#but I also understand why she would think that especially because she obviously wasn't brought up in a world where therapy was normalized

[mitskijamie]

Can we talk about how Dottie Lasso gives me bad boy mom energy? She doesn't have the energy of somebody who would be normal to her 16-year-old son who probably looks a lot like his father after said father's death.

I actually thought the problem seemed to be that Ted and Dottie were too emotionally distant rather than too emotionally close. An enmeshed parent will turn to their child for support and advice and companionship (as if they were a romantic partner), and Ted talks about how Dottie shut him out and wouldn't even acknowledge that she was grieving

So personally I would describe her as more of a wire mother than a Boy Mom

[theology101]

Galicaea murdered Cassandra and Sol murdered Ankarna - which is why Kipperlilly Did That

We learned in Revelations and Revivifications (Episode 11 of Season 2) that it was her Clerics from Fallinel who murdered Cassandra. That's just straight up a fact. Now, we don't know exactly what her role in this is but, "As Above, So Below." If Galicaea's top priests are making this move, then Galicaea was down with it.

I've heard a lot of people refer to the wolf aspect as if it was some 'real' version of the faith that's been corrupted. It isn't, it's an Older aspect and its one that Tracker and Co. love a lot more but both of them are a result of worship.

We learned about this 'Last Great Sylvan War' around 900 years ago about the proper way to worship Cassandra. While the High Elves who settled it went with "Erase the goddess - to understand mystery is a heresy," I'm guessing they also heavily influenced the Wood Elf/Non-High Elf variant of Galicaea into being more in line with their version. Obviously a remnant survived in folk religion like with Tracker and other Werewolf communities, her revival reveals that prior to her, there hasn't been any serious challange to Falinel statement.

I think that then Sol started marching North. Gallicaea had claimed Night as hers and hers alone, by deceiving their shy and naive sister and then went to finish the job with Ankarna. But her? No way they could convince Ankarna to kill herself, especially now that her sister was 'dead' (Cassandra technically managed to live via the Quasi-Reality inside of Sylvaire, Kristen more redefined her and allowed her to be alive outside of the Nightmare Forest).

So I think that the Human Priests of Highcourt and the Elves of Fallinel agreed to wipe them out. Sol's paladins burnt their way up the coast and conquered it - we know that the land of Elmville is native Halfling territory, but right next to it is the Mountains of Chaos which was, in my opinion, their true target. Sol wanted the aspects like Conviction, Fire, Rage, Etc. while he gave Helio Summer.

Meanwhile, Ankarna? Her turning Infernal wasn't something done to her, it was something she/her priests did. Why would they do that? Because they're being invaded. The Giants probably took on a more leadership based roll compared to the far less capable to defend themselves Halflings, Goblins, Aaracockra, arguably even Orcs. Turning more and more evil, brutal, and extreme is a result of her being back further and further into a corner. It was a defense of the other races and for her own life.

I think that, while adventuring in the Mountains of Chaos for Spring Break, the Rat Grinders found out about Ankarna's priests and believers being wiped out, maybe one of her ancinet and long forgotten temples. That was it and it would have been it, if Kipperlilly didn't learn about Cassandra. I think her sheer, burning jealousy made her want, above anything else, to bring back a Goddess herself.

And her solution was going to be Lucy Frostblade. And for about two weeks, Ankarna was brought back with Lucy being her sole worshipper. And this is what I think happened next: sweet, kind, Lucy Frostblade's Ankarna wouldn't be the warlike aspect. She'd be like how she was before the Humans and Elves attacked, a kind and loving goddess.

Except there's a problem. There's another worshipper - just one.

Jace Stardiamond, draining power from the corpse of the long dead war goddess.

So, he and Kipperlilly somehow get in contact (my money is through Oisin secretly being a sorceror the whole time and just Acing wizard classes with 0 effort) and together they agree there's only one solution - kill Lucy Frostblade so their version of Ankarna can remain. The High Five Heroes kill Lucy and all begin worhsipping Ankarna (all under the influence of Devil's Honey.) Kipperlilly, Oisin and Mary Anne are all in on it (symbolized by their Blue backgrounds) but Ivy and Rueben refuse to go along with the murder but, since they're not in the way, they're able to be devil's honeyed into not knowing (Symbolized by their red background).

Ivy's weird reaction to Fig? She always 'knew' that Lucy was alive - she's not important to the plan anyways, so she doesn't need to be included. Some random lie is fed to Ivy to explain why Lucy isn't recognized as 'dead.' Reuben though? Kipperlilly can still use Reuben - use him to proselytize and spread the word of Ankarna - so not only does he need to be aware of the details around Lucy's death and all the Ankarna stuff, he also can't know the Ratgrinders killed her. He clearly still thinks highly of her - I think that vomitting the 'blood' in his dream was Fig breaking the Devil's Honey barrier in his mind.

Which is why, as Gertie told us, Kipperlilly ordered two bottles RIGHT after break. They need to keep him in line with the plan.

Jace changed the records in the school so that Yolanda never realized that she switched gods from Ruvina, and used his own spells to fuck with the name and hidden it (clearly there's a difference between the rune on the paper, which no one could read, and the translated version in Fallinel which has been sat for a thousand plus years), and did the same to the body. Yolanda, trusting him as Vice Principal, tells him about her fears, he goes with her into the woods and then instantly kills her in the clearing.

The plan is to take Ankarna from the Dead/Undead form (but now conscious thanks to their efforts) back to being actually alive via a Cleric believing in her.

Of course, in the mean time they need a Cleric. Make him expendable, but still useful. Make the cleric be a Priest of Helio or Sol so that they can kill him, immediately planeshift into Heaven behind him, eliminate his soul and then Oisin and Kipperlilly sneak into the office and bring back the Goddess. In fact, I bet they're gonna fling Buddy Dawn's soul into the void and using the death of a cleric of Helio, Ankarna will return. Killing Buddy was the act of Conquest they needed.

Rueben is obviously in doubt, trying to get help from his Uncle (skipping Forest Animal Murdering and asking for a ride home?), but I think Oisin is in it for the power. Mary Anne is a Kobold, and I think Oisin's Grandma is the dragon her tribe is sworn to so she just follows him around.

I don't think any part of Jace Stardiamond's section of the plan, the bit about the return of Ankarna, has anything to do with Kipperlilly running for preisdent or their quest against the bad kids. Killing Buddy in the Last Stand was just a conveint series of events but as Brennan said in the adventuring party - it looked like killing Buddy was already on the table. That wasn't a freak out move, it was on the agenda, she just wasn't there yet.

For the Presidency, unlike the Ankarna plot where only Oisin and Stardiamond are conspirators, all the Rat Grinders are in on it because they all seem to have personal beef. Except for Oisin and Mary Anne, who seem to be fine with the Bad Kids as a whole, just still on Kipperlilly's team for the race.

For that, Kipperlilly frames the Loams for embezzling, pocketing the money, and then using Ankarna's nightmare king form to kill the Loams when it looked like she was being to thoroughly looked at. Now she has money for both Schemes and the Campaign. Stardiamond tells Reuben to move Frostfaire to the Thistlepsing Tree (just to fuck with the ground and, if I had to guess, be the reason why Gorgug has been getting angrier and angrier as the season's gone on. Specifically, he seemed to really 'Get Mad!' when fighting Grix).

Kipperlilly knows about Buddy's grandpa so after Yolanda gets killed by Jace, Kipperlilly tells Buddy to ask his grandpa to apply while Jace puts the question to Mazey (a decision he should've made himself, to be honest). Bobby's here just to get Kristen expelled, and when they they decided to take the last stand, she grabbed a Rage Shard, strapped it on an arrow, and aimed it at the proctor.

I think that, as the ultimate 'fuck the bad kids' move, the Proctor would go angry and huge and the party would be forced to kill him. Not only does he die, but they were the ones who killed him which would MURDER their grade. I would guess.

But Kristen saw her, and could prove that another student directly interfered with the test (via undergoing a zone of truth). So instead, Kipperlilly indirectly interferes and puts the 'lets kill Buddy' part of the Main Plan into effect. Probably would have happened anyways (they're in a pocket dimension alone, great time to kill a man tbh)

[nee-biter]

I need more stuff about Miguel x Peter x MJ x Reader😭😭 (fills my need for a polyamorous relationship :') )

Poly relationship Headcanons | Miguel x Peter B x MJ x Reader

a/n: Me when I accidentally became a polyamorous relationship promoter/advocate 🫣 Thanks for the requestttt <33

SFW

MIGUEL IS IN LOVE WITH YOU

He always has been, ever since you first mumbled an 'I love you' while half-asleep and cradled in his arms that one morning. He woke you up just to tell you he loves you too.

Marrying you was only natural, since you complete him and he was the only one to understand you, too. When Miguel looks at your eyes, the only thing he wants is to get lost in them forever. You being his wife is something he'd always boast and mention in the PA system in Spider Society tbh (not because he was a lonely oldie before u 💔) but because he's happy you're with him in everything he does. Your presence as he works, as he hyperfixates about the multiverse, as he eats, as he sleeps, has made his life ultimately better.

MJ HAS A CRUSH ON YOU

She started having butterflies in her stomach for you at such an inconvenient time—before getting married (for a second time) with Peter B. You were there beside her, helping her breathe in and out when she doubted Peter B would even be at the end of the aisle.

She could've sworn that your eyes sparkled in that blue dress you wore as her maid of honor. She almost made the stupid move of kissing you as you were comforting her, but that must've been the wedding jitters, right? Right? (She realized she was wrong when she returned from her honeymoon and palpitated when she saw you in a dazzling outfit).

PETER B THINKS YOU'RE COOL

Not as cool as his wife (obviously), but he absolutely enjoys your company. When you visit his and MJ's house to babysit Mayday or to have a chat with his wife (or him, though not as often), your good vibes spread throughout the house. Peter considers you a reliable confidant.

