#i just mean that I don't like arguments that rely on the idea that the devs INTENDED that cultural context to shape the games metaphors

[metanarrates]

watched a majora's mask analysis earlier today with my fiancee. my verdict is that I actually really enjoyed the op's interpretations, but that I wished that they talked more about mm's literal level and what one can get from it, rather than talking about those events as if they are strictly metaphor. yes, of course the metaphorical layer of the game is rich to dig into, but it's also such an open-ended and surreal game that it's difficult to nail down every single distinct metaphor that can be derived from its events. which is why I consider it necessary to discuss the way the literal layer presents itself and what sort of motifs and ideas exist there as a baseline before you begin looking at it as metaphor

[captainfern]

May i request your majesty 🐈..

Cosy! Sfw (or if you find a way to make it NSFW then go wild) headcanon/ imagine of fem! Reader, reading to the boys every night or after a mission?? Like.. so mother ?? Bc they mostly fight and train and wrestle so, they have a lil calm, story time moment with the reader ??

Ugh I’m reading a book rn and thinking I just wanna mother these boys and read them a story!! Babies !!!

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"This Is Not A Book Club"

141 x gn!reader [platonic!]

[Imagines 1]

[SFW]

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• summary - what the request says :) • rating - sfw • wordcount - 1.8k • warnings - ik the request is for fem!reader but no specific pronouns/gendered language are used in this, pet name "love" is used once tho, strong language, no smut sorry fellow whores ✋

this idea is so fucking cute i just had to write it omfg. also i love that gif soap and ghost's interactions are just too adorable *pat pat*

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You didn't mean for it to become a habit.

It began on a whim.

After a strenuous mission, you relaxed in your respective room, curled up in your bed, reading a book. The main light was off, and you relied on the soft glow of the lamp on your bedside table. It was a relatively new book— you were only a chapter or so in— when a light knock at your door made you jump.

You hadn't been expecting it. It was pretty late, too.

You were surprised when Gaz poked his head in, apologising for interrupting. He figured he could unwind in your room, since the rest of the 141 were doing their own thing, and he needed some company.

You accepted, of course— how could you not when he looked at you with those deep brown eyes?

He settled on the bed next to you, sprawling himself across it near your feet. You laughed as he sighed, face buried in your duvet. He lifted his head, peering at you quizzically.

"What are you reading?" He asked.

You held the book up. "I... honestly don't know. It's pretty good, so far though."

He hummed, intrigued, as he scooted closer to you, head now resting parallel to your thighs.

"Read to me?" He asked, long eyelashes casting shadows across his cheekbones beneath the lamplight.

You smiled. "I'm two chapters in."

"That's okay," he muttered. "Just fill me in on what's happening."

You did, explaining the last couple of chapters in as much detail as possible. You then told him what the book was about, reading the little summary on the back. By this stage, his head was now resting on your lap atop the blanket, hand cupping your slightly bent knee.

"Right, okay," he said. "Now you can read from where you were reading."

You chuckled at his enthusiasm for you to hurry up and begin. So, you obliged, reading a couple of chapters before his breathing slowed. You looked away from your book, realising that he had fallen asleep, head still resting in your lap. You smiled, gently patting his head.

He mumbled incoherently.

"Gaz, come on, you fell asleep," you giggled, nudging him. "You need to go to bed."

He yawned, forcing himself to sit up. His eyes drooped, bleary with drowse as he stumbled off of your bed.

"Fine, but I'll be back for the next chapter tomorrow." He muttered, leaving with his eyes barely open.

The next evening, at roughly the same time, Gaz found his way into your room again. This time, with Soap in tow.

"Soap?" You greeted skeptically.

"Gaz said you're reading to him. I like a good storytime, too." He smiled, sprawling himself out on the rug beside your bed. He didn't give you any room for argument as Gaz resumed his place resting against your lap.

"Oh...kay... do you want me to fill you in?" You asked as you grabbed your book from your bedside table.

Soap shook his head. "No, no, don't worry. Gaz filled me in on the way here."

You laughed. "Of course he did."

So that's how you began reading to both Gaz and Soap. That night, Soap did much the same as Gaz did previously by falling asleep— face to the ceiling, stretched out on your plush rug. His soft snores prompted your eyes away from the pages. Gaz, too, was drifting in and out of consciousness.

You closed the book gently. "Okay, you two, time for bed."

Gaz got up without much of a fuss, but he had to shake Soap to get the man to cooperate. Soap grumbled and complained the entire time Gaz hoisted him to his feet. Then, still muttering grumpily under his breath, he let Gaz lead him out of the room.

The next day really confused you.

Both Gaz and Soap turned up, and once they were comfortable in their usual positions, a soft knock echoed through your room. Soap opened the door for Price, much to your astonishment.

"You too?" You questioned as your captain took up position in your desk chair, near the foot of your bed.

He relaxed in the chair, legs spread and arms folded across his chest.

"Got nothing else to do, love." He said simply, imploring you to pick up the book with a nod of his head.

You were in slight disbelief, but nevertheless, you continued with the book. While Gaz and Soap relaxed, listening to the peaceful lull of your voice, Price asked the occasional question. You stopped patiently and replied, ignoring the frustrated groans from Soap on your floor.

"Just shut up and listen, Price."

"Watch it, MacTavish."

Not long later, you managed to finish the chapter before Soap fell asleep. You waved them all goodbye as they filed out of your room, and you forced yourself not to laugh as they did.

Now, if you were confused before, the next day threw you completely.

Once again, Gaz lay sprawled out on your bed beside you, Soap on the floor with his arms behind his head. Price returned, too, taking his place in your chair. Then, just one word into the newest chapter, the door creaked open.

Ghost slipped in, almost silently, and you couldn't help but gape at your lieutenant as he lumbered into the room, cozy black hoodie on and hands jammed into the front pocket.

"L.T, I knew you couldn't resist," Soap beamed from the floor. "You want in on the book club?"

You scoffed, smiling. "This is not a book club."

Ghost just shrugged at Soap. "Lonely outside when I can't hear you lot making a racket."

He stepped over Soap and sunk himself onto the end of your bed, leaning himself up against the wall. He stretched his legs out, brushing your and Gaz's feet, knees cracking as he settled down.

You stared at everyone, slightly dumbfounded. Then, you turned to Ghost.

"You're... here willingly?" You asked him.

"Mhm."

"You... willingly want to listen to me read my book?"

"Mhm."

You took a deep breath. "Right, okay, cool. Um, do you need—?"

"Johnny's given me a rundown." He mumbled.

Of course he had.

And that's how it started, just over two weeks ago. Every night, especially after a particularly rough mission, the boys seemed to gravitate to your bedroom. They'd curl up and listen to your soft voice as you read to them; reading them to sleep on many occasions.

Despite Ghost and Price's lack of enthusiasm compared to Soap and Gaz, you could tell they enjoyed it just as much as the younger two did. It made you smile, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside knowing you could bring these hardened military boys some peace and comfort.

"Okay, so you're telling me, the kid didn't even know he was a wizard?" Price asked, leaning forward in his chair.

You laughed. "No, he didn't. Well, now he does."

"Ridiculous." Price muttered, shaking his head.

Ghost scoffed. "It's unrealistic."

Soap rolled his eyes. "Obviously, Ghost, it's a fucking fictional book about wizards an' shite."

"No, I mean, some big cunt with a beard turned up with a fucking ugly cake and told the kid he's a wizard, and the kid just believed him?" Ghost grumbled. His attitude had definitely shifted since the first time he joined their little, as Soap called it, book club.

"Yeah, basically." You smiled.

You had just introduced them to the Harry Potter series. You weren't even halfway through the first book yet.

"Ridiculous." Ghost said, echoing Price.

"Well, what would you have done, eh?" Soap questioned, sitting up, now cross-legged on the fluffy rug.

"What, if a big cunt called Hagrid turned up on my eleventh birthday and told me I'm a wizard?" Ghost mused. "Woulda knifed him, Johnny."

"Whatever." Soap scoffed.

When they weren't arguing about the book you were reading them, the night's with the boys were really peaceful. Relaxing, too.

A balm for their tortured souls, and a salve for the wounds they had earned during battle.

Dusk would fall, and they would limp into the comfort of your bedroom, warm and smelling sweetly of you. Waves of exhaustion would pin them in place while they clung to the presence of you for stability. Some days, all four would find themselves curled up on your bed— Gaz laying next to you, head on your lap; Soap on the floor, but his head resting on the edge of your bed, a hand resting in the crook of your arm as you held the book; Ghost with his back to the wall, your legs propped up over his, his gloved hands stroking circles on your shins; Price settled next to Ghost, shoulder to shoulder, his legs beneath yours as well, a hand resting warmly around your ankle.

They listened carefully, silently, as you read to them, basking in the comforting warmth of you. Battered, bruised, and bleeding from the cuts of battle, they rested tranquilly at your side. Their ears were no longer ringing with echoes of explosions, nostrils no longer filled with the acrid stench of gunpowder and death. They could hear only you, voice silken with each word you spoke. They could smell only you, the candles that burned and permeated the air, rich and sweet and a consoling sense of familiarity.

Towards the end of a chapter, you could sense a shift in the room. Some time ago, Soap had wiggled in beside you, head in the bend of your arm and shoulder. He breathed deeply, slowly, eyes closed and hair dishevelled against the sleeve of your shirt. Gaz, too, breathed slowly as sleep had overtaken him, hand still heavy on your knee.

Ghost had slumped to the side, somehow managing to tuck his hulking frame between Gaz and the wall. Mask still on, you could see his eyes, closed and smeared with black. Price, too, had fallen asleep; still, impressively, sitting upright. His head tilted forward, hat low over his forehead, snoring softly.

You sighed to yourself, closing the book and carefully putting it back on your nightstand, mindful not to disrupt Soap curled into your side like a cat. You nestled back into your bed, snuggled up with your task force, a sight you had never thought you'd see. As you wiggled to get comfortable, Soap stirred, groaning as he looked up at you, still resting his head near your chest.

"S'all right, go back to sleep." You whispered, angling your arm so it draped securely over top of him.

He didn't reply verbally, just burrowed deeper into your side, reaching a hand around to physically tighten your arm around him. He ran his thumb over your knuckles, before he fell back asleep.

Your other hand found Gaz's head, delicately skimming his hairline, smoothing along the soft skin of his forehead and cheek. You heard him sigh contentedly, still deep asleep.

Eventually, the warmth of the room and powerful bodies around you carried you to sleep.

And it was the best sleep you ever had.

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idk if this was good or not lmao but thank you my darling anon <3 this was nice to write mwah mwah xx

[daistea]

Since you take requests, would I be able to ask for something with Mithrun and Kabru with like a reader that's kind of dense with social cues/hints (especially if they're romantic)?

(I had people confess their love to me, and I still didn't get it till they put it in very clear terms)

(it's probably the 'tism, but I digress. )

I think it's potentially an absolutely hellerious dynamic since Kabru always plays 5D chess with every social interaction. As for Mithrun, I think it's funny to think how the other canaries would just be repeatedly hitting their head on the wall because their captain won't say it straight and they just don't g e t i t.

Ps: I absolutely love how in-depth all of your understanding of characters and their personalities are, and I just hxfhxdvgudts.

This blog just brings me so much joy

Yaaa!!

“Iᴛ’s ᴀ Dᴀᴛᴇ” Kᴀʙʀᴜ x Rᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ, Mɪᴛʜʀᴜɴ x Rᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

gn reader

5000 words ;P

Warning: reader is very oblivious. Like incomprehensibly oblivious (for the lolz)

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

♡ Kabru ♡

- Kabru has had little flings here and there throughout his life. He treated every partner with respect, of course, but Kabru wasn’t particularly looking for love. He doesn’t dislike the idea of love, it just hasn’t happened yet.

- So, when Kabru starts to genuinely fall in love with someone, it’s a new feeling. He’s observant enough to recognize what it is.

- Unfortunately, the person he’s falling in love with is you.

“He’s been unusually quiet lately,” Holm remarked. Who he was remarking that to remained to be seen. Mickbell didn’t care much. Kuro had other things to worry about. And Rin had already made the same observation three times earlier that day.

The first floor of the dungeon was always crowded, and Kabru’s ears were usually open for anything that could be of use. The leather armor merchant to his left had recently raised his prices. The cobbler to the right was in an argument with an older lady over the shape of a patch he’d made on her favorite boots. And Holm was concerned about Kabru’s recent lack of observations; as concerned as Holm could be.

“Is that really such a shock?” Kabru sent Holm a smile over his shoulder. “I’m not exactly a chatterbox.”

But he was aware of himself enough to know that his behavior lately had been odd. He was usually so good at hiding it, too, but the comfort of his friends seemed to lower his walls. Without realizing it, Kabru had spent their latest dungeon expedition sighing to himself, staring at walls, and missing the details of important things. On the third floor, they’d encountered thieves. His party always relied on him to clock the intentions of approaching adventurers— thieves tended to be overly familiar, friendly, and a bit too eager— but Kabru’s mind was elsewhere. The thieves attacked, and it had genuinely taken him by surprise. The fight wasn’t hard, but Kabru’s lack of preparation set off alarms in Rin and Holm’s heads.

“You’re not,” Rin agreed. Her brow furrowed and she got that cute little line on her forehead again. “However, you’ve really been out of it.”

“Have you been thinking about that person again?” Holm asked.

That person. That person? Kabru knew a lot of persons. The whole first level was filled to the brim with persons, half of them being his acquaintances. Kabru had zero desire to admit that he knew precisely who Holm was referring to, though, and decided to keep his gaze straight ahead as he weaved through the crowd.

When he didn’t respond, Mickbell laughed, “Yeah, he’s thinking of them alright.”

“Heat?” Kuro asked.

Mickbell scoffed from his place on Kuro’s shoulders, “Tall-men don’t go into heat! At least I don’t think so. But they catch feelings, like a cold. Kabru’s caught a cold.”

“Not sneezing,” Kuro mumbled.

“A feelings cold, I mean! The worst kind.”

