#the only reason vessel is so much larger than the others is it's the only way I could fit the six eyes in

[vampirecatprince]

Eepy Boys and the Big Eep Herself

[tabithatwo]

hi hello thinking about how neither lottie or taissa is advocating for their sight or championing themselves.

lottie quietly doing the best she can to lean into what she hopes is real to give the others protection and faith, yes! but it isn’t I CAN LEAD YOU (especially this season) it’s I can quietly do the things that can’t hurt, in case they help. it can’t hurt to prick my finger and they’ve come back safe so far and I’m aware of my mental health I’m OH so aware and I know the dangers of delusions being proven correct by happenstance by setting up an infallible cause and effect by building my own reality BUT but. it’s just a prick and it’s just a sip and if I don’t do it now and they don’t come back safe then I AM the reason. it can’t hurt IT CAN’T HURT.

but see, now she’s stuck. she’s wedged into this place of having followers and she can’t tell them how she feels, partly because she isn’t even sure how she feels to begin with because nothing is real and everything is far too real!! (because BECAUSE lottielee jackieshauna parallels and so much post laura lee was not in our view, we didn’t fall as deep deep deep into the rabbit hole with lottie as we did with shauna, but this season has confirmed it for us. lottie and shauna both lost reality when they lost Them and they were both already girls with a loose grip of reality to begin with) so it’s That, but it’s also because she isn’t Lottie The Girl From New Jersey Who Shoplifts, she’s not herself, she’s what they make of her. she’s Lottie The Reason We Will Survive This.

she was on the other side of this dynamic, she felt that anger at jackie, she felt that sense of betrayal, she felt that letdown, that rebellion in her heart. because jackie wasn’t serving them the way they wanted needed craved being served. jackie couldn’t be that person. jackie who had been divisive in her leadership before they even crashed, because what is leadership if not a spotlight that people can adjust to make you glow like something ethereal or to point out all your flaws with great illumination? jackie had larger than life expectations put on her (and they were warm and sunny and positive some of the time yes, but that all curdles when it’s left in the spotlight too long.)

so suddenly lottie is divisive. there are teams around her and against her and myth built up, but the myth isn’t that she’s the bratty unhelping girl who gets whatever she wants like it became for jackie, the myth is she is our only hope. she is our savior and salvation and seer. and she doesn’t need to even say anything to make that so. jackie didn’t need to say anything to make them color her selfish (other, but bad). lottie doesn’t need to say anything to make them color her anointed (other, but good). she is girl vessel, girl hopes, girl dreams, a witch hunt where she Better Be A Witch.

doomcoming lottie snapped. she was On drugs and she was Off drugs and she was tired and she gave them something to cling to that they could shape into more with the seeds of the past (bear and blood and you get the picture) that they’d already been trying to plant in her image. (jackie did the same that night. she snapped, she yelled, she gave them something to cling to that they could shape into more with the seeds of the past that they’d already been trying to plant in her image, do you SEE??)

and of COURSE natalie understands both lottie and jackie. of course she knows what it’s like to be doing nothing but your best, to not want the responsibility, to be seen more as liability than asset, even though the only reason you can fail so hard is because you provide so much. before the crash and after, because girl carrying the weight of family secrets and girl who bears their insecurities and girl who SEES that they are insecure so she cannot even bring herself to be ANGRY with them and girl who hunts. girl who hunts and feeds, but now who hikes and disappoints, because there is no game to bring home, but that can only be Her Failure because it is Her Contribution, do you hear me are you with me??

so natalie walks for miles and she eulogizes jackie and she steps out of her reward her one small comfort and she makes sure that lottie sinks into the hot water and she apologizes, she apologizes, she apologizes. because maybe she’s mad, maybe she says it isn’t fair in the heat of the moment, but at the end of the day she knows who she is and what she is and all that they’ve made her and she carries that responsibility. (like jackie the girl she wasn’t home to save and lottie the girl she doesn’t know how to reach. it’s too late for them, there are no words to undo it. jackie was sealed when she made captain and natalie was sealed when she pulled the trigger and lottie was sealed when she warned van.)

and taissa finally TAISSA. she has hidden her secret. little girl looking in the mirror and seeing something that shouldn’t be there and older girl who is hearing things that she shouldn’t hear and leading people places she shouldn’t be able to lead them to. she doesn’t want it and she’s made it the Most Known of them all. don’t tell lottie, don’t tell the others, don’t bring it up. and van who champions her so naturally, so routinely, so lovingly for all the normal things. van who believes in the supernatural. van who has simply refused to die. van can’t hold it in anymore, because taissa’s sight Brought Back Javi. but tai doesn’t want her to mention it to the others. tai is perceptive and tai understands power struggles and she’s tired and hates this part of herself and she’s scared and she’s logical and she doesn’t want to Be Lottie (not lottie the girl from New Jersey who shoplifts, but lottie who better be a witch).

so maybe I’m seeing things myself, maybe I’m reading too deep, but here’s what I saw in old wounds.

lottie, who sits quietly while the others discuss her prophecy. lottie, who seems to have developed an openness to a different view of jackie in her death, because she was girl there and now she’s girl gone and she served them again in death and maybe lottie didn’t quite have the right idea of her and maybe lottie is in her seat now, in a way. lottie, who wanders into the snow without ever really agreeing because it was never really a choice, and cuts her hand because it can’t hurt IT CANT HURT.

natalie, who signed up to hunt when it was spring and warm and possible, who knows that it will be hers always and forever now. natalie, who will always be the reason they are starving, more than the reason they are fed. natalie, who is jealous of the girl who is bone, because she was allowed death. natalie, who has sympathy for all of them and knows that lottie has been made her rival through the mechanisms of group projection than her own volition. so she bathes her and tends to her and apologizes to her.

taissa, who has always been a leader and always been under scrutiny but did so in a way She Could Control. taissa, whose deepest secrets are being unfolded before her eyes because she can’t stop herself from divulging them when she is unconscious. taissa, who might start to think that maybe lottie didn’t ask for this.

so jackie is bone, and natalie is hunter, and lottie is seer, and taissa might be even more so. natalie alone in the realm of the mundane (for this), but aware of them all, so I’ll set her aside for a moment.

jackie accidentally opened the door to this spiritualism. she was the seance and doomcoming (and the first communion), but she didn’t mean for it to be that. she meant to cheer them up.

lottie thought that jackie had it wrong, thought that she didn’t use her position to protect the girls, because she refused to work with the woods and lottie tries to save them and protect them and negotiate with the wilderness for them.

taissa thinks that lottie has it wrong, because she feeds into their delusions and her power is a runaway train in this setting and taissa wants to keep them alive in the best way. the practical way. except that logical leadership never led to anything out here and her other self, her spiritual self, found javi after months.

pedestals and wrecking balls and clearer views once you’re hoisted up with the girls on them. girls who are not Them but who are What Others Say. shauna dictating jackie and mari dictating lottie and van dictating taissa and everyone dictating natalie. everyone meaning the best and riding the high of delivering it, until it’s cut out from beneath them. you don’t go from great to fine. the mighty don’t fall to land on a straw bed with the rest of them, thanks for trying and welcome back. they are Icarus and their love for the others is flight and their belief that They Can Do It Better is the sun and the sun burns. in death or in life or in dreams.

and maybe in old wounds lottie understood jackie a little more and taissa understood lottie a little more and nat, who has always been able to understand them all, can watch and wait and hope that it changes things. but it won’t. because they aren’t driving their own stories anymore.

so they’ll hunt and they’ll bleed and they’ll walk in their sleep and, no matter what they say or don’t say, the others will fill in the gaps.

[creaturefeaster]

This might be a silly question (and if it's been answered in some way before, then my apologies!) but before the Fault, in the plane where Mimes come from, would they technically all (not just the CQ Mimes) have known each-other? Every single color? Like after the Fault they see a Mime on the street and go, "(Sigh) That guy I don't like is even worse physically."

Or, since there's surely too many to even count, would they only know a few? Whoever is closest to them and whatnot?

Sorry if this doesn't make sense!

Most mimes would know about most other mimes, but they also have clearly defined social circles. They have existed for eons, and that is a very long time. Many mimes have communicated with each other at least once, and if not, have likely heard about them during communication with others. They did not have actual voices within their realm, but their voices upon entering the physical realm would still be recognisable to any mimes who have communicated to each other before.

But with eons of time to communicate with each other, comes eons of time to forget about each other at the same time. Each mimes social network is typically much larger than what the average humanoid would have-- mimes can have friend circles of 100's. And friends tend to gravitate towards each other in reality just as they would in their realm, so it's super common for them to run into each other by chance.

Their realm is a blend of every color imaginable, and typically they get to know their neighbors best. With time they shift around, but it's such a long process they don't have much of a choice but to be in close contact with their neighbors whether they want to or not.

Though it looks condensed, each hue is somewhat isolated. A lot of space in between them is used to connect and communicate.

It is much like a hivemind, or you can even equate it to neurouns connecting and communicating, though they can choose who they want to communicate with and how far they're willing to reach out. It isn't difficult to reach out from long distances, but it can occupy their ability to speak to many other mimes at once. The closer they are to each other, the more mimes can 'hang out' together.

Their form of communication is essentially connecting their consciousness together, and it is something they can still do even while they pilot their vessels in the physical realm. This is another reason why they can converge prior to any visible, physical connection.

So yes, most mimes know of/are aware of other mimes-- they know those shades of color exist, and may have past history with them to strengthen that awareness. But they keep a closer, smaller social circle that they are more familiar with. The hue alone is typically enough to let a mime know who they're talking to.

[mathlann]

Warp Travel in Rogue Trader

So, of course the main rule of Warp Travel is that it moves at the speed of the plot, so all of this goes with a grain of salt. But for anyone like me who likes to get caught up in how "how long is this taking?" the OG Rulebook does have a rough guide for how to calculate travel times.

So, the main thing is that there're two bits to keep track of in Warp Travel: Subjective Time and Realspace Time.

Subjective Time

Subjective time is the part of the journey experienced inside the Warp, and it's some of the reason why it's impossible to keep time in this setting. So the book has this chart to estimate the subjective time of a (straight shot, presumably) journey as would be the equivalent of green or yellow routes in the CRPG:

So, the Koronus Expanse being the Sector, and the very small part of it we get in-game being the sub-sector, roughly, one end of your Protectorate to another should be within 5-10 days of subjective time in the Warp at most.