When him and MJ were running out of ideas on how to feed Mayday vegetables, you came up with a solution to hide them under a heap of rice. When Peter was having trouble thinking of what to give MJ after an argument, you suggested he just apologized clearly and authentically, and everything would work out. Peter starts getting suspicious of you, though, and why you know so much about his wife.

How did you four decide you wanted to be in a relationship with each other?

Honestly, you have Peter to thank for that. He realized that his wife's feelings for you were getting stronger by the day and that your feelings for her were getting harder to ignore every double date night. He didn't think it was bad—on the contrary, he just wanted you two to confess, so you could talk negotiations.

At one point, Peter just asked outright, "Do you guys have a thing for each other?" And you two laughed like crazy while him and Miguel were like ??😫??

The answer was yes.

For Miguel and you, it didn't affect your relationship in its entirety. But he was a bit pouty. "Am I not enough for you? Is there something I'm lacking?" was his mantra at the start of it, but you had to reassure him that this wasn't true. You're always open and transparent with him, which made him trust your judgement. Also, you give him more kisses to stop him from sulking a lot 🫶

For Miguel and Peter, it made them a bit awkward at first, before Miguel realized that no other spider-person checks up on him or dotes on him as much as Peter B does. Peter B always left small offerings for Miguel when he worked late at night in the 2099 lab. "I brought you a blanket me and Mayday crocheted. Don't forget to rest, big guy! Sleep on the floor if you have to. Better than not sleeping at all." Miguel keeps all the notes Peter leaves him.

For MJ and Peter, it was more of a 'how-to-explain-this-to-Mayday-thing,' Especially, if Mayday was at that stage where she would be able to tell what kissing, what romance, and the like could look like. Neither of them were that worried though. "I mean, honey, Mayday sees a lot of insane stuff in Spider Society all the time~!!" Peter B would argue.

For MJ and Miguel, it brought them a bit closer, considering they had more in common now. MJ hoped that it wouldn't be so weird for Miguel, but every now and then, she says something like this: "So, your wife tastes good— I mean, your wife's cooking tastes good! Her pork carnitas are amazing. Yes, that's what I meant. Sorry." "Be honest, that's not what you meant."

For you and Peter, it definitely opened up more bonding opportunities. Despite you four dating, you and him always think of each other as besties; which is why you both peer pressure your two lovely, more reserved spouses to stuff like kayaking, boat rides, halloween trick-or-treating. "Hey, do you think MJ and Miguel would be cool with going to an adult playground for brunch?" "IDK, Will there be brunch?"

For you and MJ, it was basically extending your already-intimate friendship to even more intimacies. She cuddles!! A lot!! And you kiss her on the forehead, just as many times as she needs it!! Your relationship with her was an understanding one; she always initiates touch with you. "Baby, stay here for longer, please." "MJ, you're so cute, but Peter's like... right there"

RANDOM STUFF

In terms of cooking skills: You > Miguel = MJ > Peter B

MJ would bake for you! Cookies and bread for you to take home so you can munch on them when you and Miguel would watch movies and cuddle at the sofa at night.

Peter B would invite you and Miguel to picnics or beach outings with him and MJ!! He would always bring Mayday to play frisbee with him and Miguel, if ever it was a 👁family-safe👁 occasion

Miguel would ask MJ for help when it comes to surprising you for your birthdays. He understands that you're BIG on birthdays, so he needs all the help he can gets to make sure the day is extra-special for you!!! He'll dress up as a bunny just to make you smile 😞

SUPER MARIO PARTY and Peter B always chooses Bowser Jr.!!!! Miguel likes Donkey Kong "just because" and MJ picks Yoshi because he's silly-looking.

The first one in Spider Society to find out that the four of you were dating was Gwen. Because she was about to drop off the hair-dryer that she borrowed at your doorstep, only to see that Miguel and Peter kissed as he and MJ were leaving your house.

Gwen tried keeping the secret, buuuuuut she told Miles, who told Pav, who told Hobie, who told Margo, who told Noir, and at some point, Lyla just had to inform Miguel that the secret was out 🤓

In terms of who gives the best back massages: Miguel > Peter B = MJ > You

For everyone's sake, do not give a back rub.

The four of you love each other 🫶 and it's so evident in the way all four of you stay supportive in everything you guys do and in the way that you're all tender with each other's presence

Thank you for reading ✨ I'll upload an nsfw version if it's in demand (feel free to request)!!

[zeep-xanflorp]

rambling about the rick-unity-wong talk bc i'm upset about it

r: look, it's clear you weren't lying when you said you could've taken over earth because your finger just took over america. i need you to help me fix that.

u: oh, it took that to make you believe me?

r: why should i believe you? you show up unannounced and hijack a state.

u: i called you! multiple times! you ghosted me.

so there are two ways i think you can read rick not believing unity. one is that he believed it was trying anything to stay in proximity to rick even though he was asserting boundaries, or two, he did actually believe it but wanted to deal with the situation on his own or just wanted it gone. either way, he didn't want to be around it.

then there's the part about rick ghosting it. like okay yes. unity tried giving rick a heads up but the fact is that it knew rick wasn't answering its calls. it Knew rick wouldn't know it was there unless it made a big deal about it being there and that's what it did. it literally showed up without permission and assimilated a whole state on rick's home planet, in rick's country. just to get his attention.

w: rick, is that true?

r: she dumped me. why would i answer her calls?

and now we get a blatant explanation for why rick was ignoring unity. i imagine it would've been clear enough anyway without this explanation but rick is still upset from being broken up with. so he decided to ghost it with no explanation, cutting it off entirely.

w: alright, i'm going to commit a cardinal sin in couples therapy here, but rick, i think you're wrong. [..] you had an outer-space lady who was worried for your life and your response was hostile enough to cause a huge problem.

u: thank you.

w: now you're asking her to both forgive you and solve it?

now, the mistake wong makes here is assuming she knows the full story. obviously she's smart and i think she gave her best analysis based on what she knows of the situation, but in her ignorance she fails to listen to rick, her patient.

the whole theme of this episode is rick asserting his boundaries. he doesn't want to see unity because last time he did it ended catastrophically for him. he's not ignoring it out of pettiness but as a defence mechanism. a coping strategy. and when it decided to follow through with its plan of coming to america anyway, destroying the boundaries rick had in place, it made him lash out.

rick also has a tendency to self sabotage when things are going well for him, whether he realises it or not. he abuses morty when they get too close. he made unity party with him instead of doing its duties. his actions push people away, keeping them at arms length.

i believe his boundaries are in place to prevent these episodes of self sabotage. so when they get ignored and discarded, he goes back into that mindset.

and wong, who would be aware of this at least vaguely, blames unity's actions on rick ignoring it which is not fair in the slightest imo.

w: unity, i think the reason rick brought me here is that he doesn't know how to indicate to you he's changed. because he's changing very slowly. but he is.

now this is something i had trouble understanding bc i am a shameful rick apologist at the best of times and couldn't remember what he actually did wrong. his crime in this instance was when he was distracting unity from its work, influencing it to drink and party all the time and avoid its responsibilities. this became too much for it, especially when it saw how rick used the same methods to detach himself from his family.

so it broke up with him, leaving him to spiral into the worst mental state we as the audience have personally seen him in in present day - his suicide attempt. unity doesn't know about that, and i'm guessing wong doesn't either, because all rick needed to say to wong was that their breakup ended horribly for him so being around it is difficult for him and maybe she would've understood more. but no that's too much vulnerability for old man sanchez.

rick has changed since then. i imagine he better understands why unity left him. i also think he knows that it wants the best for him but struggles with accepting that. that's what led to this mess of a situation.

he feels hurt from being abandoned. it feels hurt that rick couldn't understand why it left. and all of this culminated in a messy situation where unity acted drastically to get rick's attention, and rick in his stubbornness and pain refused to accept it.

and so. i think wong spoke too quickly. i think she definitely knows rick's patterns and is right to call him out but made an unfair judgement on only him because even she expects the worst from him. he is changing, but she is encouraging unity not to give him a second chance because he's not there yet. when really that decision should be up to unity.

even though it does take agency at the end. after unity releases america from its hold, we get this absolutely heartbreaking scene between it and rick.

r: i trust you now.

u: that's nice. but i don't trust you.

unity turns rick's lack of trust in it back at him, and it's telling the truth. it feels betrayed by rick's actions in this episode because it only wanted to make sure rick was alright. to it, rick seems to be punishing unity for caring about him.

anyway in conclusion. rick is mentally ill, wong was a little too harsh on him in this episode bc it's a complex situation, and unity will act drastically if it can't get rick's attention. it's unfair to blame it all on rick in this case (even though things are normally his fault) bc while he did act immaturely in response, he wasn't the only one that escalated the conflict so drastically.

this is not a refined analysis. i might fix it later but no promises.

[ancientgreekyuri]

my favourite ever Thesterius fic is one where they have a huge ugly nasty split because Asterius finally feels ready to find his mother again and he wants Theseus to come too (because of how important it is to him and how important Theseus is to him), but Theseus refuses because he recognizes the fact that Pasiphae would not want to see him and his presence there would ruin any kind of reunion 💔 their inability to see each other's POV leads to petty anger in Asterius and self-harming habits in Theseus. When they come back together it is with the acknowledgement that they've both been forming some unhealthy habits, and that it wasn't good that Theseus prioritized Asterius over literally Everything, including his own happiness.

Obviously I don't want to steal someone else's fic ideas for my selfship, but whenever I think about Theseus and Asterius and their mothers my mind goes back to it. I like thinking about how Dia's presence would both complicate and simplify such situations 😭 Theseus and Asterius coming down from that initial outburst would definitely be easier with her along... especially because she's another pillar of support for Theseus and Asterius both, they don't have to rely solely on one another.

Aethra loves her son, but after her own history with men in her life and Theseus' own many failed relationships, I can see her being kinda wary... not because of any dislike for Dianthus, but because she isn't sure she trusts Theseus to love properly this time.