That was one way to put it. Kabru couldn’t help but sigh as he led the party towards a quieter spot in the corner. Once they were out of the sea of people, he leaned against the stone wall and ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t have feelings, I’m simply curious,” he said.

Curious. Right. Mickbell sent him a scrunched up, narrow-eyed look that was reminiscent of constipation. Yet, Rin interjected before the half-foot could say something heinous. “What’re you curious about, particularly?” She asked.

“Good question,” Kabru folded his arms over his chest and tilted his head in thought.

What was he curious about? You held so many secrets. You had this look in your eyes that drew him, a look that reminded him of a room in his mother’s house. She always told him to not go inside. Her rules only made him want to turn the knob even more. And when he finally did disobey her and go inside, all he saw were boxes full of ceramic unicorn miniatures. Still, the rush of satisfaction he’d felt at finally knowing what was in there couldn’t be matched. That’s what he wanted to do to you, open your door and take a peek.

Or, perhaps a ‘peek’ was an understatement. He wanted to meticulously inspect every inch of your mind with a microscope, to know the atoms unseen by the human eye, to be intimately acquainted with every molecule you possessed.

“He’s zoned out again,” Holm muttered, ripping Kabru out of his thoughts.

He looked up, eyes widening at the observation. Holm was right, he was zoned out again, staring at the dirt on the floor and contemplating you.

He forced a smile, “Don’t worry about me, really. I’m just preoccupied. It’s that person, I simply want to know their intentions.”

“Intentions for what?” Rin asked.

For everything. There was no simple answer.

“Oh hey,” Mickbell glanced over his shoulder. His voice was flat as he scanned the room, “There they are.”

Kabru followed Mickbell’s gaze, a straight line that led directly to you— all lines seemed to lead directly to you lately. His heart clenched in a way that was both unpleasant and addictive. Without realizing it, he pushed away from the wall and began striding toward where you stood.

“Wait,” Rin grabbed his arm as he passed. Kabru blinked, looking down at her and waiting for her to speak. She met his eyes and frowned, “I think you’re going to be disappointed. They’re not as mysterious as you think they are.”

Nonsense. You were incredibly mysterious. Kabru could tell you had secrets, layers. He dreamed of pulling them back one by one.

“They couldn’t disappoint me,” he sent Rin a smile that he hoped was reassuring— he knew it was, he’d practiced it in the mirror and on other people all the time.

“I think they will,” she argued.

“They won’t,” his smile faltered just the slightest. Rin didn’t usually get involved in Kabru’s… hobby. Did she know something he didn’t? He decided to not ask outright, accepting the challenge of figuring out the meaning behind her concern on his own.

Rin let go of his arm and Kabru was free to go. His mind switched elsewhere, onto you, and before he knew it he was already slipping through the crowd of bodies to reach you.

You were in front of the vegetable seller’s stand, inspecting a lumpy potato. Kabru knew the vegetable seller was cheating on his wife. Usually, he’d try to get more out of the man, digging deeper simply for the sake of knowing. Yet, you stood there, beautiful and mind-consuming. What did Rin mean by ‘I think you’re going to be disappointed’? Kabru was rarely disappointed with secrets.

“Hey,” he raised a hand as he neared. You looked up from the potato and returned his smile. There was that look in your eyes again, that closed door he desperately needed the key to.

He loved crowds. He loved the hundreds of voices. He loved listening to each one and assigning them meaning, picking apart their words, filing them away into neat little categories. Yet, the crowd might as well have disappeared. All he saw was you. All he wanted was you and your words and your thoughts and your fears and your goals and your likes and your dislikes and your intentions and your—

“Oh hey,” your voice cut through the wants like the slash of a sword, “Kapru.”

Kapru.

His brows furrowed and he plastered on a polite smile— also practiced in the mirror. “It’s Kabru.”

“Right, sorry,” you shrugged.

Were you playing with him? Were you sending your pawn out, a piece that you expected him to take for the sake of a larger, more powerful move? Was it bait?

“How are you?” He forced himself to ask, though he could hear the weakness in his voice. He desperately hoped you wouldn’t notice.

You only tilted your head in thought, “I’m fine. Just buying potatoes.”

“It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other,” Kabru said. It was a lie, you saw him last week. “My party and I are about to go back to the surface to restock. We could grab a drink if you wanted.”

“Why?” You asked.

Why? Why? Kabru couldn’t say why. He wouldn’t say why. ‘I want to take detailed notes on every word you say, every gesture, every breath’ wouldn’t be helpful to his cause in the least.

“Because we’re friends,” he slowly explained. Again, there was that hint of weakness lacing every syllable. He wanted to tear his voice box apart and reconstruct it in a way that wouldn’t falter every time he saw you.

But you didn’t seem to notice. “Alright,” you sent him a smile that made his heart clench.

Alright. Kabru’s smile relaxed, “Alright,” he echoed. “It’s a date.”

‘It’s a date’ was a common saying, of course. But it still held implications, it still held desires, it still signified something more— At least to him it did.

You remained unphased by it, though. Usually, when Kabru said that, there would be a laugh or blush or the widening of eyes. You gave him nothing of the sort. No flirtatious looks, no intention-laced smile, no flicker of recognition.

“See you then,” was all you said.

Rin was wrong. You couldn’t disappoint him. Opening your doors and peeking inside your mind would be so satisfying.

- You go on several dates with Kabru without realizing they’re dates.

- After one date when you make friends with the next table over and invite them to join your meal, introducing Kabru as ‘my friend’ and not ‘the man who is courting me’ or ‘my boyfriend’, he begins to wonder…

- Do you not realize that these are dates?

Kabru knew he had the tendency to stare, but he usually kept that urge locked away for the sake of masking. Always masking. Always aware of his surroundings and the people and the words and the looks.

He kept his staring urge hidden at first. Yet as time passed, as you went on more dates, he couldn’t help himself. He had to stare. He had to drink in every detail of your face, coveting it all as a desert wanderer would covet water.

And you didn’t seem to mind. You would give him this look sometimes, a look he couldn’t quite decipher. It was a mixture between affection and confusion and bashfulness. It was his favorite expression of yours and never failed to put butterflies in his stomach.

Kabru knew he was falling in love. He wasn’t opposed to the idea, but he’d never been truly in love before. At night when he forced himself into bed, he stared at the ceiling and mused on the future you had together. Neither of you had said anything to make the relationship official, but was that even needed? It was obvious that you were together— to him, at least.

Kabru held your hand as he led you through the crowded streets. Once you caught up to his side, he placed his palm on the small of your back. He wasn’t much for PDA, but it was a necessity when traversing the island together. He didn’t want to lose you in the crowd.

Once you were in a more quiet spot, he sent you a smile, “I have to ask, I’m too curious; What’s your favorite date that we’ve had together?”

You thought for a moment, “Hm… I would have to say last week. It was a Thursday. I like Thursdays anyway. I think it was the 7th? Yeah. June 7th, Thursday. That’s a good date, it’s a bit cool outside and all the flowers are blooming. But if I had to say which one was my favorite, I think it would be April 18th. I’m not sure that we spent that date together, though.”

…Okay.

Like the sunset rising over the mountains, it began to dawn on him.

Were you stupid?

No, you weren’t stupid. He had seen you in the dungeon before, how you fought and strategized and reacted. You couldn’t be stupid.

Then what? Were you playing hard to get? Were you teasing him? Was this a move on the board, your Knight piece pressing forward to continue the assault? Kabru needed to know.

He kept his hand on your back but his gaze straight ahead. “That’s nice,” he said. It wasn’t nice, actually. “What about when we hold hands? Do you enjoy that?”

You shrugged, “It helps us keep track of each other as we go through a crowd.”

“But I hold your hand even when we’re not around other people.”

The face you made betrayed your true thoughts. “Yeah, it seems like your hands are cold a lot. You really should start keeping gloves with you.”

“...Do you think I’m holding your hand because my fingers are cold?”

Another flash of confusion, another furrow of your brows. “Why else would you hold my hand?”

The sun rose completely over the mountains and the daytime, clear and bright, engulfed his world.

You had no clue.

- This stresses Kabru out immensely.

- He starts taking notes. He has a special little book just for you. A lot of the pages are filled with scribbles and question marks.

- He makes a plan on what to do. He’s going to up the ante, he’s going to make his feelings so clear that you can’t ignore them or be oblivious even if you tried.

- He starts getting more touchy. He kisses your forehead often. He kisses your knuckles. He’s around you all the time, every chance he gets. He tells you you’re beautiful. He says that he wants you to meet his mother. He talks about your future together.

- You say, “Oh, your mom? Cool. You think we’ll get along? I’m always up for making new friends.”

- “You want a future with me? Well, I’m free next Wednesday.”

“I like you,” Kabru was breathless and wide-eyed. His hair was a mess from how often he’d run his fingers through it. He was disheveled and hadn’t slept the entire night.

You glanced up from the book you were reading, “Oh? Cool, thanks.”

He sent you a look. “No, I mean I love you.”

“Yeah,” you flipped a page in the book, “love you too.”

“You do?” Hope bloomed and unfurled like a spring flower. Kabru felt his cheeks grow warm, a fire igniting within him.

“Yeah,” you said lightly, “I love all my friends, of course.”

That spring flower suddenly wilted. The fire was doused by a cold bucket of water in the form of your words. Kabru wanted to scream and bang his head against the wall.

“You don’t get it,” he hissed through clenched teeth, fingers tensing as he leaned forward, desperate. “I’m in love with you. This is really hard for me to say, but I think you need to hear it like this. I love you. I love you. I love you…” Somehow, his cheeks went even hotter. His adams apple bobbed as he swallowed his embarrassment, “I-I… Sorry. I just need you like I need oxygen. I…”

You snorted, “You don’t need me to breathe, I’m a person not an organ. You’re breathing right now just fine.”

He was not breathing just fine, but that was beside the point.

“Excuse me for a moment,” Kabru said. He could hear how strained his voice sounded.

You watched as he walked away, rounding a corner and disappearing from sight. Then he screamed. It sounded like he also kicked something, a crate or box maybe.

How odd.

- When it finally gets through your head, he’s actually a bit satisfied by your embarrassment at it all. Yes, please do acknowledge your obliviousness. Please do apologize for treating his love confession so casually. When you do so, he feels as if he could melt from the relief.

- He still wants to bang his head on the wall, though.

- And he’s spent a lot of nights screaming into his pillow.

- Kabru continues to play 5d chess with you, just simply out of habit, but you’re playing Hungry Hungry Hippos the entire time. He still finds himself trying to pick apart your actions and responses, but he’s learned how to take things at face value when it comes to you. It’s a difficult adjustment, but one he’s willing to make.

- He starts to learn, take more notes, observe your behavior. For dates, he lays it out carefully. You two are going to do this specific thing. Why? Because he would like to see you happy, and hold your hand, and kiss you. Why? Because he loves you. Now you get it.

- You’re fascinating actually. Genuinely, he starts to adore how your brain works. He wants to pick it apart and hold the pieces up to a magnifying glass.

♡ Mithrun ♡

- He does not care.

- Be as oblivious as you want, that’s not going to stop Mithrun.

- The Canaries, however, are going insane.

“How’s it going with them?” Pattadol asked. Her hands were folded in front of her in that polite way, the way that told Mithrun that his second in command had something on her mind. Pattadol thought she was subtle. She was not.

And he knew precisely who she was referring to. Might as well give her an answer that’ll satisfy her curiosity, lest she keep asking questions.

“Fine,” he answered, “just fine.”

Yet, Pattadol’s brow furrowed. Not a good sign.

“Just fine?” She asked. Her voice went up a pitch. “It’s just fine? Really?”

“Really.”

She unlaced her fingers and spread out her hands as if gesturing to something, but all that surrounded them was Mithrun’s under-decorated living quarters. There was really nothing to gesture at besides the wooden cabinets and the bed. Mithrun waited, aware that she was picking through her piles of thoughts— probably thoughts mixed with screams of frustration— to find the right words.

Finally, Pattadol forced a shaken smile, “It’s clear to anyone that knows you that you’re in love with them, Captain.”

That was what she decided to say? It was a bit blunt for Pattadol’s usual style. Mithrun only shrugged, “Yeah, you’re right. It’s pretty obvious.”

“So why haven’t they noticed yet?”

“Why do you care?”

“Because I want you to be happy for once!” Pattadol snapped, but she then took a deep breath, “Sorry, Captain, I didn’t mean to sound that way. This is hard for me, talking so openly about these things… But it’s so frustrating to watch.”

Mithrun could understand that. While he personally wasn’t frustrated by the circumstances, he knew that the Canaries couldn’t stand watching his interactions with you. It wasn’t a big deal in the long run, in his opinion. They’d get over it.

“Thank you,” he answered.

“Do you have any ideas on how we can do that?”

“Do what?”

Pattadol’s eye twitched ever so slightly. Her fingers tensed like claws, and Mithrun felt the corner of his lips turn up in a barely-there smirk. But genuinely, he wasn’t sure what she referred to. Did she mean the part about him being happy, or the part about you being oblivious? She should’ve been more clear.

“About…” she hesitated. Obviously she wasn’t sure what she meant either. She then nodded as if deciding, “About everything. About the obliviousness, your happiness, etcetera.”

He didn’t know what the etcetera referred to, but didn’t care to ask. “You don’t have to do anything,” Mithrun assured her as he leaned back in the chair and folded his arms. The wood creaked slightly from the movement. Everything on this boat creaked, as was the nature of boats, he guessed.

“I would like to do something,” Pattadol nodded, determined. “We all would.”

A shrug, “Alright. Then do something.”

- Pattadol, over-achiever and top student and certified Girl Who Cares Too Much, takes that as a challenge.

- Cithis only joins because she thinks it’ll be funny.

- Fleki also only joins because she thinks it’ll be funny.

- And Lycion also also joins because he thinks it’ll be funny (though he does care on some level. Not really about you, but about Mithrun. And it’s painful to watch.)

- Otta is forced to join.

