#for a bit of clarification

[mylittlesecrethaven]

Anybody Know Where To Find Any Good Comfort Fics For Anxiety Attacks With Twst Or Obey Me Boys?

[transformers-earthspark]

IMPORTANT: TUMBLR HAS MADE A DEAL WITH MIDJOURNEY/OPENAI.

YOUR ART AND IMAGES ON TUMBLR ARE BEING USED TO TRAIN AI MODELS.

The opt-in is automatic, but you can turn it off in settings.

Go to "Blog Settings" -> "Visibility" -> "Third-Party Sharing" and turn on "Prevent third-party sharing for [blog]". (This post shows how to do it on browser and on mobile.) You need to do this with every sideblog. (Note: The option in settings might not appear if your app hasn't updated yet. You can still opt out via browser.)

Spread the word. Everyone on Tumblr needs to know about this.

[remcadll]

Gen obsessed with how.. *dead* your Jason's color pallete is. Like, that's corpse pale right there. Not a spec of blood left flowing in there (also father Todd's skin being full of color in comparison is a nice touch)

THANK YOU I love making him look a bit ghoulish. Guy who's not supposed to be alive but yes he is. no he isn't <3

[yeoldenews]

Yet another selection of some of the better names I've come across in Regency era newspapers recently.

[ceilingstars]

Just a fun little painting I did for today

Image I used as reference for this piece

[quartergremlin]

back to your regularly scheduled shenanigans - ft: where would they get a chicken in an apocalypse.

first/previous/next

transcript:

Mikey:

Eggs and bacon for breakfast! Eat as much as you want, Case.

Casey Jr.:

Oh theyre early! Thanks, Mikey!

M:

What do you mean?

CJ:

Well you usually lay later in the year, so I wasn’t expecting eggs.

Raph:

mornin’

CJ:

morning

Meme:

Future Leo (absolutely hates this idea):

It’s free nutrients

Future Mikey:

For the good of the Resistance. For the good of the Resistance. For the good of the Resistance.

[brunosaderogatory]

Happy pride month

[zuzu-draws]

So after the spoilers for Chap 257 dropped, I saw some tweets clarifying the meaning of the Kanji Sukuna used in the chapter when referring to his mother, and the overall reveals in the chapter got me thinking.

I’m making this post as a way of gathering my thoughts, personal speculations and where I think all of this connects to Sukuna’s character and the information Gege has given us over the years. Nothing I say is by any means new information, but like I said, I’m just collecting my thoughts here. By the way, just a warning, this post contains SPOILERS for the JJK Manga! If you don’t like that, please don’t read this!

Something I’ve noticed is that the theme of “Hunger” and symbolism of “Cooking/Food” is heavily referenced with Sukuna throughout the Manga. Gege in a previous Fanbook has disclosed Sukuna’s favorite Hobby to be “Eating”.

This theme is again very much ingrained within Sukuna’s cursed techniques and even his Domain Expansion, the “Malevolent Shrine”. With his two main techniques being “Dismantle” and “Cleave” are cutting-type attacks. He is also able to use a Flame-Arrow, and Fire is essential for making Food. The Shrine in his Domain Expansion literally has mouths on all sides, looking eager to chew down anything in-front of them!

This symbolism also heavily influences Sukuna’s own manner of speech, and the way he speaks to other characters in the series as well. With his post-fight chat with Jogo before his death, Sukuna mentions Jogo lacking the “Hunger” to take control of his desires, preventing him from reaching the heights of Gojo Satoru. Before the Start of their fight in Shinjuku, Sukuna called Gojo a “Nameless Fish on top of his cutting board”, and that he was going to start by “Peeling off the scales”(refering to Gojo’s infinity). There’s also further symbolism that supports this by analyzing the Kanji and meaning of Sukuna’s “Malevolent Shrine” but I’m not very educated on that so I won’t be opening that point here.

What all of this points to is that Eating and Food……is extremely important to Sukuna, to the point that it literally affects him in manners innumerable.

Eating is an instinct, a necessity for the survival of every single living being.

And In the face of extreme Hunger and starvation, even those with the strongest will could lose their Humanity and revert to the basic animalistic side of their existence. (The Heian Period also had a Famine, although I believe the timing to be a bit off, but do with this info as you see fit)

In JJK Chapter 257, it is revealed to us that Sukuna and his Twin were most likely starving in the womb of their starving mother.

On the brink of starvation, Sukuna had to consume his “other self”(his twin), so that he could survive.

Btw, this tweet and this thread gives additional characterisation to Sukuna:

Link to the original thread: Link.

More context (and reactions :P):

Link to original thread: Here

This reveals to us that indeed, Sukuna was born a twin. And as we all know, “Twins” are seen with extreme scrutiny in Jujutsu Society, they’re not well liked. This too in a period where Cursed Spirits and Jujutsu Sorcery was at its peak, it is not far-fetched to assume that his Mother may not have been treated very well by the people in her surroundings, especially as she bore twins.

When Kashimo asks if Sukuna was born the Strongest or if he made himself the Strongest, this is the response Sukuna gave to him:

When you think about it, how do you think the people around them would have reacted when the woman: who was supposed to birth two twins, gave birth to a single child instead? and that child had consumed his other twin in the womb itself?

No doubt people would’ve been horrified, disgusted and even revulsed. With the woman and her newborn child.

This would’ve led to their further ostracisation in the already very close-minded society. Unable to fend for herself and her newborn child, it must’ve been difficult for Sukuna’s mother to survive. I feel like somewhere along the line, Sukuna was left alone to fend for himself at an extremely young age. To protect himself from both Curses and Society alike.

This is why I believe Sukuna knows what true starvation, weakness and hunger feels like. Both in the emotional and literal sense. He was left without another person caring about him or his well-being, in a cut-throat period where it was “Fight or be killed”.

