#otherwise you can suffer and i won't give a fuck

[kay-oh-al-tea-sea]

I will make sure your fandom experience is discourse and free of the risk of being mocked because everyone deserves to have an enjoyable fandom experience

but if you don't enjoy the kind of ships and headcannons i like you can get trampled by a 1000 horses and i wouldn't care

[mythica-ithaca]

the fact that I see some of y'all posting more about how important it is to vote for Biden than you ever have about Palestine just shows that you fucking "vote blue no matter who" people genuinely don't give a fuck about anyone but yourselves.

you only choose to speak up when YOUR hypothetical rights are threatened. you love to fear monger about how much hypothetically worse it would be under trump than acknowledge the actual atrocities that Biden is committing and condoning every single day. how exactly is he the "lesser" of two evils for?

do any of you actually look at the images coming out of gaza, or are you too fucking ~triggered~ to fully acknowledge other peoples suffering rather than your own. have you seen the video that came out recently of the little boy whose brain is exposed, about to be laid next to his dead family members, only to twitch and seize in his fathers arms as he screams and runs in horror to find a doctor, because his son is alive. his brain is literally falling out of his skull but he is still alive. that is one brief example of the most horrific shit you've ever seen in your life coming out daily for almost a year. how on this earth can you watch that and possibly claim that Biden is in any way shape or form "less" evil.

instead of demanding that the dnc force a different candidate, you're trying to guilt trip people who have actually seen the mutilated bodies of children on their timelines every single day and watched the press briefings of bidens administration denying genocide and defending Israel at the expense of literally everything else for the last 8 months, into voting for a man who supports it 100% and has not and will not be convinced otherwise.

this is where allowing them to push widely unpopular and centrist candidates has gotten us. it didn't work with Hillary in 2016. it BARELY worked in 2020. and hate to break it to you, but its probably not going to work again. so congrats. your "vote blue no matter who" rhetoric has got them thinking that they can push the most right leaning liberals on us and think that we'll vote for them just because they're in a blue tie instead of a red one.

if you care about democracy like you say you do, then the Democrats should be fucking TERRIFIED that you won't vote for them if they don't deliver. not constantly reassured that they can commit literal fucking genocide and still get your votes if they dangle abortion rights over your heads. you realize they see those posts too right? the ones that say "Yes! protest vote in the primary but make sure to actually vote for the guy in the general!!" like. you are literally telling them how performative your activism is.

if every election at this point is the one where democracy is on the line then we are already fucked. if they don't get it through their heads now that we will not support this shit, then every election to come will be between a fascist and a fascist who cares slightly less about whether gay people get married or not. but that's all you care about right? as long as your domestic policy is in your favor then the rest of the world can suffer at your tax dollars.

this isn't about morality voting. this is about recognizing that there is not actually a "lesser" of two evils in this situation, just because you think that the causes that you personally care about will be less affected one way or the other. because what if it was abortion rights? what catholic Joe Biden was firmly against abortion and was threatening to ban it completely and throw anyone getting or giving one in prison for murder. what if it was videos of lgbt people being slaughtered coming out every single day for a year. genuinely fucking ask yourself if you'd still be saying "vote blue no matter who" and that he's the "lesser" of two evils.

vote for whoever the fuck you want. and I do genuinely urge you to vote for the most progressive candidate you can for the house and senate and your local elections. but for the love of god, stop trying to convince people that there is, in any sense of the word, a "Lesser" evil in this situation. stop trying to absolve yourselves of the fact that you are CHOOSING evil. it's genuinely sick.

[distort-opia]

What kind of non lethal crimes do you think Joker would pivot to in a relationship with Bruce? I'm thinking about your REMS characterization. Also thinking about a line from Joker in the last chapter, about not throwing his career down the shitter and killing to defend himself. What would a career look like for him being with Bruce? Surely he would still be incredibly silly about them, with varying levels of violence that *just* teeters the edge. Love your work!

Glad you like my work, thank you! Hmm, what I had in mind when writing that in REMS (or for a sequel) was Joker's penchant for... well, breaking people and exposing hypocrisy, but minus the murder. With his love of drama and performance sprinkled on top, of course; as you say, he'd never stop being silly.

He usually kills indiscriminately, yes, because he considers himself as just playing into the cruel meaninglessness of the world. But the reason why Joker fixated on Batman, and why his M.O. includes using a gas that basically forces people to see the world like he does right before they die, is Joker's need to prove a point. He wants people to admit that there's no order to life and that tragedy can strike at any time; he wants Gotham to realize how arbitrary rules are, and Batman happens to be the perfect embodiment of that.

So I think that a Joker who won't murder anymore would basically create situations in which people's darkest sides are exposed, to various degrees of seriousness and violence. And not only that-- he would do things that would expose the ridiculousness and heinousness of the world people live in. Capitalism and its self-cannibalizing focus on profit, the skewed interests of the government, the suffering of the poor... Joker's already done this sort of thing, it's not much of a stretch. For example, seeing how many people we're being hurt as a result of superhero fights, one time Joker promised to pay the medical bills of each Gothamite that posted a video on the DC equivalent of Facebook... but only if they shouted the word "Balyushka" and then did something ridiculous to make him laugh:

Batman: Gotham Nights #6 ("Balyushka!")

And he keeps his word! But of course, this creates utter chaos, because people are doing fucking crazy shit to get that money. And the thing is, he doesn't do this just for funsies. He has a point, and Bruce can't help but admit it:

Batman: Gotham Nights #6 ("Balyushka!")

Joker exposed the problems that Batman could not tackle with fists, and then Bruce listened. He actually used his money and influence to help.

Ironically, again, it's not the first time Joker did something that made Bruce go "Hmm, maybe I should look into the systemic corruption":

Batman: Gotham Nights #4 ("The Dragnet")

I won't go into too much detail, but Joker paid Harleen Quinzell's tuition without much prompting, he went and helped (in his own way) a child who wrote to him and was clearly being abused... it's about the cases he can empathize with. And they're all connected to his own life-ruining trauma. Red Hood fell into the vat most of all because of poverty. Because he had no choice except to turn to crime-- otherwise him and his family would not have had food to put on the table. So of course he hates the society he lives in, one that had no safety nets or mercy for people like him who were drowning.

This is a very long-winded way to say that I imagine a non-lethal Joker being a mix of this and... stupid ass pranks on a massive scale, because let's be honest, he wouldn't give them up. He just wouldn't kill people at the end (because it'd make his boyfriend sad).

fanfic writer ask game - director's commentary

[comphetkoncass]

little fic about tim's love language being contingency plans

////

The thing is, Tim has a way of attacking Kon’s problems like a puzzle. Like a riddle, waiting to be solved. 

Tim’s plans also don’t involve much feeling, usually, even if the issue is purely an emotional one. While Tim is decent at listening and empathizing, at a certain point he always gets his Robin face on. A signal that, while he’s still certainly listening, there’s a chemical reaction in his brain, completely out of his control, that activates his detective skills. His problem-solving skills. 

It has taken Kon a combined two lifetimes, four years, five collective identities, and two–maybe three?–timelines, but Kon has finally gotten Tim to at least ask before starting to strategize. But lately, Tim has undergone some personal growth, and Kon is starting to wonder if, perhaps, he has learned to not even ask. To instead, politely wait for a signal – a sign, an invitation, even– that said advice is actually wanted. 

Kon would like to take the credit for training him, he really would. But he has a feeling he’s only one of many factors. 

Today, Kon is sitting face-down on Tim’s bed. Krypto sits on top of Kon’s back, the world’s most powerful emotional support dog pinning him in place. Preventing him, more like, from leaving before he's gotten all his complicated, messy, unwanted feelings out. Also preventing him from looking up at his boyfriend before Kon is done feelings-dumping, because otherwise Kon just won't finish talking, and it will go unsaid.