- The attempts are weak at first, like dipping a toe into the water to see how cold it is. Mithrun only has so much patience for interference with his life, so they have to be smart and tread carefully.

- Pattadol gives Mithrun a hint. “There’s some pretty flowers growing beside the road over there. You should give one to them!”

- “What would they need a flower for?”

- Mithrun asks that on purpose. He knows precisely what he’s doing. Yes, people generally like receiving flowers, he knows that. But he also believes that flowers are useless gifts.

- “Then what present do you suggest?” Pattadol asks.

- Mithrun has an idea. He gets you soap. Everybody uses soap (hopefully) It’s a useful gift, and if he gives you the same kind he uses then he’ll get some weird sick flicker of pleasure from having his scent on you. (He wisely chooses to not say that part aloud.)

You held the little bar of soap in your hands as if it were an injured baby bird you found on the ground. Yet your feelings towards it were far from protective or empathetic. This soap said something. It had a mouth and it used it to scream.

You met Mithrun’s flat gaze, “Soap…”

He nodded, “Yeah. Soap. It’s a gift for you.”

For you?

Mithrun continued, “It’s the same kind I use. Smells the same.”

It felt as if you’d swallowed a handful of pebbles and they all had gotten stuck in your throat. “Do you… think I’m stinky?”

You cursed yourself for even asking that. What a useless question. Obviously, he thought you stank! He gave you soap! He was trying to tell you something, being subtle and polite for once! Usually Mithrun would just say it bluntly, but he’d been working on his desires lately. Perhaps he’d also decided to embrace societal expectations? You weren’t sure. But soap. Soap!

You didn’t notice how Mithrun tensed. You didn’t see him quickly blink several times and tilt his head. You didn’t see the slight widening of his good eye. “No, I—“

“I’ll go use this right now,” you interrupted, “I’ll go wash away my stench so you can finally stand to be near me.”

Despite the horror, you were a bit proud of yourself. You’d taken a hint, maybe you were getting less oblivious.

- In your defense, a bar of soap is a weird gift.

- Alright. Mithrun admits it, he needs help. He’s not so prideful anymore that he won’t admit that he doesn’t know what to do.

- Pattadol is really triumphant about that but does her best not to show it.

- Plan B: make it so obvious that you have no choice but to realize his feelings.

“This has to be the most physically uncomfortable I’ve felt in a very long time,” Mithrun said as he tugged at the ends of the fancy, over-decorated blouse the Canaries had put him in. “I honestly prefer Cithis’s frilly dresses.”

Which was saying something. Mithrun had a preference? That was a good sign.

“It makes you look handsome,” Pattadol said.

“The only thing it makes me is itchy,” he corrected.

The Canaries had somehow found a blouse— not a shirt or tunic, a blouse— that made Mithrun feel something other than indifference. He usually didn’t care about what he wore, as long as it was comfortable, but the clothes they’d stuffed him into were offensive to human-kind, like vegan bacon.

It had a big frill on the front and puffy sleeves. It was somehow both too flowy and too tight at the same time. The trousers weren’t much better, digging into his legs. And the shoes…

Mithrun didn’t want to talk about the shoes.

It was clear to him that Fleki and Cithis had only contributed to the outfit because they thought it would be amusing. Good for them, he supposed. Pattadol seemed to genuinely like it, Otta looked horrified, and Lycion was in some in between state where he wanted to show pity but couldn’t quite stifle his giggles.

“Remind me again what the point of this is?” Mithrun asked with a sigh.

“We got them to agree to a date!” Pattadol said, grinning, “I said outright ‘it’s a date’ so there would be no confusion. I made it clear that the date was with you. Now, if you show up looking like a million gold with a bouquet of flowers, they’ll get the hint.”

Mithrun did not want to do that.

Mithrun rarely wanted to do anything, but this just felt wrong. In his opinion, the relationship between you and him would develop naturally in a way that fit both of your personalities. He didn’t mind waiting for you to realize his intentions, he had time. As long as you didn’t fall in love with someone else, and didn’t stop him from staring at you or touching you, then he wasn’t in a rush.

But since the Canaries insisted, seeming to think that this was the right course of action, he would go along with it. Maybe it would be an utter disaster and Pattadol would realize that she knew very little about relationships— especially a relationship involving Mithrun. He was aware enough of himself to know that it wouldn’t be conventional.

With his hair pulled back into a tight ponytail and the ridiculous outfit on, Mithrun entered the restaurant Pattadol had chosen. He found you immediately. You sat in a chair with your elbow on the table and your ankles crossed, waiting.

Mithrun held a bouquet of pink roses as he approached. You lit up when you saw him, but your brows then furrowed.

“Where’s Pattadol?” You asked.

His stride faltered, “She isn’t coming.”

“Oh,” you shrugged, “well since she set this up I assumed she’d be here.”

Why would she be here? It was a date Pattadol had set up for you and Mithrun specifically.

You probably didn’t know it was a date, he realized. Pattadol thought she’d been clear by saying ‘it’s a date’ but failed to realize that that was just a common phrase among people and meant nothing to no one.

Calm, he slid into the seat across from you and watched as you raised a brow, “What’re you wearing?” You asked.

“My team picked it out for me.”

“You look like you’re part of an opera or a ballet, like you’re about to stand beneath a balcony and start spouting poetry to your lover.”

That was a good description, actually. Those were the words Mithrun had been looking for earlier when he saw himself in the mirror.

He nodded, “Yep.” Then, wordlessly, he held out the bouquet to you.

Your eyes widened, “For me?”

“I’m handing them to you, aren’t I?”

Gingerly, you took the flowers and held the stem of the wrapped bouquet with both hands as you inspected each petal.

A flicker of surprising satisfaction ran through his chest. You liked the flowers. It made sense, most people liked flowers, even if he didn’t see why.

You dipped your head down toward them presumably to smell them, but your lips then parted and you dug your teeth into the nearest rose.

Mithrun froze.

You chewed on the rose, your nose wrinkling in disgust. You gave the flower a good shot, a proper taste, but it didn’t take long until you grabbed a napkin and spit up the pink slobbery mess into it.

“Sorry,” you sent him an apologetic smile and tried to hand the bouquet back to him, “they don’t taste that good, and I don’t think I could season or cook them in a way that would help.”

Mithrun knew he was staring. He knew he was making a face, slightly tilting his head down, intensity in his eye. The kind of face someone made when they were internally screaming.

He was not internally screaming, but he was thinking— about you, how your brain worked. And how it was so damn charming for some reason and all he wanted to do was kiss you until he was all you could think about.

He wanted something. The feeling was sweet, a shot of adrenaline, one of Fleki’s drugs. Addictive. Like the slow drip of honey. He could survive off that want for ages.

Wordlessly, Mithrun threw the bouquet over his shoulder to get rid of it. Judging by the gasp that followed, it probably hit someone in the head.

Loving you was as natural to him as breathing.

- Mithrun decides to not let the Canaries interfere any longer. He was wrong earlier in thinking he needed their help. He doesn’t.

- Also, watching them go insane over your obliviousness and his lack of communication provides a good bit of entertainment.

- When he finally decides to give into that all-consuming, new, exciting desire and kiss you, your response is, “But I wasn’t casting a spell, no reason to try and stop me.”

- God, he adores you.

- He takes kisses whenever he wants them, with no care about what you think his intention is.

- After a certain kiss that involves tongue and teeth and fingers digging into your waist, you start to openly wonder… Are you in a relationship with Mithrun?

“Yes,” Mithrun didn’t even glance up at you, remaining unphased by your rather serious question, “We’re in a relationship.”

He continued to jot down notes about a monster he saw, as if he’d just casually answered a question about the weather. ‘Is it going to rain today?’ ‘Yeah looks like it.’

You gulped, “How long?”

“A year now,” he kept writing. Truthfully, he’d been expecting this. A flash of disappointment crossed his mind; there goes one of his hobbies, watching the Canaries have a crisis over his love life.

You buried your face in your hands. Mithrun stopped writing and patted your head as if comforting a dog.

- The Canaries are pleased that this is over. But actually, they’re going to have to watch you not realize it when you’re engaged to the Captain.

- At your wedding you’re in regular clothes. Someone asks why and you say “Mithrun told me we’re going to a wedding. He didn’t say it was ours.”

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

[seleniangnosis]

Venus' gift to you ☁️💗

Pile 1 ---> Pile 2

Pile 3 --> Pile 4

Hi everyone ☁️💌! I was inspired by e pervious pac series of mine "Conversations with the Planets" , where I channeled the energy of the main planets to get advice for you, and decided ro now do one where I ask what gift are they bestowing upon you in this lifetime.

This is a general reminder to let yourself discard anything that you might not resonate with, and that my pacs are not to replace any professional help or advice. Hope you'll enjoy them ☁️💌. Feedback and reblogs are highly appreciated!

Find my other PACs here 💌

Pile 1

Hello people of pile one , and welcome to your reading 💌!

Your gift: Wisdom of the Heart

You are a person who has a good , and healthy control of their emotions. You don't let yourself carried away by negative feelings, or fall prey to emotions such as: envy, hatred, revenge. This might show up in situation where you're dealing with difficult people. You don't let what they say affect you, or get the best out of you, because you know it's not worth it. You value your peace of mind, more than coming on top and prove everyone else wrong. Even in situations when you are tested by people who try to get the best of you, the flow of your emotions is balanced, and you are able to manage them, without falling into extremes, or see the other person's point, and get the situation over without becoming " toxic ".

How to utilise your gift to it's highest potential?

Here, I m getting the idea that is more connected to yourself and how you feel inside, rather than the outside world. You are not immune to being hurt, even if you have good control over how you feel. Let people know when they hurt your feelings, confront people when they throw harsh words at you. I believe that you're the type of person who walks away and goes silent, trying to " heal " themselves quietly when they go trough a hurtful confrontation. This is useful sometimes, but people need to be put into their place sometimes. It's not worth to let them always feel like they won , and this can be done trough assertiveness, without verbal violence. The more I look at the cards the more I'm getting the idea that even though you have this amazing ability to work with your emotions, you might be afraid of serious confrontations, so you mostly walk away in difficult situations, without letting what's bothering your heart get out trough your mouth. Walking away from arguments is wise, but people will use this to their advantage, and walk all over you the next time they feel bothered by something.

Pile 2

Hi people of pile two, and welcome to your reading 💌

Your gift: Strength of Character

Actually the first word I heard when I pulled your cards was "audacity ", so congrats on your audacity pile 2! You seem to be a person with a strong character, who's not afraid to stand on their own feet, and put others back into place. If you are shamed, made fun of , even if people might think you're small and not so " threatening ", they soon find out the real you. What I don't see tho, is you being the type of mean / rude person when dealing with different situations. If people are around, you re perceived more as " the bigger person ", someone with confidence and authority, rather than " the meanie " .

I feel like this type of strength is sometimes taking you to a point of loneliness? You might be the person who always relied on themselves for emotional support, you solve your problems on your own , and cut connections with people and / or situations as soon as you see and feel ( for lack of better words) " attacked ". Unlike pile 1 ( read it if you want to better understand what I'm trying to say), you don't seem to sail so smoothly trough your emotions. You're not afraid of endings and cutting ties off with what you deem to be no longer useful, but in this way the cycle just repeats itself.

How to utilise your gift to it's highest potential?

Dont be resentful. Deal actively with misunderstandings, overcome the past, look at things in the direction of optimism and growth. The way you feel, the way others make you feel can tell you a lot about yourself. Challenge that status quo. In case you sometimes find yourself making mistakes, there's nothing wrong with apologising, or recognising that you judged the situation unfairly. Work more with your emotions, and try to understand them, rather than running away from them and say " ah it doesn't matter, it's over now". These thoughts might still be following you around from time to time, and acknowledging that you were too quick to judge isn't a bad thing. Asking someone else for help and advice could be a good idea.

Pile 3

Hi people of pile three, and welcome to your reading 💌

Your gift: Courage of the Heart

In this pile, the message is centered around yourself and how you play a role in the way you make yourself feel and act. You might be / have been a person with a lot of self doubts, irrational fears, a person who was/ is extremely reclusive, and bound to mental escapism tendencies. How is this a gift, you might ask ? Well , the gift is in overcoming your innate / irrational fears and discovering who you actually are. For those who overcomed these self doubts, you're now in a place where your inner world feels richer and stable. These emotions helped you see the real you and realise that you're lucky enough to share your thoughts ( I feel like some of you are/ were the shy, timid type of person) without fearing judgement.

Now, for those who are still trying to overcome what's holding them back, the advice is to use those words, emotions and thoughts you're afraid to, and get used to that part of you. There's nothing wrong with being more impulse and say something quirky, funny out of the blue. Don't overthink that much about other's reactions. You have all the potential to be a confident, brave and cool person, but only if you dare to, and let that side of you out. Take easy steps towards seeing your beauty, charisma and charm!

Pile 4

Hi people of pile four, and welcome to your reading 💌

Your gift: Beauty and openness of the Heart

You seem to be the type of people who, despite the struggles they faced, they kept their hearts open ,and are willing to help others deal with difficulties as well. People might have found a lot of support in you multiple times, or just by talking to you, you interacting with them. You know how's like to go trough what life throws at you sometimes, and are willing to be a pillar of support for others in need as well. I didn't want to jump directly towards financial help and support, but it's possible that some of you have helped others with money or made donations.

How to utilise your gift to it's highest potential?

Do not forget yourself and those close to you. It's good yo offer help, but so is to fill your own cup first. Do not exhaust yourself emotionally, materially and mentally to help anyone who needs it. You might be an emphatic person, or just someone who is deeply affected by seeing pain and hurt in others, and jumping immediately to help them, but doing this constantly will show negative effects upon yourself. You have a lot to give, but your resources will ran out if you keep on using them without a break. Prioritise those people who might really need it, or are close to you. You're much more than the labour you do for others, or the help you give them. Alternatively, you can provide people with advice only, and have them solve their problems by themselves. Never spread yourself too thin.