Now the CRPG also lets you upgrade routes from red to green, which does work mechanically insofar as representing routes getting safer, since players are most likely to green their most traveled spots and be stingy on NP for one-off systems. This is also how it would work in-setting, but I'd add the routes that would "stay" green would be the ones you travel the most. So routes between settled worlds and Footfall might be subjectively "shorter" than similar routes to outlying systems because of the volume of trade and travel along those places.

This is what the second chart measures:

Thus, Cassia being more experienced can speed up or slow down the time it takes to get somewhere. So realistically, your first trip from Footfall to Janus, at best is maybe going to be within a few days, maybe more because Cassia has to chart course anew. But subsequent trips can be much faster because the route is short and she knows where she's going. Whereas those orange to red routes or systems that you only visit once or twice, are maybe going to take the week if not longer without some help. Pirates and other criminals are good to know here because they're more likely to settle in places off the Warp Highway and thus have better mapping of those areas, but not always, etc etc. but that's the kind of outside resources you might use to increase success on that chart.

Realspace Time

Realspace time is going to be a little bit more consistent on the start and stop of a journey, but total realspace time is largely going to depend on your Warp Route. So, building off of the previous point, the ratio of Subjective to Realspace time is variable along similar lines. Well traveled routes are going to have a shorter time dilation between points than longer or more dangerous routes.

The book gives a rough estimate of One Day in the Warp = Twelve Days in Realspace. Which, I will note that the Expanse is much more populated in the CRPG than it is in the TTRPG and the latter is dealing with a much larger area so that ratio is probably too big. I'd personally say 1:8 for orange routes at most. But in general, the book recommends that a stable route is shorter than that, and can go as far down as a 1:1 ratio while turbulent areas can go worse. But unless you want to write a story dealing with that, Argenta-style "hundred years past our arrival date" trips are extremely rare, as are "we arrived technically before we left" trips.

So the last and most consistent part of Realspace time is honestly not super necessary but that would be dealing with Mandeville Points, which are where ships enter and exit the Warp from Realspace, to then travel to the relevant planet. You rarely if ever enter a system near a planet or moon unless you like having your shit wrecked but even then, the book recommends that Rogue Trader vessels and other fancier ships are going to take anywhere between a few days up to two weeks depending on their destination within a system.

Longer and more turbulent routes would also recommend that you stop every few bits and re-enter Realspace to reorient and lessen your chances of being knocked off course. Also to get any Astropath Mail you may have missed. So while if you needed a direct route from Dargonus to Kiava Gamma it is feasible, you'd maybe want to stop half way, refuel, etc etc anyways if things aren't urgent.

So, roughly

An uncomplicated journey within your Protectorate is maybe taking over a week, more or less depending on distance and how many stops you make along the way.

Act 2 is probably longer than Act 4 time-wise because you're exploring and mapping out your Protectorate mostly "from scratch."

Not even counting Webway travel because that is a whole 'nother can of worms, but the time between Marazhai challenging you on Grantis to getting an invasion together for Dargonus is probably more time than you think considering he has you out in the boonies where your Warp to Realspace ratio is probably a bit bigger, ie, what was maybe a six day round trip for you from Dargonus was probably over a week or two for him.

Furthermore, any Drukhari safely tucked away in the Lower Decks is only going to need a day or two of people in his hold per trip, on average.

[haddonfieldwhore]

moth to a flame - vessel

vessel (sleep token) x gn!reader

warnings: fluff, inhuman?vessel, probably not lore-accurate

word count: 781

your body still felt heavy as you slowly awoke, the light of day creeping through a crack in the curtain, illuminating a small portion of the otherwise still dark room. you rolled over and began to get out of the bed, when vessels painted arms wrapped around you, pulling you back against his chest. you hummed as he tucked his face into the crook of your neck, and you swore he was almost purring.

“do not leave me yet.”

“i won’t. but i do have to get up at some point; we need groceries,” you laughed. vessel smiled, though you could not see it. he thought to himself, that was no reason to leave, though he seldom needed to eat anyways. your mere presence in coalition with the strength sleep gave him was enough to keep him alive. vessel began to pepper soft kisses across the skin of your neck as down your shoulder, holding you so tightly you almost found it hard to breathe.

“what’s gotten into you?” you mused. vessel usually wasn’t this clingy, he was usually a little hard to read, almost as if there was more to him than you knew. but in this moment he was holding on to you like you were a lifeline, and to him, you were.

“i wonder each day where you came from, because you cannot be of this earth.” oh the irony in his words, but he felt it to be true. “every ounce of my being belongs to you,” he promised, rolling over to cage you beneath his form.

“vessel-“ you stared up at him with teary eyes, your heart so full, never having felt so loved in your life. you didn’t know you could feel anything like this until you found vessel.

“do not cry, my love,” he placed a kiss to your forehead as your hands reached up to cradle either side of his neck, in awe of the man before you. “do not waste tears on me. if you cried for every moment i loved you it would never cease.”

“what did i do to deserve you?” you asked, and he smiled.

“it is the other way. it is i who ponders if i am enough for you. i would light myself ablaze to keep you warm without a moments hesitation. you are the only thing i need on this earth.”

“i love you,” was all you could manage to say, but vessel didn’t seem to mind as he kissed your lips.

“say that you will always be mine,” vessel pleaded softly. sitting up, he slid one of the rings off his finger, and placed it in your hand.

“vessel, are you-“

“promise me. i have not a life without you, and in all my past lives i know that i have loved only you.”

“i promise,” you nodded, leaning up to kiss him. his hands reach out and pulled you into his lap, before taking the ring from his hand and sliding it onto your ring finger. somehow it fit perfectly although his hands were larger than yours, almost like magic. “i don’t know what to say. i love you so much, vessel.” you threw your arms around his neck in a tight hug, and he held you impossible close.

“you need not say anything. you have given me everything i could ever need and more, just by gracing me with your presence.”

“i would give you more if i could.” you admitted, overwhelmed with emotion as tears began to trail down your cheeks.

“what more could i want, than you? should hell take me if i die, i have already lived a lifetime in heaven with you.”

“if you die?” you asked. there was something special about vessel, almost otherworldly like he perhaps was more than human. you could feel it in the way he spoke to you, the way he touched you.

“yes,” he replied. “i fear i cannot die while my love for you still courses through my veins. it is too strong to allow it. as well, you are wise enough to know that i am….different.” he had never spoken of his divergence before, but you were not surprised.

“vessel, whatever beyond you came from, they must be miserable that i have you now. because i don’t plan on giving you back,” you kissed him deeply. “not in this lifetime.”

“perhaps in another?” he teased, and you shook your head with a smile.

“not in any lifetime. i think you’re stuck with me.” vessel wiped the tears from your face, leaving light streaks of black paint across your skin as it rubbed off his fingertips.

“i would not wish for anything else.”

disclaimer: all screenshots, events, and/or interactions depicted in this are a work of fiction. i have no association with any parties mentioned

[cursedvibes]

My JJK Arc Ranking

Culling Game (ch 159-221) + Baka Survivor (ch 239-243)

Perfect Preparation (ch 144-158)

Itadori's Extermination (ch 137-143)

Death Painting (ch 55-64)

Shibuya Incident (ch 79-136)

Vs Mahito (ch 19-31)

Fearsome Womb (ch 1-18)

Hidden Inventory (ch 65-79)

Shinjuku Showdown (ch 222-262+)

Kyoto Goodwill Event (ch 32-54)

Cursed Child (Vol 0)

Note that this is my personal ranking of which arcs I like the most and least, not any objective statement. Like for example, I think Hidden Inventory is well-written, but it doesn't interest me much, that's why it's further towards the bottom.

With the manga drawing to a close, I thought I'd write down my thoughts about what we've gotten so far and what I like or don't like in the different arcs.

Culling Game

Starting at #1 with the Culling Game Arc. It's where my interest in the story really picked up and I got invested to the point of bothering to write analyses, dig into the lore and historical background and even start writing fanfiction. Culling Game is the meat of the story, where we got introduced to new important lore of characters, further explored their themes and connected dots that had been set up before. It is sort of a lul after the big climax of the Shibuya Incident, but I think that's also what was needed here, since this is more of a section where Gege takes time to explore concepts and characters further. Shibuya is a big payoff for the first part of the story and Culling Game builds on that, it establishes a level ground for the last part of the story. Characters like Yuuji and Maki for example found themselves fundamentally changed after Shibuya and used this time to find their footing again and try to create a new way for themselves to move forward. In Yuuji's case he had to do it twice even with the massive turn of not being Sukuna's vessel anymore aka having his role, purpose and ideal death taken from him. He catches himself relatively quickly though.

Also this arc just had a lot of moments I really like, actually most of my favourite moments in jjk happen here. Like Kenjaku calling Yuuji their son, Yuuji's fight against Higuruma, Maki's awakening, Noritoshi reconciling with his mother having a new family, Kenjaku & Uraume rolling up to the White House, the Yuki vs Kenjaku fight, the Heian trio spa day, Yorozu's backstory, Kenjaku and Tengen getting Sukuna's mummy and much more. The fights were for the most part also great. You always took something new away and I liked how we were slowly spoon-fed information about the Culling Game and Kenjaku's plans. Almost every chapter had something to pick apart and even with the cycle through the colonies there was always tension because you didn't know what this would all lead to. Even when the protagonists were doing well, things could change at the drop of a dime. There was a false sense of security. The main group got a little bit of control only to have it ripped away when they least expected it.

Baka Survivor

I put the Baka Survivor arc up here as well because while it might technically be during the Shinjuku Showdown, I thought it was so far removed from the fight against Sukuna that it's reasonable to see it as its own mini-arc. Plus, I think this section is a lot better than the majority of the Shinjuku Showdown. It's like Gege took some time to play around and write what was fun to them, the stuff they actually want to write. The end was a bit...meh. Mainly because of the context of this fight and Kenjaku's larger role in the story, especially what Kenjaku's death this early would mean (or not mean...) for Yuuji. Yuuta's integration here was also very weak because while he might have reasons to go after Kenjaku that were a little bit explored (although I think you could've done way more with it than just "wants to do it for Gojo" after all a big theme of this fight was connecting with other people and building friendships/partnerships, which is something closely related to Yuuta's character), he was absolutely irrelevant from Kenjaku's perspective. You could've put anyone in his place and it wouldn't have changed anything from Kenjaku's point of view. Well, maybe if you put Yuuji there, but Gege was clearly not interested in exploring their relationship like that....

