAIN antagonist. Megumi, a close second.
Joshua doesn't have any faith in humanity, Joshua thinks people are awful and boring and cruel and unworthy of existence and he thinks that they won't change. There is literally a scene going over this.
Joshua is going to destroy Shibuya. That is his goal throughout the ENTIRE game. This is not out of love, there's nothing nice or sweet about this. There's no way to twist it to make Joshua into a sweet baby cinnamon roll. He's making a dickhead decision to erase a whole city because he simply thinks they don't deserve it and will not grow to deserve it.
This babes, is the literal, canon plot.
Joshua is arguably super fucking depressed, and canonically super fucking lonely. He also pushes people away.
Joshua and Neku parallel each other in this way. They're the two sides of the same coin. In week 2 Joshua and Neku talk some about their feelings about people. Joshua usually initiating the conversation. These parts feel like the only in depth times Joshua is being real. Joshua and Neku relate to each other and bond via their shared nihilism. Connecting to others is meaningless, trying to bond is meaningless, being selfish and closed off is better and safer, etc etc.
The difference, is that Neku is starting to learn, and change. Neku is breaking from that mindset. He's feeling more optimistic and he has a friend by that point. Joshua is NOT changing at this point. He is negative, selfish, nihilistic and keeps people closed off from himself.
And honestly, this only changes SLIGHTLY in the span of the game.
By the end of the game, Joshua is still acting cold and assholish.
He stills shoots Neku in the end, betraying Neku's trust in him yet again, and pushing him away. Sure Neku does still trust him, but honestly Joshua does absolutely nothing to actually EARN that trust. He actually in most cases, actively tries to BREAK it and make Neku NOT trust him.
Joshua is constantly pushing Neku away, trying to get Neku to be pissed off at him, trying to make Neku NOT trust him.
Joshua throughout the game is trying to PROVE that people are awful and that bonds are meant to be broken, and that people ultimately are cruel to each other. He's trying to drive Neku to prove that.
What makes the final scene in twewy SO powerful, is that DESPITE all of Joshua's selfish attempts to use Neku to prove how Joshua feels and thinks about the world is correct, Neku still sides with Joshua. Neku still trusts him. Still reaches out.
Joshua is trying SO hard to make Neku proof that people don't change, but Neku becomes proof that they DO.
But Joshua still shoots him.
Joshua is NOT nice. if he was nice, we wouldn't have the game. Joshua is a cold, selfish, nihilistic person.
In the end, he does realize that people change. And he sees just how much people care for shibuya, and care for others.
But that's honestly? about it?
Joshua himself doesn't change all that much. His actions and the way he goes about things are about the same.
(major A New Day and Neo spoilers ahead)
In a new day, despite showing up looking PISSED after Coco killed Neku, he says Neku "served his purpose" and acts very cold. Which is clearly untrue but he still pushes Neku away and acts cold and assholish.
In Neo, he never explains to Rindo what the fuck he did to Shoka. Even interrupts Shoka to zap her away.
Not to mention the fact that he's the fucking composer and has direct absolute authority over Shibuya's game master and all reapers in Shibuya, but he still let Kanon and Motoi and Fuya and countless others perma die in an unfair game fixed to always have them lose.
He doesn't seem to give a shit at all.
Joshua does see worth in humanity/Shibuya now, but he sure as hell is not a sweet caring guy about it. He's distant and cold and can, will and DOES let people die horrible unfair deaths under a system that he 100% has the power to change.
But like... this doesn't make him a bad character. And doesn't take away from the fact that he ISN'T heartless, he's just not nice and probably never will be.
He does nice things, occasionally, but even then he's being a bitch in his words or general demeanor about it.
Honestly if you think he's NOT a total asshole bitch then I'm sorry but that's exactly what he was trying to make you think despite it being proven false over and over and over in canon and you fell for it lmao.
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Pitch Black
Title: Pitch Black
Word Count: 2398
Summary:  “Come on, Virge,” Roman grits out. “I don’t know what he did to you, but you can fight this. You can.” Generic fantasy!AU. Platonic DLAMP, platonic Prinxiety. Mind-controlled!Virgil. 
Warnings: mind control via magic, angst (happy ending), violence and blood, serious (but non-permanent) injury to a main character, Logan and Janus have and use magic, mention of killing, Logan lowkey kills a bad guy, elements of self-sacrifice. Mention of cursing but no actual curse words are written. Please let me know if I should tag anything else. 
A/N: You know that trope of “Character A has been mind-controlled and must fight their loved ones who refuse to hurt them while trying to break them out of it?”. This is that trope. Because I love that trope. Edited by yours truly so all mistakes are mine. 
...
“Wh-what did you do to him?” Roman demands, unable to take his horror-stricken eyes from Virgil. Virgil cocks his head like an unnatural twitch, his pitch-black eyes inhuman and distinctly not Virgil.
The throne room around them had taken them days to reach. The large, circular room was dotted with marble pillars around the outer edge. Burgundy, silver, and black banners hang on the walls. Torches set in sconces offer a dim flickering light, helped slightly by the larger fire pits that sit on either side of the large onyx throne a few yards in front of them. 
In front of the throne, the sorcerer stands in black and silver robes. His long, dark hair is slicked back and falls around him like a hood. Virgil stands beside him, like they’d both been waiting for them to push through the doors. So much for taking the sorcerer by surprise. 
The sorcerer sneers, but it’s Virgil’s mouth that opens to respond. “I would worry more about what I’m about to do to you, Princey.”