Dianthus already has some rapport with Lady Pasiphae (Dianthus talked to her to learn more about Asterius before the bull was brought to the blessed fields). She likes Dianthus, she thinks she's a good fit for Asterius and is definitely happy someone loves him in the way she does. But she hates Theseus! And for good reason... After what happened to Asterius, and Ariadne, and later to Phaedra, how could she not? Even mentioning his name around her is enough to send her into a rage! Dianthus feels awful tolerating how she speaks about him, even if logically she understands it and knows why, and may even feel that her own upset is kind of silly compared to Pasiphae... But it's there all the same. Asterius is upset for different reasons... His mother doesn't trust his judgement that Theseus isn't the person he once was, but also, as you can imagine, them eventually meeting and sharing a cordial relationship would be the most important thing in the world to him 💔💔

[k0t3x-n3t]

Please explain in heavy detail 👀

I thought you'd never ask 😈

First, let me just address that some of the songs aren't included because they simply do not apply to him or do not apply enough to include them

1. Fortnight

The song Fortnight is about Taylor missing what she and her past partner could have had. The bridge repeatedly states the words "I love you, it's ruining my life," as a way to show that as deep as she loved him, he ruined her, inside and out.

Obviously, when you first think of it, you would think that this song could be contributed to Akutagawa's relationship with Dazai up until the conclusion of season 3. He wanted his approval for so long, even after he left Akutagawa behind in the Mafia, and was willing to do unspeakable things to get that approval from him.

While I do think that this could make sense, I'm willing to raise the thought that it's more so related to Akutagawa in season 5, especially the repeated lyric in the bridge. Akutagawa only shows up when he is needed, and he is needed in the fight against Fukuchi. When he and Atsushi fight him together, Akutagwa sacrifices his life so that Atsushi is able to escape alive. Was he only involved at this time because Dazai said it was time? Yes, but if it was purely because of Dazai, why give up his life? Why give up the very thing he fought for since childhood, especially for a man that he swore to kill. Whether it be Dazai’s praise or his understanding for Atsushi, one of the two quite literally ruined his life, and then brought him to his death.

And in regard to the lyrics at the beginning of the song, "But you're the reason, and no ones here to blame, but what about your quiet treason?", that one pertains to his past with Dazai. He became his reason for living, despite the abuse he pushed onto him, and one could only imagine the pain he felt when Dazai left the Mafia.

In short, this song could go either way, but generally could be associated with Akutagawa's past with Dazai, and how it quite literally destroyed him as a person, and that damage carried through to his death, despite him accepting that Dazai did not care for him in the slightest.

2. My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

This one is a bit obvious because of the song title, so I'm not going to go into it as deeply, but the name of the song, "My boy only breaks his favorite toys" can literally just be used for how Dazai shaped Akutagawa to be a weapon in his image.

The song also mentions the singers heart being similar to a sand castle, and how she is "Queen of the castles he destroyes." This could just be taken how Akutagwa was one of, if not the prime victim of Dazai's abuse growing up.

Like I said, this one is relatively simple to interpret, because it quite literally could just be taken as Dazai controlling and taking advantage of a young Akutagawa while in the Mafia.

(P.S. if you couldn't tell, a LOT of these songs are related to his trauma with Dazai, but it makes sense because the tracklist talks a lot about Taylor's trauma with her ex)

3. Down Bad

What do you know, another Dazai-trauma related song 😱 (so again, I will be keeping it short)

This song is, in short, a metaphor for someone being love-bombed by someone, and once their abuser has gotten what they wanted from them, they leave them to heal their self from the trauma they caused. While Akutagawa wasn't necessarily "love bombed" growing up, it could certainly be taken as such. When he meets Dazai, he asks him for a reason for living, much like Kyoka does when he meets Akutagawa. Dazai says that he will give him that reason, just for that "reason" to be him being a weapon of destruction, feared by his enemies and allies alike. And once he is shaped into this perfect weapon, not only did Dazai leave him, he was expected to heal himself of the trauma that, not only Dazai caused him, but of the pain of his childhood before as well.

This song specifically could be shown through season one Akutagawa. In the chorus, Taylor says "Fuck it, if I can't have him, I might just die, it would make no difference." Obviously, Akutagawa was hungry for Dazai’s approval throughout the entirety of season one, and that's where he and Atsushi’s initial conflict came from after his introduction into the show.

So, once again, this could show just how desperate Akutagawa was to be approved of by Dazai, so much so that he was at his most desperate and violent at the start of the show/manga.

4. So Long, London

This song is not confirmed(at least not through my source), but it is theorized that it is about Taylor's ex and why exactly they broke up. It is believed that it is because of her ex's mental health, and that could fit perfectly with, once again, Dazai. Had Odasaku not died, it should be pretty obvious that Dazai would have stayed in the Mafia. If he did, then his relationship with Akutagawa would have stayed in tact, as unhealthy as it was for the latter.

The line "You say I abandoned this ship, but I was going down with it" could show how Akutagawa fought for so long to keep what Dazai had given him. It was all he knew, and even when it was bad for him, he did not want things to change, and so he tried everything he could to keep it.

If you've watched the show or read the manga, you can tell the point where Akutagawa stops pushing for Dazai's affection, and simply accepts what was given to him. This can be heavily shown through the line, "And I'm just getting color back into my face, and I'm mad as hell cuz I've loved this place for so long," showing just how Akutagawa realized that he was his own person, and the time he spent obsessing over Dazai was simply years of his already short life wasted on someone who no longer wanted him.

5. But Daddy, I Love Him

When you look up the meaning of this song(at least from my source), it says that this song could be a metaphor for the movie The Little Mermaid, and how Ariel was willing to give up her voice to live the life she desired.

However, when you take that away, the song is about how she loves a boy that her family does not approve of. When she finally finds the boy that her family enjoys, she is truly happy.

This could almost directly correlate to how Akutagawa's feelings for Atsushi and Dazai changed throughout the series.

At the start, Akutagawa had an insane obsession with Dazai. However, as the series progresses, so does his relationship with Atsushi. Dazai could be seen as the initial "boyfriend", unapproved because of his mistreatment of Akutagawa. Atsushi, however, could be seen as the current boyfriend, someone who is deserving of his time because he not only understands Akutagawa, but does not go as far as to make him feel worthless if he does not meet a standard set for him (yes this is just a semi-excuse to start mentioning sskk don't judge me).

6. Fresh Out The Slammer

A slammer can be directly correlated to a jail. With this song, Taylor relates her past relationship to that of a jail cell.

Yes this is another Dazai-related song. Yes, I will keep this one short as well.

When Akutagawa is finally released from Dazai's control, he has to find something else to love for. Whether he realized it or not, that thing was Atsushi. This can be shown through the lyrics, "Fresh out the slammer, I know who my first call will be to," showing how, once Akutagawa was finally able to let Dazai go, he had someone else he was able to fall to, someone else to live and die for: Atsushi.

7. Florida!!!

This song is most likely about leaving a bad situation for a fresh start somewhere else, hence the lyrics, "I need to forget, so take me to Florida, I've got some regrets so bury them in Florida."

Much like this song, Akutagawa's backstory consists of him wanting Dazai to give him a reason to live. He felt as if life was not worth living, so much so that he was willing to fall to anyone he could find that could give him that sense of meaning.

While this song could not only be associated with his past, it can also be correlated to how he died in the fight against Fukichi, and everything that happened after that (i.e. when he came back and told Atsushi "do we need anyone else's help?") The lyrics "I'm haunted but I'm feeling just fine" that Florence sings can almost perfectly show how Akutagawa's development progressed, especially throughout seasons 3 and 5. He is obviously haunted by the demons, better yet the demon(Dazai) of his past, but you can see how, while he hasn't quite healed from it, he's come to accept the situation for what it is. He is at peace with the hand he was given, and though the scars are still there, he is able to function a bit better than he was able to when you compare it to his behaviors in season one and the beginning of season 2, up until his and Atsushi’s fight with Francis.

Another point I feel I should mention is the idea of two other lyrics, one in the chorus("Can I use you up") and one in the bridge("Tell me I'm despicable, say it's unforgivable").

These two lyrics may not be directly related, and while that's true, I feel as if they could be. The lyric in the bridge could be associated with how Akutagawa was shaped to be a specific person, and after that is where the lyric from the chorus comes in. Because he had this traumatic childhood, because he feels as if he is only good for killing, his sense of self worth is so construed that if he is not essentially being used for another's self gain, what is he good for? ("But kotex he learned his worth after the fight against Fukuchi so that can't apply to him!!" Shut up this is about my thoughts, let me put this out there if I want.)

8. Guilty as Sin?

This song is pretty self explanatory in nature, if you've listened to the lyrics tentatively. It's essentially about how Taylor was having fantasies about a man, but the things she thinks about never ended up truly happening, so she is stuck in a constant state of pining for someone she knows she can't have.

Obviously, when you look at the chorus, "What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh only in my mind?" is a line that could go with his past with Dazai. The sense of pining makes sense, as Akutagawa was stuck with something similar to this feeling for about 6 years (give or take, if my math serves me right), and he just craved so deeply for approval from the man he was trained by.

However, when you think of the second half of the chorus, "One slip and falling back into the hedge maze, oh what a way to die," is a perfect way to describe Akutagawa's death in season five. Dazai gave him the instruction that, should Atsushi need help, he is to go to him after a signal is set off. Had he not let Dazai give him one final instruction, had he done what he stated and moved on as he was trying to, maybe he would not have died. Maybe he would not have been given the choice of allowing Atsushi to escape alive in return for sacrificing his life. And even with that, even had he went, the choice was his. He could have chosen not to die, but he knew that Atsushi has more to live for than he did. He gave up his life for someone who actually had a purpose to be alive, and as much as he may have "disliked" him, he knew it would be worth it, hence the words, "What a way to die."

