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#i think 3/4 is a good stopping point based on notes??
raineandsky · 1 year
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A Date in Exchange
(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7)
The villain turns up on the hero’s doorstep every week as promised after that. They always show up with a bouquet of burning reds and oranges and yellows, each bigger than the last, and the flames always find themselves face down in the hero’s bin.
Each week is something a little different—a movie night, a fancy meal, a game of Cluedo. The villain seems to get more and more disappointed each week. The hero takes enough pictures to appease their parents, and the villain enthusiastically escapes the disgusting cosiness of the hero’s house as soon as it’s over.
“It’s kind of cold, isn’t it?” the hero comments idly. It’s their night of stargazing, as far as their parents know, and the two of them are sitting on the cool grass of the hero’s garden. “Let me go grab a blanket.”
They haul themself to their feet with the dexterity of someone very good at pretending to not be in good shape, leaving the villain to sit on their shared little picnic blanket alone. It’s probably too small for two people, and neither of them are overly enthralled to cram onto the lackluster square—that much is obvious from how the villain contentedly spreads out the moment the hero stands. 
There’s a blanket draped over the sofa in the living room, and the hero grabs it without a thought. They turn back to the garden, fully prepared to step through the patio doors and hog most of its warmth for the rest of the evening, but they pause on the threshold.
The villain is leaning back on their hands, their gaze pointed to the sky overhead. Their lips are moving faintly, though from here the hero can’t hear what they’re saying. The hero’s mother was always so insistent on stringing fairy lights through her garden, and the hero had copied her in their own—they’re turned on tonight, washing the villain in a soft, heavenly glow. They look so serene, their focus fixed to the lights above, lit up like an angel, and the hero can’t help themself.
They raise their phone. They were always proud of the fact that it had such a good camera, and they couldn’t be more thankful for that as they frame their nemesis in its lens. With a hushed click, their phone preserves the moment forever.
They stand in the doorway for another solid minute, just watching; they’re not really sure why. They’ve never really seen the villain experience an emotion beyond violence, they suppose. It’s… a nice change of pace, they tell themself. Nothing more.
Eventually they force their legs to move again, crossing the grass with the blanket in tow. The villain glances up at them, still awash in yellow light, and the hero has to immediately revert to their usual ways to avoid saying wow.
“Are you talking to yourself?” they ask shortly, and the villain snorts.
“Constellations,” they say, as if that’s an answer. They clearly realise it’s not after a moment, adding: “My parents taught me the constellations when I was younger. You can see most of them tonight.”
The hero drops the blanket, landing half on the villain’s lap. They don’t bother to sit as they turn their gaze to the sky. “Big Dipper,” the villain points out, as if the hero can see where they’re pointing, “and the Little Dipper on the left.”
“Your parents astronomers or something?”
The villain smiles a little sadly, though their eyes stay fixed on the view. “They wanted to be. Too bad the agency had other ideas.”
Had. The hero doesn’t think they can do this. “Anyway, it’s late. You should go home.”
“Oh.” The villain glances at the clock on their own phone, and the hero notices the three people on their screensaver. “You finally realised you have all your little romantic pictures and I’ve overstayed my welcome?”
“Exactly,” the hero retorts shortly, and they don’t miss the slight frown their response receives. “Same time next week, [Villain].”
The hero can’t get their nemesis out fast enough. The villain seems to dawdle endlessly, picking their things up as slowly as humanly possible, but eventually the hero manages to slam the door in their face. They open their phone as they lean back against the door as if to keep them out, glancing down at the picture they took just minutes before. Some part of them can’t believe they never saw this before, another part disgusted at the thought. The villain is… pretty. It feels like a crime just to think that.
They glance out the window to the side of the door—the villain has already pulled their hood up, a shadow against the evening, anxious to disappear into the city. Their gait is hurried like they’re fleeing the scene as they hop over one of the neighbour’s fences and vanish.
They turn their phone off with a disheartened sigh, their stare locked onto the bin in the kitchen beyond. It smells so floral, so enticing, and it guides the hero towards it like a lighthouse in the storm. They flick it open, looking down at the carefully tied stems and the splash of vibrance beneath, and after a moment of deliberation fuelled by the overwhelming scent of flowers they pull them back out.
There’s a decorative vase on the kitchen table, and after another hesitant inner turmoil they place the flowers inside, slowly, as if they’ll explode if they rush. They’re stunning—matching the autumnal tiles of the room, matching their own hero’s uniform, matching the villain’s usual fire for life. That’s been lacking recently, only dampening each time they appear on the hero’s doorstep, and they haven’t figured out why.
Not that they care, obviously. The hero doesn’t give a damn about the villain. Their parents might get suspicious if they start looking miserable, is all. They just need to fix it so that their mother doesn’t start crying again. That’s all there is to it.
There’s a picture on the hero’s phone and a bright bouquet of flowers on their table that suggest otherwise, though.
(Next part)
Taglist: @criohfreeze
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zee-rambles · 2 years
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Lets. D0. This.
(Please note: Post will be updated as I find more resources and think of more strategies)
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(Please do not re-use gif without permission…unless it’s to save Rise…)
Mutant May
YOU can watch Season 1 and Season 2 of RISE right HERE!
So I’ve seen a a lot of people still wondering if Rise of the TMNT can be saved.
There’s is a lot of hope, especially with the boom of fans joining the fandom after the movie dropped last year, people making more art on tumblr, twitter, tik tok, and so on. But also a a lot of doubt, especially after JJ Conway’s post on twitter.
BUT…I still think there is a chance…a GOOD chance. WITH ORIGINAL CAST AND CREW! Why?
We live in the internet. Information is more then easy to get out now thanks to social media. There is all kinds of ways to get the word out to people. Let’s abuse it. 😎
Fans have brought back shows before.
We need a MAJOR push through social media, more fans, more art, it’s up to us…and I think we can do it!
Fans convinced Netflix to bring Sense8 back for a finale
Fans convinced fox to bring back “Futurama” after it was cancelled in 1999.
Hey Arnold got the jungle movie thirteen years after the show was cancelled
Animaniacs got a 3 season revival 22 years after it stopped airing.
Brooklyn 99 was cancelled in 2018, and the fans convinced NBC to pick up the series.
Arrested Development was canceled after 3 seasons, but AFTER it was cancelled, it grew an audience and they made it come back!
Fans saved the original Star Trek in the 60s with letters.
They did it. Why can’t we?
So what can we do?
Well…
1. PETITIONS TO SAVE RISE that we can all sign…
PETITION 1 (The strongest one, but the more petitions signed, the better!)
PETITION 2
PETITION 3
PETITION 4 (save the content that was cut/we missed)
PETITION 5! (Make an ROTTMNT season 3)
2. Pester Nickelodeon and Netflix on social media (THE BIG ONE Y’ALL, THIS IS THE MOST DIRECT AND IMPORTANT)
Be polite, be non-toxic (don’t be rude or mean, the boys would not want that, and the Nick/Netflix won’t listen), but be LOUD, PASSIONATE, AND ANNOYING! Ask for DVDs of the show/movie, and then BUY THOSE DVDs!
MAKE SURE TO ASK FOR THE FULL ORIGINAL CAST AND CREW TO COME BACK, INCLUDING ANDY SARIANO AND ANT WARD.
Sample DM/Letter (but try to come up with your own. Too many repeats and they will ignore it)
“Dear Nickelodeon/Netflix/Viacom, I can’t tell you how much Rise means to me, and I really love that you put the show on air. But it was not fair that the show was cancelled before it got the chance to reach the audience it deserved, only because of a few bad reviews and a lack of advertising. The show is great, there’s tons of fans, tons of art, and people, including me, want so much more! Please bring it back! We want the original crew to come, Flying Bark, for the show to get it’s full second season restored, and it’s five season run like it was originally intended. People hated the 2012 TMNT when it came out, but it got it’s chance and now there are people that love it. Why can’t Rise of the TMNT have the same? It’s clear that the creators love their work and there’s a growing fan base for it. Rise just came out at the wrong time, but it deserves it chance to shine.”
The more personal you made the letter, the more you say what Rise means to you, the better.
As for me? I’m sending them a picture of Pizza Pigeon with the #wewantmoreriseoftheTMNT and #saverottmnt
Request movies/seasons on Netflix.
Ask for Rise Season 2, another season, another movie. Just keep asking!
Nickelodeon’s facebook page (Look, I know that facebook is a relic at this point, but the more people go there and PESTER Nickelodeon, the better!)
Rise’s facebook page
Leave good reviews. Share. Leave TONS of comments
Nickelodeon’s instagram
Nickelodeon’s Twitter page (treat carefully, there be Musks out there…only use if you are over 18)
Nickelodeon’s TikTok
Niceklodeon’s letter inbox
Nickelodeon, 1515 Broadway, New York, NY 10036
Rugrats was brought back because fans bombarded Nickelodeon with letters saying they wanted it back. Might as well cover our bases. This one is a BIG DEAL!
Nickelodeon’s Corporate Number
1-212-846-2543 Call them! Annoy them! Ask how we can get their attention! Tell them why you love this show! Why it deserves to come back.
Contact Paramount
Paramounts Request form
Official Fan Page Rise’s Instagram
The more followers the better.
Netflix’s instagram
Netflix’s facebook
Netflix’s Twitter (Treat carefully. There be MUSKs out there…only use if you are over 18)
SPAM NICKELODEON’S EMAILS!
If anyone has any more, any deeper more direct points of contact, or more ideas, please share!
3. Leave good reviews for Rise anywhere and raise awareness everywhere you can!
One of the key reasons Rise did not do too well because it was unfairly review bombed before people could give it a chance…so get out there on tik tok, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, and ESPECIALLY youtube.
Make reviews! Analysis! JOKES! Support other content creators! When the Rise Reanimated video comes out, share it like no tomorrow!
No one paid attention when How to Train Your Dragon came out, but word of mouth and people saying it was good, made it the success it was. Let’s repeat history!
Anytime there is NEW RISE CONTENT on Nickelodeon’s YouTube channel, watch it, share, spread it.
Share this post on social media, across various sites, use the information here to spread awareness about how people can help and what they can do. Be relentless! (Like Leo in Lair Games)
Ask influencers to review, react, and give RISE a chance without placing judgement.
4. Make. ART!
Draw, Write, TWEET, Make MERCH, Sell MERCH, Make Tik Toks, Videos on YouTube, posts on instagram, discord, what pad, demanding more Rise, spreading the word, and just showing how much you love this show! Not only will it attract attention, but it’s also good for all of us. There will be more Rise content either way.
Make sure to @ nickelodeon on ALL of your art! SPAM THEM! ANNOY THEM! DROWN THEM IN LOVE FOR THIS SHOW! Demand DVD’s and Blue rays of the SHOW AND THE MOVIE! It’s not fair that we can’t have access to it!
PLAY THIS GAME!
If you see official Rise MERCH in the while, buy it if you can! Also support as many rise content creators as you can. If you can’t draw? Write! If you can’t create! Like! Share! Comment! Support each other!
Rise April ART Challenge
Keep in mind…there WILL be pushback.
Companies as big as Nickelodeon and Viacom care about their bottom line: $$$…money. BUT pushback, whether they are taking down your videos on Tik Tok, striking artists on twitter, mean that they’re taking NOTICE. So don’t. Give. UP!
One last thing to remember: DO NOT harass fans for enjoying other versions of TMNT
Even though Rise is the first and only TMNT I have ever loved, I don’t believe in shaming other fans for looking forward to, or enjoying other TMNT series. Gatekeeping like that was what stopped Rise from (heh) Rising as high as it should have. All Rise fans are welcome, and all TMNT fans are welcome. Rise deserves to reach more fans, it deserves another season, and it does not need to knock down other TMNT series to do it. Show them your love and your need for more Rise, without making other TMNT fans feel unwelcome.
Share, spread the word, give it your best shot! A village can move MOUNTAINS! SO let’s do it.
So that in the near future…we can MAKE THIS JOKE!
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bunnyreaper · 11 months
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��𝖔𝖑𝖑𝖆𝖗𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖈𝖆𝖌𝖊𝖘 𝔞 𝔰𝔬𝔞𝔭 𝔪𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔞𝔳𝔦𝔰𝔥 𝔵 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔢𝔯 𝔰𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔰 𝖕𝖙 4 — 𝖕𝖙 3 𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 wc - 5.8k warnings - 18+/nsfw, dom/sub dynamic, hints of petplay notes - i blame barry for the delay, jk. anyway, sorry it took so long but i hope you enjoy! also on ao3! ♥
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You've officially reached the point of insanity, and there's no turning back. One date with Johnny, and you're practically doodling his name in a journal with hearts all around, or putting your name with his just to see how it sounds. 
Admittedly, you haven't done either of those things, but you did turn down another night out drinking this weekend on the off chance you end up having plans with Johnny—which might be just as insane, if not more. Especially since you hadn't brought up your intention with Johnny. 
You suppose there's no time like the present, so cuddled up on your couch, you bring up your messages to Johnny and start typing.
i miss you so much, even if it's only been a few days!! when can I see you again? 
Straight to the point—unbridled emotion that's honestly a little cringeworthy, but there's little point in pretending to be something you're not, especially when Johnny seems perfectly into it. 
You have to distract yourself for a little while, scrolling through various social media apps to occupy your mind as you wait for a response. It's not too long before your phone pings, and you're rushing to click the notification—each time his name pops up on your screen your stomach flips, and you always click onto the message far too eagerly. You wonder if he does the same.
Been thinking, and I did have an idea in mind, but now am overthinking.
That certainly piques your interest, as you speedily type back a response, almost demanding an answer. 
tell me!! 
You watch the screen as it tells you Johnny is typing, then nothing. Then typing again, then nothing. After a minute or so of stopping and starting, his picture fills the screen as his call waits for you—you pick up immediately.
"Hey, pet." He greets cheerfully—so much so that you can hear the smile in his voice. It's so much better now the image of it is burned in the back of your mind—it feels like the two of you never stopped smiling when you were together.
"Hi, Johnny!" You reply, just as enthused, despite it only being a day since you last spoke. "What's your idea?" 
Your insistence on hearing his idea makes him laugh.
"Straight to the point, lass. I was thinking that ya could come stay fer the weekend?" You detect a hint of hesitance in his voice, while your heart practically leaps at the prospect. 
A whole weekend with Johnny sounds like a dream—talking, cuddling, kissing... maybe more. You burn with need thinking about finally taking things to a more sexual level with Johnny. So far you've only teased each other, and even that has made you unbelievably needy—practically every conversation with him leaves you dripping and aching, leaves you yearning for relief that you can only get at Johnny's hands. 
Not only that, but maybe you'll get to explore more of your dynamic together—the thought of getting to submit to him sends you into a tailspin. You know it would come so easily, you know you'd slip under Johnny's command so easily were he to just take ahold of your metaphorical leash. 
You come to, realising you'd fallen completely silent instead of responding when Johnny speaks again—lighthearted yet hesitant.
 "... But it's okay if you don't want to—"
"I want to! On base?" You ask, already starting to unfurl the logistics in your head.
Johnny chuckles good-naturedly, seemingly amused by the idea of having you come over to his place on base. "Nah, I have a flat in Hereford."
"Oh, cool. I was a little scared for a moment." You admit, a hint of nervousness before you change tack. "But ooh, are you aiming to get laid this weekend? Bold move, Johnny." 
Admittedly, you're teasing and not offended by the assumption in the slightest, if anything, you know wholeheartedly that you want him. If you go on much longer with the level of teasing Johnny subjects you to without any relief, you may just combust. 
"You're the one making assumptions, needy girl." He teases right back, and then continues more earnestly. "I wasn't counting on it, jus' want to spend some quality time with you. Can't exactly cuddle up in a café."  
How he manages to balance wholesome and filthy so well you have no idea. Consistently, Johnny shows his depth and keeps you on your toes by making you flustered in every possible way. One moment you're blushing from desire, the next from his sweetness. 
"So... it's a sleepover, then?" You giggle as you snuggle closer to the couch cushions, already thrilled at the idea of spending time with Johnny in any way. 
Johnny laughs right along with you, launching back into joking. "I'll even paint your nails if ya want. Braid your hair, talk about boys, as long as the boy is me..." 
The hint of possessiveness makes your stomach do somersaults—despite the early stages of your relationship, your heart is set on Johnny, and it's reassuring to know he might be in just as deep. 
"You're the sweetest! Do you even know how to braid hair, though?" You try to imagine Johnny's large hands working with delicate strings of hair, as braiding is something you even struggle to do yourself.
"I have sisters and nieces. Taken part in many a makeover." He proudly admits, and you can feel the joy radiating off of him. No threat to his masculinity at all, just sheer enjoyment at being the subject of his niece's whims.
The image it conjures up is downright adorable.
You nod to yourself, storing that piece of information in the back of your mind for later. "I'll keep that in mind for when I need to dress up for a special occasion." 
The giggles are unavoidable as you picture big, bulky Johnny painting nails—you'd put good money on him being the kind to poke out his tongue when he concentrates.
Your thoughts start to drift to other plans for the weekend, other things you might get up to. Johnny was adamant that sex wasn't expected, but on your end, it's certainly still desired... at least in theory. 
There are still some residual nerves and worries, even with Johnny's constant sweetness—past events, past bad experiences lurk in the back of your mind waiting to sabotage the present. 
The need you feel almost overwhelms all of that though—the way Johnny just seems to speak to all the submissive parts of you, making you feel so desired and so safe.
"So... what if I want to have sex?" You ask, voice falling quiet as if admitting something forbidden—as if Johnny isn't going to do filthy things to you far beyond just sex. 
A throaty, strained groan leaves the man, his voice dropping low and dripping with desire. "Might have to have you stay longer, since you won't be walking after."
You suspect the idea of you struggling to walk isn't just bragging—if you close your eyes, you can almost see his length, remembering how good it felt even though thick denim jeans. 
"I— yeah, okay." The sigh that leaves you is instinctual, hot with anticipation.
"I've got condoms, but yer welcome to bring your own," Johnny mentions. "And I'll pick ya up Friday evening, drop you off Sunday night? How's that sound?" 
"Wonderful." You say honestly, loving that you'll get to spend the weekend with him, all while being cared for and driven there and back. "Ooh, I get to be your passenger princess." 
You giggle mischievously, playing it up for Johnny as your mind runs wild with ideas. 
"Don't be getting any ideas, lass." He chides, playfulness clear in his tone.
"Hey, I was just planning on taking over your radio and telling you fun stories. Nothing more!" Your voice rises through your protest, as before Johnny had turned it dirty, you really hadn't been thinking of the way your hands may drift to his thigh, or palm at his cock. 
"Not sure if I believe that. I felt the way you were squeezin' me under that table, yer a naughty girl." He purrs, making shivers run through you.
"You started it, not me." Your gasp is full of offence, proclaiming your complete innocence. Of course, you had wanted to feel him up way more than you did and had undoubtedly had a few very sinful thoughts while he was sitting next to you. 
But you had been good, had behaved, and kept your hands to yourself. It was Johnny who led you to sin.
"So, you won't be feeling me up unless I'm the one guiding you?" 
At that you fall silent, too stunned to speak—the thought of Johnny guiding you through pleasing him, guiding you into being perfect, just for him is overwhelming. He'll lead you deeper and deeper into submission—trust.
"Oh, you like the sound of that." Johnny's purr has you completely dead to rights, as once more, he sees right through you.
You take a few deep breaths, trying to settle your rapidly swirling arousal. "Of course I do..." 
Johnny doesn't relent in his teasing, in his almost cruel display of control of your desire. Everything from his word choice to the dominant edge in his voice sends you spiralling. "Want me to show you how to please me, puppy?" He coos. "Show you how tae be a good girl fer me?" 
"Please, sir." You feel your mind slip just a little—falling so easily into that blissful state just listening to Johnny's tone, finding it so easy to fall for him. 
"Won't have to show you much, you just know how to turn me on naturally, like it's instinct. Fuck, lassie." The guttural noise from Johnny shows the effect his own words have on him too. 
You hope he's squirming just like you are, achingly hard and straining against his jeans, just like he was in the café. 
The tension crackles in the air between you, the silence thick with your joint lust settling deep in your respective guts. 
You let out a shaky sigh before you respond. "It's only fair for us to be equal on that front since you just... I don't even have words. It's like you read my mind so you can drive me crazy." 
Johnny is undoubtedly insightful, likely an occupational thing, but sometimes it's scary how well he can read you. He's not the only one who naturally knows how to appeal to someone's baser desires.
For a moment, and quite unfairly as the logical side of your brain notes, your gut twists at the idea of how he became so well practised.
Johnny's sweet laugh pulls you from that train of thought. "Am a smart man, perceptive, what can I say? Know how to read ma pet."
"I'm not your pet." You note, not bitterly, but rather plainly. You're not Johnny's— 
"Not yet, aye, but you will be." He says with a sense of certainty. 
"Johnny..." You don't even know what to say to that, beyond begging and pleading for him to make it come true—but that hardly feels appropriate right now.
"Even if we don't have sex this weekend, I'd like to explore things with us a little, if tha's okay?" He asks, his voice open and inquisitive, almost shy in how quietly he poses the question.
"Me too, I don't wanna rush too much but holding back somehow feels...wrong." You sigh, wishing you had the words to really explain the pull you felt. "It's like I know I shouldn't be rushing head first into this, but... I can't stop it." 
Johnny is truly a magnetic force of a man, both in who he is and the way he treats you. There's so much about him that you can't wait to get to know, all the beauty and scars in equal measure, each story—the meaning of the waver behind his smile, the way he sounds first thing in the morning. 
"Me either, if it helps." He admits, sharing the sentiment. "It's okay to fall, just gotta be there tae catch each other, aye?" 
Your eyes flutter shut as you rip the phone away from your face, letting out a loud exhalation and a whispered "fuck". The warmth of his words and the weight of the meaning behind them overwhelming you, wrapping around you like a cosy blanket.
When you feel a little calmer, you return the phone to your ear to agree with Johnny's sentiment, though not quite as viscerally as you did in private.
"Yeah, just gotta keep each other straight." Your throat tightens as you push the words out. 
The silence on the line is overtaken by shuffling from Johnny's end for a moment before he clears his throat. "Gotta go, pet. Duty calls."
"It's... 8 pm, what are you doing at this hour?"
There's a laugh from Johnny, and a more insistent knocking in the background. "Going for a pint with the lads." 
"Oh duty, huh?" You tease. 
He hums in affirmation, unashamed. "Team bonding, essential stuff for the functional operation of any squad." 
"Have fun, Johnny." You wish him well sincerely, even if part of you wishes the call didn't have to end. "Talk soon."
"Talk soon, princess. Sleep well." He makes a kissing noise before ending the call, his photo disappearing off your screen before you lock the phone and clutch it to your chest just for a moment. 
'It's okay to fall, just gotta be there tae catch each other.'
His words echo through your mind over the coming days—the light in an otherwise dreary weak. 
You were definitely falling. 
————
Packing your bag feels like chaos, as you desperately scramble to not forget a single thing. You're only going for a weekend, and yet you're packing like you're bunkering down for the apocalypse. Well, a million pairs of underwear will be necessary with how Johnny ruins them just with his words and his voice—being there in person means you'll probably be going through a new pair every hour. 
And of course, you need cute extra outfits, in case the two of you go anywhere... that means extra shoes too. Johnny is going to think you're crazy with all the bags and belongings you're bringing. 
Thankfully, you got ready hours ago—did your makeup and hair to perfection and put on a pretty dress that you may have ordered just for Johnny. Okay, maybe you ordered several dresses just for Johnny.
As you rush to put the finishing touches on your packing, your phone buzzes with a text. 
Outside whenever you're ready :) 
i'll be out soon! <3
Maybe you should tell Johnny you'd buzz him up, but considering that your packing has made your flat look like a tornado has ripped through it, perhaps it's best not.
You do your best to rush, not wanting to exhaust Johnny's good patience, jamming in a few final items you might need just in case, before locking up your flat and heading down to the lobby.
You step out into the car park, spotting Johnny standing beaming, leaning against a jeep. His arms and chest bulge in his burgundy Henley, his jeans are slung low on his hips in such a tempting way. Is it possible he got more attractive since the last time you saw him? 
