#possible harem

[thejollyrabbit]

AU Idea for: Miraculous Ladybug

Everyone is gay and or a criminal*(a) AU.

Ladybug is a Robin Hood type "lady killer", beloved by the public and the media for her Miraculous escapes from law enforcement, when in fact she is just "Captain Jack Sparrow"-ing it & is pulling those escapes out of thin air by the skin of her teeth. Her goal is to save her family's bakery and live a life of luxury and self-indulgence with as many of the most beautiful girls*(b) in Paris, willing to share her, as possible.

Cat Noir is feared as Ladybug's bodyguard, who is in fact a well meaning but bumbling idiot of an assistant (of Three Stooge-ian proportions), who can turn even the most immobile of assignments into wanton destruction. His goal is to obtain the funds to escape his father and run away with the man*(c) he loves.

Ladybug: *returning with a diamond, to find guards needing a hospital, turns angrily to Chat Noir* "What did you do?"

Chat Noir: *whose only job was to hold perfectly still and to make bird noises if security came by* "Alright, but you can't be mad at me."

Ladybug: "What! Did you Do!"

Chat Noir: "Okay first, I was minding my own business."

Ladybug: "BULLSHIT!"

*(a) Inspired by the saying "Be gay, do crime".

*(b) author's choice of if Marinette has one girlfriend or all the girlfriends.

*(c) author's choice of who Adrien wants to elope with.

[more-mara]

Oscar “every ships third” Piastri

[thepersonperson]

Sukuna’s Loneliness Part 4 (Sukuna’s Negative Rizz)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 5

Some warnings before we start.

1) This analysis deals with sexual topics.

2) I will be mainly using the TCB scans because of their accessibility. Raws are from mangareader(.)to.

3) This was written as of JJK 262 266. (I'm just going to keep updating this until I stop finding things I should've noticed earlier.)

4) The raws broke me in ways you cannot possibly imagine.

(Click images for captions/citations.)

Fighting as Communication

Baki the Grappler. This is a manga where men destroy each other’s bodies as a test of strength. It’s poorly written but the art is terrifying and I love it so dearly. Between fights of extreme violence and body horror the characters eat. And that’s it. That’s the manga.

I bring Baki up because Gege is a huge fan of Fujimoto Tatsuki, the creator of Chainsawman. Fujimoto is a fan of Gege too, but more importantly, he is a huge fan of Itagaki Keisuke, the creator of Baki. (His daughter made Beastars btw.) In a way, this means Jujutsu Kaisen has been influenced by Baki. But that’s not a surprise, a lot of manga is.

Itagaki’s work is so massively influetial on Japanese media that it’s kind of hard to grasp since it’s not as popular overseas. When listening to interviews from various Japanese creators, Baki will often be cited as a major influence. And the thing is, you can tell when a creative has read Baki. There’s nothing quite like it. If you’ve read Baki and consume Chainsawman, you will see its bones everywhere. I feel the same about Jujutsu Kaisen.

The main antagonist in Baki is Yujiro Hanma. He is the strongest creature alive. So much so that he has no one to call a rival. He’s bored. He causes trouble. He kills his wife to motivate his son, Baki into becoming stronger. His son, Baki, who he grooms into becoming a fighter that might beat him in combat one day. Kind of sounds like Sukuna, right?

But that’s not my point here. My focus is how Baki doubles as a discussion about strength and manhood. It’s aggressively bisexual. Men love each other with their fists. Straight up the main character says having sex with women is the same thing as fighting men.

And it just doesn’t stop there. The homoerotic nature of the fights is never shyed away from. Here’s an example of my favorite.

He grabs his balls and compliments their size. That’s pretty gay, right? Well there’s this reanimated prehistoric caveman called Pickle that fights Baki’s brother Jack. And how do they fight? They kiss.

I didn’t call it a kiss. Itagaki did. I didn’t say they melded together. Itagaki did. This mangaka overtly calls attention to the homoerotic nature of men fighting men, and how men communicate their love for each other through violence. And yes, it’s sexual. Itagaki wants you to read it that way.

But sometimes he doesn’t want you to read it that way. Sometimes the fights are a dialogue, an emotional conversation. Like one between father and son.

Itagaki is a master of narrative framing. When he wants you to feel a certain way, you will feel it. He also tells his readers that there’s more to the fights than just fighting.

Those are the ideas that help me see the bones of Baki in other works. Men loving men with violence. Men communicating with men through violence. I see these ideas in Jujutsu Kaisen too.

Jujutsu Communication

I’ve gone over how Yuji commucates with other people on their own terms. And a lot of it is through fighting. A conversation without words, learning how someone works. Yuji is good at using fights as tool of communication.

But he’s not the one who tells you that there’s more to the fights than just fighting. Maki does in her spar with the sumo guy.

Just like Baki. Fighting is a means of communication. Gege has told you that there can be more to the fights than fighting. It's a tool used to understand the self and others.

With that in mind, I want to reexamine a particular fight under the lens of Baki rather than Umineko.

Sukuna vs Gojo

Baki tells you that homoerotic readings of its fights are intentional. If you ask me, this probably stems from historical stances on masculinity and homosexuality in ancient Japan. Men loved men and women differently, but both were ok. That’s how Baki can have a girlfriend and his gay fights. Peak bisexual optimization.

What does Jujutsu Kaisen have to do with this? Well it has been extremely queer friendly. We have a multidue of canonical trans characters, non-binary characters, and other flavors of queer characters not disparaged for their identities, Gojo Satoru included. It may not be stated outright, but Gojo and Geto do love each other in a gay way. The subtext is so persisent it’s basically text.

In other words, Gege has already told us, yes please have queer readings of this text. It’s the same way Baki tells you, yes this is straight up convoluded gay sex. So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to reread the Sukuna and Gojo fight as some ridiculous mating display between two men who are fighting over can miscommunicate their intent the hardest.

Framed as Courtship

Let’s start with the framing. The pre-fight set up. How does text tell you queer readings are allowed?

Kenjaku does. It’s romantic. It’s a date. This reading has been made valid explicitly. And if there’s room for doubt because of the sarcasm? There’s still additional support for it.

We already know how badly in love Gojo is with Geto. The fight is on the 24th of December, the most romantic day in Japan. And in a fun little Geto parallel, who declared the start of war on this day, violence underlines this new romantic venture.

That doesn’t include Sukuna who recalls Yorozu’s words about teaching love in the context of marriage.

Gojo never heard that conversation which is why the next point is absolutely insane.

The outfit Gojo initially is in resembles that of a groom at a Shinto wedding.

Shinto weddings were implemented after the Heian era. Part of the ceremony includes a priest and a shrine maiden who respectively stand to the right and left of the altar. A purification ritual will occur, lead by the priest, to cleanse the shrine before vows are exchanged. Gakuganji is the priest and Utahime is the shrine maiden. To the right and left of Gojo respectively.

The bride at a Shinto wedding wears mainly white. After the 200% Hollow Purple cleanses the area, the dark shawl is removed and Sukuna remains in mostly white.

How interesting that this battle has been framed as one between groom and bride.

The thing is, marriage in the Heian era was far more lax. There were no major ceremonies. If a man was interested in marrying a woman, he would visit her for 3 nights after receiving approval from her father. Upon the passing of their 3rd night together, the family would have an informal celebration of their union in private. Even after marriage, multiple partners were allowed and sometimes encouraged.

Yorozu’s big celebration proposal to Sukuna and banning of concubines was quite improper by Heian standards. Though it is in line with modern marriages. If Sukuna did not consume any Shinto wedding literature, he probably didn’t recognize that Gojo was dressed as a groom.

But did Gojo dress this way for Sukuna intentionally? The Toji fit served an entirely different purpose. It’s the robes and pre-fight ceremony that catch my attention. So I propose the following:

1) Gojo dressed up as a groom to die and be wed with his one and only Geto in death.

2) Gojo dressed up as a groom in part as an offering to Sukuna. And because Sukuna is from the Heian era it went over his head entirely.

3) Gojo intended for both of these things at the same time and left who he would end up with to fate.

Regardless of what Gojo was going for here, it’s a visual cue combined with the knowledge of it being Dec 24th that encourages the reader to perhaps consider the fight as something other than just a fight. A date perhaps? Kenjaku made the connection and neither Gojo or Sukuna really denied it. Gojo gave the weak excuse of a death anniversary confusion. But much weirder, given how hostile he was to Yorozu, Sukuna did not object to the romantic framing in any capacity.

Am I reaching? Is this reading intentional?

When I start getting this confused by how a translated work wants me to read it, I try to refer to the original language text and anyone who knows it for missing context. Sometimes localizations add things that weren’t there or push readers towards one interpretation. So for the rest of this analysis, I’m going to be focusing on the raws.

I’m going to be honest. My Japanese fudging sucks. I can barely read kanji and can’t reliably translate anything. Feel free to correct me if I got something wrong. That being said, with what little I do know, I have discovered something interesting.