So Kon can’t see it; he can't see the detective face for himself. Can’t verify, for sure, absolutely, 100%, that TIm’s detective face is on. 

But he knows it’s there. 

He’s just spent half an hour talking about his latest identity crisis. Of course Tim’s detective face is on. It’s probably been on since minute two. 

However, Tim is also running his fingers through Kon’s hair, and making the occasional appropriate comment, always generous and rational and kind, always active listening, and– listen, Kon isn’t immune to the soft victim support voice. He’s definitely not immune to the Robin leader voice, but the softer, empathetic, gentle one Tim uses with people who need help? And when it bleeds in so subtly into his regular speaking voice that it’s not immediately obvious that’s where he pulling it from? 

Incredible. Show-stopping. Kon could listen to it all day, if he wasn’t the one monopolizing the conversation by info-dumping all his problems. 

Finally though, he finishes the garbled, soft, self-deprecating speech about how he’ll never be completely free of Lex’s braingook (yes, that is the scientific name for it, thank-you-very-much) and how that means he’s always going to have a chip on his shoulder until Lex dies and even then Kon’s going to have to worry about some secret chip in his brain that transfers Lex’s consciousness to his or what-the-fuck-ever. 

He can hear the comment Tim wants to make. The unspoken, soft little, 'You know, we could probably test you for that... A chip would definitely show up on an MRI...'

Instead, Tim only pauses the briefest, softest moment. “...That must be really stressful for you, worrying about that.” 

Kon looks up, just a little. Sees Tim’s best poker face. 

Then sighs, and bids the victim comfort voice goodbye. “Okay, I give in,” he says, and moves to cross his arms in Tim’s lap instead. Krypto lets out an annoyed little huff at being jostled from Kon's back, but he soon hops off Kon’s back and moves to lay at his side instead. Kon rubs him behind the ears, Krypto butts his head against his hand, and all is well again. “C’mon, out with it.”

“Hm? Out with what?” Tim asks, still in the same plaintive tone. “What do you mean?” 

“Relax, you can stop the sympathy. I know you want to start strategizing how to solve all my problems,” Kon says, and leans up in what he hopes is a very kissable position, because he really wants one. “You’ve suffered enough, I know you’ve already thought through eighteen different plans.” 

Tim lets out a shuddering breath, immediately sagging his shoulders. “Thank you,” he says, sounding exhausted. Distracted, and clearly already thinking of how to phrase his plans, he meets Kon halfway for a kiss. It's even a proper kiss, soft and sweet, and it really does make Kon feel better. Then, to his surprise, Tim also presses a more tender one just between his brows. “I really do empathize, though. Just so you know. This isn’t me not empathizing. But I mean, if you're giving me explicit permission it's not like I haven't been starting to think about how we could test for these and help you stop worrying about them-” 

Kon shakes his head, fond and sweet. “I know. Your love language is solving people’s problems for them, I've accepted this about you."

Tim looks the tiniest bit offended. "I- that's not a love language."

"It is for you," Kon says. Then, he grins, looking up at his boyfriend through his lashes. "So come on. If it's your love language... Show me you love me.” 

Tim’s cheeks bloom red. But he smiles instead of shying away, then runs his fingers through Kon’s hair again, gentle and sweet. “Get comfortable then, because I’ve got a lot of- love to show. To finish the metaphor, I mean. There’s only five so far, but number three is kind of complicated, you're going to want to take notes, but I could summarize it again for you afterwards, when you're less cozy-”

Yeah, Kon thinks. There’s no denying how much Tim loves him. He might be a strategist at heart, but Tim also wouldn’t make immediate contingency plans for just anyone, either. 

Kon curls up on Tim’s lap soon after, with Krypto snuggled up onto his chest. As long as Tim keeps stroking his hair, Kon doesn’t mind the clinical approach to his problems. It’s nice to have a boyfriend who can both meet him where he’s at, and say what he really feels. Even nicer, he thinks, to know that it’s all coming from a place of genuine affection. 

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

When answering asks I mentioned several times that while I agree that Aegon's character arc is the best one this season (among the Greens and overall), I still don't like it. No one really asked but I decided to put it out there anyway - because he is my second favourite character of the book/show combo.

When I think about Aegon in season 2, this bit from the trailer comes to mind:

If we are to take Aegon more or less as a separate character (which is not so easy as no character can/should exist in a vacuum), his storyline has been quite decent (the effort to be a good ruler despite the lack of actual preparation, the obvious love and care towards Jaehaerys and heart-wrenching reaction to his murder, the failed attempt to prove himself at Rook's Rest - and now the signs pointing to him becoming a new man after what happened, more cunning and harsh). Besides, Tom has been given quite a few really good moments where he could show, truly and without being restrained, just how talented he is (it was the least HotD owed him after the treatment he got because of the shitty writing for the previous season). And even with that, I am still far from being convinced that the writers won't fumble it all in season 3 (just look what they did to Aemond this season after him getting IMO the most compelling and consistent beginning of the character arc in season 1).

But if we look at Aegon in connection with other characters? I am not merely disappointed, I am fucking furious, actually.

He's the character who suffered the most this season (feels like suffering takes up 90% of his screentime) - and this is understandable given what he's been going through. But how does the show present us this suffering? More precisely, who is presented as being responsible for it?

The first big blow dealt to Aegon was the murder of Jaehaerys. And which characters are actually shown to be the cause of Aegon's anguish?

Not Rhaenyra - she was as clueless as poor murdered boy himself. Not Mysaria - her opressed self "just provided the names" to Daemon. Daemon is the closest to it, but even here we were treated to this "ambiguity" bullshit about him supposedly not giving clear instructions to Blood and Cheese - and apparently he deeply regrets his actions. Boo-hoo, poor baby (I am not even a Daemon hater, actually, but the "he is just a tormented soul" thing he has going on this season has gone too far). The audience can't even properly hate the murderers themselves because of the shallow and cartoonish way the whole event was handled on screen.

But we get to see how Otto turns the horrible murder of an innocent child into a propo show - and Alicent sides with him (both are shown to disregard Aegon's feelings on the matter). Criston is presented as the one who neglected his duties and in doing so facilitated the heir's murder (and later he tries to shift the blame to Arryk which eventually gets the latter killed while fighting his own twin brother). Aemond doesn't gaf about his nephew's death (or the way it affected anyone in his family, specifically Aegon) for which he is partially to blame. And later Aegon gets a parting gift from Otto in the form of "you are a useless piece of junk - and a naive one for even daring to believe otherwise" - and Alicent's inability to console him when he needs it most.

Things only get worse from here. The Blacks are doing their thing on Dragostone (in Daemon's case - at Harrenhal) while Aegon keeps being abused, neglected and terrorized by those closest to him. His council members (including his mother and brother) do not respect him, Alicent flat out tells him he is useless in the most hurtful way possible (comparing him to Viserys who, as Aegon learned, didn't deem him worthy either after all). Oh, and by the way Viserys' neglect towards his children - Aegon in particular, in this case - is now completely taken out of the equation. Instead Viserys is presented as almost a godlike figure, someone to be worshipped and as infallible as the Pope.

