#just because he's short and acts childish doesn't mean he's a child

[dizzying-faust]

I'm in the minority that dislikes Blitz//bee that isn't related to Bumblebee's age.

[cybertronian-reader-imagines]

Imagine femme bot reader being a hugger/cuddler. Femme reader is also lovable, short, and childish, so they get a lot of admirers.

No continuity or characters were given here but my brain just immediately went "Earthspark" and imagined Femme!Reader is also just a really loving and supportive teacher to the Terrans. LOTS of hugs and pats on the back when the kiddos do a good job. Not to mention every single Cybertronian in this continuity needs a hug I stg

Content Warning: Mentions of PTSD in this one. TBF that's probably a warning for a LOT of my stuff - there's robots be traumatized.

The Earthspark!Autobots recruiting a Femme!Autobot who is a smol, energetic cuddler would include...

Optimus has always been pretty casual about giving his cohorts pats on the back/side hugs/etc, but they don't so often respond to him as enthusiastically as you. They see him as this larger than life thing,  so it makes him really happy that you're so relaxed around him. Between that and how you make sure the Terrans receive physical reassurance, and the two of you become fast friends.

Elita-1 doesn't really initiate hugs, being more of a words person, but once she adjusts to how physical you are she will crush you with affection in return. She immediately gets the sort of bot you are and recognizes your warmth as strength. She will call anybody out who assumes your childish nature makes you naive. Speaking of which....

Megatron has zero idea how to deal with it when you straight up hug him in front of everybody for the first time, and it shows on his shocked face in a way he may never live down. During the war, he never let anybody that close, and while he's mellowed out a great deal now, most bots would be afraid or at least cautious to try being so affectionate with him. He's likely the most prone to assuming your demeanor means you're innocent, even if you've actually suffered from the war as much as anybody else.

Wheeljack ends up asking you for advice on being more open and warm with Twitch - it's not something that comes naturally to him, and he can tell physical reassurance does her a lot of good. You help him out and in return he often has a new gadget for you as a thank you present... to mixed results.

Bumblebee is the most hesitant around you at first - the last thing they need is another child running about, for Primus' sake. Autobots need to be mature and professional. But eventually, he realizes nothing about your sunny disposition keeps you from doing the job at hand just as well as the rest of the team, and from there it doesn't take him long to get attached. 

Arcee is the most like you in disposition AND size, so you two immediately click. She's not as much of a hugger as you, but will respond enthusiastically to a hug by straight up LIFTING you off the ground and swinging you about. The terrans LOVE when you two are teaching, because you're the most encouraging and least intimidating duo of any of the Autobots.

Please, for the love of Primus, give Grimlock a hug. He's not going to openly ask for one, but he needs one badly. He never acts too excited when you hug him but also never backs away or tells you to stop... and you notice the more you comfort him, the more likely he is to come to you when he's had a rough flashback or is otherwise just feeling out of sorts, and not so subtly sit or bend over in a way that makes it easy for you to reach up and hug him.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for pretending to be sick in order to skip school even though I'm making my parents worried?

(I'm submitting this on a Monday. fuck Mondays btw.)

I (15M) am the only child of both of my parents (42F, 44M) and even though I love them and they love me, I feel like they don't really get me. since I was like 12 or so I started getting bullied by my classmates bc, essentially, I have "childish" interests (I like Adventure Time and video-games. my classmates need to realize we're technically still kids, but nooo they're not teenagers they're "Young Adults" and "Too Cool" to like anything remotely childish) and whenever I've tried to tell my parents that I'm experiencing bullying, they somehow end up thinking that I just don't want to go to school bc I'm lazy. I know being a parent is probably not easy but. what the fuck.

from my own experience I've noticed male and female bullies use different methods - guys hit me and use brute force against me while girls say hurtful things to me. one of the guys who bullies me, let's call him DH which stands for Dickhead (15M), is also extremely popular for some reason. he's very tall, very strong and he always uses that against me (I'm almost as tall as DH but I'm just lanky). he bullies anyone who is "beneath him" lol everybody bow down to the king of the fucking world.

today DH was making a scene at recess bc his girlfriend (15F) was wearing a skirt that was too short according to him. he was so mad at her that people were starting to form a circle around them. since DH is so popular people really respect his gf but they clearly respect him more bc today no one tried to help her. I don't respect DH, because he's a dickhead, so I stepped in and said something like "c'mon man what the hell, there's no need to humiliate your girlfriend like this, leave her alone". DH was pissed. he heatedly said that just because no girl will ever want to date me, that doesn't give me the right to tell other guys how to handle their relationships and their girlfriends. he got rlly mad and clearly he wanted to hit me so I ran like hell and proceeded to hide from him for the rest of recess. I felt like a little bitch tbh. DH always makes me feel like a little bitch.

before classes started again his gf found me and talked to me for like 5 minutes. she said I don't know DH like she does and that he's actually a really good boyfriend (HA, sure) and that I would be more liked and popular if I wanted to be, but it's "not normal" that I watch Adventure Time at 15. she also told me that DH intends to beat the shit out of me tomorrow. he said he'll "kill me" and ngl he has the physical strength to do so. this made me shit my fucking pants so today as soon as I got home I decided to pretend I was sick since I can be pretty good at acting. I told my parents I had a headache, I started fake-coughing, I said I felt really tired. I even managed to look pale on purpose by thinking of how fucking scared I was of DH and what he might do to me, and I raised the temperature of the thermometer by rubbing it against the fabric of my sweatshirt.

apparently I was so convincing that my parents agreed to let me skip class tomorrow and they even said I can skip it for the rest of the week if I don't improve (tbh I think I won't "improve" if you know what I mean) and I could see they were worried. this is the reason why I feel like an asshole. at the end of the day I'm making my parents worried, I'm lying about my health and I feel kinda guilty. but I'm too scared, and if I tell them the truth they'll just tell me to "man up" or they'll think once again that I'm just too lazy to want to attend school.

anyway. Adventure Time rocks 🤘🏻

[momentsofamber]

so the other day my partner and I were talking about genetics ( science is his static SpIn ) and how the odds of their parents eyes in tcoaal would determine the kids' odds of having which color if their mother's green was a mutation ( based on how often their mom's shade changes between scenes, we decided it was like tcoaal hazel ) and if their father's pink was a dominant gene ( like brown irl ) and just looking at the odds data, it made me realize ... I kinda want to do multiple universes?

this is just some spitballing, but stay with me for a moment.

Role-Reversal: ( pink Andrew, green Ashley )

Andrew never outgrows the name Andy; his baby sister was the first person to call him that and that was that, that's his name forever.

Ashley goes by Lye as an adult; she went by Leyley as a child and Lye later became a nickname from it.

( rando: what's Lye short for? Lye: Leyley. rando: ... what? No, really. Lye: Reaaally ... Andy, nonchalantly: It's Ash-ley. Lye: -glaaare- Who cares what it used to be short for, it's just Lye now, okay? )

( Andy: 'Andy and Ashley' sounds so much better for a duo. You have to agree with me, right? Lye, flatly amused: ... You mean you don't like the sound of 'Andrew and Lye'? Andy, eyetwitch but pointedly ignoring that: So as I was saying -- )

These two will follow the canon story(ies) with everything as mirrored as it can be.

yandere twins: ( pink Andrew, pink Ashley )

not actually twins. but kind of.

they were born on the same day two years apart and share the same shade of pink eyes.

both have clinical bpd ( Andy w/ hpd traits, Leyley w/ aspd traits ) and thus suffer from and frequently demonstrate symptoms of obsessive and/or lovesick tendencies.

they've been sexually involved with each other since Andy hit puberty. of course Andy hits it first, being two years older, but they don't have intercourse until Leyley hits puberty too. Andy says their "real first time" 'won't be as special for Leyley if her body isn't ready for such a mature experience too'. it's torture for him to watch and wait for his sister to blossom, and Leyley repeatedly insists that 'no, she's ready NOW though!!' … but it does end up being well-worth the wait for both of them.

violence is flirting for these two.

'Do you know how badly I wanna kill you right now? Just so that I'll be the very last thing you'll ever see and feel.' is romantic.

they continue to use Andy and Leyley as names into adulthood no matter how often they get told it's childish or whatever.

kuudere twins: ( green Andrew, green Ashley )

same premise as above but the not-twins share green eyes. ( however, there is a high chance I will give them different shades due to their mother's eye color being a mutation. )

Andrew goes by Drew as an adult because he says Andy is 'too childish' now.

Ashley legally changes her name to Lillian as an adult so that she can go by Lily for short because it's close to Leyley and 'she doesn't feel like an Ashley and she never did'.

both Drew and Lily respect each other's name preferences and only use Andy and Leyley to refer to themselves or each other in the past.

their mother continues to call Lily 'Ashley' out of spite to the day that she dies because 'I named you, so that's what I'm calling you'.

these two are better at communicating their attachment and feelings for each other through things like physical touch and acts of service.

they both definitely have alexithymia.

they often don't quite know how to say things with words so they try to show things instead. ( sometimes they jokingly call their ability to communicate without words a twin bond. )

[sepublic]

As I try to dig into Harumi's whole mindset, I think her revenge logic can be boiled down to idol worship. She doesn't blame Pythor (as much) for the Great Devourer, because Pythor is the designated bad guy, that's what he's supposed to do, he can't let her down if she never had any expectations for him.

But the ninja? Harumi, in her childish wonder, idolized the ninja, practically worshipped them; She had an understandably juvenile understanding of Good VS Evil, of Good always prevailing, of conflict always being black and white and glamorous and in the end, justice wins. Everything is tied up easily.

So then why are her parents dead, why has Harumi lost everything, while everyone celebrates and acts as if the day is saved? It is very much NOT saved in her eyes, how is everyone able to just move on and invalidate her trauma?!?