Anyway, I have raved about this arc a lot on my blog already, but in summary I absolutely love how we explore both Kenjaku and Takaba further, compare them and their understanding of comedy/curiosity and how both of them struggle to open up to others, show their real self and make themselves vulnerable. I especially think that this was actually thematically a very nice end for Kenjaku. They indulge in what they really want, have fun without the need of excessive cruelty (although there was violence from both of them) and they allowed themselves to connect with someone else again and make a friend. Chasing after their superficial goals of merging humanity they lost their closest friend, Tengen, were thrown into doubt and Takaba both offered himself as an alternative and pulled them further away from their insane ideas. Best thing about it is that Kenjaku went for it! They got caught up in the comedy with Takaba, they paid the price for allowing themselves such a close relationship with someone else and lowering their guard, and they still didn't regret it. In fact they were glad they spend their time before their death with Takaba and finally having fun. Of course the merger plan continues, they can't just let Tengen die with them or fall into the protagonists hands and it is too late for Tengen to change back anyway, but I absolutely love Kenjaku's character development here. Just remains to be seen how Takaba will leave this fight and how he will react to having once again lost a partner.

Perfect Preparation

Really like this arc for all the new lore we get as well as emotional chapters like the Zenin massacre and Yaga's death. The introduction of Hakari and Kirara was fun too, but the highlight for me is definitely the meeting with Tengen and Maki's massacre. Ch 145 and 146 might be in the top 5 of the chapters I have reread most often. You always find something new there and there's so much about the relationship between Tengen, the Star Plasma Vessels and the six eyes to take apart, particularly with later reveals like Yuki also being a Star Plasma Vessel. Those two chapters were also what first really got me more interested in Kenjaku and their history with Tengen. It's when it becomes apparent just how much Kenjaku has planned and arranged over the past millennium and it also raises even more questions of why Tengen never mentioned them before and how Kenjaku could stay undercover for so long.

Then we of course also have the Zenin massacre. I like how it starts with giving us some clan politics. I love that shit. Wish we got something similar for the Kamo and Gojo, but oh well. Maki's meeting with her mother when she goes for the weapon storage is already pretty chilling, but it's even better when you see her mother go from "why can't you make me proud of you for once?" to "I'm glad I gave birth to you". Shows how much she suffered under the Zenin as well, despite playing by their rules. Too bad she only came to the conclusion to treat her kids decently when it was already too late. Maki also only found out her mother did care about her and was the one to finish off Naoya when she was already dead. Just like her reunion and clearing conversation with Mai, it all happens just a little too late and that's what makes it so wonderfully tragic.

Also shout-out to Yaga's death scene. I've come to appreciate it much more recently and I particularly like seeing him together with all the other autonomous cursed corpses he keeps hidden away and the hints of the friendship he has with Kusakabe.

Itadori's Extermination

Honestly, I mostly like this arc for its atmosphere. It's one of the instances where you feel the most just how much destruction, chaos and desolation Shibuya and the start of the Culling Game caused. The main characters roaming the streets all split up and sleeping by campfires, the broken buildings and civilians hunting for scraps of food, curses praying on desperate humans...it's great. Wish we got more of that later on, but I only really got a similar feeling when the foreign armies attacked.

And of course we get the fateful Itadori flashback here. I don't know how many hours I spend looking at those two pages and taking the dialogue apart. Just two pages and I've become utterly obsessed by this weird family. Also the first time we see Kenjaku in a vessel that is not Geto, so that's extra nice.

I remember also really liking Yuuta's reintroduction when the chapters first came out. He looked so much worse than in Vol 0, so that was really intriguing. Bit disappointed there wasn't more conflict and it turned out he looks like shit because...well, that's just his look now. Still good arc.

Death Painting

I like this one because it's where Yuuji, Nobara and Megumi feel most like a team going on a mission and solving a mystery. Especially the opening of it, with weird paranormal events that remind you of classic Japanese horror stories is really nice and always manages to draw me in. Kinda wish there were more missions like that just for the sake of atmosphere, even though I don't think the story necessarily needs it. Seeing Mahito and Kenjaku capture a civilian man, strip him, nail him to a wall and then feed him a cursed fetus was also insane. Never get tired of watching/reading that no matter if it's the manga or anime. Vol 7 was the first jjk volume I ever bought and I remember how striking it was to open the book and start with that scene. Gave me chills.

I also love the entire fight with Eso and Kechizu. One because I just like their characters and getting introduced to the background of the Death Painting's existence was interesting, but I also really enjoyed Yuuji and Nobara's dynamic here and their talk about what it means to kill.

Shibuya Incident

Really good arc and what made me more interest in how jjk would continue when I first read the manga, but rereading it there are definitely some fights and scenes that really drag for me and I end up skipping whenever I read it again or when I watched S2. Like all the curse users working for Kenjaku that ended up being entirely irrelevant. The backstory of Ogami and the guy with the big eyes was nice because it gave us an insight into what the life of regular curse users (not big hitters like Geto or Kenjaku) is actually like and how society changed when Gojo was born. That's some world building I very much appreciate. Aside from that all the curse users are very forgettable though. There's a reason I only remember Ogami's name and none of the others'. Some other stuff also just comes down to character preferences like I'm not that interested in what Nanami or Ino were up to and Toji was also...eh. Nice, but I'm not losing my mind over it. Nanami's death scene is great though. I mostly love Shibuya for its later stages. Yuuji's fight against Mahito, how seeing his friends and civilians die through his inaction makes him breakdown, how his world view changes over the course of fighting Mahito and their scene at the end when the roles of predator and prey are reversed. Kenjaku's entrance and explanation of their plan and what was to come is also very interesting and probably the part I reread most in this arc.

Vs Mahito

I gotta say I do really like Junpei's story and his developing friendship with Yuuji. Yuuji's first few encounters with Mahito are great as well. It's nice seeing them get to know each other and seeing the inciting incidents that cause both of them to gradually get more and more obsessed with killing the other. I also really appreciate this arc for giving us some of those slower scenes that are just focused on Mahito, the curse family or Mahito & Junpei talking philosophy. Mahito is a quite fascinating character even in his simplistic cruelty and here you can also see the most just how horrific, but also intriguing, Idle Transfiguration is. This arc has one of the best horror in jjk and I appreciate the anime for emphasizing the comparisons to the Human Centipede movies and human experimentation even further. It's really close between this and Shibuya Incident. I just ended up putting Shibuya higher because when it hits, it hits hard and I still like the high points it has more than the Vs Mahito arc. Still appreciate the groundwork this arc laid for Shibuya to be as impactful as it was.

Hidden Inventory

Like I said in the beginning, I do think this arc is well-written and I think it's a great way to flesh out Gojo and Geto's characters as well as give us more world building and establish the background presence of Tengen and the connection of the Star Plasma Vessel and six eyes to her. I'm also convinced that what we learn here about the Time Vessel Association and the cults that build around Tengen will become relevant again when we get to the Heian flashback and Sukuna's/Tengen's/Kenjaku's backstory. Still have that "Kenjaku created the Time Vessel Association in the Nara period" theory in the back of my mind. This lore is also the main thing I like about this arc. Don't get me wrong, Gojo and Geto's struggles and change in mindset is nice too, but I don't care much about Gojo and don't like Geto, so I ended up focusing more on everything around them. Including Riko. I find her story, the way she grew up and her inevitable death very interesting. Episode 3 of season 2 is still my favourite episode of the season of maybe even the entire anime because it's just that beautiful and I love how they added to the themes of her character by connecting her to the ocean. The inside of the Tomb of Stars is also so eery and entrancing, I could soak in that atmosphere forever. The only reason it's so low is because a lot of this arc is dedicated to Gojo and Geto and their relationship etc. While that is absolutely necessary and was very well done, it's not something I'm much interested in.

Fearsome Womb

Start of the series. It's really those first few chapters and the mission at the detention centre I like about it. It's where you see Yuuji still quite naive and ready to play the hero. I am very interested in his life before joining Jujutsu Tech and when he first got introduced to jujutsu, so this is always nice to revisit and see how he acted before he was forced to become a seasoned sorcerer very quickly. Those glimpses of how Yuuji was always a bit of a loner and also extraordinary from the start due to Kenjaku's meddling. Knowing his family background makes these scenes now even more interesting. His mentality back then is also what makes the moment in the detention centre so special, where he realizes Sukuna isn't Kurama and won't be a convenient power source for him. He could die if he is careless (which he is, of course, he never dealt with anything like this before) and he is scared of it.

Besides that, I also like the introduction of Kenjaku and the curses, how chill it is and how you see them walking among regular citizens undetected by anyone. I think that's especially a fitting introduction to Kenjaku's character. They are unassuming in the beginning of the series, easy to overlook next to flashy Mahito and Jogo, but that's how they have always been throughout history and it's part of the reason for why they never drew much attention besides the Death Painting experiment, which wasn't directly linked to them. Of course Tengen covering for them was the other big reason.

Overall, nice start into the series, even if some parts are a bit slow and don't animate me much to reread them.

Shinjuku Showdown

Shinjuku Showdown fights on a reread do merge well into each other, but it's undeniable that they are very formulaic. Yuuta starts out the same way Higuruma does. Talking about regrets, giving his all, how he has to end everything with a technique only he can use and then he gets cut down. Same with Maki, Kusakabe, Miguel and Larue. It is all the same. We are currently literally watching a slight reshuffle of the fight that started this arc.