Roman’s stomach twists painfully at Virgil’s voice because it’s not him but it sounds painfully familiar. Roman flexes his grip on the sword in his hand, casting a glance to Janus to his left and Logan to his right. Behind him, he hears Patton release a disbelieving breath.
“Janus,” Roman says under his breath, “Can you do anything?”
“I can try,” Janus growls, the edge in his voice razor sharp. His form ripples before it vanishes and Roman hears the quiet scuff of his feet against the marble floor beneath them moving away from the group.
“The sorcerer is mine,” Logan says darkly. “Just keep Virgil busy.” He’s gone, skirting around the cylindrical room away from Roman in the opposite direction that Janus had moved.
“Virgil,” Roman tries, unable to hide the desperation in his tone. “Please, listen—”
Virgil charges, the dagger in his hand glinting in the firelight from the torches.
Roman braces himself for impact, afraid that if he were to side-step, he’d manage to get Patton. Virgil—the real Virgil—would never forgive himself if he hurt Patton.
Roman catches the edge of Virgil’s dagger on his sword and uses the clash to shove him back. “Virgil, stop. This isn’t you.”
Roman risks a glance behind Virgil’s shoulder just in time to see Logan duck around a pillar and a blue glyph flicker in his hand. Logan was working some kind of magic, but Roman wasn’t close enough to tell what type. It’s all he can tell before the glint of steel grabs his attention and he barely manages to duck in time for Virgil’s knife to whistle past his ear and clatter against the stone behind him.
“Virgil!” Patton calls from somewhere to Roman’s left. “Snap out of it!”
Another flash of something and Roman instinctively flicks his sword. A throwing star cracks against the marble pillar to his right. Virgil rushes forward, hands empty. Roman doesn’t think about it. He drops the sword, grabbing for Virgil’s arms instead.
“Janus!” he shouts to the open. “Now would be great!”
“Ah, ah, ah,” the sorcerer tuts, before a streak of red light slams into the wall somewhere in the direction Janus had run. Roman hears a shouted, alarmed curse that was unmistakably Janus’s voice.
In his face, Virgil flashes teeth in a snarl. “That all you got, Roman?” he growls. His grip against Roman’s arms is cold—frigid—and he focuses on everything he can except Virgil’s black eyes. They remind him of the worst, darkest shadows. The ones that held nightmares and in which monsters lurked.
“Come on, Virge,” Roman grits out. “I don’t know what he did to you, but you can fight this. You can.”
Patton appears behind Virgil, grabbing for his arms as well to help pull him off Roman. “Kiddo,” Patton says, his voice strained and Roman doesn’t think it’s only from the physical effort, “Please. We need ya back.”
If Roman had blinked, he knows he would have missed it. But he swears there’s a flicker of clarity in Virgil’s eyes. A flash of white and brown, before the black swirls over again. 
“Yes!” Roman cries out. “Yes, Virgil, that was it. Keep fighting.”
A growl that doesn’t sound fully human wrenches from Virgil’s lungs and he shoves Roman back. Roman feels the air rush out of him as he collides with a pillar beside him. Virgil jerks out of Patton’s grip, stumbling to one knee. 
In the distance, Roman sees a flash of blue followed by a streak of red. Logan’s sharp, pained cry echoes against the walls. Roman is still blinking the stars from his vision, but he thinks there’s a moment where Virgil freezes at the sound. 
The prince can feel his heartbeat in his throat. “Virgil, you don’t want to hurt us. I know you don’t.”
Metal screeches against stone as Virgil snatches up the discarded throwing star to his left and hurls it at Roman. The prince barely has time to roll out of the way before it cracks against the pillar. Roman scrambles to his feet. Across the throne room, Roman sees flashes of red and blue as Logan and the sorcerer hurl spells at each other. A bright flash of yellow on the other side tells Roman that Janus is trying from his own assortment of spells as well. 
Virgil growls low in his throat and dives for his dagger. Roman’s eyes sweep frantically for his sword, and sees it discarded several feet away. He can’t get to it. 
Roman holds up his hands, sinking his weight and preparing to dodge. “Virgil--”
Virgil moves to lunge, but Patton is just a fraction faster and rushes to tackle him to the floor. Virgil stumbles but doesn’t fall, baring teeth in a furious snarl and slashing with his dagger over his shoulder. 
Roman’s eyes widen in horror, feeling like he’s watching in slow-motion. The dagger sinks into Patton’s shoulder and tears. With a strangled, pained cry, Patton releases his hold on Virgil and staggers back a step, pressing his hand to the wound. He trips, his back hitting the nearby pillar and sinking to the floor. 
“Patton!” Roman shouts, and he scrambles to get to his sword. He snatches it up in less than a second. Patton is already pale, his eyes squeezed shut tightly. 
The dagger in Virgil’s hands--stained dark with blood--clatters to the floor. Virgil presses his hands to his head, his face twisted tightly into a pained wince. He sways, then drops to one knee. Roman can see the way his whole body is trembling. 
“Roman,” he says, his voice strangled. Roman starts. That voice sounds like Virgil. Their Virgil. 
“Virgil--”
“Please,” he manages. “I--I can’t--” His voice breaks off, clutching his head harder. His fingers fist in his hair. 
Roman doesn’t understand what Virgil wants. 
And then Virgil’s eyes open (and Roman feels a wave of relief so intense he thinks he could cry at seeing his brown eyes rather than black) and settle on the sword in Roman’s hands. 