Your eyes crawl over him, drinking in every little detail and falling for his good looks all over again—just as enraptured in his beauty as the first time. 
"Hi." You call out as soon as the two of you meet eyes, the spark between you instantly reigniting just through a look.
"Hey, you." He immediately reaches for your bag, taking the weight off of your shoulder like it's nothing to him—even though the weight was already starting to strain your shoulder. "Let me grab that for yer." 
You let him take your bag, watching with glee as opens the boot to put it away. The manners are such a turn-on. "What a gentleman." 
His chest puffs up in pride, a resolute look on his face. "Ma maw raised me right." 
After closing the door to the boot, Johnny jogs round to the passenger side, holding the door open for you to climb inside.
"That she did." You nod, impressed and honestly swooning at the princess treatment as Johnny climbs into the driver's side.
With the two of you finally in the car, Johnny leans back to grab a shopping bag from the backseat, opening it to display a range of goodies. "Need anything? I brought drinks and snacks." 
You peer inside the bag to see what he brought before meekly taking a bag of cookies and a can to drink. "Ooh, it's like a real road trip." 
Johnny reaches back to put the bag away, stopping with his hand resting on the back of your seat—his baby blues shine, as does his smile as he looks upon you. "Gotta look after ma girl." 
Your heart hammers against your chest, your cheeks flush and burn.
His girl.
"I could get used to that." You whisper, lost in watching his mouth, recalling the way they wrapped around those words.
"Me too, bonnie." 
Before he turns his attention to getting the car running, he double-checks your seatbelt, making sure you're safe—he makes sure his rearview mirror is perfectly placed taps to activate the directions on his phone. 
And then he does the thing—the arm on the back of the seat, backing out of the parking space and looking so fucking hot while doing it. You're entirely transfixed. 
"I'm just getting it out of the way now, but I am gonna stare at you a tonne, you already look so attractive when you're driving." You know you're babbling just a little, a side effect of the nerves, and the fact that Johnny looks so good to you right now.1
"I'm all yours to feast yer eyes upon." He says with a wink, before turning his attention to the road as he pulls out of your apartment's car park.
"Lucky me." You whisper, gaze tracing over all of his features. "Especially since I love looking at you so much." 
"Shame fer me tha' I have tae keep my eyes on the road." The smile on his face widens as he spares you a glance, doing a quick double-take. 
"At least we have all weekend to spend time together uninterrupted." Feeling brave, you reach out to rest your hand on the back of Johnny's head, caressing the nape of his neck and threading your fingers in the roots of his hair. 
Johnny's shoulders relax, as he leans slightly into the touch. "That we do." His voice turns serious momentarily. "Did you let someone know where you're going?" 
Sweet Johnny, always concerned for your safety, even when it comes to him. The awareness he shows is another thing in the long list of little details you admire about him.
"I forwarded all of your info to a friend, so you should be very afraid." You tease easily. Your friend is under strict instructions to call the police should you not check-in.
"Terrified, lassie." He smirks. "Just tae be clear, you wanna go home at any point, I'll take you, or drive you to the station if yer not comfortable." 
"I appreciate it. And if you want to kick me out, feel free." 
"I'd never." He gasps, full of offence. "Unless ya decide to trash my flat, and even then that's only if you started damaging my keepsakes from ma granny." 
It's your turn to gasp now. You wonder if that comment was inspired by past events—the kind of warning that only comes after you've experienced the event. "Only a monster would do such a thing." 
"Aye, and I bet you can be a brat, but not a monster." 
You shrug, a coy smile on your face, knowing just how bratty you can be when you want to be. "Everyone needs to be a little bratty sometimes." 
"Hmm, do they now? Good job I won't get tired of putting you in yer place then, pet." 
Johnny's hand slides from the gear stick to your thigh, his fingers curling around the exposed flesh just above your knee. The feeling is entirely electric, especially in combination with his words, making you hyper-aware of every sensation as his thumb sweeps over your skin and his hand tugs your legs ever so slightly apart. 
"This okay?" He asks, glancing down to where his hand is settled on you—you know 100% if you said no, he'd withdraw in an instant. 
"More than okay." You smile earnestly, slipping your own hand across to rest in the same place on his broad thigh.  "But can I do the same?" You embrace the denim beneath your fingertips, relish in the firm muscle that rests underneath. 
"As long as it's just tha', don't distract me too much." He smirks, turning briefly to wink at you. 
You try to keep your eyes on the road and your hands respectful. "Can't concentrate on two things at once? Seems unlike you." You tease. 
"I can." He protests, firm and certain, before his voice softens. "But I dinnae want to risk it. Precious cargo on board." He fixes you with a meaningful look in between glances at the road. 
"Johnny..." You sigh, blushing profusely at his compliment and way of thinking. 
"Dinnae care what anyone says, a man who'll drive like a nut with his lovie in the car is no man at all." He nods firmly, face morphing into something serious—though his eyes are filled with mirth, as his serious facade almost cracks."
"So no road head... ever?" You gasp, genuinely a little taken back at the prospect. 
Johnny breathes deeply through his nose, his knuckles on the wheel turning white as his hand at your thigh grips. He faces ahead still, yet speaks slowly. "If the first time I get yer pretty mouth on me is while I'm drivin', I will crash, tha's all am saying." 
"I value your honesty." Your voice leaves you as a whisper, your attempt to joke falling flat at your own breathlessness. You take a moment to compose yourself, before starting to tease again. "Save it for tonight, then?" 
It's Johnny's turn to swallow hard. "We'll see." 
The car journey falls silent for a little while, and the lack of conversation, while comfortable, allows for unpleasant and doubtful thoughts to creep in. 
The truth is, you can talk a big game, but sometimes your desire becomes outpaced by your nerves—then you're left struggling in a swirling pit of darkened thoughts. Every time Johnny pulls away to change gear, you find yourself feeling a little colder until his hand returns. 
But it doesn't do well to dwell on anxious thoughts. You force yourself to stop biting your lip, stop letting your mind flicker back to bad experiences, and actually speak to the one person who can offer you comfort right now.
"I am a little nervous..." You let the words fall free, and feel a little surprised at how small you sound.
"Aww, don't be. There's no pressure at all, promise." He says, sounding sweet and genuine—his hand squeezes your thigh once again. "Even if the furthest we go is cuddling on the couch, I'll be a very happy man." 
The smile on his face speaks to the truth of the statement, and you can't help smiling right back at him. 
"I appreciate you saying that." You think for a moment before continuing, trying to put into words the true source of your angst. "I just... get hesitant about opening up, I guess. Some guys before have promised me the world until they got what they wanted and then..." 
You trail off, not feeling the need or the strength to go into detail about last time, or the time before that.
"Tha's not me." Once more, he squeezes and lets his thumb rub over your skin. "But I don't expect ya to just take my word for it, I'll show ya, as long as it takes." 
His words mean more than you can say, and the fact he intends to back them up means even more. You really hope you can count on him.
"You're so sweet." You sigh, feeling full to the brim with appreciation. 
Johnny seems a little nervous too, frenetic energy making him shuffle in his seat. He seems to be lost in thought for a few moments before he finally speaks up. 
"I'm not looking to rush in and make a mistake maself. The last girl I dated..." He trails off too, his words tinged with dejection as he stares straight ahead. "Let's jus' say it didn't end well, either." 
You nod understandingly, all too familiar with things not ending well. "You don't have to tell me now." 
He shrugs slightly and seems like he's refusing to meet your eye any longer. "Don't want tae ruin the mood." 
"It's hard to ruin it, Johnny. We're meant to be spending time together, getting to know each other." You offer your most reassuring smile, hoping he catches it out of the corner of his eyes. "I have my fair share of sob stories to unload on you, don't worry." 
Although, that's another source of worry, that Johnny will run for the hills once he learns of your baggage.
"I don't doubt it." His lips fall into a frown, before being schooled into a half-hearted smile. "Hopefully we can replace them all with good stories instead." 
You silently nod, hoping for the same. 
"Speaking of good memories, I was thinking we could make pizzas together, I got the dough and some toppings." Johnny mentions, and the notion fills you with joy. 
"Sounds like fun!" You gasp, a pressing thought flickering into your mind. "What kind of pizza toppings do you like? I feel like this is make or break." 
Johnny seems to think for a moment, his tongue poking into his cheek. "Hmm... What are the most controversial choices?" He asks, a shit-eating grin breaking out on his face. 
"Hmm, pineapple?" You pose a controversial yet not particularly gross topping first, to gauge Johnny's taste. 
"Aye, don't mind it." 
"Anchovies?" 
He shrugs. "Why not?"
"... Olives?" 
Now he turns, perplexed. "Who doesn't like olives?" 
"A lot of people! They're horrible." You whine.
"The black ones aren't so bad, ya big baby." Johnny looks as he turns in time to watch you frown, his voice turning so condescending. "Aww, poutin' like one too. What did I tell ya about poutin' in front of me?" 
"That you'd kiss me, nibble on me even." You squeak.
You watch as everything about him changes—his eyes grow stormy and lidded, his lips curl into a satisfied smirk and his voice drops dangerously low. "As soon as we get back, those lips o' yours are mine." 
"... Yes Johnny." Your reply comes automatically, an instinct that you know will be capitalised on.
"Sound so sweet when ya say my name like that." He smiles brightly, genuinely pleased.
"Wait til you're fucking it out of me." 
"That won't be the name I want to hear from that pretty little mouth, bonnie girl." 
Shit. 
You shiver all over, squirming in your seat. "Yes sir." 
"Fuuuuck." Johnny groans, squeezing your thigh extra tight for good measure. "We should set some ground rules for the weekend." 
He suddenly sounds quite serious, though you suppose it's a good thing. Boundaries are needed, especially if you're to keep things sensible and consensual.
"Yeah, sounds good." You nod, falling quiet to allow him to lead the way. 
"I'm not gonna make ya do anything, don't think we're ready for that, but I'd like to tease it, if tha's okay?" You love the way he sounds measured and yet hopeful. 
"More than okay, though I'm sure you love to tease." You giggle, filled with a little nervous energy. Johnny already teases you so much, if he steps up his game any more you might straight up melt into a puddle. 
"Who doesn't? What did ya say about everyone needing to be a brat?" He jokes, winking—all charm. "But aye, think we need a long talk first before anything proper." 
"I look forward to it, though." You admit. Despite detailing a lot of your interests and limits in your initial post, it's good that Johnny is adamant about revisiting them properly. Still, you're excited to get to a point where you both feel comfortable truly exploring your dynamic. "So... can I call you sir?" 
Johnny falls quiet for a moment. "If it comes naturally to yer. Feel like it's something I should earn." 
"You're already doing it, you make it easier to trust you with everything that you do." Like insisting the name is something earned, you think. 
"I'm glad tae hear that." He nods, the smile on his face only slight, as he weighs his responsibility. 
"I do have some questions, though." You begin, somewhat hesitantly, but you suppose it's good to lay your cards on the table completely. A part of you can't live with uncertainty—needs to know Johnny's true intentions. 
He eyes you for a moment, before nodding. "Go on." 
"So, say you had complete control over things going forward, what would you want to happen? What do you... want for our relationship?" You take a moment to breathe after spilling all of that. 
Despite his focus on driving, you can see the cogs in Johnny's head turning as he mulls over your question.
"I want ya to be mine, in every sense of the word. My girl, my pet, my love. Everything, and I want tae be the same to you." 
It's fortunate that you're stopped at a red light, so Johnny is free to look upon you, the meaning deep in his gaze stills you completely. 
The light turns green, stealing his attention back, yet he continues to elaborate—a fond smile on his face. 
"I'll always protect ya and look after ya, and you'll love me and care for me the way a good girl does." 
"I'll get ya a pretty little collar, and a day one too, so no one ever forgets who you belong to."
It's amazing to you how Johnny can make your heart thump and cunt throb all in one sentence, in one look. 
"We'll get you a cage, a nice training routine, and we'll fuck like animals." 
His hand returns to your thigh, just as respectful as it has been all the drive thus far. 
"And when we're not fucking each other's brains out, we're cuddling on the couch, going on dates, spending time with friends. All tha' normal couple stuff." He finishes up with a happy sigh, a far-off look in his eyes as he turns his attention back to you. 
"What about you?" 
After everything Johnny just said, an expression far beyond what you expected, you find it hard to verbalise anything at all, and certainly not something as wonderfully smooth and tempting. 
You open and close your mouth a few times before finally getting your words out.
"Pretty much exactly the same." You cringe internally at how lame and lacklustre your words sound in response. "I'd like the dynamic to extend beyond the bedroom if we can manage it. For me, there isn't really an off switch."
You can only assume Johnny sees eye-to-eye with you on that, considering he replied to your post in the first place. 
"Seems to come naturally with us, I like tha'." 
"Me too." 
Johnny removes his grasp from your thigh, opting to lace his fingers through the hand of yours sitting in your lap. "I'm glad we're on the same page, bonnie." 
You squeeze his hand, relishing the way he instantly squeezes back reassuringly. Despite being connected in this way, you find it hard to look at him as you stumble through a self-conscious admission. "I was a little worried it was gonna be just sex." 
"Already well beyond that, pet," Johnny replies in an instant, before chuckling and squeezing your hand again. "Dinnae go all shy on me now." 
"Why? I'm sure you enjoy seeing me blush and squirm." You mumble, trying to hide your blushing cheeks. 
Johnny hums, amused and content. "Good job tha' I know all the best ways to make it happen then." 
You hide your face in your other hand, cupping your burning cheek and disgusting your shy smile. "It's only gonna get worse for me too, I know it." 
"Promise to use my powers for good, lass." 
You meet Johnny's gaze again, and feel a deep joy and contentedness flowing through every part of you.
"You better." 
You drive through quiet, suburban streets on the outskirts of Hereford, rows of houses passing by until Johnny turns into a street—fairly empty, and neither upscale nor impoverished. On the end sits a house, since converted into two seemingly distinct flats.
"Here we are." He comments, pulling a car to a stop and turning off the engine. Johnny leaves the car first, eager to open the door for you once more. 
"Ooh, are you upstairs or downstairs?" You ask, looking at the flats and the surroundings. 
"Upstairs," Johnny replies, grabbing your bag again. "Landlady lives downstairs, sweet woman." 
Your mind is flooded with a little old lady, lonely and completely adoring when it comes to her young renter.  "I'm sure you have her completely charmed." You giggle, imagining the effect Johnny has on older women. 
"Oh aye." He laughs too, a knowing glint in his eye as he leads you up the stairs, unlocking the door. "Keeps trying to set me up with her daughter." 
"Is that so?" 
"Mhmm." 
As the door opens, the smell hits you—clean and fresh with an undertone of something masculine. The entryway is narrow and crowded with jackets and boots of all kinds. 
"I better tell her you're off limits." You joke, as Johnny steps aside to allow you in.
He doesn't reply, simply taking ahold of you and pinning you to the door, slamming it closed behind you. His firm hands pin you by the hips, pressing you between him and the door in an instant. 
"Johnny!" You gasp, breath stolen from you as Johnny is suddenly in your space—so close and hot and heavy. 
He leans in, one of his hands from your hips drifting up your body, trailing up your breast and your neck, before stopping at your jaw. His large hand cups your face, thumb swiping across the plush of your lips, parting them slightly for him—he's entirely transfixed, eyes filled with arousal as they flicker between your lips and your eyes.
Closing the final few inches, his lips brush against yours, and you can practically taste the mint in his breath. 
He dives in, kissing you fervently, pulling you flush against him as he practically devours your mouth with his lips and tongue. His teeth worry at your lip, his tongue collides with yours, and his hand at your waist grips you intently as a throaty groan leaves him. "Told you, pet, this mouth is mine now." taglist: @cooliofango @ramadiiiisme @pterodactyal @simonrillleyyysss @hexqueensupreme @ivymarquis @oilfics @ghosts-cyphera @msdrpreist @collmemabi @ysljoon @kmi-02 @mockerycrow @nakedcrackers @cassiecasluciluce @xcup1d @cloudsovercoffee @lovewithasideoflust @abbiesxox @ramblingsofachaoticthinker @bubuslutty want to be tagged? click here! want to be untagged? dm me or comment, i won't be offended <;3
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breadbrioche · 1 year
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apologies
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so mun x reader
➳ summary: after telling mun to take better care of himself, he ends up taking care of you instead
➳ warnings: description of treating wounds, mention of guns/gunshot wounds, self deprecating thoughts, season 2 episode 3-4 spoilers
➳ word count: 1.5k
➳a/n: my offering to the tuc tumblr fandom haha fyi the reader is also a counter but was not with mun during the scenes mentioned
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As you hunch over your desk, trying to get as close as you can to your mirror, you become aware of how pathetic your situation is. Blood soaked cotton balls litter the surface of your desk from your attempt to clean the injuries inflicted on you just hours ago, though you’re doing a pretty horrid job at it because every time an alcohol swab just even brushes against the open wound, you flinch away from your own hand and hiss at the pain.
You sigh regretfully, thinking about how you could’ve avoided all this, been fully healed and pain free hours ago, if you just didn’t cause such a scene earlier.
You bursted into the base, shoes slapping against the floor loudly as you made a beeline towards the table where all the counters were waiting to be healed by Ms Chu. Stopping right in front of Mun, who was looking worried at your apparent injuries, your scowl deepened as your gaze landed on his shoulder and the perfectly circular openings in it.
Frustrated and thinking of no other way to express this, you slapped your palm against the offending shoulder. Mun jerked back with a yelp and looked at you in disbelief.
“You’re an idiot, did you know that?” You began, not beating around the bush.
“Let me expla-“
“Explain what? That you let yourself get shot?” You cut him off quickly. “Us counters may be stronger than average humans but at the end of the day we’re still humans! And humans aren’t bulletproof like how you apparently like to think!”
Words were spilling out of your mouth without a second thought, your voice getting louder with every angry confession.
“Do you think of yourself as someone who can just die whenever they want? Evil spirits aside, did you even think about how your death would impact everyone!”
At this point, you couldn’t remember how the rest of the confrontation went down apart from that when you finally finished your rant he looked at you with an expression incomprehensible to you at the time - maybe he was shocked or mad or sad, either way you didn’t stick around long enough to find out as you finally gained back your sanity and dashed to hide in your room.
Maybe you’re the idiot, and not Mun.
He didn’t get shot for no good reason; he saved the chairman’s life! And you had a go at him for doing what was right. So on top of being a pathetic coward, you were also an idiot who blamed innocent people. What an amazing turn of events.
Before you could wallow in your pity for any longer, knocks on your door pull you out of your thoughts and make you turn towards it. You come eye to eye with So Mun, who’d left himself inside your room before you could even get up to open the door.
“Hey.” He begins awkwardly, probably trying to gauge your reactions to see if you were still angry at him. “You missed dinner.”
“Oh. Sorry, I didn’t realise” you say dumbly.
“I just wanted to let you know that I saved some food for you, its in the kitchen if you ever feel hungry”
You smile slightly; grateful for Mun’s thoughtfulness, even if after your tirade on him earlier.
“Thanks, Mun-ah. I’ll go eat in a sec once I’m done with all of-“ you gesture to the mess of medical supplies on your table “-this.”
Taking note of it, Mun frowns before approaching you and leaning down to assess your injuries. He immediately picks up an alcohol swab and gently cleans the cuts on your face. Instinctively, you jerk away from the sting but Mun keeps you still with a hand on your cheek.
“You know that Ms Chu can heal these for you.” He says gently, though the close proximity of your faces makes you hear it loud and clear.
“They’re not big… I don’t wanna be a bother for a few cuts here and there” you murmur in defense.
Mun’s hands pull away from your face for a moment to reach for a band-aid on your desk but you grab his wrist to stop him.
“I can treat myself, you don’t have to do it”
He huffs shortly before pulling out of your grasp and shaking his head stubbornly.
“I want to. Please?” He asks with a classic So Mun smile that makes it hard to remember why you were ever mad at him. You reluctantly nod, allowing Mun to put the bandage on your face.
It’s quiet as he repeats the process of cleaning and wrapping the rest of your wounds.
“Uh-“ You speak up suddenly, unable to handle the suffocating silence. He perks up and faces you fully, attentive.
“Sorry about what I said to you earlier…you did what you had to save the chairman and I blew up at you for no real reason but when I heard that you’d gotten shot, I guess I started spiralling and assumed the worse so…” you trail off and lower your head in shame, eyes focused on the scrapes on your knuckles that Mun is currently working on.
His hands clasp yours and intertwines your fingers together with his, then pulls you up to your feet which forces you to maintain eye contact with him. He’s smiling at you calmly, eyes creasing ever so slightly.
“Don’t worry about it. Honestly it’s okay.” he says in a reassuring voice. “I’m sure I worried all of you so I would’ve gotten an earful from someone eventually.”
You laugh slightly at his comment lightening your mood. Being around Mun is addictive - his warm presence pulls you in and his positivity infects you, putting a small smile on your face too.
Though, part of you couldn’t let go of your guilty thoughts and you still feel apprehensive. Mun must have sensed it because he squeezes your interlaced hands tight, stroking your hand with his thumb.
“You had every right to be mad at me. I don’t regret what I did but you're right about the fact that I didn’t think about how my actions would affect everyone else. So I guess that was pretty selfish of me.”
Mun rests his head down on your shoulder, face nuzzling into your neck slightly. His breath tickles your skin as he exhales which makes you squirm slightly.
“Could you forgive me?” He whispers into your ear.
Since he entered your room, all of his sweet actions were slowly piling up, making you feel flustered and heartbeat speed up, but this was the tipping point. You try to push away from Mun, feeling far too overwhelmed, but he effortlessly pulls you back in, his eyes twinkling.
“So~?” He insists you answer, dragging out the last syllable. You roll your eyes, feeling heat rise to your cheeks.
“Fine. I guess I could forgive you” you huff out. “But only because you’re annoying and you won’t stop until I do.”
Mun chuckles and brushes away hair hanging over your face to get a clear view of your reactions.
“You’re so cute.” he points out teasingly. He watches your nose shrivel when you scowl at him.
“And you are a little shit.”
“Hey! Is that any way to speak to your cool and amazing boyfriend who patched you up?” Mun grabs your bandaged hand and shakes it in front of your face to emphasize his point.
“I told you that you didn’t have to do it”
“And I told you that you should’ve seen Ms Chu!”
“It’s too late for that now anyways, she’s probably sleeping. I can just have it done tomorrow” you defend yourself.
“But knowing you, you’ll definitely forget!”
God, Mun could be so stubborn sometimes. You sigh before flopping onto your bed, bouncing slightly as the springs in the mattress resist against you.
“If you’re so bothered, maybe you should just sleep with me tonight so you can remind me in the morning.”
Mun gasps dramatically as if your suggestion was something obscene. You roll your eyes at his act, your point from earlier being proven - he is a little shit.
“You’re welcome to go back to your room then” you point out, gesturing to your door. Mun shoots you an offended look before pulling your blankets open to climb onto your bed quickly.
“I never said no!” He complains as he worms his way to get closer to you.
You shuffle about for a second before getting into a comfortable position, with your face pressed against Mun’s chest, head laying on one of his arms. A silence envelops the two of you again but it’s not the awkward tension from before.
This silence was cozy. Relaxing.
“Thank you, Mun-ah” you whispered, cuddling against him more. He pressed a kiss on the top of your head, silently answering you. Gently he stroked your hair, lulling you to sleep.
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cyber-clown · 1 year
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zubat is one of my favourite pokémon and, because it is one of my favourite pokémon, i've used it in every single generation i've played where it's available. this has led me to notice that you can kind of use zubat to track game freak's evolving design ethos with the pokémon series allll the way from gen 1 through to gen 9.
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so if you don't know, zubat is a funny poison/flying bat pokémon. you can usually get it pretty early on in caves, usually sometime around the first gym. in gen 1 this is mt moon, gen 3 gives you zubats in granite cave right around the (mostly optional btw???) 2nd gym, gen 4 gives you them the moment you get to jubilife city, etc. it evolves into golbat at level 22, which doubles zubat's stats and lets it learn screech. golbat is a funny guy and i like him. don't know why they made him grow eyes though.