In this post I talked about how weird Sukuna’s manner of speech is. I focused on his you pronoun usage of お前 (Omae) for everyone else and 貴様 (Kisama) for Gojo since this is a strong indicator of how a character views their relationship to someone.

Here's a summary of the two points I made in that post:

1) Omae is informal and either a casual thing amongst peers or indicates the speaker's higher status. Since Sukuna is arrogant, we can reasonably assume he's talking down to people.

2) Kisama historically was a formal show of respect, but in modern times it is a hostile insult, much more rude than Omae. Since Sukuna is 1,000 years old and hates Yuji (who he uses Omae with), we can reasonably assume Sukuna was being friendly to Gojo when he used Kisama.

With that pronoun usage in mind, while examining the raws for the infamous “You Cleared My Skies” speech I found this:

Kisama. Sukuna is very happy and lavishing Gojo with praise. The assumption it was formal from the start seems to be correct. It's hard to read this any other way.

Though Japanese can easily be dubious in its interpretation, there are instances where context can cut off all other readings. I truly believe this one of those cases.

Now, to confirm Sukuna is still only treating Gojo this way I started looking at his you pronouns as he got excited post-Gojo death. Maki is the person he seems to admire the most.

He’s still just using Omae. What does that mean? Gojo is in his own fudging category for Sukuna and he has been there since the start of the manga. (For more on why this is significant, refer to this post.)

Wow ok. That’s pretty intense! We’ve got Gojo dressed up as a groom on December 24th and Sukuna treating Gojo different from anyone else. I read their fight again under the lens of explicit courtship and focused in on these specific panels.

Satisfaction. Now that’s a word that can easily carry a sexual connotation. Love as well. The parallel syntax fascinated me in English. So I decided to look at the raws and see how close they are.

Pretty much the same except for "the one who will teach you love" and "the one satisfying him now". Since the one being satisfied is Gojo by Sukuna, it really seems we can assume the one being taught love is Gojo by Sukuna.

Time to learn some Japanese again!

Kanji has multiple readings. Most have at least two. The Onyomi (Chinese) reading typically used for nouns and the Kunyomi (Japanese) reading typically used for verbs. (This is not always the case but it’s the basics.)

That’s probably why 満 is read as まん (man) when Gojo and Geto are talking about “satisfaction” using the On version and み (mi), the Kun version, when the narrator is talking about who “satisfies” who.

However 満 on its own does not mean satisfaction. It means full. To be filled. Or fullness. 足 (zoku) is added as a modifier after 満 to be read as satisfaction 満足 (manzoku). 足 usually means feet, but it can also mean to be sufficient. Manzoku therefore has a direct translation of being sufficiently full. It’s not a surprise a lot of food places in Japan use Manzoku in their names or advertising.

But what’s this? Why is this sentence written as 満たして or Mi(tashite) instead of 満足して or Manzoku(shite)? The addition of Zoku is what transforms Man into "satisfying". Without the Zoku, it’s just "fill". The means this sentence can be read as “The one filling him up now is—”

We’ve already established that the blank is Sukuna. The new problem is that he’s filling Gojo up. And boy, does that sound homoerotic to put it lightly. But perhaps I am reaching.

So I did what any sane person would do in this situation. I read hentai.

Surely if the phrase 満たして (mitashite) can carry a sexual connotation I will find it in hentai.

...

I immediately found a yaoi doujin called Fill me with your Big Love aka おっきな愛で満たして (Okkina Ai de Mitashite). Honestly, I found too many doujins about creampies specifically. (You have internet access verify this yourself.) When you search Manzokushite the results are much more in line with life satisfaction than sexual satisfaction. ...So Gege decided to use the more frisky phrasing.

Manzoku is also the name of an active sex toy manufacturer (I’m not linking them use a search engine.) and a discontinued adult entertainment news company. So the satisfaction Gojo and Geto talk about, along with Geto using 妬 (ya), the jealous kanji often used between lovers, is definitely probably carrying a sexual connotation too.

So, I’m not reaching. What the fudge did Gege mean by this?

Now that we've established that I am NOT reaching. What do we do with this information?

Well, we ruminate on the fight with the knowledge that Sukuna, of his own volition, decided to get Gojo off, probably.

I have forgiven Nanami for calling Gojo a pervert. If I watched someone bust a nut after being cut in half by his sworn enemy instead of saving the country, I too would be like what the fudge.

Anyways, the typical phrase used for an orgasm in Japanese is 行く(iku). It translates as to go. And yes it can mean to die, as in going to the other side. To die and go to heaven if you will. Which is what Gojo did with a big old smile on his face.

There’s also the term 心天 (tokoroten). It refers to a dish were a semi-opaque white substance is pushed through holes to create noodles. Literal translation using the kanji for heart 心 (kokoro) and the kanji for heaven 天 (ten). (Don’t ask me why them being smack together turns the Koroko into Tokoro. I don’t know.) Which in slang refers to prostate orgasms. This has nothing to do with this analysis I wanted to drop this fun fact in here. …And this image of Sukuna clutching his heart while looking at someone he sent to heaven.

(This is a reach but the idea of this being an elaborate gay pun amuses me greatly.)

I have another fun slang term: 賢者タイム (kenjataimu) which directly translates to sage 賢者 (kenja) time タイム (taimu). This refers to post-nut clarity sending someone into a meditative-like state.

Oh that’s a bit familiar. Sukuna was giving sagely advice to Kashimo and reflecting on satisfaction and love.

And what’s this? Mitashite has made a reappearance! Sukuna is saying “I’ve never thought about needing another person to fill me up.” Which 1. further supports the 'The one satisfying/filling him (Gojo) now is—Sukuna.' reading and 2. suggests Sukuna is a top suggests Sukuna really doesn’t have sexual interest in people. (Since the context of this convo is relationships and love.)

By the way. Acts of eating in Japanese can be modified to carry sexual meanings. It’s a bit more suggestive than English, but it carries over pretty well I think? 肉食系 (nikusokukei) refers to someone who aggresively pursues romantic or sexual relationships. Composed of the kanji 肉 (niku) for meat, 食 (ta) for eating, and 系 (kei) class. If you noticed, 食 isn’t usually read as Soku. It becomes Soku when paired with Niku for some reason. (I don’t know why someone please help me.) Side by side the kanji 肉食 (nikusoku) means meat-eater.

食 is still interesting on it’s own. The 食べる (taberu) reading is normal eating. The 食う(kuu) reading is an innuendo. It can mean to devour someone, like a cannibal, or devour someone sexually.

Sukuna has made it very clear that his eating of people is literal. There’s no innuendo. In fact, if you read into it, he’ll kill you (rip Yorozu and Kashimo).

Gojo, however, appears to be his sole exception to this rule. When Sukuna tells Kashimo not to spoil his pleasure he uses the kanji 興 (kyou). This of course can be directly translated as pleasure, but the Chinese reading of it can also indicate intense excitement or sexual arousal.

Sukuna is pretty good at double-entendre wordplay if his earlier stunts with the kanji for Enchain doubling as Megumi Activities if read a different way is anything to go by. He's a fan of Chinese literature. It's not a stretch to assume there's more going on here.

And if notoriously homophobic Reddit dudebros are posting things like this. Maybe there's a lot more merit to this reading than I can currently grasp.

I’m still pretty convinced Sukuna is aroace. That of course doesn’t bar him from pursuing romantic or sexual relationships. Sometimes there’s the one exception. Sometimes the desire to be with and please an allo partner allows for engagement of activities they aren’t into. Sometimes the actions are pursued without the emotional attachment because they physically feel good. There’s also the gray-scale and demi labels to consider.

With that in mind, I want to emphasize this all points to how important Gojo is to Sukuna regardless of sexuality. He tried to engage with and understand Gojo on terms he won’t for anyone else. And he’s been pursuing this connection relentlessly since the start of manga.

Sukuna’s Negative Rizz

Ok I established that reading the Sukuna vs Gojo fight as unhinged courtship is supported by the text. That doesn’t really say anything about Sukuna sucking at it.

But, my dear reader, that in of itself is proof of his negative rizz. I had to sit down. Learn about Heian era and Shinto wedding rituals, learn more Japanese, splice seemingly unrelated manga panels together, read hentai, and know that Gege is into yaoi to come to this conclusion. I had to rip every little shred of characterization and context apart and rearrange it into something comprehensible.

You know who can’t do that? Gojo.

As far as Gojo is concerned, Sukuna hates him. Kisama is an extremely hostile you pronoun in modern times. And if Gojo can’t tell Shoko (his closest friend after Geto) is stressed over him being used like a meat puppet by her visibly falling back on her addiction, he’s going to default to the assumption Sukuna hates him just as much as everyone else.

And Gojo does just that. He assumes he failed to reach Sukuna. Despite how often they did hand to hand combat and weaponized their knowledge of each other, Gojo believes they never had proper conversation through fighting. He dies not understanding Sukuna, convinced the other was not trying to communicate with him at all.