Roman’s blood turns to ice. “No.”
There’s a bright flash of red light and Virgil yelps, his eyes squeezing shut again and curling around himself. “Roman.”
“I can’t.”
“You have to,” Virgil snaps through clenched teeth. “I can’t--I can’t fight it. Please, Roman.”
The throne room is awash in flashes of red and blue, getting faster and brighter and more intense. The cracks and sizzles of ricocheting spells still does not drown out Patton’s distant, shallow breathing. Virgil looks up at him through his disheveled hair. 
Roman’s hands are trembling. 
“It’s okay,” Virgil presses, the desperation in his voice sinking like stone in Roman’s stomach. “It’s--” 
The black cloud in his eyes swirls over and Roman makes a noise in the back of his throat as he drops the sword (because he can’t, he just can’t) and lunges for him. The edges of Roman’s vision are blurring. He wrestles Virgil’s lean, athletic weight to the ground. He gets behind him, wrapping his arms around Virgil’s to anchor them against his sides. 
He holds on for dear life as Virgil thrashes. Come on, Logan, he pleas silently. 
“I’m not giving up on you, Virgil,” Roman says in his ear, grunting with effort when Virgil tries to knock his head against Roman’s. The prince barely dodges the blow. “So you’re not allowed to give up on us. Not today. Not ever.”
Roman’s eyes flash to Patton, still on the floor by the pillar and clutching the wound in his shoulder. The prince is certain he sees a flicker of someone else appearing beside him as the room flashes red, then blue, then red again. 
It’s Janus. Roman remembers that some of Janus’s magic deals in healing wounds, and Roman goes slightly weak with relief. 
It’s a mistake.
Virgil twists out of his grip and scrambles to his feet, snatching the discarded sword from the floor and pointing the edge of the blade towards Roman’s throat. Roman goes very still, looking up at Virgil towering above him. His eyes are completely black. His chest heaves with exertion. In the alternating flashes of arcanic color, Roman can see the sheen of sweat to his brow. 
“You made a mistake,” Not-Virgil growls. “Not killing him when he asked you to. You’re weak. Just like him.” 
Roman feels a burning fury ignite in his chest. He glowers. “Virgil isn’t weak. He’s fighting you, and he’s going to win. He’s our protector.” 
“Unfortunate for you,” he says darkly, and Roman doesn’t miss the way his grip flexes around the hilt of the sword. “Because then who is going to protect you all from him?” 
Logan suddenly shouts something arcanic--his voice high and desperate and echoing--and there’s a blinding flash of white light that fills the space. Roman shuts his eyes against the sudden onslaught, turning his face into his shoulder. 
When the light fades, the alternating flashes of red and blue have stopped. The only light in the throne room comes from the torches attached to the walls. Roman looks frantically over towards where Logan had been and sees him standing, barely. He’s leaning against the wall, but the sorcerer is an unmoving heap on the floor by the throne. Roman’s eyes flash over to Virgil, still standing above him. 
Virgil blinks rapidly, the black clearing from his vision again. His brow furrows in confusion. His gaze is distant. Roman, very slowly, pushes himself to his feet. 
“Virgil?”
Virgil’s gaze flickers up to him. He sways, his face rapidly draining of color. He looks down at his hand, still holding the sword, then back up at Roman. He drops the weapon, and the clatter of the steel against stone echoes loudly in the sudden, deafening silence that had followed Logan’s final spell. 
“Princey?” 
His voice doesn’t sound desperate and strained and choked anymore. Tired and confused and small, yes, but no longer like he was fighting for every word. And the voice is still unmistakably Virgil. There’s a sudden, hard lump in Roman’s throat. 
“There he is,” Roman manages with a weak smile. “Welcome back.”
Roman sees the exact moment Virgil regains clarity, because he watches the horror dawn in his dark brown eyes. Virgil goes perfectly still. He looks like he’s going to be sick. 
“Hey,” Roman says quickly, closing the distance between them to put his hands on Virgil’s shoulders. “Hey, it’s not your fault.”
“Patton--”
Janus is the one that speaks up this time, from a few yards past Virgil. “Will be fine,” he says. He’s still kneeling by Patton’s side, his hands glowing with a golden aura as they hover over Patton’s shoulder. “The bleeding has stopped. Wound is closed to avoid infection. A little rest and hydration, and Patton will be back to normal.”
“Easy peasy,” Patton chimes in lightly but weakly, but Roman sees the crease of concern between his brows as he looks at Virgil, who still hasn’t turned to face him. 
“I…” Virgil swallows hard. “I almost…”
“But you didn’t,” Roman tells him, softly and with conviction. “You didn’t, Virgil.”
“But I tried,” Virgil insists, his voice carrying a very faint tremor. His gaze flashes up to meet Roman’s. His eyes look haunted. He swears under his breath and averts his gaze. “I tried.”
“Falsehood,” Logan says as he crosses back to the group. He’s pale, Roman realizes. And he seems a bit unsteady on his feet, but he’s alive and standing and Roman counts it as a no small win that they all are in one piece. 
“Logan’s right,” Roman adds, with a nod of both acknowledgement and appreciation. “What you tried to do, Virgil, was fight it. That’s what matters. That is the only thing that matters.” 
Virgil shrugs out of Roman’s hands and takes a few steps away. Roman pretends he doesn’t notice the way his eyes were getting glossy. It also doesn’t escape his attention that Virgil still hasn’t looked at Patton. From the slightly distressed look in Patton’s eyes, he’s noticed the same thing.