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point is, they're common and you get them early, so it's a pokémon that is very easy to slot into your team as a decent flying type with better utility and defenses (being a poison type) than your average earlygame bird shitter. they're also vaguely menacing if you're insane i guess so they're evil team fodder. ok. we know what zubat is now.
GEN 1: in gen 1, zubat's design is insane. early pokémon games are shocking well put together - for the bad rep they sometimes get for having a handful of prominent glitches, it's actually a testiment to the games that they just keep trucking through these insane edge cases rather than crashing. unfortunately, the design itself is... primitive. they had a smash hit but definitely hadn't fully found their footing. let's look at zubat's moveset.
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oh god! so, you would think this is a case of some kind of "first stage evolution syndrome" where zubat has a terrible, limited movepool that gets fixed when it evolves. gen 1 REALLY likes this gimmick: just off the top of my head this is the exact deal of abra and magikarp. unfortunately, no. the only damaging moves zubat learns before it evolves are leech life, a 20 base power (THIS IS LOW) move of a relatively weak offensive type, and bite. bite is fine. bite will hit most types except rock and ghost, and its power is fine. other than that, it just learns supersonic and a slightly less terrible version of supersonic.
then the insane thing: it learns wing attack at level 28. golbat learns it at level 32. it evolves at level 22. this creates an interesting dichotomy where on one hand you REALLY want to evolve zubat to golbat, given that it literally doubles its base stat total when evolving, but on the other that means you'll be waiting a full 10 levels from evolving to learn its only STAB move (in pokémon, pokémon get a 1.5x multipler to a move's damage if its the same type as that pokémon). said move only having 35 power. gen 1 is strange. i think this really shows the design philosophy of gen 1: everything is new, most things are weak, the balance is all over the place, you have to purposefully stop your funny bat from evolving for 6 levels just for it to learn a terrible flying type move that it can use for coverage. every other move it learns is either normal type or has <= 40 power. why.
GEN 2: gen 2 is the generation of "ok that was pretty good but had some pretty major flaws. let's try to fix them." gen 2 is kind of defined by how closely tied it is to gen 1. zubat is a great example of this. first of all the obvious thing: zubat gets a new evolution! if your golbat has high friendship and levels up, it will evolve into crobat. crobat gives the line about a hundred more stats (mostly to speed, with everything else getting a little peppering) and is maybe the funniest of all guys, his design being both cute, silly, and cool is maybe why i like the zubat line so much
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so what changes for zubat and its family in gen 2? three things of note! 1. more TMs to learn, giving it more tools to play with, including the new steel type move steel wing. 2. bite has been changed to a dark type move, giving the noble zubat more type coverage including the ability to hit ghost types and psychic types (who are normally strong against poison types) for double damage. 3. wing attack's power has been increased to 60 (almost doubled!) and it's level to be learnt lowered to... 27. 1 level!
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(from this point forward i'm not going to screenshot the TM learnset. i'll try to keep describing them, though)
also, the level requirement for bite has been moved to level 12, and it learns mean look at... level 36. ok so, yeah, not fixing the pokémon, but definitely some improvements here. you could actually reasonably recommend zubat to a friend or family member now if they particularly like its silly funny design
GEN 3: it's a new generation... literally. pokémon is now in FULL COLOUR and SYNTHESIZED SOUND on the GAMEBOY ADVANCE. pokémon is now fully establishing itself not just as a couple games and spinoffs, but a full on series that will ostensibly stick around between generations of games, generations of consoles, even generations of people.
so, yeah. this ain't your daddy's pokémon, he played pokémon red as a 7 year old but he's a full blown 13 year old now... much too cool to play these baby games. ...oh shit wait, every pokémon has an ability now? damn, nevermind, this rules! that's what i assume game companies think people will think when they do Big Spin Ups for a New Generation. i don't know if it DID convince a generation of millenium tweens that funny animal game is still cool, but the changes are appreciated anyway. steven stone is hot! i don't have anywhere else to say that. anyway, how did zubat change?
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our friend zubat gets lots of changes to keep up with the crowd now. bite has been moved back up to level 16, but zubat now gets astonish - a decent ghost type move that can flinch opponents, air cutter (this used to be TM only) - a slightly weaker and less accurate flying type move than wing attack, but one with an increased critical hit ratio AND it can hit multiple opponents in new-fangled double battles, and poison fang - finally allowing zubat to unlock its poison type STAB... if you either don't let your zubat evolve for 19 levels or, more realistically, teach it to your crobat at level 49... ouch! but, the biggest of them all: your zubat can now learn wing attack before it evolves! ...1 level before it evolves, but before it evolves!
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in addition, zubat's family got a new ability - inner focus: this lets them not get flinched. not that out there, but it's a welcome change! the line also gets a few more TMs unlocked, including coverage options like shadow ball, and the extremely powerful sludge bomb. you can really, finally, genuinely use zubat now! it's actually okay! it being a friendship-evolved pokémon is also ideal for one you pick up early game - you can usually evolve your zubat around the early level 30s, giving it a big stat boost earlier than a lot of other pokémon.
GEN 4: gen 4 is strange. it's a huge shift in the series, but it's also actually pretty similar to gen 3. it stays pretty true to the series roots, but also moves the ball in a way that would keep going and eventually mark what is effectively an entire change in identity for pokémon. steven stone is in heartgold and soul silver (yay!). gen 4 also cements gen 3 as the only generation of pokémon ever (so far) to be the only one on its console.
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we're making good progress here! wing attack can be learned even earlier, at level 17, meaning you should get it just in time for the grass type gym leader, bite has been reverted to being learned at level 13, and air cutter / poison fang have had the time you need to hold a zubat before they can be learned significantly turned down. if you do happen to hold your zubat until level 41, poison fang's spot has been usurped by air slash, a strong special move (gen 4 split all moves into physical and special, where before they were split between the attack / special attack stats by type) that has a 30% chance of flinching an opponent. zubat's physical stats may be better than its special stats, but only by a little bit, so this is a welcome option! zubat also gets a couple more good TMs, like U-Turn, a really strong move that lets zubat deal some damage and then swap with a teammate to hopefully avoid taking retaliation! anyway that's it really, just little steps!
GEN 5: here it is, the big one… the one that changed it all… just joking! infact, zubat didn't get a single move change in Pokémon Black and White, as it wasn't available to catch at all in that game! instead, it was replaced by the spiritual successors woobat and swoobat, cute fluffy psychic / flying types with little heart shaped noses - they even keep the theme of a closed pair of eyes opening up when evolved! i like swoobat's terrible, fleshy heart tail, too!
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anyway, zubat was revived in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, whereupon it did actually receive a moveset update. it's not a very big one, but it's appreciated!
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so, the pre-evolution options of astonish, bite, and wing attack have been moved a little further back, while players who wait a little bit are now able to learn the moves swift (a normal type move that never misses), and acrobatics (a move that has its damage doubled if your pokémon doesn't hold an item). cool stuff! air cutter, poison fang, and air slash have all been moved back a little bit. maybe this could be to disincentivise holding a pokémon that can evolve to learn moves, since this puts it much more in line with crobat:
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who knows? anyway! the other noticeable changes are the additions of a couple more TMs like venoshock (all TMs being infinite use now, so you don't have to worry about wasting a TM anymore!), a poison type move that doubles in damage if the target is poisoned (finally, more love for zubat's poison type!) and the hidden ability of infiltrator.
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what an unhelpful piece of flavour text! infiltrator is an ability that lets zubat ignore the effects of "barrier" type moves, which are moves that provide resistance or immunity to certain effects (such as physical damage, status effects, and debuffs). later on, this will be buffed to let zubats with infiltrator hit through substitutes, and even later will be buffed again to reduce wild encounters!
GEN 6: here's the real big one. gen 5 marked a distinct change in direction for pokémon as a series: a grander story, bold new characters, and a focus more on a journey that felt more like a hero's quest to prove themselves, rather than some random kid's uphill battle to get stronger. gen 6 took the new generation and made some bold decisions: now we have 3D models, and crazy plotlines, and fully arranged streamed music, and... much easier gameplay! well, easy is not the right word. pokemon games have always been kid friendly - but later games definitely try their best to streamline the experience. it feels a lot more like a power fantasy of a rise to glory, where previous games distinctly... did not. is this good or bad? well, it's all just taste! we all have our taste.
zubat received its major changes, again, in the second set of games of this generation: omega ruby and alpha sapphire. a step back to hoenn, including our good friend zubat!
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woah! can you believe this is even the same friend zubat we met all the way back in 1996? i'm so proud of him... well, what major changes are there? here's an easy two: venoshock is now a move zubat learns naturally, and almost every move has been substantially reduced in level up requirement! bite at level 11? wing attack at level 13? it feels like just yesterday we had to fight tooth and nail to keep bite at level 13! poison fang down by 12 levels to level 25, and so on. the big one here is that air cutter is now a move you can learn before even evolving zubat, giving you another flying type option! what could be awaiting us next, in the sunny alola region?
GEN 7: i like gen 7 :) i also don't know what preamble to give here. well, other than: gen 6 began the trend of adding a new "gimmick" every generation. these stick around for one generation, can only be used once per game, and provide some Big Flashy Effect. mega evolution was gen 6's, but that was restricted to a few specific pokémon (mainly fan favourites, no love for great pokémon like crobat... grr...) but gen 7 changed this: now any pokémon can use a Z-Power!!! once per game, a single move can be transformed into a powerful Z-Move, that does huge damage. this means our friend zubat can join the show. will it use a poison Z-Move, or a flying Z-Move, or maybe a random coverage move, like ghost or steel?
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um... what's going on here? zubat's lost leech life! well, look again. the iconic Zubat Move is still in its learnset, but it's now been QUADRUPLED in to 80 power, so it's been moved up and replaced with absorb as zubat's starting move. absorb is still stuck at 20 power. poor absorb. that's probably what it gets for being cousins with mega drain AND giga drain. crobat gets to learn cross poison on evolve now, a powerful poison type move that has an increased critical hit rate AND a chance to poison. other than these, zubat's learnset has not changed in any noticeable way. i guess that's a sign game freak has settled on a moveset to stay for our friend zubat!
GEN 8:
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what on earth happened here? where is zubat's iconic wing attack? leech life at level 55? well, generation 8, you see, represents a big shakeup for the pokémon series. the series has OFFICIALLY jumped from handhelds to the home console, and so naturally that leads to a very different design philosophy - including the removal of lots of moves from the game entirely, and the barring of some pokémon from entry to the region! zubat gets to stay, though, and its reward is an entirely retooled moveset. what can we make of this?
well, first of all, supersonic has been recognised as an Iconic Zubat Move after 20 years of proud service, being officially made a move zubat gets right out of the egg. it still sucks, but that's cool! wing attack and bite have been replaced with poison fang, retooling zubat to put the early focus on its poison typing: to this day zubat and its family are actually the only poison / flying type pokémon! air cutter has been pushed back above the "evolve threshold", where it joins a bunch of other iconic Zubat Moves. bite and leech life now languish, as moves that probably nobody will ever actually hold their zubat to learn, given it's only a couple extra levels for golbat / crobat to learn them. speaking of crobat, it's worth mentioning...
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crobat has a whole lot of tools to work with now! it's very clear they really wanted to play with crobat's unique role as a poison / flying type here by focusing a lot more on its Poisonous Traits - toxic, cross poison, and venoshock are all very fun tools you can play with that crobat gets access to with ease. what a treat! the number of TMs crobat can learn is also huge, with plenty of coverage across a bunch of types. now for gen 9!
GEN 9:
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oh zubat! you should have known that DUI would give you consequences. well, yes. this is zubat's journey so far. but i think that i've proven my point - you can distinctly see a shift from the early game pokémon design philosophy to newer games.
personally, i would describe this as going from the games being an "uphill battle to prove yourself" to a "journey across the land with your favourites". it's clear that, over time, there have been attempts to try and make a lot of pokémon more viable, so that if zubat is your favourite too you can pick it up and have it be useful almost right away, rather than its earlier role as a pokémon that takes a long time to get going but eventually gets tools that make it a lot more usable. i think this shows pokémon's shift to being more about the pokémon themselves rather than the journey, which is a safe decision that's probably made because every pokémon is somebody's favourite.
this has no real point by the way - i personally don't actually mind the newer direction of pokémon games (aside from the EXP share always being on...) and have enjoyed plenty of relatively modern pokémon games a lot - i really rememeber loving pokémon moon when it came out! but i do also enjoy the different "vibe" and experience of older pokémon games, and i think sometimes the best way to actually describe the differences is to just lay out them out, plain to see.
anyway, i hope you enjoyed and, next time you're in a dark cave, consider holding off on the repels. you might just meet your new best friend forever!
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thepersonperson · 1 month
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The Reproductive Horror of JJK Part 2 (Dealing with Trauma)
Part 1
Notes before we start.
1) This analysis deals heavily with topics of nonconsent, grooming, abuse, and reproductive manipulation. Please proceed with caution.
2) This post was inspired by @hermitw and @tangsakura
3) Read the light novels. They are the equivalent of Bleach's CFYOW for JJK. There is a fan translation (Book 1 & Book 2), but I will be citing the official translations from my own copies.
4) I will be mainly using the TCB scans for the manga because of their accessibility. 
5) Written as of JJK 265.
(Click images for captions/citations.)
Preface 
This was written with the assumption you've also read these other analyses:
Thoughts on Sukuna and Kenjaku’s relationship as of JJK 258.
Gojo's You Pronouns (Gojo's Relationship with Toji and Geto)
Please give them a quick glance at least.
...
Some of you may have found it odd that a discussion about bodies being irreversibly changed and used left out Mahito whose ability quite literally irreversibly changes bodies for them to use. That was deliberate. Blame Tumblr’s 30 photo limit.
The previous post was actually about Mahito. 
Mahito
For series that has a power system based on strong negative emotions, it is a bit odd that curses surrounding sexual trauma aren’t ever directly mentioned in this work. You could chalk it up to the series being Shounen and not Seinen. But that is precisely why I think JJK delves into the topic using abstract representations. It allows the topic to be explored in a way that connects well with those who’ve experienced it without being too graphic for the younger audience.
Though Kenjaku is a literal rapist, I argued the methodology and effects behind vessel creation resemble rape. Someone's body belonging to another through force, permanent changes brought about after experiencing immense trauma, being groomed into tolerating it as a natural part of this world…  When I think of a curse equivalent to this, there is no one other than Mahito that fits.
The transfigured humans Mahito creates are through nonconsentual touch that strips them not only of their autonomy, but their clothing as well. These people are in immense pain from the distortion of their bodies and can never be returned to their original state. In this way, transfigured humans can be read as a stand in for victims of sexual assault.
I didn’t propose this idea first. The Tumblr user that inspired this entire analysis, hermitw, did so in this post (please read it, it's very good). This person’s ideas will be reiterated in this discussion and I will expand upon them starting with how poorly other characters react to their Cursed Technique (CT).
Breaking Composure
Mahito sets themself apart from other curses by how they’re able to get under the skin of the most seasoned sorcerers. It’s not because of their words but the transfigured humans.
Nanami is heralded as the no-nonsense man. Nothing gets to him. He is always calm and professional no matter the circumstances. Mahito's first interaction with him immediately throws him off kilter.
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We saw how much fun Gojo was having beating Hanami to death and tearing Jogo apart. That stops entirely when the transfigured humans show up. Yuji can see it coming too. This is the first time during the fight that Gojo’s composure visibly breaks. His reaction to Mahito isn’t any better. There are no smiles and he looks to be in shock.
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Gojo’s Six Eyes allow him to see Cursed Energy (CE) to the point where he can infer someone’s CT at a glance. When he sees those transfigured humans, he’s probably seeing the extent of their pain in how the CE controls their souls.
I also want to point out that sexual harassment on trains is such a massive problem in Japan that they have special cars for women. There’s something to be said here about a train full of people that can represent victims of sexual assault.
This visceral disgust when it comes to Mahito isn’t limited to the protagonists either—the main antagonist, Sukuna, finds them to be repulsive after a few interactions. In this instance, Mahito's touching of Sukuna's soul is straight up compared to a patron harassing a hostess.
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Just like Gojo, Sukuna goes from having fun to having a really bad time in an instant.
I bring their reactions to Mahito up because there is something off about it. These are all characters that hardly balk at the gore and death brought about by curses. It’s as if Mahito’s brand of violence needs to be categorized as something else.
If Mahito is seen as the embodiment of sexual assault, this is in line with how sexual violence is separated into its own category for treatment and study. When compared to non-sexual violence, the lasting effects are so severe it's not helpful to treat it the same way.
And that’s just what Mahito is. An exceptionally dangerous curse that Jujutsu Society deems needs to be exorcized before it destroys everything because barely anyone can deal with its effects. Likening that damage to something on par with natural disasters is significant.
Mahito as a Natural Disaster
Mahito is the leader of the natural disaster curses despite being born of humans. Hanami, Jogo, and Dagon are forms of wrath spawned from environmental damage brought about by humans. When nature, the ocean, or volcanoes cause mass death, people accept it as a part of living in this world. Sometimes they’ll go as far as to blame others for causing their own demise by living so close to it. 
Mahito doesn’t seem to fit into this category unless you consider how widespread sexual assault is. In the US alone 81% of women and 43% of men reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime. These numbers are likely higher due to the underreporting of this crime in general.
In 2021 it was estimated that 101.8 million people were affected by natural disasters or about 1% of the current 7.9 billion population. By 2050 some estimate that 1.2 billion people will be displaced by climate change related natural disasters. That’s about 15% of the current population.
Compared to natural disasters, sexual assault certainly rivals their numbers. But when compared to reporting? It’s under discussed. People chase storms. Natural disasters are tracked extensively by the damage and cost. Nations build infrastructure and plan around them. They’re acknowledged as a problem that is to be dealt with. The victims of sexual assault get no such attention. Warnings against perpetrators are often ignored and the victims are something people would rather keep invisible.
Mahito is a lot like that. Able to go about unnoticed as they stockpile thousands of humans whose bodies disturb those around them. The transfigured humans are targeted first by sorcerers both because it’s easier and because the one creating them seems untouchable.
Mahito’s effectiveness as a curse is their ability to force people to reckon with the worst humanity has to offer. They mirror every little sin and exploitation committed by others, putting it on full display with their manipulation of Junpei.
Just like Mei Mei grooming Ui Ui with inappropriate but gentle touches and praise…
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Just like Kenjaku manipulating the vulnerable to gain access to and use their bodies, only to betray them in the end… 
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You might call Mahito Kenjaku’s protégé. Really taking after all the worst aspects of that bastard. However, I have read CFYOW. Mahito’s true source of inspiration comes from someone unexpected. 
Allegory in Darkness (JJK Summer of Ashes, Autumn of Dust, Chapter 3)
Before Mahito met Junpei, they met a blind homeless man living under a bridge. Their interactions with this man fundamentally change their view on humans and their approach to breaking them. This short story is one of the most harrowing things I’ve ever read. The quiet horror of JJK is on full display here. I’m not going to summarize all of what happens. Just read this.
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This old man is so detached from himself and the world around him that he has essentially become nothing. He exists as a thing. This fascinates Mahito and they decide to observe them, forming a weird sort of companionship with him. Eventually, Mahito learns why the old man is this way.
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Immense trauma. Abused and disfigured, the old man gives up on everything and in turn is freed from his suffering. Mahito likens his state to enlightenment Buddhist monks may achieve. 
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They’re not wrong about this. Buddhism is centered around the escape from suffering via detachment. But there’s something greatly unsettling about this situation. Unfortunately that never gets addressed, the old man dies and Mahito oversees it.
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And what’s this? Right at the end. The old man appreciates Mahito for being there for him. His “enlightened” state is revealed for the facade that it is, causing his soul to waver. He appreciates that his suffering has been acknowledged by another and dies satisfied, leaving Mahito both in a state of mourning and with the perfect way to manipulate someone before they pass.
What a human is to Mahito.
There’s a lot I left out in my summarization of Allegory of Darkness. Mainly the little discussions they had to build a relationship. They’re centered around movies and books because Mahito uses those to understand the humans around them. 
From their studies, they conclude the following. 
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Humans are creatures that eat, sleep, and rape while curses are creatures that deceive, cheat, and kill. But I’d like to break down the kanji Mahito uses for their description of humans.
食 (ku) is usually read as "ta" which is in line with regular eating. The "ku" reading is more like devouring and it can be a sexual innuendo.
寝 (ne) means to sleep. And just like in English it can mean to have sex with someone.
犯す (okasu) is the tricky one. It can mean to commit a crime, to break, to violate, to contravene, to deflower, to rape.
Translating this as rape isn’t wrong, but it can overemphasize the sexual connotation. Okasu is more about the nonconsent. Doing something against another’s will. 
However in Mahito’s case, they’re most definitely drawing attention to that. The eat uses the ku reading and is next to sleep with heavy innuendo. Okasu implies an assault on a body that does not belong to them. With this in mind, I think eat would be best localized as consume to get across the greedy inconsideration.
This isn’t coming from nowhere. They watched such a thing occur first hand. That old man I mentioned? He’s killed by two random men on a dare because they see him as something for their consumption. His body doesn’t belong to him. It’s a thing for them to play with.
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Kenjaku, a human, reinforces this behavior by having Mahito participate in death womb painting incarnations and other manipulative schemes. And in the end, Kenjaku causes Mahito to fall to the same victimization they learned from humans.
Mahito sees humans, not curses, as creatures that take without consideration. They’re beings that have made the violation of boundaries so commonplace it can be seen as natural. And he’s not really wrong about that in the context of this story. All the stuff I mentioned in the previous post—it’s both right there in your face and nearly invisible. 
The acts themselves are never depicted but always implied. It’s an insidious thing that goes ignored or is outright denied by fans. Anyone who has experienced these things, recognizes it, and points it out will be chastised for reading too much into it.
But can you blame them? The perpetrators are named. They’re goofy and strong and interesting. Their victims are footnotes with little presence and are sometimes outright denied names. And yet they’re always there, just out of sight, suffering in the background.
How horrific that this mirrors a victim’s experience almost identically.
Mahito vs Yuji
The first time Yuji kills a human, it’s as a mercy. At the request of the transfigured human, Yuji puts them out of their misery.
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It’s a sin Nanami has been trying to protect Yuji from as a child and Mahito forces it on him with a cruel choice between leaving them to suffer or ending it for them. Yuji chooses to liberate them from suffering.
I think Yuji is able to see the outline of Mahito’s soul, not because of Sukuna, but because he is willing to see Mahito for what they are and face them head on. He doesn’t hide how the transfigured humans or deaths affect him. He cries over them and carries on with that hurt. 
And it’s painful. Yuji vomits and wails on the floor. But he deals with it. Unlike his mentors who bury their emotions and pretend everything is ok.
This is what makes Yuji fundamentally incompatible with Mahito. He is the exception that won’t allow Mahito to go unnoticed and slip away. He does it for their victims and himself. And still Mahito taints him. Yuji starts to see himself as a cog no different than Mahito.
He carries that mentality until he finally confronts Sukuna in JJK 265. Acknowledging why he started thinking that way in the first place, moving past it and onto something better. 
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That’s what I love about Yuji the most. To him, anyone’s trauma will never be invisible.
And the horror persists…
Even though Yuji is this tiny beacon of hope in this rather depressing narrative, there’s still so much he can do as a 15 year old boy. The trauma he takes on and deals with is only for those he was witnessed or has been told of. This means a lot of the characters don’t have their grievances addressed in a way that gives me comfort.  
The old man under the bridge may have died satisfied, but I can’t stop thinking about him. His suffering and isolation masked by numbness went on for decades. The happiness he experienced at the end was for seconds. And the worst of the worst, Mahito, was the one to comfort him…
I can't stop thinking about the old man under the bridge.
There’s a lot I left out in my summarization of Allegory in Darkness. I really wanted to include more, but I found it to not fit into the rest of this discussion. Strange little bits of dialogue like these.
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When I read these passages, a single question lingers in my mind.  
Why does this man resemble Sukuna? 
I lied. This post is actually about Sukuna.