Parallel we learn more about Yuuji's new abilities and Sukuna has to gradually exert more force. Technically a good thing, but it's all so repetitive that it loses more and more of it's emotional impact for me. If there is any emotional impact at all. Eventually it just becomes explaining of cursed technique after cursed technique that won't work anyway with minimal depth otherwise. Things get a bit better when most people have been cut away and we start focusing on Yuuji and Sukuna, but by that point I'm already so tired by everything that came before that I can't get that hyped about it and just want a complete change of pace that breaks all rules that have been set up and introduces something completely new. Like the merger for example... Although I have to say, Kashimo's fight might be my favourite still out of the bunch. Has a lot to do with my particular interest and what I'm looking for in a fight. It was short, but we got a nice wrap-up for Kashimo's character, learned more about the Heian era, explored the theme of love and strength and got what is so far one of the deepest looks at Sukuna's philosophy and mindset.

Besides that, on the reread, by the time Kusakabe's fight happens I'm catching myself only skimming the pages. It doesn't help that there's not much initiative happening from Sukuna's side besides the very recent chapters. He's just waiting for others to do something, which lowers the perception of any imminent threat from him. The later half (before Yuuta showed up again) isn't as bad as the Gojo vs Sukuna fight, but I'm still having a hard time staying invested while reading it. Gojo vs Sukuna 2.0 pretty much tanked my interest again. Every week I'm shaking Sukuna to just spit out his backstory already and release Tengen because that's the only thing I care about at this point and I'm bored of this fight. But again, my opinion, others likely feel otherwise.

Kyoto Goodwill Event

Was a bit tempted to put it above Shinjuku Showdown, but at the end of it Shinjuku Showdown still has some scenes I really like, like Kashimo's fight, Yuuji fighting Sukuna and the Sukuna, Uraume and Kenjaku scenes in ch 222. That's more than what I could say for Kyoto Goodwill Event. I don't necessarily dislike it. It doesn't really have any moments that bother me as much as the ones in Shinjuku Showdown, but at the same time nothing in this arc really stands out to me or catches my interest. Often I end up forgetting about it entirely. There's not really much to say about it because I don't have any strong feelings about this one. Not really something I reread unless I'm looking for some very specific information.

Cursed Child

When I first read Vol 0 (right before the Death Painting arc) I thought it was a concept story for jjk. The infant stage of it before Gege made the proper story. Sort of like the original chapter of Naruto where he's actually a fox spirit. Interesting to read to see where jjk started, but not tied to canon. That's also why I didn't question Geto acting very different here. I just though "wow, they made his character way less aggravating". So yeah, Vol 0 is really not something I find interesting or enjoy and I think the writing in it is quite rough. I didn't find Yuuta very compelling. He's an obvious Shinji rip-off, which wouldn't be that bad in itself except I don't find his personality that interesting and him pulling powers out of his ass without any of them being set up prior made me really dislike him. He can just copy techniques now and use them much better than the original person because he's just that overpowered. Who knows how he learned about any of this, who knows what the limitations to any of his powers are, he can apparently just do anything and that makes his fights not very thrilling because there aren't really any stakes. He also has barely any connection to the villain of this arc except that he happens to kill people Yuuta cares about. Geto's ideology is entirely irrelevant. Geto could've said he's killing people because he wants to turn them into Christmas decoration and the fight would've happened the same way. I think putting an ideologically-driven villain against someone whose only care is that his friends are alive and who has also not even the experience to judge if anything Geto says is justified wasn't a very good move. Centring Gojo and Geto's conflict would've been better and also showing us literally anything that would make it possible for us to judge if any of Geto's complaints are justified, if he's talking about real problems. Just going by Vol 0, we don't know that. We can only tell that the bullshit he spouts is an allegory for white supremacy/racism, which obviously is bad. But on it's own it seems like he's just spouting bigotry for bigotry's sake, which doesn't make for a very compelling villain, especially if the rest of the characters and setting don't fit his attitude. Nobody can ever even bring themselves to say something like "genocide bad, eugenics bad". They just don't engage with what he's saying and if that's the case, then why bring it up in the first case. It makes Geto's antics even more unnecessary. On its own it's really not that good of a story and since it's a oneshot with initially no guaranteed sequel, I would expect a bit more.

All that being said, the first time I read Vol 0 I was very annoyed and glad I followed it up with the Death Painting arc, something which is much better written and more up my alley. If Vol 0 was my first exposure to jjk, I don't think I would've continued reading. Having more context from Hidden Inventory fleshes at least out what Gojo and Geto have going on, but my complaints about Yuuta and his lack of meaningful relation to Geto and what he stands for still makes me dislike this arc.

[alastyr-not-alastair]

*breaks through your window*

Have you ever wondered how steves are born? i mean like, we all have our headcanons and many of them are pretty similar but who wants to hear mine now

well if you're still reading you probably want to

So this one i'm making specific to my fanfic Sins of the Forefathers (i promise guys im still working on it, i jsut wrote the first chapter without making an outline and now i actually have to write a whole story) just because I think it’s silly, there’s no real reason and I don’t think that it’ll end up being some major plot point or anything so I can share without spoilers!

currently there are 2 big headcanons around, 1 of them being from a bit that states that steves reproduce using diamonds, and the other one being that the energy around the place can gather into one spot until theres so much that it creates a new steve

theres also... mpreg but i'd rather NOT

so naturally i combined them

To create a child you will need a diamond and at least 2 parents that are (preferably) of the same colour! the parents need to pour in a considerable amount of their energy into the diamond to create a new steve, while the diamond acts as a sort of vessel to hold onto their power. if this was tried WITHOUT the diamond, the energy would just dissipate into the air.

This ritual leaves the parents depleted of their own energy, which is why sometimes there will be more than 2 parents, just so that the load is lighter for them. Typically, the energy split isn't 100% even, so one parent may have put in a slightly larger amount of their own energy, this usually leads to the kid being closer to that parent in shade and power type/level.

When theres a third parent introduced for the sole reason of allowing the first 2 to not have to lose so much energy, they typically only gve a small amount of their own. Not enough to influence the child but enough that the parents wont be left EXHAUSTED afterwards. When theres a third parent because they also want to be a parent and have a kid, its once again a mostly even split between all of them

This all continues no matter how many parents you introduce into the mix

now the diamond! as the energy is put into the diamond, the core of it starts to become almost like a star, a core that is keeping the energy circulating and moving inside of it until it starts to create a living being. From then on, the diamond acts as an egg.

the kid inside will slowly use up the diamonds carbon from the inside out, as the energy poured into them combines with the energy that the diamond is absorbing from the general area as well. The diamond will slowly start to slightly change colour and go opaque.

The closer that the diamond egg is to people, the faster it'll hatch simply due to it absorbing energy left in the air that people give off.

The core continues to eat away at the diamond from the inside as a steve forms in there. At this point of their lives they don't need to worry about any food or water or anything because of the fact that they're still only feeding off the energy in the universe.

Once enough energy has been absorbed, the diamond shell that's left over will start to crack and fracture. The cracks will be more like something is expanding out of it rather than just breaking out. The first crack will always be the loudest as it is when the most energy is let out. At that point the kid can come crawling out the diamond and BOOM! you have a child!

A couple thoughts more that i have that im not sure where to put in:

the steves are a carbon based race due to the fact that diamonds are entirely carbon

a new hatch will be like, the size of a large hand. They grow fast once they're out

the way they're made is quite literally like a new star, and that first crack is their supernova. they basically go through the life cycle of a star before they're even born

different colours can technically have children together but it doesn't always have the intended result. Most times the energy they pour in isnt compatible so it... makes the diamond blow up....

if they do manage to succeed, the kid will be one colour or the other, as the energy of the parent who poured less energy would slowly get converted into something the other parents is more compatible with

In the case of Rainbow Steve:

So he’s an unnatural abomination of a Steve, we all know that, right?

If you didn’t, you do now bc he’s canonically made of like 5 people

Rainbow Steve was in fact made the traditional egg way, but the outputs of the energy put into the diamond had to be made so precise it wouldn’t go one way or another. He would also then have been required to be put in an environment where all the outside energy would not influence what colour he turned out to be.

The way this was done was it was completed one person at a time. Each person first had to learn to manipulate their own energy into a spare vessel with a measuring tool in it, and once it was measured to be exactly 1/7th of the total energy they would all put in, they would have to carefully manipulate the energy in an environment where there’s no extra energy swirling around, and put that into the diamond

Rinse and repeat the process 7 times and you have a rainbow egg hopefully, which would then be carefully fed equal amounts of all energy in a sealed off room. Eventually Rainbow Steve would hatch from it and all the scientists would breath a collective sigh of relief

A pretty normal way to make him honestly, but the constant feeding of the egg exhausted the scientists pretty fast, so eventually they just made a filtering system that would store the energy they let off naturally and use that to give to the egg

Also all the scientists fell in love with each other during their time there, it’s canon I said so

[itsyamajesty]

[I don't know how to do a masterpost, so this is going to get ALOT of edits]

The way this went is just that one ProZD skit (alternatively, "we doing circles now?")

I be thinking about all this stuff for Curse of Freedom (story based AU)

Then brain latches onto Rising Charcoal AU

"Guess this is happening now"

Rising Charcoal AU

Cookie Run Kingdom AU by (ya) Majesty

Based on 3 original what ifs:

Dark Enchantress wins

The Ancients are gone (missing, trapped, dead? Who knows, they aren't here to save anyone)

The Beasts have awaken, much weaker

(more below)

'Proper' Plot Description

(some things are ommitted because this is WIP, plus there's some stuff I want to be mysteries)

Most cookies have lost count of how long ago it happened.

The Ancients lost, they were split apart, and she took over.

Despite best efforts, the fighting was in vain. Are the Ancients dead... or simply captured? For some, the answer is clear, but with only the words of the darkness to listen to?

Is it true all hope is lost?

The Hollyberry Kingdom has been invaded by deadly poisons and crimson curses, all cookies who escape the jungles fall to the puppeteered Pitaya Dragon. The biggest settlement remaining is in a deep ravine, everyday spent planning against the fruit dragon, with the expectation of some trying all they can to free them from a hopeless spell.

The Dark Cacao Kingdom appears safer than ever before. Ruled by duel tyrants, the manipulative poisoneer and possessed knight. Together they've achieved a balance between protection of the public and the posh, a paradise most chose to reside. In truth, the smile of the snake and the sayings of the sword are not safe to believe.

The Golden Cheese Kingdom are wastes from which the licorice scented dead rise, clawing their way towards a small settlement of the Sand Slices, protected by shredding sandstorms caused by a surviving deity and the purple smoke of a revived advisor.