And if you recall, all of this fight occurred while Sukuna was wearing Megumi’s face. That boy is pretty much Gojo’s adopted child. From my experience, most single parents do not go looking for clones of their kids as partners.

If someone wore the skin of my family member I would assume they were trying to torment me. And torment Gojo Sukuna does. He draws attention to Megumi’s soul being used as collateral and attacks him with the 10 Shadows. We as the audience know this is all for the sake of getting past Infinity using his Shrine. Gojo doesn’t know that. He’s fighting an evil dude who is puppeting the body of his son for god knows what reason.

Seriously, Sukuna sucks at communicating intent.

In Part 3 of my examination of Sukuna’s loneliness, I said Dismantle is a tool Sukuna uses to understand. And that him upgrading it by making Gojo the center of his world was indicative of his desire to reach him. I also said his refusal to use it on Yorozu was him expressing how little interest he had in her.

Yorozu is pissed by this. She sees it as Sukuna rejecting her and I don’t think she’s wrong. Sukuna saved his special Cursed Technique (CT) for Gojo while turning Yorozu down. If we’re considering all the wedding imagery and references that started with Yorozu, I’m certainly allowed to read that as him saving himself for Gojo. (Think of how he lied to Gojo about being the first one he killed.)

There’s also the fact that Yorozu saw their battle as an expression love and lust—that the usage of CT is a type of foreplay under certain circumstances since it is an extension of the self. Combine that with the established premise that fighting is a type of a communication thanks to Maki vs Sumo Guy and you can start to see the courtship logic behind Sukuna’s treatment of Gojo.

If we are to read “The one who will teach you love is…Sukuna” there’s another adorable caveat. Yorozu uses the you pronoun あなた (Anata) for Sukuna.

It’s an informal you pronoun used by people learning Japanese. Native speakers try to avoid using it as it can come across as rude. But in the context of love? This is colloquially called the wife pronoun as its often used by a wife to her husband.

If you wanted to localize its usage in the way Yorozu means it, Anata might become “you, dear”. So here we have Sukuna dressed in white, like a bride to Gojo’s groom, thinking of him as Anata.

The problem is, Gojo doesn’t know that. Sukuna never bothered to open his mouth and say this was an act of love. Sure he told Kashimo in the most roundabout way possible, but Gojo was the one who needed to hear that. If a courtship is going to be this diabolically complicated, there has to be clear hints for the other party. JJK is not Umineko where there’s a witch that can revive the dead over and over until the idiot finally understands this was all for them.

Gojo also doesn’t have access to the kanji Sukuna uses to describe certain techinques or words. He hears the phonetics and runs with whatever best fits the context. This means there’s no way for him to catch the double-meaning unless he’s a certain type of lingust, which he is not. His manner of speech and personal interests don’t line up with the flowery language of the Heian Era. The types of written works Gojo is into are historical war politics from the Sengoku period (known for violence more than the fine arts), Shonen manga, and physics/math.

And what's this? According to CFYOW (the canon light novels): JJK Thorny Road at Dawn, Chapter 3 Asakusabashi Elegy, Gojo doesn't even like ancient poetry. You know, the thing Sukuna enjoys and tries to communicate with.

The Kokin Wakashu Gojo off-handedly disparages is a compilation of Hiean Era poetry known as Waka. This was the primary means of communication amongst the noble class and spiritual leaders at the time. And the thing is, this poetry is supposed to be read into. Down to the quality of stroke and paper, not just the kanji written. Especially for courtship.

It’s not that Gojo is stupid. He just doesn’t specialize in the studies that would give him a more critical ear to Sukuna's words. And Sukuna doesn’t seem to understand that no one in the modern era communicates like this anymore.

If you didn’t know, this is why Japanese characters introduce themselves they often describe what kanji their name is spelled with. Take for example: Satoru. He uses the kanji 悟 meaning enlightenment. This kanji can be read as Go instead of Satoru. Additionally, the name Satoru can be written in kanji as 聡 for smart, 智 for wisdom, 知 for knowledge, 了 for understanding, 哲 for philosophy, 聖 for virtuous, or 暁 for daybreak. That’s 8 different kanji possible if you hear the name Satoru.

This is why Sukuna’s wordplay for everything else can be easily missed by other characters. They hear the words and cannot read the kanji like us. Context decides what Sukuna means for them. And since Sukuna’s context for most is violence and insults, it’s very hard for them to think about his words in any other way.

And boy howdy does Gojo miss it. Sukuna straight up calls him his husband and it took me several rereads to catch it. While mocking Gojo for being unable to open his domain, Sukuna calls him "painfully ordinary". This is localized from the word 凡夫 (bonpu) which can also be translated as unenlightened. (A layered insult! Sukuna is pretty much saying Gojo's sorcery is so boring he shouldn't even call himself the Honored One.)

The thing is...Bonpu is comprised of the 2 kanji 凡 for mediocre, and 夫 for husband. (Please note that there are many other ways to call Gojo a ditz without using the kanji for husband.) And an update from the Replies: Turns out there's layers to the gayness too.

It's come full fudging circle. Gojo came dressed as a groom for a wedding and Sukuna thinks they're already married. The miscommunication is off the rails.

But wait! There's more...

Earlier I mentioned that the kanji for Enchain doubles as Megumi Activities. Let's break that down more. (Unfortunately the Twitter account of the person I referenced may or may not be nuked so here's this screenshot I've doctored.)

So we have the translation of Enchain from 契闊 (Keikatsu), which might be better localized as Separation.

This term comes from a Chinese poem about lovers who are husband and wife in The Book of Odes, Section I (Lessons from the States), Chapter 3 (The Odes of Bei), Poem 31 (Banging the Drum). (Here's a link to the full poem and context of it.)

In summary, it’s about a soldier who is on the brink of death, having lost nearly everything after being abandoned by those in power, lamenting the happiest days of his life with his love are ones he can never get back. (Hey that sounds just like what Sukuna did to Yuji!)

Keikatsu specifically comes from this passage:

“Our vow is beyond death and life”, I and you are together I always remembered. I will hold your hand, And together we grow old.

Too pitiful we are faraway apart, The distance separates us to meet again! Too miserable this takes forever, And it does not let us fulfill our vow!

Keikatsu is used to exemplify how the physical distance between the husband and wife prevents them from fulfilling their wedding vows. And that's just what Keikatsu/Enchain does to Yuji and Megumi, it causes painful separation neither of them wanted.

Keikatsu also tells Yuji exactly how Sukuna plans to do it. 契(kei)闊(katsu) can be written as 恵(kei)活(katsu). The kanji 恵 can be read as Kei or...Megumi. (It's the literal kanji used for his name.) The kanji 活 (katsu) can mean "activities", which is how we get Enchain=Megumi Activities.

A two for one special! Sukuna mocks Yuji for being so close with Megumi while telling him exactly how he's going to destroy their relationship.

It seems this has nothing to do with Gojo until you consider the 3rd possible reading from wordplay with 契闊 (Keikatsu). The kanji 契 when read as Kei refers to a promise, pledge or vow. When 契 read as Chigi? It can refer to sexual intercourse, especially between husband and wife.

So we have 契闊(keikatsu, separation), 恵(kei Megumi)活(katsu, activities), and 契(kei chigi, spousal sex)活(katsu, activities). It's no wonder he erased Yuji's memory of it.

Keep in mind, that when Sukuna uses Keikatsu, the only vow that he has made at this point is his promise to kill Gojo. He eventually does that using Megumi's body during a fight framed between groom and bride. And for reasons beyond their control, Sukuna and Gojo have been unable to fulfill that vow through lengthy separation.

Notes from poem "Banging the Drum" Sukuna references include the following:

"And during the operation, he lost his horse, which was a desperate situation (horses in ancient time carried soldier supply and weapons, are life companion for soldiers in advance or retreat), he lost his horse, his supply, maybe his armor and weapons, and the road he was facing that we may lose his life so he may never go back. In all these mess, he started searching, and somehow at this hopeless moment he started to revisit his happiest moment, when he together vowed in marriage ceremony with his wife, and he was even afraid that he might never see his love again."

"And His last statement for his true value is his home, his love, his fulfillment of his vow is his true duty. Hero's duty is to pursue love."

In Buddhism, which JJK is heavily influenced by, horses are a pretty big deal. Horses can represent the path to enlightenment, especially since The Buddha's horse is what takes him on this journey away from his wife and children. They separate in the end though, the horse dying of a broken heart.

Remember how Sukuna called Gojo unenlightened? He sort of guided Gojo to enlightenment using Mahoraga, whose Eight-Handed title is a reference to the Eightfold Path to be followed for enlightenment. Buddhist enlightenment is centered around liberation from suffering. (Just check the wiki entry to verify this.) Infinity was the source of Gojo's suffering and Sukuna cut right through it.