Powerful curses roamed all across Japan, nowhere was safe. Simply be strong, or you'll die. There's no room for weakness. And initially, a kid!Sukuna was weak, as anyone would be in the beginning when they're just starting out in this world. (and maybe, he didn't have much to eat, leading to long periods of starvation? :') )

I believe it is this debilitating hunger, and feeling of weakness that eventually led to Sukuna’s current Hedonistic mindset.

He’s essentially traumatised by it, and believes that it was his own weakness that led him to experience this sheer starvation. That he deserved to feel this way because he was weak then. Perhaps, the people around him were right, that as long as they have the power and strength to overcome anything, they’re free to do as they please; And there is nothing anyone else could do about it.

I feel like the irony here is that Sukuna himself, must’ve been a “weakling” before eventually rising the ranks to become History’s Strongest Sorcerer. This is also why he values Strength so much.

Ultimately, Sukuna has decided that there was nothing more important than being strong enough to fulfill your own desires. And “eating” is one of his most important desires. It’s his favourite thing to do, the one he derives the most pleasure out of. And like an animal, whose main focus is to consume, consume and consume. He too, simply consumes.

Most morals likely have no meaning to him. He doesn’t care who he hurts, what he does, as long as he’s able to get what he wants. And this isn’t limited to eating.

This is why people referring to Sukuna as a “Natural Disaster” is so befitting of him. Because Natural Disasters also don’t care about what or who they’re destroying, they just come and go, wreaking havoc appropriate for their nature and magnitude.

I believe Sukuna himself has said lines similar in nature, when talking to Kashimo:

Now I’m not sure how Sukuna perceives or even experiences this “Love”, because I think he has a rather very warped idea of it. I do think that this definition of love is similar to the one that Gojo also understands, but I don’t think he knows what “love” truly is. I’m not sure how I could comment on this, but I do think that Sukuna’s emotionally starved, whether he realises that or not.

Because, like Kashimo himself asked Sukuna “What is the point of dividing your soul into 20 different parts and then traversing across time if you’re satisfied with this?” we do not know the answer to that yet.

But many people have speculated that “Black Box” panels in JJK manga represent a curse (either self-inflicted or put by someone) on the speaker. Like, take a look over here where Sukuna reiterates the same dialogue, except it looks like he’s trying to reassure himself:

This once again shows that Sukuna has only ever strived for himself, in the same hedonistic fashion, to a very very extreme degree. It is possible that he's been lacking something, and he himself does not realise that he’s lacking it. Maybe it was this subconscious feeling, that led to Sukuna agreeing to Kenjaku’s plan of dividing his soul into 20 different parts, and to traverse across time as a Cursed Object.

Sukuna’s an incredibly complex character, and I’m excited to see where this goes. Gege has put extra care in the way he characterizes and depicts Sukuna, and again, I’m really sad that a lot of that characterization gets lost in translation. Still, I’m going to try my best to understand and get the most accurate feel of his character as I possibly can.

If you made it this far, Thank you for reading! And if you would like, please do leave a comment in the tags or replies because I would love to read what other people think of this and just Sukuna in general. I do not see a lot of people doing critical analysis of him, and a lot of his actions are seemingly swept under the rug. I don’t like that, so hopefully this contributes to people focusing more on Sukuna and his character. (/^v^)/ <3

[kremy-lecroux]

Hey Lily do you have any favorite animal so far? If you have one of course.

Ghicken..!!!!!!

[matteoberrettini]

hi, i translated the entire jannik interview with sky for anyone who's interested!! if someone already did it well :') i tried my best so i hope you still appreciate it <3 under the cut because it's long.

WARNING: zverev is mentioned. i cut out the part where jannik talks about him in an answer (it's not long) but he's mentioned by name by the interviewer.

Let's start with, welcome back to Sky Sport. First of all, how are you?

I'm really good. I’m well-rested. So… yeah, I’m happy.

You’re well-rested, but you’ve trained as well. You always take advantage of the time you’re given, and in this case you’ve had and still have a lot, to improve your tennis. What have you been focusing on the most?

Well, honestly I did a lot of different things. I’ve spent a lot of time with my family, especially with my dad. I’ve done a lot of different things with my best friends who are in Monte Carlo, we went karting, we’ve gone on a cycling outing. So, many new things. In the end, the people I have around me every day, that’s what makes me go on every day and I’m very happy. Obviously we’re working a lot in the gym so I can be even more ready for my comeback, but there’s still quite some time left, you know? They’re questions that will be answered in Rome. But everything is going well. [smiles]

What’s made you particularly happy of all the activities you’ve tried, maybe things you hadn’t done in a while, considering you hadn’t had this much free time in a while?

It’s also not living with the constant pressure… because you have to perform. This is for sure the thing I’ve enjoyed the most. Training is a bit different too because you aren’t thinking about having to play a match in a week, so you’re more relaxed. The days are long, but… yeah, and then again, my friends, because maybe you hang out with them in the evening, you feel good, you go out for dinner or maybe you play videogames for a bit or do other things together… so honestly I’m feeling good. Obviously if I could choose, I would choose to be playing tennis. But on the other hand I’m feeling really good and I’m not even thinking about tennis that much at the moment.

A little bit more lightness, [Jannik: Exactly.] that still leaves room for something else: your being a perfectionist. In your ad for Lavazza, you say: “Can we do another take?” [laughs] but always with a smile on your lips like the one you have now. Does this perfectionism represent you?

In part, yes, for sure, because otherwise I wouldn’t be where I am now. I think you can always improve, you know? For sure that Lavazza ad was trying to show that: the fact you can always try to do better, and I mean, that was an ad, but I am like that a little bit. When I play a good shot, I think there is always some little thing I can do better. And we’re trying to work on that in these two months and a half we have to train before coming back in Rome.

I’ll take you back in time a little, to two months ago when WADA proposed to you the deal that would lead to your suspension. I would like to understand how you felt during those days, how was it for you, on a human level?