Harumi idolizes the ninja, she expects them to be perfect heroes because if she can't believe in them, she can't believe in anything; It's why she makes a cult. A cult of personality. She latches onto the idea of Lord Garmadon as someone who can save her, who can accomplish what needs to be done, someone who is perfect and who will never fail her, and maybe you can link this to Harumi missing her parents as steady, dependable figures in her life she can rely on.

She's a stunted child; Harumi still expects for there to be someone to save her, to protect her, to coddle her. Most children grow out of this in a healthy, reasonable way, but Harumi's circumstances were anything but that. And you could tie that into how Lloyd was also forced to grow up fast... except in Harumi's case, she did not survive the crucible, she did not emerge 'stronger' for it.

Looking into her diary, Harumi idolizes Lord Garmadon, but when he becomes chill and more like the ninja who failed her, that's when Harumi becomes disappointed in him. This isn't the Garmadon SHE wants, she wants someone who she can rely and trust on, a Big Brother figure that makes her feel safe through any means possible.

That's why she brings back Garmadon as Lord Garmadon, while ignoring his human side, because Harumi explicitly hates that. She is someone who projects all of her hopes and needs and desires onto someone else, and when they inevitably fall short because they're human (for lack of a better term), Harumi feels personally insulted that she wasted all of her faith on them.

So Harumi's motives aren't just revenge, even if that does factor a lot into it; It's also a very unhealthy approach to life that involves a leader to take care of everything. A perfect savior, a Chosen One even, which pairs well with Lloyd being raised as one; A lot of his trauma and abandonment stems from his expected role. If Lloyd is the one who bears the weight of the world on his shoulders, Harumi is the one he is supposed to save, who expects him to handle it perfectly, and blames him when it doesn't turn out as it should.

It's a very childish and simplistic way of viewing the world, obviously. It also makes Harumi sympathetic to dictatorship and fascism, because there needs to be a strong, concentrated ruler who decides everything for everyone, and destroys the designated bad guys as they're supposed to. So with all that in mind, it does make sense that Harumi would pledge allegiance to the Overlord; He promises strength and security, he doesn't hesitate at all.

Harumi isn't just vendetta-fueled, because otherwise she'd be going after the Serpentine, just as much; If she just wanted revenge on the ninja, she wouldn't have bothered with Garmadon specifically, wouldn't have worshipped him so fanatically. It's about stability and structure for her, and she hates the ninja for not doing what they should've done long ago. Her being raised by the Emperor and Empress of Ninjago may have also influenced Harumi's beliefs; Her adopted parents being merely symbolic may have been a source of frustration, as like many kids, she'd buy into the fantasy of the noble king who has the divine right and can be trusted to handle everything. So experiencing the ineffectual, performative reality this role has become would've enraged Harumi.

Both the ninja AND the Emperor/Empress have failed her; Now what? Harumi isn't simply short-sighted revenge like Aspheera is, she actually IS ideological, now that I think about it. She has actual goals, a continuous endgame for how society should function afterwards. Harumi hates the ninja because they're so close and yet so far, they ARE in that position to end it all, but they just won't go far enough yet! She's like those people who get really salty over why Batman won't kill the Joker or anyone else, except this all real life stuff with real life ramifications.

Harumi is toxic, she's codependent, she latches onto people in the most unhealthy way, as we see with Lloyd. She's a worshipper who needs a God to follow, someone to tell Harumi what to do and how to live her life; Because she's still that scared child who lost her parents before she could grow independent of them, and needs someone else to provide that same sense of security.

Harumi does care about people in a twisted, misguided way; She helps that girl and her parents whom she finds uncomfortably familiar. But conceptually, I think it does make sense that in Crystalized, Harumi continues to latch onto someone like the Overlord, and continues to resort to these extreme measures for safety. She might let go of the rage, but Harumi is still scared and desperate for a way to resolve the strife and conflict perfectly, which is where the Overlord steps in.

Her actual arc, in practice, could've been handled better though; In particular, it'd have been nice to see Harumi realize that the very idea of worshipping an idol, even a literal god like the Overlord, is doomed to fail, and it's not just a matter of needing the right person in the position for it. The system itself is inherently broken; The dictatorship, the blind worship. There is no perfect solution/ending, Harumi's just gonna have to keep fighting and accept her fear. So in addition to realizing the Overlord doesn't fit the role either, Harumi realizes the role itself shouldn't exist either.

[yanderes-galore]

i gotchu boo, how about a romantic Yandere Rick with a s/o that adores his grandson morty? like ADORES him to the point where they become a parental figure to him, and rick gets all jealous over it and acts like a child (even tho it's his grandson 💀💀)

I love you for the Rick and Morty request 💜 Idk if you wanted this as a Short or a Concept so I just did my default. Again, vague what Rick it is but you can assume main Rick (C-137). Good food 👌

Yandere! Rick Sanchez jealous about Morty

Concept/Reaction

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Jealousy, Manipulation, Clingy behavior, Forced relationship, Implied intimate thoughts, Implied drugs/alcohol, Gaslighting.

- This is actually feels really in character for him to me.

- Rick seems like the type to get upset when the person he adores doesn't listen to him and also doesn't pay attention to him.

- Especially in this situation.

- Let's be honest, most of the time, Rick is horrible to Morty.

- Morty probably likes the fact you don't treat him like human garbage or yell names at him.

- Which means you'll be seeing Morty more often even when Rick wants to see you... alone.

- This means Rick is not only upset because you get along so much better with Morty, but Morty even sides with you all the time which means less time to pull him on adventures.

- Yeah, Rick is going to pitch a fit.

- It's great you get along with Morty as it goes along with Rick's future plans with you...

- But the plan was not to have Morty pull you further from him.

- He's envious when he sees you with Morty.

- Morty looks so happy with you and you're smiling when you do anything with him.

- It's like he's being left out of the bond between you.

- Expect while you're chatting with Morty, listening to how his day went, Rick bursts in to draw attention to himself.

- "I was really struggling with this today..."

- "Oh?"

- "HEYYY, (Y/N), got this reallyyy cool thing to show you, away from Morty, in the garage- Just us two, y'know?"

- "What?"

- "Rick, what's going on?"

- "None of your business, Morty. Anyways, (Y/N) let's go."

- It's petty and childish but Rick would have a little bit of a grudge against Morty.

- All the while Rick is trying to get you to pay attention to him more.

- He wants more private time, more outings, more you.

- For once, he doesn't want to be around Morty.

- Something you found suspicious as he's usually always around Morty, for reasons both good and bad.

- "Rick, you usually always bring Morty with you, why is it just us?"

- "Look, what if I just don't want him around for once? Also, isn't it obvious? Think about it. WHY would I want you and me to be alone?"

- "... Rick-"

- "Do I need to play a mixtape in this ship that's filled with songs that talk about what I want with you or do you get it?"

- "No... no, I get it-"

- "Great, that makes things easier."

- One way or another Rick is going to get his point across.

- He's tired of waiting for you to understand the signs.

- You and him can both take care of Morty if you agree to date him.

- Trust him, it'll be fun.

- He knows how to have a good time, guaranteed.

- With him, you can forget all your worries.

- You can forget Morty telling you about Rick's obvious red flags.

- He's loaded with all sorts of substances to make you see stars.

- Plus, think of how Morty will feel!

- You seem to like him a lot, anyways.

- Won't he be happier if you made Rick happy?

- He may even be more lenient on Morty if you accept.

- Yes, you heard that right, Rick would also use how you feel about Morty against you.

- What Morty says about red flags is true, it's already obvious when Rick coaxes you into a relationship with him.

- In fact, Morty may even feel a bit bad that Rick roped you into this.

- He's somewhat happy he sees you more often, even if it is for a horrible reason-

- Now Rick doesn't need to worry about being jealous over anyone.

- If you push him he'll just rush things and force you into a relationship faster.

- To keep away the inevitable a bit longer, give him attention once in awhile.

- You'll atleast have a bit more time before you have to deal with Rick's stronger affections that way.

[lake-archive]

An Unfair Game

AO3 Link - A Shared Love Between Our Posse (Masterlist)

Fandom: Hypnosis Mic

Characters: Ramuda Amemura , Ann Wolff (OC)

Synposis: Ramuda and Ann were playing a board game. However, someone just keeps on winning and Ramuda doesn't seem to like it.

Words: 612

“This isn’t fair! You’re cheating Ann–Chan!” Ramuda would complain with a huff, crossing his arms. And all Ann could do was look at the guy, letting out a sigh. They should have seen it coming… 

“No. I’m not.” They said and they really weren’t. And yet… 

“Liar liar pants on fire!” He was acting like a child about this, wasn’t he? And honestly, it wasn’t even that serious. And yet, it is exactly like Ramuda in the end… Or something like that. But why would he even act like this? 

To keep a long story short, it was about a board game. Honestly, it had caught Ann a little off guard, having had Ramuda suggest it out of nowhere. “ Let’s play to pass the time~ ” and with them not having anything better to do, they agreed. 

And since then, hours had passed, one after the other, and thus also each round of said board game. And with each round Ramuda was only puffing up his cheeks more and more, letting out his more childish side… Or something like that. Why? Because with each round he was the one losing and they just kept on winning. And it seems after a few more rounds he has had it and was now at the peak of his kid–like behavior. One may as well call him a sore loser… Who knew Ramuda had such a side as well.

“No, seriously. I didn’t–”

“Nah–ah! You can be very unfair!” 

Was this seriously going to turn into an argument? The thought of it only made them roll their eyes on the spot. ‘ This again… ’ It was the only thing which had gone through their head for this moment. And not to mention that they were expecting a tangent anytime now. A non stop tangent on how Ann could be a ‘mean cheater’. Maybe he really was just a sore loser. That or… Was he hoping for something? If anyone knew how to play dirty of the two, it would be Ramuda. Hmm… Hard to say… 

And so as their boyfriend was complaining and whining while sitting on the sofa they got up, right out of the armchair. Did he notice? Probably not, given how busy he was talking. 