The entirety of Beast-Yeast has turned into various factories of unknown products, all being sent towards a laboratory on the island south. Some of these factories however are in ruin, covered by twirling vines and the aura of faerie magic.

In the Vanilla Kingdom, Dark Enchantress rules over it all.

Most other settlements have already been stampeded over by cake monsters, the larger being taken down by large creatures even the best will struggle to clash against.

It should have been this moment that all faith left- and yet hope had returned.

For unknown reason with unknown creators, the Beast Cookies awoke in bodies for their own. They had many new abilities with their vessels, but they were all much weaker overall.

In a fight for the world's fate, the Beasts' wish for conquest fades.

Guided by shards of their lost power, holding the memories of kings and queens who gained their power after, and now before, them.

Fighting it or not.

Their original selves are destined to return.

If they don't, the fate of Earthbread is sealed.

-

At some point, there will be a "key posts" list here:

For now, I don't know how to actually do the embed link stuff so

There are posts for Eternal Sugar, Mystic Flour, and Burning Spice as of now- everything can be found with the Rising Charcoal AU tag

-

I didn't originally have anything big for it beforehand, but I'm getting ideas, Plus, Curse of Freedom is very story based, and I want to try (and fail) to write it, I can't make half of the posts I want to without spoilers. So I can post this instead. There is still a story to it, but I don't plan on writing more than a couple oneshots or short non-serious series, so there's no pressure for me to keep things secret (although there is some things I'll keep in more mystery for awhile)

Also with school I have a lot of drawing opportunities, I already got some stuff, but nothing post worthy yet

[marsabillions]

bcj headcanons that no one asked for

he’s extremely manipulative and that shows up in pretty much all of his relationships. he knows when to shut up and let people’s assumptions play out to his advantage. he knows how to exploit other people’s desires or weaknesses to get his way. even if its with someone he loves, like evan, barty is still willing to outright lie to evan just to keep him happy. his own manipulative tendencies are unlike evan’s, who usually resorts to shaming and gaslighting and bullying people to to make them feel as bad/anxious as possible. barty can and will do that, but overall, he is way more covert and calculated about it

resident Task Doer. He lives to check off a list of activities, major or minor. If he’s assigned to do something, he dedicates himself to it completely, and will not stop until it’s over. this is part fo the reason he loves schemes so much, it’s just an elaborate list of tasks he can do to ultimatley Win.

needy and cloying, he lives for attention, but he’s only going to ever respond to a specific type of it. He’ll mostly disregard any care he gets from the Average Joe, he needs some sort of figure, an idea to latch onto. Voldemort is a larger than life figure. People call him their Lord, in a way he’s the DEs own mortal god. He’s this post-societal, all powerful father figure and Barty’s addicted to the idea of being his surrogate son. Similarly to the reason he gets attached to Evan, whose this archetypal Perfect Pureblood boy. He’s attractive, seemingly confident, dresses well, from a powerful family, he’s a little cruel, he’s invulnerable. That’s something Barty wants to latch onto and be consumed into.

he’s extremely uncomfortable within his own body and even his soul ig? his autonomy was always only a privilege in his childhood, so he has a very complicated relationship with control. Adversarial, even. He’s stunted and out of place in his own identity, so he seeks out people he admires to be used by them. In a way, if Barty is a vessel for other people then maybe they’ll leave part of themself in him to keep.

[getvalentined]

For the ask game:

Vincent: 5, 7, 9, and 50 (any or all!)

[For the Random Character Asks game.]

5. Best personality trait?

Vincent's best personality trait is probably his intense sense of responsibility, which comes with a peerless level of determination to do whatever it takes to set things right in whatever way he can. This is also his worst personality trait. It pushed him to leave Nibelheim and strike down Hojo for what he allowed Sephiroth to do, and also kept him in the coffin in the first place based on the assumption that everything he touched fell apart. It makes him reliable to a fault in some situations, and utterly useless in others.

It's both the driving force behind his entire existence, and the weighted chain around his neck that keeps him anchored in place, unable to move forward.

7. Age/height/weight headcanon?

We have a canon birthdate for Vincent, contrary to the contradictory Ultimanias' timelines, down to the day of the week based on the real-world calendar for the same date, so we have his canon age at any time and I align with that. Vincent Valentine was born on Friday, October 13th, 1950. He's fifty-seven years old in December of 2007, meaning he was born in 1950, and yes, October 13th of that year fell on a Friday.

He's also twenty-seven until the end of time, but I've written a whole fic about that.

Vincent believes he's 184cm tall, which puts him at just over 6' in Imperial, and this was correct at the time of his death; it is not correct anymore, although Vincent doesn't know that until sometime postcanon. I've talked about it before, but my Vincent had an issue where his skeleton didn't completely scale back down after his first traumatic transformation into Galian, so his arms and legs are disproportionately long (and he already had legs for days) and he's just slightly larger all around, putting him at 194cm or just shy of 6'4" in the present.

After the incident with Omega, he actually starts growing, albeit inconsistently and very slowly; little by little, Vincent is developing into a shape befitting the role into which he was cast when Chaos' consciousness returned to the Lifestream, because at that point Vincent isn't a vessel for the Weapon anymore, he is the Weapon unto himself. The original animal consciousness is gone forever, and the role now belongs entirely to Vincent. It takes a long time for him to pick up on the physiological changes, and everyone except Nanaki and Genesis are dead by the time it starts to become noticeable to anyone else, but he'll top out around 225cm/7'5" not counting the horns and wings.

Vincent's weight is a goddamn mystery because his bone and muscle density are all fucked up because of mako exposure, while he's simultaneously built like a goddamn reed and has the shoulder to waist ratio of a dorito. It also fluctuates slightly between transformations for a while due to incomplete or inconsistent reversion, although those issues eventually resolve. It's anyone's guess, really.

9. Scene that first made me love (or hate) the character?

I've kinda talked about this before, but basically I was super interested in Vincent from the moment I learned of his existence, and fell in love the first time I activated his limit break and realized I was dealing with someone with a much more complicated story than previously let on. I have only fallen deeper in love with the character since then—he's smart and snarky and socially awkward, with a specific sort of trauma, both previous and impending, that makes him compelling to me specifically for very personal reasons—and he remains my favorite fictional character of all time.

50. A memory they’ve blocked out?

Vincent canonically blocked out all the memories of Lucrecia's involvement in his seven-year stint as a victim of science, although most of those come back eventually. My Vincent actually has a staggeringly clear memory, to the point that he remembers being on the operating table while Hojo removed all his organs, at least during the term that Hojo was keeping him conscious for it, and is also pretty cognizant of what he does when transformed.

Postcanon, the things he has blocked out are very intentionally blocked out, can inadvertently be brought back at any time with the right trigger, and are mostly related to the experiments. There was a short term when Hojo was still working on Vincent that he would instigate a transformation and run him through the sim on the bottom level of the research facility to observe the monsters, or occasionally just throw Vincent in there once the mako enhancements finally "stuck" in order to get data for Project 0, and Vincent has blocked most of that out. He knows it happened, but the details are either a blur, or he's pushed them so far back that he might as well have naturally forgotten.

[hitlikehammers]

The After the Sex and the Love and the Calm Storm (Steddie Pirate AU)

(I regret to inform you this is the end storm wherein bad things do in fact befall the boys)

🌊Under the Water (Our Hearts Will Dream Again)🌊

Chapter Six: Quite So Cruel

ONE // TWO // THREE // FOUR // FIVE // Chapter Six on 5 April 🌊

also on ao3

They are about as far from land as they ever venture—they’re risk-takers, and they’re foolish, the lot of them, you don’t become a pirate in the abundance of fucking self preservation and brains—but they’re not suicidal.

So: this is familiar, but further would be more than they venture toward.

That’s not to say others abide by the same limitations.

Steve stiffens in Eddie’s arms for no apparent reason; though the important observation is apparent, because Steve…does very little without reason.

He grabs Eddie’s hand, squeezes it and draws it to his lips for a kiss to the knuckles before untangling himself where they’d simply been resting, pressed body to body in comfort, where if Eddie concentrated very hard he could make Steve’s pulse out where he sprawled in Steve’s lap, pressed tight to his chest; but then Steve’s standing, letting go of Eddie’s hand with an apologetic grimace before he breathes low:

“Only a moment, angel,” and Eddie does melt easily at such ineffable endearments; “just need to test the currents.”

Which isn’t outside the norm, by any means: Eddie doesn’t comprehend how it’s done, or what it entails, or indeed the purpose it serves but Steve stands—sometimes with Eddie at his side—

Only…it’s not sometimes that Eddie’s stands at his side.

It’s most times. All times, Eddie would venture the wager blind.

Which sinks through the split of his heart right to his guts, when he lets the implications of this time, pursued alone, to sink in.

Eddie is barely on his feet to follow Steve unbidden, heart ricocheting, quaking from his ribcage and up his throat, when his arm is caught. All motion in his frame arrested for the hand on his sleeve, clenched around his limb: vise-tight and commanding, unforgiving, but desperate.

Eddie looks up, knows the touch is not its tenor simply for the shape of the hand, and Eddie needs to amend his assessment: his figure is frozen. His lungs are stuck.

His heart is shaking, for the wide frenzy in Steve’s eyes.

“They are almost upon us,” Steve pants, chest heaving, his hands on Eddie heavy, his hold so impossibly tight; “too swift and too much heft,” and his face drops, his breath catches and his eyes look bright almost stung to tears as he reaches a hand, cups Eddie’s face so soft, almost terrifying for how it juxtaposes to the death-grip he keeps on Eddie’s shirt, Eddie’s arm.

Eddie can near feel the break of his vessels to shape a bruise in the shape of Steve’s hand and he hates, he hates how his mind immediately whispers poison:

To keep for when he’s go—

No. No, Eddie doesn’t even know what’s happening, what’s the matter; he can’t afford to jump to conclusions—

His heart won’t withstand jumping to those conclusions—

The rest of the ship takes time to be roused, and if they did not trust in Steve’s uncanny intuitions they’d stay put but he’s not been wrong yet: a vessel is gaining on them, larger but somehow faster, pirates alike but no pirate crew is an ally to another, especially not in open waters, and Steve is certain they seek to do harm. They seek to plunder, certainly. But then: worse.