Let’s go back to that homeless old man under the bridge. Mahito admires him as enlightened, but anyone can his state is mortifying. He has coped with the abuse, disfigurement, and suffering by becoming nothing. No different than a rock. He has no name. He’s not a person. He feels nothing. And the worst thing about it is how that’s technically better than being tormented by those memories.
JJK asks how does one cope with trauma? And repeatedly this question is answered by most characters in one of two ways:
1) You let it consume all that you are.
2) You become nothing as you detach yourself from it entirely.
The old man under the bridge is what Gojo tried to and failed to become. As much as he pretended otherwise, his attachment to grief and love controlled him. Sukuna mocks him for this. Calling him painfully ordinary in the English localization isn't incorrect, but it strips away that religious context. In Japanese this kanji 凡夫 (bonpu) can be read as Unenlightened.
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The old man reached enlightenment while coping with his trauma. It worked for so long. But right at the end, when Mahito shows some semblance of care for him, those feelings he thought were shaved off cause him to waver. 
A new question plagues my mind.
What the hell happened to Sukuna? 
It’s presented as a humorous thing. Framing Mahito’s nonconsensual touching of Sukuna’s soul as a handsy patron ignoring the boundaries of a hostess.
Gege sometimes introduces character quirks as something funny before they’re revealed to be induced by trauma. Gojo Satoru is the biggest culprit of this with his sweet tooth and manner of speech and childish behavior that desperately tries to claw back the youth that was stolen from him.
Sukuna has such an averse reaction to having his soul touched by Mahito. He’s wearing women’s clothes when it happens. He’s likened to a hostess for it.
When we consider this and the quiet way misogyny and sexual assault is woven into this story… And how Gojo, the Strongest, was preyed on by older women. And how Yuki escaped having her body being used by someone much older than her by becoming strong. And how Rika, the Queen of Curses, is likely a victim of CSA by someone who was supposed to take care of her. And how Mai, a twin and a victim of CSA, creates a stronger twin by dying when she can no longer cope with her trauma.
I don’t like what this suggests for Sukuna at all.
Sukuna is willing to bond with all the other natural disaster cursed spirits, except Mahito. He himself became something akin to a natural disaster so it makes sense he liked the company of those like them. It’s him rejecting the strongest of the bunch because of how their CT violates others’ bodies is something I cannot overlook.
Jogo’s fire is so kind in comparison. The bodies he burns and the corpses he leaves cannot be defiled by anyone. It’s what would’ve prevented Geto’s body from being stolen. And hey! Sukuna returns the favor, burning Jogo in a way that prevents Kenjaku from absorbing him.
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The easiest way for Sukuna to permanently scar and  traumatize Yuji is to inflict sexual violence on him or his loved ones. JJK does not shy away from having rapists like Noaya and Kenjaku do just that. A common complaint from fans is Sukuna not trying to manipulate Yuji into working with him. JJK does not shy away from having groomers like Kenjaku, Mahito, and Mei Mei (and to an extent Tengen) do just that.
Sukuna is strong and clever enough to do these things, but he doesn’t. I think there’s more to this than a disinterest in sex.
Choso’s mother faced ostracization for her unique body that allowed her to give birth to hybrid children. With nowhere left to go she wound up at a temple for sorcerers.  Kenjaku took advantage of her situation and body, partaking in her rape to satiate intellectual curiosity.
Sukuna faced ostracization as a child for his unique body that made him a great sorcerer. Just about everyone who knows him has tried to exploit his abilities for their benefit.
There’s a massive blank in this parallel. What happened to Sukuna growing up to make him this way? Every time I try to fill in that blank with the information we have now, I’m left with something deeply unpleasant. 
When Sukuna has flashbacks, it only ever goes as far back to his time as Yujikuna. He verbally recounts his time in the womb and there’s nothing else. The first time we see Heian Era Sukuna in full, it’s from Yorozu’s memory. And if you recall…this introduction is him being sexually assaulted. 
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Sukuna’s fingers are scattered everywhere, fragments of himself are throughout the world and in a little bit of everyone. A curse that cannot be destroyed that only gets stronger with time. He’s something that was repressed despite everyone knowing he exists—a victim of sexual abuse.
Sukuna’s Backstory—Revised
Back when I theorized that Sukuna is an ex-slave, I deliberately withheld references to sexual abuse slaves are often subjected to because I felt it was too heavy for the post.
But seeing others theorize something that severe happened in part because of his CT’s name and spiritual pederasty practices at the time, makes me regret not including it. Please read the post by Tumblr user tangsakura that brought this to my attention.
Pederasty, if you do not know, refers to a boy having a sexual “relationship” with an older man sometimes as a form of “guidance”. The most known form of this originates from ancient Rome and Greece. I put “relationship” and “guidance” in quotations because children cannot consent to or grow from this kind of abuse. 
Such a thing was common, sometimes socially accepted, systemic abuse in the ancient world. (Though a form of it exists to this day.) Japan partook in pederasty, even in certain types of Buddhist temples, prior to the Meiji Restoration in 1868. (Here’s a video source on it. Be warned it's pretty upsetting.)
And in most of these societies that accepted pederasty, a relationship between two men of equal standing was frowned upon or not tolerated at all. The imbalance of power and exploitation of children was the socially acceptable thing. Despite, you know, the resulting trauma and suicides of the victims.
As discussed in the linked video, the children at these temples were seen as pure and therefore closer to Buddha. Since celibacy between human monks was expected, fetishizing these children as gods allowed for the mental gymnastics to justify molesting them. 
That’s not too surprising. Organized religion with massive followings all have it in common—the sexual abuse of minors and tolerating it or covering it up. What’s striking about this abuse is that it was considered important to or even necessary for enlightenment by some sects. Their suffering brought about enlightenment. 
Mini crash course for those not familiar with Buddhism. There are 4 Noble Truths that are foundational to this religion. (Copy and pasted from Wikipedia.)
1) Dukkha: Suffering exists: Life is suffering. Suffering is real and almost universal. Suffering has many causes: loss, sickness, pain, failure, and the impermanence of pleasure.'Dukkha: Suffering exists: Life is suffering. Suffering is real and almost universal. Suffering has many causes: loss, sickness, pain, failure, and the impermanence of pleasure.
2) Samudaya: There is a cause of suffering. Suffering is due to attachment. It is the desire to have and control things. It can take many forms: craving of sensual pleasures; the desire for fame; the desire to avoid unpleasant sensations, like fear, anger or jealousy.
3) Nirodha: There is an end to suffering. Attachment can be overcome. Suffering ceases with the final liberation of Nirvana. The mind experiences complete freedom, liberation and non-attachment. It lets go of any desire or craving.
4) Magga: In order to end suffering, follow the Eightfold Path.
Per the 3rd Noble Truth, enlightenment comes from the end of suffering, not its continuation. The idea that suffering is needed for enlightenment contradicts this Truth. But that’s not surprising either. I was raised Protestant and I’ve got a whole laundry list of how that branch of Christianity seems to have ignored the basic fundamentals of Biblical text. 
What I want to get into is the specific branch of Buddhism Sukuna appears to have been abused under—Tachikawa-ryū. Just as a heads up, information on this sect is limited as this person explains:
“Tachikawa practice became forbidden and the school’s ritual texts were destroyed. As a result, only a few original scriptures and rituals survived the persecution, which makes it very difficult nowadays to fully understand the teachings of the Tachikawa-ryū.”
(The wikipedia page is straight up missing citations so feel free to correct me if I get some stuff wrong.)
The destruction of records sounds exactly like what happened with Kenjaku and the Meiji girl. But the similarities don’t start or end there. This sect is accused of using human and animal skulls for rituals. And if you recall, Sukuna sits on a throne of oxen skulls. Other heretical acts included the consumption of meat, which at the time was forbidden. Another thing Sukuna loves to do. 
But what this sect is most known for are the bizarre sex rituals needed for enlightenment. You know the thing Sukuna explicitly has no interest in. More excerpts about that from the non-wiki source:
“Since the idea of a world, created by the union of male (yang) and female (yin) elements, is the essence of cosmology in Tantrism, sexual union serves as the “real life” version of this dualism. In other words, sex is an effective way to achieve buddhahood in a relatively short amount of time (best case scenario: this life, “becoming a buddha in this very body (即身成仏 sokushin jōbutsu)”). Furthermore, much ink has flown on the description and discussion of a human skull ritual that involved sexual intercourse and the use of seminal and vaginal fluids to create an object of worship.”
This melding of male and female elements is everywhere in JJK. It’s a massive component of the reproductive horror too. Everything with Kenjaku is self explanatory. But Sukuna, who wears women’s clothes, is currently pregnant with the Merger, and has a gender ambiguous servant… He’s a part of this too.
It should also be noted  that Tachikawa-ryū is actually a sub-sect of a sect. It originates from Shingon Buddhism. …Which was first introduced in the Heian Era.
Here are some quotes from the wiki article:
“The essence of Shingon practice is to experience the Dharmakaya, the ultimate reality, by emulating the inner realization of the Dharmakaya through the synchronized meditative ritual use of mantras, mudras (hand gestures) and visualization of mandalas.”
Oh hey that sounds like what Jujutsu Sorcerers do.
“The goma (護摩) fire ritual is an important and recognizable ritual in Shingon. The meaning of goma is to burn the firewood of delusion with the wisdom flame, consuming it completely.”
Oh hey that sounds like Sukuna’s fire CT.
“The most important Shingon mandalas are known as the Mandala of the Two Realms which are: The Womb Realm (Sanskrit: Garbhadhātu; Japanese: 胎蔵界曼荼羅, romanized: Taizōkai) mandala based on the Mahavairocana Sutra and the Diamond Realm (Sanskrit: Vajradhātu; Japanese: 金剛界曼荼羅, romanized: Kongōkai) mandala based on the Vajrasekhara Sutra.”
Oh hey that’s Kenjaku’s Domain.
I wasn’t raised any kind of Buddhist, so there’s probably a lot here I’m missing. My point here is that the symbolism and historical context are in line with Sukuna enduring some pretty horrific abuse as a child. It’s very likely that the way he behaves and thinks is one massive cope to rationalize what happened to him. 
Identity and Trauma
Sukuna is a difficult character to grasp because he’s so unforthcoming in personal information. He’s not once introduced himself by name and reveals fragments about himself in very cryptic ways. Most of what we know about him is from other characters. (Much like how the original writings of Tachikawa-ryū are lost and the remaining info is sourced from outsiders.)
To better understand him, I’ve been working under the assumption that other characters reflect fragments of Sukuna that will eventually fall into place.
Sukuna is like Maki. Consuming his twin to survive and becoming stronger for it.
Sukuna is like Toji. Discriminated against for the way he was born, he becomes strong enough to separate himself from Jujutsu Society only to be dragged back in.
Sukuna is like Geto. Falling from grace and procuring a cult-like following. 
Sukuna is like Todo. He’s completely self-centered and hates taking orders from those weaker than him.
Sukuna is like Mechamaru. Disfigured by birth, longing to connect with others, he finds himself at the end of a manipulative deal that promised him a second life.
Sukuna is like Kenjaku. He sees himself as above others and only wants equals for companionship. Other people are playthings for him to consume to stave off boredom. 
Sukuna is like Mahito. Endlessly curious about the humans he was born of, he consumes their art and lives in an attempt to understand them.
Sukuna is like Yorozu. Obsessively pursuing a single person, trying to teach them love through violence.
Sukuna is like Yuji. Adapting to any situation with battle intuition like no other by understanding his opponent.
Sukuna is Gojo. I call them twin flames since they have the most in common. If you noticed, that homeless old man from Allegory in Darkness resembles Gojo a lot too. For this reason I often use Gojo as a reference to infer how Sukuna is as a character.
Gojo’s trauma that helped him reach his self-proclaimed enlightenment was Toji. And that was just normal assault. But let’s reframe that battle as something a little more abstract…
As a teenager Gojo has his Infinity, a barrier that kept him safe, forcibly penetrated by a much older man. This both kills him and awakens him to immense power that irreversibly changes him. His loved ones can no longer recognize him and his relationships are destroyed by this. His ability to feel pleasure and his sexuality are contorted in ways that others find deeply perverse.
This is the plot of Baby Reindeer—an extremely upsetting semi-autobiographical recounting of how the creator’s sexual trauma ruined his life.
But that’s not how everything is framed at first. The main character, Donny is introduced as a man trying to report his stalker, Martha, to the police. 
Martha recognizes that Donny has been abused. Maybe not in the same way as her, but similar enough to the point where they become toxicly attached to each other. She stalks him and assaults him in what she believes to be acts of love. You both pity her for her circumstances and hate her for the destruction she causes. 
That sounds like Sukuna doesn’t it?
Sukuna saw something in Gojo he can’t recognize in anyone else. And I think it’s much more than the loneliness that comes with being strong—It’s having your body violated and no one recognizing or taking your trauma seriously because you’re supposed to be strong. 
Toji’s failed assassination attempt on Gojo resembles sexual assault in how Gojo reacts to the whole ordeal. He wants some kind of support but pushes everyone away. He craves touch but has a barrier to prevent it running 24/7. He both pities Toji and admires him, fears him and kills anything like him. His sexuality cannot be divorced from this incident, needing a good deal of violence to get off. It’s too similar to how Donny engages his own sexuality after his assault. 
But to my knowledge, Gojo hasn’t been raped. He went through something that resembled it and Sukuna picked up on that. During their fight, Sukuna essentially dealt with that trauma. He became a sort of Toji that satisfied Gojo’s perverse needs while tearing through the very thing that had him targeted in the first place—Infinity.
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This is the source suffering Sukuna seemingly liberates Gojo from with extreme violence like some kind of heretical Bodhisattva. There’s also something to be said about him using Mahoraga to do this.The Eight-Handled in its title is a reference to the Eightfold Path that’s to be followed in order to obtain enlightenment.
And they both have this trait in common—using violence to guide others towards enlightenment, a perversion of the 3rd Noble Truth. Gojo just calls it tough love.
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(And notice how Megumi recalls both Sukuna and Gojo's words as he grows from a difficult fight.)
I know that Gojo does this because of his trauma with Toji and his own “growth” coming from it. It’s one of Gojo’s many destructive coping mechanisms. He’s stuck in the past trying to relive what was stolen from him. Like I mentioned before, Sukuna calls Gojo unenlightened for this. And if they’re twin flames, I have reason to believe Sukuna is the exact same way.
Sukuna finds Maki to be the most compelling of Gojo’s students. And I think there’s more to this than seeing a  fellow monster in her. She’s what he wants to be.
Not only is Maki free of the sorcery that ruined their lives, she has confronted and dealt with her trauma. She killed the source of her suffering, the Zenins, and has accepted the death of her twin she was so dearly attached to. And unlike her mentors, Maki appears to be emotionally stable because she did this in spite of her trauma, not through it. The sumo guy's compassion is what guides her. In other words, she’s obtained enlightenment outside of violence.
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Maki also succeeds where Toji failed. There isn’t anything left that would cause her to waver. She stays true to herself and remains enlightened.
That seems to be a recurring thing—characters deviating from their “enlightened” state through human connections that rouse their unresolved emotional issues and then dying. Toji’s projection of his trauma from Jujutsu Society onto Gojo gets him killed. Kenjaku’s desperation for companionship has Takaba create the perfect opening for Todo and Yuta’s ambush.
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Sukuna has started to deviate from himself because of Yuji. And it’s probably because he’s projecting his trauma onto him. If that’s the reason both Toji and Kenjaku were felled, it’ll be the reason for Sukuna’s downfall too. Just like that old man under the bridge.
Sukuna and Yuji
Umineko no Naku Koro ni (When the Seagulls Cry) is a visual novel about a person who is fundamentally misunderstood by those around them. They desperately want to be loved without being perceived, believing themself to be unworthy due to trauma and immutable characteristics given to them at birth. Instead of telling anyone these feelings directly, they play games akin to torture. They torment the ones they love over and over in hopes they'll see through their actions and understand them.
I’ve always compared Sukuna to this character, but for this analysis I’ll be comparing him to another from Umineko—Rosa Ushiromiya.
The youngest of 4 from a rich conservative household, Rosa was subjected to physical and verbal abuse by her father and older siblings. As an adult around them she cowers. She shows her abusers respect they don’t deserve because of her social standing within the family and tolerates their jeering.
But with her little 9 year old daughter who can’t fight back? She beats her the moment she makes any mistake. As she beats this child she screams about how everything is her fault. Rosa projects her financial woes, her childhood abuse, and systemic misogyny all onto this child that never asked to be born. She blames this child for her own shortcomings that keep her tethered to her abusers year after year.
The sad thing is that Rosa doesn’t realize why she’s doing this. She is unable to come to terms with her own trauma and remains stuck in the cycle of abuse as both a victim and a perpetrator, unable to spare her daughter from it. 
Knowing that Sukuna and Yuji are blood uncle and nephew. And knowing that by technicalities, Yuji would be genetically recognized as Sukuna’s son…I see that kind of hurt in their relationship.
Sukuna is a very good liar. Most take him at his word. He says that he hates Yuji for his ideals—how he puts his life on the line in service to others. The things Megumi, Higuruma, and Gojo do as well. And yet Sukuna admires them. Todo sacrifices himself to prop up Yuji and save Hana. Sukuna calls him a true sorcerer for this. It’s not unreasonable to conclude that Sukuna isn’t being honest about why he hates Yuji. 
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I think it’s because Yuji is somehow linked to Sukuna’s trauma through no fault of his own. And because Yuji is easier to target, Sukuna uses him as an outlet.
We’ve seen this scenario play out before in JJK. Mai lashes out at Maki instead of Naoya or all the other men like Naobito who enabled or partook in her abuse because it’s the safer thing to do. She doesn’t actually hate Maki. She hates what she has to endure at the Zenin Clan and sees it as inevitable. Fighting back is scary and she really hates doing that. If the manga didn’t make that clear, the CFYOW: Thorny Road at Dawn, Chapter 4: Advancing in the Face of Fear sure does.
Yuji isn’t a cage to Sukuna because he chose to be this way. Kenjaku made him for it and even manipulated him into ingesting the fingers. But you know, Yuji is someone Sukuna can attack without consequence. 
I do not know if Kenjaku is the person who abused Sukuna or if Kenjaku merely resembles the person who abused Sukuna. Kenjaku is older than Sukuna, has a fascination with him, and has manipulated him. There are plenty of other characters that have been traumatized by Kenjaku.
Whatever the true nature of their relationship is, Sukuna is choosing to attack a symptom of his restriction instead of its source. He’s behaving no different than Mai or Rosa which leads me to believe there’s something deeper to his hatred of Yuji.
Yuji’s Role
I think that Yuji is aware something terrible happened to Sukuna. He’s not really sure what. The type of abuse Sukuna likely went through is not common historical knowledge even in Japan.
For the longest time, Yuji regarded Sukuna as a curse and denied him his humanity. But as of JJK 265, Yuji treats Sukuna like a human. He takes him through his memories and plays little games with him. He rejects the cog mentality Mahito groomed him into and says this:
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“I could very well be doing the wrong thing here. So I thought I should at least let you see the humanity of someone other than yourself.”
Yuji is admits that his approach to Sukuna may be flawed.
And flawed it is. This entire chapter and offer Yuji makes to Sukuna might be one of the cruelest things he has done so far and he isn’t even aware of it. Yuji is recounting a pleasant childhood full of love and quiet moments. That’s something Sukuna didn’t have because it was taken away for reasons beyond his control.
This accidental cruelty isn’t anything new. It happens right before Junpei dies to an ability that resembles sexual assault. Yuji reaches out to him and asks what’s wrong. He notices something is off and tries to console Junpei through it.
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And here he apologizes for saying something so insensitive. He didn’t know, but he had to ask. Sukuna was there to see that.
I think that's what Sukuna wants from him. He wants Yuji to acknowledge he was hurt. To recognize that something happened to him and offer something like he did with Junpei. It’s a bit odd that he humors Yuji’s kindness towards him instead of immediately opening his domain as a counter. This could be an explanation for that.
Yuji hasn’t given Sukuna the same treatment yet. In fact he’s done the exact opposite thing he does with other people. Yuji usually lets his opponent yap at him and meets them as they are. This time, Yuji is the one who does the bulk of the talking and he doesn’t give Sukuna a chance to open up about himself.
That’s not his fault at all. He’s 15 and it’s not his job. The reason he thought Sukuna was a curse for so long is because everyone else told him he wasn’t human and Sukuna never denied it. But just like with Junpei, Yuji did something really insensitive.
Yuji showed Sukuna pity then told him to die or go back into his cage.
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People picked up on Yuji being posed like the Fallen Lucifer painting. I think it’s deliberate this offer is being framed as villainous. If Sukuna is outright revealed to be a former slave or a victim of CSA, on reread this would come across as wicked.
It wouldn’t be the first time a scene goes from hype to depressing on reread. I loved watching Yuji and Nobara grow as they killed Eso and Kezichu. After Choso? That fight breaks my heart. Yuji has been manipulated into killing his own brothers and he didn’t even know it.
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Yuji’s status as a cage is likely reminiscent of whatever bound Sukuna to the abuse in the first place. And that’s what he’s offering. Death or existing in that state you could argue is much worse than death—a state where his body does not belong to him. Where he is forced to watch a normalish life he can’t have play out for the one tormenting him.
The anger Sukuna displays at Yuji for this is something we’ve only seen him lob towards Mahito. Hell, it’s the same kind of face Yuji makes at Mahito.
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I think it’s also telling that Sukuna couldn’t feel anything towards the small things in life. That’s common for anyone who has undergone immense trauma. He was rather cordial about trying this stuff out until Yuji gave his ultimatum.
I’m sure Yuji would give Sukuna more grace if he’d just be honest with his feelings. But this guy is no different than Gojo. He bottles everything up and gets mad at others for not intuiting he’s about to explode.
Strength and Masculinity
Baki the Grappler. This is a manga where men destroy each other’s bodies as a test of strength. It’s poorly written but the art is terrifying and I love it so dearly. Between fights of extreme violence and body horror the characters eat. And that’s it. That’s the manga.
I’ve brought this series up before when discussing how fights can be used as a dialogue between characters. In Baki, many of those combat convos ask the following:
What is strength? What does it mean to be strong? 
What is a man? What does it mean to be a man?
Various characters will answer in their own ways. But I want to focus on the man who seeks to challenge death.
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This is a man, who after being raped feels like he’s less of a man. And he thinks that others will see him as less of a man if he ever admits to it. (This happens in Baby Reindeer too.)
In a misogynistic society, women are expected to tolerate sexual assault. Their identity is often linked to experiencing it. Men are expected to be perpetrators of it, not victims. This is why this character calls his rape being shown “the woman within him”.
Echoing this sentiment, Sukuna, in women’s clothing, is quite literally referred to as a girl when Mahito touches him without permission. It’s also treated as a joke. The Baki character doesn’t fare any better in fanspaces. If you mention his name, someone will eventually reply “Yujiro Rapes Mid Diff”. It’s got an abbreviation too: “YRMD”. A little in-joke since the fandom at large refuses to take his assault seriously. 
This is probably why Sukuna refuses to even hint at his abuse. It fundamentally conflicts with his identity. He’s the strongest sorcerer in all of history who would be mocked for being a victim. After all, he did just that to Junpei and torments Yuji over his helplessness. He perpetuates the cycle of shame to protect himself even though he’d benefit more from dismantling it.
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And there’s another reason Sukuna wouldn’t be forthcoming with his trauma—predators will take advantage of this vulnerability and revictimize people. It’s often why those who escape abusive relationships find themselves in another. Straight up, that’s why it’s considered safer to not list out your traumas and mental illnesses on dating apps. It’s safer not to trust.
But still, this is something you eventually have to disclose with anyone you’re trying to connect with. Otherwise they won’t understand you or why certain things send you into a panic. And that’s the problem. When is it safe to do that? When can you tell someone of this thing that makes you so vulnerable? It’s not like you can show up to a first date and go, “Hi, I was abused as a child. I need to make sure you’re not going to hurt me. If your voice rises above a certain pitch I’m going to cry on the spot.” If that somehow doesn’t sour the mood, they now have the exact tools to hurt you with. That’s scary as hell.