So they just walked over, right to the sofa and got seated. His complaints were now right in one of their ears yet not for long. “Hey, Ramuda. Can you be quiet for a moment?” They suddenly interrupted him while turning their head to him, seeing his confused and baffled expression right close up. 

“But I’m not even done!” He tried to tell them.

“Just for a moment, it won’t take long.”

“Hah… Alright, what is it? But don’t think this–”

Yet before he could see it coming they grabbed both of his cheeks with their hands, tilting his head up as their own shot down. It was a short lived moment, a quick kiss. And it was over before anyone knew, Ann pulling back almost as quickly as they had kissed him at that moment. They then let go of his face, their hands dropping down and then they just stared at him.

He sat there, face all red and eyes wide. His body was swaying from one side to the other, as if just having been overwhelmed… Before suddenly dropping down on his back, right onto the sofa. 

D… Did that seriously knock him out? Ramuda should be used to this… Right? And yet, Ann let out a shrug shortly after. In the end it got him all quiet, didn’t it? And besides… It was a little amusing.

“I should do this more often~”

[mywitchcultblr]

I just want to say thank you SO SO SO much for the Sigewinne post, it means SO much to see someone vouching for her maturity after witnessing an ENDLESS SEA of her being infantilized just 'cause she's short and a melusine. That's a whole-ass adult there! Just cuz she has a different culture making acting like a regular adult human less easy doesn't make her a minor and I'm SO SO SO happy that someone finally acknowledges that outright.

Genshin fandom has a difficulties in differentiating between "people with childish traits" vs "canon child" they see everyone who are short and childish as children. I mean I still see some people calling Nahida "a literal child" on Twitter maybe they can't read or comprehension is dead 😂

I thought Sigewinne was a child as well but then someone pointed out that she has a job and I was like "hold on! Wait a minute, you are right!"

Why would Fontaine hire a child to work in a PRISON?

Maybe in Mondstadt allowing a child to work as a head nurse could happen because the city doesn't seem to care about child labor because Diona work as a bartender and Klee is a knight, but Fontaine has child service system and generally more advanced than any other nations so far

Also Wriothesley will object to hire Sigewinne if she's really a child as he is quite protective of children

Also it irked me when people are calling Melusines children and infantilized them, they work for Neuvillette and Fontaine. Why would Neuvillette hired a bunch of children? It doesn't make sense

Like I said before people with childish traits (according to human) doesn't equal a child

What? Are we going to call Aranara children too? 🤣

Also Nahida is not a child, and if people are using the argument "500 years old is a child year in Gods age" are we going to call Focalors a child too? No

This thing irked me because I'm a very short adult with 'childish' voice and I'm often get mistaken for a child, so this is rather annoying in Genshin

[strivia]

⚜️

Alright y'all, it's the

Demon Ron AU

This one was a bit of a Rodie roleswap, but also not exactly. A lot of it was brainstormed with @thumperdaetime, hi thumps! 💖

In this AU Jodie is just one of the human dads, and he signs Ron's equivalent of the Battleaxe of Hatred, which is a harp guitar. When Ron first properly shows up and the party is worried, but he just acts cute and has useful information and seems to only want to flirt with Jodie.

"You really didn't define any terms here at all. That's just bad business. Anything could happen."

Anyway, Ron is the son of a powerful demon lord (Willy). But he doesn't fit Willy's ideal of what a demon should be: ruthless.

Ron's given name in this is actually Ragnvaldr, an Old Norse name composed of the elements reign meaning "advice, counsel" and valdr meaning "power, ruler"

But he chooses to go by Ron, which has the meaning "song, joy"

Oh also, Samantha and Terry Jr are from the Forgotten Realms in this AU and Ron meets Samantha because Terry Jr. summoned him in an attempt to get his dad back. Ron won't make a soul deal with a child, and talks to Samantha about it, and ends up staying to keep an eye out for any other dangers Terry might summon while he's working through this.

Willy doesn't initially care that he's gone until he realizes what he's up to. Willy is the one to imprison Ron in the harp guitar for "not being demon enough". Aka having a loving relationship with a mortal and choosing to help her raise a kid. After being imprisoned his memories are a bit scrambled, but he does want to get home to them too.

The harp guitar also has the potential to be very destructive, cause it's Willy going "No matter how soft you talk, this is what you are. You are made to take and destroy. You can't run from what you are."

Jodie may be the one who signed the guitar, but Glenn is the one who fucking loves it initially. Ron is not super lucid in the guitar but he feels loved and cared for and appreciated. Handled gently. Ron feels a lot of affection off the bat for Glenn.

I did write a little snippet for Ron getting out of the guitar. This is one of the rare AUs where I sibling-zone Glenn & Jodie:

Glenn yelped as fire split the center of the double necked harp guitar, dazzling up the strings like a sparkler on the 4th of July. "Just drop it!" Jodie hissed next to him, whacking his brother on the shoulder as his voice lilted up a few octaves. Glenn grimaced, but reluctantly dropped the beautifully crafted instrument. It was going up in flames anyway. The moment it clattered onto the hard stone ground it split into two with a loud pop, like logs on a fire. Fire flared outward in a magical pulse, but did little harm more then just flaring hot and biting across their skin. When the glare of light faded from their eyes, it was to a demon standing in the rubble of the fractured instrument. Or, Glenn assumed it was the demon. He was short. Shorter than Glenn anyway, and only a little shorter than Jodie, with cloven feet and arcing rounded horns on his head, like a ram. The man shook ash from his hair, flicking floppy, soft looking ears, and blinking eyes with goat-like pupils as he got his bearings. He touched his hands together, a look far too much like childish wonder sparking in his ember orange eyes as he realized he was tangible. And then his gaze drifted over to the two of them. "I- um, Hi, I'm Ron."

Willy is still a source of power to this settings Omega Daddies too, but as a patron.

There a scene vaguely planned where Ron tries to distract Willy during a confrontation, and one of his horns gets snapped after Willy flings him and he whacks really hard into something.

When he found him, Ron had tucked himself into a small alcove, like a wounded animal desperately hiding from a predator. His eyes were scrunched tightly shut, body trembling. Glenn sucked in a sharp breath. His right horn was broken, a jagged edge of keratin where it was supposed to arc back around. The area was matted with blood, slicking that side of his head in a sickly sheen. "Shit," Glenn hissed. Ron cringed away from his voice, a soft keening noise of pain and desperation escaping him as he tried to burrow further into his earthen hiding place. "Hey, it's okay," Glenn intoned, trying to soften his tone of voice. He needed Jodie or Henry, he needed someone who could heal properly. "Shhhh," Glenn soothed, running his thumb along Ron's soft ear. A softer whine escaped Ron, one more sad and pleading, as opposed to scared. "Nobody is gonna hurt you," Glenn promised softly. He started to hum gently to the demon, who sank more heavily into his touch.

Anyway, uh yeah. Enjoy dear anon. 😂

[tokiro07]

I couldn’t find any on your blog yet so, have you done some sort of analysis on Kamome and the “hipster archetype” yet? I recently read linkspooky’s post on Tsurubami and how he plays with both types of “anti-hero” but I saw that he didn’t mention an aspect of Kamome: a rather interesting take on the “hipster” character type.

I think I might be the wrong person to ask about this on the basis that I'm not too familiar with the sheer concept of hipsters

I have a very specific idea in my head of what qualifies as a hipster, that being the "I liked it before it was cool" type who almost fetishize being misunderstood because it gives them a feeling of superiority for enjoying things that the plebians can't wrap their small minds around

Is that an accurate description of hipsters? I'm willing to bet it isn't, but it's definitely the stereotype that tumblr drilled into my brain a literal decade ago

If I'm even remotely close, though, I don't think Tsurubami really counts as a hipster. To me, he's always seemed more like...the reverse of a chuunibyou, almost. Like he doesn't really see himself as being different or special because he can do things that others can't, but rather he feigns being normal. He wants so desperately to be recognized as a mature adult that he eschews anything that he perceives as being "childish," exemplified by his distaste for Weekly Shonen Jump

The joke, though, is that in lieu of Shonen Jump, his manga anthology of choice is Jump Square, literally formerly known as "Monthly Shonen Jump." Square does get away with a bit more adult-oriented content than WSJ, but ultimately it's still a shonen magazine, aimed at exactly the same demographic. Reading it doesn't make him more of an adult, and acting like it does makes him more of a child

I don't know the context of Tsurubami's character from Nisio Isin's perspective, sadly; for all I know he was meant as a direct response to some of his own critics or to a wave of young readers transitioning from Jump to SQ at the time. If there's ever been an interview or anything where Nisio explained that, I'd love to hear it

What I do know, though, is the context of Tsurubami within Medaka Box; he mentions liking SQ in direct response to being asked if he likes Jump, which Hitoyoshi was using as a litmus test for whether or not Tsurubami was a Minus. Saying that he preferred SQ over Jump definitively signaled to Hitoyoshi that he wasn't, but we learned later that technically Tsurubami is in fact a Minus, he's just also a Plus and a Stylist. Plus Abnormals are typically characterized by a superiority complex, and Minuses are often depicted with a regressive and juvenile interest in shonen manga, so Tsurubami's interest in shonen while also denying it on the basis that he reads something "more mature" leans into both concepts: "I love shonen manga, but I'm better than those losers because I read shonen manga for grownups." He has a regressive and juvenile understanding of the medium he enjoys and uses that to elevate himself above others - a blending of both Plus and Minus without leading himself into the contradiction of having both a superiority and inferiority complex