How it was for me… if I’m being honest, I’ve felt very relaxed. The decision of taking the three months suspension was very quick, we accepted it in a short span of time, even if I didn’t really agree, there was a lot of back and forth with my lawyer and the people around me… but in the end you’ve got to choose the lesser evil, you know? And I think that’s what I’ve done. Even if sometimes it feels a bit unfair, what I’m going through. But, when you look at the way things standed, it could’ve gone a lot worse and with even more unfairness, so… that’s how things went. Afterwards, when we took this decision, it took me a while to find myself again. Some other things also happened that didn’t have to do with all this but that weren’t easy for me. But… I’m here. I’ve still got a bit of time to process all of this. I can’t wait to come back in Rome, it’s a special tournament for me, even if at the same time it’s a very difficult one because coming back, in a moment when there’s already lots of pressure, and in Rome even more so, isn’t easy. But I’m living every day in a relaxed way, and again, I’m trying new things, so I’m happy.

Have you learned something new about yourself in the last months, something you didn’t know, even from the way you’ve dealt with things, that maybe can help you during other moments?

I’ve learned a lot, but maybe… I already knew it, that tennis isn’t the most important thing, but I’ve understood it during these months too, that outside of tennis there are people who care a lot, that family comes and will always come first, that friends are essential, that we need to create strong bonds, especially during the rough times… and especially that you need to find people to have around that you can trust, with whom you can exchange ideas… and yeah, to have trust [in people around you]. This is what I’ve learned in the last few months, so I believe on a human level I’ve learned a lot.

Was there a moment when you felt really vulnerable, when, maybe even when you were alone, you felt like crying a little, and felt emotions that you’d never felt before, or had only felt them in certain moments?

I felt very vulnerable after what happened. After I took the suspension deal in Doha, for a month, until now more or less, I felt very vulnerable because some things that I didn’t expect happened, some reactions I had that I didn’t expect from myself… there were a few things going on. I would be lying [smiles] if I said I’m a person that has no feelings, that feels no emotions, nothing… but you learn things, during your life, and I think year after year I learn more and more about myself, about who I am as a person, and also my value as a person. So it wasn’t easy, it was really hard actually at times, but the people around me lifted me up, gave me the strength to work through what happened.

On the topic of your comeback in Rome, there’s two sides of it: the love of the people, and we’ll talk about that in a bit, but there’s also your colleagues that you’ll meet again on the tour. In another interview with Sky, some months ago, you said it worried you, during the time when it was all still unresolved and a “hot topic”, going back to Flushing Meadows and have to think of how some of your colleagues would look at you. [Jannik looks down.] How has this worry changed now, maybe considering instead how you will look at some of them, who have said some harsh things [about you]?

Well, you know… it’s a question I can’t answer because I don’t know what could happen. I know how things went, I know I’m innocent. And the people around me, not just my team but also outside of my team, my family, my friends, those are the ones I stay close to, and there’s not even a slight doubt about what the truth is, so… I’m very relaxed because at the end of the day what I want to do is play tennis and be at peace, so that’s the end of the story. I’m sure everything will go well even if at the beginning it’ll take me a little bit of time to get going again. But these are questions I don’t know the answer to. [smiles]

And have you watched some tennis, during this time? Among all the different activities you’ve dedicated yourself to, have you watched some matches?

I’ve watched very very little tennis. I’m not keeping up with anything, basically, except a few matches that I’m interested in, but beside that, nothing. Because it’s something I can’t control, the results and performances of other players. And I’m out for three months anyway, there is no point in checking what’s happening, the time I’ll compete again is so far away that… it’s a bit of a different moment in my career [smiles] but I’m not watching anything really.

Well, even if you haven’t looked at the rankings, I’ll tell you you still have a big margin as world number one. Did you expect that the margin, despite you not playing, would remain basically the same?

The answer’s the same as the previous one: I can’t control how the others play, especially when— even if I were to play the tournament I would not be able to control anything, so there’s no point. In the end they’re just points, we can agree that the rankings are important, coming back as number one, number two or number three [is important], but… it’s a bit of a different moment. There’s also the new generation coming in, the new new generation with even younger players, Nole who still reaches finals or wins tournaments, there’s a lot moving around right now in this sport, but I can’t control anything, so this is what it’s like.

But did you expect that Zverev and Alcaraz would struggle so much? I mean they had a big chance with you not playing, and yet it almost seemed like they felt pressure from you from the outside, in a way.

Well, no match is taken for granted, even if you play against the world number 100, number 150, they’re all hard-fought matches, and in the moment when you’re not at your best… and maybe they’re going through hard times outside of the court, we can’t know that. There are a lot of things that can affect you when you step on the court. Maybe the pressure, maybe the number 1 rank, issues with your family or others close to you, so I don’t know. For sure things can change very quickly and now there’s the surface change, it starts again with Monte Carlo, there’s clay where Carlos is the favorite. [there’s a bit about zverev playing well on clay too here that I don’t feel comfortable translating.] There’s a lot of things. Let’s see how it goes.

[here is a bit about lavazza and how he feels like he’s part of the family and they’re great, also not comfortable translating this considering some of the group’s words and actions re: palestine in the past; also It’s just sponsoring lavazza basically lmao]

Imagine, in exactly a month, you’re in Rome. Can you picture how many people will be there, wanting to support you, cheer for you and see you back on court. How do you picture it?

Well, it’ll be important to keep a balance. Between the attention I will receive and especially how I will react to it and a lot of other things, including external factors, so I don’t know. Surely I love playing in Italy, I’ve showed it in Turin, which is a place where I feel safe. Having the crowd on your side is an extra asset, the support from Italians is important, you feel it a lot on court, especially if you’re the opponent of an Italian player, so it’s an asset I can take advantage of. It’s going to be a [makes quote-unquote gesture] problem or a privilege in a month’s time, so there’s still a bit of time and during this time I will try to get ready as best as I can.