There are also the lyrics that open and end the song, "Am I allowed to cry?" Akutagawa never allowed himself to feel emotional pain. We never see him cry, we never see him sad. All we see is his emotions conveyed through rage, because he was taught he was not allowed to feel pain. He was taught that anger is the way to show his feelings.

9. Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?

This song is about how, throughout her entire entire career, she is diminished by just about everyone, hence referring to herself as "little old me."

Dazai says that Akutagawa is, essentially, not a threat in terms of battle. When he is captured, he tells Akutagawa that Atsushi is superior in every way imaginable compared to him. Dazai obviously had to know of Akutagawa's self-worth issues, and he knew that it would definitely be an attack on it, because he believes his worth lies in his ability to fight and kill. He thinks, rather he knows, that Dazai is insinuating that Atsushi is a better fighter than he is.

At the start of the song, Taylor says the words, "The who's who of who's that, posed for the attack." This can be interpreted as Taylor's ex acting as if he does not know her. Dazai does not necessarily act as if he does not know Akutagawa, but he definitely says things to intentionally get under his skin, as does Taylor's ex's words do to her.

In the chorus, Taylor's repeats the words, "I was tame, I was gentle, till the circus life made me mean; 'Don't you worry folks, we took out all her teeth,' who's afraid of little old me? Well, you should be." He was a child when he joined the Mafia. He took on a life of violence because he did not know how else he could survive in the world if he did not bite. The circus could be, not only Dazai, but his entire life in the Mafia. It turned him into the rabid dog he is perceived as, and he cannot change it. He knows he should be feared, but when it comes to the people that really "matter" to him, they feel as if he is not as deadly as he truly is.

Toward the end of the song, the words "You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum where they raised me / I'm always drunk on my own tears, isn't that what they all say? / That I'm fearsome, and I'm wretched, and I'm wrong," are spoken throughout the bridge. At the end of season one, Atsushi tells Akutagawa that people deserve to be told they are worthwhile and deserving of being alive, and that he needs to understand that. Obviously, Akutagawa knows this is something people need to hear, because it was not something he was fortunate enough to be given growing up. He believes Atsushi does not understand the pain of being called worthless, and does not realize he knows it all too well until season two.

Akutagawa is miserable. I saw a quote on tiktok saying that whenever he isn't furrowing his brow in anger, it is furrowed in sadness, and he just hides how miserable he is under a mask of anger. So he is, essentially, "always drunk on his own tears." And because of how much Dazai degraded him throughout his time in the Mafia, Akutagawa has grown to genuinely believe that he is a person undeserving of anything. He is given fear by people even within his own organization, but at the cost of his happiness.

And finally, in the end of the song, Taylor says, "You caged me and then you called me crazy, I am what I am cause you trained me." Again, another Dazai point. In the start of season two(At least I think it was season two), Dazai punched and then shot Akutagawa for what I remember to be his "incompotence" for killing their sources. This can sort of be mirrored in episode 3 or 4 (I can't remember atp 💀) of season one, when he slaps Higuchi for going after Atsushi so recklessly. Both Akutagawa and Dazai abuse their subordinates because of something they did to displease them.

10. loml

Okay hear me out on this one: THIS is one of the sskk song (I'm gonna ramble about sskk for a minute just bear with me on this).

Think about it, the song repeatedly says the words "I'm the love of your life," and yet the song is titled loml. It almost exclusively focuses on her partner's point of view, mentioning just how much he loves her, or at least seems to. Finally, when Taylor focuses on herself, she says that he is the loss of her life, not the love of her life (this is just my interpretation, not googled).

Similarly, this could be seen through sskk eyes. We see just how much Akutagawa's death affected Atsushi, showing just how he was the loss of Atsushi’s life. On the other hand, they could be seen as the love of each other's lives. They pushed and complimented each other almost perfectly, and even when they do not say it in the show/manga, many of the things they do for each other can show that they at least have some semblance of care for one another; Akutagawa's sacrifice, Atsushi’s thoughts of him whenever he wants someone to help him, both of these can show just how much they truly cared, and Akutagawa's death could not only make him the loss of Atsushi’s life, but also the loss of his own life, because he fought so hard growing up to live, only to be killed when he finally found a true reason to be alive.

11. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart

From looking at the lyrics, you can see that this song is about how, despite suffering from depression, she continued her everyday life as if nothing was wrong with her, i.e. the line "I'm so depressed I act like it's my birthday."

Again, obviously shown in Akutagawa. Despite the pain he felt, he continued to carry out the role he was given. He never stopped his killing, because he knew if he did, he would have had to face emotions he wasn't ready to confront yet, and so he continued on as if he was fine.

And then there's the line after the pre-chorus, "I'm so obsessed with him but he avoids me like the plague." Again, obvious. Akutagawa had such a bad obsession with Dazai, and while Dazai knew of it, still does, he does not give him any wiggle room. He practically shrugs him off every time he sees him, because he knows the pain it causes Akutagawa to feel.

And then there's the topic of the ENTIRE pre-chorus. The entirety of this section is essentially just Taylor saying that she can handle what she feels on her own, and that she can "do it with a broken heart." Akutagawa has an almost identical ideology. He does not want to seem weak, and so he bears his pain in silence, putting up the violent façade he tries so hard to make people believe.

12. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

Another song about his Dazai-relates trauma. And while it is this, I would say it isn't so much him still craving Dazai’s approval, it is more so after the point he has accepted that he will not get it, and finally realizing that Dazai is not the person he wants praise from, hence the line in the pre-chorus, "I don't even want you back, I just want to know if rusting my sparking summer was the goal." It could then go on to be explained that, while he does not want Dazai’s attention anymore, he wants him to know what it was he did to him, even if he will never tell him ("I don't miss what we had but could someone give a message to the smallest man who ever lived").

In verse two, Taylor is seemingly describing how her ex's treatment toward her greatly differs from how he treats the new woman in his life ("You hung me on your wall, stabbed me with your push pins. In public showed me off, then sank in stoned oblivion. Cause once your queen had come, you treat her like an also-ran").

And then there's the infamous bridge of this song. Honestly, the entirety of the bridge could be seen as what Akutagawa really feels, the words he really wants to say to Dazai for all he had done to him, particularly the part where Taylor sings "I would've died for your sins, instead I just died inside. And you deserve prison, but you won't get time." Dazai was never punished for how he treated Akutagawa. Instead, he got off without so much as a verbal punishment. He was even allowed to join an organization that helped people. You can feel the pain and rage Taylor feels when singing the bridge. She was betrayed, and Akutagawa definitely feels the same. He tried for so long to be something for someone else, and in the end, it got him nowhere.

Finally, the outro. Taylor practically says that he knows what he did, and while she will forget him, never in a million years will she forgive him. ("And in plain sight you hid, but you are what you did. And I'll forget you, but I'll never forgive the smallest man who ever lived.")

Akutagawa was hurt by Dazai. Dazai knows what he did to him, just as Akutagawa knows. As much as they both know this, Dazai is still given the option to live a life in the light, while Akutagawa never gets that chance. At this point, I would say some time during season three, Akutagawa accepted what that man had become. He accepted that he would never get the soft side of Dazai that Atsushi got. He accepted his fate, but that never meant he had to forgive him. The pain would stick with him until his eventual death.

Akutagawa obviously had some heavy contempt for Atsushi when he learned of his relationship with Dazai. Then he saw how he was gentle with him, how he seemed to actually care about Atsushi. Whether he did or not was not on his mind, but the fact that he gave this new person the side of him that he tried so hard to pull out. Personally, I could only imagine that he felt used. He was shaped into a weapon by this man. Meanwhile, Atsushi was given the option to be what he wanted without repercussions.

13. Clara Bow

Clara Bow was a film star who was never given the credit she was owed during her career because of her decaying mental health. Throughout the song, Taylor mentions two famous people, Stevie Nicks and Clara, who had a bout of famousness, but as time went on, they lost their fame.

During the song, Taylor says the words, "The crown is damaged, but you're the real queen. Flesh and blood amongst war machines, you're the new God we're worshipping." Akutagawa essentially worshipped Dazai as if he were a God, and this lyric can show not only this, but how Dazai was renowned in the Mafia, surrounded by those believed to be nothing without what they can do to serve.

On the note that Taylor mentions stars that lost their fame, in the last course of the song, she mentions herself. I believe that this is to insinuate that she will not last much longer in the light, as the two she mentioned before did not last. Similarly, Akutagawa knew he would live a long life because of his lung disease. He knew his life was limited, and when he was killed, he was prepared for it, for he did not have the chance at a life anyway.

This doesn't even include the Anthology songs either. And yes, I know there were a lot of repeated points(i.e. Dazai), but this album was about Taylor's heartbreak and the pain it brought into her normal life, as much as she tried to push it away. I know I some of this could possibly be vague or just plainly incorrect, but I'll gladly try to explain more if it's not detailed enough :3 (and yes I know this took me almost 5 days I just got busy and wanted it to be as detailed as possible 😔)

Anyway, enjoy our glorious Taylor-coded king for reading all of this 🫶

[webanglikethat]

MY OPINION ABOUT CAITI AND GNF.

without a doubt, my perspective firmly supports Caiti's account and clearly acknowledging the profound trauma she endured in a situation where her consent was clearly violated through unwanted physical contact. and I am sure this experience has undoubtedly left a lasting and profound impact on her well-being.

the problem is that both GNF and Caiti were in a state of intoxication, rendering them unable to give consent. and the complexity arises from the lack of verbal communication from EITHER party about the events that transpired during that time. GNF never verbally spoke about what was going on that moment and neither did she. I believe that GNF should’ve asked anything, clarified her age, her identity, anything. this was during the grooming allegations and especially in this time he should have been careful.