It also bleeds into his general personality as well, because he's haughtily childish about most everything. We see this specifically when he's soundly beaten by Medaka and refuses to accept the loss on the basis that there were no rules put into place; his childish pedantry feels not dissimilar from a Minus', but he's definitely being prideful and snobbish about it like a Plus would be. Minuses are always smiling and optimistic, they don't let defeats get them down, because it's normal for them, but Tsurubami protests his loss completely joylessly and matter-of-factly, meaning he knows full well that he lost but just won't admit it

In short, Tsurubami may or may not be a hipster, but he is definitely a big baby

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

It's honestly wild to imagine Claude growing up with no friends around his age, with so many people hating a child, and without his parents protecting him from danger. That last thing isn't even out of hate or maliciousness either, but (from what can be gathered) a genuine act of love - something that was so trust-breaking and world-shattering, know that not even his parents who DO love him (in his eyes, if nothing else) will ever protect him and that he was well and truly alone for the first ~16 or so years of Claude’s life (save for occasionally Nader). My boy deserves love 😭😭😭

Yeah. :( I can't imagine not having any form of a friend for so many friends. I mean personally, I don't consider my school friends real "friends", you know? They weren't people I relied on, trusted or hung out with often. They were just "school friends", but it was still social interaction and they were friends, but they weren't the kind of people who just last in your life. You still need people to talk to and have fun with though while growing up and I can't imagine not having that at all. :(

Also, YEAH, the way so many people actually just... despised him? As a small child? Like... I can't even wrap my head around someone hating a child because they were born with foreign blood. I mean, what kind of person do you have to be to literally try to assassinate a child? I mean of course that makes for an interesting story, but it's still horrible to think about! I've heard of instances of kids irl having to grow up fast because of life circumstances, and it's always such a sad thing when a child can't be a child.

In a way it reminds me of when Dimitri tells Byleth he "let his childish whims get the better or him" or something to that effect. His childhood kind of promptly ended when he was thirteen, so seeing him still have a childish side is kind of like, it's there because it existed at all in the past, but it was cut short and so it still sometimes pops up as if to make up for the lost time. With Claude, he's casual and sometimes goofy, and even if a lot of it is just his "fake" personality so to speak, I feel like he acts like that because he never got to in Almyra.

For sure, yeah, I think if you had someone who loved you but wouldn't protect you from danger that would really hurt your mentality as far as who to trust. Like, if you can't even trust your own parents to keep you alive as a literal small child, how can you trust anyone to be there for you? It makes his whole academy phase story a lot sadder when you see him acting like he's friends with everyone but if they were truly, honestly "friends" in his eyes, he would've trusted them more and been more open with them.

I think it's really, super telling that throughout the entire game, he never once utters a word to anyone about being from Almyra, and even if you S support him with Byleth he still doesn't let on as far as who he really is. He implies he's from Almyra in their ending, but he doesn't actually let on that he's royalty. It makes sense, but it's so sad to see that even if he loved someone, it would still take time for him to actually say something. Like, I'm sure eventually he did/had to to work with Fodlan properly, but the fact that he left and didn't even mention what his "connections" were is super telling about how afraid he is to trust literal anyone and everyone. He might not be afraid of people trying to kill him left and right, but he's definitely still afraid of trusting people.

I'm so angry he's not real LOL, I just want to pick up little boy Claude and cuddle him and put in a bed with fluffy blankets and soft pillows so I can tuck him in and pat the blankets on him and kiss his forehead. I honestly wonder if parents ever even did something like that, like tucking him in and saying they loved him and giving him a goodnight forehead kiss... I get the feeling that anything we would consider normal parent behavior wasn't something Claude ever got to experience. :(

[thefanficmonster]

hey!! could i have some family hurt/comfort with the sbi (technoblade, wilbur, tommy & phil) with a sister reader? have a good day!! :)

Hell yeah you can! Hope you enjoy!

Sleepy Bois Inc & Sister!Reader (Female)

Warnings: Mentions of some family issues, breakups and disagreements, Swearng

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Technoblade

You and Techno haven't always been on the best of terms with him being an overprotective and overdramatic older brother and you his bratty younger sister who never wants to listen to him. That has often ended with him snitching on you to your parents which has only resulted in worse conflicts.

However, when your parents cut you off because you dropped out of college to pursue your dreams, his was the shoulder you cried on. His was the apartment you stayed in and the couch you slept on. With your limited knowledge of video and audio editing you helped out with his videos as much as you could while working your ass off with two jobs to provide you enough money for a secure future and also to compensate for living in your brother's apartment.

Truth be told, it hasn't always been sunshine and rainbows for you in the world. Luckily, Techno is always there for you, building a one man support system for you.

"I don't know if I'm good enough to make it big, Tech. Maybe mom and dad were right. I'm just a dumb child that never wants to settle and put effort into anything." You whined one night, emotions a little amped by the few drinks you had with your colleagues after work. The two of you were sitting on the floor with your backs resting on the bottom of the couch lazily as you barely paid attention to some action movie he had chosen.

"First of all, mom and dad are rarely right, Y/N. If we listened to them, holy shit!" He chuckled, getting a laugh out of you too, "Second of all, you're the least dumbest child. Yeah, you may have some childish tendencies such as tantrums, but that doesn't change the fact that you're one of the most determined people I've ever met. And third..." He clinks his glass of water against yours. "You're not good enough, you're better than that."

Long story short, you’re on far better terms now than you have ever been before.

---------------------------------------

Wilbur Soot

Wilbur and you may be twins but you’re polar opposites of one another but there’s one love you share - art. He’s chosen music, you’ve chosen theatre and have been pursuing an acting career for a long time while the band he’s in flourished. You often found yourself celebrating his successes alongside him and his bandmates, allowing yourself to momentarily forget your own failures.

“I swear I’m one rejection away from just becoming a barista or a waitress cause I’m clearly not cut out for this actress shit.“ You complained to him one time while the two of you sat around as he wrote lyrics for a new song that had popped up in his mind.

“Maybe you’re not...“ He said absentmindedly, not looking up from his notebook.

“Gee, thanks.“ You rolled your eyes, twirling a pen between your fingers.

“No, I mean it. You’re maybe not cut out for this but for something else.“ With that being said, he handed you the notebook where he’d written down a short verse. He smiled at you, nodding at the messily written lyrics, “Sing it as you think it should sound.“

You maybe had been unsure then, but your present self is more than happy - because she’s now in Lovejoy herself. 

------------------------------------

Tommyinnit

Tommy and you bickered on good terms frequently but then again there were times when you’d be real shits to each other. Despite being older, you never followed through with the rule of letting him win, refusing to give into his bratty behavior even more.

But even Tommy knows his limits and he knew that the last thing you needed was his mocking and infuriating comments when you came back home in tears. You were supposed to meet with your boyfriend and it didn’t take the then 12 year old blonde to put two and two together and feel the immense need to kick that jerk’s ass.

“Hey, you ok, Y/N?“ He cautiously asked, resting on the stair banister as if afraid to climb down the last few stairs to get to your sobbing form that had curled up on the couch in a self-protective fetal position.

“Go away, Tommy.“ You’d weakly said. You didn’t want him to see you like this. You were a full blown legal adult which is mainly why you felt like the biggest fucking loser, sobbing like a child in front of your brother.

Tommy stayed quiet, climbing down the last few stairs and approaching the couch as if coming close to a rabid animal. You were lying with your back turned to him so you hadn’t seen him come closer which is why his voice startled you.

“Wanna egg his house?“

That’s when you knew the kid was onto something.

You turned to look at him with this menacing look in your eyes which his mirrored right back at you, “Hell fucking yeah.“

Who knew that just three years later you’d be egging the house of his ex - what can I say, good times.

-----------------------------------

Philza

It’s safe to say you were a united front about everything growing up, doing shit together so both of you could get in trouble accordingly to avoid one running off scot-free. To be fair, there was a likelier chance you’d be allowed to pursue you shenanigans no matter what they were. You’d flay some sporty games he came up with and he’d agree to play your artsy games like painting and redesigning old clothing.

That clothing is still in your apartment which you two share, now both in the shenanigans of streaming and content creating on several platforms with you being more into DIY stuff and him gaming but that was to be foreseen.

“Y/N!“

“What?!”

“Can you make a design for my merch!?“

“Say no more!”

All his merch he owes to you, but he never fails to mention to his friends and fans how lucky he is to have such a talented sister. You consider yourself the lucky one though - without Phil you’d never be able to show your true talent.

[animeyanderelover]

Punishment for temari, nastu, erza, and kakashi

Sure.

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessiveness, obsessiveness, delusions, strict behavior, kidnapping, isolation, manipulation

Yandere Alphabet

Kakashi Hatake

Punishment-How do they punish their darling?

📖Kakashi is more of a reasonable person so punishments wouldn't be something he would be very keen on using which doesn't mean he won't do it if it is needed. Kakashi just has more patience and is a fairly aware Yandere to have so he always tries to solve things normally, though he can turn more demanding and strict if the s/o proves to be the stubborn kind. I would like to say that locking away would be a punishment, though at one point his paranoia gets the better of him and he locks you permanently away and only let you have his ninken as company. But if there is a chance he would at one point let you out again, this small freedom will be taken away and he can honestly be like a parent with a happy child as well since he'll take things away from you that you like and can hit time faster dead.

📖I would say he has also a more kind of indirect way of punishing you in the sense that he will manipulate situations to prove that he knows better and you should listen more to him instead of arguing with him. Might not sound that bad, but constantly getting into situations where you realize that listening to Kakashi would have proved to be helpful makes you with time more doubtful of your own decisions and whilst Kakashi is thoughtful to not sprinkle salt in your wounds, somehow he will scold you afterwards. Kakashi just is that smart and no one will really suspect something as well.

Temari

Punishment-How do they punish their darling?