Is there a countdown in your head?

Yeah, that’s been a thing since day one honestly, because… I stopped doing what I’ve always dreamt of doing, I’m in the best position to play this sport, so yes, at the beginning I started counting down the days. But every day it gets closer, every day I feel better, physically and mentally, even if there’s still quite a bit to wait. And it’s also a good chance for me to improve in the areas of the game that I had more problems with and to make my comeback on a surface where usually I struggle. So let’s try to do differently [on this surface], and if we manage, that’s great, otherwise I hope we’ll have many more years to try. [smiles]

Yeah, let’s hope so, that there’ll be many of them! They always say when you wait for something you really want, as I imagine you are awaiting your comeback, you remember what you really desired as a kid. What would you compare your desire to come back on court to? To when as a kid you were waiting for which moment, which event?

It’s hard to say. I’d always wanted to become a [F1] pilot, when I was a kid. We didn’t have the money for that so I never even started, but I went karting now, and the night before I couldn’t wait to do it, it was an amazing feeling. It will probably be something similar to that. Then we went cycling a few days later, and with that too there was a desire to try it out, and I think it will be something kind of similar. Knowing, being aware that I’m a good tennis player though. On the go karts I’m maybe not that great [smiles] and I’m really bad at cycling, but anyway, it’s really important, coming back, finding that desire again. But in the moment I took the suspension deal I was very… I didn’t even think about tennis, I thought about how I would spend these months, with which people and that was it.

So, we’ll see you in Rome.

Yeah. See you guys in Rome! There’s not that much time left [smiles] so slowly, day after day, let’s hope to be ready and I’ll see you in Rome.

[sunshades]

hello bell, I hope you're having a wonderful day. I'm very bad at articulating my thoughts but I 100% agree with you that the end scene with cathy and heathcliff standing next to the graves are indeed cathy and heathcliff, not their children! but this theory is very prevalent in the fandom and it doesn't make sense to me, which I brought up to my friends but I can't explain myself further than 'why would it be their graves considering the message of the canto and development of their relationship' and then elaborating on both to the best of my ability.... I think I chose the wrong line of thinking and now I'm stuck and it's driving me insane! how would you explain the scene being cathycliff? thank you in advance!

hi anon!! i'm really sorry this ended up super offtopic and more character analysis beam but. I LIKE TO BE THOROUGH

SO long story short i mean Yeah you're right it just doesn't make sense for these to be Other Guys after the whole thing about how they can in fact reach to each other and even if it's "too late" the love was there and it always remains.

i'll put a tldr at the end to mention some other smaller things that make the child reading incorrect, but to get way too detailed with it, the canto removes the narrative need for a second generation, because heathcliff and catherine are already taking on those roles as far as the ending goes. so let's talk about a glimpse of tranquility!

small tangent re: general reception cuz i just think it's always relevant. it's not that prevalent here, but correcting common misconceptions is kind of impossible over on twitter, and there are a lot of people who read the books years ago and don't remember some details. i still see people wondering stuff like "why did they call him linton when that's his last name?" while someone familiar with the story will pick up on how that's because he's based on linton heathcliff even more than edgar. a lot of limbus source books discussion goes by word of mouth rather than solid sources (ohh the divine comedy misinfo that goes around...) so i mean. just because more people say it it doesn't mean they're understanding it better than you. always double check 🔥

OKAY with that out of the way: much like linton is linton h. and edgar, the same goes for heathcliff and catherine, including personality (heathcliff's passion but hareton's loyalty and kindness, and on the other hand cathy e.'s impulsivity but also cathy l.'s crafty side and more reserved personality) and most importantly narrative role.

the thing with the second volume of the story is heathcliff isn't "redeemed", but the tale itself is, through hareton and cathy l. in some essays i've seen this described as a kind of fairy tale situation, with hareton being almost this "lost prince" trope, but even that "good" ending to the book is terribly bitter with the context that it was only an option for him, as a white man who could reclaim his family's wealth, while heathcliff is never able to be peaceful and free in a world that upholds the racism that victimized him to that point- this is stressed by the fact that even in death, he and catherine reunite outside of heaven, outside the bounds of society.

when it comes to limbus: i wanna link to this v good post by @/melonisopod about how heathcliff is hareton, and i have mentioned before how hindley is also heathcliff, but yeah to restate it: heathcliff eventually breaks the cycle, in the face of hindley who first subjects him to the abuse, spurring his desire to take revenge and enact that same violence on others, and in the face of the erlking who represents everything horrible people think of him and he worries he might turn into. this reflects the way hareton is framed narratively, with book!heathcliff explicitly seeing himself in him, the love and the shame and the inadequacy...

catherine is handled differently, because she does give in to the despair and follows the path laid for her by the narrative (that the only ending for their story involves her death), but the canto still hints at the dual roles through the line about the ghost of her mother, or the whole situation of the spring equinox.

so heathcliff and catherine both suffer through the events of the first generation, and obtain the narrative role of the second generation, but then the thing is: while heathcliff is obviously connected to hareton (to you, the reader), the erlking is also just. literally what would've been him. he's looking at the reflection of his future and nelly tells him: that is you, you are the devil. of course it's important that the symbol of the resolution of the story is also him, not a third hypothetical (white) child. he's the one who decides to change things:

and he's the first to acknowledge that they lost that chance of speaking and working things out together, and that now they did uh kill a bunch of people and drove their mother figure insane (nell im sorry nell may you have a lovely retirement), so THAT'S when the graveyard scene shows up-

this is meaningful enough for both him and the erlking to realize the strength of his and catherine's love- and unlike the book where we're looking at an entire saga featuring two generations of characters, and the resolution and narrative satisfation can come from either of them, here it can't be about anyone else but heathcliff. it's not a generic "oh i guess love will keep happening in the city", this is about the possibilities of their lives. it is about knowing that even if she won't wake up, it's worth moving forward and living and remembering her, and that eventually they'll meet again in some form, and that their love was not wasted, or outmatched by the hatred they had for each other and themselves.