And then, as the cherry on top of the cake, Aegon and his beloved dragon get horribly injured, almost killed by Aemond who Aegon trusted despite everything (Rhaenys' part in Aegon being hurt is minimal). And even after that Aemond proceeds to torment his bedridden brother, physically and mentally (I am aware there are supposed layers to it but I really doubt a lot of viewers gave that scene a second thought), so the former could remain in power; Alicent experiences remorse in all the wrong moments (and then proceeds to tell Gwayne how she is disappointed in both of the sons she actually knows and seems to redirect her hopes towards the one she doesn't). The only person who actually seems to care about Aegon is, surprise, Larys Strong, a reigning Kinslayer Supreme who actually murdered his father and elder brother while playing the game of thrones (and there is a BIG question whether Larys would give a single fuck about Aegon and his condition if he had been granted promotion by Aemond). While it's nice that the indisposed king has at least someone on his side, it's really fucked up that out of everyone else around him it had to be precisely Larys, whose loyalty is very much conditional.

To sum it all up, the writers gave Aegon an extreme amount of suffering (in accordance with his story in F&B and even more), clearly aiming to make the audience pity him as much as possible - and in a dirty and lazy writing move weaponized this pity against other TG characters (it's not clear for now whether it worked to the degree they expected for GA - but for the fandom it certainly did). Meanwhile TB is whitewashed once again. Now it's understandable where all this "they all hate each other" promo jokes (that turned out not to be jokes after all) made by TB actors came from.

In conclusion, I despise the way Aegon's suffering is being used in the narrative, and it takes a really big chunk out of the positive feelings I have about Aegon's arc in general. The F&B Greens, while being flawed individuals and not the most well-functioning family, were loyal to and cared for each other. HotD destroyed the majority of inter-Green relationships, and I am really, REALLY not here for it.

[cosmal]

✪ — sender  [ applies / touches up ]  receiver’s  makeup with sirius!!! because he definitely wears eyeliner and no one can convince me otherwise

scorched

summary — sirius does your eyeliner. and then some.

content — sirius black x fem!afab!reader

You're brushing your teeth in Sirius's bathroom when he bursts through the door. You freeze with the brush in your mouth and selfishly look at him in the reflection of the mirror.

Leather jacket, a white button-up that's split open halfway, tatted jeans and so much jewellery you think he's giving Pandora a run for her money. It sparkles in his nose and dangles from his ears. So bright that it illuminates a fire in the pit of your stomach.

"There you are," he says and spins you around until your back is pressed up against the basin. Your shirt rides up until the cold ceramic touches your skin. You shiver because it's cold, or maybe because Sirius has his hand on your hip, but you won't admit to anything.

You keep the toothbrush in your mouth and don't say a word. Your blinking turns heavy.

"Hop up," he smiles, squeezing at your hip because he's selfish.

"What?" you laugh, voice thick through plastic and foaming toothpaste.

"Hop up on the sink, darling," he says again. He shoves a pencil through his teeth and pulls the plastic lid off, spitting it gently into the sink. "I wanna do your eyeliner."

"Right," you say breathlessly. You jump up onto the bench, mainly because he's told you to, not because your makeup needs a touch-up, and don't miss the way he stables you with a hand on your back.

"Perfect," he says it to you, not because you've done what he's asked. "Do you need to?" He motions to your mouth.

"What?" you stutter.

"Spit, baby."

"Yeah- yeah right." You lean over to the side and spit into the sink, trying not to think about how silly you feel. You sit back and feel a tad dizzy instead.

He licks the pad of his thumb and says, "You've got a bit..." wiping a smudge of toothpaste from the corner of your mouth. Smearing it on your bare thigh.

Tapping your leg, then. he says, "Spread 'em, lovely."

"Sirius..." you sigh, wishing you could wash yourself down the drain with your spit.

"Sorry," he chuckles, "Sorry, just need to reach you, yeah?"

You spread your legs, tucking your skirt between them so he can shuffle forward. You don't expect it, but his fingers are cold where he holds your cheek to angle your head up to the light.

You hold your breath and try not to think about how close he is. How focused he looks as he begins to draw under your eye. Where his tongue peeks through his glossy lips.

"You're being very quiet," he says absentmindedly, focusing on the task at hand. Which happens to be you. "You okay?"

"Yeah," you sigh, relaxing your shoulders. You've forgotten for a moment that it's just Sirius. Lovely, kind Sirius. He's always so nice to you and you're having a fit. "Tired."

He stops and pulls back. The pencil hovers over your face. You focus on the smudge of black around the wood instead of the fact that he's staring at your whole face now. "You still wanna go out?"

"Yeah," you tell him. "Yeah, definitely. I just need some tequila I think."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, Siri." You want to kiss his cheek.

"Okay, good." He starts with the other eye now and you freeze up again. Only for a moment. His hands are warm now. You're putty underneath him.

"Thank you, though."

He finishes up his work, smacking a kiss to your warming cheek, pulling up grinning proudly. "Fuck," he murmurs to himself.

Blinking, you smile back. "Look good?"

"Have a look in the mirror."

"No, I wanna know if you think it looks good." You're not sure where the sudden burst of confidence has come from. Probably from how drunk you are on him. Your scorched skin a reminder of how he'd held you moments ago.

"Yeah." He nods quickly. "Yeah, you look- fuck I need to kiss you. Can I kiss you?"

"You've never been one to ask, Black."

He lets out a long-suffering groan before he's diving in. There's a heat behind his lips that his fingers lack. Still, your skin ignites where he's got a hand on the chub of your thigh, bunching your skirt up under cruel fingers. Your face on fire where he holds you close.

Slipping lips and clashing teeth is all the kiss is really made up of. Still, he kisses you like you're fading away. Like he's running out of time. "Sirius," you pant. "Sirius, please."

He pulls back like you've slapped him in the face. "What?"

"Couldn't breathe," you say, lips wet and smudged. Sirius doesn't have it in him to feel bad at all.

He leans forward and tucks his face in your neck. You think he might kiss you some more but he starts to chuckle. All hearty and fond. "Christ," he pants. "I think I just passed away."

"Yeah?" you laugh too, tucking your hands in his hair, tugging gently. "Yeah, what's heaven like?"

"Fucking," he pants, "Fucking brilliant."

[mifeng-xiaojie]

So I've recently seen the take that when WWX hits JL it's totally different and fine because it's "playful", it didn't even hurt, and he praised JL afterward! To me, this is like saying that it's totally fine to shove someone who suffers from hydrophobia into the pool if you're just playing and you praise them for not drowning afterward. If JL was actually a victim of long term CA like antis love to claim, then he will have trauma around being hit. Regardless of it hurts or not, the act itself would be triggering. Playful or not, in this situation, the only ones who found it funny were WWX and the waitress that witnessed it. Which brings me right back around to the fact that there has always been witnesses whenever JC does hit JL, just like there was a waitress there when WWX hit him. So all of these people are witnessing abuse, but not saying anything, or in the case of the waitress, laughing?

WWX was there for at least 2 of the times that JC hit JL. So he can outright attack JC for disrespecting LWJ, but he won't say anything at all or try to defend JL when he sees JC allegedly abusing him? Even if he wasn't present for those times, with the rumor mill that runs rampant in their society, if JL was actually being abused, people would talk about it. He'd hear of it eventually. Yet, he at no point confronts JC about it or even asks JL if he's ok or otherwise shows any concern for him.

At least in my arguments, I try to give the out of accepting that in the time and cultural setting, no one views JC's discipline method as abuse. That it's normal to them. But antis keep insisting on arguing that JL is being horribly and traumatically abused, and the more they continue with it, the worse it makes WWX look and the worse it makes THEM look. I'll reiterate. You should not be hitting someone you know is a victim of abuse, playful or otherwise. And WWX definitely knows that JC has hit his nephew. It's just apparently not an immediate concern like going off to fuck in a bush somewhere is, right?

The sad thing is, while most JC stans and antis won't agree on whether or not JC's treatment of JL is abuse, we can at least agree on one thing. Grown ass men need to keep their hands and their creepy ass silencing spells to themselves and off of teenagers.