Eddie grabs for him, pulls him around a corner and asks how he knows it’s worse, where his fear is rooted and Steve stares at him, those sea-shift eyes flashing before he grabs Eddie’s face and draws him in, kisses him harder and needier than he’s ever done before and Eddie’s heart skips then surges for all the worst reasons when Steve pulls back, bows his head to Eddie’s brow and breathes:

“Blood,” and Eddie shivers for the closeness, for the word, for the promise of violence in the waves; “blood in the air, in the water,” and how Steve knows Eddie cannot guess, supposes it another talent learned where he hails from a world away, but Eddie never once thinks to question it. Because this is Steve, with whom he shares a bed. With whom he shares his heart.

If he’d had doubts, though, the way Steve looks at him—soft but unafraid, remorseful and yet so tender as he traces Eddie’s features, caresses his face; Eddie could never question this. No part of it. Not for an instant.

“I am sorry, my darling,” Steve breathes almost sorrowful, and the tides dip a little, the ship along their lead, as if Steve’s grief is deep enough to stir the fathoms below; “I’d have stopped them if I could.”

And Eddie cannot have that sorrow for nothing; reaches swift to catch Steve’s hands and brings them close first to his lips, then to his chest.

“You’re not to blame for pirates who seek to raid other pirates,” Eddie reasons, lifting one hand back now to cup Steve’s cheek just as dear, likely moreso, unable and unwilling to mask the depth of his feelings in a moment such as this. “It comes with the territory,” he tries to lighten the breaths between them, tries to reassure and steel them as one, together and united.

And Steve does not deny him, but outstrips him without seeming to intend it at all: he stares at Eddie as if he sees him in shades and frames beyond the perception of an ordinary man, watches him as if he can see the pump of his heart stripped bare and still he is steadfast: steadfast and unwavering, but then atop it all he is dangerous and somehow alight as he vows:

“I will not let you come to harm.”

And he draws Eddie in to kiss near violent for feeling, but this Eddie won’t be outstripped in, and meets him for every scrape of teeth and thrust of tongue.

And when Steve pulls away, the cries of the approaching enemy no longer approach, no: now they are here—but when Steve moves to meet them, Eddie stops him, traps their hands together against Eddie’s fitful heart and breathes:

“I pledge the same.”

And Steve’s eyes do impossible things, catch impossible light, before they settle on a soft regretful thing, an affection that fears but will not yield, and he holds tight to Eddie’s hand as he leads them to where the noise grows, swells: they’re being boarded.

“Stay close,” Steve breathes as he reaches for the pistol at his hip.

“Steve, I,” Eddie isn’t even sure what he means to say but Steve halts it quick enough he has no reason to learn; jerks him to a stop and hisses with the depth of an Ocean until himself:

“Stay close,” and Eddie nods, words beyond him, and draws a sword. Steve eyes him sharply.

“They will not all keep to the blade,” he warns, and Eddie nods, understands, then tips his head to Steve’s own firearm.

“I am quicker with this,” he assures, and Steve, bless him, doesn’t argue, doesn’t quest: trusts in kind.

Eddie’s heart still proves fool enough to swell, even as they cross into the fray.

They’re surprisingly not wildly outnumbered, and the invading parties expected to catch them wholly unawares: they press an advantage for it, and more than even the odds within mere minutes. But once they are evened, Steve is correct: they favor pistols.

And they are quicker than Eddie with them.

Eddie watches his crewmates fall, and slits throats without thought, quick and reliable, one after the next and they fall, and he doesn’t bother to think that he hasn’t found need to dodge a blade or a bullet yet, especially as his compatriots cry out or fall still and half-cold before they even can.

He doesn’t think, until he feels the impact: not of a bullet. Not of a blade.

But a body. One he knows so well, so intimately, pushing him with a purpose.

The way it slumps, a good five feet from where Eddie lands, and the groan that creaks from that direction, the way beloved hands clutch against the broad span of a chest: Eddie’s entire world shudders, goes dark at the edges when it becomes very fucking clear what the purpose was.

He sees the perpetrator, stalking close to finish the job and Eddie doesn’t think, sees the gleam of a gun held loose in dead hands and he grabs, aims, and pulls the trigger. And again. And again.

When he is certain the assailant is good and dead, he scrambles to Steve, still splayed on the deck, still clutching his chest.

His chest blooming red swift beneath his palms.

“How,” Eddie gasps, his vision still tunnelled, his tongue too thick; “why did you—“

“You were about to come to harm,” Steve croaks, simply, but as if the words cost him gravely; “what did I say, about that?”

He quirks a brow, even as the stain spreads beyond the cover of his hands, stretches rhythmically, as if, as if…

“Steve,” Eddie gasps, pleads, breaks because the stain spreads to a rhythm, and the would is in his chest—

Eddie reaches, moves Steve’s hands that are just resting, barely keeping pressure, and tries not to think of what it means that Steve maybe cannot hold with pressure as he leans his weight, his whole self onto Steve’s chest, the flutter of his heart that’s coloring his clothes, that’s draining his flesh to match the moonlight: far too pale already and no, no—

“But I gave you my heart,” Eddie insists, confounded, because the scene before him is impossible, it’s not possible even as that same heart trips frantic; even as he’s just barely keeping the words from spilling forth on a sob; “I gave you my heart, so you’ll be fine,” because he will, he must be, Steve must be; “you’ll be fine, because it’s still beating,” and Eddie’s hold is pressed tight to the hole ripped through Steve’s chest but he can feel the beating beneath it, because he can hear his own pulse in tumult but Steve’s heart is slower, the gush of blood between Eddie’s fingers gentler, the pulse driving it is sedate, even; is slowing, is fading, is leaving—

Eddie’s breath only manages to barely wheeze from his lips in a whine, because this cannot, he cannot—

“The heart of the whole Ocean, you said it,” Eddie gasps, whimpers, pleads because Steve told him, because Steve said so, and—

“The Seas would be dry, and I would be dust if you,” Eddie shakes his head, rakes denial over hot coals that will envelop him if he cannot blink and awake for: this nightmare, this hell, this—

Steve’s shirt is crimson, now; the blood pooling its own ocean beneath him, soaking the boards. Eddie cannot breathe.

“Beloved,” Steve barely manages to mouth the words, but Eddie feels them in the way his blood insists on continuing to move, and the same in the way Steve’s seems impossible to tempt into staying in motion, staying with Eddie—

“Take my heart, in this,” and somehow he mustered the strength to cover Eddie’s hand over the barest twitching left in it; “it’s been yours already, long enough,” and then Steve’s hand slips, and the less-than-a-beat under Eddie’s palm flees, and he presses harder, he tries to find it, how could he have lost it, where is it, where is—

“Steve?” Eddie is foolish enough to choke the name, when everything in him knows, and refuses to accept, that there will be no answer.

Ever again.

“No,” his voice shakes, though its steadier than any other part of him, and then, then—

There are no words for the sounds that escape him, animal and visceral, wrung to splatters and shattered beyond recognition, to less now than dust: more fitting, in honesty, than any words could have struck.

There are no curses, in any language or tongue, fit for gods quite so cruel.

✨permanent tag list: OPEN (lmk if you want to be added/removed): @pearynice @hbyrde36 @slashify @finntheehumaneater @wxrmland @dreamwatch @perseus-notjackson @estrellami-1 @bookworm0690 @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme

divider credits here & here & here & here

🌊ao3 link here

[jammatown919]

I had it pointed out to me by mercuryj15 on my last post that Penny’s Aura color actually is present in the transfer scene, as tiny little green sparkles.

Which means making it primarily the wrong color was a choice; they knew there was supposed to be green.

Additionally, I noticed Winter flies around on a cloud of a similar type of little sparkles rather than full flames like literally every other Maiden we’ve seen so far.

The only other time I can remember Maiden powers being primarily a sparkle rather than fire is Cinder when she only had half of the powers of the Fall Maiden.

Pair this with the fact that Penny's Maiden sword still exists for seemingly no logical reason, and her face is set to appear in it. I genuinely think Penny may have held onto a small portion of the Maiden powers (Winter would have a much larger portion, hence why both her eyes have fire when only one of Cinder's did). And I think she did it with Jaune's help. The Aura transfer was primarily his color and while asking for his help Penny said "there is something you (YOU specifically) can do" and "trust me". Penny had a plan, and this was it.

Her body is most likely too heavily damaged for her to inhabit it, so with her remaining connection to the powers she may have formed the sword as a temporary vessel out of self-preservation until something else can be arranged. As for how they get her out of the sword? Fuck if I know. Aura transfer, Pietro making a new body, somehow managing to heal her ruined human body, any of the other options, who knows.

And as for Jaune, who from the intro seems like he's going to be having a BAD time this volume most likely due to what happened to Penny, there's a legitimate chance he doesn't know she survived. If he was aware of his part in helping her keep her own Aura, he may think it went wrong since Penny is currently nowhere to be seen. Otherwise it may have been an evolution of his Semblance that he is not yet consciously aware of.

[awlimagines]

A Spark Trailing Stars (Daryl x Reader)

You had fallen into the habit of visiting the twins each morning. The competitive brothers were always eager to play a match and make bets on the outcome. While the extra items to sell for easy money were nice, you had come to enjoy their company. The thought of the farm becoming busier and changing your morning routine was one you weren’t too fond of. 

“Have ya thought about who to invite to the fireworks show tonight?” Charlie asked. At your puzzled expression, the man continued, “It’s yer chance to ask someone out on a date, see! Ya better not let it go zoomin’ by!” 

“Couldn’t have said it better myself! Now’s the time to cozy up to that special someone ya got yer eye on!” Cole chimed in agreement. 

Both soon begin speaking at once, offering ideas for asking someone out. As their suggestions devolved into an argument about who you should ask, you slipped down the rope from their home. Your boots thudded into the ground as a small chuckle escaped your lips. You would have never guessed they were matchmakers when you first met the twins. They seemed far too surly to be invested in people’s love lives. It must be true that you can’t judge a book by its cover.

Who should you ask? The thought plagued you throughout the day as you did chores and chatted with townspeople. You didn’t feel any spark for the bachelors or bachelorettes in the valley. Such things couldn’t be rushed, you decided. You assured yourself that it was only just summer, and feelings took time to grow into something larger. 