Sukuna has been destroying absolutely anyone that can have power over him, despite him craving companionship from those of equal strength. Gojo did this same song and dance with anything that resembled Toji until it killed him. It’s a consequence of a coping mechanism this toxic. As long as they are strong, they can’t be hurt like that again. And because they are strong they must endure solitude. The loneliness is worth being safe.
Yuji’s approach to trauma is the polar opposite. He faces it and deals with it. In the same way Mahito forces sorcerers to see the worst of humanity they’ve been overlooking, Yuji is forcing Sukuna to reckon with something he’s been repressing for centuries. This is why Yuji can strike at his soul.
Outliers
This section is for characters I don’t know how to fit into the rest of this analysis and should be considered because of their direct relationships to Sukuna.
Megumi
Sukuna is rather merciful with his kills compared to other characters like Kenjaku. When he’s done playing with someone, they die. He’ll even be respectful about it in his strange little way. Megumi is the sole exception to this, putting him in a very weird spot with the rest of this analysis.
Sukuna forced himself into Megumi’s body through incarnation and has subjugated his soul. And though this has been better for combat as he wanted, Sukuna is noticeably more miserable. Yujikuna before the Culling Games is still the happiest we’ve seen Sukuna. Whether this is from Megumi’s gloominess influencing him or Sukuna no longer having a goal to work towards or Sukuna incidentally retraumatizing himself by repeating the cycle remains to be seen. Maybe it’s all of this at once.
This is probably one of those things that will make more sense to me with more information. For now, I’ll focus on how Megumi’s name means blessing. Sukuna stole Gojo’s Blessing and destroyed it. And if Sukuna is Gojo, he has also destroyed his Blessing.
That kind of makes sense. Mahoraga, a representation of the path to enlightenment, has been destroyed by Sukuna’s actions as Megkuna. Adaptation is something that could’ve kept Sukuna entertained for a very long time since it would evolve with him. It could’ve also killed him and set him free. But he squandered that blessing when used it to satisfy Gojo instead.
Uraume
Uraume is also in a weird spot. They can gauge Sukuna’s mood by his CE and anticipate his needs in an instant. And yet Sukuna doesn’t feel fully understood by them. 
That’s mostly Sukuna’s fault. He didn’t disclose he was a twin to them for over 1,000 years, so it’s unlikely they know the extent of his trauma. However, Uraume dresses like a monk and has the androgynous features considered desirable in the child acolytes that were abused in historical Japan. This could mean they went through something similar to Sukuna and share that connection. It would explain why Sukuna is so gentle towards them compared to other characters. 
In other words, Sukuna should be able to trust them of all people with his trauma. They’re loyal and have always been there for him. So why won’t he do that? 
Looking at Gojo's relationships for an explanation, this kind of reminds me of how Gojo blew off Shoko’s friendship after Geto left. If someone that close to Gojo could betray him, why would Shoko be any different? Plus he’s stronger the more alone he is. And strong people don’t need help with their emotions. (Cue increasingly contradictory and destructive behavior stemming from a combination of trauma and toxic masculinity fuelled by questionable practices based in religion.) 
Yuji differs from Uraume in how he has directly shown Sukuna time and time again that he is a person who can be trusted. Everyone who has admitted their trauma to him has been taken seriously. Sukuna sat there and watched Yuji’s soul never once stray from compassion. He may hate this about him, but Sukuna seems to know he is the safest person to be open with. I think this is why Yuji is being framed as the one to guide Sukuna towards true enlightenment. (Aka addressing your trauma instead of burying it until you no longer understand how it is influencing your actions.)
In conclusion…
I want to emphasize that I am trying to explain why Sukuna is the way he is. To do so I’ve been rather assertive about his trauma despite it remaining unrevealed.
I’m certain something really awful happened to Sukuna. Exactly what I don’t know, but it’s likely something worse than what all the other named characters have experienced. I can say this with relative confidence because of this:
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Sukuna himself suggests he has suffered more than Yuji.
Gege has been very careful not to show extreme instances of child abuse outright. If any of this gets confirmed, it’ll likely be vague.
But as it currently stands, I think you can read Sukuna as a victim of CSA. This sort of thing has always been in the manga, it’s just hard to see it.
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sparrowrye · 7 months
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Alastor x Fem! Reader {soulmates} Part 5
Synopsis: soulmate AU where you have the same mark on your body as your soulmate, and if your soulmate dies, you die too. Alastor needs to make sure that his soulmate is safe so he can continue his reign - whatever that takes.
Part 5: digging deeper
Part Pilot | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I stared at my reflection in the bathroom. I opened my mouth and ran my tongue, which was a little longer than usual, along my sharp teeth. The sharpest ones were my canines that slipped past my lips when resting.
I touched around the base of my horns. The skin was tight near the bottom and paler than the rest of my skin. My horns jutted up, curved down a bit, then back up to a point at the very end. I tried bending them but they were sturdy, even near the tip.
I clicked my claws together then on the counter. It felt strange to have something that felt like elongated nails. I poked my arm until I drew blood, noting how quick it took to do so. My toes also had claws. They weren't as long as my fingers but they were definitely sharper. The skin on my feet felt extremely tough, almost rubbery.
I turned off the light and sat on the cushions by the window. I rested my head on my arm and stared off into the ocean. For the first time in a long while, I tried to think back into my memories.
I was only able to get snippets, though. I could envision myself in small, specific scenes but I couldn't remember anything past my first rounds of fighting. What did my parents look like? Did they give me to the rings? Did someone kill them? Was I born in hell? How much magic did I have and what kind was it?
I had so many unanswered questions.
I met Husker for dinner again. I couldn't stop looking at my claws as I tried to go about normally. Using a fork was new; long nails made it surprisingly difficult. Husker tried not to laugh and I caught him smiling several times.
"Did you know?" I asked him.
"No. Alastor told me he thought you might be a demon but I was skeptical."
"Why?"
"Well it takes effort to have a human appearance yet you always had one when you were asleep or unconscious. Plus you only used Slight magic when we fought."
"So Alastor knew."
"It was more of a theory." The Radio Demon materialized at the end of the table. "No one had ever heard of a human and demon being soulmates." My eyes fell to my plate. I hated looking at him and I hated hearing the word soulmates. "Once you've finished we'll head back to Rosie's."
"Tonight?"
"Yes, tonight.” He almost sounded annoyed. “She wants to unravel your curse as quickly as possible. She said something about it putting a strain on your mind." He touched a pointed claw to his lips. "I'm sure it's nothing."
Husker rolled his eyes and took a gulp of his drink. I offered to help clean the dishes but he refused. Alastor wrapped an arm around my shoulders and practically dragged me outside. I peeled his hand off and walked up to the scorched symbol on the ground. It didn't look like anything I recognized but it was always there.
He pulled me against him by my waist and stuck his cane into the ground. The ground gave way and I held my hair to my neck. We teleported to a different location this time and I soon discovered it was behind Rosie's store. The quiet town had all their indoor lights and radios turned on.
Alastor knocked twice on the glass door before it opened for him. We walked right into the same meeting room as before. Rosie was setting down a hot teapot.
"Welcome back dearies," she curtsied. "Come in come in. I just took this off the stove. You'll love it."
"I have a matter to attend to but I'm sure you'll take good care of my darling," Alastor said. My darling?
"Oh of course. Go off and do your man's work. Us ladies will get to know each other better." She hooked her arm around mine and lead me to the chair again. "I'm sure you've got lots of burning questions." This time I accepted the warm tea. "But I have to warn you sweetheart. This time, when we go back into your memories, it's going to be a lot more dangerous."
"Dangerous how?"
"If you get too wrapped up in the emotions and feelings of your memories, you can get stuck there."
"Stuck? In my own head?"
"I'm afraid so," she sipped on her tea, "When I feel you starting to fall down that rabbit hole, I'll touch your leg to let you know. When you feel me touch you, I need you to reel your emotions back in. Do you think you can do that? If not, there's no shame in waiting for tomorrow.”
"No," I said quickly, "I'll be okay. I can do this."
"I believe you. Now. Let's begin."
She sat beside me on the stool and took my hands in hers. I stared down at my black claws as she asked me to go back in time. I closed my eyes and skipped through my teenage-hood and into my early childhood. I tried to push away the sinking sadness of my first friend's death.
"What did your first master look like?" Rosie asked.
"I know he had white hair. Long, white hair. He always had a scowl on his face and he dragged me around."
"What about your very first fight?"
"I was...I was against another kid. Another girl. She had short brown hair and looked...inhuman."
"Inhuman, how?"
"She...her eyes...they were red and...she just looked insane. Her hair was all matted and she was down on all fours. She was drooling a lot too. I remember she...she ran after me and started clawing and biting my arms. She went for my face and I shoved her off. She chased me in circles around the ring. I can still hear all the men cheering above. They were laughing."
"What did you do?"
"I uh...I grew tired and she eventually caught up to me. She grabbed my foot then went for my face. I don't remember much but I...I remember kicking her off then kicking her head. It bounced off the walls and then she didn't get up after that."
"When did you start to learn how to use magic?"
I paused for a moment. “I…I had a master before him? He…he was the one who taught me. Every so often he would come back during the day and take me into the ring. He showed me how to use it. First it was with wind. He told me to throw sand and dirt in my opponents' faces."
"What else did he teach you?"
"He taught me...how to use my sweat as a weapon...how to pull apart the earth so their foot would get stuck or so that they would trip...he taught me a lot."
"Did you warm up to him?"
"When he was teaching me I was happy. I loved learning how to use my magic. And he praised me all the time when I did well. Eventually he stopped being rough with me. It felt like...like he cared about me."
"But?"
"But..." I felt my heart sink with sadness. "But...he...gave me up...to someone not nice."
"Do you know why?"
"Yeah...he was...apparently just someone who trained children in basic magic then...then sold them off to the highest bidder. I was...I was so angry at him...I thought I was going to make him proud and live to be set free but...but I was nothing to him."
"Very good. Now, what can you tell me about when you first met him? When you first saw his white hair?"
I paused. "I remember...I remember looking up at him. He was such a tall man. I was holding someone's hand but I can't...I can't see their face."
"It's okay, don't push it. Tell me about the hand you're holding. What does it feel like?"
"Soft. But...tough? It's definitely tight."
"Good what about-"
"No. Wait...there was another man with white hair. But his...his was shorter."
"Tell me about him. Where were you?"
"I was...I was in a cage. I was...with someone. I remember seeing him come to the cage often. I was...the person I'm with would always get tense when he did. Why can't I see this person's face?"
"It's okay. Take your time. Tell me what this person is wearing."
"A short sleeve. Her skin is...covered in scars and bruises. She's...she's always stroking my hair."
"What else does she do?"
"She...she hums a lot. There's a small radio in the corner and she hums to it a lot. And...I can feel it in her chest when does. She rocks me back and forth until I fall asleep." I suddenly grew very sad and angry. My hands tightened and my hair on the back of my neck stood up.
"What is it, doll? What's happening?"
"He's...the man...he's wearing a white suite...exactly the color of his hair...and he's yelling with her. They're fighting. There's yelling. He hits her. She's arguing back but not fighting. Why won't she fight?"
"Stay with me dear." She touched my lap. I tried to lower my tense shoulders but it was hard.
"He picked me up and...he closed the door on her. She's screaming. Why is she screaming? Why is he taking me away from her? I can't...I can't reach her. I don't...where is he taking me? I don't want to leave her."
"Enough sweetheart, come back. Come out of the memory." She touched my shoulder this time. "Come back to my store. Come back to this world. It's all just a memory."
"I can't stop crying. Why...is that my mother?"
"Sweetheart, you need to come back. You're going in too deep. Stop the emotions."
"But...I want to see her."
"We'll look next time. We can come back next time but you need to take a break. Come out of the memory. Come back to the store. Blink twice and look up."
I stared at the figure reaching out to me through the bars. I was so close. I just wanted to touch her hand one more time. But it was just a memory. She wasn't really there. She might not even be alive at all.
I blinked twice and looked up to meet Rosie's dark eyes. She let out a huge sigh and patted me on the head. "That was a little too close for comfort."
I felt something brush against my leg. I looked down to see a black tail that ran all the way to my back. I stood up and spun around in an effort to look at it. I felt something pulling on my back and realized I had a pair of black wings to go with it.
"What the..." The black on my hands had stretched all the way down to my elbow now. I found the closest mirror and noticed a pair of long ears sticking up from my human ones. Was I a type of dragon?
"I see you're making lots of progress." Alastor's staticky voice cut through the silence.
"Quite a lot, actually," Rosie answered. "I must say, you sure got lucky, Alastor. She looks like she's got a lot hidden away in her."
"Which is why you're the perfect person to help pull it all into the light."
"How do I hide them?" I asked Rosie, still turning in circles to look at myself.
"Oh, uh..." she tapped her sharp finger to her sharp teeth.
"Picture them receding into your back," Alastor answered. I grimaced at the thought of listening to him but gave it a try. The tail shivered but did nothing.
"I'm sure it'll take getting used to," Rosie reassured me. "But I'm sure you're absolutely exhausted. You should go home and get some rest. We can figure out more later."
"Good idea," Alastor agreed. "Come along, darling." He put his hand on my back but I pushed it off. I thanked Rosie and walked out of her store, my wings hitting the edges on the way out.
"So, what did you learn?" he asked as he shut the door.
"What's it to you?"
"Just curious is all."
"You can stay that way," I mumbled. He grabbed my waist and sent us back to the cliff side manor. As soon as my feet touched solid ground, I pushed his hand off and walked inside. My wings hit anything and everything, frustrating me even more.
"Whoah, ain't you something," Husker commented from the sitting room. I didn't respond, clambering up to my room and locking the door behind me. My legs buckled and I collapsed onto the floor. I sobbed into my arms as the new memories replayed themselves in my mind.
Who am I?
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mamasbakeria · 1 year
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hey, what's your major again?
summary: my credible expert opinion on what the aot characters would study in university. what are my qualifications? the dozens of hours i’ve spent staring at my school’s program bulletin trying to figure out what i’m majoring in
genre | includes: headcanons, sfw, minor language, uninformed percy jackson reference (pls don't hate me if im wrong)
characters: eren jaeger, mikasa ackerman, armin arlert, sasha braus, jean kirschtein, connie springer, historia reiss, ymir, reiner braun, annie leonhardt
author’s note: had this in my drafts for months now. i just need to post it so it stops haunting me. might do the rest of the marleyans and vets in the future! lmk your thoughts, my only tumblr notifications are from p*rn bots, so i'd love to hear from real people lol. enjoy <3
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eren: sociology and public policy, 4+1 program for a social work masters
there’s only so many times you can hear “you’re gonna be a doctor just like your dad” before you start to believe it. that’s why eren started out with biology on the premed track. the thing is, he really didn’t care for it. eren is really passionate about lessening equity gaps and is a firm believer in “if you want something done right, do it yourself”. this is why i see him making the switch to a double major in public policy and sociology. he wants to know about how society got to the point of perpetuating disparities so that he can fix them. but he also knows that the government fucking sucks and thinks its naive to expect policy change to be the only method of change. and like the maniac he is, eren is enrolled in a 4+1 program so he can get his master’s in social work when he’s done with his undergrad. he’s determined to graduate with both degrees in just 4 years though. rip his summers.
armin: international relations and military ethics, minor in communications or smth
everyone always says armin would study marine biology or oceanographic studies, but i honestly think that it’s a passion that he pursues on the side. he takes marine bio courses for his breadth requirements, but knows he’d end up hating the ocean if he spent the rest of his life studying it. he also strikes me as someone who would rather run buck naked into traffic than sit through multiple semesters of organic chemistry. armin was always a good public speaker, though, despite being a bit insecure. that’s why his speech and debate teacher during sophomore year of high school recommended model united nations to him. he was hooked after his first conference and now genuinely sees the path of international diplomacy as his calling. that’s why he’s majoring in international relations. his concentration in military ethics is something he tacks on in his junior year after taking some courses and publishing research with dr. erwin smith. he probably minors in communications because he can.
mikasa: forensic science
mikasa had no idea what she wanted to do when she started uni. she’s good at nearly everything. like never gotten a B in her life and is the student who the curve is based off of. but excelling in every environment you’re put in often means you don’t know what you’re best at. she knew deep down that she wanted to do something justice related like her childhood best friends did, but she’s no public speaker and has no interest in political reform. she was, however, emo in high school and heard a fair share of undertaker jokes at her expense. it wouldn’t hurt to look into right? as cool as the title sounds, morticians don’t make enough money for the job they have. fortunately enough, forensic pathologists do and mikasa looks good in a lab coat. she would never admit it to spare armin and eren’s feelings, but when they, as children, recreated the crime-solving shows mrs. jaeger always had on, mikasa always wanted to be the brains. so criminology and forensic science it is. (side note: she definitely joins the military and they pay for her education)
jean: structural engineering and industrial design with a minor in studio art
more than anything, jean wants to provide for his mom and knows he can’t guarantee a retirement of luxury for her as the freelance artist he wishes he could be. he’s decent at math when he tries and doesn’t hate physics, so he decided he’d give structural engineering a try for at least a semester or two. he wasn’t expecting to get much from it, to be honest. he had a plethora of backup plans waiting for his supposedly inevitable distaste for engineering, but he found that he didn’t hate it at all. someone once told jean that he had the makings of a great leader and he didn’t believe them until he started taking the lead on design projects and producing incredible results. his only qualm is that he just doesn’t get to be as creative as he wanted to be. that was easily rectified by an additional major in industrial design and a minor in studio art. he’s unbelievably busy, busier than he anticipated when he started his post-secondary journey, but he’s content and there’s nothing some extra coffee can’t solve. 
sasha: environmental science and sustainability
sasha spent her childhood ankle-deep in mud and fighting her way through forest thickets without a compass. an upbringing like that doesn’t leave your spirit, no matter how far into the city you go for school. so sasha’s always been passively passionate about the environment. that passiveness became significantly more prominent when part of the woods she grew up in was cleared out to build an industrial complex. it was then that she started researching and writing petitions about preserving wildlife and making environmentally conscious decisions. her work actually got her the scholarship she’s on (because god knows it wasn’t her grades). and she genuinely loves what she does, so why wouldn’t she keep learning about it? the environmental science and sustainability program at the school is small, but tight-knit and known for churning out changemakers. sasha knows she’ll be one of them one day. just hide your plastic straws from her, okay?
connie: computer science and chinese
stick with me here okay? everyone expects connie to be a douchebag marketing major whose hardest assignments are graphing functions and making posters on photoshop, but he’s a lot more invested in his education than he looks. don’t get me wrong, connie has always struggled academically, but that’s because so much of early education is pre-determined. he performed way better when he could choose what courses he took. it’s kind of like percy jackson being dyslexic in english because he was wired to read in greek. connie can’t keep his eyes on a history textbook for shit, but will gladly sit in front of the c++ code on his pc for hours. he doesn’t even get mad when he realizes that he was missing a semicolon. connie loves how versatile of a future he could have with a compsci degree, because, let’s be real, he could never survive in a typical office environment. definitely takes a bunch of chinese classes and doesn’t realize that he has enough credits for it to be a minor until his second to last semester.
historia: political science with a minor in international relations and child development
historia is a lot like eren in the sense that she knows her time is best spent doing hands-on work in the fields she cares about. she realizes this sometime after reconnecting with her estranged father and volunteering at the orphanage she grew up in. but now that she’s publicly associated with a powerful political figure, historia doesn’t get to do what she wants, only what is expected of her. that’s how she ends up on the pre-law political science and public policy route. the nickname “ms. president” that connie and sasha give her only further reminds her that she’s heading down a path she never wanted for herself. after lots of encouragement from ymir, historia decided to take child development courses on the side. even if she doesn’t take on the full minor, she’s taking some classes she cares about. maybe she’ll find use for it someday. at the very least, it’s her first step in becoming the most selfish girl in the world.
ymir: data science and business management
ymir is smart. much smarter than she presents herself to be, almost as a form of protection. nobody expects much of someone who is aloof, so it makes it easy to slip through the cracks to remain safe and comfortable in the shadows. business management is notoriously low commitment and easy to skate by with. guaranteed internships, post-graduate employment, and so on. To anyone who doesn’t know ymir well, it’s perfect. but they have her mistaken, ymir will do as little as possible to go as far as possible. sure, she can live comfortably with a business degree, but it could be better with a little bit of data science in her arsenal. she’s intelligent enough to pick up on it, and determined enough to make it her bitch. yeah, academia is a money-sucking pipeline into the capitalist hellscape, she doesn’t believe in it yada yada, but at the end of the day, ymir’s gonna get the bag. so what if she’s gotta sleep through some stats classes to get it?
reiner: behavioral economics
reiner’s mother had convinced him his whole life that getting a high paying job would fix their lives and bring his father back. believing “perfect grades lead to a perfect life” made high school tough for reiner; gifted kid burnout is no joke. it really messed him up. he wasn’t sure if he could withstand the pressures of university, but here he is. reiner was never allowed a therapist, so he figured pursuing psychology would, at the very least, give him some answers and be a good pathway to a medical degree. he loved getting to understand how people work and why they act the way they do, but something was missing. he found out what it was when a guest lecturer spoke in his economics class. he knew making the switch would be risky, it’s a new field and his current career options are really only research, academia, or government, but the interdisciplinary study of behavioral economics is calling reiner’s name. 
annie: biomedical engineering and kinesiology
annie’s entire life revolved around her father, including the injury he was never able to heal from. the one she gave him. he’s claimed to be over it, she’s forgiven, but annie will never feel like she’s earned that forgiveness until she gets rid of the problem entirely. how is she going to do that exactly? with biomedical engineering. she has years of hell in front of her, especially with her concentration on biomechanics, but she doesn’t care. annie will throw herself into her work to get the results she wants. she takes the highest amount of credits possible every semester so she can graduate early. you’ll most likely find her chained to a study cubicle at the library at all hours of the day and running on 2 hours of sleep, but it doesn’t faze her. she tacks on a minor in kinesiology because it makes sense and she had most of the credits for it anyway. and as if it couldn’t get worse, she probably TAs for a thermodynamics course or something crazy like that.
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© mamasbakeria 2023. do not repost, translate (without permission), or modify
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Studying with ADHD
Dear God. My activity on here is sporadic, as is fitting with my diagnosis, but I thought maybe this post could help anyone that's been struggling alongside me.
Warning: Long Post
Feel Free to browse the bullet points and stop if something catches your eye!
If you don't like any of these, don't use them! They're based solely off my experience, and everyone experiences ADHD differently <3
Content:
Setting up The Space
Study Snacks!! - No hunger in The Space
Compete with yourself
Ignore Pomodoro
Reverse the feeling of 'not being smart enough'
Active Recall
Unriddle.ai (not sponsored,,,)
Final Tip
Final Note
Here ya go:
1. Setting up The Space
Some sites say to create a 'distraction free zone' to study in. Screw that, it never worked for me.
My brain is the distraction. I'll stare off into space if there's no other option.
INSTEAD:
We set up a study space that both fulfils random urges mid-work session, and limits distractions away from the desk.
I.e. we don't get up until we need the bathroom.
You limit the amount you get up from The Space, you limit the number of things your attention span will switch to.
Snacks, fidgets, drawing, separate screen for watching stuff? Whatever works, stick it on the desk.
Food wise, I try to make a healthy lunch and then eat it at my desk while reviewing stuff, but sometimes I need a longer break.
If I am taking a break, I do it away from The Space. The Space is dead to me now.
Try to compartmentalise your area, work only in these spots, relax only in these, sleep only there.
We're trying to train our brains here, people, simple and clear relations of space to activity typically get embedded easier.
Also: work whenever.
Burst of energy at 9pm? Go for it, we sleep badly anyways.
Middle of lunch? Have a flashcard/ notes app on your phone, do it while you eat.
With friends? See method 5 <3
I'll link a separate post I'll be making on exactly how my space is set up, though most of the key points are in this one :)
2. Study Snacks!! - No hunger in The Space
One. Handed. Food. Only.
Also, food that doesn't get stuff on your fingers.
You can't work if you're constantly wiping your hands to keep going, and you need something you can absentmindedly grab while you keep your eyes trained on the work.