[oh-no-its-bird]

reading ur fic one step three steps rn and I don't usually read oc-insert fics but ichigo is SUCH a menace I love her to death... and the idea of this feral, unchecked little kid being put in kakashi's care is so good. he's gonna suffer so much but it'll be good for him I think 👍 anyway I can't help but wonder how things would go down with the whole. obito thing. because I can't help making everything about my favorite insane guy. do you think they'd bond over their love for making kakashi suffer. do you think they'd bond over their shared affinity for chaos. I don't know I just!! think they have so much potential as a duo ANYWAY sorry for rambling have a nice day

DJFBDKDJDJS IM SO GLAD YOU LIKE HER???

I'm also kind of in the boat of not especially liking or reading oc centered fics, I think making Ichigo was a bit easier for me than it would have been otherwise bc I really went into it treating her like a plot divice. Still am tbh. I love Ichigo but the story isn't there for her, it's there bc of her. I needed someone to stir shit up and bring up some very specific topics and issues, so she became that. And I fell a little in love with her character along the way

Inevitable tbh, it's probably impossible to write a character that much without finding or molding them into something you can like writing

Kakashi absoloutley deserves to be harassed by tiny children, and now he can't escape bc Ichigo is in his fucking house!! She's gonna bring back more (even tinier) children to harass him, starting with Naruto. He will never know peace.

ITS FUNNY YOU MENTION OBITO BC I ACTUALLY HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN SOME STUFF FOR HIM IN THE FUTURE WHENEVER HES INTRODUCED!!

I have so many notes and plans laid out for One Step Three Steps u don't even know

Anyways spoilers for the eventually Obito introduction in the fic, take a snippet for his introduction (it's liable to change tho, we won't be seeing Obito for a while in the fic)

"I . . . am Madara Uchiha."

Ichigo opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

Finally, in her flattest voice, she went, "No you're not."

The imposter paused, then shook his head and gave a sinister chuckle. It was a decent enough imitation but she'd seen Hashirama give a better Madara impression.

While drunk.

"I understand it's hard for you to believe, but the stories of my death were greatly exaggerated."

Ichigo aimed her best impression of Ojisan's unimpressed face at him. Lip curled in distaste and head tilted to stare down at him like he was a bug.

He twitched. It was a pretty good impression. (Better than his Madara one, anyways)

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"No. You're really not."

"Yes, I really am."

They stared at eachother, locked in stalemate, till she smirked.

"Ok sure, you're Madara-sama. What's my name then?"

"Um."

"Come on, Dara-chan," she batted her eyes at him innocently. "I'm sure you can remember."

He seemed to regain control of myself, straightening up and giving another echo of what might have been Madara's laugh. If he was a crazy cave hermit who'd decided to inject a gallon of cringe fail evil villain juice into his laughter, anyways.

"Come now, Ichigo, I know it's hard to believe but it really is me."

"Ha!" She shoved her hand towards him, pointing triumphantly. "My real name is Hatake Miko! I gave them a fake when I got here, and if you were the real Madara-sama you'd know that!"

"O-of course, Miko-chan, I was just testing you. I had to be sure you were the real Miko I remembered, after all."

"No, I lied I really am Ichigo." She deadpanned, giving him a little peace sign.

He staggered under some invisible weight, making a noise like a popped balloon.

"I don't usually kill children, but . . ." He mumbled to himself, and she scoffed.

"You don't even have his hair." She squinted at him, feeling insulted om Madara's behalf. "You're pretending to be Madara with hair like that? Have some standards.

[transmascaraa]

Heyyy, Nyx! Can I request HCs for a sick!reader? I am currently suffering with a cold and would love some comfort stuff.

Characters: (Genshin) Lyney, Gorou, (Danganronpa) Makoto, Shuichi, and Rantaro

Thank you so much, and have a great rest of your day!! Mwah! 💖/p

multiple characters headcannons!

a cold.

characters: gi · lyney, gorou — dgr · makoto, shuichi, rantaro

author's note: your cold is probably gone by this time and all😭 so sorry for the lack of posts i literally have no motivation for some reason💀 but anyways i hope you enjoy this either way^^

♡ Lyney

-will do EVERYTHING to help you.

-tea is a MUST.

-breakfast in bed is also something he told himself he HAS to do.

-in case of magic shows or missions from 'Father' while you're sick, he'll cancel them.

-you're his top 1 priority along with his siblings and he wants to show you how much you mean to him.

-migt act totally fine outside but his brain is a mess cuz of how worried he is for your health.

-he'll cure you from your sickness 100% so you can trust him(but reassure him not to worry too much)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

⑅ Gorou

-also gonna care for you like CRAZY

-"No working while they're sick." he told himself repeatedly.

-tea, of course.

-he'll bring the tea to your bed if it makes you feel better.

-same thing with breakfast. he wants you to feel better.

-not gonna let you leave your bed and doesn't give a fuck if you complain with 'puppy dog eyes' cuz he's just gonna leave the room

-will measure your temperature every day.

-he just wants it to pass asap.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✿ Makoto

-very similar to gorou, in fact.

-breakfast in bed with tea.

-cleaning everything for you.

-making you rest in bed until you're 100% as good as new.

-there's always tea. you've drank your morning tea and can't drink any more?

-don't worry, he's gonna always have hot water waiting in case you tell him you're thirsty

-no going out and if you want fresh air he'll have to be with you outside. FOR A SHORT TIME ONLY.

-otherwise he'll just open a window for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✧ Shuichi

-he'd be so worried but like won't show it AT ALL.

-NOT ONLY breakfast in bed, but also dinner and lunch.

-you ran out of candy/snacks? he's gonna go out and buy some of your favorites.

-everything you eat is with tea. whichever tea you like, he'll make it for you.

-no going out just to not make anybody else sick.

-you swear you've never known you had THAT MUCH tissue boxes in your house. but alright

-windows are almost always open for fresh air unless you feel cold.

-tucking you in AFTER you fall asleep because that's him for some reason.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✷ Rantaro

-a gentleman at heart.

-he's gonna drink tea WITH YOU in bed.

-he's gonna sit next to you while you eat breakfast(either in bed or not).

-will bring you whatever you need, like food, tea, blankets, pillows, etc.

-probably will spend your sick days with you in bed mostly.

-measuring your temperature whenever you look a bit tired, and kisses your cheek if you don't(if you do, he kisses your forehead)

-very trustworthy for stuff like this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

it's kinda good??

idk lmao

i hope you like it^^

| @run-dennys-is-on-fire | @mariaace <3 |

[streets-in-paradise]

Troy (2004) Preference: Their Types (Fem partner version)

Note: I'm doing separated versions because in a strongly gendered society like theirs, answers can be different depending if we are talking of fem or male partners.

Hector

-As a character, Hector keeps a heavy burden of tensions between his duties and his own wants.

-It's most likely he would try to keep his options restricted to nobility and royalty keeping an eye on the fact that he is expected to become the next king of Troy. Besides from a partner to love, he also has to search for a Queen in the woman meant to be with him.

-Of course, we are speaking here assuming on intentionality. He would always intend to fall for noblewomen, but there is also the posibility of him falling for a common girl or a servant. Only I particularly think Hector would abstain himself from following a forbbiden love.

-If he loves you, but you don't belong in his social circle, he would suffer in silence for prioritizing societal needs over his. That being said, you still get a tortured enamored prince looking at you from afar like you are the most precious, but unreachable thing.

-For as much as it's socially allowed to " have fun" with taken as lesser girls, Hector simply can't do that. The grey areas are not good enough for him, he doesn't seek clandestine relationships. You either become his wife or he suffers for the rest of his life.

-For so, in order to save himself the pain, is most likely he would try to keep his options restricted to what is allowed for him.