not to go on another tangent, but a sentiment i see at times in fandom is that multiple universes/mirror selves/clones plots tend to get a reaction where people assume that the story being told is always "you're shaped by your experiences = none of those people are like you" which! absolutely makes for a great narrative like hell yes everybody let's go rewatch infinity train together! BUT it's not the only story you can tell with it! because at times instead it can be used to give you a different perspective on a character, or to give it to the characters themselves! something like umineko hinges on this line of thought, that those alternate truths are still part of you.

canto vi touches on both of these points, on one hand by having catherine (who was so caught up in her mind that she overlooked the people around her) understand that the person she loves and must protect is the one she spent her life with, but on the other hand they have heathcliff (who was so blinded by his self-hatred that he couldn't conceptualize anything beside that) see the truth of a world where they can be together, and know what even if things were to turn out badly, they will meet again.

FINAL NOTES to support all this: the river of consciousness is ofc a plot element to the city in general, but it also references the underworld rivers of greek myth- this was the haunted house canto, where the main npc turned into the house and had her body puppetted by a ghost characterized as a banshee, while the main character met his own self who was characterized as a dullahan and lead an army of the dead... we're also in a larger story based on the divine comedy- wuthering and canto vi share a lot of imagery with canto 5 of dante's inferno, and while i can't be sure of the former, the latter was definitely intentional.

with all of these together, the implication of the scene is that at the end, we're finally getting to see the shadows of the underworld at peace, emerging from the current together. and heathcliff himself clearly sees that image as the two of them!

NOW other assorted stuff:

i keep mentioning it but yeah like just to clarify in the novel heathcliff and catherine do reunite as ghosts, walking the moors together, same as the certain world cg,

dante sees "two youths who each resemble Heathcliff and Catherine"-- hareton does not look like heathcliff, he looks like catherine (first book screenshot, i didn't crop it so i wouldn't have to add another picture and have tumblr be mad at me) in that scene heathcliff goes on to talk about how actually Everything reminds him of her, but that's irrelevant in this context. first of all hareton is white, but he's also described very similarly to her, he has her same eyes and hair, and has a completely different bearing from heathcliff. (on the other hand, since we're here, game catherine being blonde makes her visually closer to catherine l.)

kind of? sidenote maybe but the canto not only describes catherine and linton as not loving each other, but it's also pretty much said that they didn't even sleep in the same bed. nelly's whole arc implies to me that only she is the costant that's always dragged in between their drama, while marrying linton isn't necessarily like... recurring? the world where cathy works at k corp and the one where she's a sailor confirm this further. so there's that

best for last: the canto's profile banners! to start with, this is the same image that was used pre-release in the roadmap to promote the heartbreaking. baseline, why even promote heathcliff's canto by using a picture that isn't supposed to be him or even a character that physically shows up in the story. but more importantly, only one grave, only one person, the golden bough in the distance. of course it's him! even more specifically, this one isn't "heathcliff from the wuthering heights of a certain world", but it's our own: left alone, but looking for the hope in the distance.

SO this got super long. but to sum it up, the child reading goes into a lot of hypotheticals that kind of ignore the narrative roles of heathcliff and catherine in the canto. it kind of just boils down to a "what if (thing that didn't happen) happened just like the book though" feeling which like, nobody really expects or even wants for other cantos? well sinclair is going off to war next

on the other hand, additional material points to the tranquility cg being heathcliff and catherine, heathcliff speaks of it by recognizing himself in it, the erlking is so personally moved by it in a way that doesn't make sense for someone seeing the daughter of the woman he loved and the son of his abuser, and just in general the ghost reading of it is a reference to the final chapter of the book in a way that acknowledges the events of the game and heathcliff's characterization.

as more of an opinion, i would say the scene even places dante's narration as a parallel to lockwood's and the story's closing lines "(i) wondered how any one could imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth", which i find really cute, especially when thinking about inferno 5 🙏

again!! sorry this got so long, but i hope it helped! every now and then i realize there's bits of the story i wanted to write on properly but then ended up only discussing with friends, so i'm always happy to share... have a lovely week anon thank u for stopping by to talk!! very flattered you though of me 😊💖!!!

[wisteriaclaw]

still insane to me that after all that, dr julien just. died. of an ailment. between seasons 😭

[viva-pluton511]

I'm gonna be so honest, Lee being touch starved and becoming a gym bro is so real of him. Weightlifting is like the best cure for touch starvation, y'know behind actually talking to people enough to get close to them and receive/give affection. But lifting weights is a lot easier. There is no better feeling than using your whole body to lift something your own body weight and just feeling it sit on you for a second.

I don't know, this might just be me. Just something I noticed as someone who has been training for deadlifting the past month(definitely not an expert 😭), him likely being a regular weights guy stood out to me.

Though I know there's probably tons of other reasons too like discipline and reputation that seem to be a common theme for him

[cheolsblackgf]

office encounters [l.jh]

⇒ woozi x reader

⇒ word count: 3.8k (including the bonus)

⇒ warnings: just some insults but nothing too crazy

⇒ content: office romance; rivals to lovers; some kissing yadda yadda; little bit of girl bossing

⇒ note: hello pls don’t @ me about how long it’s been i already know.. didn’t think this would mark my return bc i wrote this almost a year ago but lowkey i kinda cooked with this one so i thought i’d share.. also side note PLEASE come to my inbox if you find an error bc i literally proofread like 14 times looking for this one error i saw before but it just disappeared or smth idk so if you find it i’ll give you a brownie!!! anyways 시작해볼까요

“You look pretty today.”