🌪️Temari is more of a Tsundere kind of person so her darling somewhat runs risk of getting a harsh scolding from her side the moment they happen to have a heated verbal fight and that girl has a fire inside of her and she'll spit it out the moment she loses her composure for a short moment as well. So this is somewhat one way of punishing you for her, she hurts you with words when she starts seeing red. It isn't like Temari doesn't feel sorry for it afterwards, she never really means what she says since she really loves her darling a lot and mostly apologizes afterwards.

🌪️But if there is a time she really needs to make use of her more vicious language, she will do it through gritted teeth. Words can hurt more than you think when they come from someone that you love and she might also start acting more cold. Similar to Kakashi she isn't all that into doing such things since she wants a normal relationship, but she is on the slightly more impulsive side. Has no qualms about trapping you in her apartment as well when she's had enough. Whether she would use her younger brother and his position or not, I think it is unlikely since her siblings mean a lot to her. She isn't into abusing power and influence she has that directly against her darling.

Natsu Dragneel

Punishment-How do they punish their darling?

🔥You see, I have a hard time trying to figure out how Natsu could possibly ever do something against his darling. On a scale from one to ten to how dangerous and violent he could really be to his darling he is a burning and big zero. He is neither manipulative nor is he violent, he is a far more childish and clingy person over anything else. It mainly roots from his delusions that he is this way to be honest, even if he gets rejected by his darling countless times or realizes that they seem to like someone else, he never really takes it in a really bad way. It's because he is such a delusional Yandere so he never really gets discouraged by this all.

🔥So it is somewhat hard to think of how he could ever possibly go against the s/o, even if he becomes desperate or, through a miracle, gets angry at them, his love and adoration dominates over everything. The thing that could be counted closest to a punishment with him is when he starts yelling at them which could be for some frightening. He doesn't mean to scare you of course, but he really can not grip his emotions once something has set him off and he can come over as more intimidating at such times. But that's honestly all. That and that he'll glue himself to your side like a leech.

Erza Scarlet

Punishment-How do they punish their darling?

🛡️This woman gives probably at first the impression that she would be very ready to teach you better when you go against her, but she has under her armor a heart made out of gold hidden and she is a lucid Yandere who loves and respects her darling on top of that. Erza means in all ways really only the best for her darling and could never bring herself to hurt them physically (no one of the people here would). The S-Class mage still has her stern side in her and such things are exposed sometimes to you as well, most likely only in scenarios where things are about to go down the wrong way.

🛡️I mentioned it before, but Erza has some sort of trauma from everything that happened to her and even if she can even understand if the s/o goes against her more demanding wishes, most of the times she can still understand since she has some fellows who are just the same. So she is a bit difficult to figure out as well, but her punishments probably consist of scolding the s/o furiously and in a really worse situation where they got hurt, she will keep them trapped in their house and force them to stay and not do anything. She'll force herself afterwards for a while to be more strict and less excited and soft like she is normally.

[antarax]

𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

It's late at night when Damian makes a stop by your house with the intention to confess his feelings for you.

Damian Wayne x Black!Reader, gender neutral.

Words: 2,105

AN: Happy Valentine’s to all the beautiful black people in the fandom!! I dedicate this one to all of us, who rarely get any works that include us or are actually vague enough to. Hope you enjoy it 💞

It was a quiet, cold night in Gotham. Neon city lights blurred into your room as the muffled sounds of the videogame on the old TV kept you company, the blue hue of the fluorescent lights washing over your bedroom even through half-pulled curtains. 

The day had been a slow and uneventful one. For you, at least, after the hope of receiving someone's valentine had been completely blown off, the same energy manifesting itself in you as the night also dragged itself along. 

You almost jumped out of your skin at the sound of your window opening, having had no expectations of anything more for the day –that, and the fact that it was well into the night already. You saw Damian standing outside with his hand on the window sill, a bag in the other, Robin uniform dirty and tattered as his cape fluttered violently with the breeze. 

He seemed stuck in his place, as if he had been the one surprised, frowning like he hadn't expected you in your own room. 

The slight semblance of a smile grew on your face, "Well, come in," you said, pausing the game. 

It wasn't uncommon for Damian to stop by your building after a busy night, the moon shining beautifully in the sky and the clouds a beautiful swirl of the light as he came through your window expertly quiet. But, even then with the known comfortability and trust you two had managed to reach in your relationship, it also wasn't uncommon to feel like remnants of the younger, more insecure Damian still clung to him slightly. 

Slightly as in  heavily. 

You watched him as he moved into the small space and set down the bag on the floor, taking off his gloves and mask with the rough delicacy you associated with him. 

He stood as if he was tightly wound up, like perhaps he could breathe wrong, or whatever new, unspoken rule he'd created for himself plagued his mind now. 

It was a little funny. 

"I'm not going to eat you, you know?" 

Damian rolled his eyes, "I'm aware." 

"Doesn't look like it," You muttered, glancing down at the controller in your hands, "What's in the bag anyways?" 

"I— Things." 

You raised a brow. 

"Food, sweets. Drinks." 

"Really?" 

"Yes," Damian replied, sitting down and sagging against the wall underneath the windowsill, chest rising and falling slowly as he exhaled deeply. Damian grabbed the bag again, putting it down next to you, "They're yours." 

You set aside the controller and rummaged through the bag, the thoughts racing in your head. Damian knew you well and you him, your friendship spanning over a few years now. There had been a lot you'd trusted him with. Secrets, worries, embarrassing shit you'd done that still haunted you and Damian had been no different. He let you in on his bigger secret, how he carried the mantle of Robin every night. Some of his deepest remorses were ones that you had knowledge of; although never diving too deep in the murky waters of Damian’s life, you still valued the clear trust he had in you. 

And along all these moments, every opportunity you've had to know each other, slowly and softly peeling aside the layers covering the people you were, a warm intimacy rooted itself in your growing friendship. A comfortable sort of intimacy. 

Every once in a while you stopped by the manor on the quiet days where it was only Alfred and the animals. You helped Alfred in the kitchen whenever he was practicing for a new recipe or baking a dessert for the family later in the day. You spent hours with Damian in his room, where his cat Alfred would always curl up next to you on his bed as he worked on his art, walking around the manor or playing around with Titus and Batcow in the manor's backyard –which, really, was just an enormous open field that they were too humble to call so– and sometimes you'd even earn an invitation to dinner. 

As for you, Damian tended to visit at night more so than day, but there were moments where he would show up on a sunny afternoon when everyone else wasn't home, slumping down on your couch for an hour or two before going back to his own things. Sometimes he'd drop by books he'd seen at the library, a small trinket he'd bought at the store and various other paraphernalia that, somehow, you always ended up loving. 

Damian knew your taste well, and there was no doubt he'd spend countless amounts of time pondering over each of his gifts before they ever reached your hands. All things that while anyone else might have brushed over you appreciated immensely. 

"You know," you began as you leaned back into the foot of your bed, ripping off pieces from a napkin you'd taken out of the bag, buying time. Hesitating, "I actually— sort of, was hoping for a valentine this year." 

You gazed at Damian's eyes, your interest boring into them, digging as deep as you were allowed. They looked nervous, hilariously so. Almost like he'd been caught. But caught... doing what, exactly? 

Perhaps caught in the middle of staring back at you as he'd tend to do; how he'd tend to do and assumed you didn't notice. 

Or maybe caught when he would discreetly drop off something in your room or your locker after having seen it at the store or the cafeteria and knowing immediately you'd like it, always behind the guise of simple complacency. Caught, in his true intentions, what truly made him do all these otherwise insignificant things that were much too small even for somebody as detail-driven as Damian. 

Olive-colored eyes still shifted uncomfortably in front of you as the sole giveaway of the true nervousness Damian was drowning in, refusing to show anything more of himself, even when it mattered. 

Especially when it mattered. It was frustrating. 

"You were?" 

"Yeah," You shifted in your spot, "I was." 

No one could ever, ever know something about Damian that he didn't share. It's just not something you could do. Not when it came to him. Anybody who knew anything at all about who Damian Wayne is, at his core in existence, knows it only because he's allowed them to. 

And he'd allowed you to know this too, and yet now he was hesitating. 

"You wished to have... a valentine. Anyone?" 

"Anyone." 

"You could have, easily, if you wanted it," Damian rolled his eyes. 

"I could?" You smiled, and the twinkle in your eyes was nothing short of mischievous. 

"Yes." 

"Reeeally. How?" 

Damian slouched against the wall, "Well, you'd simply have to ask," he said it as if it had been an obvious fact, "I'm sure anyone at the academy would've said yes." 

Your smile widened as you raised your brows, "Oh?" 

Damian frowned, "You are making fun of me." 

"What do you mean? How." 

Damian crossed his arms as you laughed. 

"You think I'm making fun of you," you protested, "I'm not." 

"TT." 

"There's something you want to say, isn't there? Just spit it out, Damian." 

Damian's eyes lingered all over the room. His hands had started to sweat a while ago and by then, his heart had sped up so much he was sure it was making some attempt at breaking through and out of his chest. 

Originally, his plan had been to drop by and bring you a gift, but then he'd gotten nervous and internally malfunctioned, because he'd bought a double of everything so that you wouldn't assume it had been a gift and instead just him coming by to hang out like he always did. 

He had planned to come by, tell you he'd... harbored a few unwanted feelings towards you and hoped you would have been tired enough that you wouldn't have realized it, but clearly, his plan had flipped over backwards and blown up in his face. 

Damian took as deep a breath as possible with his collar putting him in a choke hold, as if trying to push out his words while simultaneously wanting to keep them buried the deepest he could. 

"I— hm," He stared intently at the floor, for the first time in a while feeling like the small child who would trip over his own emotions again, but he was resolved to tell you, "I like you. I suppose." 

It hadn't been surprising to Damian. More that it was hard to accept. He'd mulled over it for a long, long time. In fact, the reason he'd visited you tonight, made up his mind to tell you so, had been his ridiculously embarrassing performance. 