I also fully believe that it appears there may have been a misunderstanding on Caiti's part regarding the mere nature of the gathering and its implications for her career advancement or anything like that. while the initial intention was simply for friends and friends of friends to come together, enjoy drinks, play games, and have a good time, Caiti may have mistakenly interpreted the situation as an opportunity to further her professional prospects and this misinterpretation from her side could have contributed to her actions and subsequent feelings of pressure or obligation. she thought she had to endure this to meet big CC like him. 

also, while GNF himself may not have verbally expressed consent to spooning, WE can imply he did and why? because of the presence of nonverbal clues. Caiti's perception of HIS nonverbal cues may have led HER to believe that he was receptive to her actions and that HE welcomed the physical contact. this might have lead her to believe leaving this situation would bruise his ego and co. so in this case, both of them are at fault for assuming, believing. 

talking about nonverbal consent; for me it's crucial to acknowledge the significance of nonverbal consent. nonverbal cues can play a vital role in understanding and respecting boundaries, especially in situations where verbal communication may be inhibited or unclear. dismissing the importance of nonverbal consent is dangerous. 

in addition, to me it is very very plausible to consider that handling the situation privately could have led to a more constructive and definite resolution. Caiti's decision to walk GNF to the elevator without escalating the situation implied that CLEAR communication and boundaries were respected at THAT moment. so perhaps, if she had expressed her discomfort while they were cuddling, it's maybe reasonable to assume that GNF would have likely responded by respecting her boundaries. but we will never know. 

I also obviously agree that GNF should have asked for permission for everything !!! but like … would that have changed anything?

"I wasn't gonna push him off infront of everyone."

" if I were to move, that would be an obvious hit to his ego to him."

-> so to me it seems possible that clear communication about comfort levels could have led to the same outcome. it is possible that in hindsight, Caiti might have felt pressured to say yes even if she wasn't comfortable, especially if she perceived GNF's expectations or felt reluctant to disappoint him.

furthermore, Caiti desperately needs new friends. they brought her, a 18 year old who technically can’t even drink to a party where they knew everyone would drink and they ditched her there. they see her (18) cuddling with GNF (28? or 26 at the time) and they think it’s weird and message her about it THE NEXT DAY but don’t do anything in the moment ?? that’s insane. if you are friends, you should know her body language, you should know she feels uncomfortable. you should know to remove her from this situation. it is so clearly and evident that there was a lack of proactive measures for harm reduction in this situation. I can’t say this enough but it's ESSENTIAL for friends to prioritize each other's safety and well-being. therefore accountably extends to all individuals who are adults capable of making informed decisions about their own actions and surroundings. if this isn’t a red flag then you’re as colorblind as GNF. 

also in my opinion, it's inappropriate for Caiti's friends to speak out about the situation before Caiti herself has had the chance to fully share her side of the story. their actions could potentially undermine Caiti's credibility and autonomy, especially if their statements contradict hers — which is happening.

this kind of “interference” (is that how you call it?) just add this really unnecessary complexity and distress to an already sensitive situation. her friends should respect Caiti's privacy and give her the space and support she needs to express herself ON HER OWN terms. I mean, her best friend said CAITI misspoke. but how would Caiti have misspoke when she wrote it down herself? I firmly believe her friend is trying to save face. also, the specificity with which she denies drinking at the party to me suggests she may be trying to distance herself from any implication of supplying alcohol to an underage individual at an official event. she is attempting to safeguard her reputation, but this is throwing CAITI under the bus.

Lastly, it is so so so so so incredibly frustrating that there was a lack of communication surrounding this situation, especially considering that Dream was actively seeking clarification and understanding about why people were upset with him. regardless of personal feelings towards him, it's fucking essential to prioritize open and honest communication. the failure to do so only adds fuel to the confusion and frustration surrounding the incident. the British group of friends involved in this scenario don’t care about anything, they’re such jokes. despicable people who don’t care about anything unless it benefits them. have you seen ANY Any any ANY and I repeat ANY of them talk about the new victim who came out and said none of them supported her when she was SAed? says so much about them.

[reckless-rider]

Ok here are all of my thoughts, questions, comments, etc about Stars Align

This might be messy sorry lmao I'll try to keep it organized tho (Spoiler warning)

So starting off, I wouldn't have minded if they did this but I'm glad that Maki wasn't always cold and reserved (again I wouldn't have minded). It was refreshing to see him smile, laugh, and enjoy his time with the team. You can tell that he loves all of the people on the team and its fun to watch.

Also, I am pretty concerned about Maki after watching that ending. Yeah his father is a major piece of shit and I fucking hate him but I hope Maki didn't kill him. I just don't want anything bad to happen to Maki. Like all of the boys, I hope they get a hug and happiness.

So, Toma's brother brought up that they have another brother but where is he? Did he move out? How old is he?? From a passing comment it doesn't seem like this other brother wants anything to do with them judging by the fact that we never see him, but I could be way wrong.

I really do hate Toma's mother, he's done nothing wrong and she hates him for no reason. She compares him to his brother but they are not the same person! And she hates him for that?

Speaking of Toma and Maki, from the tribute video that they dropped, it looked like they had a falling out :((( Maybe they become rivals, I kinda hope it becomes a Free! situation where Rin and Haru started out as friends when they were young, then became rivals, then became friends once again. I would be happy if something like that happens with Toma and Maki because they were such great friends but what happened?

Ok on the topic of rivals, I really liked that the rivalry with Oji was also really fun to watch because it wasn't like they had to have their rivalry on 100% of the time. Like they really enjoyed having him around during the BBQ and they even kinda cheered each other on (if they could) during the tournament. They even let him be apart of their hype ritual!

I feel that Rintaro definitely has good parents, at least from what we've seen. They really do care about their son and want what's best for him. I do also hope that Rintaro gets to meet his birth mother if he wants to and I hope she's good to him.

With Rintaro, I understand him feeling like he isn't good enough and he failed as the vice president. I mean it did seem like Maki took over his job and I wish that we got to see them talk about this issue and come up with a middle ground.

I also thought that Shingo's parents weren't that bad either, maybe a little overprotective but not as bad as some of the other parents. It seemed that they really cared about their children's safety, especially, their daughter (obviously lmao she's like 4).

I feel like Maki's mother did a great job honestly, she seemed like one of the best parents and it has to be very hard for her to be in a situation like that. But it seemed like she did a pretty good job.

The only other set of good parents imo is Taiyo's parents, they seemed like they were pretty supportive, even if they thought their son wasn't a great player at the time. Yeah maybe they went about the responsibility thing a bit wrong, everyone makes mistakes and they seem to try and correct themselves after he stood of for him and Nao. They still didn't have a problem with him playing even if Taiyo's pair didn't win.

Everyone else's parents fucking sucked, I do not need to get into why lmao.

I'm going to be completely honest, but at first I didn't like Soga and Ameno but they quickly grew on me! I was pretty sad that Soga couldn't play in the tournament. Him and Shingo worked so hard only for it not to happen, but at the same time they really did help Nao and Taiyo with their confidence which I think is important.

Speaking of Nao, in the tribute video we see that his knuckles are bruised and bandaged, which makes me wound what could have happened. Obviously something wrong is going on and I wanna know what! Let my boys be happy pls :(

I also want to mention that the art style is fucking gorgeous! And omg the representation is fantastic holy shit!!! Yu is non-binary and the show explicitly says it, which I haven't really seen done in an anime, especially a sports anime. I actually have some LGBT+ headcannons for some of the characters lmao

I think this is all I'll say for rn, this is already really long slkdjf I hope this made sense!

[findafight]

THANK YOU for the scoops troop post starcourt fic bc it’s been driving me CRAZY that the whole tortured by Russian MILITARY as teenagers was never brought up again!? Especially with Steve - like I don’t know how my guy handles physical touch and affection after all he’s been through physically and emotionally and he’s written off as a haha character most of the time but there’s SO much there with trauma, especially since the only other person with an inkling of what happened with the Russians is Robin

Ahhh yeah continuing this fic is definitely on the list. sorry this gets a little rambling and idk if it makes sense. Because obviously Steve and Robin don't outright tell Dustin and Erica what happened but they're smart kids and sort figured there was some light torture happening. And when you're running on adrenaline a lot of stuff doesn't register right away, so they have to have a chat about that and guilt for 'letting' it happen.

And like, they could have mentioned it when everyone regrouped in the food court but by that point Robin and Steve were crashing from Russian drugs and I can only assume they thought it was pretty obvious where they'd been what with Erica telling Murray how to actually get in. But then it's over and Hopper is dead and so is billy so it's not even the biggest deal that they were tortured and Robin definitely thought Steve was dead for a bit. They can deal with it together.

With Steve it's like "haha Steve is slow on the uptake and doesn't understand a lot and isn't very smart and asks a lot of dumb questions" and never "steve has had two severe concussions within a year of each other and he still graduated highschool on time only to be concussed AGAIN" my poor beloved blorbo please someone let him rest. And I desperately want one of the actual adult members of the upside down crew to realize that he's just sort of. Dealt with it by himself or with Robin, that he doesn't have the same support network as the party or Joyce and Hop or Nancy and Jonathan (who both have siblings that understand, Jon with his mom as well). And yeah he has Robin after S3, and Dustin is basically his brother, but it's different, because the only one who he'd remotely be absolutely honest with is Robin, who also only has him, and actually it's a miracle they're functional at all.

And I want Steve to be confused why the Grown Ups are mad (worried?) That he didn't tell them he and Robin were actually literally tortured because they all had better things to do, they had no obligations to Steve. He and Robin had each other, and he and Robin supported Dustin and Erica, and they're all fine now. The first few months were rough, sure, but now it's okay.

Plus the fact that the Byers were moving leaving Steve as the oldest person besides Murray who didn't live in Hawkins who knew about the upsidedown. He was the one that was supposed to be in charge and responsible, because no one else should have to do that when they're all trying to move on, so what good would telling Joyce, who would be far from Hawkins and its horrors, about how he could barely wear his watch sometime because it reminded him of being tied back to back with Robin. She couldn't do anything about it and she didn't get it the way Robin would.