[transmutationisms]

Feel free not to answer this ask so you dont have to step into this particular hornet's nest but do you have any thoughts about people sharing inaccurate science about COVID in order to push for more COVID regulations? I agree that COVID is being neglected and we need better policies but I'm also a biochemist so it pisses me off to see people cite research in a way that makes exaggerated and terrifying claims. Two years ago, I was warning my colleagues against this condescending "just trust the science" approach but now the same crowd pushing that has shifted to pushing "don't trust any of the positive science, only my catastrophic interpretations of it". Can't we mask without also trying to convince each other that COVID is a guaranteed one way ticket to death and permanent disability?

you must be new here haha i swing bats at this hornet's nest like once a month. yeah i think the current state of covid communication sucks a lot. i mean the truth is that "follow the science" is always a disingenuous sentiment; Science doesn't speak, and scientists disagree with one another. and it's naïve to pretend majority consensus is a reliable mechanism to identify truth—anyone who has followed the covid aerosolisation about-face will recall that although linsey marr was not the first researcher to challenge medical orthodoxy on airborne disease transmission, even well into the covid pandemic the idea of aerosol transmission was marginalised by global health authorities because it was politically inconvenient, out of favour with powerful established academics, and reminiscent to some of pre-pasteurian miasma theories of disease. those who would "follow the science" were not presented with a convenient dichotomy between reasonable evidence-backed expert consensus and fringe peddlers of heterodoxy; to evaluate these positions required actually, yknow, reading and evaluating the arguments and evidence from multiple competing positions, and deciding which had the greater explanatory power. which is good epistemological advice only insofar as it's so obvious as to be trite.

fundamentally a huge driving force of this situation is the social, political, and institutional forces that make expert knowledge (a generally good thing) all too often synonymous with inaccessible knowledge. i don't mean inaccessibility caused by knowledge being specialised; obviously this is inevitable to some extent simply as a result of the fact that no one person will grasp the entirety of human knowledge. but the fact that knowledge is specialised, specific, highly technical, and so forth doesn't automatically mean, for example, that it has to be monetarily gatekept from all but a select few with the resources to persevere through a highly punishing, nepotistic, hegemonic university system; this is a political problem, and one that additionally has the effect of enabling and sheltering low-quality work (see: replication crisis) behind the opaque walls of university bureaucracy and the imprimateur of the credentials it grants. in lieu of an ability to actually engage with, read, or challenge much of the academic research being generated on any given topic, the lay public is supposed to rely on signs of reliability like possession of a degree, or institutional reputation. what we in fact see again and again, and with particularly high stakes in the case of something like a pandemic, is that these measures are instruments of class stratification and professional jockeying that don't inherently ensure quality information: MDs can and do peddle anti-vaxx lies and covid / long-covid denialism; the CDC and WHO can and do perpetrate bad and outdated scientific advice, like that masks are unnecessary and isolation periods can be shortened for convenience. many of these are just blatant cases of kowtowing to political pressure, which arises from the capitalist logic that counterposes disease prevention to economic growth.

this all leaves us in a position where it is, in fact, smart and correct to evaluate the information coming from 'official' and credentialled sources with scepticism. the problem is that in its place, we get information coming out of the same capitalist state-sponsored scientific institutions, and the same colonialist universities; the idea that some chucklefuck on twitter is telling you the secret truth just because they correctly identified that the government sucks is plainly absurd. where covid specifically is concerned, the liberalism of academic and scientific institutions is on display in numerous ways, including the idealist assumption, which many 'covid communicators' make, that public health policy is primarily a matter of swaying public opinion, and therefore that it is always morally imperative to form and propagate the most alarmist possible interpretation of any study or empirical observation. this is not an attitude that encourages thoughtful or measured evaluation of The Science (eg, study methodology), nor is it one that actually produces the kind of political change that would be required to protect the populace writ large from what is, indeed, a dangerous and still rampant virus. instead, this form of communication mostly winds up generating social media Engagement and screenshots of headlines of summaries of studies.

meanwhile, actual public health policy (which is by and large determined at the mercy of capitalist state interests, and which by and large shapes public opinion of what mitigation measures are 'reasonable', despite the CDC repeatedly pretending this works the other way round), remains on its trajectory toward lax, open exposure of anyone and everyone to each new strain of covid, perpetuating a society that is profoundly hostile to disabled people and careless with everyone's life and health. this fucking sucks. it sucked that we have treated the flu like this for years, and it sucks that we are now doing it with a virus that we are still relatively immunologically naïve to, and that produces, statistically, even more death and disability than the flu. and it sucks that the predominating explanations of this state of affairs from the 'cautious' emphasise not the structural forces that shape knowledge production under capitalism, but instead invoke a psychological narrative whereby individuals simply need to be sufficiently terrified into producing mass action.

[genderkoolaid]

i find this so interesting. on multiple levels. i actually agree that there are trans people who use the language of "gender is fake" while still relying on the idea that gender is not a construct. i mentioned this in another post but we have a problem with conflating our choice in labels with the experiences we use them to express. and then ofc there are people who still follow the medical model of being trans which uses shit like "brainsex."

but i find the comparison w christianity interesting because of the assumption that "full" or "true" belief is an objective measurement. there are plenty of people who identify as christian and perform as christians but don't "truly" believe. and i'm not even talking about hypocrites! there are agnostic + atheist christians who find community in christianity and/or find it valuable philosophically. same as most other religions. because, like gender, things don't have to be Scientifically Real to be worthwhile. its fully possible to acknowledge that gender is fake (so is sex btw <3) and still find value in gender identity. laws being a social construct doesn't mean there can never be value is having an agreed upon set of rules. the only thing recognizing social constructs inherently asks us imo is to interact w those constructs knowing that they are always being recreated.

anyways. transness Exists as a scientific fact. in that there is clearly a common experience had by homo sapiens. partaking in culture is not diametrically opposed to "nature" we are social animals social construction is our nature! this is why social + physical transition works for many. its just smth humans naturally experience. the best argument terfs can make with this information is that identification w sex constructs exclusively is what is the most politically useful thing we can do, but at best this obscures how much influence gender identity has over society & pressures intersex & transsexual people to put themselves in a binary that cannot accurately discuss their experiences even if they are willing to admit that sex is a construct.

[ryker-writes]

I loved your broken sibling relationship with Azul! Can I request the same scenario BUT with Vil?

They were once happy, they both were actors, modeling and all that stuff Vil does. Reader barely ever got recognized but one fateful day they did and Vil was upset. Jealous even that reader was getting the spotlight and it damages their relationship with an argument and he says hurtful things and ignores reader. Reader tries to make things right between them but you know how Vil is. So stuckup and selfish and mean. Spitting poison laced words and even spreading rumors about reader damaging his own sisters reputation.

But after Vil overblots and Vil tries to fix his relationship with his sister aka reader, they're like "You decided to talk to me now? After you overblot? It took you so long to realize what you did was wrong? I tried to make things better but you ignored me, neglected me. There's no second chance between us." Or something? (I wanted to give you an idea on what I wanted when I wrote this btw) I want all the angst. So now the reader doesn't like Vil and avoids him at all cost.

Fem or gn reader is fine. But can u do fem? You don't have to if you don't want to.

(I felt like I was too specific and I already did the fic with this ask. I'm sorry if I was too specific and you don't know what to do with this ask ;-;)

Yes of course! And no worries you may have given me an outline but I can provide the details! I actually made a couple posts about Vil as a sibling (good and bad relationship) where the beginning of your request kinda matches one of them. So I hope you don't mind but I'm basically going to be writing the second part of your request (after the overblot). I'll link the other parts tho. Many people have been asking for more angst between Vil and Azul as siblings. Especially endings where the reader doesn't forgive them.

the first part

Request rules and masterlists

Vil as a sibling (Broken relationship with no forgiveness)

The one person who you're supposed to be able to rely on at NRC, absolutely hates you

your dear brother Vil had made it very clear

he would insult you, and embarrass you in front of everyone

he was going to be the most beautiful, and he would tear down anyone who got in his way

it doesn't matter that you're his sister

eventually he managed to insult you enough that everyone started to avoid you and hate you just as he did

you had even tried to make things better between you two

but he didn't accept that

he wouldn't stop as long as there was a chance someone could see you as better than him

so he pushed you away and only insulted you further

he even told you that he had no interest in ever being close with you

eventually, you gave up on even trying

you simply wanted a good relationship with your brother

and he's done nothing but hate you and try to ruin you

after everything he's done, you were tired of it

he hated you, so why should you give him the time?

you refused to continue just taking this treatment

now the two of you were just avoiding each other

not even talking or in the same space

after his overblot, Vil had taken the time to reflect on his actions

and he deeply regrets how he treated you

is it so bad that it's his sister who gets some of the spotlight?

surely he should be able to accept it if it's you

so Vil tries to work on it

it can take him a bit because he has to figure out the right way to speak to you after everything

one day, he walked up to you and tried to casually start a conversation

"What have you been up to recently?"

a simple conversation starter really

but you weren't just going to give in and forgive him after everything

"You decided to talk to me now? After you overblot? It took you so long to realize what you did was wrong? I tried to make things better but you ignored me, neglected me. There's no second chance between us."

with that, you just walked away

there was no way you could forgive him after everything

your reputation and even part of your confidence have suffered because of him

he was just so cruel to you for so long that it wasn't possible to forgive him

throughout the next few weeks, Vil was lingering in spaces around you

like he was testing to see if you would change your mind

you wouldn't

it was way to late for him to try and make things right

he even had sent some gifts to your room like that would make it better and get you to talk to him

as you continued to ignore him and his efforts, he eventually backed off

he couldn't force you to like him (he wanted to tho)

he completely understood why you didn't want to forgive him for everything

and while he respected your decision, he still cared about you despite it all

he kept his distance, but was still looking out for you

if he heard someone talking bad about you or causing you trouble, he would still defend you while keeping his distance

Vil holds on to the secret hope that you would someday forgive him

[whompthatsucker1981]

real actual nonhostile question with a preamble: i think a lot of artists consider NN-generated images as an existential threat to their ability to use art as a tool to survive under capitalism, and it's frequently kind of disheartening to think about what this is going to do to artists who rely on commissions / freelance storyboarding / etc. i don't really care whether or not nn-generated images are "true art" because like, that's not really important or worth pursuing as a philosophical question, but i also don't understand how (under capitalism) the rise of it is anything except a bleak portent for the future of artists

thanks for asking! i feel like it's good addressing the idea of the existential threat, the fears and feelings that artists have as to being replaced are real, but personally i am cynical as to the extent that people make it out to be a threat. and also i wanna say my piece in defense of discussions about art and meaning.

the threat of automation, and implementation of technologies that make certain jobs obsolete is not something new at all in labor history and in art labor history. industrial printing, stock photography, art assets, cgi, digital art programs, etc, are all technologies that have cut down on the number of art jobs that weren't something you could cut corners and labor off at one point. so why do neural networks feel like more of a threat? one thing is that they do what the metaphorical "make an image" button that has been used countless times in arguments on digital art programs does, so if the fake button that was made up to win an argument on the validity of digital art exists, then what will become of digital art? so people panic.

but i think that we need to be realistic as to what neural net image generation does. no matter how insanely huge the data pool they pull from is, the medium is, in the simplest terms, limited as to the arrangement of pixels that are statistically likely to be together given certain keywords, and we only recognize the output as symbols because of pattern recognition. a neural net doesn't know about gestalt, visual appeal, continuity, form, composition, etc. there are whole areas of the art industry that ai art serves especially badly, like sequential arts, scientific illustration, drafting, graphic design, etc. and regardless, neural nets are tools. they need human oversight to work, and to deal with the products generated. and because of the medium's limitations and inherent jankiness, it's less work to hire a human professional to just do a full job than to try and wrangle a neural net.

as to the areas of the art industry that are at risk of losing job opportunities to ai like freelance illustration and concept art, they are seen as replaceable to an industry that already overworks, underpays, and treats them as disposable. with or without ai, artists work in precarized conditions without protections of organized labor, even moreso in case of freelancers. the fault is not of ai in itself, but in how it's yielded as a tool by capital to threaten workers. the current entertainment industry strikes are in part because of this, and if the new wga contract says anything, it's that a favorable outcome is possible. pressure capital to let go of the tools and question everyone who proposes increased copyright enforcement as the solution. intellectual property serves capital and not the working artist.

however, automation and ai implementation is not unique to the art industry. service jobs, manufacturing workers and many others are also at risk at losing out jobs to further automation due to capital's interest in maximizing profits at the cost of human lives, but you don't see as much online outrage because they are seen as unskilled and uncreative. the artist is seen as having a prestige position in society, if creativity is what makes us human, the artist symbolizes this belief - so if automation comes for the artist then people feel like all is lost. but art is an industry like any other and artists are not of more intrinsic value than any manual laborer. the prestige position of artist also makes artists act against class interest by cooperating with corporations and promoting ip law (which is a bad thing. take the shitshow of the music industry for example), and artists feel owed upward social mobility for the perceived merits of creativity and artistic genius.

as an artist and a marxist i say we need to exercise thinking about art, meaning and the role of the artist. the average prompt writer churning out big titty thomas kinkade paintings posting on twitter on how human made art will become obsolete doesnt know how to think about art. art isn't about making pretty pictures, but is about communication. the average fanartist underselling their work doesn't know that either. discussions on art and meaning may look circular and frustrating if you come in bad faith, but it's what exercises critical thinking and nuance.

[ironstrange1991]

Unexpectedly Ours: Part 1: What it means to us

Pairing: Doctor!Strange, Defender!Strange, Supreme!Strange x Pregnant!Reader

Synopsis: The reader is faced with an unexpected pregnancy and fears what this could mean for her unconventional relationship.

Word Count: 5k

Warnings: Mentions of sexual activities, pregnancy relatated themes, polyamorous relationship dinamics.

A/N: This is the first part of a four-chapter mini series. The sex pollen event mentioned in the story can be read HERE.

It must be because of all the creampies, you thought as you bowed your head again on the toilet vomiting your lungs out.