-Speaking of her personality, I think Hector would feel impressed with girls showing leadership skills. In modern days terms, the one taking the lead in a group project where no one is doing shit and saving it from disaster. In ancient times terms, the sister of the household saving her mother troubles. Pragmatical, realistic, with the ríght amount of sensitivity. A good listener, someone he can form a team with to face the issues the city brings him.

-In terms of looks, i think all I have to work with in a sort of " type" is curly haired brunettes, but because this is the default look of all the nobles in his territory. Otherwise, i think this man is pretty open in what comes to ranges of taste.

-Favorite body parts on her would be:

Hands: The very first part of her body he could show open affection for, kissing her knuckles in carefully crafted salutes of court romance.

Thighs - Legs: It's a part of her no one else gets to see. In public their form can only be guessed depending on the dress she wears, because hers would always have long skirts. Before they get together, Paris would surely tease him for catching him staring hoping to get a good image to aid his imagination. Once she is his wife and they are in the bedroom, she can expect trails of kisses going all the way up from her knees to her inner thighs (and deeper).

Paris

-He is the embodiment of what Backstreet Boys were saying in As Long As You Love Me.

-Doesn't give a fuck about backgrounds of any kind and when love strikes this tendency only gets stronger. Just say you love him back and he would go to the last concecuencies for you.

-In terms of personality, he would seek soft tempered girls. If she is not a dreamer yet, he would take the challenge of making her dream with him.

-Also, she has to have some source of societal non-comformity, because he himself is a rejector of traditional masculinity.

-Despite he may have tons of adventures with girls attracted to him, it's difficult for him to find actual love. Paris is a hard choice when it comes to marriage, given his ways are shamefull in a rigid patriarchal society.

-This has left him to believe that he is meant to be an eternal lover, but could never be a husband because women won't want a man like him as the one they are meant to marry.

-Reassure him, tell him that you are proud of loving him as who he is, and he will be forever yours.

-It is my personal headcanon that Paris loves girls who are smarter than him. ( Kinda backed up by movie canon, just look at how sensical Helen is compared to him.) He is often taken for a fool, so getting the attention of a bright person would make him feel very good.

-Paris is the golden boy of Aphrodite, so he is a worshipper of beauty. Often judged as shallow, yet I personally believe he is a "beauty is on the edge of the beholder" man simply because he is so romantic.

-Sure, he canonically fell for the prettiest woman in the world. Yet one has to ask: Do you think Queen Helen of Sparta would have fallen for a shallow jerk? In the movie at least, she was already married to a shallow jerk! Movie Helen was sick of her life BECAUSE of the shallow men arround her.

-For so, my precious boy movie Paris loves all kinds of beautifull girls.

-Favorite parts of his partner's body.

Eyes: First thing he noticed when he meet her and inmediately praised her for it in poetical sounding terms.

Chest - Neck: Judging by his one sexy scene on the film, i think he is a boobs man. ( The pure adoration in his face as he is looking at Helen get undressed oh-my-fucking-god.) Not subtle in his appreciation when she wears a cute necklace or shows a bit more of cleavage. In intimacy, from there is mind numbing neck caresses untill she would bless him with a sight of her naked chest.

Odysseus

-There is no subtle way to say this, but you have to be Penelope.

-If not her, at least share most of her core qualities.

-"gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss" women are his type.

-Just be Penelope, the man is so in love with her he was obsessed over decades with the thought of seeing her again. Even imagining an AU world were she isn't there, he would search for the woman resembling her the most.

Tags: @lovelybaka

[venomous-ragno]

As you may or may not have noticed, I am utterly, digustingly simping for Ghost-

So I wrote some absolutely not self indulgent sfw headcannons about him.

I take requests btw;)

Tags: CoD Ghost, Ghost x reader, gn!reader, Ghost headcannons, sfw, fluff w a pinch of angst

Warnings: Not proofread lol

Masterlist

Gif by @daniel-bruehl

• A thoroughly scarred man. Lots of tiny ones on his hands; hesitant to admit that those come from one too many knife games that he and his comrades used to do when freshly enlisted.

• Tends to brush his calloused thumbs across your face: Eyes, lips, cheekbones, he wants to emboss your features into his mind. Trust him, he won't forget no matter how far away he is.

• An emotional tank, that one, and just as penetrable. It takes him quite some time to grow comfortable with the topic of loved ones, be they family, friends or comrades. Even longer if you were to let him open up on his own; a little question here and there will help the screws come lose.

• Hesitant to teach you about fighting and guns (if you're not military already, that is). Ghost... Prefers you unaware of what happens out there. Unaware to the blood coating his hands, long dried and yet fresh all the same.

• Love is like fire to him. Keeps you warm, lights up even the darkest of nights, but will burn you if you're not careful. And sometimes, you can do everything right and still end up scarred.

• His 'no' is by far the biggest, most sturdy wall. Everyone in the 141 knows that, once his no comes, there's no chance convincing him otherwise. Ghost doesn't speak unless he's thought it through and stands by it. But you- the way you're searching for cracks in that wall to sneak through. You. The way your lips move, hand on his chest. The way you pout, bat your pretty little lashes at him. Fuck-

• Ghost is hesitant to admit you're his weakness. Strange to see the LT like so when he's used to clear cut commands and statements. You've got him at a checkmate. An impasse. Ghost knows how utterly powerless he is, worse even that you didn't even do anything to begin with - you didn't flirt with him, vie for him like others had in the past. No, he just fell for you entirely on his own. And now you've got him in your palm.

• His love is rough. It's tough, it's stubborn, but it's genuine and loyal. He just... His heart gives in at the thought of you suffering because of him, because of what he does, the reputation that preceeds him. And he knows. He knows he can't always be there to protect you from the world. He knows he's doomed when he looks at you and the pull of his heart stings as a part of him whispers to let you go and be with someone safer, someone who isn't him.

But the heart whispers back.

Perhaps that's where that cynical streak of his stems from.

[describe-things]

notfriendlyhougen said 2 hours ago

not reblogging to feed the trolls or whatever but @describe-things please get those pride flags the fuck off of your profile if you actually care so little about queer people and the like by not voting in support of them

[ID: A screenshot of the reply showing the text above. End ID.]

@notfriendlyhougen "stop letting people make their art accessible if you don't support genocide"

ok fascist. You really think you can use Queer people as an excuse to support genocide. You're really that dedicated to pinkwashing genocide to uphold white supermacy you're gonna get mad that I provide people with accessability tools. Do you not understand how pathetically racist and queermisic this is?

You cannot fucking claim you support Queer people if you're going to use our existance to uphold genocide. You are not supporting Queer people by using us as a bludgeon with which to uphold white supremacy and genocide.

Legitimately what has to be wrong with you to make a statement like this. "stop providing people with accessibility tools if you won't support genocide"

Yeah, no, that's not how this works. You do not get to use Queer people to support genocide.

None of us are free until all of us are free. You cannot fucking sacrifice Palestinians or anyone else to win "freedom".

You racist fascist shitheads do not get to pinkwash genocide and pretend that Queer minorities are the "real villains" when we refuse to play your fascist racist genocidal game.

What part of "Queer as in free Palestine" do you not understand.

I am lesbian and transgender. I am a working-class, secular Jewish socialist. So let my first words be these: I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Arab and Muslim people in this room and around the world in the battle against the real axis of evil: the White House, Pentagon and Justice Department. And with every breath and every sinew, I fight for Palestinian liberation.

-Leslie Feinberg at the Al-Fatiha international retreat in Washington DC in the spring of 2002

@notfriendlyhougen you will never get Queer liberation without Palestinian liberation. White Supremacy and Genocide will never pave the way for Queer liberation.