I recommend getting artificial sugar in your system, sweets, chocolate, give yourself a mild sugar rush to keep a bit of a buzz going while you work.
(try to be healthy about it, this won't be sustainable long-term, but I find a shot of sugar to the system can help prevent burnout)
Also caffeine! Please be aware of how much caffeine you're having for health reasons - I need to watch how much I have, since my medication is already bad for my heart, but even just having a coffee and some sugar at the start of the session, I get enough energy to start working
As long as I don't stop until I'm Done, I will be good.
3. Compete with yourself
I don't recommend competing with others, it toes the line of 'feeling like a failure' too much for my liking, but if it works for you, go for it.
Instead, I compete with myself. Mostly quizlet flashcards, but also 'how much of this have I remembered from yesterday?', and 'How much more can I remember today?'
Whether it's personality or hyperactivity, this gives a dopamine hit. Finding ways to make studying something you can score against is one of my favourite methods.
Video games are an ADHD staple for a reason, easily trackable progress and dopamine from rewards/hyperfixations/etc. make them addictive.
Turn the work into a video game (I think at this point I may sound insane to you guys but please trust me)
4. Ignore Pomodoro
ADHD students, we have to think like sharks: we stop, we die.
Once you have found yourself studying with (relative) ease, Do. Not. Stop. You keep that going as long as possible.
ADHD doesn't mean you can't focus, you can, you just have no choice in where that attention gets allocated. So, when a tomato-based timer tell you to turn off your focus and relax, after it took you half the damn time to start the stupid work, it can be a little counter-productive
(I may have some repressed rage for pomodoro, try to forgive me)
Please, ignore the pomodoro stuff. I know it's healthy to regulate the volume of work you do, but I find that once I start working, I can't stop until I run out of energy.
I time or video myself instead, I can track how long I've been working, feel proud of it, and I also can't use my phone during that session.
When my brain stops taking stuff in, I have an hour to 2 hour break, relax (away from The Space) try to reset my brain so it's back to baseline. Then I start again.
5. Reverse the feeling of 'not being smart enough'
I know I am smart, and it's on others if they don't see that, but having undiagnosed ADHD for 17 years did a number on my self image and confidence.
If you struggle with this, it's so, so helpful to try this method, and can start to reverse the negative internal image we've managed to cultivate <3
So, after you've covered a topic: tell someone about it (please make sure they're ready to listen to you rant for half an hour).
Not only are you reinforcing what you've just learnt, but you also get to feel competent, and teaching someone else about your topic helps to raise perceptions (internal or from others) of what you know/what you're capable of.
6. Active Recall
This one goes great with the whole, 'competing with yourself' method (no. 4);
Active Recall is just making sure you're going over old information and recalling correctly, once it's past short term memory. Trying to remember information without it present forces your brain to pull it from Long-term memory and reinforces the information in your brain.
I know it's been said a million times, but this + competing with yourself does wonders for me.
My favourite method is blurting ( read/write notes of one topic, wait ten minutes, do something else productive, and then try to copy that topic from memory. repeat until all key info is correctly recalled)
7. Unriddle.ai (not sponsored,,,)
Okay, this site changed it for me. 5 free uploads, 15 free inputs per month.
Download a copy of the fancy scientific paper/article/book you need to read through. Upload.
Ask unriddle to summarise key points, to re-write it as if you were 7, etc.
This genuinely saved my essays. Suddenly the procrastination of reading my source material was gone. It makes it so much easier to get through dense/boring text and then I wrote everything myself.
Please do not plagiarise, I am only recommending this site to make things easier to read, copying down what it produces is considered plagiarism by my uni, and likely most others.
8. Final Tip
Be kind to yourself.
When I got medicated, my friends were genuinely stressed by how much work I was suddenly doing.
One of them asked me about it, and I realised it didn't feel like I was doing any more than normal. I had always been working this hard, it was just that half the energy going in wasn't being wasted on trying to get myself to focus.
What you put in may not receive the same results as for others, but the reality is that you're likely working harder than they are. The irritating truth is simply that we have to compensate for the different cognitive functioning that neurotypicals get to take for granted
(no hate to the NTs, I'm glad ya'll don't have to think about it, but for someone with ADHD, it can be really tough to realise)
A Final Note:
You are smart. You can do this. We just need to modify the system a little to make it work for us. There is no shame in that, anyone telling you otherwise needs a reality check.
Genuinely though, I've noticed that people telling me I use my ADHD accommodations (required by law) as a 'crutch'.
1. If the world were set up by me, that same person would struggle just as much, if not more.
2. If Rishi Sunak's government is willing to GIVE ME FREE MONEY to access these accommodations, that implies that this genuinely is needed. Not because I think Sunak is intelligent or kind (my own political opinions, please just hear me out), but because there is no way, with the underfunding of the NHS, Public services, etc. that they'd be willing to give me money I don't need to repay if it wasn't a scientific fact that I needed it, and it helped.
Use the inadequacies of the government to your advantage in arguments, make the idiots see how integral our accommodations are. I'd have dropped out of uni by now without them.
For anyone in need of help trying to convince family/friends/teachers/etc. of the struggle with ADHD (or anything else, though I won't have as much experience with it), telling them what you need help with, or any other arguments, send me an ask. I do psychology for my degree, I am used to searching for research papers, and I will help you with the necessary scientific backing for your case.
You are not in this alone <3
Lots of Love!
Coffee + Guitar Strings
@chocolatelandgarden @chaoticstudyprincess
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suckerfordylansstuff · 2 months
Text
New Journey (S.H.) Chapter 4 Season 4
Pairing: Steve Harrington x henderson!reader
Summary: Back to Hawkins for spring break. Y/n believed it would just be a quiet time to cherish with her loved ones, but one day in and another mess had already began.
Warnings: cursing
Notes: Really enjoyed writing this chapter, especially because of all the small bickering moments between the characters. More of that will come in the next chapters. I hope you enjoy and stay safe out there! 💕
Chapter 3 << Masterlist >> Chapter 5
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The next day rose, and your first stop was at the market to pick up some food and drinks for Eddie. You were simply chatting with your friends as you opened the door to the lake house not expecting to find a startled Eddie on the other side, the broken beer bottle once again in his hand.
“Delivery service.” your brother said in a light voice as he held up the grocery bags in his hands.
Eddie relaxed and thanked you before grabbing the bags off Dustin’s hands, rushing to see what you got him. He sat on the ground and began stuffing his face with the food.
“So, we got, uh, some good news and some bad news. How do you prefer it?” the rest of you settled around him listening to Dustin explaining what happened after they left him last night.
“Bad news first, always.”
“All right. Bad news. We tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with our Cerebro, and they’re definitely looking for you. Also, they’re, uh, pretty convinced you killed Chrissy.”
“Like, a 100% kind of convinced.” Max pointed out.
“And the good news?” Eddie asked, hoping for something to ease his nerves.
“Your name hasn’t gone public yet. But if we found out about you, it’s only a matter of time before others do too. And once that gets out, everyone and their shallow-minded mother is gonna be gunning for you.” Robin told him and the guy responded with bitterness in his words.
“Hunt the freak, right?”
“Something like that.” you nodded.
“Shit.” he cursed under his breath.
“So, before that happens, we need to find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence.”
“That’s all, Dustin? That’s all?”
“Yeah, no, that’s pretty much it” your brother nodded.
You got why Eddie was so snarky. His whole life changed in the blink of a moment. He didn’t know anything about the Upside Down, about the Mind Flayer, but now he has experienced a traumatic episode happening in front of him, unable to do anything to help the innocent girl and the whole town perceives him as a killer. So, it was understandable why he thought the rest of you were so crazy to think as this is easy, just another Tuesday for you.
“Listen, Eddie, I know everything Dustin is saying sounds totally delusional, but we’ve actually been through this kind of thing before. I mean, they have a- a few times…” Robin pointed towards you and you nodded to confirm her words “…and- and I have once. Mine was more human-flesh-based, theirs was more smoke-related, but bottom line is, collectively, I really feel like we got this.”
“Yeah, we kinda have set a record for the number of times we’ve done this. It’s like an annual event at this point.” you decided to approach the fourth time you’ve dealt with this with more dark humor, just so you could cope with the craziness over this whole thing.
“Yes, see, we usually rely on this girl who has superpowers. But, uh, those went bye-bye, so…” Steve said as he stood next to you.
“So, we’re technically in more of the-”
“Kinda…” Robin and Steve tried to find their words before Max stepped in.
“Brainstorming phase.”
“Brainstorming.” Steve snapped his finger at Max, agreeing with her.
“There-There’s nothing to worry about.” Dustin said it in a way to relax Eddie, but when you looked at said boy’s face he looked anything but relaxed.
Suddenly, you could hear sirens going off outside, alerting all of you.
“Shit…” Steve cursed under his breath.
“Tarp. Tarp. Tarp.” you pointed at Eddie who quickly hid himself under the tarp as the rest of you ran to the windows to check what was happening.
Thankfully the police cars and the ambulance driving by weren’t meant for you, but they did intrigue your interest. So, you collectively decided to follow after them and see if anything new has happened.
You ended up near the trailer park. Steve parked the car and you all got out of your seats to get a better look. As your head lifted up your eyes fell on Nancy’s. She looked scared and you just knew it had to do with what you had found out. And by the apprehensive look on your face, as well as the others, Nancy also knew that this wasn’t just a killer on the loose, it was something you were all too familiar with.
You waited until she gave her statement to the new chief of the police before heading to one of the picnic tables at the park, filling Nancy in on everything you had so far, which wasn’t a lot.
“So, you’re saying that this thing that killed Fred and Chrissy, it’s from the Upside Down?” Nancy was sitting opposite of you, while Robin and Max sat by her sides.
“If the shoe fits.” Steve answered. He was on your left, playing with your fingers under the table as you looked at Dustin on your right who started talking.
“Our working theory is that he attacks with a spell or a curse. Now, whether or not he’s doing the bidding of the Mind Flayer or just loves killing teens, we don’t know.”
“All we know is that this is something different. Something new.” you saw Nancy start shaking her head after Max’s words.
“It doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s only a theory.” Dustin told her but she quickly explained herself.
“No, Fred and Chrissy don’t make sense. I mean, why them?”
“Maybe they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” you suggested, desperately trying to find a connection.
“They were both at the game.” Dustin pointed out.
“And near the trailer park.” Max said and you felt Steve freeze for a moment next to you.
“We’re at the trailer park. Uh, should we maybe not be here?” you began looking around to see if anything was out of the ordinary, feeling a sense of uneasiness when he pointed it out.
“There is something about this place. Fred started acting weird the second we got here.” Nancy said, thinking of Fred’s behavior yesterday.
“Acting weird as in…?” Robin asked her.
“Scared, on edge, upset.”
“Max said Chrissy was upset too.” Dustin looked at Max who shrugged her shoulders.
“Yeah, but not here. She was crying in the bathroom at school.”
“Serial killers stalk their prey before they strike, right? So, maybe Fred and Chrissy saw this Vecman-”
“Vecna.” your brother corrected Robin.
“I don’t know about you guys, but if I saw some freaky wizard monster, I would mention it to someone.” Steve told you and you scrunched your brows, a thought coming to mind.
“Yeah, but what if they didn’t really see anything?” you thought out loud, making everyone turn and look at you weirdly “I mean, Will didn’t, the Mind Flayer was playing with his mind, making him see pictures nobody else was. They’d probably thought they were going insane, too scared to talk about it to anyone.”
“Maybe not anyone.” Max caught up on your thinking “I saw Chrissy leaving Ms. Kelley’s office. If you saw a monster, you… you wouldn’t go to the police. They’d never believe you. But you might go to your-”                                                 
“Your shrink.” Robin nodded at her words and you all got out of your seats heading back to your cars. The plan was to go to Ms. Kelley’s office and search for any valuable information about Chrissy.
But as your legs went over to Steve’s car you caught Nancy heading towards the other way. You wondered if she just wanted to get her own car so you asked her.
“Oh, no, there’s something else I wanna check out first.” she answered, still walking further away from the rest of you.
“Something you wanna share with the rest of us?” Dustin asked.
“I don’t wanna waste your time. It’s a real shot in the dark.” she had now stopped, trying to play it off like it wasn’t anything serious, but the look on her face told you otherwise.
“Well, you’re not going alone. No, no way.” you stepped forward before Steve followed behind you.
“Exactly. Flying solo with this Vecna creep on the loose? It’s too dangerous. I-”
“I’ll come with you.” you nodded at your friend and took a step to go by her side, but a hand gripping onto your arm stopped you. You turned your head to see Steve looking at you like you were insane “What are you doing?”
“Didn’t you just hear what I said? It’s too dangerous. You’re not going alone.” he told you, releasing his grasp.
“I won’t be alone. I’ll be with Nancy.”
“I meant without me. You’re not going without me.” his explanation made you tilt your head in question.
“Who’s gonna drive the kids to Ms. Kelley’s house?”
“I- Wait. Here.” he dug into his pocket and took out his car keys, before throwing them at Robin, who caught them with ease “I’ll stick with you two, while Robin drives them. Then we’ll meet up again after Nancy checks out what she wants. Deal?” he directed the question at you, but Robin beat you to the answer.
“I don’t think you want me driving your car.”
“Why?” Steve sighed as he looked at Robin.
“I don’t have a license.”
“Why don’t you have a license?”
“I’m poor.” she said, her words making you stifle a chuckle down.
“I can drive.”
“No!” you pointed your finger at Max.
“No. You’re not driving my car. No way.” Steve said loudly.
Dustin felt like it was his turn, so he shrugged, but you were quick to stop him “No chance, mister.”
“Come on.” your brother whined but Steve agreed with you.
“No.” he turned back to look at you. You had a soft look on your face, which meant that you were getting your way no matter what he said.
“Steve. You can’t come with us. What if they get into trouble? Robin will trip over her own feet with every chance she gets. I’m sorry.” you apologized to your friend, who just dismissed you with a shake of her head.
“No, no, it’s true.”
“You need to keep them safe. Plus, me and Nancy know how to handle ourselves.” you walked next to Nancy, without getting stopped by your boyfriend this time.
“Are you sure? I mean-” a groan from behind him interrupted his reasoning to follow you.
“All right, okay. This is stupid.” Robin marched over to the three people in front of her, returning the keys to Steve and settling her body next to yours, her arm slinging along your shoulders “You get go with the kids. Us ladies will stick together. Unless you think we need you to protect us.” Steve pulled a face at her words, finally accepting defeat.
You smiled and yelled out before Robin dragged you down the road “Love you!”
“Yeah, yeah, love you too. Be careful! Please…”
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And you were being careful, because as it turned out Nancy just wanted to check some story she had heard at the library. On your way there she told you about Eddie’s uncle who had told her he knew who had done this to poor Chrissy.
“Okay, help me get this straight. Eddie’s uncle, Wayne, thinks that Victor Creel escaped from Pennhurst Asylum and that he’s the one running around Hawkins committing these murders?” Robin asked Nancy just as you were walking up to the library.
“Pretty much.”
“How old is he supposed to be? Because if you think about our theory, the timing-” your brows were furrowed in thought when Robin interrupted you, nodding her head.
“It doesn’t add up, right? He committed the eyeball murders, like, way back in the ‘50s.”
“Well… ’59.” Nancy opened the door letting you get in first before walking inside herself.
“So, that means these murders predate Eleven and the Upside Down by about 30 years?” you nodded at Robin’s words.
“We know that El opened the gate, so the Upside Down theoretically wasn’t connected to our universe back then, which means that this might disprove our theory.” you walked up to the front desk, letting your arms lean onto it.
“Yeah.” Nancy said from beside you as her head turned left and right trying to find someone who can help you.
“Wait, wouldn’t spooky Victor Creel be like 70 years old?” Robin asked, resting her body on Nancy’s other side.
“Yep.” the girl in the middle rang the bell in front of you.
“So, he’s a grandpa murderer who can turn invisible and lift people into the air.” you chuckled at Robin while Nancy took a deep breath.
“It doesn’t make sense. I know. That’s why I said it was a shot in the dark.” she rang the bell once more.
“I know. I just thought that by ‘shot in the dark’, you were being modest or hiding something super solid up your sleeve that you were gonna wow us with later.” Robin began her daily rant which Nancy was not used to, making her desperate to find the person behind the counter so Robin would stop talking. She rang it again “But this is really, truly a shot in the dark. Like we are snipers with blindfolds on who’ve been spun around 50 times.” you flinched as Nancy started ringing the bell nonstop until a voice called out.
“Coming!” the lady behind the counter appeared with a few books at hand and then turned to the three of you after she set them down.
“Hi. Sorry, we’re in a bit of a rush. Could we get the keys to the basement archives?” Nancy put on her best smile and asked the lady with the sweet voice you were used to all throughout high school.
“Of course. Give me one sec.” she turned and left to find the key.
Your eyes landed on a little bowl next to you filled with different flavors of candy. It felt like forever since you had eaten something, so you settled for a bit of sugar in your system.
“Did I come off mean or condescending or something?” your attention was captured by Robin who was looking straight at Nancy.
“No.” the girl answered quickly, tapping her fingers at the counter, waiting for the librarian to return.
“Right. Sorry. It’s just, you seem annoyed. You don’t know me very well. I don’t really have a filter or a strong grasp of social cues. Tell her, Y/n.” you had just popped the candy into your mouth when she called your name, bringing both their set of eyes on you.
“She doesn’t have a filter or a strong grasp of social cues.” your words were a bit muffled by the sweet in your mouth, but you nodded your head to agree with Robin.
“Okay.” Nancy said with a small smile, but it was obvious she wasn’t into this conversation.
“So, if I said something that upsets you, just know that I know it’s a flaw. Believe me, my mother reminds me daily.”
“Robin…” you warned her to stay on track.
“Got it.” Nancy looked up to see the lady return and she was thankful to continue with their search.
“All right, ladies. Here you go. Have fun.” she handed the keys to Nancy.
“Yep. We’ll try.” Nancy rushed off towards the archives, leaving you, Robin, and the librarian behind. The lady was looking at you with sympathy in her eyes, so you just sent her a tight smile and grabbed onto Robin’s arm, pulling her along with you.
“What have we said about oversharing?” you turned to look at her as she sheepishly smiled at you.
“Don’t do it if we’re not asked?” you nodded at her, but couldn’t help but giggle at her efforts to make it better with Nancy.
“Come on, my socially awkward little girl.” you followed after Nancy and began your investigation.
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On the other side of town, Steve had just pulled up at the therapist’s house and watched as Max got out of the car and inside the house.
“Okay. She’s in.” he stated.
“I’m missing collarbones, not eyes.” Dustin stole a look at Steve’s profile before deciding this is the best moment for this talk “So, we’re gonna talk about… it?”
“Huh? Sorry, what? Talk about what?” Steve turned to look at his little friend after focusing on the house in front of them.
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed. Both of you have been so weird about it.”
“About what? What are you talking about, Henderson?”
“How you and my sister literally fought in front of us yesterday?” Dustin finally said.
“We didn’t fight. We barely bickered.” Steve defended your situation.
“Well, since I have never seen you fight before, not even after your breakup, it was pretty weird seeing you ‘bickering’. I thought you’d be over the moon to have her back, in a disgusting kind of way.” he couldn’t even count the times when Dustin would have to peer Steve off of you whenever they visited you at college. He loved you both and he knew you were meant for each other, but you were still his sister and he was still his best friend, he didn’t love the sight. Still, it was better than the two of you fighting.
He picked up on it the moment he saw you return home yesterday morning. You never returned this early after spending the night at his. He also saw the way you reacted when you decided to go seek help at Family Video. His last clue was your little fight while they were calling Eddie’s friends to find any clues about his whereabouts. Something was definitely going on between them and he had to know so he could fix it.
“Okay, okay, fine. We did kind of argue about something, but it was stupid, alright? And we’re completely ignoring it until we have this whole thing figured out.” Steve ran his hand through his hair, a habit he developed due to his anxiety.
“Cause that’s healthy.” Dustin said sarcastically, but Steve ignored him, his gaze returning at the house. They stayed silent for a few seconds, but Dustin couldn’t help himself “Why did you fight?”
Steve’s brows shot up “Do you really wanna know why I fought with your sister? No, I don’t think it’s going to put me in a good position.”
“Why, did you do something stupid? I mean, of course, you did.” he joked, trying to ease the tension, but Steve wasn’t having it.
“I didn’t- Look, I don’t wanna talk about it. I’ll punch you so hard in your face your teeth will fall back out.”
“Whoa. Too far.” Dustin told him.
Steve stared at him for a moment before his face softened “Not cool. Sorry.”
“Not cool. It’s okay.” Dustin nodded, forgiving him. They fisted it up and continued on with their waiting.
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You ended up squished into a single seat with Robin looking over newspapers in one of the two COM Catalogs available, Nancy occupying the second one right across from you. You had been searching for around 30-40 minutes and you were getting extremely bored because you couldn’t find anything interesting.
“Anything juicy over there?” Robin’s voice filled your eyes as she called out for Nancy.
“Nothing new.” Nancy answered.
“Yep, same here.”
“Victor seemed like a normal guy, honestly.” you noted as your eyes scanned through another paper that described the same story the other ten had.
“Just a dead family, missing eyes, took a plea deal, sent to Pennhurst. Blah, blah, blah, blah.” you watch Robin tilt her body to the left and stare at Nancy’s side of the COM’s “What are we looking for exactly?” you push your body next to her, trying to find a clear view of your other friend, who didn’t seem to pay attention to you.
“Nance?” you called out before Robin knocked on the wood rhythmically to get her attention. It obviously worked when you saw Nancy get on the same pose and stare at the two of you with a forced smile on her face.
“Any mention of wizards or alternate dimensions? Things in that vein?” Robin said calmly but Nancy snapped.
“I don’t know. Okay? It’s starting to seem like this was just a big waste of time.” You just watched as she got up from her seat and began walking up and down “And you guys are obviously bored, so, why don’t you just call Steve to pick you up. You’d prefer to be with them than with me here. And I mean, I’m not really in danger here, so…” she smiled at you and then took her leave downstairs where more papers were kept.
You stayed silent, evaluating what just happened, and then turned to Robin signaling her to just sit here “I’ll go see what’s up.”
Your legs guided you downstairs. Nancy was arms deep into the catalogs looking through the files. After taking your last step down the stairs you crossed your arms across your chest and leaned on the staircase, looking over at your friend.
“What was that?”
Nancy sighed, letting her head fall forward. She wasn’t sure why she snapped. Maybe it was because of Fred, maybe in fear of everything happening, or maybe it was the fact that she couldn’t reach Jonathan, worrying her that something was wrong over in California as well. Or maybe it was all these things at once that made her feel annoyed at the two of you who were just trying to help. Whatever it was she was too embarrassed to talk about it right now, so she tried once again to dismiss you “Y/n, you really didn’t have to come here with me. Thank you for being concerned but I’ll be fine. Tell Steve to come get you, and I’ll get to the bottom of this on my own.”
“You’ve always been stubborn, you know?”
“Yeah…” she agreed with you, her eyes still not reaching yours.
“But you can’t stop me from being here.” you stepped over to one of the drawers, opened it, and began searching as well. You could see Nancy stop her search from the corner of your eyes, now just staring at you.
“Y/n, really I-”
“To be honest, I’m not only here to help. I also used it as an opportunity to take a breath. Focusing my mind on something like this, away from the supernatural, is nice, you know?” you were certain you had finally reached her, that you had found what made her so cold towards you, when Robin messed up your plans.
“And away from Steve.” she was sitting on the staircase, clearly eavesdropping on you two.
“Robin!” you turned to stare at her as she was ascending from the stairs.
“What? Don’t tell me I’m wrong because I’m not.” Robin stood up and step by step reached the floor.
“What happened with Steve?” Nancy’s interest picked up, glad the conversation wasn’t about her now.
“Just a stupid fight, it really doesn’t matter.” you pointed your words at Robin, who just put her hands in the air ‘surrendering’ herself to you.
“Okay.” she wasn’t buying anything you said but decided to ignore it. Instead, she went over to Nancy and opened another one of the drawers to distract herself and found something wildly interesting “Holy shit. The Weekly Watcher. I can’t believe they have this.”