Sukuna has been running around with a broken heart for a good chunk of the post-Gojo fight. And if you take that into consideration with this poem and all the other symbolism, he's somehow a Buddha, a Bodhisattva, the dying husband, the widowed wife, and the heartbroken horse all at the same time. Not unlike his wordplay taking on every possible meaning at once.

But my point here is that Sukuna might’ve seen his fight with Gojo as consummation of their marriage. (There's probably a joke in here about the husband reaching climax while leaving his wife unsatisfied.) Remember in the wise words of Itagaki Keisuke, "Fighting and sex are exactly the same!"

In Conclusion?

This is possibly one of the most bizarre and elaborate expressions of love I have lost my mind over. Sukuna gave everything Gojo ever wanted from Jujutsu violently. He did it in such an unpleasant and cruel way that the target of his affection thought there was nothing between them. Sukuna also hid his intent under social norms that no longer exist. Unless Gojo happened to be into ancient literature, there was never a scenario where he would catch onto this. Sukuna's failure is critical on multiple levels.

It’s impressive. It really is. No one knows how Sukuna’s strange little brain works so he’s stuck being loner without anyone that fully understands him. (I’m still thinking about how Uraume didn’t know Sukuna was a twin for over 1,000 years.) He’d have to let people in and tell him outright, but he’s just like Gojo so I guess that’s never happening.

[yanderemommabean]

Imagine getting a job letter from the Smiles Corp and you thinking it's a scam letter because why would a massive company specifically offer you a job in a pretty high up position and you just keep throwing the letters away. Then one day you come home to your house and see your living room has been redecorated to look like a makeshift office and the company interviewers are sitting behind the desks being like, "We're glad you decided to come to our company. We were looking forward for this interview."

So unhinged, they are. 😭😭

Oh they'll do anything to please their CEO. Teamwork and persistence is what gets things done in this world, so if it takes a team to get you there, they'll happily do it!

If it takes letter after letter, package after package, invasive malware with more invasive malware...They'll get to you and get you to see what wonders the company can bring you as well as the love and safety the CEO and his associates will give you as well!

A tad bit overboard to some, but what is life if not about taking risks? With this, the company can have a face to face interview and REALLY get to know the real you! (Malware and camera information withdrawn from this info of course-though they are happy to know you don't change much when in person and aware of the eyes on you! )

-Mommabean

[nqmonarch]

Aeon Lover AU Part 2

Part 1: https://www.tumblr.com/nqmonarch/749257688234557440/aeon-brainrot?source=share

Characters: Aha, IX

Note: This AU I plan to eventually make Yandere, not in this part but I feel like it's good to let people (my fellow small crowd of Aeon lovers) know.

You stared at Aha's human form, not breaking eye contact as a manic grin stayed on their face. "So you're Aha?"

"Maybeee, maybe I am, maybe I'm not! Does it matter? I'm just here to help you!" They said trying to act all innocent, and blinking their long eye lashes once and then twice.

You paused for a moment, observing the person in front of you. You took a step forward and Aha remained still completely oblivious to your nefarious intentions. You reached your hands out to them and they immediately grabbed them with their own, interlocking them. Holy shit-- your whole body overloaded with that move as your face begin to burn and jumped away.

"Wasn't that what you were trying to do?" Aha asked coyly, smiling at you and holding their empty hand out to you.

You grabbed onto their hand, trying to move it out of the way of their body, "No, I'm trying to undress you," Aha froze at your words mouth twitching, "This body is just a medium right? I'm hoping you didn't steal it... But if you created it I want to see if there's any discrepancies between it and a human body." Perhaps there'd be some kind of dead give away?

The only thing that suggested that Aha wasn't human was their other worldly beauty. "Why did you choose to be so attractive anyway? How much can you change your form?" You asked leaning closer to observe them, a small mole rested beneath the tip of their left eye.

Now that Aha's hand was successfully pushed to the side you tried to remove your hand from it, only to feel their fingers dig into your skin and your hand unable to move. Whatever, you didn't mind holding hands with them the warmth felt nice and made your heart race, albeit that was a bit distracting.

Aha had leaned away from you a bit, their red lips quivering as they held in a laugh before breaking into full out giggles. "Ahaha, you're so forward Y/N," Their eyes flickered over to you, "If you wanted to sleep with me you could've just said so?" They teased you.

You paused at their words, that... being with an Aeon were you worthy of that? Could anyone be worthy of that? Fantasizing was one thing but... if you were given the chance... your head was getting too muddled with thoughts of this. Aha was just joking anyway but if there was an Aeon that would be up to sleeping with a human for fun then... it would probably be Aha wouldn't it?

"What did you mean earlier when you said you were here to help me?" You asked changing the topic and averting your eyes from them. You tried to pull your hand away again but it stuck to Aha's. Your head shot up, "Did you glue our hands together?!"

Aha laughed, staring down at you, "I was going to be your wingman for an Aeon but--"

"Really?!" You perked up immediately throwing your other arm around Aha's back and holding him closer. You didn't bother moving your glued hand and instead kept it in Aha's grasp. "That'd really be amazing!" It was no wonder Aha would find entertainment from trying to set a normal human up with an Aeon.

You'd read that he once picked up a random worm and made it incredibly intelligent to try and grab the attention of Nous. When it failed he discarded the worm without a second thought. It was weird to think you were on the same level as a worm but hey, it gave you a chance to maybe meet another Aeon. You stared at Aha's face, noticing the slightly furrowed sharp eyebrows and their eyes cast downward. You wondered if they'd show you their Aeon form one day?

Either way they seemed a bit upset right now? Annoyed? Perhaps they were just holding in their laugh super hard right now. You deemed that it was probably the latter as a smile overtook their face.

"Of course! " They grinned letting out a small giggle and holding up their entwined hand with yours, and dashing behind you, "I'm so sad! You're over me already!" You knew it was a joke but for some reason you felt a great feeling of heartbreak come over you. You felt like falling to your knees but you stood still anyway feeling one of Aha's arms circle around your neck.

You smiled despite the discomfort, "Well every Aeon is beyond interesting. It'd be nice to meet..." You felt like you were choking, "another one. Obviously, I don't imagine anything beyond meeting them," You admitted feeling your insecurity well up.

Aha laughed wildly and for once you felt on edge around them. You had been acting rather foolishly recently, trusting an Aeon especially one with such chaotic goals, you should be more wary.

"You want to see an Aeon's true form?" Aha asked you, and you could feel their breath on your ear.

Interesting if this was a body they made then they'd gotten the heat aspect down completely, from the warmth of their body to the heat of their breath. You wondered if at any point Aha had been a human. Tayzzyronth had been the last of its species. Nanook was suspected to have come from a planet riddled with destruction and upon seeing the destruction of the aftermath of Tayzzyronth and the Mechanical Empire rose to Aeonhood. But how did the majority of the Aeons start? What were they? Who was Aha before they were an Aeon?

"Wait," You froze finally registering Aha's question, "I... could see an Aeon's true form?" Your heart beat as fast as a humming bird.

"Do you want to? I think it'll be fun," Aha asked again, you could feel their abdomen shake against you and you realized how poorly this could go depending on what Aha found most entertaining.

You could see an Aeon which wouldn't care for you or even glance at you, like Nous. Or Aha may somehow know where Nanook is, and teleport you to that Aeon and... you'd seen what happened to the trailblazer when they met Nanook in the simulated universe. The trailblazer had been immediately killed. That being said Aha didn't really need your consent and you had an inkling that if you said no, you'd meet an Aeon's true form anyway. Plus, it's not like you weren't curious.

"Of course I do." You barely finished speaking before you felt a sudden amount of joy fill you, ecstasy flooded your senses, and your lips opened by themselves letting laughter escape them. The sudden amount of power distracted you from your inability to breathe.

You were in space. Yet you still felt warm, you felt unbearably happy, and you saw Aha in their human form behind you. They laughed at your expression, "My reveal should be the last!" They chattered on excitedly, "But you wouldn't really be able to be here without any help. So I lended a helping hand!" Their eyes were wide with joy and you felt the urge to pat their head.

So you did. "Thank you." They stared at you a bit stunned for a moment, cheeks with a bit more color than usual despite being in space, but you thought nothing of it as they grabbed onto your shoulders and turned you around.

"Look!" Their voice was quiet and strained, you could hear the smile in their voice.

But all of the warmth you felt quickly disappeared as you stared at the Aeon in front of you. Purple swirls and a black mysterious mass stared back at you for a brief moment. You looked into the abyss and the abyss looked back.

To an extent you'd always known that the world would eventually become nothing. That everything you worked toward, no matter how long it benefitted humanity, would eventually disappear with humanity itself. That the planets themselves would fall apart inevitably being swallowed by blackholes which would become nothing themselves. That one day even the fundamental parts of the universe would cease to exist.

That the nothingness you couldn't comprehend would one day be all there is.

You couldn't even sob. The fear that had existed in your body initially had turned into numbness, not numbness it turned into nothingness. You weren't afraid. You weren't anything. It was just

There was something holding you back. A faint warmth coming from your hand, which you found unable to move. You were stuck to something. Aha! You let yourself laugh, your mouth didn't move nor did any sound come out. It didn't feel as if you had a mouth or any form of a body but you did.