Don't you fucking dare tell actual Queer fucking minorities that we're harming ourselves by giving a shit about people suffering literal gods damned genocide. Don't you fucking dare try to use us as a weapon to silence opposition to white supremacy and colonization.

Voting for Genocide is never voting for the rights of Queer people. And the fact that you want to pretend otherwise just goes to show how despicably fucking evil you've allowed yourself to become.

You want to pretend you care about Queer people but you really only mean Privileged White American Queers. You don't give a single shit about anyone else.

Just fucking say you want to go back to brunch and leave fucking Queer people who actually have morals out of your fucking excuses for why you think it's okay to uphold colonialism, white supremacy, and literal out and out genocide.

There is no Pride in genocide. You cannot fucking weaponize us to support genocide.

I hope you spend every waking moment of the rest of your life suffering in shame for what you've done and what you're going to do.

Don't you fucking dare pretend you care about Queer people when you're fine with them being slaughtered on live TV as long as you think it'll benefit you.

You are not taking a stance for Queer rights. You are willingfully and proudly supporting genocide and white supremacy. And you do not get to fucking weaponize Queer people to justify it.

The fucking gall to demand I stop providing people with accessability tools because I refuse to support genocide. Do you have any fucking clue how absurdly racist and queermisic you are?

[stygiansun-totaleclipse]

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Fen!!!! Hope you are doing weeeell 😇

The Aurryn thread had me in stitches omg. You created a problem... now take responsibility 👀

Also just completely ignoring the whole reaction you have to the luca questions..... hmmm... 🧐🤔

But back to my ask. It is my most favorite ask i alwaaaayyyyys ask and i neeed to ask. If no one else has. But i fucking love a jealous RO especially when they try to not be jealous or it's completely outrageous for them to be.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo: MC is at some ball thing and another noble is very much just trying to rizz the hell out of them. Like flirting their pants off (to hopefully flirt the MCs pants off too) and MC isn't uncomfortable but just enduring it because it's probably not something new. What do the ROs do/think about that 👀 📝

Also, I'm so glad the page is so lively, lol 💜

Hi again!! I’m doing well thank you! Hope you are good too. I see no problem with the aurynn situation 😏--in fact I have discovered I have the power to turn straight people gay with nothing more than a drawing so NONE of you are safe. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🔫🐛pew pew

Dunno what you are talking about with the Luca questions....there is nothing suspicious going on. :3

As for the jealousy question:

Kieran: pre-feelings, they won't really be very jealous and would probably only intervene bc they feel that someone flirting with their betrothed is going to be a bad look for them, you, and the noble. Post-feelings, they would start getting jealous but would have a hard time recognizing it as jealousy bc it is not a feeling they are familiar with. They'd probs spend a while just watching you from across the room with a troubled look and then find some excuse--if only to convince themselves they are doing this for a good reason--to cut in and dance with MC instead. They'd be in denial over feeling jealous.

Aurynn: pre-feelings, not going to care much so long as MC doesn't look uncomfortable. If MC does look uncomfortable or like they are so incredibly bored out of their skull, he'd step in but otherwise he is fine with letting MC handle it or if mc is flirting with others if they want to. He's a slut. He gets it. And he knows if MC really wants out of it they can just signal him with a look and he’ll come to the rescue but not without badgering the hell out of the noble first, if only just for the fun of it. Post-feelings, he's going to be struggling with why the hell he cares so much about seeing someone else rizzing mc up and might start getting petty about it. He wouldn't even care about rudely cutting in if it means he gets to monopolize your time and would probs overcompensate by being overly casual and talking too much so you can’t get a word in edgewise or question him bc he doesn’t quite know why he did that either.

Samira: Pre-feelings, so long as MC doesn't look uncomfortable, she would feel it would be rude to intrude even if she thinks it is a bad look for someone to be flirting with an engaged person so openly bc she is not nobility and feels a bit out of place cutting in between nobles but she would offer sympathetic looks if she can tell mc is just enduring it. Post-feelings, she might start to choose to interpret the noble's actions as overly brazen and mc as uncomfortable just to give herself an excuse to cut in. Would be staring daggers at the other noble even after they left despite herself.

Nihm: pre-feelings, would feel it would be bad for someone to be flirting with an engaged mc so openly and might leave it for Kieran to handle out of respect but if Kieran doesn’t notice then they might try to politely cut in so as not to cause a scene. post-feelings, they are going to have some internal suffering and maybe staring at mc longingly from across the ballroom as they try to figure out what they should do. Might cut in to avoid a bad situation and then feel really awkward afterwards bc they've cut in for selfish reasons and now don't know what to do about it. Might just leave out of embarrassment.

Lilith/Lucien: Petty about it either way. They might debate about stepping in at first and then very quickly lose that self-debate—if one even occurred at all—and scare away the noble, which wouldn't be hard considering L's reputation in Celestyl. They’d be pretty smug about having your undivided attention. They tend to pout if you choose someone else over them, depending on the situation.

[overwatchfics]

can you do Shimadas taking care of their sick s/o? 🥺

A/N: Reformatted this so it fit your request lmao sorry this is late, but hope you're feeling better homie!

Hanzo

He feels like such a mother hen, he takes care of you like no other

I headcannon that Hanzo brews a mad cup of tea, he'll put every ounce of effort in brewing the best cup for you

He won't get too close to you at first, but if you're ABSOLUTELY miserable he'll hold your hand and rub soothing patterns into your back and arms

He'll begrudgingly do his goofy fisherman's dance if you really need something to cheer you up

Or he'll tell you the good memories of his childhood growing up in Shimada castle, of how he'd seen Genji sneaking treats to Kiriko in their youth.

Ok enough, he doesn't care if he gets sick anymore, Hanzo doesn't like seeing you in any discomfort, so he'll get under the blankets with you and hold you.

He'll prepare some hot soup with crackers on the side.

If you have long hair he'll loosely braid it and card his fingers through it.

Headache? He'll lightly massage your scalp to get you to relax.

Even if you look like shit he'll still call you beautiful

I feel like he has a fondness for novellas or TV dramas and he'll quietly murmur under his breath Oh no she did not

He'll put these dramas on tv for you two to watch and honestly watching Hanzo's reaction is more entertaining than the show itself

He'll grab a cool wash clothes and wipe the sweat from your face and keep you clean.

If you have to go to the doctors, he'll hold your hand through the process

Both Shimadas have a massive fear of the doctor's office and you can't convince me otherwise

Genji

He can't catch any illnesses so cuddles?

Having a cyborg ninja boyfriend comes with its perks and one of them being he can control his body temperature.

Hot fever? That's alright he's got his cooling system on

Too cold? And blankets make you sweat too much. Butt warming technology activated (Like in those leather seats in cars)

Aside from this he panics if you have a nasty illness and he goes to Angela on how to best take care of you

Since its winter he'll get you involved in some silly arts and crafts, and you can bet he makes you a cut out of paper snowflakes

Can't really cook, so he'll order some take out (Mostly soup)

Genji has tried to cook a few times (the few times he has, it was so bad even Moira said it was unethical)

I feel Genji would also have a small gaming set up and he'd play a single player game with story so you could enjoy the story with him

I'm getting carried away with random Genji hcs lemme get back on track

He would buy you two matching fuzzy pajamas and socks so you could suffer in comfort with him looking a little goofy in his pjs

Not the best brewer but he can make a decent cup just for you

As much as he hated cough medicine himself, he'll make sure you'll take it

GENJI WOULD BE THE TYPE TO GO "Here comes the airplane prrrrrrrrrrrrrb!" and poke at your lips with the spoon until you relent

Kiriko

Kiriko would just pocket you. End of story.