“Virgil,” he begins, but Logan interrupts him gently.
“We should get out of here.” Logan’s eyes meet Roman’s steadily. “It won’t be long before backup arrives, and I don’t know how much I’ve got left in me. For that matter, none of us are really in fighting shape.” 
Janus says something quietly to Patton that Roman doesn’t catch. Patton nods once, and Janus helps him to his feet, ensuring he’s steady before letting go. Roman takes a breath, then nods his agreement. He snatches his sword off the ground. He sees Logan pick up Virgil’s dagger, wipes Patton’s blood off on the inside of his cloak, and then cross to Virgil. 
He hands it to him. Virgil shakes his head but Logan says something in a low voice and Virgil hesitates only a moment longer before taking it from him. 
Roman has the feeling that it will be a long time before Virgil is okay again. But as far as Roman was concerned, he would still trust Virgil with his life. This didn’t change any of that. And he’s pretty sure that Logan giving the dagger back to Virgil was him telling Virgil the same thing. 
Virgil makes them better. And Roman’s certain they’ll spend as long as necessary proving that to Virgil until Virgil begins to believe it again himself. 
...
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guiltycorp · 3 years
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about the ‘sworn’ or ‘righteous’ part of Kaeya’s relation to Ragnvindrs Considering the fact that Kaeya must have been ~10-13 years old when he was taken in by Crepus and also that his profile description calls him his sworn son (義子) I believe it's safe to assume that this was the primary relationship. Later in his stories Kaeya is often referred to as 養子, adopted or foster son and it is my belief that the meaning is 100% foster because being a sworn son is different to actually getting adopted. Sworn children don't share their 'parents' surnames and they don't inherit anything, in fact, often there's no form of written contract at all and instead it's just an agreement where one side provides patronage and care while the other offers filial piety. So, that means that it probably wasn't Diluc's decision to swear an oath of brotherhood with Kaeya! Instead Kaeya first became Crepus's sworn son and thus became Diluc's sworn brother by association; though calling the children of your sworn parent your sworn siblings isn't an absolute rule it's still kind of expected. Having skimmed through the Chinese Wikipedia page it seems to me like the main contemporary reason to make other children your sworn sons/daughters is because people weren't allowed to have more than one child and 'adopting' sworn children like this allowed the kids to learn the value of 悌, concept of fraternal loyalty. Also just in general easier to make close friends when your parents already did that for you. It would make sense to me if Crepus didn't want to risk adopting a random kid but still took in Kaeya as his sworn son specifically to provide Diluc with a close friend of a similar age and semi-equal status (sorry Elzer т_т). I should note that the practice of sworn parents/siblings was often historically used for political and economical reasons, in turn leading to corruption and abuse. For example, 'I give you filial piety, you give me money and promotions' or 'I give you a roof over your head and you give me your servitude' etc. This isn't really relevant to Kaeya's character since he mentions happiness while being with Ragnvindrs (when comparing his duty to his feelings), but still this is to provide context bc the practice isn't seen as completely ideal&pure. Plus he diiiid become a knight under Diluc ehe, but of course it’s easy to make the case for ‘he deserved it’.  Anyway in my opinion, considering the fact that Kaeya's and Diluc's sworn brotherhood oath wasn't made by them on purpose, the only thing that truly matters when it comes to their relationship is the characters' own view. We don’t really have much information on their pre-fight dynamic aside from them having been very close with Diluc as the older perfect prodigy and Kaeya as his sidekick (support + planning). However, they are said to have been as close as the gemini, like, the sign that means twins. This is probably a point in favor of an actual brotherly relationship rather than a fairly distant friendship. Meanwhile their current in-game relationship is fraught with tension.  Kaeya obviously wants to reconcile and Diluc still relies on him whenever Kaeya suggests it, so when it comes to professionalism they fall back into the same dynamic of brawns & brain, but their dialogues are filled with mistrust on Diluc’s end and with bitterness on Kaeya’s side.  It's fairly concerning that the only sign Diluc might still care about his ex-sworn brother is that ugly ass vase he kept in the lobby.   Considering the amount of things Kaeya managed to do for him already, it's slightly unbalanced immo to say the least :/ :/ Some like to say that Diluc not giving him over to Jean is already a sign of caring on his part but idk, considering his personality he might just see Kaeya as his own responsibility to watch over and I doubt that he would leave Mond for 4 years if Kaeya actually seemed like a threat.  And there were plenty of times when Diluc could have alluded to Kaeya (like, kaeya alludes to him in his voicelines all the time) and yet just doesn't.  Even the line that could vaguely be associated with Kaeya, the one about nightingales, is a mistranslation — he meant night OWLS, his own constellation and symbol. What a pity tbh.  We just have to wait for further content with them to be sure that Diluc isn’t completely heartless.  And more about the pairing though, read only if it’s relevant to your interests.  While ideally sworn siblings are expected to maintain platonic relations and to care for each other their whole lives, being halves of a whole and all that, interestingly enough according to the Wikipedia page the specific kind of sworn siblings you make through parents is less regulated, so if kids grow up and pursue romantic relationships between each other it's seen as just fine, sometimes even encouraged by the more meddling type of grannies. Tbh at first I was surprised by that, but likely it's because becoming sworn siblings isn't really their call? While if you swear an oath of brotherhood/sisterhood by your own decision as an adult you're expected to maintain that specific kind of relationship? makes sense to me i guess (that said, of course there are also practices like 契兄弟, Qi sworn brothers — like, specifically the gay sworn brothers, when men swore brotherhood with their lovers to avoid persecution for homosexuality... also my understanding is that women did that way more often because for them it was also a way to get out of marriages by saying that they were fully devoted to their 'sisters' instead, this isn’t relevant here, just interesting) Basically as soon as you enter a romantic relationship with your sworn-anything the boundary you maintain is replaced by the new romantic kind and you shouldn't count as sworn siblings anymore; unless you're lgbtq in which case open romantic relationships are dangerous anyway so you might as well continue calling your partner whatever. Basically there would be nothing wrong with kaeluc especially since they even already stopped calling each other sworn brothers (the eng translation took liberties again, in the comic it’s not actually clear who was the first one to stop). It’s all about the characters’ own perspective and while I’m convinced that genshin won’t have any outright lgbt representation bc chinese game, we can still assume a lot from how things between Kaeya and Diluc develop, like whether they will reconcile and if they do will they go back to calling each other sworn brothers or if they will start a completely new friendship free of the ties to Crepus. Or will they fail to reconcile in a dramatic and angsty fashion? Either way, this time it would be their own choice and thus all the stronger for it! 