Being surprised by petty thieves and thrown out of the loop by measly codes, none of which happen, ever, not to him at least. Damian was far above such childish mistakes, at least so he thought until he started taking a closer look at his own thoughts and realized your eyes had gone from brown to 'beautiful pools of honey', your skin a beautiful, shining shade of brown. 

He was an artist, after all. He'd spent afternoons studying his environment, the shapes and colors, how everything fit in together; you were no stranger to his thoughts. 

Which of course, you wouldn't know. If you had, you would have taken the jump much earlier. You would have never acted based off of assumption alone, but having the confirmation, well. 

By now you had to contain your smile because surely, surely, your cheeks would be sore afterwards. 

"Wow," you raised your brows in obvious mocking, "Really?" 

Damian scrunched up his face in disgust, like he'd witnessed the most foul thing yet, crossing his arms tighter but refusing to meet your gaze as he turned to the wall. 

"You know, Damian." 

"Yes?" 

"The valentine I was hoping for this year… was yours. You could've easily made a card and thrown some glitter over it and that would be the end of that." 

"A card, with glitter?" Damian snapped his head at you, seeming almost bored as he spoke in a deadpan voice, "Is that how lowly you think of me?" 

At this you did laugh, almost too loudly for one in the morning, that you had to push both your hands against your mouth. 

Damian frowned, "Please do know that if I were to ever make something so miserable, it must be because I've been replaced. Which would not happen. Ever." 

You stood, shuffling over to Damian and sitting down next to him. 

He looked pretty underneath the moonlight coming through the window, the curls over his forehead looking soft and shiny. 

Damian looked right into your eyes, for the first time that night not looking away, he was trapped now. Not truly, he could leave, but did he want to? Not at all. 

Softly, Damian touched your hand, something perhaps akin to fear in his eyes as if he still expected rejection. 

"Damian?" 

"Hm?" 

"I'm going to kiss you." 

"Oh." 

"Unless you don’t want me to." 

"Please do. I mean—" 

It was a shy and quick kiss, but so, so exciting as Damian's grip tightened around your hand and you leaned into him. 

When you leaned away, it was with a mischievous glint in your eyes. 

"Please do—" 

Damian frowned again, clearly not amused. After a few seconds though, your laugh died out. Truth is, your stomach was churning. Because, while you were very much happy and excited, you were also incredibly nervous. 

Both of you were stitching your thoughts back together, seconds of silence passing by. You were still holding Damian's hand. 

He closed his eyes, frown deepening considerably and quickly before he spoke, vile spilling out of his mouth, "A card? With some glitter thrown over it?" 

He looked downright furious, disgusted even. 

"Seriously?" 

"It's not that big of a deal," You chuckled, "Get over it." 

"Hm." 

Damian looked out the window, and you followed, the moon standing beautifully in the middle of the sky. 

Damian sighed, "I have to go." 

"Oh... okay." 

He didn't move. Neither of you did. 

Damian gave you a quick kiss again, looking absolutely scandalized when he pulled back. You stared at each other in complete disbelief before he stood up and started putting his gloves on again. 

He pressed his hands onto the windowsill and took a deep breath.

Damian looked at you, tenderly, "Goodnight, Y/N." 

"Goodnight, Damian." You smiled. 

Damian gave you a small smile, "Hm." 

You watched as he jumped off, grappling to the nearest building and laughed when you saw him standing still before disappearing into the night. 

[skipps-writes-for-gojo-satoru]

A short thread I found about Gojo's character that helps shine a light to how caring he is:

https://twitter.com/musikawu/status/1376984416485007363?s=19

Also, I actually just realized this recently after rewatching JJK that Gojo got super attached to Yuji really quickly. Gojo not only got very angry on his behalf but went out of his way to ask Nanami for help in caring for Yuji when he's supposed to be the strongest sorcerer. And at that time, Gojo made it clear to Nanami that he didn't ask him to do so due to Yuji's potential as a vessel. Gojo asked Nanami for this favor as an adult who wants to see the growth of a young man. Gojo was very precise in telling Nanami that he was looking not at Sukuna and Yuji's power, but at Yuji himself as not only an individual, but a child that needed nurturing and care. Before Yuji's death, Gojo had already even made preparations to have Yuta take care of Yuji cause he knew something might happen to him- even more development is that despite what Gojo says about himself, he's aware of his own flaws. What he appears to be on the outside is nothing like what he truly feels on the inside. He doesn't delude himself into narcissistic behavior that makes him unable to ask for help. He asks for help willingly and of his own accord- Yuta couldn't even fathom how the strongest sorcerer would face a problem he couldn't solve on his own, but Gojo does. Gojo is smart enough to know he needs to rely on others to move forward, and relying on someone means putting a certain amount of trust there. Gojo puts just as much faith in other people as he does himself, and the interesting part is that while it's more admirable to go out of your way to protect someone else, Gojo never brags about that. He only "brags" about things that will annoy the other person, but really he is only saying a commonly known "truth" in order to rile people up. It may sound like bragging- which it sort of is- but Gojo saying he's the strongest is not a lie. Him saying "I alone am the honoured one" is not necessarily a lie either. People don't call him the Strongest for nothing.

In fact, even more interestingly enough, besides Gojo, who includes Geto when people talk about the "strongest?" Despite being the definite "strongest," Gojo is the one who constantly says "We are the Strongest," not the other way around. He's also mature enough to recognize and point out other people's strengths, such as Mei Mei's, saying she is too strong to cry.

If Gojo truly was a narcissist, he would have mentioned everything else he's done for people, like stopping Megumi's sale to the Zenin clan and getting the Fushiguros financial aid. He could brag about being persuasive enough to save Yuji from execution or even saving Yuta from execution- Yuta becoming a special grade sorcerer soon after Gojo saved him is something you can easily brag about- but Gojo doesn't brag about his personal achievements at all- not in the way that demands respect from others, at least. Gojo only "brags" to tease others lightheartedly and to tick them off a little- and I don't think the demeaning things Gojo says to the higher ups can be used to show he's a narc because *many* people in Gojo's position would have said (and done) much, much worse things.

Also, when Yuji died, Gojo had become so emotional that even Shoko, who had been there since Gojo's youth, had commented on how unlike him it was. People irl really thought it was because Gojo couldn't use him as a weapon against the higher ups anymore, but reading how Gojo had told Nanami that he saw their relationship as an adult and a child makes me think differently. Something very important in the Light Novel is when Gojo tells Nanami that his students, because they are sorcerers, will soon have to "face the evil intentions of sh*tty humans." Not only sorcerers, but "every person has to bite into that bitterness, know what it means to give up, and pile up despairs to become an adult." People like Gojo and Nanami, Gojo had said, are capable of withstanding and releasing the "poison" that runs through the heart. However, the youngsters are more sensitive in that age, and "one poison could destroy their hearts" (I'm sure Gojo was thinking of Geto as he said this). That's why he wants to leave Yuji in the care of Nanami, "an adult who understands other people pain." Not that Gojo is unable to understand pain, but in the earlier events of the Light Novel as context, Gojo is faced with a mother who is mourning the loss of her child. While Nanami tries to gently comfort her and secretly find information on the cursed spirit at the same time using vague words, Gojo's words are straight forward and to the point, which startles the mother. It's not necessarily a bad things, however- Gojo's words had ended up allowing the mother to see her situation as it was without delusions, a tough love situation, so to speak, and the two were able to confirm their intel to be correct. It was Gojo who helped her to heal quicker by allowing her to realize her problem through his cutting words, but I'm sure Gojo realizes his "bad personality,"- which isn't really so bad in some cases- isn't for everyone. Gojo is very aware that people react negatively to his behavior, even if he is unable to understand just how deeply they despise him (*cough* Utahime) In that way, Gojo shows he cares very much for Yuji's mental growth, even in that short period of time, by entrusting his care to Nanami, who he comments would do a much better job than be could.

Therefore, I think Gojo might actually get attached to people more quickly than it might seem like. He also thinks very deeply and no matter how he acts, he's able to recognize others' strengths and acknowledge his own flaws- this is a key part of his character because he doesn't delude himself in his position as the Strongest. To those who think Gojo sees himself as a God, he is far from that behavior, and he is self aware enough to know that people need more to grow than just power and strength. Unfortunately, it seems most people either despise Gojo or are too enamoured by his looks to see past the surface of the more boisterous and childish part of his personality. That's likely the main reason he finds it hard to commit, too.

(More ranting 😭. There was this reddit post saying Gojo's narcissistic enough to be a more evil villain than Sukuna, that he would actually end up becoming the villain- like really??? And so many people really agreed that he's incapable of feeling true emotions that it's absurd. I really can't believe they even think Gojo has a God complex. Someone with a God complex, like most of the other disorders, wouldn't be able to admit their own flaws, let alone ask for help! The fact that Gojo even admits to having a "bad personality" is another tell against that. Sometimes I wonder if people are just projecting, but I also realize it's hard to differentiate between being an ENTP and being a sociopath because of how- on the surface- they seem so similar! But if you just dig a little deeper to look at their roots, they are so completely different it's a wonder how you'd get confused in the first place)

- 🤔

OH I COULDN'T AGREE MORE 🤔 anon here spitting FACTS. Yeah alot of people think gojo's a narcissist with huge ego but that ain't the case at all as explained above. I mean he was put on a pedestal since birth he gotta have some ego in that but that fact doesnt blind him. yeah sure he's the strongest but just one line "I'm the strongest" doesn't mean he's bragging it may sound like it but he's just stating facts he is indeed in fact the strongest in the jujutsu society. He knows he can't do everything on his own I mean why did he even become a teacher in the first place? Becuz he wants to make the next generation of jujutsu sorcerers stronger! No one asked him to do it he himself wanted to be a teacher even though at time he sucks at it.