You sighed, preparing to travel to the beach for the fireworks show. There wasn’t any reason you couldn’t enjoy the show alone. You greeted Charlie and Cole as you walked into the sand. The twins wasted no time in asking who you asked to join you. As you explained that you didn’t invite anyone, they tsked and returned to setting up for the evening. 

Movement to your right drew your attention from the disappointed twins. A familiar mess of black hair was doing something around the boats. Curious, you wandered over in time to see Daryl begin to push one of the row boats toward the shore. 

“Hey Daryl, what are you up to?” your question startled the scientist. You smiled apologetically as he spun around to blink at you. 

“Oh, it’s you,” his casual dismissal stung a little. “I’m taking my boat out to watch the fireworks show. It’s much quieter and a better view on the water away from the crowd.”

“Oh, that sounds fun! Can I come? I brought snacks,” you quickly added, hoping he would accept.

“Do you know how to row?” 

At your confirmation of knowing how to row and steer a boat, Daryl muttered that it would be fine. You excitedly went around to the vessel’s other side to help Daryl push it into the crashing waves. The water’s undercurrent was stronger than you expected as you held the boat steady so Daryl could clamber in. The pocket of sand around your feet reluctantly let you loose as you jumped in after him. You settled quickly on the bench next to Daryl, grabbing an oar to match his pace as you rowed out. 

“This should be good without washing us back into shore,” Daryl told you. 

As he shifted to store the oars safely, you moved from the seat to lay out the snacks you packed. An assortment of dried fruit, nuts, cheese, and crackers soon covered the opposite seat. You were happy to have thought of a blanket to lay everything out on. But there was one problem. 

“Sorry, I didn’t think to pack another cup,” you sheepishly admitted, holding your thermos. 

“I have a drink,” Daryl motioned to a bag you had overlooked. He soon made a noise you could only assume to be happiness. It reminded you slightly of the one he made when given a coin from the dig site. “Is that cheese?” 

“Oh yes, a friend from the city sent it to me. It’s supposed to be a specialty cheese from somewhere.” 

You blinked in surprise as Daryl could tell you the exact details of the cheese. He knew the farm that produced from looking at the label and their process for making such cheese. The scientist was also able to give a detailed explanation of the type of cheese and other types that would be similar. The first fireworks exploded in the sky as the man cheerfully sat back in his seat with a full plate. You settled into the boat’s bottom, sandwiched between the food on one side and Daryl on the other. You had an excellent view and could rest your head on the side as you gazed into the sky. 

“Oh, those are my favorite,” you muttered, admiring the fireworks, which left willow-like paths of sparks trailing through the air. The fireworks were beginning to crescendo into the finale. You watched with bated breath until something eclipsed your vision. 

Daryl blocked your view of the bursting lights as he leaned across you. Rather than anger at the show’s interruption, your face flushed. He was far too close. A faint scent of detergent wafted beneath the chemical smell that clung to him. Your heart thudded in your chest as Daryl’s gaze shifted to you. It felt as if time had stopped, though you knew that couldn’t be right. The booms and cracks of the finale scattered flashes of light, allowing you a glimpse of his face before he scrambled away.

What was that about? The bangs of the fireworks show died abruptly, leaving you with the distant sound of waves crashing onshore as the boat bobbed. The silence had gone on for too long, but you couldn’t think of what to say. Your gaze darted to Daryl as he cleared his throat. 

“I was trying to reach more of the cheese. The close quarters of the boat didn’t cross my mind,” he explained. “We should get back to shore. It’s already late, and it would be unwise to drift further from shore.” 

You couldn’t help but notice Daryl kept his gaze firmly fixed on the shore as you scrambled to put away the leftover food and take a proper seat. Daryl passed you an oar before taking his seat alongside you to row back. You were distinctly aware each time your shoulder brushed against his. You didn’t remember him feeling so close on the way out. The boat certainly didn’t shrink in size. A wave of relief and disappointment flooded you as the ship thudded into the shore. You quickly helped Daryl pull it from the water and back into storage. 

“Here, you can have the rest,” you shoved the remaining snacks into Daryl’s arms. “I’ll actually be getting a processing room soon to make my own cheese. I hope you'll let me know how it is. Thanks again, I had fun!” 

After you said your piece, you fled quickly back to the farm to hide your embarrassment. Thoughts flooded your head as you lay in bed and tried to sleep. You enjoyed talking with Daryl in the afternoons, and the seed maker was a gift you were extremely thankful for as well. Did you like the scientist? Maybe you were overthinking everything after the twins urged you to find a date. You tried to picture what it might be like to date Daryl. As bursts of joy warmed your face at the thoughts, you smothered your face into a pillow. How did you miss noticing developing feelings for him? You fell asleep, hoping his feelings might have been swayed as well.

[hmshermitcraft]

(For the theme)

xB has lived his whole life in the tank, seeing no one but those damned 'customers' of the auctions, he's only been bought once, but he was sent back as he was "not what they were looking for." He has heard of other mers escaping, leaving this horrid place behind for larger bodies of water, he's heard of the ocean, of lakes, of rivers, but he's never actually seen them. This auction feels different though, to be honest he's a bit scared. Is he going to be bought? Is it going to be like those horror stories of mers being bought, only to be chopped up for food? He's stuck in his mind before all hell breaks loose, through the yelling he thinks he hears something about a protection agency? There's someone looking at him from the top of his tank, someone with big eyes and a large grin, he's confused, he's scared, everything has fallen into chaos, but those eyes are so captivating, he can't look away.

-C

It takes... Some time for xB to accept he's not simply been bought. He's moved to a bigger tank. It's bigger than any he's been in before, and has spaces made of large rocks that he can use to hide away in.

People examine him often. They tell him what they're doing, even though he never replies. He always gets something nice to eat afterwards. He's not sure why. That big eyed human is there often. xB sees him nearly everyday. Sometimes, he's the only reason xB will poke out the shelter of his rocks.

They talk a lot about rehabilitation, which is something xB's never heard his previous owner mention. Language skills, tail strength, socialisation... Honestly, if there's this much wrong with him, xB doesn't know why they haven't just sent him back!

One day, whilst he's dozing at the bottom of the tank, he finds that human staring at him again. xB tilts his head, quietly swimming out to meet him. The human speaks to him, calling himself Keralis. He seems sympathetic, and for the first time... Somebody explains everything to him. Keralis says he's safe, and that they're trying to make him ready to live in the ocean.

xB works harder after that. He does the exercises they ask him to, he tries to pay attention to the language they teach him. The first time they take him outside, to a large lake, xB might cry. It's still contained, but he has more room to swim around than he ever has before! And Keralis is there, running around the lake with him. xB, for the first time in... A long time, finds himself laughing. He's having fun.

Keralis helps him a lot. He's often there to chat, or mess around. xB feels like he can actually let go around Keralis. Even when they introduce him to other mers, Keralis is the one he feels closest with. He's the first person xB talks to as he struggles with making words, but he never judges him for it.

It's why, when it comes to the day they plan to release xB into the ocean he... Doesn't want to go. He's always wanted to see the ocean, it's been a dream of his. But without Keralis there... Is it really worth it?

So, quietly, he expresses that to Keralis. And Keralis tries to convince him that they'll be other mers out there to meet, people xB can befriend but... That wouldn't stop xB missing Keralis. They eventually reach a compromise. Keralis will transfer to one of the boat crews, and that way they can see each other.

The arrangement is perfect. xB is excited as the boat roars into the open water. There's so much of it. Water as far as he can see, more than he's ever seen. He catches Keralis looking at him, smiling. xB reaches his hand out the tank to hold his.

When xB finally dives into the sea, he doesn't think he's ever been happier.

Nowadays, xB follows around Keralis's research vessel. Keralis calls him a research assistant, and xB doesn't think he's joking. He can get a lot of information they're not able to! He's got a big tank on the ship so he can hang out and talk to Keralis. He helps monitor pollution and living conditions of the water, as well as talking to mers about their happiness or any threats.

xB's heard a bit about marriage from other mers. One day he wants to ask Keralis, but he's still a bit too nervous to do it yet.

[voxofthevoid]

JJK 214 has healed me

I’m sure the upcoming chapters will fuck me up all over again, but that’s future me’s problem. Anyway, Sundays/Mondays now seem to be "Vox screams about the new JJK chapter” hours on my blog now. This time, it’s going to be “screaming about Yuuji” hours specifically. 

Spoilers, thoughts, and a shitload of images under the cut.

Yuuji???? Yuuji!!!!!!

That was my reaction from the first to the last page on my first readthrough, and honestly, it hasn’t changed much even after I reread a few times and processed...all that.

Seriously, Yuuji, what the fuck are you made of.

Sukuna also seems to be thinking that, which is hilarious. I have a feeling his standards for “twisted” are pretty high, so him calling Kenjaku that both cracks me up and makes me wonder what kind of alterations they made to Yuuji, exactly.

That said, I think I misunderstood the extent of Yuuji’s injuries last chapter. I got the impression, from the following panels, that Sukuna had punched through Yuuji’s midsection:

But that doesn’t seem to be the case. There’s some (inconsistent?) damage to his clothes from the punch, but Yuuji didn’t, in fact, become a donut.

No blood on Sukuna’s fist here. And, of course, there’s Yuuji himself in Chapter 214:

The front of his jacket looks intact (but isn’t that the part that seemed torn up in Chapter 213, or is that supposed to just look crumpled?), but there’s a hole in the back. Animanga cloth logic, I suppose. Other than inhuman durability, I don’t think Yuuji is healing himself. His little finger doesn’t seem to have grown back. And next chapter, I guess we’ll see if the tip of the ear Sukuna sliced off continues to be missing; the last panel showed it intact, but that could just be inconsistent drawing. Or maybe it’s the other side, who knows. Manga panels confuse me sometimes.