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@sajdd
Ok since one singular person asked for this the Big Explanation for Everything In My C!Tommy Design.
General:
c!Tommy, in general, I always try and find a balance between my really soft style and c!Tommy's rougher personality. I draw him with soft features but very sharp eyes, both to make his facial features distinct from cc!Tommy and a contrast to c!Tubbo who I draw with less rounded features but much softer eyes. I try and keep his usual expressions slightly smug and self-assured, to get across c!Tommy's bravado.
I generally draw him with tanned skin, as I imagine he’d spend a lot of time outdoors. This does vary on the arc I’m drawing him in, though, for example he’s much less tan in Pogtopia because he has less access to natural light whereas he’s more tan in exile due to not having much shelter from the sun. This is also done to make the pale scar on his nose bridge more noticeable- it’s one of the two scars I draw Tommy as having from the beginning, as I feel it shows c!Tommy's scrappy, determined personality very well. The other scar is a long jagged vivisection scar which is there to show my labinnit headcanon lol.
While I draw c!Tommy with varying hairstyles and lengths, I always draw him with curly textured hair that’s a very pale blond. I also draw his hair as leaning to one side and partially covering his eye, similar to how I draw c!Wilbur's hair, to show their closeness. I also draw c!Tommy with similar wings to c!Wilbur and c!Philza- specifically, I draw them with the same starry night sky pattern I do with c!Philza, but a lot smaller and atrophied.
I really like putting lots of fun design elements in characters eyes because drawing eyes is fun and c!Tommy is no exception! I draw his eyes a very bright electric blue, and I use a small brush and very light varied colours to make them look like they’re filled with little stars. I also give him red pupils to match his main colour association in either the shape of a full or broken heart depending on the arc. I went with a heart design to show his hidden kindness and loyalty.
There’s also a lot of design elements that are admittedly there primarily because I enjoy drawing them, and less for any specific reason. The fangs do have the most reason, to help show c!Tommy's rougher personality, but I also just like drawing fangs lol. (I also draw him with braces in every arc, since I imagine he couldn’t get them removed in exile and he didn’t have the time to care afterwards). I also draw him with bioluminescent, starlike freckles and a strange blood colour which is also used to help texture the skin (well, slightly, it’s not super noticeable but it’s pink instead of red) which are both just things I like to draw.
Also, this is a small detail, but I always draw c!Tommy with a Church Prime necklace (unless I forget it which I do sometimes lol). It’s a good way of showing his faith through a quick look.
Fun fact, what’s probably most noticeable about my c!Tommy design is that as soon as Tommy made the joke about his character being made in a lab I picked it up and ran with it, specifically the idea of him potentially being a clone of c!Philza. I draw them with identical facial features and hair colour/texture, though a lot of the more supernatural features of c!Philza are toned down on him. That’s specifically because due to my hc that c!Philza is an angel and angels as ageless it’d be impossible to clone them exactly so c!Tommy has some random human/hybrid dna thrown in haphazardly (which also makes him a mess of instincts from pretty much every animal ever lol)
Disc War:
I really like the headcanon that c!Tommy was nine during the L'Manburg war entirely because its really funny to imagine c!Wilbur looking at this literal nine year old and being “yes, my right hand man, responsible enough to help manage a nation in my stead,” so c!Tommy is roughly 9ish around this time in my design.
During the early Disc War is probably the only time I actually draw c!Tommy as close to his actual Minecraft skin lmao. It helps show that, despite the fact I don’t hc him as human he is mostly just a normal kid. I don’t draw c!Tommy in the traditional red and white t-shirt entirely just because I want to make sure he’s not mistakable for Dave Strider though. I have him in a white button-up shirt, a red and white hoodie, cargo pants, and trainers.
During this arc, I draw c!Tommy's hair as fairly short and very similar to how I draw c!Wilbur, as this was back when he idolised his brother and I think drawing their hair so similar shows that well.
L'Manburg:
This covers the time from the beginning of the L'Manburg war up to c!Tommy's second exile to Pogtopia, so this design covers a period of years from when I hc c!Tommy was nine up until about thirteen.