You knew one day everything you did would amount to nothing. That's why everything you did wasn't focused on the future. It was enough to enjoy the moment, and tomorrow. You'd had the opportunity to meet such a wonderful Aeon after all. You stared at the black and purple cosmos in front of you, the eyes on it no longer glancing your way. You no longer felt enthralled with joy or burdened with despair but rather, you felt like you.

Your life was insignificant in the grand scheme of things. That was exactly why you could enjoy in the beauty of what was insignificant. Of the flowers in Spring, of the creations in the simulated universe, of the people around you.

"How beautiful," Your voice came out soft as you gazed upon the lonely being. You smiled feeling a fire rise within you. No wonder there was a whole faction dedicated to making such a magnificent creature see the purpose in existing.

Aha laughed, "I'm surprised you didn't fall to nihility! Three cheers for Y/N!" The glue between your hand and theirs seemed to have faded away, as they brought their hands up to clap and cheer out your name.

"I don't know, you sound a bit disappointed," You watched IX disappear from your sight wistfully and then turned to Aha with a smile resting on your face.

Aha held a hand to their chest in offense as they gasped, "I am! You're so mean! Acting like IX is that interesting when we both know I'm ten times more cool!"

You flicked their forehead, "Let's head back to Herta's space station now." Aha laughed, finding amusement in the smallest of actions and the two of you returned.

You managed to find your way back to the topic of IX again. Aha, being an Aeon, had never felt the nothingness from IX and had asked you to describe it.

You went into as much detail as you could and then spoke in a serious tone, "I'm surprised I made it. I knew everything does eventually become nothing, and I knew it isn't nothing right now. I knew that it's less about the meaning of our existence and life and more about the meaning of every day. But the sensation of becoming nothing is... indescribable."

You paused trying to analyze the feeling you'd come across, "For a creature that doesn't know much or one whose only purpose is to live seeing the Nihility would be fatal. But humans... are beyond that. We still live but there are things we treasure above living and even the future of the whole universe." Your Aeon merch being one of them, "Even if one day those things were to disappear with everything else, it's enough for us to have had them in our lifetime. Maybe to an extent a permanent short sightedness is needed."

What you'd experience who can never be explained by any words, the absolute dread and despair. No matter how hard you tried to describe the sensation of nothingness to Aha you couldn't find the words. But you knew now how feeling nothing was worse than even feeling pain. Because from experiencing pain the pleasure and joy you later experienced became more defined and recognizable. You can only rise as high as the lowest you fall.

The good makes the bad worse and the bad makes the good better. They work in tandem. Even if the end result was nothingness for all of the time in between you still wanted to feel and you couldn't get rid of that innate want. Still your whole body trembled as you felt a smile rise to your face-- IX-- IX was just way too cool!

You turned to Aha, grabbing them and hugging them, "Aha! Thank you so much!" You grinned, you didn't want to tell them that their hand had been what brought you out of IX's trance, you wanted to keep that knowledge to yourself, "This may be the best day of my life yet!"

IX was a being withholding so much pain and despair, a creature just waiting for the end. But there was so much more than just the end. When reading a story, sometimes you know the two main characters will die that doesn't mean it isn't worth reading. And of course you wanted to show IX all there was.

Aha looked at you for a moment, face blank and speechless before hugging you back and erupting into laughter. You twirled the Aeon's human form around before letting go and began to ponder.

"Now I wonder... would it be possible for IX to take a human form?"

It would be difficult to bring the Aeon the beauties and wonders of life, as well as the pains considering they were just floating in the sky. It'd be easier if you could bring the Aeon around, but even if they did have a human form you weren't sure you'd be able to drag them around anyway. Even after surviving the encounter you got the feeling your emotions and will to live would numb around them if you spent a long time with them. You'd just have to get stronger first!

Okay writing the emotions IX gives you is a toughie DAMN don't know how I'm going to make the romance work out but I'm sure future me will work something out

I love you future me!!! :) <333 can't wait to romance IX show me what u got!!!

also when i wrote this line "When reading a story, sometimes you know the two main characters will die that doesn't mean it isn't worth reading." i went into one story knowing the two characters both died at the end by driving off a cliff and i still cried despite rarely crying, it was only 6 chapters and one of the best webcomics i've ever read to this day. so fucking worth it

i dont fucking know what powers Aeons have but i'm pretty sure super speed and shit is one of them cause in SU Qlipoth just like appeared at the beginning cus they thought Trailblazer was Akivili and if that creature can like teleport or do super speed fuck it everyone can.

[theredcuyo]

Reading tgcf is making me realize that Mxtx's main characters are oblivious geniuses

They are smart, they will make plans, things, think out of the box and come out on top most of the time

Think Sqq's plant body, man is a master of fake it till you make it 70% of the time

Wwx literally created demonic cultivation, the flags, the compass, it's the whole plot of the book that he was so smart that he was scary

And XL is no short on it, he knows shit and acts as if he didn't, he fully figures things out and just waits till he has proof

Save for this one thing called 'Yeah, sure, as if he could have a crush on me'

Sweetie he doesn't have a crush, he fell for you so bad everyone except you knows

[sinclairmaxwellao3]

Upcoming Dousing Fires With Gasoline Sneak Peek!

Kill Code rumbled out an agreement and took his Dona tenderly in his arms, “I have more resources than I can ever use, mia karulo. They are yours, just as I am forever yours.”

They had chosen each other and that meant that, even though they were not yet married, what he owned was Sun’s too. His wealth, his resources, his connections, and his empire. He delighted in the sight of pink spreading across his love’s face.

“I…I don’t know. I-I didn’t earn any of that. I don’t know if I- if I deserve it…” The attendant whispered quietly. Kill Code had literally poured his blood, tears, and soul into making the Familio what it was today. He had worked his ass off to build his empire, rising from the bottom. Sure, it had involved a little murder, but Sun was happy not to think about that too hard.

“Deserve? Sunlumo…they are my gift to you. My promise to provide for you and your brother, to always see to your needs before my own. It is all my gift to you, mia koro.” The Don crooned softly, carrying him over to his closet to collect a new dress that he had bought to surprise him.

A lovely vintage black quarter sleeve dress with skirts decorated with light pink roses, a tulle layer underneath to add body, met his gaze in the closet. Kill Code gestured to the fine gown with a gentle kiss to Sun’s cheek, those blue optics looking at the lovely thing with awe.

“My gifts to you are my familio, my empire, my resources, and my heart, Sunrise Starr. If you will have me for your own.”

[sabriels]

being a blaine multishipper and trying to read fics where the author doesn't start obviously bashing other ships for no reason

[aaomeanie]

I read like 500 chapters of Regressor Instruction Manual while visiting my family, lmao.

[kittyonthekeyboard]

deal with the devil, chapter one: a hot boss makes everything more complicated

[art by giaonp on deviant art]

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

It'd been six months since the breakup with your high school sweetheart, Jake Ji. Six months since you'd seen his pretty eyes, six months since you'd felt his hands on your own, and six months since you had felt like someone loved you. It was a nice day outside when he did it, much too nice for the occasion. Personally, you'd rather it be a rainy, cold day, one that could have foreshadowed the events to come. The worst part was how sad he looked, how he seemed like he didn't want to. That was your biggest question- why was he doing it if he didn't want to? Of course, you didn't say anything, just attempted to hide your sobs as he walked away. 

A month after the breakup, you were a complete wreck. He'd completely removed himself from your shared apartment, taking your heart with him. A part of yourself was so fed up with how heartbroken you were, how any thought of him would make you completely crumble in a matter of seconds. Any guide on how to properly deal with sadness was brushed off, you being sure you'd be stuck in this rut forever. You weren't sure how long you spent in your bed, but you wouldn't be surprised if you spent days without showering, as gross as it would sound to strangers. Your days were spent sobbing or staring at the wall, wondering where your seemingly great relationship had gone wrong. Honestly, you were lucky enough to have a journalist job that allowed you to work from home- if it was any other type of work, you were sure you'd be fired from how long it took for you to leave the house.

By the second month, you met your reason to keep pushing, even if it was a little bit each day- a pretty stray who you called Bambi. She had to be the most elegant cat you'd ever met, with a soft, long, white coat, a fluffy tail, and two-colored eyes, green and blue. She'd found you when you were standing by a vending machine, on the verge of snapping when the cash wouldn't go through. You could tell right away she was sick, so without hesitation, you took her to the vet, and used part of the money you'd saved to go on trips with Jake, on her. After learning she had no home, was a month pregnant, and desperately needed someone to take her in, you stepped right up for the job. For a cat who'd obviously been neglected and abused by the humans around her, Bambi had such trust in you to help her. After giving birth to three kittens whom you'd named Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup, Bambi had left such a positive mark on your life that you decided to keep her, slowly giving the kittens away to close friends you'd trusted enough. By the end of the second month, you'd been distracted from your own pain, you could slowly start to accept the reality- Jake Ji was gone.