So he and Robin have sleep overs and long talks so they're semi functional and can help Erica and Dustin work through it too. They deal with it together, because none of their parents know and Steve is accustomed to adults being unreliable even without world ending secrets involved. And there aren't any grown ups around anyways so. He's the grown up of the group and it's his job to make sure all the kids are okay.

I think out of anyone outside of Scoops Troop, Lucas probably knows the most because Erica is his sister and now she knows he gets her to talk about it. She's reluctant at first because he wasn't there, but does, because Lucas is her big brother and he is there for her. And while he and Steve were friends after Billy in S2 and Steve's protective streak, Lucas gets really close to Steve with Erica, because they're both clingy to each other and Steve, for all he's basically a bag of nervously shaking chihuahuas with hairspray and ibuprofen keeping him from breaking down at any given moment he isn't holding Robin's hand, seems like a stable force in their lives.

[bellsnuit]

Unexpected future: Andy Barber x reader (2/6)

Summary:As a single mother of a six-year-old, you decide to move out after realizing that his father, Ari Levinson, simply didn't have you both as a priority.In the twists and turns of life, you meet Andy Barber but your job makes things complicated, especially when you work with his son and see his ex-wife several times.

If you like, I would be so grateful if you reblog or comments to interact ( I love to share your thoughts) Also, let me know if you wanna be tagged on every chapter to be remembered.

Previous Chapter.

(...)

On Monday after dropping Mason at the school, you headed toward the cafeteria again. It was empty, not completely, but Andy wasn't there. You smiled when the older lady did, already holding out coffee for you soon.

"What is it today?" you pulled out the bills, but she quickly spoke: "No honey" you looked at her and she shook her head somewhat obviously "you know he already paid for it for you" you sighed "In fact, he already paid for your coffee for the whole week."

You felt a slight pressure of guilt in your chest because he really was a good man to date "Uhm, okay" you mumbled and took a breath.

"Why don't you give him a chance?"

You wrinkled your nose "He's a good man, but it's complicated" you looked at the woman "I'm going to pay for his coffee for the week. Does he only drink coffee?"

"He's told us, you know" you lifted your head as the man approached "We've known him since he was a teenager. He'd run to class but he'd ask for his coffee" you saw the man's melancholy "And really, he saw something in you. But well, work is work" you nodded slightly, swiping the card as your head just kept thinking that. You didn't really feel it right, but that man really seemed to have awakened something in you that you hadn't felt in a while.

"Good morning" you mumbled as you finished there and brought the coffee to your mouth: your body trembled just from the taste of it. It was the most delicious coffee you had ever tasted.

The next morning, you were in the café choosing a flavor when you felt a voice pass by as if it were nothing, "Please stop yelling, Laurie. Yes, I'll take care of it. God yes, I know how to take care of my son" you turned, sensing the desperation in his voice. He stopped talking when he saw you.

"Here, honey" you smiled towards the woman to nod.

"Have a good day" you bowed your head and as Andy ended the call he saw you. "Good morning" 

"Good morning" he reciprocated, shaking his head. You went to your car, and as you set the coffee aside, you saw him at the counter. You sighed as you balked at any ideas you might have. You started the car, but at that very moment, a knock on your window made you turn around. 

You blinked in astonishment, seeing how this one was with his arm holding onto your door and leaning forward. You opened the window and could only see how confused, perhaps desperate, or just anxious. "Please, give me just one chance" that plea took your breath away.

"Andy" you murmured and he sighed "Understand that I can't. I can't if I'm going to treat Jacob, I can't go out with you when your ex-wife asked me to help with your son" you shook your head "Andy, I have more on you than you know"

"And that?" he sighed "Yeah, you sat down and evaluated my relationship with my ex-wife because I know you did. I know because I can't stop looking at you. And when at your door you told me that, I understood. But now, you go and pay me for coffee for a week, the same thing I do for flirting" your cheeks flushed and he didn't help but smile somewhat victoriously "Please, I'm not even asking you for a date, just... Today at the park at three with the kids?" you raised an eyebrow and he smiled amused, tapping his fingers lightly on your door "We just don't tell anything, let them meet, and sit and talk like... like two parents of kids who are friends"

"Three and a half" you looked at him and his expression made you bite your cheek.

"And on the weekend I invite him to play with Jacob at my apartment."

"Fine" this one bit his bottom lip looking at you and nodded when you agreed.

"Deal."

He nodded, walking away from the car and you saw his smile as he walked back into the coffee shop. And you watched him, as the two gentlemen seemed to party when he walked in. "Idiot."

...

And as you walked to the park with Mason, you felt the scream of both children as they met. "Mom, I can play with Jacob, right?"

"Sure, honey "You watched as Andy sat on one of the benches on the other side. His gaze was on you and you saw how his clothes were no longer office clothes. 

"I'm glad Jacob has a good friend," Andy said as you sat on the bench next to him, but keeping your distance. 

"Well, I'm the one to thank for your son making space for mine." 

"Unlike Laurie, Jacob isn't really too social."

"I think he's smart enough and selective enough, but that he doesn't have a problem with socializing." 

"Well, then he has a good choice" you didn't look at him, you just watched the kids run around and play in the games. This one stirred "He's totally independent, I think that's what his mother is afraid of. That's why she's upstairs constantly at school"

"Oh, well, it's always nice to have a mother reference."

"Every year she's taken the position. She refuses to leave it to someone else."

"Well, the truth is, very few mothers want that position" you turned your head to look at him, with some amusement.

"To avoid mothers like her, right?" you saw his amused face.

"Oh no, she... she is nice."

"Don't lie to me. I'm divorced from her."

You didn't help but let out a laugh, maybe because of the words or because of his incredulous face. "Not really, she doesn't look... someone with a bad intention, nor very intense"

"Well... don't marry her if you have that thought." You looked at him with a raised eyebrow at the words, he laughed "I'm sorry, but yes, she is too intense. Talk to me as a mother who has brought her son to the park."

You wrinkled your nose and released one hand "Just a little bit" you whispered and he laughed. You smiled. 

"Thanks for agreeing with me" there was silence "You know... when we left the office, I have to admit it gave me peace to see Mason so calm. The way he knows you work and he just stands there, at home."

You smiled, flattery you always received "Really since he was a baby I was seeing patients. He had to get used to staying there quietly. I wasn't lucky enough to have much support, let's say, so he had to cooperate" Andy was dying of curiosity to know the father of the child, but he really didn't know without asking. You let out a small laugh, looking back towards the children. "You want to know, don't you?"

"Just curious and you don't have to if you don't want to."

"It's alright" you paused and watched Mason stretch his arms as he mimicked an airplane, scurrying next to Jacob "An amazing man, huh" you looked at Andy and nodded "Really an honorable man" you shrugged, watching Andy's eyes bore into you. "But an absentee father. And well, that involved his job"

"He chose the job over you both?"

"Well, he did with Mason. With me he never had to choose, it was clear his priority. Then we'd just see him with weeks of runs, then they started to be bi-weekly, then monthly, then... three or four times a year."

"Bullshit because Mason seems to love him."

You nodded, turning your eyes back to your son "What he does...it's amazing, Andy. It's really not for everyone, but sometimes I wonder if he really wanted to give it all up for his son. And then I realize that if he had wanted to, he would have. So, now we find ourselves in an issue that his money is sent by the boss, he communicates every semester by letters and a couple of other shitty things."

"The day he can't get on with his job, he'll realize the mistake of having left the family behind."

"Well, I don't consider there ever was the term family" you swung your legs up on the seat and leaned your head back, looking at Mason. "I've told him, I've confessed to him that all cases always end the same: the child rejects the adult who leaves him."

Andy saw how you had made a place to vent, or at least talk freely, and didn't even want to move so as not to break your space. He looked over to the kids, who were sliding back and forth on the slide. "Mason will have every right to hate him."

"I really don't want him to hate him either. I know him, he would have been a good father if only...I don't know."

"I don't think he decided to be. It was his decision" you turned your head, leaning on your knees, and looked at him. He was right, you knew that, and you had already told yourself that several times but it sounded so weird to be told by someone else, "Your family?"

"My mother died a few months ago and my father is married to an Italian living there. He's always in touch with me. He loves Mason."

Andy stirred in the nod "You have friends?"

You grimaced somewhat amused at his question but avoided any ironic comment and nodded "Two, but you know, they were left in town."

"And you came just like that with nothing to hold on to here?"

Silence filled the space but for the children talking to each other. The park was empty, but the birds still made sounds. "I don't know how it really happened. I just saw the house for sale, saw the price, saw my savings, saw my stuff, saw Mason, and...a fresh start didn't sound bad."

Andy settled back, not taking his eyes off you "You have an incredible peace of mind to maintain."

"Does that mean?" you asked, raising your eyebrow.

"I have no idea" he assured and stirred as you smiled slightly, but Jacob's shout towards his father caused you both to see the two boys running animatedly towards you. You lowered your legs, seeing how both of them were totally sweating.

"Oh, I think there are two people who need a shower with lots of soap and water" you laughed watching as Mason laughed.

"There's a gentleman who sells ice cream!" Jacob looked at his father and he nodded. 

"Go on, buy one for you and Mason," you said nothing. "Can you do it by yourself?" Jacob nodded and took the money from his father to run off to the gentleman as if they were going to steal all the ice cream.

"I never sent Mason to buy anything alone" you confessed, seeing as they were a few feet away but their figures were clear to see. 

"Jacob likes to keep the change, just that" you laughed as he shrugged. 

"What do you do for a living?" you looked at Andy but he had his eyes on the kids.

"I'm a district attorney." 

"Oh- ah, really?" you didn't hide your surprise and he looked at you somewhat amused, smiling, to look back at the kids.

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Of course not, but... I don't know, it's an important position."

"I like it."

"Discuss?"

He shook his head "That would give you a bad image of me."

"How could it?"