Jihoon from corporate communication usually has a sarcastic quip for you when you cross paths in the copy room. Where humor comes easy for him, annoyance comes easy for you the same. You both seem to get on each other’s nerves in all the right ways; never enough to report the other to HR, but enough that you’d steer clear of him the entire day if he said something that got under your skin. Something like, “Why’s marketing’s posters suck so bad?” He’ll ask, and subsequently answer himself with, “Oh, that’s right. ‘Cause you’re the one making them.” Either he doesn’t know you spend so much time figuring out which design looks best, or he knows and purposely wants to get you riled up. It works, because you’re an emotional person and if someone criticizes your work, it feels like a personal attack.

This time, though, you’re making flyers for the office yard sale slash fundraiser, and he’s making copies of coupons for the local stores. Since there are about forty floors in your building, you’ll easily be occupied for at least two hours, hanging multiple flyers on each floor. Jihoon has his hands full as well, he makes one hundred copies for each store, with there being four stores total in the area. Luckily, you go to the copier first, so when he walks in, you quickly rest with a smug smile on your face.

“Hey,” he says casually. You’re waiting for him to tell you to hurry your ass up on the copier but he doesn’t. Hey?

Instead, you respond, “Hi,” and turn back to the copier to see how many sheets are left. Still sixty five.

“You look pretty today.” He tries next. You almost hit cancel on the print job right then and there. How can he say something like that. You look pretty today? Try again, Lee! It’s not gonna work!

You don’t immediately thank him for his compliment. You just think that somehow, he’ll add in a “—pretty ugly!” and then laugh it off. That’s the Jihoon you know. Not this “hey” man. Usually when you walk into the copy room, he groans and rolls his eyes. He always has a dig ready, too. “Didn’t realise it was loser day at the copy machine.” He’d say. You always have something to come back at him with. “Must be why you’re here.” It doesn’t seem like he’ll bicker with you today at all.

The display on the machine says there’s still forty sheets left. That means you can either pretend you left something at your desk and quickly exit the room until it’s done, or you can brave it and see what this guy is up to.

The second one. “I look pretty today? What are you up to?” You narrow your eyes at him, assuming there’s either a catch or some sort of joke hidden in his praise.

“No gimmicks,” he shrugs. “I just call it like I see it.” Oh, okay.

He’s standing on one side of the machine with you at the other. The polite smile stained on his face drives you up a wall. You feel like if you reciprocate it, it’ll be overkill. Him complimenting you doesn’t change the fact that you are office enemies. His team and your team often clash, as they’re the ones that share your team’s ideas with the higher ups, only after an intense filtering which often strips your ideas down to nothing. It always sucks because he acts so smug about it when your ideas don’t get pitched how you envisioned them. “Get some better ideas then,” he’d say. Of course, you can’t go out like that, so you tell him “Tell your team to think of one idea to begin with. You get your rocks off by stealing ours, your department would be helpless without us.” It’s mostly true, but sometimes, Jihoon has good ideas. When you two are having a good day, you’ll show each other ideas and give helpful feedback. But that usually doesn’t happen if either one of you has a quip locked and loaded already.

“Didn’t realise your mouth was able to produce compliments when it comes to me.” Twenty two sheets left. He reaches over you for the mini scotch tape. “You know, usually when someone compliments you, you just say thank you and forget about it in five minutes.” While he focuses on his task with the tape, you stare at the display on the copier and watch the number of sheets remaining go down, just so you don’t have to look at him.

He’s never called you pretty before. You need everyone to understand this. The only times he compliments you are rare and they’re always work related. Nice job during that tug of war. Those prints look great. These tchotchke designs would surely sell well. The dessert you brought to the potluck was delicious.

New to the list: you look pretty today.

You’re not sure how to feel internally, but externally, your mind is already made up. You’re annoyed. How could he say something like that with such a serious face and not be joking? Why couldn’t he be joking?

“I would say thank you, but I don’t know what this is.” He raises his eyebrows at your comment. “This? I don’t know what it is either because I can’t figure out what you’re talking about.”

The copier chimes to tell you the print job is finished. You log out of the machine and move aside to collect your sheets. You’ll definitely have to make a second trip—and perhaps with a box of some sort to hold all of the sheets—but you just want to leave this room.

Jihoon starts to grab a stack of the sheets as well. “Where are these going?” He asks, sounding nothing but sincere.

“Don’t know yet. I have to put them on each floor, though. I’ll find something to put them in in a little bit.”

“D’you need help?”

You set the sheets down. “Okay, listen. I was fine playing that game three minutes ago, but I don’t get it. Every day you look at me like the bane of your existence. You tell me my designs suck, you only fill my tea mug halfway when I ask for some, and you hog the copy machine whenever I need to use it. What gives?”

It would be hard to refute the fact that Jihoon is very handsome, and you have imagined an alternate universe where he was nice to you and even flirted with you, but nothing past that. You’ve never thought of what it would be like to be his girlfriend, to wake up in the morning beside him, to have him fill your tea mug up until it’s full, to meet in the copy room to steal a few extra kisses—okay, maybe a couple times you’ve thought of this. But it almost always gets overshadowed by his behaviour towards you. He is rude to you. He doesn’t like you enough to give up the act, but he also doesn’t hate you enough to ignore you completely. He has some sort of balance that only works with you. He playfully fights with other coworkers, but only as a stand-alone. Your feud is cemented into the very foundations of the building you each show up to every morning at seven o’clock on the dot. It’s ritualistic. It’s familiar. It sucks.

Jihoon leans against the wall and crosses his arms. “What gives? I just think you look pretty today. Can’t a man compliment his pretty coworker once? It’s really not that unheard of, but if you think something else is going on, you’re right. I like you. I never said it before because I assumed you also liked me which is why we do what we do, but I’m getting the feeling you don’t feel the same way which is fine. We can just go back to how we were and forget this ever happened.”

You take the stack of copies you were holding before and quickly leave the room. Once they’re placed on your desk, you awkwardly make your way back to the copy room and get the next set of sheets. Jihoon hasn’t moved from his position against the wall even after you’ve signed off of the machine and relocated the copies out of the way.