During the war, c!Tommy wears his uniform without modification, except for of course wearing his Prime necklace, but afterwards he and the rest of the residents of L'Manburg (except c!Wilbur) slightly modified their uniforms to better fit their own tastes. Specifically, he wears his trainers instead of combat boots, loose trousers instead of shorts, and a slightly shorter and short-sleeved revolutionary jacket, for easier mobility.
During the war, his two canon deaths left him permanent injuries and scars. His death in the final control room, where he broke his leg during his desperate attempt to escape, left that leg permanently weakened (along with being badly scarred) and requiring a leg brace to help him stand and walk properly. The arrow through his skull during his duel with c!Dream left him with a large scar on his temple, covering his brows in crack-like scars which also leave him with frequent migraines.
During the L'Manburg arc, c!Tommy's hair in my design still looks like c!Wilburs as they were still close during this arc.
Pogtopia:
Since Pogtopia apparently lasted two years (which is probably from Cursed Timeline Lore but I love cursed lore it’s hilarious,) c!Tommy would be around 13 to 15 here.
In Pogtopia, I draw c!Tommy as wearing similar clothes to during the Disc War arc, however, I also add on a loose belt holding knives, to show c!Tommy's increased need for self defence along with his fondness for knives lol. I actually don’t do the bandanna design with c!Tommy and c!Tubbo a lot of people do mostly because I couldn’t figure out how to get it to work with c!Tommy's hoodie. They have an equivalent but it’s later on alas.
As c!Tommy and c!Wilbur get more distant, c!Tommy grows out his hair slightly, and wears it tied in the back in a short ponytail.
Exile:
Oh I have a lot of things to talk about here >:). As a quick note to my messed up timeline, c!Tommy would be 15 here.
During exile, c!Tommy wears the same clothes as he did in Pogtopia initially, though due to lack of care and supplies, they eventually of course fray and rip. He also wears c!Wilbur's old ragged longcoat, even though it barely keeps out the cold, the smell of alcohol and cigarettes weirdly comforting. Over time, he rips up his shirt for bandages to the point he’s not wearing anything under his hoodie. His leg brace breaks and he makes a new one out of branches and leaves. (He could ask c!Dream, but he doesn’t want to be fucking reliant on him, relying on pity handouts like a child, so he won’t.)
Eventually, since c!Dream doesn’t exactly want c!Tommy to get hypothermia and die anticlimactically, he gives c!Tommy one of his capes. This is one of my favourite character design decisions I’ve made lmao. I specifically draw it looking too-big, despite the fact that doesn’t make much sense because they’re the same height, so it looks almost like he’s getting enveloped in c!Dream's green shades, and it also hides c!Tommy's wings which helps reinforce the loss of freedom.
c!Tommy gains… a lot of scars over exile. I mean he was literally hit by an axe multiple times. Specifically they’re primarily around the shoulders or the torso. I also draw him with a Glasgow grin, specifically curved to resemble Dream's mask, along with smaller, self inflicted, scratch and bite marks covering his arms. In addition, due to him barely eating I draw c!Tommy from this point onwards looking very scrawny. This is also where c!Tommy's pupils change from hearts to broken hearts! They never turn back :)
During exile, Tommy's hair grows out a lot, down to just past his shoulders, in a matted mess. c!Dream used to braid it at the back, like how I draw c!Dream's own hair, but it very quickly grew too matted with saltwater, mud, and blood to style :) :) :)
Bedrock Bros:
c!Tommy turns sixteen here during my scuffed timeline.
c!Tommy patches up the rips and tears in his clothes. He can’t fully salvage his cargo trousers, so he turns them into shorts. He makes his own shoes out of leather to replace the ones he lost. There’s a gaping hole in his hoodie pocket that couldn’t be stitched up. He'll patch it up later. c!Techno gives him one of his capes to keep him warm, fur lined and arctic blue with silvery snowflakes embroidered on. c!Tommy has to be reminded, or he puts on the green cape, turned a dull viridian from the sun, that makes him feel both safe and so, so afraid.
Scars heal, but never fully fade. Still, his eyes brighten again, somewhat, even if the bags under his eyes less disappear and more just turn a strange gold. He finally has the time to clean out his hair, and c!Techno ties it into a short, loose braid at the back. With the cape, he almost looks like c!Techno like that. Obviously, the visual implication here is to show that even though it’s obviously not exile, c!Techno is still suppressing c!Tommy's identity, albeit unknowingly (and the gold is from his constant eating of golden apples).
Final Disc War:
By this point, c!Tommy's back to just wearing his old clothes, tattered and frail as they might be. He finds his old sneakers, and day by day he sees himself in the mirror a bit more than the gunpowder on a battered trenchcoat, blood on a smiley face mask, wither rot on the edges of an elaborate snowy cape. He patches the hole in his hoodie with a piece of the fabric from one of c!Tubbo's old shirts. He lends him one of his too-small hoodies so he can do the same.
He still braids his hair, but in his own way, in a tightly woven ratstail braid more for convenience than for aesthetics. Character design wise, it’s another way to show c!Tommy's openly rougher personality than say, c!Dream or c!Techno, and so’s the patchwork clothes and rough shorts and scars. Like I said, maintaining a mix of rough and soft is very important to me in how I draw c!Tommy, and I’m very satisfied with how I pull it off here and in the next entry.
Revival:
the story has handed me the opportunity to make my favourite boy undead. i will not pass up the opportunity to make my favourite boy undead.
After revival, c!Tommy stops aging, at least in appearance. His skin… less pale, more colourless and almost grey. One of his eyes glows a pure, empty white now, like ghosts do, and the white messy streak in his hair doesn’t glow but it’s white enough it might as well.