And it was two hours where they stood there, with the kids being entertained as they exchanged small talk without forcing much of anything. And that started to become almost routine for a while. Your interest in Andy aside, he really could be a good friend. Sometimes you would meet at the park with the kids in camouflage, other times whenever he went to pick up Jacob after Laurie dropped him off on Fridays. You had marked some separation, and truth be told, it was the healthy thing to do. 

"How did it go?" it was later than usual, but you had insisted that Jacob could stay for dinner, and there he was, Andy at your door at eight-thirty in the evening.

"She's the best cook" Jacob smiled and you just smiled back at him "And the best psychologist" you winked and played with his hair as he pulled away from his father to hug you around the hip. "Thank you so much."

"With organization and permission, you can come whenever I have a space available" you assured caressing his cheek and lifting your head towards Andy who was smiling as he looked at you.

"Hey champ" you watched as Andy greeted Mason with a high five.

"Hey Andy" the boy looked at you "I gave Jacob my other walkie-talkie to talk to" he assured and Jacob nodded, showing that he had it in his hand.

"Ah, so you both can communicate" assured Andy looking at the plastic one that wasn't going to work in the face of the distance.

"Sure dad, what would it be for then?" you laughed at Jacob's obvious words and Andy nodded, as if the mistake had been his.

And you just didn't avoid accompanying with your eyes until Andy left.

You liked him so much.

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Taglist: @gitasor @patzammit @un-mondo-meraviglioso @iluxionsworld @maylaysia109 @l0st-in-reality

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[juvederm]

actually yapping

feel like a lot of my thoughts about not getting enough notes or whatever on a drawings can be dissolved by just accepting that art of the Game (its plot, events, etc) will pop off more than some self indulgent sketch. people will like things they can recognize, which i was aware of but i just thought that my art would reach the fandom people, yk the ones who are not just attached to the story but the characters too. so making recognizable art of the game wouldn't matter bc it would instead be of the characters

but the thing is, making Serious art of the game is tough. it's hard coming up with ideas, and who knows if the process is gonna be fun or extremely grueling. and on top of that, what hasn't been done so far? every idea has been drawn, been brought to life. the game is like 8 years old now. i kinda don't wanna draw more "Mountain. Blood. Snow. Ugly winter outfits" anymore lol. i mean sometimes i do bc i love the game obviously but when i wanna have fun, i'll tend to do other things that kinda combine with my own personal interests. so like fashion for example, i'll take the characters and dress them up. that's me having fun.

i want to think and Know that people understand this concept, but it feels like they don't? maybe they do. i know for a fact my mutuals do, because you are all very supportive of every silly josh doodle i make lol i appreciate it a lot 🤗 you guys are the kind of people i make this art for, the Character Likers. because i myself am someone who will attach to the characters more than like, the story. which isn't to say i just disregard the source material, that's not it at all, but for me regarding UD, imma be honest yall... i do not give a fuck abt the creature lore in the game at all. i don't care abt billy bates and whatnot. it's fine if you do, but me personally ehhh i don't care much abt that part of the story

i really like the characters out of all of this, i like certain dynamics, dialogue, etc. and i love the story too, and especially love when the story involves the characters (which i think the sanitarium segments doesn't really do? it kinda just gives insight on the 1950s mine incident and shjt) but i like the parts of the story relating to the twins. bc those are characters and they kinda haunt the narrative.

speaking of the narrative, it's part of the reason i like josh. he doesn't haunt the narrative but he controls it a lot id say. he's a very captivating character, very compelling. you want a lot out of him, like what's wrong, why is he doing this, why did he say that, blah blah. i honestly love characters that are attractive in this way, even to other characters in the story. so sam and chris for example. i enjoy the dynamic they have with josh because they're worried about him, they're thinking about him, or they want to know if he's okay, what's up with him and all that. he holds their attention like that, and ofc that led to ships and stuff. i feel like ashley's actress said it best when describing josh: "you think he's one way but then he's another"

which is honestly just so fucking true. you think he's dead, then he's not, you think he's okay but then he's not, you think he might live but he doesn't. he's even like that personality wise i'd say, but that's teetering onto like headcanon territory just somewhat. because sam does say "it's hard to tell with him" but that's mostly bc of the incident with the twins, she can't Tell if he's okay or barely hanging on. josh is hard to pin down, he's Complex, as stated in the game

sorry for getting into a little josh analysis there but since he is an important character (in general) to me, i kinda felt the need. because this also goes into my gripes about people not really getting why i draw him the way i do. j know i won't shut up about this, but i just Want everyone to know, bc i feel as though it was part of the reason why i wasn't really interacted with for as long as i've been a part of this fandom. like nobody really understood what i was doing, but it was really just simple fun. i mean, now i've completely given up hope with ever really Connectinf with the fandom, but i just want this off my chest honesrly lol

like i really don't want to keep drawing josh one way. like i said i wanna have fun so that's what i do. i can't really "make an him an oc" because i don't change anything about his story or writing. putting him in a silly outfit doesn't make him eligible for "original characterification" lol. so that's what i mean by i make a lot my art for the fandom people, the ones who like the game for more than its story, people who like making headcanons, people who like writing for the game, etc

and the reason i do it a lot is bc of what i said before. making art of the game is tough, it's a lot of thinking. what Hasn't been done already? not much lol. so i'll just keep sketching the silly stuff and sharing it with cool ppl who kinda get what i'm doing 👍

but i definitely will make art of the game and not just the characters, i'll make art more recognizable to the average player because guess what. that's also what i like. it just takes a long time for me because Serious art has a lot of thinking and planning behind it and is just very time consuming in general. but oh, josh in a skirt? took two minutes and i can just close my ipad and not worry about anything else lol

i hope this made sense??!?&?@ i kinda wanted to talk to people about it so if anyone else feels the same way i'd love to know. i'll prob make a followup sometime soon but i just wanted to get all my thoughts out in one place because i've kinda collected them all finally leleleleel

[darkmasterofcupcakes]

Tbh, I think the reason why Goliath was the way he was with Angela is because he didn't want to accept or acknowledge that she's from a previous relationship that didn't work out and that the time was literally different so things are different. I think the creators also didn't want to push the relationship between Elisa and Goliath that much either is because Goliath obviously had some issues to work out. I did notice things like how she'd touch him often, but not the other Gargoyles. I tried reading some of the comic, but it's very brief, but I do like how it acknowledged things like how Goliath and Elisa can't have a kid together.

Oh, Angela being the result of his relationship with Demona is definitely a major factor in why he treated her the way he did after she learned her parentage and started actually referring to him as her father. I think that's clear by the way he acts in "Sanctuary", where he does lecture her on how Gargoyle culture works in that regard, but at first he's firm but gentle about it. But when she basically reveals she's starting to piece together the fact that Demona is her mother, that's when Goliath actually starts getting angry.

And even after Goliath really starts to accept Angela as his daughter, it's telling that he's shown to still be incredibly uneasy whenever the issue of Demona comes up in regards to Angela - just look at how unwilling he was to let her take the first watch when they had Demona imprisoned in the Labyrinth.

Goliath absolutely has a lot of issues that he needs to deal with, especially regarding how he feels regarding Demona. The show doesn't really dwell on it too much, but I have little doubt that there is a part of him that wishes that things had gone differently, regarding Demona and by extension, their relationship. Because we know he loved her (and she loved him) but so many things had made her even more hateful that she had been even in 994, and it ultimately meant they couldn't really work things out. Though even after everything Demona did, it wasn't until "Vows" that Goliath apparently stopped having hope that they could maybe rekindle their relationship again. Guy misses his mate/wife - or at least, misses the version of her that he actually knew before the years took their toll on her.

I don't know if this is controversial, but part of me always kind of was skeptical if Goliath and Elisa would even ever want kids? I could understand the issue of if they could have kids together being brought up, but I just can't really see either of them particularly wanting children?

[gerudospiriit]

[I brought this up yesterday, but I've been thinking about that post I saw on it again and want to share my thoughts and headcanons on why Ganondorf chose to have Nabooru brainwashed rather than killed for what essentially amounted to treason.

As you all know by know, I headcanon that Nabooru and Ganondorf were a couple and, for all intents and purposes, engaged. Thus, the two were very much in love, despite the disagreements that arose between them in how best to help their people once knowledge of the Triforce came into the picture: Ganondorf obviously wanted to obtain the Triforce to wish for prosperity for the Gerudo while Nabooru felt the idea was dangerous because, if the thing existed at all, she didn't see they Hylians giving this thing up willingly, and they were already hated beyond their desert borders and one misstep away from another war they couldn't afford. As time wore on and Ganondorf began actively attacking the other races of Hyrule, Nabooru made the choice to stand against Ganondorf and try to stop him before Hyrule decided to blame ALL of this for his crimes. As we know, she is unsuccessful and brainwashed for her crimes.

So, the question then is, why? Wouldn't it have been better (especially considering that Nabooru becomes a sage) to have killed her? Why did Ganondorf make the decision he did, especially since this effectively turned the person he loved and trusted the most into a mindless servant?

I'll start with the practical portion of the complicated answer: it would raise too many red flags. Ganondorf murdering his second in command who, outside of maybe a few public disagreements that weren't related to the Triforce (those conversations were always private) in meetings, he seemed to have positive rapport with would raise too many questions he didn't want to answer for since, in my headcanons, he didn't want to involve to Gerudo in his plans. Even if he kept it secret, Nabooru was too visible of a person in the tribe (which is also why I HC that she didn't just sit in the Iron Knuckle armor in the temple the whole time). Someone would eventually start snooping and find out what happened. Plus, a Gerudo king killing another Gerudo without reason wasn't exactly a good look.

The other portion of the answer is he simply couldn't bring himself to do it. Even if he could convince the Gerudo in a trial that she committed treason, he didn't want her dead. Twinrova probably tried to convince him to just kill her, being no fans of Nabooru's, but he vehemently refused. Thus, they suggest making her a non-problem through brainwashing. Ganondorf wasn't a fan of this either, but by the time he realizes he is not going to naturally change Nabooru's mind, as in, when she gives him her ultimatum, he knows their relationship is over anyway, and he had to think of the bigger picture. Nabooru posed a threat to his plans and, close as he was, he couldn't risk her meddling any longer. Thus, he did not make this decision LIGHTLY and put it off until the last possible second.