When the third month rolled around, you slowly but surely started becoming more productive. Though at first you kept the pictures of you and Jake, the evidence of love that had tied you both together, Bambi would never let you be alone in your own sadness. You'd become more involved in your work, and your coworkers noticed how your writing improved. You started to become more caring to yourself, even starting your small renovations to the apartment you lived in.  Instead of tabloid articles, you turned to your Aunt Dae for advice. Like always, she was so patient with you, never expecting you to just move on from someone who you'd obviously considered your soulmate. "People who you love sometimes have to leave," she explained to you one night, "And even if you think they've slammed a door shut, if you look a little harder, a better door is now open." After that talk, you deleted the pictures of you with Jake, allowing yourself to cry as you did it. You began to do bigger improvements, growing (cat safe) plants, getting new furniture, even getting permission from your sympathetic landlord to paint your kitchen green. You tried to think of this leaving as another door opening, instead of the love of your life leaving. He lost you, and that was his problem. 

Fourth months in and you finally got used to not waking up with him in the morning. The smell of his nice cologne was gone from the pillows, and the lack of his teacups in the kitchen didn't give you the first morning confusion like it used to. You fell into a new routine, Bambi often times being the one who held you to it. When you slept in later, reminiscing of the past, it was her whose constant meowing woke you. When you zoned out, thinking about how different the apartment looked than it did when Jake lived with you, Bambi rubbed herself on your calf, gently purring whenever you'd get too lost in thought, as if to shield you from whatever hurt you were going to feel if you reflected on him too much.  You began to do the things your past routine would have contradicted- you made all the crazy deserts you wanting, not having to worry about the space Jake would have needed to do his own thing, you slept in longer because you didn't have to wake up and make him a cute lunch every morning, you even took long drives into the city, stretching to the parts of the city he'd always been nervous to go into. Now and again, you'd slip up- you'd see a video that you'd want to send him, you'd order two coffees on instinct- but with Bambi and Aunt Dae by your side, you'd be able to feel better. It was odd; Jake had really been the one whom you'd shared so many experiences with. From formal dances to high school graduation, it was strange to have to make memories on your own. You began to go out on your own little adventures- every good memory with Jake had a nice independent one as well.

You started month number five on a high note with a cup of hot chocolate from a cute barista, writing your future plans in an adorable little journal you'd gotten yourself a few months back. Scrap booking had been something you'd always wanted to try, but never had found the time to. The sweet stickers managed to encourage you and writing about your feelings every day without fail had a better impact on you. It was at this endearing café that you realized how unsatisfied with your job you'd become. Writing was something you wanted to do without fail, but you needed change. When looking at all your experience and impressive university GPA, you figured somewhere would want to hire you. You wanted to work someplace that you could also focus on your own life, someplace where you'd have the time to keep writing simple drabbles every day. Plus, a better paycheck would never be a bad thing. You started to hand in your resume at bigger companies, ones that would suit your needs better. Bambi was there every step of the way, even starting to foster the small strays who roamed through your neighborhood. The older woman who worked at the corner store near your apartment, Jee, said you spoiled your cat too much, to which you'd always say, "She spoils me back!" 

The sixth month had started about a week ago, and you celebrated by making yourself a heart cake. You weren't sure at the beginning of your breakup, if you could ever live without Jake Ji, and here you were! Sure, the first month seemed unbearable, but yet, you still lived. There was some recurring anxiety about the new job you were starting soon, but you figured it was for the best! You weren't sure where, but you could've sworn someone said that if life gets repetitive to the point of being overwhelmed, it was time for change. Bambi purred as she cuddled into your lap, the movie you were playing for background noise became more and more irrelevant as you felt your eyes get heavy. You mindlessly pet Bambi, feeling somewhat bittersweet. Sure, you made a ton of improvements, but for what? You sighed, trying to be more assertive. For me, you thought, I'm doing this for me. With that, you fell asleep, feeling more reassured in yourself and your ability to love the world around you.

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

His hands were wrapped around your waist, lips pressing against your skin over and over. You pouted as he let out a pretty laugh, finally kissing you on your lips. Everything was right again- he was here and so were you, and the two of you were going to be okay. Occasionally, he'd pull away to smile at you- when he looked at you, it was like you were the only person in the world he could ever want. He was your absolute world- Jake, Jake, Jake, that's all you could ever think when he kissed you like he was currently. He pulled away again, bending on one knee as you automatically started to tear up and gasp.

"[name], please, marry me?"

Your dream cut off before you could even say yes. The sound of your alarm and Bambi's sweet meows would normally make you feel productive, but honestly, all you wanted to do was cry. You took in a few shaky breaths as Bambi jumped up onto your bed, nudging her head against you. You attempted to give her a smile but couldn't deny how foggy your eyes got from the tears that were beginning to form. You stayed like that for around ten minutes, inhaling and exhaling as Bambi stayed her understanding self and stuck by your side. God, I miss him, you thought to yourself as you gave Bambi some of her favorite food. Taking in another deep breath, you walked into your cluttered bathroom, full of plants and nice smelling perfumes.  

Turning the shower nozzle, you waited for the water to warm up before you could wash yourself clean of the remaining tears. Think about something cool, [name]! Your first day at that new job is today, remember? You smiled at the reminder, planning out an outfit in your head. For such a high company, the dress code was relatively simple- pantsuit or pencil skirt and blouse, etc., etc. Though it wasn't the most casual, you had to admit you were excited to look cool. When it came to the work itself, it sure paid a lot for things so standard; write reports, assist higher ups, all the typical office things. You made sure to research the company beforehand, all articles saying it was well respected and reliable. The only odd thing was how very little information was known about the CEO himself, but you assumed that was for privacy reasons. Remember: you are a valuable team member, and they're lucky to have you!

Washing out your hair with sweet smelling shampoo, you internally gave yourself a pep talk as you continued to wash yourself. Okay [name], this will probably be really scary for the first few days, but you gotta do it! Change is the only thing you can count on, remember? From now on, you're a cool girl! I know that maybe you don't always feel like it, but you can only focus on work for now! You nodded to yourself, as if some life coach was giving you the advice. You allowed yourself to relax for a little longer before getting out and starting your skin care. 

Once you were completely ready for the day, you had a few minutes to spare, which let you spend more time with a very understanding Bambi. "Now Bambi," you started to explain to the feline, "I'm gonna be out more! Which is good for like, my health and stuff, but I'm gonna miss you so, so much," She meowed in response, only proving to you how incredibly smart your cat happens to be. 

"I know, pretty girl! I'm happy too, if not just a little nervous..." Your voice got a tad quieter as it kicked in on how quickly your life changed. Checking the clock once more, your eyes widened as you realized it was time to go if you wanted to make it to the bus on time. 

"Alright, I love you! Food is out, and I made sure to give you some fresh water; be good, Bambi!" You locked the door behind you as you sped down the stairs and to the sidewalk where your bus stop would be. Taking a sip of your sweetened tea, you waited at the bus stop, checking your phone for any new stories. Being at a new place raised some anxiety, especially when you'd hear stories all the time of muggings and kidnappings on the news. For the most part, strangers were kind and meant no harm to you, but for protection, you took a small pocketknife wherever you went. Feeling it secured in your new bag that Aunt Dae had given you as a present for dealing with your emotions, you felt much more secure in yourself. 

The next few minutes going to work went as well as they could. You got on the bus, read a little more of the news on your phone as you waited, and got off with no problem besides the rude middle school students shoving by you. You tried to find the silver lining- it reminded you to call your doctor about getting on birth control! Shaking off the irritating encounter, you speed walked to the big building in the distance, because although you were on schedule, you'd much rather be early than late on your first day. Brushing down your clothes one last time, you entered the intimidating cooperation. 

Of course, you already knew where you were supposed to go- per an email you had received the previous night, you were to head straight to Mr. Donald Na's office and be assigned your first piece of work, as well as get a general feel of the place you'd be working in. You walked like you knew exactly where you were, a faux confidence to hide the fears of rejection from your higher ups and fellow coworkers. You subtly looked at the people who you'd be working with, and suddenly you realized just how attractive a lot of them were. What the hell? 

Shaking your embarrassment aside, you stood in front of a grand looking door with the golden title 'Donald Na', feeling utterly relieved you didn't get lost. You were sure everyone here was civil, sure, but having to ask a cute guy to walk you to your new boss's office wasn't exactly an ideal first impression. You gently knocked a few times, before hearing what might have been one of the deepest voices you'd ever heard say, "Come in." 