The injuries of his death bear apparent on his form. His limbs can bend at impossible angles, his entire body covered head to toe in bruises. Two black eyes cover his face like a raccoon mask, and the ugly mottled marks of strangulation on his throat stand out like a sore thumb. You cannot look at him anymore and not see that he hasn’t died. He avoids mirrors again.
There’s stranger things, too, like how he doesn’t bleed anymore, any cuts just revealing an impossibly dark void beneath his marble-cold skin. Sometimes he goes weeks without eating, the hunger only hitting once he realises. He feels so tired, so cold, in a way not even the touch of fire can stem at all. He doesn’t have a heartbeat, or breathe.
Initially, he was too tired, too out of it to even consider cutting off or dying the white streak. When he wasn’t, he’d soon learn any attempts were futile, dye fading in mere days, cut off hair half regrown in a week. It should bother him more, but he just feels numb.
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min-youngis · 4 years
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endear - j.jk
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banner made by me with a lot of fun, some love and an absolute lack of skill, training or prior experience can u tell idt you can tell
~ Pairing : Jeon Jungkook x Reader (ft. roommate! Yoongi)
~ Genre : Fluff, Humour Sprinkled In Like Garnish
~ Rating : G for General
~ Summary : The new hire sounds like an angel and looks like one too.
PROMPT - Person A and Person B work together in a high end hotel, Person B has a crush on Person A who happens to be the lounge singer.
~ Word Count : 1.9k
~ Warnings : swearing
~ A/N : this was written for @btswritingcafe's promptly yours workshop and it was super fun!
i'd love to hear feedback, spread the love!
masterlist in my description.
~~~
“If you’re done ogling him, maybe clear up table 13?”
You jump at Yoongi’s dry voice behind you, flustered at being caught. Again.
With a defensive and not entirely convincing ‘I wasn’t ogling,’ you scurry away to do your job, regretfully leaving behind the vantage point you’ve begun to perch yourself in increasingly often, from where you get a lovely, uninterrupted view from the restaurant into the adjoining lounge.
It’s a recent habit. You weren’t always inclined to peek through the small gap in the distant curtain from behind the wooden stand with the menus and cutlery, but the entry of a certain black-haired, doe-eyed lounge singer has changed all of that.
Ever since Yoongi (and Hobi and Joon and Tae) figured out that you keep slowing down at random places of the restaurant while carrying plates or menus, just so you can linger a little bit longer whenever you get a good view, he's stopped sending you to serve at the lounge entirely, preferring to assign you tables that are inside the main dining hall, as far away from the fluttering curtains as possible. You know it’s revenge for that one time you accidentally spilt coffee on his white hoodie that you had borrowed, but really, this seems like a bit of an exaggerated reaction. He already made you apologise while standing outside the apartment door, refusing to unlock it until you promised to do the dishes for a week.
You make sure to aim a scowl at him as you return the plates to the kitchen as you see his smug, knowing grin. Because despite the fact the he, and everybody else, is perfectly aware about your...er, fascination with the new hire, you’ve always only ever replied to their taunts and teasing with, “No, I don’t,” and, “You’re being delusional,” and the ever so common, “I’m not staring.”
You’ve got a big, fat crush on Jeon Jungkook, but you’ll die before you say that out loud.
And Yoongi takes every chance he gets to rub it in.
“Want to swap with Joon, Y/N? Spend some time manning the lounge so you can breathe the same air as the new kid?”
“We're all already breathing the same air, stupid,” you mutter as you collect cutlery to lay table 13 again, trying hard not to look up at the curtains that you know will give you that glorious glimpse and to not let the excitement at the prospect of being in the lounge for a while show in your voice.
“So you don’t want to go to the lounge,” Yoongi hums thoughtfully, handing you the napkins.
Passing by with a tray full of empty plates, Tae says with a scoff, “Of course she wants to go to the lounge. That’s where the love of her life is.”
“Fuck off, Tae,” you bite out before stalking out onto the floor so you can arrange the table for the next diner.
When you’re back, Yoongi continues, now all business, “I’m serious, though. You have the lounge for the next two hours, until we close up.”
As haughtily as you can, masking the shy excitement you feel at the prospect, you primly nod before making your way to the curtains, steps measured. You ignore Namjoon's wink as you cross paths, pushing the fabric back and stepping into the lounge.
The air here is always rarefied. Instead of scattered wooden tables and chairs, there are plush couches and low-rise platforms in front of them, all slightly inclined towards the small stage at one end of the room. A stage that you’re now looking at, flapping curtain directly behind you.
You stand in position, finally seeing more than half his face or a single arm, finally hearing him sing the way he deserves to be heard for the first time this night. His sweet voice had drawn him to you in the first place. The way he looked had been a bonus.
Not that you’ve ever told him that. Or spoken a word to him other than harried greetings in the evenings when you accidentally (or not-so-accidentally) run into him, and awkward small talk.
He’s singing one of his signatures now, one of those melodious ballads that make you think of comfortably warm nights with fireflies lighting up an unforgiving darkness, and unnecessarily making you want to spend those with him. He doesn’t see you, gaze fluttering around the room as he sings with a voice like honey, making eye contact with appreciative patrons. He was a good hire.
You’re drawn out of your staring by Jimin behind the bar on your right calling out, “Y/N, I hate to interrupt your little love fest, but this goes to table 4.”