Technically it was all about the creampies, but how could you turn them down when there was nothing you loved more than letting your Stephens fill you up with all their cum? It was much more than the physical thing, you simply loved the way the three of them, exactly the same, would bury their faces in the crook of your neck and get totally lost in their pleasure when they came. The sweet noises they make is your favorite sound in the world.

You were on birth control, the problem was, as you well remembered, that a little over a month ago you broke a relic and ended up intoxicated by some type of sex pollen and you were almost sure that substance was what cut the effect of your pills.

"Damn sex pollen" You muttered, slowly getting up and going to the sink to brush your teeth and try to start your day. You hadn't taken any tests yet, but you were late, your breasts were sore and swollen and the morning sickness was only getting worse instead of better. Taking the test was just a formality, like accepting the receipt after using your credit card. Okay, that certainly wasn't one of your best metaphors.

You sighed heavily, staring at your clothes hanging on the hangers and trying to decide what to wear to work. Your feet crossed, your toes tapping anxiously against the polished wooden floor.

Phil will love this. You thought sarcastically. Of course, of all your problems, your boss was the least of them, but you knew he was counting on you one hundred percent, he was definitely not exaggerating when he said that the office couldn't handle a week without you. Phil didn't have the profile of a boss or an accountant. He was disorganized and confused and relied on you to keep everything on track. Which often left you with more work than you should have, as Defender always reminded you.

You opted for a suit skirt, and a silk shirt with high heels. It was basically your everyday uniform.

You were too late for breakfast, so you ran to the kitchen just to get a cup of coffee so you could drink it on the way to the office, but when you entered the kitchen you found the three Stephens there, eating, but mostly talking, civilly, no arguments. How was that even possible? However, they were silent the moment you entered the room.

"Don't stop because of me, I'm already leaving." You said, pouring your coffee into the cup and looking for its lid in all the drawers without success. The three of them were silent, looking at you rummaging through and slamming the cupboard doors and then one of them moved his fingers and opened a specific door.

"Top shelf. Right where the glass was." Defender said.

You stood on your tiptoes to grab the lid "Thanks. So, what were you guys talking about. Was it just me or did you guys stop talking when I arrived? You know what they say, maybe I was the topic of the conversation."

You covered the cup and took a long sip of coffee, looking at the clock. "Anyway, I have to go. I'll leave you guys alone to conspire as you please. You know, maybe it would be a good idea to have another me here, just to balance things out, in case you guys decide to gang up on me."

Stephen let out a small laugh "That would be a nightmare, sweetheart. One of you is enough work." He opened his arms welcoming you in a hug and kissed your lips quickly. "Have a good day."

You hurriedly kissed Defender and Supreme goodbye and grabbed your bag and keys from the counter. "I'll see you later, be careful with whatever you do today. I want my boyfriends safe and sound when I get home."

You said rushing out of the kitchen.

Every time you stepped foot out of the Sanctum Sanctorum into the morning bustle of Bleecker Street you felt like you were leaving one world and entering another. The eternal dichotomy of new and old, magical and mundane.

People walked along the sidewalk next to your house as if it were the most normal thing in the world, without having any idea of ​​the practices that took place there and in a way you were grateful for that. You couldn't bear to see your home turn into a tourist spot for curious tourists.

When you arrived at the building it was as if morning sickness had never existed, you were feeling much better and were sure you would be able to work normally, however all your confidence disappeared when the elevator stopped on the office floor and you were hit by the smell of fresh paint.

You had totally forgotten that Phil had told you a few days ago that they were going to paint the building. In addition to the unpleasant smell that automatically made your stomach turn again, you watched as you passed - dodging boxes and boxes of files on the floor, tables pulled away from the walls and wires lying around waiting for the victims who would  trip over them – that you and your coworkers would have to work crammed into rooms that had already finished painting.

By lunchtime you had already run to the bathroom three times to vomit. Your coworkers, Nancy and Beverly, kept exchanging not-so-discreet glances between them every time you returned to your post ready to go back to your calculations. Their distrust only increased when you said that you preferred not to go to lunch because just thinking about food made you feel sick, but they didn't say anything, at least not directly to you.

By 3pm you were literally feeling sick, the nausea wasn't getting better and the hunger was making your body weak, your vision was getting dark and you started to hear the familiar ringing in the ear of someone who has very low blood pressure and is about to faint. You tried to get up slowly to go to the bathroom and wash your face, but you never got there.

You woke up to the strong smell of alcohol gel that Nancy rubbed in front of your nose. They had placed you in one of the armchairs in the main room. Phil was on the phone talking to someone and a minute later a portal opened in the middle of the room making everyone's eyes widen and Stephen walked through it without paying attention to them.

"I had no idea she was feeling sick, Doctor Strange, or I would have let her go home." Phil ran to say.

Stephen nodded, stopping in front of you and resting both hands on his waist, he rolled his lips, clearly annoyed.

"She shouldn't have even come to work because she was feeling sick early on."

He reached out to you. "Come on, sweetheart, let's go home."

...

Stephen handed you a steaming cup filled with a not-so-pleasant-looking greenish liquid. You glanced at him suspiciously "What is this?"

"A mix of herbs that will help with your nausea." He said, sitting next to you on the couch and resting one of his hands on your knee. "You shouldn't have gone to work today, sweetheart."

You sipped the tea making a face which made Stephen chuckle.

"Yeah, it's not pleasant at all, but try taking some. It'll help."

You sighed feeling your stomach turning again. "I was feeling good in the morning. Of course I puked my guts out, but I was fine. I thought I was going to have a normal day, but the smell of fresh paint..."

Stephen heard you rolling your lips.

You sighed, "I thought it was something I ate at first, but now, I don't think that's the case." You confessed, going back to drinking from your cup and letting the hot liquid go down your throat.

Stephen brushed a strand of hair from your face and tucked it behind your ear.

"How long have you known?" He asked. It was clear that he, too, had noticed all the signs.

You shrugged, "A week after the day my period was supposed to start. You know I'm not usually late."

He rested his elbow on the back of the couch and rested his face in his hand, his blue eyes glancing at you with an unusual interest, as if trying to analyze some hidden expression on your face.

"That's what we were talking about in the kitchen. I wasn't the only one who noticed."

You forced yourself to finish your tea with one last sip and Stephen hurried to take the cup from your hands. "How are you feeling?"

You thought for a minute "I think this disgusting thing is actually helping."

He smirked.

"I have to take a test, don't I?"

He moved his fingers making the cup that was in his hand disappear and extended his arms "Come here."

You were eager to snuggle into his chest. Everything there was so inviting, from the smell of his perfume to the texture of his robes. You inhaled deeply letting his presence comfort you.

"It was the pollen. It cut the effect of the pill."

Stephen chuckled nervously. "It was predictable since it serves exclusively reproductive purposes. We should have thought of that, the three of us, but... we didn't. I don’t think we thought much that afternoon."

You let out a small giggle and Stephen held you tighter in his arms. "Let's do a test to confirm." He suggested.

You tilted your head to look at him. "Are you guys mad at me?" The words were choked, but Stephen smiled sweetly. "I'm not mad at you. Why would I be? It wasn't something we were planning, but I confess the idea has grown on me these last few days."

"But the other Stephens... it’s complicated and Supreme hates children."

Stephen smirked "I never wanted kids either, love, but things change. Don't worry about us. It's okay."

You were silent for a long time, enjoying the sound of Stephen's breathing, the sound of his heart beating in your ear. You were feeling reasonably better and little by little you felt your eyelids getting heavy.

You only realized you had dozed off when you heard Stephen's voice ringing in your ears. He still held you in his arms, but he had made himself better comfortable on the couch.

"She passed out at work and I had to pick her up, but she's okay now." You heard Stephen report and Defender sat next to you on the couch and rested his hand on your knee.

"How are you feeling, baby?" He asked, extending his hand to you and you moved slowly, swapping Stephen's lap for his. Your arms wrapped around his neck. Stephen took the opportunity to stretch his legs and stood up.

"I'll leave you with Defender, sweetheart. I have a pregnancy test to buy." He snapped his fingers, exchanging his robes for a pair of jeans and a bottom up shirt. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

You nodded.

"Get something for the nausea too." Defender suggested and the two of you watched Stephen disappear into the entrance hall and heard the front door open and close.

"You didn't tell me how you're feeling."

He cupped your face affectionately in his rough hands.

"I'm better. Stephen made me drink some disgusting tea, but it helped a lot."

He nodded letting you play with his hair. You took off the hair tie and placed it on your wrist and began to comb the strands with your fingers, carefully undoing some knots.

Stephen sighed heavily, melting into your touch, he tilted his head up to kiss you and you allowed yourself to get lost in his lips. Soft and sweet.

"I'm happy" He breathed on your lips and to your surprise he lowered his hand to your belly. "Of course we still need to confirm this, but I want you to know that I've always wanted this. Deep down, I've always wanted to have a family, so this is kind of a dream come true for me."

You looked at him blankly, but didn't say anything. There was a whirlwind of feelings in your chest and the racing thoughts were making your mind spin. Everything still seemed like a dream.

"I don't know if I can do this, Stephen." That's just what you said.

He rested his forehead on yours. "If that's the case, we'll do it together. The four of us. You won’t have to do anything alone."

You nodded.

...

Sometimes you felt like you could see situations from the outside, as if they were happening to other people. This was one of those moments. You were sitting on the toilet, panties pulled down to your ankles, one hand covering your mouth and the other holding the positive pregnancy test.

Outside the bathroom you knew there were three men anxiously waiting to find out the results. Maybe they were sitting at the foot of the bed waiting, the image that came to mind somehow managed to draw a nervous chuckle from your lips.

You heard a soft knock on the door followed by a baritone voice. "Honey... is everything okay in there?"

Was it everything okay? You knew you needed to get up, get out of that bathroom and deal with reality, but you couldn't do that because you were still struggling to understand your feelings. You doubted that Stephen knew the immensity of that simple question at that moment. To be okay. Were you okay with that? Would you be okay with that new reality that was imposing itself on you? Would your relationship be okay? Would the Stephens be okay with that?

"Honey... say something." Supreme insisted and you heard Defender's calm voice responding. "Give her time."

You sighed, standing up and pulling up your panties and shorts. "I'm going."

You placed the test on the sink and allowed yourself to look in the mirror. Your eyes were red, but you couldn't cry because none of this seemed to be happening to you, it just couldn't be real.

You washed your face and tied your hair haphazardly into a bun just to get it out of your face. Whether it seemed real or not, whether it seemed to be happening to someone else and not you or not, reality was imposed on that object and you needed to face it.

When you opened the bathroom door, Supreme was standing there waiting for you. Stephen was sitting at the foot of the bed and Defender was sitting in the armchair next to the fireplace. The three of them stared at you, trying to read in your expressions the words that took you a few seconds to say.

"I... I'm pregnant." You reported waving the pregnancy test in the air as proof.

Now it was your turn to watch their reactions. Supreme stared at you with his mouth slightly open as if he had somehow completely forgotten how to close it. Defender looked at you with a beautiful smile on his lips that somehow felt so comforting.

Stephen smirked as if he had already gone through the entire acceptance process before when he saw all the signs even before you did. For him, in a way, that result was just a formality, you thought.

"Please, say something." You asked, your voice low and hoarse.

Stephen stood up and slowly walked towards you, he pulled you by the waist until your bodies were rubbing each other and cupped your cheek. "I love you and I will love this baby just as much, but I want you to know that the choice is yours. Do you want to keep it?"

It's strange, you thought, how you've spent your entire life being pro-abortion, but haven't thought about it for a moment since the possibility of pregnancy crossed your mind. Somehow you knew it wasn't an option for you because you didn't want it to be.

"It's mine, it's yours. Of course I want to keep it." You responded, feeling hot tears falling from your eyes and running down your cheeks. The feelings that seemed blocked now overwhelming you. Fear, doubt, insecurity, but also affection, love. So much love. It just occurred to you in that moment that you had a piece of Stephen inside of you.

Stephen smiled widely and his eyes were red and wet with tears that threatened to spill over. He pulled you to his lips and kissed you hard. When he broke the kiss his face was wet with tears and he smiled. "We're having a baby, sweetheart."

You chuckled nervously, "Yes, we will."

Defender walked towards you and you threw yourself into his arms kissing him hard. You knew he was happy and you were so happy knowing he wanted this. You just knew you couldn't do it without him. Of the three Stephens, he was the most responsible, the one who always made the most difficult decisions and in a way you felt safer knowing that you would have him by your side throughout the process.

"We're having a baby, Stephen." The words came out choppy, such was your emotion. Defender held your face in his hands and rested his forehead on yours.

"You made me the happiest man in the world today, baby. I love you so much!" He kissed you again softly.

"Supreme...she needs you now." You heard Stephen saying and turned to look at Supreme. He was standing there staring at his hands, his face a mixture of surprise and fear. Definitely contrasting with Defender's happiness.

"Stephen..." You called insecurely approaching him.

"I spent so long believing that I was only capable of destruction and death... after everything I caused to my universe." He said in a choked voice "How can I deserve something like this after everything I've done?" He stared at you, there were tears in his eyes and pain, so much pain. "Sometimes I can barely bear to touch you with these hands, honey. How can I hold a baby..."

You felt your heart breaking at the sight of his suffering, but you held his hands in yours and brought them to your lips and kissed them. You cupped his cheek. "Stephen, all that matters is who you are now, the good you do in this universe, the love we share. You deserve to be loved and you know it."

You brought his hands to your belly. "You are capable of creating life, We did this together, it is ours and I love you. God, I love you so much."

You wiped away his tears with your thumb. "Stephen's right. I need you. I can't do this without the three of you."

Supreme nodded and cupped your cheek. "I'm here. I love you honey with all my heart and I'm not going anywhere."

You wrapped your arms around his waist, hugging him tight and resting your face on his chest, smelling him and letting that comfort you.

You never wanted to have a baby, you never imagined yourself as a mother, but you knew somehow that you could do it if you had your Stephens with you.

...