Lmao no I wouldn't do that to you

Her Ofuda is primarily used to heal fresh wounds and usually trauma injuries (Bullets wounds, tears, slices, bruising, etc) not illnesses

When you fall ill, she could care less about getting sick since the fox spirit kinda protects her from trivial stuff like that.

Kiriko cuddles are on the table, she'll curl up with you on the couch and if you'd like she'll give you shoulder rubs (Spoiler: They're fucking amazing)

She would take you to the bathroom and wash and dry your hair while softly humming or singing a light tune

she'd blow dry the hair and massage the scalp to release any pent up stress and the vapor from the hot water would help the illness

Kiriko asks her mom for some soup recipes. A good ol family recipe is good for the soul

She totally has an apron that says "Kiss the Kamori"

She tries to heal with the ofuda to help ease any aching or pain you're in

She hates seeing you so miserable and does what she can to put a smile on your face

Even if that means telling embarrassing stories of Hanzo and Genji that they'd rather you not know about

Or blowing raspberries lmfao she doesn't care if you're sick, she's blowing them on your neck or stomach regardless. It really just ends up into cuddling

Once she quiets down, she'll just pull you into her arms and ask if you're alright.

[sideblogofasideblogforshoko]

Prompt: Sleep

Title: To Sleep, Perchance To Dream

Summary: Shoko doesn't sleep for a reason

Word Count:

Rating: T

Pair: Soft Gojo/Shoko (SaShoSu if you squint), mostly comfort with angsty tones because I can't write just fluffy to save my soul.

Shoko doesn't sleep.

Not really. She can nap. She can catch snatches of rest between breaks, between lunches and against stone walls during shady afternoons. It is mostly just her shutting her eyes, breathing slowly and pretending, but it helps. Keeps the lie up, allows her to answer anyone who asks that yes, she rested.

She did. Promise. Pinky swear.

The bruised colored circles under her eyes seem to scream otherwise, to the point she stopped trying to muffle them with make-up years ago, but hey a girl has to try right?

"You need to sleep at some point, Ieiri." Yaga gruffly recommends at the end of their meeting. She has spent that last forty-eight hours awake (not even a record by the way, hardly even a blip) elbow deep in curse guts. Then another five, writing up the a report about her findings for this stupid meeting. "People are going to assume I am running you ragged."

Shoko thinks about the six cursed bodies waiting down in the morgue and the three mangled corpses in the freezer.

"Aren't you?"

Yaga who has had years to learn how to deal with Shoko's casual, pointed words simply waves her away.

"Get some rest."

"Will do."

And she does.

Head bowed, cradled in her arms at her desk while waiting for the blood samples to finish. Solid thirty minutes at least.

Good job her, right?

+

"You look like shit."

"Fuck you too." Shoko spits back at Nanami who ignores her and pours her another drink. They are once again holed up in his apartment. It's nice, but kinda boring. Clean, but empty. He spends about as much time here as she spends at her own, which is next to never. Exception being when he manages to wrestle her out of the morgue and he doesn't have a case the next day. Then they go to his, order too much food and drink until Shoko has to help heal their livers in the morning.

Its a self inflicting exercise in flagellation but it is better than the alternative. Probably.

"You aren't sleeping again?" He notes, just as she is taking a sip because he is actually a bigger asshole than even herself. Most people get blinded by the pressed suits and air of dignified annoyance but yeah, deep down, Nanami Kento is still that emo-looking asshole who listens to My Chemical Romance and enjoys being a troll.

Shoko feels her throat tighten, a lie on the tip of her tongue that drowns in the booze and hacks out as a cough instead.

"Are you?"

Nanami shrugs, "A bit. More than you."

"You really talk to your elders like that?"

"Sorry, more than you, Senpai. Better?"

"No."

"Ah, well. I tried." He deadpans, reaching for another chip and chewing it as he watches her go through her head for an insult but fails and gives up by flopping backwards. Her body stretched out on the floor, hair fanned out like dark wave.

"I rest." She says, "I cat nap. Worst case, I do a bit foosh foosh and I'm good as new."

"That's not sleep."

"Your mom is not sleep." She mumbles out.

"He isn't in Japan, I take it?"

Nanami Kento has to lean to the side in order to miss getting hit by the sudden launch of a wadded up paper receipt.

Shoko does not reply nor does she get up to see if she has hit her target.

"If he finds out about all this, he won't be happy."

Shoko gives a sullen huff, indicating how much she cares about the opinion of the gangly white haired man with blue furby eyes who isn't currently in the country.

Nanami sighs, takes a sip of his own drink and waits for Shoko to rise back up from her drunken depths. Eventually goading her into playing super mario cart until the sun rises.

It isn't sleep, and both will suffer in the days after, but it's good in other ways. A different sort of recharge she can't get with caffeinated drinks and naps in her car.

+

There is a loud knock at her office door that brings Shoko back into reality. Hard. She doesn't remember when she left it, but she does know she jerks back into her body with enough force to jostle her third cup of coffee all down her shirt.

"Fuck." She hisses, grateful it was cold but also when did it get cold? Didn't she just make a new pot?

"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you." Megumi politely apologizes. He is one of the few students who actually can remember to say and mean it. She has no idea where he learned it considering every other student is half feral and his teacher is basically five raccoons in trench coat with an addiction to sugar.

"I was zoned out," She admits, putting the cup down and searching for something to clean up with. It takes some digging but eventually she finds some napkins in her purse. "What do you need?"

Megumi, for all his blank face, seems deeply uncomfortable and that is all it takes for Shoko to figure out what is happening.

"Ugh. Dont tell me he roped you in on this too."

"He won't stop texting."

"Megumi, you are suppose to be stronger than this." Shoko sighs, deeply disappointed.

"He sent a singing telegram to me yesterday and threatened to keep doing so until I sent proof." The teen explained, frustrated and more than a little embarrassed. She can tell by the way he gets louder than normal and the way the tips of his ears flush red. "That idiot has way too much time and access to money, Shoko. So let's just get this over with before he gets any other ideas."

Megumi hands her a folded up newspaper.

Shoko unravels it. "What is this for?"

"Hold it up next to you. He said he wants proof of life."

She does as he asks, but also flips him the middle finger. Making sure to frown hard as he takes the picture and sends it off.

"This was overkill."

"I agree." He replies and takes back the newspaper, then there is a series of urgent beeps from his phone. He reads the texts aloud. "He said you look like crap. Get some sleep or else. Something something about posting that picture from first year?"

"Tell that idiot I burned all evidence of that."

Megumi does and the answer is immediate.

"He says Myspace is forever." Megumi blinks, "What is myspace?"

"An ancient wasteland." Shoko tells him blithely and snatches the phone. Sending a series of complicated, odd and distinctly menacing emojis (it involves a lot of skulls, eggplants and fire) before handing it back. "There. That should keep him from using you to bother me. At least for now."

"Thanks."

The kid pockets his phone and nods, but before he leaves, he gives her one more deep concerning look.

"He should be back soon."

"Eh. Maybe. Might also get sidetracked by a dessert food truck too."

"Maybe." Megumi says, albeit doubtfully. Shoko chooses to ignore it and waves him off.

She still has work to do after all.

+

The thing about Shoko not sleeping is that it is on purpose as just as much as it isnt.

Sure, her work hours are probably enough to be a crime against OSHA or the Geneva Convention, and yes she often works alone because there is literally no one else with her gift but what else is she going to do? Go home? Ignore her dying comrades, the piling corpses and curses?

It is a shit job, but that is just how it goes. Could be worse. Probably. Shoko dances along the line of caring too much and not at all too often, to be a good voice of reason about these things.

That is the other side of it.