Blushing furiously, you rush to the counter and take the tray in your arms, dropping a quick apology before carrying the drinks to the table.
You have to rely on your listening skills for any semblance of contact with Jungkook for the next two hours. The floor is busy and you’ve been caught too many times today to stop and stare again. Except for one memorable incident where he breaks his sultry, smooth character for a split second when your eyes meet and he gives you a flash of a wide grin that sends you nearly tripping on air with a tray full of empty glasses balanced in your hand, you stay resolutely away.
Until you can’t.
You’re wiping down your last table as Hobi, Tae and Joon say their farewells, Yoongi closing up shop at the back when you hear the clearing of a throat behind your hunched over frame.
You think it’s your roommate come to tell you to hurry up, that the later it gets, the more likely you are to run into the couple that lives next door that always comes home drunk at times like these. Not that you have anything against that, it just gets a little inconvenient when they decide to very aggressively make out in the snail paced lift that the four of you end up having to share.
But it’s been a long day, and you’re just a little (read: quite) peeved at being teased so much, and you don’t bother turning around, only deigning to respond with a curt ‘I’m almost done.’
You get silence in reply, but the shadow in front of you makes it clear that he hasn’t moved. Annoyed at the mind games he seems to be playing, you give the table one last run-down before turning around swiftly with a huff while saying, “Listen, so what if I like Jungkook, can you just let it g – Oh, shit.”
The visibly nervous man in front of you, one palm behind his neck as the other hand hangs suspended aimlessly in the air, as if he were about to tap you on the shoulder, is decidedly not your little shit roommate.
Jungkook's arm comes down limp, and your eyes are drawn to his fingers that slightly flex. You’re not sure what to categorise what you’re feeling as exactly.
Embarrassment? Shyness? A little short of breath at being this up close? Irrational annoyance at Yoongi?
All you know for certain is that for somebody who’s spent a majority of her free time in the last two weeks thinking about Jungkook’s eyes, you’re having a mighty hard time meeting them just now.
“Uh, hey!” you start, falsely cheery, hoping that for your sake, he may gloss over the fact that you basically just admitted to your disgusting affliction towards him. The rag in your hand has likely never been through a wash cycle as intense as the nervous wringing you’re giving it right now.
He’s a nice guy, yeah? He won’t make things awkward.
“You...you like me?”
Your eyes snap up from the hard gaze you had at the bottle of Grey Goose behind the bar, beyond Jungkook’s shoulder. His face is closed, sort of masked, and you can’t fathom how uncomfortable you’ve probably just made him.
Your mouth is running before you can even begin to decide what to reply with. With a short giggle that’s unconvincing even to you, you respond, “That was- uh, a joke. Yeah, it was a running thing that Yoongi and I have. You don’t have to worry, I was just kidding, I promise.”
You wish there was a wall nearby you could hit your head on. Even the table behind you would do. Or Jungkook’s chest. You aren’t blind or immune to the way the restaurant mandated starchy white shirt under the black tuxedo stretches across his frame. You have, after all, been looking respectfully.
“I’m not worried.”
Once again, you’re pulled from your purely angelic thoughts with a start. His expression has a sort of restrained glee to it, his eyes glittering with reeled in hope.
“Huh?”
And now, suddenly, he’s shy again, not meeting your confused gaze. With a start, you realise that your mouth is agape and clamp it shut, heartbeat pounding in your ears.
“I’m not worried, that'd be kind of perfect. Fits right in with my plans, actually. I keep thinking I’ll ask you out but I keep chickening out, and then today afternoon Tae told me you had a thing for me but I thought he was just pulling my leg, because you always seem so focused at work and you stopped coming out to this part of the restaurant often, and I really didn’t think you thought of me in the same way-“
“Yes.”
He stops partway through his confused, meandering, undeniably cute ramble, his mouth still open mid-word at your shy but firm interruption. Your grin's been growing little by little as he’s been talking, and you’re fighting hard to not show teeth.
Really, best to put the boy out of his misery. And yours.
“Yes?” he asks, head cocked to the side in adorable confusion.
“Yes,” you reply decisively, nodding your head in determination, voice stronger this time, grin settling into something softer, shyer as you take in his mirrored smile and the clearing of doubt in his eyes.
His grin grows, and foolishly, ridiculously, the only thing you can think of at this specific moment is the You so fuckin' precious when you smile meme.
You’re about to say something, anything, but your mouth hasn’t been the most cooperative lately, so maybe it’s for the best that Yoongi ducks into the lounge from behind the partition curtain then, effectively making you and Jungkook break the shaky, nervous, rose tinted eye contact.
He pauses at the threshold, taking in the muted excitement in both of your eyes and the fidgeting of your fingers around the cloth that you’re still holding.
And then, with his customary drawl, “Ready to go, Y/N?”
His words indicate calmness, boredom. But you know him well enough to realise that he’s already caught on that something’s happened and he’s just a sucker for gossip.
Nodding jerkily, you look back up at Jungkook.
“Uh, see you around?” he says, and you can see embarrassment, annoyance and rueful settlement in his eyes in quick succession when he finishes his sentence.
Giggling, you reply, “Absolutely.”
With one last wave, he grabs his bag from a nearby table and walks out the door, steps too measured to be casual and shoulders stiff in an attempt to look cool.
From your left, Yoongi's voice makes you dart back to the active realisation that he’s still here.
“Careful, you look at him any fonder and you’ll be crying tears of honey.”
“Careful, you tease me anymore and you’re getting no information.”
~
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