Truthfully, you just didn’t know what to say. Him confessing this way was not only unexpected, but also a bit annoying. To think, he’s liked you all this time but consistently and routinely found enjoyment in belittling you. Granted, you also took part in it against him, but only as retaliation and defense for yourself. The whole reason this rivalry started was because he made a comment against you. Why would you be mean to someone you like?

The week goes by slowly without Jihoon’s teasing. He comes by your cubicle once to offer you a mini cupcake from the convenience store on the fifth floor. You decline. He doesn’t come back again.

You thought of pulling him aside to really unpack and discuss everything, but then you consider how much worse it could get if you do that. Things are already pretty bad if neither of you have spoken or even just said hi to each other.

By Friday of the next week, though, you’ve had it with the silence. Your cubicle conveniently is in view of the copy room so you slyly watch the door waiting for Jihoon to go in there. He always prints to-do sheets on Friday for everyone in his department for the following week. At eleven on the dot, you see him disappear in there and you make your move immediately, booking it for the room.

You casually walk in and shut the door, but not before making sure no one was coming. No one really likes it when the door to the copy room is shut because people have been caught doing … things in there, but this shouldn’t take you long. Definitely not enough time to do … things with anyone.

“Hey,” You try, in the same tone as he used with you last week. He looks up from the machine and gives you a confused yet tired look. “What are you doing?” He sighs.

“You look pretty today.” You smile, hopping up on the counter and swinging your legs. He finishes signing in on the printer and runs his print job. He turns around to face you fully. “If you’re here to make fun of me for being nice to you, I think it’s best you stop now because I don’t find it amusing.”

You grin at him. “The opposite actually. I think it’s cute that you like me, but I really wish you would’ve asked me on a date first. And maybe just been nicer to begin with?” Both your eyes dart to the door as a polite knock is heard from the outside. You jump down from the counter and place your hands on Jihoon’s shoulders from behind. Your head rounds the side of his face. “Walk me to my car later?” And he agrees.

You go to let the person in and see yourself out. It feels a bit elementary, that proposal. Walk me to my car? gives the same energy as walk me home from the bus stop? and if you weren’t already getting some twisted wave of déjà vu, you definitely are now.

You didn’t know Jihoon until last year when he started working for this company. The previous person in his position suffered an extreme illness that forced them to resign so he promptly had to fill their position. He wasn’t trained that well, but he’s done the best he could thus far. You don’t know what you would do if he wasn’t in the office. Of course, some of your coworkers are also people you get drinks with from time to time, but Jihoon feels the most… familiar. Despite having never met with him outside of the office, he feels like the most grounding person since he doesn’t put on any front or act with you. You wouldn’t let him either. That’s why his confession feels so out of left field on the one hand, but normal on the other. He doesn’t hide how he feels from you, but he must have if he’s liked you and hasn’t said it until now.

Later comes. It’s 3:42 PM when you finally wrap it up for the day. Jihoon usually leaves earlier than you, but it appears he waited to clock out so you two would leave at the same time.

Okay, you’ll admit that’s sweet. You don’t think you’d do the same for him, but only because you don’t like your job enough to stay any later.

He meets you at your cubicle. “All done?” He asks, moving into your space to help you with your things. “Yep. If you could just carry this bag for me, that would be great, thank you.” He takes the bag from you with no qualms and waits patiently as you gather the rest of your belongings.

You were sadly unable to finish all the work you meant to get done today, so you’re leaving with a bit of homework—namely designing some flyers for part two of the yard sale slash fundraiser. The first fundraiser didn’t go as planned, so the upper level management suggested a second instalment.

Jihoon probably has the same amount of work too, so you wonder how he’s leaving the office empty handed.

On the elevator ride down, neither of you say anything. All you do is stare at the bright red floor descent display and wait until it gets to 1. Upon this happening, Jihoon lets you off first and you lead the way to the parking garage.

“I take it you didn’t get a lot done today?” He wonders, surveying the various items you’re carrying. “Sadly. Honestly, if Claudette hadn’t announced the second fundraiser, I’d be as carefree and empty handed as you.” You meant to come off as nonchalant, but judging by the way Jihoon completely stopped in his tracks upon your completion of the sentence, it was everything but that. “Carefree and empty handed?” He parrots in disbelief.

“CC is scrambling to get Q3 numbers up before having to report to corporate and nothing is working. Honestly, if Claudette didn’t conjure up another fundraiser, you would’ve had to find another sad sap to carry your things to your car because I wouldn’t be here right now.” He explains, which makes you laugh a bit but otherwise frown. You didn’t realise the company’s numbers were so far down that the fundraiser is essentially a double edged sword, but you figured it couldn’t have been for no reason.

Jihoon has always been very efficient with his work, even if about two months ago (maybe even less) you would’ve scoffed and said otherwise. “You’ll figure it out. You always do.” You say, meaning to be encouraging but not entirely sure if it came off that way. “Thanks. You too.”

With your hands full, you couldn’t grab your keys to unlock your car so you have Jihoon do it for you. “Where is this bag going?” He holds it up just in case you forgot which bag it is. “Uh, you can just throw it in the backseat. Well, don’t literally throw it but um—”

“I got it.” He chuckles at your disorganised thoughts.

Once all of your things are settled in the car, you close everything up and stand face to face with Jihoon. “Thank you for the help, I really appreciate it.” You say. “Anytime. I hope you get all your work done.” You reflect the wish back to him. Sadly, you guys just awkwardly stand there for a bit before realising this conversation is not going anywhere else.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, hm? You have my number, right?” He nods and bids you goodbye. You get into your car but don’t start it. Instead, you watch through your rearview mirror as Jihoon turns the corner to the staircase. Had you known his car was on a different level, you would’ve offered to drop him off since the parking garage’s elevator is out of commission. However, in hindsight, the conversation was already awkward enough.