When you thought about how it went from you vomiting in the toilet to you lying on an ultrasound table with the doctor, a nurse and three Stephens staring open-mouthed at a monitor and listening to the heart of a living being that you had made together with tears in their eyes, you could hardly believe what was happening, but at the same time you enjoyed the feeling of euphoria mixed with an indescribable love that seemed to take root inside your chest.

Being pregnant was something new and different and terrifying all at the same time and although you wanted to keep it to yourselves for a while, it was impossible to convince the Stephens to keep it a secret and so you had all the tests that made sure everything was fine with you and the little being inside you, the Stephens decided it was time to tell everyone that they in their magnificent glory had knocked you up.

The fact that Tony invited you to one of his post-mission parties only gave them the perfect opportunity to make the big announcement and once you were there they waited until the end of the party when Tony's guests left and just his fellow Avengers were there to finally speak.

You guys were sitting on the sofas chatting and laughing, Tony and Thor were telling their versions of a specific moment in the battle while Steve and Sam teased the two, contradicting what they were saying.

The atmosphere was light and relaxed. You loved those moments. Obviously you weren't a big fan of the grandeur of Tony's parties, but those moments when you could sit among friends and talk about anything and laugh made up for everything else. You were always so grateful to have those people as your friends and so much more than that, they were your family.

 You were sitting between Supreme and Defender, playing with their hands that you kept in your lap while laughing listening to the nonsense your friends were saying and stealing kisses from both of them. At first your friends would give you curious looks and you couldn't blame them. Being in a relationship with three men is unconventional enough and the fact that they are three versions of the same man didn't help much. But over time they got used to the idea.

Stephen had gone to the bar to pour himself a martini and when he came back he brought you a drink that he made a point of explaining was non-alcoholic - which caught the attention of Natasha who looked at the two of you with a raised eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"If you guys allow me, there's something we're looking forward to sharing with you" Stephen said, interrupting Thor and Rhodes' long debate about the battle and you felt your cheeks turning red and sipped your drink to hide it.

"For the love of God, don't say it's another Strange!" Tony teased.

"In a way, it is." Supreme replied, taking your hand to his lips and kissing it.

Natasha looked at you intently and then smiled. "I think I know what it is."

You smile brightly at her.

"Stop the suspense. Just talk at once!" Tony demanded impatiently.

Stephen completely ignored Tony and held out his hand for you to stand up and pulled you into his arms speaking into your ear "Tell them, sweetheart."

You inhaled deeply turning to face your friends who now looked at you anxiously. Stephen wrapped his arms around your waist. Defender and Supreme were smiling proudly.

 "We're having a baby." You announced and they cheered excitedly and you felt your heart getting warm with all that affection. Tears accumulating at your waterline.

"That's wonderful news, Y/n." Pepper said hugging you. "It'll be great not to be the only mom around here." She said.

"So how did this happen?" Tony asked looking genuinely surprised. “Y/n why didn’t you tell me that? How long are you guys keeping this secret?”

"I don't think we need to explain how babies are made, Stark." Supreme returned to which everyone laughed.

“I was waiting for the best moment to tell” You confessed.

"Ha ha, really funny. “Tony rolled his eyes to Supreme. What I meant was, you guys were trying for a baby and didn't mention anything?"

Stephen just chuckled and pulled you to his lips.

"We weren't planning, but..." Defender began to explain.

"But we were definitely doing everything we could to make it happen. Many, many times." Supreme teased, interrupting Defender and making you blush and your friends laugh.

"…We are extremely happy." Defender concluded.

"This is incredible. Children are a blessing. In Asgard we judged a happy family by the number of children they had." Thor explained.

"Thank god we're not in Asgard. Or I'd be considered a very unhappy person." Natasha replied and then got up and hugged you. "I'm so happy for you, Y/n." She faced Stephen smirking "I can't say the same for the child who will have three Stranges as parents."

Supreme chuckled. "I know deep down you love me, Romanoff."

"Yeah, you're delusional." She retorted making you giggle.

"You know he or she will call you Aunt Nat, right?" Stephen teased and Natasha smirked.

"Why do you think I'm so happy about the news? There's something really special about being Aunt Nat, I can spoil your kids without regrets."

"Okay, now I'm worried." Defender said chuckling and holding your hand pulling you closer.

Reblog please! Leave a comment if you liked it. Interact! I will love to read all of your comments and opinions. It inspires me to keep writing!

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[arashrita]

May I request some Malleus angst?? Were Malleus wants to end his relationship with fem!reader because he is afraid that someone would target her in order to get to him? And it proceeds to both of them having a fight and avoiding each other, meanwhile reader relies on Leona what happened (they are like close friends after his overblot) and Leona tries to cheer her up during the time, with Malleus’ side Lilia starts telling him that he and Silver and Sebek would protect reader if it means them being happy and to not ruin something beautiful (their relationship), but when Malleus is about to go and try and get his love back he sees them from far away and assumes they are dating and gets jealous and confronts the reader when she is by herself and proceeds to both of them confessing they still love each other and can’t be apart from each other? (Yes happy ending because I can’t stand Malleus being sad or hurt!!!! TTuTT)

A/N: I'm so sorry for being late. I just love your idea. Enjoy 💜💜💜

No Damsel in Distress! (Malleus Draconia x F! Reader)

You don't know what happened, you really don't. All you can say is, what started as playful bickering turned into petty arguments. Your glare remained as he growled in frustration. Honestly, you were super tired of this. This is not the first time. You two keep having the same argument over and over again and you were just sick of it.

"(Y/N), will you please just listen to me? I'm a fae-prince, the future king of Briar Valley and you—you are just a human. So fragile... so... unprotected... We can't be together. You will never be able to fight with the danger that lays ahead."

"...When I said the same thing 6 months ago, you were the one to assure me with your sweet words. What is the real truth, Malleus? That I can be in danger? Or, that you are embarrassed to love a human girl?"

"We're you listening at all?!"

"I heard you loud and clear."

"We are not meant to be together! So, just go!! We can't be together. I don't love you! You and I are not real."

That hurt. Really? Was he really playing with you the whole time? Were you really that blind that you couldn't see the truth? Good heavens... You were hurt, you were angry and you were extremely disappointed with him.

"...When people told me that you are a living curse—that you only bring bad luck, pain and disappointment... I didn't want to believe them. When my friends warned me again and again...I should have listened to them. Now, I see the truth. Now, I really see that they were right about you from the start. I never would've trusted someone like you. I should have turned my back on you ages ago. I... should have never met you... You just aren't worth it... Fine, you want me to leave? I definitely will. Thank you for opening my eyes."

With those words, you stormed off, leaving him there stunned, horrified.

He didn't expect you to be so... brutal... But that's okay... If it means you will be safe then he can accept you hating him. He can, right...?

After you left, he teleported back to Diasomnia and locked himself in his room. His hands were shaking. You didn't mean what you said, did you? You can never abandon him just like that, right? He knows he screwed up real bad. Hurting you is the last thing he wants. Why did he say he doesn't love you? That's nowhere near the truth! He loves you so damn much, more than anything...

Uncontrollable tears flowed from his eyes. Your words replayed in his mind over and over again. It hurts... His chest hurts. Just because of his stupid mouth you were gone... just like that.

On the other hand, you found yourself sobbing your heart out to the Savanaclaw dormleader. You and him somehow managed to get pretty close over time. Leona sighed. He hated seeing you so upset... especially over that overgrown lizard! How could he do that to you out of all people? Leona knows better than anyone that you poured all of your heart to Malleus. Huh... what a shame...

"Hey, herbivore. Don't cry over that stupid lizard. You didn't do anything wrong, okay? You are a strong girl, come on stop crying. It doesn't suit you."

That made you almost chuckle. "Thanks...Leona."

"Tch, you better not tell anyone about this."

The whole night was a blur for Malleus. Next morning, when Lilia found him curled up in his bed with tear stains on his face, he immediately knew something was wrong.

"Malleus, what's wrong?"

Lilia pulled the covers off of him.

"GO AWAY!!"

Lilia didn't even flinch but that sure made Silver and Sebek run into his room in worry. Lilia sighed. Oh sevens, he sure was used to this.

"If you don't tell us what's wrong, how will we help you?"

"You can't... not with this Lilia..."

"Try me."

"... It's about (Y/N), I..."

And with that, the cat was out of the bag. He could barely keep his voice steady.

"Mhmm... I see... That was intense... But, a genuine talk can fix this problem. Malleus, you are not alone in this. You know we will always protect her right? You have nothing to worry about Malleus. She is a fighter. You shouldn't underestimate her."

"Father is right! We will always protect her from any danger and not to mention she is a tough girl!"

Silver chimed in.

"I agree with Silver and Lilia-Sama. We will protect the prefect with our lives!"

Sebek boomed.

"Are you all... sure? I-I can't bear losing her."

"We are sure Malleus. But, if you don't make it up with her this instant, then I'm afraid you will end up losing her in the worst way possible."

Lilia warned him.

"You are right. Classes will start soon. I will talk to her."

Leona for some reason decided to tag along with you—which is super strange. Leona? Actually present during school hours? For classes? With you?!! That immediately raises unlimited questions.

"Leona, are you sure you don't want to take a U-turn?"

You joked.

"What do you take me for, herbivore?"

He scoffed before ruffling your hair.

"Don't ruin my hair!"

You laughed as he smirked. This smug lion!

"Alright, herbivore. I will get going now. You better not cry again. Have fun with those three troublemaker friends of yours."

He smiled at you and then left to attend his own classes.

Okay, that was definitely bad timing. Malleus's heart shattered as he watched you interact with Leona. Did you move on from him that fast? He wanted to know. Maybe that's why his legs moved in your direction rather than taking him to his classes.

"Child of man."

"What the—

You almost jumped. Now, to be honest he was the last person you wanted to see after that awful fight. You rolled your eyes.

"What do you want from me now, your highness?"

Your tone almost made him back-paddle. But, he stood his ground.

"Do you... do you like Kingscholar?"

"I don't know why does that matter to you. But to answer your question, no I don't. Was that all? Can I go now, please?"

You turned around to leave but he grabbed your arm, a desperate attempt to stop you.

"Please... just let me explain..."

"Oh shut up, what's there to explain? You made your point pretty clear last night, didn't you?"

"Please, just listen... If you still don't want to see me after that, I promise I will never show up again."

"...two minutes. You have two minutes to explain."

"Please! What I said was a complete lie! I love you very much, (Y/N). I'm just scared for you!"

"I need you to understand, I'm not a damsel in distress!"

"Yes... I know... I'm sorry I doubted you... I just... I can't afford to lose you... I lost everything, (Y/N). I have been alone for decades... But, you came and you brought spring in my life. I don't know when I fell for you. But, I know you are the one for me. I will never be able to love anyone else. Please... (Y/N), I am really sorry for my behavior but I promise that I love you. I always will..."

You sighed. You knew he was telling the truth. Malleus is a terrible liar, at least when it comes to you. The way his hands were shaking and his voice was wavering... you could feel his emotions. He loves you, he really does. If he didn't, then he wouldn't show up like this—his pride wouldn't allow him to. But he did. He came back, for you. That was enough proof.

"I'm sorry too, Malleus... I said things I shouldn't have... I promise I didn't mean them, not at all. I'm sorry for hurting you. The love I received from you healed me in so many ways... I still love you Malleus... I still do..."

He pulled you in his chest immediately. You could feel how scared he was. You could only try to imagine how your words affected him.

"I'm sorry, Malleus..."

He pulled you closer, if that was even possible.

"I love you so much..."

"I love you too..."

[metanarrates]

there are a LOT of things you can speculate about regarding what twsa was actually like as a novel but what's most interesting to me is that you can make the argument that twsa was an "unpolished" version of what orv is. it's a version of a similar novel that likely dealt with a lot of similar themes but was seemingly bogged down by poor structure, pacing, expository handling, and focus. (all of which are things that orv is shockingly excellent at.)

and of course, han sooyoung's novel, sssss-grade infinite regressor, is the "polished" version of the idea. it's well-written, probably well-plotted, and was successful enough to make han sooyoung rich and famous. we don't know what sssss-grade infinite regressor is like as a novel either, but we sort of get the impression that it's not very emotionally rich even if it is good on a technical level. han sooyoung herself doesn't seem intensely attached to it despite being proud of her work, and kim dokja of course doesn't hold it in high regard. (though of course he's a gigantic unreliable narrator and also a hater.)

what's interesting is that despite orv very strongly emphasizing the ways these works are flawed from the outset, orv itself functions as an argument in these works' favor. both twsa and infinite regressor are stand-ins for the "mass-produced" genre of webnovels. they are popular fiction, relying on a very familiar pool of tropes and clichés in order to deliver on a relatively predictable story to appeal to a wide audience. it's not a coincidence that they are so similar - both literally and in a meta sense, they are drawing on the same exact story-building and genre material. twsa is just the unsuccessful version, and infinite regressor is the successful one.

orv is what I would consider the most "impressive" version of the genre. it's well-structured, thrillingly plotted, interestingly written, has fascinating ideas and characters, and is even "literary" - that is, it has deeply considered themes and is often drawing from the realm of literary, postmodern fiction in order to express its ideas. a less sincere story would disavow itself from its pop-fiction origins and claim to be the best version of its genre. nothing else could be like it, so the worst versions of its genre wouldn't be worth considering.

but orv, while technically functioning as an argument that the genre can be "good" simply because it's a great novel that is deeply rooted in its genre, goes much further. it argues in-text that any sort of story, even those that are bad on a technical level or those that were somewhat cynically produced for a mass audience, are worth finding value in, simply because stories have meaning to their readers. the most uncritical reproduction of a genre's conventions can still mean something to someone who likes it. twsa, if it existed in our reality, would still probably be considered a very bad novel, but it wouldn't need to be polished up and turned into infinite regressor or orv in order to have value. orv itself is telling you that you should find value in twsa as it is, and by extension, every badly-done work of fiction that twsa could be a stand-in for!

[antianakin]

Oh cool, so Omega suddenly remembers there were other captives on that fucking mountain only after she and her personal favorite escape. It's way too fucking late for that, babe, sorry.