“I remember this. Dustin and I used to love this paper. Well, mainly because it was insane, and we loved insane.” you pointed out, remembering all the crazy stories you would read and the even crazier stories you made up because of it.
“Don’t they write about, like, Bigfoot and UFOs?” Nancy didn’t look too impressed by Robin’s find.
“First of all, UFOs are absolutely real. Bigfoot I’m still on the fence about, but may I remind you two we are looking for information on dark wizards? If someone’s gonna write about that, it’s gonna be these weirdos.” you shared a look with Nancy, silently agreeing with Robin.
You quickly went back upstairs and put the catalog into the COM. Robin was controlling the machine while you and Nancy waited on each of her sides, eyes scanning through the papers to find what you were looking for.
“Ah. ‘Elvis cloned by aliens’.” Nancy’s hopes were shattering second by second, especially when she read that title. It felt like you were searching in the dark.
You, on the other hand, found it amusing and chuckled at the ridiculous titles you were going through.
“You never know.” Robin countered and after Nancy shot her a look, she rolled her eyes and walked away from you.
“ ‘Victor Creel claims vengeful demon killed family. The murder that shocked a small community’.” Robin said in her best cinematic voice but your eyes were stuck on the article in front of you.
“Ha, ha. That’s very funny.” Nancy ignored her, thinking she was joking since this investigation wasn’t leading anywhere.
“We’re not kidding. Get over here.” your hand waved for Nancy to come back beside you and she followed, returning to her spot next to Robin “ ‘According to several insiders, Victor believed his house was haunted by an ancient demon. Victor allegedly hired a priest to exorcise the demon from his home.’”
“Pretty novel for the ‘50s. Exorcist wasn’t out yet.” Robin interrupted your talking to make a joke.
“Keep- keep going.” the other girl, however, motioned for you to continue.
“ Okay, so, Victor claimed this exorcism failed, but it angered its demon, which then murdered his family, removing their eyes. Victor believed he was spared as a punishment.” you finished and turned to look at the two of them.
“Yeah, that’s pretty convenient for Victor.”
“Yeah, or super inconvenient.” Robin switched Nancy’s words making you both look at her “Victor was declared legally insane by the court, right? What if this is why? I mean, it sounds insane. It just didn’t go public because-”
“The plea bargain. The records were sealed.” Nancy caught up to her thinking.
“What if a demon did invade Victor’s home? It’s, just, this wasn’t any old demon…”
“It was Vecna.” you finished Robin’s sentence, finally feeling like you didn’t just waste your entire afternoon.
You rushed to return the key to the librarian, walked out of the building, and took the radio in your hands, urgently, to call Dustin.
“Dustin, do you copy?”
“Yeah, I copy.” he didn’t even miss a second before responding you.
“So, Nancy’s hunch was correct, surprise-surprise. Vecna’s first victims date back all the way to 1959.” you had a small smile on your face, excited about your discovery.
“Okay, that’s totally bonkers, but I can’t really talk right now.” he sounded out of breath.
“Wait, what? Why? What are you doing?” you stopped in your tracks next to the car, pulling the other girls’ attention to you.
“Breaking and entering a school to retrieve confidential and extremely personal files.” he explained, and your brows shot up in disbelief.
“Can you repeat that?” Robin asked, taking the radio in her hands, trying to make sense of his words.
“Just get your ass over here, stat. We’ll explain everything.” and he turned his radio off.
“I thought they were talking to Ms. Kelley.” Nancy had just opened the driver’s door, questioning the whole conversation you just had.
“We leave them alone for two hours.” your friend rolled her eyes and with a quick nod of your own you got into the car as well and drove to Hawkins High, trying to figure out what the hell they were doing there.
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tobiasdrake · 4 months
Text
Okay after that ask about Ranma at a Tenkaichi Budokai, I have been haunted throughout my entire day of work by this concept. So this occupied my mind instead. And now I have a tournament bracket.
Please note that this is not based on, like, Versus Feat Analysis and stuff. Just thinking about what would make for an interesting crossover tournament arc.
Note: I am not a writer so this is all probably pretty janky but these are just the broad strokes ideas I had.
Also please note that it's been like a decade and a half since last time I read Ranma 1/2 so my memory's pretty fuzzy on a lot of things. But like here are some vague notes for what I think would make a fun and interesting Dragon Ball vs Ranma 1/2 tournament arc.
Some narrative considerations to take into account:
We want every match to be a Ranma 1/2 vs. Dragon Ball fight, so that means two characters from both have to win their matches in the quarterfinals. This is a bracketed tournament so in story terms it wouldn't be specifically these four guys against those four, but for the purpose of storycraft that'd be the intent nonetheless.
Goku and Ranma have to be the final, so they're on opposite halves of the bracket. Both of these guys are going to fight their way through 3/4 of the other guy's cast, including each other. That's just how tournament arcs go.
Dragon Ball cast are at an ambiguous placement in ability. Somewhere after 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai but before Raditz landed on Earth. Somewhere in the general ballpark of 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai.
Ryoga is Ranma's biggest rival so it would be sensible for him to make it to the semifinals, but we have two women in this tournament and I don't want them both to get creamed in the first round.
Instead of a Tenkaichi Budokai, this may work better as some other undefined tournament to allow use of weapons. Ryoga, Ukyo, and Shampoo all utilize varying degrees of weapon fighting in their arts, so standard Tenkaichi Budokai rules would be a significant nerf. If the DB cast get to fly, then the Ranma cast should be allowed their weapons.
There should be a sudden inconvenient rainstorm that sweeps in, timed at a moment when all the cursed Ranma characters can be forced to shapeshift but not in a context where it will decide the outcome of the fight. Like. Three of the four Ranma characters here have curses, and I don't want Ryoga or Shampoo to lose because they turned into a pig and cat respectively in the middle of their fight. So it should start pouring during one of Ranma's matches, preferably quarter- or semi-final.
The Kamehameha is generally portrayed as unimpressive compared to other ki techniques in Dragon Ball; It's pretty basic but its versatility allows practitioners to do tremendous things with it. For his part, Ranma's self-taught Moko Takabisha, a variant of the Shishi Hokodan he invented because he can't get as depressed as Ryoga, is powered by his own self-assurance. So I think it should be treated as stronger than the Kamehameha when Ranma's cocky but weaker if a fight's turning against him.
So, brackets and some vague outline notes.
QUARTERFINALS
Round 1: Ryoga Hibiki vs. Son Goku
If Ryoga's only going to get one fight then it should be a good one. An opening quarterfinal match worth of a semifinal or final round, to set the stage for the fights to come and establish Goku as the Guy To Beat for Ranma's cast.
Fighting Goku would give Ryoga a great opportunity to pull out all the stops and unload everything in his arsenal. Bandana missiles, using his heavy umbrella like a sword, his Breaking Point technique, and of course, his signature Shishi Hokodan.
Ryoga's Shishi Hokodan is shown to be tremendously powerful, potentially rivaling Tenshinhan's Kikoho. The qualifiers would be a great place to show off its full might and set up tension for this match. Ryoga blows away a formidable Dragon Ball character, maybe Jackie Chun, by blasting them with a full-power Shishi Hokodan.
But I think his reason for losing the match would be because he can't bring out its full power. It's fueled by depression ki; The more Ryoga allows himself to be absorbed in depression, the more powerful it becomes.
But Goku historically is fucking fun to fight. He has always had a knack for not just enjoying his matches with others but being enjoyable to face off against. Most of his rivals were redeemed specifically by how much they enjoy fighting him. Even the ultimate evil Frieza has made suboptimal decisions out of a fascination with matching fists against Goku.
Even if you don't like to fight, it's hard to be unhappy when you're trading fists with Son Goku. He is the embodiment of pure martial arts enjoyment. Despite himself, Ryoga would simply be enjoying himself too much to unleash a full-power Shishi Hokodan, and be undone by how fun this fight is.
Unable to access his ultimate technique, Ryoga opts to remove Goku's options. Using his Breaking Point technique, Ryoga destroys a corner of the ring under Goku's feet, but when the dust settles, Goku managed to make it away from the corner and avoid ringout. Implied but not directly shown that he used Bukujutsu. Ryoga keeps it up, destroying chunk after chunk of the stage until there's only a little bit left. Goku baits him with a Zanzoken/Afterimage into destroying that as well, appearing behind Ryoga and striking hard enough to send Ryoga out of the ring and into the dirt.
Round 2: Ukyo Kuonji vs Krillin
Okay gonna be real with you at first I was gonna put Shampoo as the other Ranma character who makes it to semifinals but then I was thinking about Ukyo's abilities and realized I wanted her to fight Goku so, so bad you have no idea.
Krillin's built around sucker punches and unpredictable techniques. For her part, Ukyo's culinary fighting style is fucking weird and difficult to read. From tempura bombs to flour smokescreens to adhesive batter and yakisoba binding ropes, Ukyo's got her grill and her giant melee spatula (plus smaller throwing spatulas), and she's here to cook up a victory.
Krillin mistakes Ukyo for a boy? As a flip-flop reference to when he thought Upa was a girl by way of Ukyo's canonical androgyny and non-binary presentation? Is this something? IDK.
For the first exchange of the match, Ukyo brings out her grill and cooks up some tasty okonomiyaki, then gives some to Krillin as a gesture of good will. It's a bomb, comically exploding in his face; Ukyo draws first blood before Krillin even realizes the fight has started, and they begin trading blows from there.
Krillin has Ukyo on the ropes for the first portion of the fight. He surprises her with his quick movements and distracting ki blasts, every move and exchange meant to pull attention away from where his next punch is going to come from. Physically, he's tough; Ukyo clonks him on the head with her spatula full strength in an early attempt at a KO, but he's just too strong. But he starts losing steam as the battle progresses.
He only realizes what's happening too late, as the adhesive batter that the okonomiyaki bomb covered him in sets in. The heat from his own ki attacks makes the batter harden more quickly, slowing his movements over time.
Once Krillin realizes he's mired in glue, Ukyo detonates tempura bombs around the ring for her victory plan. Then she lassos Krillin with her yakisoba and ejects him from the arena before he has a chance to break free from the batter.
Round 3: Ranma vs Yamcha
I had to. It's tradition for Yamcha to go down in the first round against one of the major plot characters, typically the main rival to Goku. One of Yamcha's two main jobs in these tournaments is to act as a yardstick to establish how tough the other guy's going to be.
But he still usually gets to put up a good fight. The 22nd match with Ten had him debut his Kamehameha, while his 23rd gave him some solid moments too. Yamcha's going to lose this match but he should get to apply some pressure to Ranma while he's at it.
This might be a good place for the rainstorm. IDK. Would need to seriously consider how Yamcha would react to Ranma sexshifting mid-battle and whether that would make the fight more or less entertaining.
One image I have in my head for this match is Yamcha using his Rogafufuken/Wolf Fang Fist, only for Ranma to match his moves. The technique is based on a relentless assault, an overwhelming flurry of attacks. But Ranma's Chestnuts on an Open Fire training - cultivating striking speed by grabbing chestnuts out of a firepit without getting burned - taught him incredible manual dexterity, allowing him to parry each and every strike of the Rogafufuken.
Yamcha needs to break out the Sokidan/Spirit Ball in this fight, surprising and pressuring Ranma with his ability to remotely control his ki bullet. Ranma eventually stops dodging and uses a small Moko Takabisha to deflect, but this distraction opens him up to Yamcha rushing in with Rogafufuken. Yamcha admits that he borrowed this idea from his bro Krillin.
This is where we see Ranma's chestnut training allowing him to match Ryoga's strikes, and he starts backing off from the assault. Letting Yamcha push him back while pulling Yamcha into the spiral motion. Then, right at the crucial wolf-bite moment that ends the Rogafufuken, Ranma lands his punch instead and blows Yamcha away with the ensuing tornado. An ironic end to a technique that, in Japanese, is called "Fist of the Wolf Fang Hurricane".
Thus setting the stage for how formidable Ranma truly is, and giving Goku a chance to start doing the analysis for what he'll need to beat in the finals.
Round 4: Tenshinhan vs Shampoo
This is going to be such a weird match. Tenshinhan's got all the bizarre techniques: Taiyoken/Solar Flare, Shiyoken/Four Witches, Shishin no Ken/Multiform, enhanced three-eyed perception, etc.
For her part, Shampoo is highly proficient in a variety of weapon styles. Since weapons have been permitted here, she's got an endless supply of blades and staves and polearms to bring to fore. However, her most dangerous arts are what she's capable of when she gets up close, as she has an encyclopedic knowledge of bizarre pressure points that can do anything from memory erasure to instant KO to puppeting someone's body.
I don't remember if it works like this. But I have this image in my head of Shampoo sitting on the shoulders of a Tenshinhan copy and Ratatouilling him against the other Tenshinhans. And I would be very happy if that is a thing that is possible to happen in this fight.
In any case, Shampoo's weapon arts and pressure point techniques give Ten some trouble. She has potential instant-wins if she can get her hands on him, which he's able to learn about after using Shishin no Ken to tease out her abilities at the start. But after reforming back into one, he counters her with Shiyoken, using the extra dexterity of four-armed fighting to parry and counter her weapons while keeping her at arm's length and getting hits in of his own.
While also baiting her into mistakes by using Zanzoken/Afterimages. This is a pretty straightforward fight, and Ten's weird abilities let him clinch the victory.
SEMIFINALS
Round 1: Son Goku vs Ukyo Kuonji
For the first exchange of the match, Ukyo brings out her grill and cooks up some tasty okonomiyaki, then gives some to Goku as a gesture of good will. He ravenously devours it in seconds. The bomb explodes in his stomach and he comically opens his mouth to belch out the smoke from the blast.
This sets the stage for what the fight is going to be like. It's Ukyo's culinary martial arts vs Son Goku's bottomless stomach. He eats her tempura smoke bombs. He eats her yakisoba ropes. He eats her adhesive batter. He eats and he eats and he eats everything she has to throw at him.
He just. He won't stop fucking eating her moves. Finally, she goes to her grill and, in seconds, comically cooks up the largest okonomiyaki ever made in history and slams it down on the arena stage, crushing Goku beneath it. It spreads out so far it even reaches the audience stands.
As Ukyo watches Goku inhale her giant okonomiyaki, she concedes defeat and forfeits the match. Goku shakes her hand and thanks her for the most delicious fight of his life.
Round 2: Ranma vs Tenshinhan
Ranma's chestnut training allows him to parry attacks from Ten's Shiyoken, not unlike how Goku's Hasshuken once did. Still, I want Ten to really pressure Ranma for the first half of the fight in hand-to-hand, much harder than Yamcha did. Ten is stronger, faster, and better trained than Ranma, is the vibe.
First appearance of a killer move is when it works; Second is when it's thwarted. With that in mind, this is a good place for Ranma to pull the Hiryu Shoten Ha again, only for Ten to catch himself in midair with Bukujutsu and continue the fight; Forcing Ranma to grapple with the complexity of fighting an opponent who can freely levitate. With attention drawn to Goku on the sideline, studying Ranma's technique.
This leaves Ranma in the unenviable position of having to fight a Tenshinhan who is able to levitate in the air out of reach and fire Dodonpas. Ranma returns fire with his Moko Takabisha, but Ten easily floats sideways to evade the shot.
But then Ranma brings it back, landing a surprise hit on Ten's back. He's had time to think about Yamcha's Sokidan and how he can incorporate its remote-control movement into his Moko Takabisha. Once this reveal is made, Ranma raises the stakes with his Double Moko Takabisha, controlling each with separate hands - while filling one with hot ki and the other with cold ki.
Ranma harasses Ten in the air with his twin Moko Takabishas while Ten takes shots at Ranma with the Dodonpa. Unbeknownst to Ten, Ranma uses the two shots to form another spiral in the air, concluding by crashing them into each other and creating a new Hiryu Shoten Ha - This one snatching up Ten and drilling downward, driving him into the grass outside the ring.
FINALS
Final Round: Son Goku vs Ranma Saotome
Having devoured Yamcha and Tenshinhan, Ranma brings everything to this match. They fight up-close in quick and brutal melee exchanges where both give as good as they get, and they fight at range with ki blasts and Moko Takabishas.
There's a lot of I Know You Know I Know to this match. It's as much a chess game as a fight, with Ranma and Goku matching and devouring each other's skills. Goku takes Ranma by surprise with a Zanzoken, but Ranma figures it out pretty quickly and gets in a Zanzoken exchange with Ranma, flickering attacks in and out at each other. (Goku wins that exchange because of his superior sensing of an opponent's presence).
Ranma hits Goku hard enough to knock him up in the air, but Goku catches himself with Bukujutsu. Ranma attempts his spiraling remote-Moko Takabishas against Goku, but Goku's been watching his fights and is ready for this. He avoids the shots while following their motion and quietly building a pair of Kamehamehas, one in each hand. When Ranma's ready to collide his shots, Goku flies up between them and fires outward in both directions, dissipating the two Moko Takabishas with his twin Kamehamehas.
After landing back in the ring, Goku and Ranma go at it again, with Goku taking the upper hand and overpowering Ranma enough to hurl him from the ring. At which point Ranma catches himself in midair, revealing he's worked out the principles of Bukujutsu himself after going over that fight with Ten in his head. Neither opponent will be easily rung out. Ranma and Goku then take to the sky, pummeling each other.
The fight rages until both combatants are exhausted, left standing in the ring and unable to muster the ki for Bukujutsu - though not completely drained. This is Ranma's moment. All their blasts and heated fighting has filled the arena with lingering residual ki. Hot ki.
Meanwhile, with the last of his strength, Goku takes his stance and begins to intone. "Kaaaa meeee"
Similar to the Hiryu Korin Dan, Ranma uses a small spiral of cold ki to draw in all of the residual ki floating in the arena around them. He's two steps ahead of Goku, spinning all this floating energy up into what amounts to an energy grenade. The hot ki of Goku's Kamehameha will be drawn in with the rest of it, and the impact force will detonate it into a Hiryu Shoten Ha, firing back on Goku and blowing him out of the ring.
"Haaaa meeee"
Ranma hurls his grenade at the same time Goku fires his Kamehameha. And then Goku begins to curve his beam, twirling it in a large circle and getting steadily smaller and smaller. Rather than being drawn into the cold ki of Ranma's bomb, Goku's Kamehameha is drawing in all of the hot ki from it as it approaches.
Because Goku's been watching Ranma. And he's figured out how to adjust his ki's temperature from seeing Ranma do it so many times. Goku's Cold Kamehameha collides with Ranma's bomb, reversing its intended effect and detonating the Hiryu Shoten Ha back at Ranma. The blast hurls Ranma into the back wall, ending the match.
Goku ends the match on a friendly note, helping Ranma to his feet and showering him with praise for what a great martial artist he is and how cool it was to fight him. This fight really came down to the wire!
CHAMPION
The Winner: Genma Saotome
However, when it comes time for Goku to take his prize, it turns out Genma already plundered both the prize winnings and the trophy. Racing out the door, he physically picks a confused Ranma up and books it over the hills.
The Saotomes did not win the championship trophy. Nonetheless, they proudly have it in their possession.
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kindestofkings · 11 months
Text
photography era [3]
elijah hewson x reader
reader is childhood bestfriends/ who doubles up as their occasional photographer, who is currently touring with the band!
authors note: hahahah I litch was like im gonna make a short little part 3 just to wrap this idea off and then next minute im reaching the pic limit, anyway I think it turned out cute so enjoy !
I really appreciate all the love i've received with my last insta au's y'all are the best <3
(PS: Picture credits to whoever took them)
yourusername posted on their story:
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replies
inhalerfan1 feeding us ryan girlies off the bat, appreciate you <;3 lewevans hahaha wait until they get moody and tired.. -> they're gonna get WORSE??
inhalerdublin
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liked by bobbyskeetz and others
inhalerdublin Thank you Lille for kicking off our EU tour.
We’re back in Amsterdam tonight for our biggest show so far at @afaslive
📸 yourusername
view all 600 comments
inhalerfan1 AMAZING SHOW!! the post concert depression is too real rn..
inhalerfan2 hiring yourusername was your best decision yet boys these pics are so hot
inhalerfan1 inhaler through the female gaze has righted all the worlds wrongs (liked by elijahhewson,bobbyskeetz, ryanmcmahon_15 and joshjenkinson_)
inhalerfan3 bobby girls we're being FED
yourusername I got you girlie xx
yourusername great evening !! but I am realising im touring with 4 boys for two months.. @nieveella y'all need a photographer??
(liked by nievella) bobbyskeetz why are you always tryna get rid of us.. yourusername try listening to your 12 year old boy humour 24/7 this is a hardship !
yourusername
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liked by evehewson and others
yourusername guys i'm a failure, E still hasn't agreed to cover I'm Just Ken 😭 What is the point of having friends that can sing if they wont take my requests 💔
view all 200 comments
inhaler1 you are the gift that keeps on giving
inhaler2 for real get a girl who can do both
joshjenkinson_ I was gonna be pressed but i'll let it slide cause of my caption
bobbyskeetz you need to be stopped. @elijahhewson MAKE HER STOP
yourusername wah wah wah hush elijahhewson love come on yourusername heyyy its funny!
evehewson hahah you are the best ever
yourusername and you are my favourite hewson! inhaler3 inlaw bonding? inhaler2 girl chill
yourusername posted on their story:
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(liked by elijahhewson,bobbyskeetz, ryanmcmahon_15 and joshjenkinson_)
-filling this dramatic fella with drink to get back in his good books
yourusername
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liked by inhalerdublin and others
yourusername please take these photos of the boys as an apology for my last post. they are very serious musicians and are very handsome. again sorry for any upset caused.
view all 100 comments
inhalerfan3 hahahahahhah who is holding the gun to your head rn girl?
yourusername im sure I dont know what you could possibly mean (totally unrelated robert keating can be kinda scary)
bobbyskeetz now that is more like it
yourusername @bobbyskeetz @elijahhewson am I forgiven yet? can I come for pints now
ryanmcmahon_15 I think your last post ..slayed? yourusername THIS is why your my favourite and why you had first spot in the post 🖤 inhalerfan3 hahah did you choose the order based on who you like the most rn yourusername @inhalerfan3 👁👄👁
inhalerfanupdates
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inhalerfanupdates GUYS I'm just back from my inhaler show and im shaking look at this pic yourusername took of my friend and I with eli! BEST. NIGHT. EVER.
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inhalerfan 1 no way that is adorable, yourusername is one of us with the 0.5
inhalerfanupdates she was literally so nice aswell! they had walked by us so fast and I think I was so visibly upset, which she spotted and made eli come back over to us! inhalerfanupdates she was also chatting to us for a little while after, talking about tour and all she comes across real genuine <3
inhalerfan2 they're dating right??
inhalerfanupdates I really think so after seeing them walk and interact together. its been so hard to tell cause shes always joking and is so close with them all. inhalerfan3 they have to be dating they're my parents.
yourusername
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yourusername Europe 1 Three amigos 0
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inhalerfan 4 you are literally traveling around europe, freeloading off your famous friends. so so ungrateful god
inhalerfan2 hate to break this to you but being mean to one of his best friends / photographer is not going to get Eli to date you! inhalerfan3 haha girl no need to be so meannnn
elijahhewson I told you we should've skipped drinks
yourusername it was for the plot hotstuff (liked by bobbyskeetz)
bobbyskeetz why is the world so loud??
ryanmcmahon_15 *three idiots
(liked by joshjenkinson_ and others)
lewevans told you they get tired and moody
yourusername oh wise man 😭😭 you were so right
inhalerdublin
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inhalerdublin she loves to joke around and despite what bobby says, its the very reason we love her.
but our photographer for the europe leg/ our bestfriend yourusername is flat out working, making sure we look our best and coolest, we remind you to be kind in your comments towards her - eli, ryan, bobby and josh <3
comments have been restricted
yourusername BOYS im so unwell this is so sweet
joshjenkinson_ the GOAT
ryanmcmahon_15 ❤️‍🔥
elijahhewson our girl!
bobbyskeetz also she plays taylor swift on repeat when shes sad so please, i can't hear this is me trying again
yourusername we can't listen to the strokes all the damn time robert! yourusername also you asked about the folklore love triangle so stfu
yourusername
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yourusername been great annoying bobby with pda for the last 3 years with you <3
have loved tagging along on my superhot boyfriend on tour and taking super hot (and super not) pictures of him! only a few more shows left xx
tagged: elijahhewson
view all 400 comments
elijahhewson 3 years but i'm still not your favourite singer 💔
yourusername write an album like notes on a conditional form and you can take that top spot baby <;3 inhaler1 babyyyyy i love them your honour
bobbyskeetz great the world knows, can you stop kissing in front of us now.
yourusername just say you're lonely, it'd be quicker xx inhaler2 LMAO i love their friendship
evehewson wait I thought I was your favourite hewson...
yourusername course you are, this is a pr xx elijahhewson 🙃🙃 yourusername 😅😅
inhalerfan3 brb just gonna go take a bath with my toaster xx
joshjenkinson_ the hardest of launches
yourusername litch dont have the energy to lie anymore loll
---- finito----
if you made it this far I love and appreciate you so much! all the forehead kisses xx
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crazylittlejester · 1 month
Note
do you have any advice for me for my first semester of college?