Once she was brainwashed, he didn't have much else to do with her besides passing down orders to her as his second in command as he normally would. Outside of not having time with searching for the princess and ruling the new, broken Hyrule, Ganondorf couldn't bear seeing her in such a state. He avoided her at all costs (meaning, no, he wasn't gross and took advantage of this in any gross ways; he grew up around all women and, in short, he knows consent is sexy and she can't consent in that state even if he had interest in that sort of thing still with anyone, let alone her). In a way, he knew this fate was worse than death for her, but that understanding wasn't enough for him to kill her and make it look like an accident or something. Plus, she was useful this way for helping to search for the princess and putting down rebellions he did not care to deal with himself (under the guise of important missions for the Gerudo to keep people from knowing what she was REALLY up to, of course).

So tl;dr: Ganondorf had Twinrova brainwash Nabooru because it was more practical and would keep the Gerudo from asking too many questions and because he just couldn't do it anyway.]

[soaring-kite]

Hello, I hope you don’t mind but if your still doing prompts/ask’s but I love your KHR x DC fanfic so to cut to the chase, what would happen if the Bat Family meet the Arcobaleno?

stranger, I am never not open for asks and prompts.

So, long answer short: pandemonium.

Long answer long: it'd be like... an ex meeting a new s/o, I think (from what I know about relationships, ahah) because, for all that I think the Acrobaleno wasn't per say family, they were, for whatever short period, a team. They went through the same trauma together, they were brought together by the same Sky (even if unwillingly, maybe) and yeah. ok, so, there are two ways this could go in my opinion.

Canon!Acrobaleno are transported briefly for whatever reason into the DCU.

The Acrobaleno were reincarnated alongside Fon.

In the case of the first, then they actually wouldn't mind too much??? I think??? They've got their Fon and the DCU have got theirs. Like, yeah, they may not understand how and Verde might have a conniption, but that's it. Wait. And they're also very confused about the whole 'heroes vs. villains' thing because where do you draw the line? What is a hero? What is a villain?

In the case of the second, however...

Orange (we'll go with Luce, because she's... idk, the OG I guess): Her opinion won't really matter much to Fon, because she's the one who hurt him in his past life. As for her opinion, well, she understands. She accepts is and wishes him well. Fon will give her a tight, sad smile and then turn away as the Bats either look between them in curiosity, distrust or anger, depending on if he's told them about Luce.

Yellow: Reborn would act as if he doesn't care. He'll be a bit split, though, in reality. That easy camaraderie and laughter—that's what he wanted from the Acrobaleno, once upon a time even if he'd refuse to admit it. (That's what he wanted with Fon, before the Curse, once upon a time). Even if he comes off as a suave Italian, he's really an idiot. He'd sneer and lash out and the Bats wouldn't really take it well.

Green: Honestly? Verde wouldn't care that much. However, he would be eager to ask questions as to how, why, and when to a lot of things. Some of them sensitive. This will, obviously, rub the Bats the wrong way (ignoring some of their hypocrisy at times). Most of all, I think, he would be confused. The underworld offered so much, gave so much, gave respect and dignity and they wouldn't make you go to school, Fon. So why?

Blue: Colonello and Lal... would be wistful, I think. They were, once, before mafia, military. Sure, not... completely sane military, but military. They'd understand Fon's decision but, if it came down to it, they're not too sure they would make the same decisions as he did. They never were as nice as him, as forgiving as him, as moral as him. (That's what they admire about him, actually. Even after all he faced, he's so very inherently kind). The Bats like them second best and give them the same respect they'd give veterans.

Indigo: Viper... is Viper. Much like Verde, they want to know the how's and why's and when's. Again, this rubs the Bats in the wrong way. They don't like how Viper chases after money. It just feels wrong to them. They especially don't like it when Viper sneers at them and tells them that everything has a price. They almost chase Viper out for that.

Violet: Skull. God, Dick loves Skull, no joke. I've already done one for Skull in the past. The rest of the Bats are a bit more wary, but Skull is undoubtedly the favourite. Skull, meanwhile, is delighted to be the favourite for once and jumps into the mess with fervour.

[seoafin]

do you think megumi and tsumiki aren't close siblings in the manga? otherwise, wouldn't megumi have noted that his sister was acting out of sorts in the latest chapters? i read a meta recently that talked about how the one interaction we see of them is when she throws milk at him and doesn't seem apologetic. do you think that was deliberate in the sense that gege was trying to subvert the woman in fridge trope? anyway, how does this affect your canon understanding of megumi's personality? can't wait for the new fic!!

also, personal question since i'm obsessed with him, how do think gojo would be like in a relationship post kfc breakup in canon? also, in your family au, when do reader and gojo get married?

they are close! while they may not be the type of siblings that tell each other other their innermost secrets, they obviously care about each other. even as children, i'm sure having no parents in the household brought them together as they only could rely on the other. megumi's first thought when gojo approached him was how being a jujutsu sorcerer would affect tsumiki, and even as a six year old her happiness is one of his biggest priorities!! they might not be best friends, but they have a familial bond and they care for each other

keep in mind i haven't read the latest chapters more than i've skimmed over them, but i think it's stated in the chapter that the cursed user inhabiting tsumiki has access to all her memories, and based off that could nearly perfectly replicate her mannerisms and personality, which is what fooled megumi. i think megumi was just so relieved and happy to have found her, it blinded him, and he momentarily forgot about the possibility that it wasn't actually her. once the initial euphoria wore off, it is a possibility that he would've eventually realized it wasn't her! upon realizing tsumiki wasn't tsumiki, he was so devastated that sukuna used that moment to invade his body.

as for your second question i'm not sure i completely understand? to my knowledge, i don't think the fridging women trope necessarily applies because tsumiki is still alive! if tsumiki does end up dying (all to further megumi's character arc) then akutami would definitely be guilty lol ESPECIALLY since nobara died for yuuji's AND he killed off tsukumo yuki 😭

as for that scene, i think it was more to show their contrasting ideologies in how they approach life and see other people. i think tsumiki was very rightfully fed up with megumi's (admittedly immature) way of treating people and obviously as his big sister it falls on her to straighten him up!!! i feel like he was also just Mentally not in a very good place in middle school and full of bitterness and resentment towards everyone. he does undergo a character change from middle school to high school, which the readers can assume is because tsumiki fell victim to a curse. it's the reason why he's trying so hard at being a jujutsu sorcerer, all to help her.

i personally really really like megumi's current character arc as much as i dislike the culling games. his resolved has hardened and he knows what he has to do. there's no more room for doubt, only survival. furthermore, he's growing at an exponential rate, and at this point in the manga the sky's the limit since the mental barrier he's imposed on himself is gone and i really can't wait for him to develop more although the events in the manga are.....yeah 😭 i also think the events of the manga so far have shown us that megumi is indeed ready to put the people he cares about over the greater good. god i hope he and yuuji and tsumiki make it out of the culling games alive!!!!

personal opinion: i don't think gojo is ready for a relationship immediate post-kfc breakup although i can see him rushing into one as a result of it haha

uhhhh i think rip!mc and gojo get married arounddddd 22????? sorry rip!mc that's so unfeminist of me 😫😫😫😫

[firestrike004]

Choices

Can be read as romantic, but was written as platonic, best friend mentioned once

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"Are you unsure what to choose?" She said sympathetically from where she was leaning on the doorway. It wasn't really a question, it was more of a statement. She knew he's always had trouble making choices, especially life changing ones, so why would now be any different? She only asked because she wanted to know what he was thinking. Maybe if she knew, she could help make the decision easier.

"Of course I don't know! It's so difficult." She knew he wasn't angry at her, just frustrated and worried. She could see the tears forming in his eyes. "What if I pick the wrong one and end up with something I hate? What if I choose one and the other is better? I'm so scared of the consequences. What if I resent it, but can't do anything about it, so I just have to sit there and pretend like nothing's wrong! I've made the wrong choices before, I-" His voice cracked and she couldn't help but to tear up, herself. She hated seeing her best friend like this; sad, overwhelmed, anxious. He gasped for breath and put his head in his hands. "I can't live like that" He whispered as his tears began flowing down his cheeks.

She crossed the room and sat down beside him, rubbing his back. She brought her other arm around his front and pulled him into her, hugging. They sat in silence for a while, the only sound heard was his hiccupped breaths. Finally she broke the silence. "Life is ours to choose and you've made so many beautiful choices. 'Cause if the universe was made of only right or wrong choices, then that's not really a choice at all. And that's not really living, is it?" He paused for a moment before looking up at her. She was watching him, obviously had been for a while, with that concerned, but soft smile. Her eyes shone of understanding and the want of being able to help. "Life is about choosing, but it's also about the things that makes those bad days just a little bit better. The light in the darkness, if you will. Everything you've said and done has led me to being here with you right now. I met you in that darkness, I became that flicker of a flame at a time you needed it."

She brought the hand on his back to his hair and began running har hand through it. His tense shoulders relaxed as he put his face to her neck and closed his eyes. His shaking breath right on her neck tickled her, which sent a shiver down her spine. She ignored it in favor of continuing her speech. "If you do choose the wrong option, maybe you'll find another light shining for you. If you don't, I will always be here, through it all. I'll be right beside you as you take that first step onto a whole new path. I'll be holding your hand as you come upon the first obstacle to the last and I won't let go. I'll be there to watch you take your first breath of relief after everything that you made it through, just as it will always be. You and me." By the end his breath had calmed down and she could tell that he was on the verge of falling asleep. While he was still anxious and did not want to make a decision, he was content. For he knew that as long as he wanted and needed her to, she would stay and that made him happy. In the future he will forever be showing just how thankful he is and be there for her just as she had been for him.