Like it's VERY hard to believe she cares when she never once spoke to any of them even though she walked by all of them EVERY DAY to go speak to fucking Crosshair instead and when her first reaction to Rex was "I thought we didn't like regs." They showed her bonding to the DOGS instead of the actual CLONES. That shows where those clones rated on Omega's list to me.

Even if the idea was supposed to be "They couldn't have all escaped, so it was better to leave and bring back a bigger force to help get the others out" then you could make a solid argument that she should've and could've just left Crosshair behind and gotten out herself. She wastes precious time and resources going to get Crosshair out, it's far more suspicious for her to get Crosshair out because he's literally in a prison while she has the ability to walk around freely and won't have people asking questions when she shows up somewhere the way Crosshair would. And going by this episode, she clearly doesn't really need Crosshair's help to escape and find Hunter and Wrecker at all.

The other reason that that argument wouldn't work for me is that we never see Omega ever express that to anybody. She never expresses any care about the other clones until she's already escaped, she only expresses care for Crosshair, the dogs, and Emerie. She never speaks to the other clones, she never goes up to them to try to bond with them, she doesn't say anything to the prisoners she's leaving behind to explain she won't be able to bring anyone else with her but that she promises she'll come back to get them all out with more help.

It almost would've made more sense for that kind of sentiment to come from CROSSHAIR, at least it would've demonstrated more growth for him. He had an entire episode last season where he grew to care for one of the regs, despite all of his prejudice against them, and that's what got him sent to Tantiss in the first place. It would've been SO NICE to have Crosshair refuse to leave without the rest of them because NONE OF THEM deserve to be left behind, and if Omega wants to escape, then fine, she can go, but he won't leave with her if it means the others have to stay on Tantiss.

This could've been a way to sort-of showcase the way Crosshair has developed while away from the rest of the Batch. Hunter and Wrecker and Tech don't spend time with other real clones and have expressed a distinct lack of understanding about why Echo even CARES about trying to save the clones. They left and have been on their own since Order 66, relying on friendships with other people to get them through. But Crosshair stayed behind, Crosshair has been spending a lot more time around the chipped clones, Crosshair has been getting a front row seat to what's happening to the clones under the Jedi, Crosshair is the one who bonded with Cody and then Mayday and saw what was done to both of them. Crosshair betrayed the Batch when he stayed behind, he was disloyal, but it allowed him to see the real clones in a way he never had before, to find a way to connect to them a way he never could before, and so now he refuses to just abandon the other captives on Tantiss the way he abandoned the Batch. The Batch made friends among regular civilians and war refugees, but Crosshair learned what it meant to be part of the actual clone community, what it's always meant to be considered one of many. Crosshair could've taught Omega about that bond, he could've been the one to be the bridge between her and the clones she's been so distant from.

Instead, they just have Crosshair abandon them with Omega and it's OMEGA trying to insist they go back later to save them and Crosshair doesn't care about them any more than he has before and is happy to just leave them all behind to die.

[woodchipp]

You have a lot of thoughts about the topic, so what ideas/suggestions/other input (if any) do you have for an Omori rewrite?

Ideas? I have way too many. I've outlined some of them here and here (in a very disorganized manner), but I've thought up a lot of new ideas since then. I recommend to check the linked posts first, but I'll try my best to recap some of the ideas from the posts I've linked in this post, if you don't mind!

Long and most likely incoherent rant incoming.

1) Make Mari actually kill herself, of course. I really did like the game's initial premise of this young kid and his friends trying to deal with the loss of a beloved relative/friend before The Twist, so I'd cut The Twist and try to keep the story straightforward in that aspect. Perhaps that could've made Sunny a bit more sympathetic since he'd get to be the victim of circumstance the game evidently wanted people to see him as and allowed the story to explore Mari as a full character instead of reducing her to the typical saint for everyone to revere and cry over.

One could try to make the suicide itself the plot twist, though. Maybe the sight of Mari's hanged corpse could've been so incomprehensible to the 12-year-old Sunny he'd just pretend to have never seen it in the first place (his mind would block it out) and instead convince himself that Mari happily left for college with Hero. Maybe Sunny mentioning her to Hero or asking him about her after he comes back would make the latter pause and then change the subject of the conversation in a neat little bit of foreshadowing. Besides, a good chunk of the original game's foreshadowing for its twist already pointed to suicide, so why reinvent the wheel?

I insist on this idea in particular because it's tragic, it's horrifying and, most importantly, it's realistic - it's everything the game strove to be. Realism-induced horror is one of my favorite "genres" of horror, and I think OMORI could've had a great shot at exploiting said trope to its benefit were it not for The Twist.

The biggest problem with that sort of plotline, I think, would be Basil. His importance to the game's story relies on The Twist; without it, he has no reason to be there. I woudn't want to cut him altogether, but I can't think of an organic way to insert him into the "Mari kills herself" plotline either, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

2) Make Sunny and Mari's home life horrible lmao. I've already talked about it here and in the first linked post, but I'll reiterate myself - you don't grow up into a strict perfectionist or with self-esteem as low as Sunny's (the game very clearly implies Sunny had self-esteem issues even before he killed Mari) by partying at your besties' birthdays and hugging plushies together. Problems like that tend to be caused by a dysfunctional home.

Yes, the "abusive parents" trope is rather overused nowadays, but I'd still consider it somewhat of an improvement over the complete lack of information about Sunny's family pre-Mari's death. I also think it'd have been quite interesting if the game explored how the toxic home environment the two were born into would inform their personalities. That way, the recital argument would be less "why is Mari so mean 2 me 💔" and more the result of their issues boiling over.

Tying into this idea is the next one.

3) Make Black Space a recollection of Sunny's backstory a la Time's Arrow. Long story short, Time's Arrow is an episode of a show called Bojack Horseman that stands out to me due to the way the featured character's trauma is subtly conveyed without sacrificing story - the flashbacks are mostly coherent, but filtered through the character's emotional perception of the events at the time. The best example of this is a formative memory from the character's childhood, in which she sees her father callously throw her beloved toy into the fireplace before warning her to keep her emotions in check and telling her not to cry. The fear she felt at the moment infuenced her memory of the event, represented by the aforementioned fireplace becoming a wall of hellfire.

I think such an approach would've been a great fit for Black Space as well. Not only would this allow the player to get some real insight into what made Sunny the way he is, his memories being filtered through his emotions would allow the game to characterize him (e.g. the sash bars on his house's windows could be made to look like the bars of a prison cell to imply he felt trapped in his own home). This could even allow the game to show us the big argument itself!

4) Make Kel, Aubrey, Basil and Hero characters instead of props for Sunny to interact with. The story should've examined their issues too. Hero and Kel have some workings of interesting conflicts (e.g. Hero's outburst and how it affected Kel, Hero struggling with relating to the friend group only as their "dad", Kel's status as the unfavorite sibling), as do Basil (his parents and the abandonment issues stemming from them, his general relationship with his grandma) and Aubrey (see the second linked post), but none of that is elaborated on by the game in favor of focusing on Sunny and his (w)angst. Delving into their issues would've been way more interesting for me than listening to them go "man I miss my wife Tails Mari ;A;" over and over again, at least.

5) Make the game's timespan longer. 5 or 10 days instead of 3 would allow the game more room to get through the other characters' arcs before shifting focus to Sunny for the finale, I think.

6) Make Faraway Town a bit larger. Make it wackier, too. There's four streets, a church, a park and a supermarket. There's nothing to do in this town at all, which isn't good since it's where the player spends a good chunk of the plot in. The NPCs and their sidequests are equally cookie-cutter - buy a grandma her medication, tutor some kids, play hide-and-seek with the twins...

It'd have been nice if the main story's subject matter was juxtaposed with the sidequests being as batshit insane as realistically possible. "Realistic" doesn't have to mean "boring", IMO. Real life can be fun!

Tying into this idea is the next one.

7) Lock the good ending behind 100% completion of all the Faraway sidequests, probably...? It's one of my weirder ideas, and I don't know whether it'd be feasible since I'm not a game developer lol. But I think the game could've tried to make some sort of point about how Sunny managed to make headway in working on his issues only because he made the effort to socialize with people who weren't his comfortable circle of friends.

I don't know what to do with Headspace. Really. The general concept of a saccharine dream world created to avoid reality is nice on paper, but it's a big tumor on the plot - it contributes next to nothing to the player's understanding of Sunny or his friends and becomes entirely irrelevant halfway through the game. I guess I'd make it shorter?

[bananasfosterparent]

One thing that makes me chuckle is this idea that ascending Astarion is confirming that Tav only sees him as "the Vampire" and does not love him as "the man". Mostly because of party banter about his "non-vampiric charms" and whatnot. And I think that's all it is, just fun banter about his relationship IF you choose the spawn route.

Saying that it somehow "proves he is happier to be loved as a spawn" or something is metagaming and therefore null and void as an argument point.

But Tav shouldn't be loving "the man" or "the vampire" anyway. They should love "the man" AND "the vampire". In both endings. He never stops being a vampire, whether Ascendant or Spawn. It's his history and his present. And unless there is canonly provided a cure, it's his future.

To deny the vampiric part of him and see him as just "the man" is to deny him entirely.

And I don't believe Tav just denies that vampiric part of him entirely in the spawn route either. Just as they don't deny "the man" part of him in the ascended route.

He never expresses not wanting to be a vampire. Even if he does not desire it truthfully, I believe he's grown to accept himself as such. It's become an integral part of who he is. Is it always a good thing or something he enjoys? No. Does he wish he was mortal again? Who knows! But it can be said that he has ALWAYS enjoyed manipulating people, screwing them over, and using them, well before he was a vampire and becoming a vampire helped make those habits easier for him. So it can be assumed that he does enjoy the amplified "perks" it allows him, as a charlatan and manipulative person. And those are traits he never loses, even as a spawn. Sure, he can use it more for the greater good, but he still relies on these traits.

Correct me if I'm wrong (and I''m sure someone will) but as far as I recall, you don't talk about a cure for vampirism as a whole in the spawn ending. You talk of finding a way to help him walk in the sun again. And if that's a cure, then so be it, but I don't think it has to be for him.

The whole situation with seeing him as just "the vampire" post-ascension is also terribly ironic because ascending him actually makes him less of a vampire. He's living again and isn't a slave to the vampiric hunger anymore.

I really wish the tonal change (and narrative direction) between the writers wasn't so blatant and opposing with the Ascendant route. It really mucked and muddled up the vibe. You get those options like "I want you, I want your body" and on the one hand, it's like, well he's got full control of himself now and Tav is asking. He can decline or he can accept and it could be him reclaiming his sexuality. He isn't a sexless being, he just has trauma surrounding sex, but working through that he can associate it with newer and positive things. It would just take a lot of time and he'll probably always have issues.

On the other hand, that sort of dialog feels so out of pocket because it's like (to put it into the words of a friend), Tav's slate has been wiped clean after Act 2. Suddenly the "no sex" conversation never happened and you can't even bring it up or discuss it. There's such a disconnect.

But the easiest thing is to just not chose that answer. If you don't chose it, it isn't true for your Tav and that playthrough. Simple as. 🤷🏽‍♀️

I'm derailing, but my point is, you can't separate Astarion "the man" and Astarion "the vampire" and just prefer one over the other. He is equally both and appreciating him as a whole means appreciating both parts of him.

[seventeenlovesthree]

Hey I thought I would you ask you something about the Digidestined that makes me really wonder about their relationships.

Minus any shipping,

Which Digidestined do you think brings out each Digidestined the best of themselves? It could be as a friend or a love interest.

The show seems to imply that DNA digivolving/jogress means they are matched together well, but is this really the case?

I think an analysis like this would be helpful.

I would agree that the idea of "brings out the best in the other/makes the other better" is not applicable to every single Jogress combination - and sometimes, it applies more to one side than the other, but it also really depends on the time and place the characters are currently at. While there is a certain theme of complementation going on between all existing Jogress pairs ("one is having something the other lacks"), they also don't make each other "perfect".

Personally, I would also always distinguish that Jogress compatibility doesn't equal romantic compatibility - it CAN be a factor, but is not the main theme in my opinion. But let me look at all individual cases... May be a looooong post!

Taichi: For him, it REALLY depends on what timeframe we want to look at, because it's incredibly context-reliant. To nobody's surprise, I gotta name the 3 characters that - aside from Hikari - have the greatest interpersonal impact on him: Sora, Koushirou and Yamato. Sora's influence makes Taichi softer and, as we know, makes him question his cowardice - she is indirectly responsible for activating his Crest for a reason after all and I still maintain that, despite the miscommunication that goes on between them throughout the series (OWG, Tri), him caring for her is pushing him to do his best. Yamato can be seen as complementary here, because, while Omegamon was never formed BECAUSE of their bond, Yamato still challenges his sense of courage, he makes him more contemplative and considerate in times of emergency (Dark Master's Arc, Tri, Kizuna). Yamato also pushes him to rethink his strategies, pushing him to be better - the problem is that they sometimes have to get physically violent for it to happen and that's not necessarily the healthiest approach. Koushirou is here for the simple fact that he enables Taichi to make the right decisions and even if Taichi still has a tendency to do things himself, he knows he can rely on Koushirou's strengths to do so (Adventure, OWG). Similarly to how he relies on Yamato, even though it has less of an emotionally visible impact. Long story short - he can be his most COURAGEOUS self when his heart, his gut and his head are in the right place. (Hikari can be mentioned here because she gets him to try to be responsible and protective thanks to their past experiences, but that should be self-explanatory.)