Later that night, you two text back and forth for multiple hours. All the way until 2AM you guys were exchanging messages. He’s really a sweet guy even over text.

At 2:19, he texts you goodnight and says he’ll see you in the morning.

In the morning, like you expected, you see Jihoon milling about the office floor. He sends you a wave, but his hands are full so it’s nothing more than that. You try to catch him to offer your help, but he disappears in an instant.

The flyers you were supposed to make were only half done because most of your time last night was spent talking to Jihoon. You’re extremely guilty, and you feel horrible because you know all the work you have will carry into the weekend, but you made your bed.

Eventually, Jihoon visits you at your cubicle and apologises for keeping you up last night. “It’s not your fault. I wanted to talk to you.” He smiles at this and gives your shoulder a supportive pat. “You’ll get it done.”

For the rest of the day, he leaves you alone—other than bringing you a mug of tea—and honestly, that was for the best. You do manage to catch up on and finish all the work so you text Jihoon the good news. He suggests ice cream after work to celebrate and you agree.

Your manager stops by your cubicle to compliment your hard work. “And I saw you being extra smiley with Jihoon. Good luck.” Before you can refute her statement with any type of defense, she disappears.

Extra smiley. Hm.

At the end of the day, Jihoon meets you at your cubicle once again and this time, you don’t have anything for him to carry except your comically large tote bag that you bring into the office everyday. Before you two leave, you grab your heels from under your desk that you change out of everyday upon arrival to the office. You attempt to put them in your bag, but Jihoon shakes his head. “Put those on.”

“Why?”

“We’re going out to dinner. As a date.” He reveals. You drop the heels back on the floor. “You really are a sad sap.” You remark, sliding one of your sneakers off. “Not for everyone.”

“So you’re saying I’m special?”

“Something like that, yeah.” He speaks nonchalantly. Coming from him, though, these words mean a lot to you. Ever since his initial confession, you can tell not all of his confidence is there. But it’s your goal to show him that he doesn’t have to try as hard, he’s already got you.

As you struggle with getting your sock off, Jihoon groans. “Hurry up, the reservation is for six o’clock.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Reservation? Wow, you must really like me.” He watches as you slip the other heel on. “You know that already. Come on.” He grabs your hand and leads you to the elevator. You press the down button and wait for the elevator to come up. In that time, Jihoon takes your bag from you and fixes the wrinkles in your dress.

The two of you step into the elevator and after hitting 1, the doors close and it begins its descent. In the reflective doors, Jihoon stares at you. “You’re so pretty.” He says. “Am I?” You respond. He nods. “Thank you, my sad sap.” You add, pausing for dramatic effect.

“Okay, you were pretty until about five seconds ago.” He clarifies, but holds your hand tighter all the while. He thinks maybe you’re right, he is a sad sap. But only when it comes to you.

[the end]

SIKEEEEE

BONUS

You’re almost giggling on your way to the copy room. As soon as you saw Jihoon go in there, you knew it was your cue. It wasn’t any type of plan or anything, but lately, you guys have only been able to meet in the copy room because everyone has gotten extremely suspicious of you guys and you didn’t wanna say anything.

As soon as you make it to the room, you shut the door and see your boyfriend already working on the machine. You hop up and make your place on the counter while Jihoon does his thing. “Clear?” He asks with his back to you. “Clear. For now. Come here.” You hold your arms out just as he turns to you and he makes his way over. “Missed you last night.” You whisper. He leans in to your embrace and presses a kiss to your lips. “Me too. Let’s get dinner tonight.” All your plans with Jihoon have been spontaneous because the workload has been unpredictable lately. If you both end the day with no incomplete assignments, you’ll go out and do something together, but if not, you save it for another day.

His print job ends and he reluctantly breaks away from you to go grab his copies. There’s only maybe twenty in the stack, but he asks you if you have any to make. You hand him the sheet you’re copying and he starts it up for you while you wait patiently on the counter. You zone out to the sound of Jihoon clicking around on the printer settings, so much so that you don’t hear him when he asks you how many copies you need. He asks again, “How many copies, baby?”

“Oh! Sorry, thirty-six please.” He’s not annoyed you weren’t listening. In fact, he smiles a little bit and is amused.

He inputs the amount you need and waits for the machine to start printing before making his way back to you. “What do you feel like for dinner?” He asks, caging you in with his arms. “Not sure, but not seafood.”

He pouts. “But baby, I love seafood.”

“Then you can go get seafood and I’ll stay home and watch Queen of Tears.” He gasps at this idea. Even though you’re not serious, he fakes being upset for a second.

A moment later, the door opens and your manager Claudette walks in. She doesn’t see you two right away, but once she does, she says “Oh brother,” and walks right out. She leaves the door open and you can hear her call out to someone else and say, “You owe me twenty dollars!”

You and Jihoon exchange a look. “Who do you think she’s talking to?” You ask him. He pauses for a second and moves away from you. “Me.”

“What?” But he’s already on his way out of the room. “See you later!” He doesn’t realise that he’s forgotten his copies so you’ll definitely be seeing him again soon.

The office will definitely be on fire by tomorrow with this news, you’re already aware. On the bright side, though, you can finally celebrate your first public couple activity: getting bullied by the entire office.

[the end (real)]

masterlist

[royalarchivist]

Luzu: A child of mine died to your hands on the QSMP Quackity: [Literally told Luzu Tilin was his child a month ago] Who was your child? Luzu: Tilin!

This is a compilation of several different clips confirming that Tilin's parents are Quackity and Luzu. QsmpEN also made a post about it!

(Every time I remember Luzu never got to meet Tilin because THE ONE DAY he planned to meet her, the server was closed, I get so sad...)

[jessisart]

some characters from our galveston mage saga!!!! I had at least half a dozen more I really wanted to draw in this set but I ran out of steam 🥲