He genuinely wants to do good not just for himself but for others as well. As interesting as the concept of Gojo becoming a villain it will never happen. Don't judge a damn book by it's cover even if it's a very attractive one hes just such an interesting character its shame most people don't see that.

[everythingsinred]

Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: Natsume (pt. 6)

Last time, we talked about Natsume's growing crush on Mikan. As the festival continues, his feelings will only grow. Today we'll discuss how these new feelings will affect him, and particularly how they have the potential to create tension in his friendship with Ruka.

Chapter Twenty-One

Mikan is guilty for not having already gone to Iinchou’s haunted house in the latent ability class area. So they end up going together. Although Mikan is easily distracted and wants to try everything in the latent area, Natsume is strict on going straight to the destination with no tangents.

Iinchou lets them in right away without having to wait in the hour-long line. Mikan puts on airs about being a country girl and, just like she’s unafraid of bugs, she’s also not afraid of ghosts. Except she totally is.

Ruka and Natsume don’t seem particularly scared of the haunted house so far, but Mikan is, and she clings to Ruka, desperate not to be left behind, even if it means she hurts him with her grasp.

The person who posted these TokyoPop scans forgot a couple pages so for the longest time the beginning of the chapter was so confusing to me...

Natsume looks behind to see them and is jealous, yet again. Just like with Tsubasa, Natsume is unhappy with his fate to be the bad guy in general. He goes out of his way to look bad to protect people and as a result will not be the one clung to. It’s different from Tsubasa though, because this isn’t some nameless middle schooler that Natsume can take his anger out on: this is his best friend, somebody he’s never felt anything but affection for. Natsume doesn’t want to hurt Ruka; he’s just sad that the situation is so messed up.

Lucky for Ruka, Natsume gives up before there can even be a competition.

It’s for the best this way, after all. For Ruka to be happy, for Mikan to be with somebody kind who deserves her, and even for him, because maybe this way Mikan won’t be used against him like everybody else he cares about.

Natsume makes this decision without talking to anybody and before anyone can even figure out that there’s a choice to be made in the first place.

Then they run into a crawling hag and nobody’s immune to the terror that being chased after by that demon brings. All three of them run for it, but they end up in a new spooky room, which freaks Mikan out so much she screams and faints, foaming at the mouth, causing Natsume to fall and twist his ankle and for Ruka’s rabbit to run off. He chases after it, leaving Natsume and Mikan alone. Iinchou breaks whatever causes the electricity to run in the building and now they’re trapped alone in the dark, unable to get out.

Mikan tries to figure out a way for them to escape, but climbing the wall is out of the question since Natsume’s ankle is twisted. He suggests that he blow up the wall, but Mikan is adamantly against that idea because the latent students worked hard to make the mansion. Natsume acquiesces. That’s fine. He doesn’t mind spending more time with her. It just means she’ll have to stay in the dark for longer.

She is very clingy when she’s scared, and although he complains he doesn’t really make any moves to get her off. I mean, why would he? This is exactly what he wanted, though he did only get it because he was the only person around that she could cling to. There’s a moment where he spooks her, perhaps so she would hug him more, but then she whines for him to stop scaring her and the panels are quite sparkly. Natsume is distressed about his new crush and the effect it has on him. Really her whining and puppy-dog eyes are not any less powerful on Natsume than they are on Ruka. He’s just better at hiding it.

He looks at her softly and then has a moment where he looks almost peeved to have felt so fond at all... but it won't last. These days he has more affection for her than irritation.

Mikan tries apologizing about getting angry with him at Anna’s cafe, but he pretends like he has no idea what she’s talking about. To me, this cements that Natsume wants to look bad to her in particular. He doesn’t really want her to figure out that he’s kind deep down or that he’s selfless 99% of the time. He doesn’t want her to think he cares at all because it’s best for him to continue being the same jerk he has been for the past twenty chapters. He’s okay with her hating him, because that way she won’t become the new Ruka, used by the academy as a pawn to get him to jump through more hoops.

She tries to make him smile and that’s another big deal. Most people think Natsume is cool for being so unaffected. His fans think he’s the man, a tough guy who frowns all the time. Even Ruka’s approach to this issue was to stop smiling too.

Mikan’s approach is to tell jokes.

Of course, it doesn’t work, and the jokes aren’t any good, but Mikan is trying something nobody else has done: instead of looking up to him or going down to his level of misery, Mikan’s trying to lift him up. She wants him to smile and be happy and that sets her apart. She’s immature and childish and that brings out the childishness in him too. And like I mentioned a while ago, childishness in Natsume is a good thing. With her, he can bicker and argue and tease like he used to before he came to the academy. She has no idea what he’s going through and her mood changes so quickly she can’t even stay mad or upset. She’s just a joyful and loud girl who rubs off on everyone she meets and Natsume is far from being an exception.

He can just mess around like a kid for once. He doesn't have to be serious around her all the time.

Thus, the next important thing in regards to analyzing their relationship is that the last page of the chapter has him teasing her and then smiling at her reaction. We’ve only seen Natsume smile twice before: with Youichi for a brief moment, and then with Ruka on the cover for Chapter Sixteen (Natsume's evil smile when Mikan gets bullied by middle schoolers doesn't count as a real smile). This officially adds Mikan to the incredibly short list of people who can make Natsume smile. She’s angry with him, arguing, but being able to let go of all his darkness and just tease a girl and have her act with such strong emotions is enough to make him happy. And that’s what this is: Natsume is happy.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The musical creates some tension between Natsume and Ruka, as expected, because liking the same girl can make rifts between friends. On the other hand, this isn’t your typical love triangle. Usually in love triangles, the two guys are already positioned against each other. Though Natsume and Ruka may be opposites in many ways, they are not rivals at all. They love each other, and that love is not at all damaged by the conflict of falling for the same girl; it just becomes tense between them.

In fact, the beginning of the chapter has some Class B pals eagerly going backstage to find Ruka before the somatic ability class musical. When they find him, Natsume is the only one to not laugh at or tease him, and seems to be the only one really concerned with Ruka’s feelings about being cast as Snow White.

When the sticky ball incident occurs, there’s a lot more damage done than there is in the anime. In the anime, some cast and crew get stuck, but ultimately nobody was in any real danger of being hurt. In the manga, there were potentially catastrophic consequences for the blast and a lot of equipment got damaged in the process. A somatic child playing one of the seven dwarves is about to be hit by a stagelight when Natsume rushes to get him out of the way, resulting in them getting stuck together. If Natsume hadn’t stepped in, that kid could have gotten really injured, at least.

As a result of Natsume’s heroism, Narumi suggests that he dress up as a forest friend. When Natsume refuses, the child is to be kicked out of the play, and the seven dwarves will be changed to six. Natsume sees the kid pout and with absolutely no more need for convincing he goes to get changed into a cat outfit.

This is noteworthy because the cat outfit is humiliating (not that Natsume hasn’t worn similar things in official art… just saying) and it’s something he truly does not want to do, but he does it, even though he doesn’t even know the kid. It’s some random somatic kid, not Ruka or Youichi or even Mikan, and yet he goes out of his way to do something truly selfless so that the kid can perform what he’s practiced. Natsume is kind in quiet ways, and not just with the people he cares about. Like with Anna, Natsume puts the needs of someone he isn’t close to in front of his own reputation.

Now, Natsume is in a horrible mood, embarrassed to be seen in the costume, and Ruka is confused why he’d even bother, until he sees the smile on the little kid and everything snaps into place for him. Mikan is a very intuitive and emotional girl who can sense things about all sorts of people, but when it comes to Natsume, nobody knows him better than Ruka, who can tell right away the motives for any of his actions.

I work at a restaurant and kids Natsume's age will be like, "I don't want a kids' menu" and act all grown up and then see how big the adult portions are, so they end up eating the Cub Pancake anyway LMAO. Do you want extra whipped cream and chocolate chips, Natsume?

Onto the actual NatsuMikan portion of this analysis, at long last, Mikan is overjoyed to see how adorable he is in his costume and she is the only one who won’t hold back from saying so because she’s not scared of him. I’ve seen someone complaining that Natsume says “Don’t call men cute,” but I always found that line funny because Natsume is a literal ten-year-old boy… He is not a man at all. It’s the sort of thing you’d expect a kid to say, especially one who wants to be a grown-up as soon as possible, which makes the line endearing to me, but that’s my personal feelings about it. (Like the above caption, I find it very amusing when little kids pretend they're all grown up.)

Anyway, Natsume is as much an idiot as he is in the anime, volunteering Mikan to be the prince, even using one of his three wishes to make it happen. This is all motivated by his feelings of humiliation, and he’s taking it out on her, arguing that he doesn’t want to wear the outfit for no reason so the show has to go on no matter the cost--but this will bite him in the ass sooner rather than later.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The chapter begins and Mikan is very nervous about playing the prince, particularly about looking the part as she is very uncomfortable with her hair down.

This is actually the first time we see Natsume’s feelings about it, but he’ll only make it more clear in about ten more chapters. Here, Mikan wonders if she should put her hair back up and Natsume snaps, “No!” before walking away in a huff. It’s a small scene, and it’s even told through tiny text, but it’s enough to let any reader paying attention know that Natsume also thinks Mikan looks cute with her hair down. Yes, he’s embarrassed to have said anything, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t say it.

Don't worry about him, he's just in a bad mood.

Natsume mainly observes, and nothing noteworthy happens. He eventually goes and gives his line and his aura alone is threatening enough to discourage anyone from laughing or “aww”ing.

The next important moment is when Mikan sees the stage direction to kiss the princess directly on the lips. Narumi says it’s because he’s trying to make up for the loss of sizzle due to the accident, but knowing him, there’s probably more to it. Naru likes stirring the pot and causing drama, although I can hardly tell what his motives are half the time. Truly, I believe he is the most mysterious character in the whole story.