You could barely see him from behind the big leather chair he sat in, only adding to your ever-growing curiosity. Being careful to not be too loud, you decided to introduce yourself, even if he wasn't looking at you. "Hello, I'm [name] [surname], one of the new employees, it's a pleasure to meet you. In your email you said to come see you, so I hope now is an alright time." Your strong tone was a complete lie, because seriously, who doesn't look at someone when they tell the person to come in? What kind of boss-

He turned- his hair was a light blonde that was somehow managed up, and his eyes were a red that you'd never seen before. The most notable thing, though, were the tattoos that covered his body. In all honesty, this guy was shady, but your mom had made you promise as a child that you'd never judge a book by its cover. "Sweet people like you must always keep your heart open, [name]!" So, no matter what your logical side was thinking, you couldn't deny how handsome he was- seriously, you'd never really been into the 'bad boy' type, mostly because you were always dating Jake who was the poster child for being a sweet, brave, kid, but something about him was surely going to make you fall over if he kept staring at you. 

"I see. It's good to have you here as well. I'm Donald Na, but I'm sure you already know that." If you weren't completely enamored by him before, you were now, without a doubt. As charmed as you already were, you tried to maintain a professional front to hide the butterflies in your stomach. You gave him a nod as he gestured for you to sit in the seat in front of him. You were practically engulfed in it, still stubbornly attempting to be taken seriously- apparently, bosses and managers had been worse on you in the past because they thought you'd allow them to be. 

"[name], how soon do you imagine you can start working? I have projects that need to get done, and I'm interested to see how you'll do on them." He continued to speak with the pretty voice that'd make anyone swoon. You forced yourself not to blush because the idea of being flustered over someone's voice the first time you meet them was just too mortifying to take. 

"I can start as soon as possible! I... don't really know my way around the office too well, but, as soon as I do, I'll get started. Do you have any idea of what the project would be?" You tried your best to sound firm yet friendly, and the way he smiled at you only gave you more reassurance. 

"Very impressive, I must say." His charm seemed to skyrocket as you nearly melted from the small bit of praise. You could try and say it was just because you hadn't heard something like that from a guy since Jake, but you were never the lying type. Why is this happening? I just wanna be perfectly professional, and my boss is hot? How is that even fair?

"Thank you! That's very kind of you." You couldn't help but smile as he gave you a smirk in return. You were completely ready to start working when he was ready to give you an assignment- honestly, you were itching for some sort of duty or challenge. 

"Well then, I'll have one of your coworkers give you a tour and then I'll email you. Technically, you work under Kingsley Kwan, but I want you to send your work directly to me. For now, wait outside my office- he, Sam, should be here soon." He stood up and you followed, shaking hands. Oh my god his hands are so big, you gave him another smile and a nod, thanking him one more time before walking out. 

Part of you was still somewhat star-struck from his attention, his words, just everything about him was screaming he was important. Still, you remembered your words to yourself that morning- no matter how hot any guy was, you weren't going to rush into a crazy crush because of it. Even if his words made you feel blush-y, you owed it to yourself to not be that easy to win over. You took in a deep breath, finding the courage to hype yourself up once again. He was totally right; my work is impressive! [name], we're allowed to be flattered by compliments and not get won over right away. Besides, it's not like everyone here can be totally attractive, right? Something about math and probability, I dunno, I didn't really get into math, but-

"[name]?" A quieter voice approached you, and for the second time that day, you swore you were going to have a heart attack. You turned and saw a man around your height, with almost concerningly pale skin and heavy eye bags. 

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you. Sam, right?" He glared at the name, making you regret using it almost instantly. He shook his head, straightening his back, almost to appear more intimidating. 

"Who told you that was my name?" His sharp tone made anxiety course through you, as you tried to sympathize for him in your head. Maybe it's like, a cruel joke or something? I really hope I didn't just give the world's worst first impression...

"Mr. Na? If you prefer something else, I'm sorry, is there something you prefer?" You attempted to diffuse the situation, speaking softer than you normally would. At the mention of your boss, he froze and shook his head, biting his thumb's fingernail harshly. 

"He told you? I don't care, just not that." You nodded, glad to hear his voice was back to normal. He slouched a bit more, making your nerves settle.

"Ah, alright! I'll come up with something as soon as possible, then!" You grinned already planning out possibilities of a sweet new nickname. Well... he has super dark purple hair! That's something I could work with, right? Besides his eye bags it's one of his more prominent features... plus, I'm not sure if calling someone you just met 'eye bags' would be considered polite. I mean, his hair is kinda like the galaxy, I guess! Like one of those Tumblr galaxy leggings? That still doesn't bring any good ideas... 

"If you're finished talking to Mr. Na, I can start giving you the tour." He scratched at his neck, exposing bandages hidden below the collar of his shirt. 

"Oh, right! Yes please." 

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

At first, going from room to room with a stranger you didn't make a good impression on was awkward. Very little was said, and when the two of you did speak, it was short and uncomfortable. You're not completely sure what broke the ice, but whatever it was, you were grateful to be able to talk to your coworker comfortably. He was fairly nice, informing you on the different departments, managers, and other coworkers in the office.

"One of the managers is Jimmy Bae, he's known for being pretty ruthless." He explained, opening a glass door for you. Luckily for you, since you chose a more 'assistant-y' role, you'd be working straight under Mr. Na and Kingsley Kwan, who you still weren't sure if you should call 'mr' or not. If the other managers of the buildings needed tasks you'd do them, but you primarily would be working straight for the CEO and his assistant. All things considered, you were grateful to have a more open type of roll. If what you heard about the managers so far were true, they all seemed sort of... unhinged, in a sense. 

"Another one is... Wolf Keum," Sam seemed to have a personal distaste towards whoever Wolf was, "Everyone thinks he's crazy for good reason- he gets pissed if you make eye contact with him for more than three seconds. Something about his three second rule," His glare only got sharper as he went on and on. "He's absolutely ruthless."

"Three second rule? Isn't that... kind of overboard? Aha, are there any coworkers I should avoid?" You laughed it off as a light joke, but his chuckle was dry. 

"Harper Ha, everyone calls him Helmet. He works under Jimmy Bae and for someone almost everyone here looks down on, he's a cocky bastard. And Jared Sun- he likes to act like a manager when he has the same amount as power as the rest of us. Only reason he gets away with it is cause he kisses Wolf's ass so much." He explained, rolling his eyes at the mention of Jared Sun. Letting out a hum, you make a mental note to try and not run into those two. 

"You mentioned there was a coffee machine around here, right? Would you mind showing me where it is?" You tried your best to sound polite, knowing Sam already seemed agitated at the thought of Wolf Keum and Jared Sun. He nodded a bit, calming down. As the two of you walked, he gave some important information of who to look out for.

"Who are you working under, anyway?" As nonchalant as he tried to seem, it was clear he was curious. 

"Someone called Kingsley Kwan, but I don't really know much about him." 

"All things considered he's not the worst, especially compared to the other higher ups. Just make sure to get in work on time and all that," You nodded as he heated up water for your coffee, having shown you the tidy break room. You noticed more concerning things about your coworker, like how his hands shook frequently and how his fingers had Band-Aids all over them. Though you were curious, you didn't want to overstep any boundaries and ask about them. If I keep seeing him with them, I'll ask. 

"How do you like your coffee?" 

"Oh, I can make it myself! You've really helped me enough as is-" In all honestly, you like your coffee so sweet that middle aged men used to mock you at a café. You'd really rather avoid having someone else make it, especially a stranger, but it seems your coworker isn't going down without a fight.

"Just tell me how you like your coffee." He cuts you off, rolling his eyes. You sigh and look off to the side, not daring to make eye contact with the man who you're sure is going to tease you. What's up with him? Seriously, I'm starting to get worried.

"About two teaspoons of cream and two teaspoons of sugar, please." You know rationally it's stupid to get so self-conscious about something as simple as a coffee preference, but you're so nervous about how your coworkers will perceive you that you can't find it in yourself to just chill out. He doesn't say anything as he fixes up your drink, though, and you notice that he puts almost the same amount of sugar in his own coffee as well. You smile, happy to finally have another thing you can relate to, even if it's as small as an amount of sugar and cream.

"I think we're just about done, right? I'll show you your workspace and you can get started. I'll give you my email so if you need anything you can just send me a message." He hands you your drink, and your fingertips touch for just a second, reminding you again just how shaky and cold his own hand is. You simply nod and follow him as he walks to you what your new workspace will be.

I'm ready for this! I know where all the printers are, where to get the supplies, how to submit my reports... I totally got this!

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

Your workspace was much larger than you could have ever anticipated. You were used to desk after desk, lined up neatly, with very little room away from your coworkers. Instead, your space was near the back in the corner, away from ruckus or any disturbances. All things considered your office wasn't too small nor too big, having enough comfortable space and blinds to keep away any stares. Although you tried to remain looking calm- This is what you deserve, act like it!- anyone looking at you could see how your eyes sparkled, or the wide smile you were trying to keep off your face.

"Since it's yours, you can pretty much do whatever you want with it- you know, besides painting or damaging anything. As long as you're getting work done, it doesn't matter to Mr. Kwan what you do with it," Sensing your confusion, he continued to explain. "Normally, someone new as you wouldn't get this, but since you're working under Mr. Kwan and Mr. Na directly, they want you to be able to focus, I guess."