Anyway, even without being made a donut, the guy got punched through three goddamn buildings by fucking Sukuna, and Megumi definitely wasn’t fighting back then to lessen the damage. It’s frankly unreal how quickly Yuuji not only got back up but also covered the distance to where Sukuna and Hana are. He’s also displaying an insane level of strength. I just about lost my mind at this:

Hell, Sukuna seems shocked for a split second, and that really says something. It’s been explicit from the start that Yuuji’s physical abilities are superhuman, and the Kenjaku/Kaori reveal somewhat clarified why that’s the case, but I don’t think we’ve seen this level of raw destructive power from him before. The cursed energy-less fight with Higuruma was impressive though, and I think here, we’ll get to see what Yuuji can bring to the table with cursed energy in the equation.

Speaking of which, after the last chapter, I did see a lot of speculation on whether or not Yuuji would still have cursed energy after Sukuna left him. But the concept of Yuuji losing his cursed energy because Sukuna is out of him never made sense to me. Yuuji’s cursed energy isn’t Sukuna’s; if it were, he’d have a much larger pool to tap into. The first Finger Bearer’s reaction when Yuuji switched with Sukuna seems to indicate the two of them feel very different. And JJK has shown again and again how cursed techniques and cursed energy are tied to souls as much as bodies (Kenjaku being the prime example). So, like Gojou theorized, if Sukuna had stayed inside Yuuji, over time, he likely would have been able to use Sukuna’s cursed energy and technique. But as of now, Yuuji was the vessel for a little less than six months, and he’s only had 15 fingers’ worth of Sukuna for a few weeks. I’d say it’s reasonable that ingesting Sukuna just...opened Yuuji’s third eye, so to speak. Gave him access to his own cursed energy. The movie training Gojou did wouldn’t make sense otherwise either. The whole point there was to teach Yuuji how to harness his cursed energy and increase the output steadily. I don’t know if future plot developments will show Yuuji actually using Sukuna’s cursed techniques; I’d personally prefer if he didn’t, but regardless of how that develops, Yuuji’s cursed energy is his own.

Up till now, Yuuji’s been shown to be on par with Grade 1 sorcerers even without an innate technique, and his skill at cursed energy manipulation has been improving in leaps and bounds. But honestly, it’s his sheer sturdiness that’s blowing my mind, even if that has also been consistently highlighted (in the fights against Choso, Kenjaku, Hakari, and Higuruma especially). Maybe it’s because he’s up against Sukuna now, and Sukuna’s previous fights have done a great job of showing him as capable of curb-stomping anyone other than Gojou. The same guy now seems borderline creeped out by Yuuji—well, what Kenjaku has done to Yuuji more like.

Can’t blame him though. I’d also be pretty WTF if a guy kept walking without even changing his expression through this:

That is gonna live rent free in my head. Sweet fuck.

(If/when that gets animated, I'll expire.)

Back to the point, Megumi fighting back and lowering Sukuna’s output has probably kept Yuuji from being cut into little pieces, but those are still deep, bleeding gashes all over his body, in addition to the singular Cleave Sukuna used earlier. Motherfucker doesn’t even falter. What the fuck.

I love this kid. I am 100% willing to throw down with anyone who calls him a boring protagonist (looking at you, Reddit, but Tumblr too).

On another note, “Let’s see if you can chew up me and my suffering” is one of the rawest lines I’ve heard in a while. Excuse me while I lose my entire goddamn mind.

Hana and the Angel

They don't seem to be dead? Not confirmed dead at least. “Splat” doesn’t seem very reassuring, but it’s been hinted that the Angel can heal Hana, so I’m fairly sure they’ll pop back up. What I am confused about is why Sukuna just bit off an arm instead of, say, her head. Among the sorcerers left in that colony, the Angel is the only one who seems to pose an actual threat to him. Why would he waste the chance to end that threat? One possibility is that Jacob’s Ladder did its job to an extent in “stripping Sukuna away from Megumi,” internally at least, and that it’s Megumi’s influence that lessened the damage. But Sukuna doesn’t seem to notice Megumi fighting back / influencing him until the last attack on Yuuji, so I’m not sure how plausible that is. Other option is that Sukuna thought biting off an arm and shoving them off the building would kill Hana and the Angel with her, but given how durable sorcerers in general are and how the Angel can likely heal, this seems a stupid choice. I guess we’ll find out soon, one way or the other. Could also just be a simple case of plot reasons reigning over consistent characterization.

Megumi

I don’t have much to say here. Zero surprise at Megumi fighting back. It’d have been a very unceremonious end if he’d been crushed by Sukuna’s soul just like that, and the last chapter did highlight Megumi’s potential to suppress the guy. I didn’t expect it to happen this fast, but I do like how pivotal his influence is. Megumi and Yuuji ganging up on Sukuna from the inside and outside, respectively, sounds like a fun time all around. I don’t think it would be enough to beat the guy, but cursed energy output seems a pretty critical factor for sorcerers, and if Megumi can continue to mess with that while Yuuji hits like freight train, I think they can do a good amount of damage.

Yuuji’s Origins

Thought we were done with Yuuji? Lol no.

I have questions about this panel:

That’s the TCB translation.

This is the Viz one.

(I prefer TCB overall, won't lie.)

What in the world does this mean? The phrasing points to a different time period rather than some point in the manga timeline. The comment about Kenjaku being really twisted points to it too. I don't think (more like, I really hope) Yuuji is a reincarnated sorcerer, but something seems real fishy here. And I can't even begin to guess, honestly. But I have faith that whatever Kenjaku cooked up for his favorite son is going to be interesting—and traumatizing for all parties involved, especially Yuuji.

Back to screaming into the void, but at least they're good screams this time.

[hexagonalhavoc]

A story about literally anything Sado. There is never enough of the Clown wife. Please.

The Runaways 

Sado x Reader (Fantasy au)

[Author’s Note: I felt like doing an au would be fun and I wanted to get those creative juices flowing. Thanks for letting me take liberty with this it was super fun! I put so much love and passion into this 🫶🫶

⚠️ Arranged marriage, might be a little ooc for Sado]

     You were lucky enough to be raised within a peaceful kingdom, to have two loving parents, to be born into the role of the king and queen’s child. 

     But even your life was filled with its fair share of challenges. Even when you were younger you knew what would become of you. The neighboring kingdom was a lot larger than your own with more strength behind it.  So when it was discovered that the child of the neighboring kingdom was around your age, it made sense that a marriage would follow to strengthen your kingdoms. 

     Your suitor was kind, they were a natural born leader with an endearing personality. Without a doubt they would be a great ruler and you’re sure that if the circumstances were different you would have fallen in love with them. 

     But your heart belongs to someone else. 

     You weren’t supposed to be seeing her. She was a mage that specified in the magic of ill-will and misfortune. If you were to ask for something there would be a terrible price to pay. 

     That’s what you were told when you went into the woods where the sun could not shine through the thick forest with thorns as big as swords and insects waiting for their next prey. You found the elegant mansion and you went inside to make a deal. Your people were being picked off by an unforgiving plague and your parents were showing symptoms. 

     The one who referred to herself as “Sado” said that she could rid your land of its sickness. That everyone would recover from their symptoms and springtime would come sooner to bring warmth to combat the sickness. What was her price? 

     “Everyday you are to come here with the finest chocolates and converse with me.” At first you were surprised, thinking that you would need to give up a body part or years off your life for such a big request. Surely there would have to be something more to this.

     But there wasn’t. Everyday at the same time you’d bring the delicacies of your personal bakers and sit with Sado within the courtyard of her home, surrounded by black and red roses and statues of strange creatures. When you first started to talk she hid within the confines of her cloak but as the two of you got more comfortable she went without it, revealing the hair that spilled onto her shoulder like a starless night and an eye full of mischief. 

     Soon enough you started coming around more than you needed to, bringing all sorts of luxuries to give to your new friend. Simple conversations turned into walks around the woods and slow dances to the tune of enchanted instruments that played themselves. 

     You had fallen in love with something beyond human, a creature that hid their true nature in a vessel that was made to look as mortal as possible. Knowing how your parents would react you kept your love for her in secret. The only person you wanted to be with was someone that the world viewed as a bad omen. 

———-

     “You shouldn’t have to do anything for the sake of your kingdom.” 

     Sometimes Sado wonders if she should have let the plague eat away at the land. It’s not like she doesn’t understand the reason behind the marriage you were forced to partake in but that doesn’t mean she likes it. The way she holds you is gentle, she rests her head on your chest with a hand on your shoulder. But in reality she wants to claw into you and squeeze you so close to her that no one could pry you two apart.

     “But it’s my responsibility.” Ever since you were a child those words were engraved into your head. You weren’t allowed to play with the other children or make innocent mistakes. You had to carry the weight of the world and you were supposed to feel grateful for it.

     You rest your cheek on the top of her head. The blanket beneath you both kept the grass from irritating your skin. The atmosphere was dark but the strange flowers that surrounded you two glowed like stars that had descended to earth. 

     Your lover pauses thoughtfully before she speaks again. “It doesn’t have to be,” She takes your hand and intertwines her scarred fingers with your own. “Run away with me.” 

     It would be a lie to say that you never thought of it but that was only wishful thinking. The thought of getting married and having a more authoritative role within your kingdom terrified you but surely you couldn’t just runaway. 

     “I can’t…That would be selfish.” 

     “You’re allowed to be selfish.” She says firmly. Sado sits up and her grip on your shoulder pulls you up with her. 

     Out of all the people in the world, you were the one who deserved to be selfish. You have been self sacrificing for so long, running yourself in the ground for the good of other people. The people of your land do thank you but to her a simple thanks wasn’t enough. If the world wasn’t going to treat you like the wonderful being you are then it shouldn’t have the privilege of being within your presence. 

     “We could get married here. I’ll get you the prettiest ring and after that we can travel the world.” She whispers in your ear, kissing the side of your jaw tenderly. “I’ll take you to the lands within the clouds and in the sea. I’ll cut down anyone who dares to bring you down.” 

     How could you say no to her? She was willing to give you everything so surely you can take a risk for her. You’ve never cared about someone so much. You’re going to miss your parents and the land of your birth greatly but you know that your true home is within the presence of the one you love. 

     You squeeze her cold hand gently. “I do.” 

———-

     The day of your wedding you weren’t there. The outfit of white laid on the bed with a note resting upon it for your parents and your rejected spouse to read. The handwriting wasn’t yours:

     If you clip a bird’s wings I shall raise it to the sky myself, I’ll take the light from prying eyes and watch it shine as bright as ever. I’ll cherish what you could never.