Natsume does not allow this to happen, so he throws something at Mikan’s head--some random box thing--and Hotaru shuts off the lights.

Natsume does something kind of selfish here. He didn’t want them to kiss, so he stopped it. The fact that he grabbed the first thing he saw meant it was a sudden choice to chuck it. I wonder if he had any intentions of just toughing it out and dealing with it, but eventually jealousy won out and he did the selfish thing.

When I say selfish, I don’t mean “bad”. I just mean that for once Natsume is acting based on what he wants, rather than what will make somebody else happy. When it comes to this kid in particular, I actually want him to do selfish things more often, because he very rarely does. He’s been selfless and heroic enough for one day, having saved a kid from getting injured and then wearing that embarrassing costume. He’s allowed to have done this one thing for selfish reasons.

It’s not like it was a bad thing to do either. It would have only benefited Narumi, and possibly the somatic class to have a spicy musical kiss, but it wouldn’t have been good for Ruka or Mikan. Having their first kiss under such conditions, especially when Mikan was just doing the class a favor by acting in the play to begin with, would have been sad. Natsume essentially saved her from the consequences of his own actions, because it would have been his fault if they’d had no choice but to go through with it.

Moreover, like I said earlier, Ruka can simply tell what Natsume’s motives are from a single look. It’s more obvious in the anime, of course, but I still think manga!Ruka is aware that Natsume intervened. He knows Natsume better than anybody, and he’s too smart to think that box came out of nowhere.

This is just the beginning of a long-standing tension between them, one that they will dance around and pretend isn’t happening for quite a while before actually addressing it properly. For now, they have undiscussed feelings and jealousies that will go unchecked and unresolved for some time, building an even deeper divide between them. After all, Natsume and Ruka have enough of a gap on account of Natsume’s missions and his general feelings of not being able to fit in with anybody. This only broadens the gap.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The dance will be very fun to analyze from Mikan’s perspective, but we’re not nearly finished with Natsume’s, so that will have to wait.

For now, we’ll discuss Natsume’s softening, which Permy points out bitterly on account of being surrounded by closet fans. Previously, she says, they were terrified of him, and why wouldn’t they be? We talked ad nauseam about Natsume’s first thirteen chapters of misery and coldness. He was a scary and unkind guy, definitely unapproachable. Even his admirers in Class B were scared of him, equal parts affection and terror. In a very short time, Natsume has softened and it’s obvious. He even dressed as a cat for the somatic musical! His reputation for being cold and dangerous is softening and the girls who used to fear him are now flocking to him to ask if he’s willing to accept their last dance proposals.

But with all this talk about romance and dancing, Mikan feels left out and can’t relate. Her frustrations only grow when some girls start gossiping about her and she ends up taking it out on Natsume, saying she would never ever wanna dance with Natsume for the last dance. He brushes this off, but he still pouts, obviously affected and a little hurt. Their relationship was on the rise, after all. They were starting to hang out more and were bickering often, something Natsume doesn’t make a habit of doing with most people. But just because Natsume is feeling more fondness for her, that doesn't mean she feels the same way.

He expects this in some way, of course, because it's partially his intention. He expects that she would only tolerate him after everything that happened with them, but that doesn't mean he likes the feeling of rejection.

They're so cute when they pout!

Having a crush is bad enough, but hearing that girl shout that she’d never wanna go out with you is even harder, even if you were maybe purposefully making her angry with you to try and protect her. It would be a tough emotion to bear, especially for a kid unversed in romance. He proceeds to be just as huffy as her.

And as twisted as it is, I’m happy for him.

Natsume was cold and mean and difficult to talk to before he fell for Mikan. Now he’s way more approachable and expressive, willing on occasion to show an emotion that isn’t rage, like hurt or grumpiness or amusement. He can now sit at his desk and pout, something he wasn’t doing before, like a kid throwing a fit.

At the actual dance, Natsume is still hurt, still pouting. It doesn’t help that Mikan glares at him upon spotting him. It’s interesting to see how much this affects him. One girl said something harsh in the heat of the moment and he is taking it so personally. Of course, he gets hurt or angered by many things. Upperclassmen bully him and call him a murderer and he simply uses his alice on them to shut them up. He keeps his face straight, moves on, and forgets it. Naturally, the hurt and resentment sit there in his gut to torment him, because he’s a kid and they’re awful things for anyone to hear, but he’s not acting like that here. Here, he’s grumpy and pouty. His feelings are hurt but they don’t come with urges to punish like being called a murderer does.

And it’s obvious he has no genuine hard feelings because Natsume then shoves Ruka onto Mikan, since Ruka was being transparent about his gaze. He goes on to dance with someone else, anyone else, because Mikan made it clear that she too would rather dance with anyone else, just as long as it wasn’t him. He’s clearly still in a bad mood, though.

He's so used to not getting what he wants that he will do all of Ruka's work for him, so that Ruka can get what he wants.

Later, when Mikan and Natsume are singletons in the middle of the dance floor, they notice each other. Here would be a perfect opportunity to dance, but she made it clear she hated the idea, and he’s not about to embarrass himself to ask. Hence, he huffs again, pouting because there’s no way he’ll ask her to dance once she’s said such harsh things. They stand in silence for just a moment, until he finds some other girl to dance with and leaves Mikan all alone.

They’re both grumpy over the way they’re being treated by the other. Natsume is being immature and petty with his feelings, almost childish (heehee it's all I want for him!). With all the dark and depressing divide between Mikan’s academy life of fun and laughs and Natsume’s life of secret missions and physical abuse, he’s somehow found a way to wedge himself into hers. He’s taking something so minor so seriously. He’s been on the front lines, used his alice to hurt enemies and been hurt by enemies and dangerous ability types alike. He is literally dying and he’s aware of it! But he’s still pouting because the girl he likes was a little mean to him.

But the dance with the girl obviously wasn’t much fun, because Mikan quickly finds him again, away from the party, along a secluded path by some trees. He’s in a pouty mood and obviously needs some time alone with his thoughts.

It shows that he’s done some thinking because he doesn’t even mention her angry words from earlier.

Instead, he just calls the whole festival stupid.

We’re reminded here of a scene from way before they liked each other, when the festival was first announced. Then, she also found him playing with a dog, all on his own, using anger to mask his feelings of hurt. He said the same thing back then, that the whole thing was stupid and it was dumb to get all worked up about it. He’s doing it again now, but it’s a little different this time. Their relationship has changed, improved. They actually care about each other now, and although Natsume starts off just talking through his anger, he eventually turns honest.

The truth is that these periods of childishness will always have to end. It’s just an extended version of the dodgeball game. No matter how much emotion he puts into these experiences, they will be overshadowed by his real life. Now matter how much fun he has, he will always have to stop smiling and go kill himself on Persona’s orders. And even more honestly, the more fun he has, the harder it will be on the people he has fun with. It’s not enough for the ESP and Persona that Natsume completes his missions and does all his work; they find pleasure and relief in his constant misery. The second he cares about something, they use it against him. His joy is never meant to last and will always have consequences for the people he loves.

I hate tumblr's 10 image limit. I hate it. I despise it. I abhor it. I cannot come up with a caption. So instead I'll say again. I hate the 10 image limit.

And so he explains, for once, that he’s simply different from everyone else. The festival is something that doesn’t belong to him. He’s merely been an observer this whole time. He’s never actually been a part of it. And then he tells her that she should stay in the light, stay out of the dark. He calls her naive, but it’s not as much an insult as it used to be.

She is childish and loud and optimistic and annoying and a little sweet and even though he hated all these things about her before, he now realizes that these traits are things to be protected. The more she mingles with him, the darker her life will be. After all, her light is not the only thing that’s contagious: his darkness rubs off on people too, and in his mind it will only hurt her to be involved with him. She should stay in the light--in the shiny, sparkly side of the manga, where everyone is concerned with sports and coming up with ideas for the festival--and keep out of the dark--where there’s murder and blackmail and danger and death. It’s bad enough he can’t keep Youichi or Ruka out of it: Youichi is already in the DA class and Ruka came running after him. He can’t distance himself from them. The most he can do is protect them and raise their star ranks or keep them off of dangerous missions. But with Mikan he has a chance to really protect her, prevent her from being used against him at all. Ideally, she’ll stay away and he won’t need to worry about her as much.

And he wants her to be safe and gone, so when she asks what he means, he changes tactics and decides to be rude and mean instead, telling her to get lost and insulting her. She gets angry and it almost seems like it’ll be another bickering match, where they will both be childish and hurl insults at each other, but he doesn’t take that path.

She is complaining about how he doesn’t seem to know that she has a name, thank you very much--and then he calls her Mikan. He concedes to her demands. He does what he perceives to be the mature, adult thing, ending the argument so she will leave for good. When she has nothing left to argue about, she will have no choice but to walk away, and she does, once he makes it clear that his last command is for her to stop complaining about what he calls her.

Natsume chooses to do the selfless thing again, and gives up the first thing in a long time that made him happy. He barely had any time with her at all, but he lets her go, because she can only continue to be sunny and cheerful away from him. He’s giving up before anyone can tell that something was around for him to give up.

He has no idea how much one word has affected her.

Conclusion

Natsume is a selfless kid. He gives up on what he wants very easily, but especially because he knows that the second he gets what he wants, those things could be destroyed, just by association with him. He just wants the people he loves to be happy, even if it means he could never be.

In the next segment, we'll talk about what Natsume is willing to do to protect Mikan, even if it means being cruel and hurting her. NatsuMikan is the living embodiment of the "break her heart to save her" trope, and I very much adore that trope with my whole heart, so we're going to be having a LOT of fun with the next essay!

Also, disclaimer: I'm not smart. I refuse to take responsibility for any mistakes I make in these essays. There also are no mistakes. I've never misspelled a word in my life.

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