Sure!! this is all based on my experience and this is what’s worked for me alskddlkd:
1. Try to talk to at least one person per class and get their number. If you’re sick and need notes, they can be your buddy, plus then you can make friends!!
2. Communicate with your professors. Read the syllabus and see what they say about how to communicate with them, and don’t be afraid to ask them questions
3. Everyone’s weird, and everyone’s tired. You can also be weird and tired, don’t feel like you have to act super normal or something. Be cringe (but respectful and not disruptive during class), and be free 🙌🙌🙌
4. I dont know if you plan on living in a dorm or commuting, but either way: GO OUTSIDE DONT JUST LOCK YOURSELF UP AND STUDY NON STOP. Go for silly walks!! It’s WONDERFUL and so so nice and it’ll make you feel like a person again, I promise
5. I do not care if your professor’s late work policy is “as long as its in by the end of the semester” do all of your work by the due dates, trust me on this one 😭 (im…. im still recovering….)
6. Unless you used them in high school or unless your professor like, REQUIRES it, you are probably not going to use a big ass binder daily. Get a nice folder instead, a binder would be good for hanging on to like, week old notes/assignments/papers, but kinda gets annoying to have in class. Ultimately whatever works for you works for you, but I personally find huge binders to be a hassle
7. Join a club or two!! People are scary, but there are other people who think people are scary who you can find and then befriend, and joining clubs can be a good way to Network✨
8. Plan things out. Schedule time for homework, schedule time to be silly, schedule time for food, schedule time for friends. Friends and food and being silly are JUST as important because those are good for your physical and mental health. that is important
9. It seems pretty stressful, i know i didnt sleep at all the night before i started college and I was stressed to the point of tears walking to my very first class, but it’ll be okay :) you got this ✨🫶
I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK!! and hopefully people can add to this list too so you can get tips from other people as well!!
21 notes · View notes
Note
Not a poll request (so don't worry if you don't want to answer on the blog) but - could we get each of the mods' top 10 horror movies? (: I'd be so interested in hearing them!
Long post!
Mod Z:
*long sigh* *opens letterboxd*
K-12 (2019)
NOTE: Yk what imma just leave this here
2. Beau is Afraid (2023)
NOTE: a masterpiece i probably won’t rewatch for a long time but since i’m an ari aster truther it deserved this spot
3. Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
NOTE: Yes
4. The Crow (1994)
NOTE: Awesome ass movie. Awesome ass soundtrack. An absolute classic. I have the graphic novel it was based on and it’s one of the best things I have in my library
5. Carrie (1976)
NOTE: Stephen King’s the best at writing real characters <3
6. The Craft (1996)
NOTE: As a wicca myself, accurately depicted teen witches are my jam and this film did the best job at it
7. Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
NOTE: The only reason this isn’t in the top 5 is because i haven’t seen it in a while. If u had asked me in early 2023 i would’ve put this in second place for sure
8. Cam (2017)
NOTE: So underrated. Go watch this on Netflix now while u don’t know anything about it
9. Frankenweenie/Nightmare before Christmas/Edward Scissorhands
NOTE: CHILDHOOD (lumping them together cuz i couldn’t decide which tim burton film to add)
10. Smile (2022)
NOTE: okay wait this scared me shitless at the theatre and i just convinced myself this movie was bad to stop myself freaking out but this is a genuinely good and scary movie i’ve made up my mind
These are subject to change and Invisible Man (2020) definitely deserves an honorable mention but I haven’t seen it in a while to check if it still holds up
----
Mod L:
The Thing (1982)
Absolute masterpiece. Perfect marriage of cast, visuals, music, and script. They (audiences in 1982) hated Jesus (John Carpenter) because he told them the truth.
2. Ravenous (1999)
I love social horror more than life itself, and this is a pitch-perfect example. I recommend Atun-Shei Films' Overanalyzing Ravenous, if you haven't seen it yet.
3. Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)
See above re: social horror. I never stop thinking about how this series was inspired by rising incidents of domestic violence in Japan - how the contagion of violence in the home spreads to anyone who comes in contact with it.
4. Demon (2015)
This would pair amazingly well with my next pick, which is:
5. La Llorona (2019)
To quote a friend of mine after we watched Demon, "there is no society without memory."
6. Black Christmas (1976)
Truly ahead of its time as a slasher, as well as in its politics. Ladies, never date a Peter, and DON'T trust the Toronto Police.
7. The Devils (1971)
Nobody was doing it like Ken Russell, and nobody ever will again.
8. The Changeling (1980)
This movie understands the greatest horror of all: Joseph Kennedy Sr.
9. Us (2019)
My favourite Peele to date, no I will not be budged on this point.
10. Peeping Tom (1960)
An extremely prescient film about the male gaze and the medium of film.
(Mod Sus releases their own once they get the braincells rubbing for more than 5 movies)
42 notes · View notes
byunpum · 2 years
Text
The new member | Part 2
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Pair: Miles Quaritch (baby blue boii) x Human reader
tw: Recom squad, fluff, save pandora team, Spider being a baby, teasing, This changes according to the chapter.
POV: Y/N is sent from Earth to Pandora to be part of a particular group of people…
p.s. This story is created after the ship altercation. Neteyam never dies, the sullys are able to run away, but spider decides to go with his "father" to the base. All recoms are still alive.
AVATAR MASTERLIST | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
NOTE: Ahhh I feel that something is missing in this chapter, but I like it anyway. By the way, thanks for the comments and likes, I didn't think you would like it. From now on I warn you that I'm not very expert in this Navi culture, but I've done my best. And sorry for the spelling. English is not my mother tongue. Enjoy the reading!!
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You were so tired that as soon as you entered your new room you fell into bed. You didn't even take off your clothes, you just lay down to rest. It wasn't long before you heard knocking at the door. Tock ,tock, tock " Señorita Y/N, are you there?" you hear a man's voice, you opened your eyes slowly as you got up and went to the door. "H-hello, is something wrong?" you say as you look at the man, if your memory does not fail you it is soldier Lyle. " Dinner is ready, we are all in the dining area" lyle speaks to you with a goofy grin. " I'm going to change my clothes, and I'm on my way" you say giving him a smile. "Perfect, when you walk out the door you go right, keep walking and then left. There are signs there to help you" Lyle says as he walks towards the exit. "Thank you!" you close the door, to change into the new uniform that was in the closet in your room.
You had to admit that the model wasn't ugly, but you didn't like the color. It was navy blue and it was a jumpsuit. And an ugly label that said your name. "Well, they could have put more effort into the clothes" you think as you walk out of your room into the hallway. It wasn't hard to get to the dining area, as you approached you could hear the crowd. You entered through the front door, there were so many people that you were surprised. You were analyzing the situation, how it all worked. In the distance a Miles had already found you. He saw how you looked lost, and fearful. He was at the table with his team. He got up and walked over to you.
As soon as he got up, you could see him. By your calculations, his height was 9.0 feet. You could see he was in a great mood, his tail wagging as his body swayed. "Y/N, I thought you wouldn't make it" Quaritch said as he inhaled oxygen from his mask. "Sorry, I wanted to make myself more comfortable" he says and you lower your gaze. His presence was intimidating. "I can see that, you're lucky… not everyone looks so good in uniform" he says as he looks you up and down. "Thank you" you lift your face and give him a big smile. You had to stop doing that, because you were killing him and you've only been on base for a couple of hours.
"Well, there are the platters over there… And over there you can have all the food you want. Our table is right over there" Quaritch points to the location of his table. He gives you a small smile and walks away towards the table. You can see how the whole team is watching as you two were talking. You shift your gaze and walk over to grab the food. After choosing a few things, which for your taste were not very appetizing. You walk towards the table where Quaritch was. When you arrived, all eyes turned to you. You knew that you were not very well received by some members of the squadron. And this made you more nervous. "Hey, sit down here," says mansk, pointing next to him. You sit down, and start playing with your food.
Right in front of you was Quaritch, to the right of him was lyle, to the left was z-dog. "If you don't try it, you don't know if you're not going to like it," says lyle with a chuckle. You were deciding what you were going to put in your mouth, everything looked gross. "Mmm, nothing really catches my eye," you say. "Sorry, the spoiled little girl wants something prepared on the spot," sneers z-dog, followed by a few other members. You shift your gaze. You didn't want to look for trouble, everyone at this table was twice your size. "Hey, let her get comfortable here," says Quaritch. " Well then let her get acclimated quickly, because if she doesn't she won't survive a month here" says z-dog, it was already clear that this woman didn't like you. "Don't worry princess, Lyle Wainfleet is at your feet" says Lyle bowing, Miles gives her a tap on the shoulder. Everyone laughs, at least there were members of the group who didn't dislike you.
When dinner was over, everyone walked to the rooms. Lyle was next to you, explaining everything and asking you questions about what you were doing here. And you guys joke about everything. Quaritch is right next to Lyle, listening to everything, not talking but listening to everything. The rest of the group is up ahead. Miles had noticed Lyle's sudden fascination with you, usually Lyle wasn't this attentive, if it wasn't something that caught his attention. But don't blame him, you were adorable. "Don't worry buttercup, we'll keep you safe on missions," says lyle. " Missions?" you ask, no one told you they did missions. "Yes, the camp missions. We check to make sure everything is running smoothly, we take care of security." Quaritch says. "Keep the blue monkeys under control," says Lopez shouting a little from the front. "That word is offensive, you have to learn to respect life on this planet. I remind you that we are the parasites here. Besides… If we are talking about blue monkeys, you already belong to the clan." You say annoyed, as you step forward and walk towards your room. Everyone is silent, looking at each other.
"And this one who she thinks she is" says z-dog." ya, let her go…." Quaritch says. "Everyone get some rest tomorrow, we have a long day ahead of us," he says as he watches all his companions go to their respective rooms. Miles takes advantage and knocks on your door, you open it in annoyance. I could see the annoyance on your face. "Hey, I'm sorry… we didn't mean to" Miles was trying to apologize, he could be a jerk sometimes, but he was a gentleman. "I know…" you shift your gaze. "Well…I'll let you get some rest see you in the morning."
It was morning, you didn't go to breakfast or even leave your room when everyone was getting ready. You knew you had to meet the squadron at 10 am. You had received a message from your boss. You got up and got ready. You came out of your room and saw a boy. He wasn't much younger than you. He was sitting on the couch, trying to read something. "Hi!!!" you greet, and the boy is a little startled, and gets up from the couch. You could tell he was wearing navi clothes. The boy greets you. "Hi… you're the new girl?" says spider. "Yes, I'm Y/N nice to meet you" you say as he moves closer to you. "I'm Spider. "Spider?" you laugh a little, he laughs too. " Yeah, that's what they named me when I was a baby. Although Quaritch says my real name is ' Miles socorro Quaritch."
"So you know him!!!" you say, it seemed strange to you that the boy knew the colonel. "Yeah, he's my dad." Dad?how is that possible?, spider could see your worried face and state of shock. "Well he's not my original father…but he has the memories of him."
"Oh, I get it…the whole recoms thing" You kind of get the situation. "Hey, I need to go to the exit area…I'm supposed to meet the team and I really have no idea where it is" you ask the guy. Spider agrees and accompanies you. You told him everything, why you were there and what you were going to do. He also told you how he got there. "So you're older than me by only 5 years, that's impressive" says spider, while you enter the area where everyone was. "Yesssssss" you were laughing, with him. "Well, I see you two have met" says Quaritch coming up to you. "Yeah, Y/N is funny" Spider and you and he laugh.
"Well-well, we have to go" says Miles, the whole squad was already going prepared. They had weapons and were very well protected. And you, well, you just had your notebook. "Come here little one." Miles approaches with a bulletproof vest, before you complain Miles speaks. "Put your arms up" Quaritch asks, you do as he commands. He put the vest over your arm, lowered it over your torso and began to adjust it. "You have to wear one of these, it's dangerous out there" you were looking him in the eye, he was right in front of you, kneeling on one leg. He looked so good, you had to play it cautiously. "You're ready now, let's go!!!" Quaritch stood up, and put his hand on your back dragging you with him. You watch as spider accompanies him, the boy is next to you. They boarded the helicopter. Quaritch was on your right side and on the left was spider. The boy was talking to you.
Quaritch couldn't deny that the scene was adorable. He hadn't seen spider so excited and happy since he was at the base. And seeing that he was joking around, and having fun made things easier. After all it wasn't so bad that you were here with them. The trip was quick, and you got off in an area where there was a lot of logging. Miles helped you down, taking you by the waist. Wow, you could see he made no effort to move you. "All right, nice and straight," he set you down, and shifted his gaze quickly. Lyle noticed this and chuckled to himself. You walked a little deeper into the jungle, you couldn't believe what you were seeing. They had destroyed so much vegetation, it was almost a graveyard.
The squad was analyzing the area, while you and spider were looking at the ravages of excavation and mineral extraction. Spider was standing next to you, and he could see your expression change. You were sad. You looked at him for a moment, and he gave you a comforting smile. You pulled out your notebook and began to write your first report.
Quaritch came over to you, you were sitting on a log writing down everything you saw. I knew it all had to be negative, it's not like he did all this. But it was his people. "And how's that going?" he asks, you looked up and I could see how serious he was. You shifted your gaze and kept writing. Spider was looking at what you were writing. "And what does it say here?" the boy asks you. "Can't you read?" you ask him. "Just a little bit, but I'm not very good" he says while dragging the back of his head. "Don't worry, if you want I can teach you?" you tell the boy, he nods his head. You continue writing. Miles was right next to you, he was standing vigil. Until one of the team members calls out to him. "Stay here, ok… no more exploring alone," Quaritch says as he walks away.
When miles was far enough away spider approached you. "You want to see something?" you look up. "What is it?" you smile, as you follow spider through the jungle. As you were going in more and more you could see how beautiful everything was. Spider is running, and he climbed up to a pretty high branch. "Come, give me your hand" he is inviting you. "I'm not very flexible," you complain. "Come on…you'll be fine" you take his hand and climb up. "You see!!!" spider drags you along with him. The two of you are having a great time. The wildlife was so beautiful, you couldn't understand how they could destroy all this and not feel guilt.
"I would have liked you to meet my friends, they would have liked you" spider says, as he sits on the edge of a branch, which was quite high off the ground. You sit next to him. "Do you know original navi?" you ask him. "Yes, and they are much cooler" you laugh at his comment. Quaritch was walking back to where he had left you and saw nothing. He startled. He ran to the trunk, and saw that there was only your notebook. "Lyle, mansk scour the area!!!" Quaritch could see some footprints on the ground.
You and spider were talking about whatever, he was fun to be with. You were so interested in the conversation, you didn't notice an angry Quaritch. Who was watching you from below. "GET OFF THAT BRANCH!!!!" Hearing Quaritch's shout, you were scared by the scream and slipped off the branch. Spider tries to hold you up, but your vest slips from your hands and you fall from the tree. Miles runs to get closer and try to catch you. It was about a 15-foot drop. You were screaming, but just before you fell… Miles was able to hold you, but it wasn't enough, because he went to the ground with you causing you to hit your foot. "Ahhhhh it hurts, it hurts so bad!!!" you screamed, you had gotten a pretty nasty cut on your knee. Miles was holding you in his arms. "Hey, take it easy…breathe. That's just a bump" he says, he's trying to reassure you. Spider comes running down. " I'm sorry, I just wanted to …." Spider felt bad, he just wanted me to show you more of the jungle. "spider….shut up" Miles looks at him annoyed.
"Ohh wow…that looks ugly" Lyle had found them and was getting closer. "Yeah, maybe she dislocated her ankle. We need to get her to the base. Lyle, get everyone and tell him we're coming back" Quaritch orders the soldier, who runs off to tell his buddies. Miles starts to walk straight to the helicopter, spider follows him somewhat saddened. When you arrive, Quaritch doesn't let go of you and sits with you on his lap, it's not like he makes you uncomfortable. But you could see the looks on the squadron's faces as they arrive and watch the scene. "shhhh it hurts so much" you squeak a little. "can you move your ankle?" you try to, but nothing. "It's dislocated, don't worry we'll fix it" miles gives you a smile. You were in pain, but you couldn't help blushing. You were so close to him, his hands were holding your legs and the other was hugging your whole body. You looked away to distract yourself, but you saw how lyle was looking at you. He laughed and gave you a wink. "what a sucker" you say to yourself.
When you got to the base, Miles dropped you off at the nurse's office. Spider stayed with you, you could see how sorry he was. "It wasn't your fault, plus this is nothing" you say, poor boy. He wanted to be swallowed up by the earth. After a couple of hours, spider helped you to your room, there was no one in the common area. "You're going to be okay?" Spider asks. "Yeah, take it easy…go and get some rest" you give him a squeeze and he leaves you alone in the room. You had to admit, you were hurting all over. Even though Miles had helped you, the fall was horrible for you. "May I come in?" you heard a voice. "Yes go ahead" you couldn't get out of bed, your right foot was bandaged. Miles came in, he had some things in his hand. "I brought you dinner, and I came to check on that foot" he came over and put everything on your bedside table. "Thank you so much!!!" you say, he was already kneeling in front of you. He signaled you to sit on the edge of the bed. He was taking your foot, to put a kind of cold pack on your ankle." Really, thank you very much" Quaritch looked at you, even though he was on his knees he was right at your level. "You don't have to thank me." You had on a large shirt and shorts, miles was stroking your legs with his hand, trying to massage the area. "This is going to get better," his voice was low. His hand was quality and soft. You laughed a little, because his rubbing on your skin tickled. You could see a small smile creep across his face.
"you're beautiful" you put your hand to your mouth. You just had just been thinking out loud. Quaritch noticed how red you were getting and he poked the tip of your nose with his hand. "Thank you…you're the first person to say that to me" miles couldn't stop laughing. " no, I'm not sorry…I didn't mean that….Wait, yes you are beautiful…but" miles stands up a little, and gives you a kiss on your forehead. "rest up honey, see you tomorrow, yes?" he says, you swear you saw a strange gleam in his eyes. Miles got up and left your room.
There you had been left in a state of shock, and with your heart racing in millions.
p.s I swear I wanted to make this part quite long, but I have a lot of work to deliver tomorrow. But the next part is going to be longer and better …. So yeah, there's going to be more parts * wink, wink*.
The "I know I can change him" squad: @mechformers @cullenswife @littlethief78 @nieshiren @parasiiite @bxnnywriting @shelbythequeen @sassvy-blog-blog @shaylang21 @perfectgradient99 @jinx14 @elvyshiarieko @littlethingsinlife @ilovedoms @the-hufflebird-girl @ronia-entries @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed @mechformers
If there is any problem with the tags, let me know. I have had many people asking me to be on the tag list, if you are not on the list yet you can send me a message.
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sefinaa · 10 months
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Something you need to know about yourself that is blocking your manifestations + Advice
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Not a tarot card reading, only based on my intuition.
Author’s note,
Remember, no one can take away our manifestations that rightfully belong to us. You are worthy of your manifestations and deserve to blossom in your desired way.
Credit
PART 2: 4-6. Everything was too chaotic and harder to read because i channeled so much!
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Pile 1:
Protect your energy.
I hear right off the bat.. someone has a cheating ex who they keep going back to..(this pile energy is making me so depressed). You must cut them out immediately, I understand you think this person is going to change but they won’t, and they won’t in the future. I see in the future, if you do decide to stay, they will mentally kill you and drain you to the point where you want to end it.. please leave. This relationship isn’t worth it, and it is certainly not worth your precious heart. Stop manifesting for them to change because they won’t, and they aren’t worth it at all. Not even one dot. They don’t deserve your energy nor your prayers. Everything about them isn’t good, baby, just leave, okay?
Now, my intuition is screaming at me to say this message before I give you some advice. ‘’My dearest, you no longer need a vampire like such. They are no good and don’t deserve the passion and the love you put into them. seek comfort and delicacy elsewhere. Find it through your passions, loved ones, and in oneself. Seek an adventure elsewhere and vouch for yourself instead of them. scream their name on top of the hill and leave it there.. forget them as for they are the wicked of the dams. You must not be weak for them as your heart is the purest, find yourself once more and surely you will find a worthy lover. Mark my words as this is the truth and know you are the most trusted and powerful one of the current situation.’’
My advice is to leave, yes, but that may be hard from what I channeled for you, so I will recommend something that may help. I hear that they’re clingy and draining and I hear you’re the type to message back even though you don’t want to because you feel bad. So, I want you to distance yourself each day, they message you? message at night. The next day, they message again? Message after 3 days. Keep at this and remove your attachments, you can remove this through meditation, affirmations, or a desired technique you prefer.
If you’re truly up for it, you can block them immediately and not entertain the thoughts about them because at the end of the day, are they worth being in your mind? No. intuition says they gave you a big apology and you’re debating whether or not to go back, don’t. just don’t.
I’m going to give you a surprise you deserve to know. When you block them, unfriend them, etc., your life will become better, and I don’t mean to be kind. I mean that you’re going to find the right person for yourself after a year of transforming your life for the better. Whatever you thought about using to improve yourself, do it!!! That’s the key and then bam, you get what you desire!!!
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Pile 2:
Accept your manifestations
Your manifestations arrived to you so why wont you accept? Why are you waiting for the right time or diving timing? What are you doing, sweetheart? Accept your manifestations already.
There is no such as you do not deserve them, if they came to YOU, then you DESERVE it. It is that simple.
Your pile is very simple and less complicated than the right, you’re on the right past so why did you decide to yourself that you don’t need it or want it? Just take the offer that you were given, yes, I am speaking to the majority of you who decline your offer with getting a promotion or a job proposal, and I know some of you are scared, some think they will think you are not qualified, but you know those are you fears, don’t let them manifest. Tell yourself this, ‘’why am I no longer scared? Why did I get the offer?’’ this will trick your logical mind and your logical mind will find the solutions for this to manifest.
For the rest of you, stop complaining. I hear some of you are complaining your manifestations didn’t come in the way you wanted. Things happen for a reason first, so perhaps you need this to learn a lesson, that is what you’re thinking, right? No. manifestations come in all different forms to us, and we don’t even realize that is the best way for us until the end.
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Pile 3:
Be your own person
You need to stop watching a lot of videos associated with manifestations, stop searching and looking up the best way to manifest. Stop doing other people’s techniques. Start making your own techniques. You keep doing everyone’s technique and then you question why it doesn't work. I can see that you are restless and agitated by your results and you are trying to understand why nothing is coming to you. ‘’Why aren’t my manifestations coming to me??’’ My love, manifestations are all about persistence and belief. If you assume that they aren't coming to you and you tell yourself, ‘’okay I’m going to try this technique, I hope this work.’’ How are you supposed to elevate yourself in the right frequency to get your desires?
My advice is to make your own technique and assume that is what will work. Because as I mentioned before, manifestation is all about belief and persistence. If you believe that your manifestation technique will work, then it will work. So, stop killing yourself over it and start to ignore the 3D, because that is merely a mirror and it’s not important. Assume the 4D is yours and that’s all you need to worry about it.
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