Sensing you'd want to try to figure this out on your own, he quickly scribbled something on a spare sticky note and stuck it on your desk. "Email me if you need anything, yeah? I'll see ya around, anyway." You gave him a nod and a small 'mhm', before he finally left, shutting the door behind him. Looking at the sticky note, you saw his email address in messy writing, as well as a little nickname for himself- Grape. Odd, but if that's what he wanted to go by, who were you to call him something else? Honestly, I'm just happy I don't have to come up with a name for him. 

Finally, you got to work on your first task, a fairly simple transferring new shipping orders with their money. Although a few times the numbers and numbers didn't exactly match, you figured out how to make a comprehensible table of the money already spent and shipments already made, as well as a prediction as to how much money would be spent in the next month. To be truthful, you weren't exactly a fan of math, you took extra precautions- this was your first task, and you'd be damned if you did it incorrectly. After that, you sent Mr. Na an email outlining what you'd found, just as he'd instructed you to do, and started to head over to the copying room. Hypothetically, you'd be able to save it directly to your computer and send the chart that way, sure, but you weren't an idiot; you knew these files weren't exactly open info, and you were worried that it wasn't something you were supposed to have on your laptop. I can't believe today is going so well, really! Aah, what was I even worried about?

As if fate itself was testing you, another coworker of yours almost slammed into you, making you almost let out an embarrassingly high-pitched squeal. Shaking it off, you looked up at the man you'd almost ran into- tall, sharp eyes, with green hair. He was super handsome, no doubt, but you didn't exactly get good vibes off of him. 

"Oh, excuse me." You shot him a polite smile, and bit back the urge to apologize. It was a little thing, sure, but Aunt Dae insisted that if you kept up on not apologizing when it wasn't your fault, your confidence would slowly grow. I can't believe I'm doing so well! God, he was practically like a brick wall- I should really check my nose after he bumped into me. 

"Aren't you missing something?" His voice was almost attempting to be kind, but you saw right through his sugar coating. Freezing, you looked over your shoulder, and made eye contact with possibly the fakest looking man you'd ever seen. It was nothing against his looks alone, he could even be considered handsome, yet something felt so off about him, like he thought he was better than everyone else in the room. Trying not to look on edge, you were just about to explain yourself when he started talking again.

"Since you're new here, I'll be understanding- don't expect that to be a common occurrence. When you bump into someone, apologize. Weren't you taught that in the first grade?" He continues to glare down at you, but before anything else can be said, someone intervenes.

"Fuck off, Jared. Shouldn't you be kissing Wolf's ass?" Your hero isn't exactly dressed in what you would deem office appropriate attire- he's wearing a leather jacket, and a white button up, collar loose. If he hadn't known exactly who this Jared person was, you wouldn't believe he'd worked in the office at all. Upon closer look, you noticed a pair of finger-less gloves, bruises all over his hands. He looked almost rough around the edges, but after remembering how your boss looked, you just assumed Mr. Na was less strict about appearance than the handbook let on. Jared looks absolutely disgusted, tearing into him as soon as he can.

"Forrest Lee; I would have thought the boss would have fired you by now, seeing as you don't contribute anything anyone else couldn't." Forrest looks more irritated than before, and if they were anywhere else, you're sure they would start fighting. Trying to stop the tension, you try to calm the two men down.

"Look, let's all just relax! I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding, right?" You smile, though nervously, and turn to Jared.

"Jared, right? I'm really sorry to make such a bad first impression- let's just try to all get along, okay? No need to bring up someone's job. Besides, Mr. Na is smart! I'd like to think we were all chosen specifically because he knows what we could bring to the company." You decide against scolding Forrest. You know it's petty since he's the one who helped you, but you really don't know how you would've handled it without him. This is your first day, there's no way you could risk losing your job for getting into a fight with some jerk of a coworker. As pissed as he looks, Jared rolls his eyes and walks away, murmuring something about Forrest you can't quite hear.

Sighing a breath of relief, you turn towards Forrest. Quietly, you lean closer, almost like you're about to share a secret. You don't catch on to the slight surprise in his eyes as you smile at him. Without even meaning to, your formal persona drops, and you whisper shout to him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! That would have been a nightmare on my own, thank you!" Immediately, you're embarrassed about overdoing it, and fidget with your watch. Even if it was unprofessional, Forrest didn't seem to mind.

"It's no problem, really. Jared likes to pull rank on the new hires, even when he doesn't even have power. Here, let me help you with your papers?" He offers kindly, and without thinking, you let him, chatting about everything. Your hand brushes his while you hand the papers over (backside, of course! what kind of an employee would you be if you let everyone see private files?), and you notice how he gives a slight grimace.

"I don't mean to be impolite, but is your hand alright? There are bruises all over..." Unintentionally, your mind wanders back to Jake, thinking about how he always seemed to have bruised hands. He had always refused to elaborate on where they came from, insisting that he was just someone who bruised at basically anything, and that he had been running errands all day. Looking back at Forrest, you could tell he was caught off guard. Oops.

"It's nothing, just had to get some shipments and ran into our rival company." Almost a second after, he rushes to explain himself further. "We just had to move a bunch of boxes, that's all." Letting out a giggle, you tell him how much that sounds like they got into a fight.

"We have a rival company? I would've never guessed one would be so close. What are they like, anyway?" You inquire, oblivious to how pissed your coworker seems at the mere mention of them.

"Bunch of assholes, the whole lot. The worst of them is Ben Park, the boss." He doesn't explain further, and sensing tension, you try to change the conversation as you leave the copy room.

"Thank you for all your help!" You thank him once again, as he gives you a nod.

"It's really not a problem. Have a good rest of your day, [name]." He gives you a small smile, and you find yourself smiling at how much sweeter he looks when he's relaxed.

On the way back to your office, you hum a bit, taking in a deep breath before turning the corner, bumping into someone. Your papers fall to the ground as you immediately apologize, not looking up at the person.

"Ah, I'm so sorry! Here, lemme get those-" As soon as you stand up, you realize why the person hadn't said anything. Your eyes widen, and it feels as though your entire blood is running cold.

Jake Ji, once the love of your life. Jake Ji, now a painful memory to revisit. Jake Ji, standing in front of you, is your new coworker.

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

a/n: hello! welcome to my new story! honestly, i dunno if the weak hero fandom is still around, but i've been writing this story since like, 2020, and just wanted to publish it. i've reviewed it a couple times, but some of the dialogue still sounds clunky, so sorry about that! also sorry that some of the characters are ooc, hopefully it'll get better as it goes on. anyway, requests are open currently, and i hope to have another chapter out soonish!

[cyberpunkboytoy]

Your honor she likes women

[sofyunalt]

Paizo seems to have forgotten to give Prince Carrius a new portrait (but they gave us important information that the prince would subsequently have six lovers at the same time). Well, I had to draw four versions of a more mature Prince Carrius myself. :D

[alex-wolfdragon]

I just kinda realized a portion of Sans and Papyrus reverse harem fics I've seen involve the boys running into the OC/Reader and instantly falling for her or something, even following her around while she wants nothing to do with them.

Why not do this in reverse? Without the OC/Reader being someone from an AU where UT is a game. Like, she comes across the guys and she genuinely grows to like them, but they don't want anything to do with her at first. Whether it be because of what they're doing, their viewpoint of her, misunderstandings, the fact she's human, etc.

I dunno why, but I feel like that'd be fun to write.

[bugwolfsstuff]

Me talking about my wip mermaid Travercy AU to one of my friends: Okay so Percy is a mortal Lighthouse keeper, Travis is a Mermaid with a green tail and Hermes is a stressed dad. Also how much do you know about seahorses?

[sinclairmaxwellao3]

Dousing Fires With Gasoline Ch.3 Quote

“I have it on good authority that today is someone’s special anniversary day.” Sun hummed, holding up a plate of cookies that he had painstakingly baked this morning, a bright smile on his lovely face.

“S-special day?” The mechanic queried curiously, all ration and higher levels of thought fleeing out of the window when the attendant entered the room, draped in a stunning two piece dress. A gauzy, thing made of tulle and silk with a skirt that fell to the bot’s ankle and the long sleeved, tight mid-drift top rising just high enough above the waistline that a hand’s width of Sun’s belly was on clear display. 

W-what day was it again?

Where was he? 

How could he be expected to think clearly when faced with a sight like that? 

Sun giggled, his cheeks turning pink at Solar’s obvious, brain-dead staring. 

“Kill Code told me that- that today is the anniversary of when you came to them here at the Celestial House. Your Gotcha Day!” Sun trilled happily, his smile bright and beaming, seeming to light up the entire room like a high-powered bulb.

[lovingmayday]

I support the windbreaker smau Liek totally

i will take this as a sign 🔥🔥

if yall have any suggestions or anything, please drop them in my mailbox 😞🤲