The part where she has seen too much. Touched too often, the worse bits of what remains. It is all on her to see what it all boils down to in the end and as much as she would like to pretend otherwise, it leaves a stain on her mind.

On her dreams.

It was easier when she could remember less; when she could numb with cigarettes, drink and love. Pressed between the lanky body of one, the compact slender of another. It was easier when the faces she preformed on did not have names in her heart.

It was easier when she was young, dumb and believed the future could be better if they just tried.

Now she is a little smarter, older and well aware of the utter shit show they are all forced to dance in. She knows her part, her limited turns and while she might still hate it all the way down to her bones she also knows the push to break it all down won't come without consequences.

She has already spent half a life burying his after all

So no. She never sleeps well on her own because every time she does, her mind fills with old memories that haunt her to tears. Or reminds her of the friend's she lost or worse, the ones she has yet to lose and really, if she has to pick. She would never sleep again if she could. Just to save herself the pain.

She is not a warrior, she does not suffer well when it comes down to it. She has a hungry heart and it starves like a wild thing, out of wanting. It wants love and it wants safety and it wants to go back in time and hold everything tight enough to bruise.

Shoko does not sleep for fear of the dreams.

-except when Satoru makes her.

"You haven't been sleeping again." He remarks, echoing Nanami but his tone all snark. It is past midnight and for once she is home. Driven there by a storm that closed down the school. She had heard the front door open, but hadn't bothered to move from the couch where she is nestled, reading some filthy smut novel that Mei Mei sent.

There was only one man with a key.

"Oh no. Who let the secret out?" Shoko mocks back with too slow of a response. She is just getting to the good part where the overly handsome, very rich CEO fucks his newly hired help over a leather couch. "Was it Ijichi? Sucha gossip."

Satoru snorts, kicks off his shows and practically bounces from one end of the room to the other, diving towards the couch and land haphazardly in her lap. Shoko, already mentally prepared for this, merely jostles unhappily before going back to her book. Resting the edge of it atop of Satoru's head. He had rested it first on her chest so this was fair.

"As if. That man will take your secrets to the grave. His crush is out of control. I saw him buying you a novelty travel mug today. Says best boss in the world."

"Aw, don't tease him. It's just a crush."

"Gonna tease him harder." Satoru promises, snuggling in. Stupid long limbs snaking in and around her body until Shoko cannot sigh without Satoru moving too. She gives up and closes the book. Letting it fall from her fingers to the floor so she is free to let them pet his white strands back. He closes his eyes and hums.

"Take a nap with me."

"Not tired." She lies.

"Liar."

Shoko cant help but smile at him.

"Yeah. Maybe. Can you blame me?"

Satoru, whose scars mirror her own simply holds her tighter.

"I will keep your nightmares at bay if you do the same for mine." He offers, and it is nothing more than a child's offer to hold hands in the dark, neither really has the power to fight off dreams but it relaxes Shoko more than anything else in the world. She gathers a throw blanket over them and places a kiss on his forehead.

"Deal."

Shoko falls asleep with a soft smile.

[muffinrecord]

Somethin' kind of interesting about Mikoto is that she's this evil gal who is like. Well. I mean, she's trying to end the world, right.

But you see stuff like this and then you look at her quote video,

and like, you start to realize that this is just her way of wanting to stop pain and suffering.

One thing about Magia Record is that it doesn't have straight up evil characters (well playable characters). Everyone is redeemable. Everyone can become a friend.

This can be frustrating sometimes. Promised Blood lead to deaths in Kamihama. Himena tried to commit fascist genocide. Oriko tried to kill Mitama (and totally killed a bunch of people through Kirika before her respective event). Alina is Alina. Like, some of these girls committed heinous things, but at the end, everyone is saved, redeemed, and made into friends.

I think additionally, one can argue that it's out of capitalist desire to do this, not necessarily out of a desire for good writing. You want your girls to have some likable traits, right? Otherwise who the hell would roll for them? You want your precious blorbo to have enough good qualities that people aren't just completely turned off on the concept of them. There are people on tumblr who believe that Alina fucking Gray was in the right the whole time; this is strategic shit on their part. Even if you don't give them enough good to outweigh the bad, you want to give the girl the best kind of ending possible for her (yes even for the girls who died).

That means Alina isn't going to get killed and forgotten about, it means that Himena gets saved before turning into a witch, it means that Yuna doesn't ultimately give into her hatred and become a kimochi monster, it means at the very last moment Oriko won't go through with killing Mitama. Everyone stops just short of crossing that event horizon of punishment and retribution for their actions.

But to be honest, I also kind of like it about Magia Record too, even if can feel "weak" writing-wise. I feel like there is a message behind the story-- that all of these magical girls have a shared suffering, a shared trauma, that only they have ever experienced, and that's why they need to work together. Even if some of them have done horrible things. Because truthfully, the worst thing done was done to them by the society they live (aka Kyubey). Their sacrifices are used to power change that benefits the universe at their expense.

I think one can easily use this as a metaphor for real life issues regarding marginalized people. Magical girls perform invisible labor that doesn't get acknowledged outside of their community as part of the inherent system. I think it's pretty easy to relate this to women as a whole for large parts of history. One reason that men historically have been able to accomplish so much is because their wives were helping them in the background-- either in assisting in the actual research or "simply" by taking over all the household labor and tasks, freeing up their husbands' time to study the universe or whatever. But I don't think you can "just" relate this to women's issues; I think it can definitely be argued that it can relate to a bunch of other marginalized groups.

And with that in mind, I kind of like that all of these girls are able to get along. Every single one shares this one piece of trauma. There are many different ways that trauma can look like-- sometimes it's knowing that you sold your soul for a wish you didn't really want. Sometimes it's knowing that you have to fight for the rest of your life. It might be knowing that your fate is to become a witch. It might result in loneliness. It might result in fights amongst your fellow magical girl peers, because there aren't enough resources to go around. It might be from watching your friends die and become a witch, aka magical girl food.

The really evil characters who are always presented as such are non-magical girls. Yeah, that's again because you want your playable characters to be likeable and sellable-- but it's also fascinating in it's own right. Mikoshiba gets almost no kind displays on her part. One could argue that it's a poor writing attempt to make a villain. One could also argue that she's perpetuating the system and trauma that these girls face and using it for her own advantage, with no regard for the tools she's set up to sacrifice. Acting out and trying to fight back isn't irredeemable. Knowing better and taking advantage of these girls is.

Then we come back to Mikoto, and why I think she's actually compelling, even if she's probably the most "evil" playable character. This girl has suffered a hell of a lot-- in addition to her own horrible homelife and schoollife, she becomes a witch and then a parasite-- but that parasitedom is really just another way to hammer in her suffering. She can't affect the world while she's in Hanna's head, she can only tell Hanna what to do and hope that Hanna follows it-- and sometimes Hanna does. Sometimes she doesn't. And then you have Mikoto seeing all of the various bad ends that magical girls get when they turn into witches. Doom, despair, suffering, and failure are burnt into her psyche. And when Hanna dies, it must feel like Mikoto really doesn't have anything at all, but a cruel universe that toys with her and shows her nice things, only to take them away. The world and all its beauty feels like its a mockery of what she can't have for herself.

With that in mind... yeah Mikoto is like, not a great person or anything, but we see how her problems stem from society's treatment/neglect towards her. It's like the game is saying, "by not protecting our most vulnerable, we make monsters. And that's our wrong, not theirs."

IDK. Maybe I'm really overthinking it? Very possible. But I like that the game points to some of these poor girls and says that they need help, not condemnation. They need understanding, love, and friendship. They need hope. The world can be an unkind place, but it can also be a beautiful one, and they deserve to feel that beauty and love too.

Anyways thanks for listening to my long rambling rant.