Yamato: Jyou and Taichi. Similarly to how Yamato has an emotional impact on Taichi, the same goes the other way round - I'm still ranking him after Jyou, just give me a moment to explain. First of all, both Jyou and Taichi used to have their rocky moments with Yamato, some involving punching, others shouting and accusations. You can argue that, as adults, a.) they have overcome most of their arguments and quarrels and b.) Taichi and Yamato seem to be much, much closer than Jyou and Yamato. I still maintain that, personality wise, Jyou is more emotionally compatible to deal with Yamato's temper. As said, most of Taichi's and Yamato's quarrels have been solved by now, Yamato doesn't perceive Taichi as a threat of his own sense of leadership and ability to be a brother anymore; he may still see him as a mirror displaying his own worst qualities whenever he's at his lowest point though. They have become good, close friends, that will always be capable of saving the world together, trusting in each other blindly; as mentioned here, I think that they are not necessarily able to save each other outside of that though. We may spin this into a direction that, Jyou is more compatible with Yamato romantically in my book; because he could look through Yamato's insecurities and, by being inspired by him, inspired Yamato in return as well - and activated Yamato's Crest after all. I know, I know, I may be biased and it's been a while since they've smiled at each other softly like they did in the Dark Master's Arc - but at least the stageplay validated me in how Yamato was eventually able to open up thanks to Jyou's encouragement. Long story short, both Jyou and Taichi tickled Yamato's sense of FRIENDSHIP in very particular ways - and this is remarkable, because Yamato is good at "finding people" (as in, doing investigations and knowing whom to contact), but not necessarily good at maintaining bonds. (Takeru may be mentioned, because he nurtured Yamato's protective attitude, but just like with the Yagami siblings, this can be seen as a given.)

Sora: Mimi and Taichi. I am a big fan of the idea that Sora and Mimi complement each other in the best possible ways - while Sora used to be the mom/big sister friend to take Mimi under her wing, protect and guide her, she encourages Mimi to bloom into a confident flower that got enabled to support Sora in all the ways she needed for once. Granted, Sora still struggles to accept Mimi's help, even as an adult, but the analogy of Mimi being the flower who softens the thorns in Sora's heart is just too beautiful to me. Speaking of hearts, if there is any other character that reaches hers in character-defining ways, it's Taichi. The same Taichi who, after saving her, vanished, caused her to look for him on her own while still protecting everyone in the back, just to end up reunited, with everyone having gotten stronger than before, helping her to realize that she indeed knows how to LOVE. As pointed out here, they are continuously on each other's minds, almost telepathically connected (as implied in the novels) - and similarly to Mimi, Taichi has a very strong impact on how Sora defines herself. Starting off as his football buddy and partner in crime, regardless of her gender, I still maintain that it particularly confused her when she got that hairclip from him, challenging her own identity problems and issues with femininity even more. And while I already said that there is an ongoing theme of miscommunication between them, up until Kizuna, the care and connection between them does not fully vanish. Mimi is the one who tells her to spread her wings freely (To Sora), Taichi is the one who tells her that her caring attitude is not a flaw (Tri) - she still has to embrace both of that first though and since she currently prefers to take a bit time for herself, we gotta wait and see if and when that might be the case...

Koushirou: Taichi and Mimi. I will try to keep this briefly, as you all may already be familiar with my stance on this anyway, but still: Without Taichi, Koushirou would not have gone to Summer Camp. Without Taichi relying on Koushirou's skills, enabling and encouraging him, the group would not have saved Sora, would not have been able to solve the card riddle and get back to the real world, would not have solved The Prophecy, would not have been able to find medicine for Hikari... You see where I am going with this. Koushirou, according to the novels, used to not think very highly of himself as a person who also didn't get along well with other people - and Taichi just naturally took him under his wing, invited him to camp, indirectly helped him to believe in his KNOWLEDGE and skills more and become more of a hands-on person, which naturally led to him become a guidance and eventually a mentor and teacher for his friends and especially the younger kids. Basically, he could open up and become more vocal due to his bond with Taichi (again, literal novel quote), being his best friend, right-hand-man and partner in crime, solving riddles and saving the world together. The other person who makes him get more vocal at times is Mimi - not only does she challenge him to question his own approaches by having a completely different priority system (positive!), but also makes him question his wardrobe (slightly less positive in my opinion and I still wish I could name Sora as honourable mention at this point, because fashion could have been a wonderful bonding and development theme for them, but they simply never got executed like that!). The fact that both Taichi and Mimi cause his polite attitude to fade at various points in the series is a clear indicator that they have an impact on him like nobody else - especially because he is very connected with a lot of people online and makes sure to keep everybody always up to date, but is not necessarily the most social butterfly outside of Chosen Children duty.

Mimi: Sora and Jyou. I'm not sure who deserves spot 1 and who gets spot 2 here, because both of them have such a vital influence on why Mimi is as confident in herself as she is. As already mentioned in Sora's part, Sora has been protecting and guiding Mimi ever since they have known one another and it's quite obvious that Mimi, despite not aspiring to be like Sora at all, still greatly admires her and all her qualities. When Mimi loses her way, she knows she can rely on Sora to pull her out of it - which is exactly why their bond, Sora's kindness and encouragement helped to make Mimi's Crest glow for the first time, making her admit her faults and wrong-doings. And Mimi, despite her outspoken, opinionated attitude, needs encouragement. Which is where Jyou comes into play - not only was he the one to accompany her on her pacifist path of self-discovery once, but he was also by her side when she needed to vent over her insecurities and self-esteem issues twice. Making her be her most SINCERE self. Which in both cases, was a mutual experience, as I will go into detail about down below. Long story short: Both Sora and Jyou are capable of making her open up in the most genuine way, she feels safe and loved by them in ways nobody else can. Because even if they (indirectly) scold her for things she does wrong - they still do so softly, signaling her that she is fine the way she is. (An honourable mention here goes out to Stageplay/Kizuna!Koushirou who inspires Mimi to try out "something with computers".)

Jyou: Mimi and Yamato. Due to the consistent trope between Jyou and Mimi, I am very inclined to put her before Yamato in this ranking, but in the end, the theme between them is very similar. As pointed out before, Jyou decides to join Mimi in the Dark Master's Arc, primarily to protect her - but through witnessing and admiring her for finding her way, he felt inspired by her AND Yamato to go search for his own path, approach and attitude towards basically everything. It's something that both of them trigger in him at various points; even when he ends up questioning his intentions and motivations again, Mimi's sincere way of opening up to him (Tri) is what brings him back on track himself as well, allowing him to be honest to her and to himself. Not only that, Yamato (stageplay) validates him in believing that it all comes down to choosing for yourself to stay on track. Yamato (Adventure) who had once left the group, leaving Jyou in particular with the wish to believe in himself and his qualities. It's just a wonderful theme that keeps coming up, that helps Jyou to develop such a strong aura of confidence, which in turn makes him the senpai others actually feel capable of opening up to freely and safely. Which is significant considering how busy (and/or absent) he is most of the time. He IS Mister RELIABLE for a reason, so his validation causing Yamato's Crest to glow and Mimi to be confident enough to reach Ultimate level does mean something...

Takeru: Hikari (and Iori as honourable mention). You may or may not personally be pleased by the fact that Takeru and Hikari took the longest to conduct here. This can technically be seen as a negative, since it may imply that Takeru's bond with other characters doesn't go deep enough. Don't get me wrong, he DOES have bonds with QUITE a few other characters, he's looking up to Taichi a LOT, he loves to quarrel with Daisuke, he seems to know what is going on in Sora's and Koushirou's lives, his path from despising to trusting Ken is incredibly interesting, we already know that he and Yamato would die for each other and so on and so on... But you get the sense that he's not letting anybody really in too closely - which, as I observed before, applies to his brother as well. On the other hand, it also means what I already said in previous analysis posts: That he and Hikari are too glued together by the hip to let anybody else really come in between. There may have been times when one could have called it codependency, but considering all their parallels, everything they have seen and have gone through together, it can at least be assumed that they overcame some of their communicative barriers by the time of The Beginning. As much of a fun little time-killing exercise it may have been, he still spent his time practicing his fanfiction world-building skills with her and while the viewer cannot tell how much they have been talking about and processing their trauma, their brother complexes, etc., you simply cannot deny that they have consistently been there for each other. So one can only hope that he has stopped projecting his own overprotective brother tendencies onto her (ever since Tailmon called him out on them in 02), taking off the masks he has been showing a lot of people. Allowing himself to be the HOPE to her Light so to speak. I still want to give Iori a small honourable mention, because while I maintain that Iori "profits" more off of their relationship, I do believe that there was a time in 02 when he was also capable of making Takeru softer, offering him a bit of a mirror to himself.

Hikari: Takeru and Miyako. While the same issues apply to Hikari that have been mentioned with Takeru, her case is still a little bit different. Of course she had been hyperfocusing and depending on her brother for big chunks of the series and while she doesn't seem good at letting others in too closely either, her kindness still attracts people around her - including Takeru, who, as described, is both parallel and sidekick to her. You may already refer to them as trolls and partners in crime - and Hikari intended to stop depending on Takeru for protection as well, wanting to be equals ever since 02. Which, by the looks of it, may actually be the case, considering how they have been fighting rampaging Digimon side by side in Kizuna almost in sync. Again, she is acting as the LIGHT to his Hope. On the other hand, there is also Miyako, who, in contrast to Hikari, is loud and brash and tells the world when she doesn't like something - which is a skill Hikari basically longed to develop herself. So her admiring Miyako to at least some degree - while also being admired and encouraged by her in return - may have been a trigger that allowed her to grow more and more confident, balanced and equal to Miyako. As well as to Takeru too. And they may only grow further from here...

Daisuke: Ken. Daiken are probably THE prime example on how a Jogress combination gets the best out of each other. Simply because them working on their bond, their friendship, drags them away from toxic or dangerous habits (playing roles, hiding behind masks to impress others, bragging, catastrophizing, self-sabotage, etc.) and instead helps them to focus on what's really important. Daisuke gets naturally more comfortable, confident, downright happier and more enthusiastic thanks to Ken; his wish to BEFRIEND Ken basically makes him discover his own sense of COURAGE... There simply isn't a better example than this, because nobody else makes him get as honest as Ken does, as he basically plays a role towards everyone else (Hikari, Takeru, Taichi - and especially with the latter, it's a shame, because he used to look up to him, but finds his own style along the way, which never got that much focus...).

Ken: Daisuke. It's the reverse situation as described above, Ken is being enabled to overcome or at least deal with a lot of his self-esteem issues thanks to Daisuke's encouragement. The best thing is that, as soon as he opens up thanks to Daisuke, literally letting all of his KINDNESS shine through, he is capable of forming (potentially beautiful) bonds with several other Chosen Children and may have the greatest growth with the members of his core group (Iori, Takeru, Hikari and Miyako) than any other 02 kid. And in contrast to what I've said at the beginning of the post, Ken and Daisuke may or may not also be romantically compatible after all...

Miyako: Mimi and Hikari. While there are other characters who have an impact on her behaviour, I would argue that these two may have the biggest influence on how Miyako defines herself. Her identity and self-image are basically challenged by how she perceives these two; Mimi is oozing freedom, self-expression and brazenness when Miyako meets her for the first time, which are not only things that make her look up to her, but also things she would like to possess herself. Hikari is on the other end of the spectrum, she appears to be more reserved, collected, lady-like - and still possesses a drive, confidence and courage that Miyako admires. Her bond with both of them makes her more confident and also more SINCERE and LOVING, more aware of herself, her flaws and limitations, while also making her softer. (I would LOVE to add names like Sora and Koushirou here too, but they did not have screentime nor long-lasting "revelation" appeal to her. Sure, they both basically made her see that it's okay not to jump if you don't feel up for the task, but overall, they didn't have too much effect on her in comparison.)

Iori: Jyou and Takeru. Koushirou gets an honourable mention here, because he doesn't get nearly as much opportunity to see Iori at his lower points or have meaningful emotional moments as the other two do. Jyou and Takeru get way more opportunities to get to know and bond with him - we all know he still gets the shortest end of the stick in terms of screentime and relationship development, but it's still interesting to see how he loosens up, softens thanks to what he experiences with and observes through them. Takeru and him both have a lot of pent-up anger, but Iori learns that lashing out for revenge may not be the right path. Likewise, Jyou used to be a lot more tense and stiff on rules when he was younger - and is now teaching Iori that it's okay to take things easier, to be kinder with oneself. Plus, neither of them treats him like "a child/the youngest" and so he gets the best of both worlds, making him become more resilient through the gained KNOWLEDGE and letting him take on tasks to show his own RELIABILITY.

[transmutationisms]

hi! was wondering if you have any recs for some good critiques of Foucault’s historical method (or lack thereof)?

I enjoy reading his theory but I know his methodology can be lacking and would love to learn specifically how. ty <3

i don't have a text off the top of my head that is solely dedicated to making this critique of foucault (usually it's scattered into various historical literature) but i can just tell you:

foucault the historian has the consistent problem of relying on too few primary sources, almost all of which are french or english, meaning his claims are often only applicable to limited local cases (even the differences between the highly centralised, bureaucratised french state and the british situation tend to get flattened). his sources also tend to be authority figures like doctors and government officials, and he frequently makes the assumption that the powers they claim to have (or claim they SHOULD have) are powers they actually do have, which leads to a 'top-down' history that presents authorities and institutions as almost infallible in their efforts to repression, with virtually no attention paid to how people actually received any such mandates, and whether they were actionable, or subverted, or both. he also has a real problem conceiving of liberty in any terms but individual; politics for him is frequently characterised by a group vs individual struggle, which is a problem if what you are trying to understand is, say, the history of class struggle.

as a philosopher foucault articulated some general methodological guiding principles that remain useful in history: genealogical and archaeological methods, the call to historicise (meaning, to problematise; to contextualise) institutions and ideas presented as timeless or transcendent. there are also concepts in his historical narratives that other people have since fleshed out further, nuanced, and grounded in better evidence and 'bottom-up' histories, like biopolitics. so it's not unusual to see his name pop up in historical footnotes, especially in an introduction or conclusion where he may form part of a conceptual framework the author is using to interpret their evidence and turn it into a viable argument. but even these usages are certainly subject to critique (eg, the emphasis on individual liberty that suffuses his conceptual work; the extent to which his arguments can apply beyond the specific early modern metropolitan french contexts about which he was writing) and he should pretty much never be cited as a historian because his methodology in that respect was at best lacking.