#you can't have hollow supporting leads what's the point then

[nadjabear]

Now more than ever I have to follow this advice

[rosedom]

ROSEY rosey ok ok I have an idea (🤓☝💡) for the event. What about any of your favorite character(but no aether:3) with your favorite letter(does ppl have favorite letter?) or ur fav prompt idk

-🦭

"your challenger summoned DILUC the event . . ."

A/N : LMFAOO U ARE CRUEL FOR NOT LETTING ME DO AETHER 😭😭 i'll do my next favorite guy instead .3. !!

✦ㅤㅤF = favorite position (this goes without saying . . . )

the absolute sweetheart—he is so in love with you, so, of course, he wants it face-to-face ! diluc's a sucker for missionary, legs wrapped around your lower back and hips tilted up all pretty atop a pillow . . . and, contrary to popular belief, he's not ashamed to admit why he likes it: he says, so soft n' sweet, "i like to see you," as if you don't have your dick buried inside him to your very hilt. diluc loves you, and he makes it well known in the way he always looks up at you, those lion eyes of his so wide (and, in some cases, teary).

missionary may not let you get as deep; but it lets you see his pretty, teary face, it gives you all the room you need to nuzzle into the hollow of his throat, gnaw and kiss at his skin, and it allows you the perfect angle to thumb at his chubby cock with. it leaves the tilt of your pelvis against his—already upturned thanks to a supporting pillow—to let your cock drag out in just the right way, lets you bump again his mons with each thrust<33 this way, if your cock alone doesn't get him off, your fingers and your own love-sick face above his will.

he just—he simply adores the way he can see your face, inches from his own, your foreheads touching and noses bumping ! it makes him feel needed in a way he hasn't before—wholly vulnerable, too, sure, but nonetheless needed by someone who doesn't want to hurt him.

✦ㅤㅤH = hair (how well groomed is he? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

he's busy, and razors are itchy. between juggling the winery and his . . . vigilantism, to say, diluc is a busy, busy man. keeping himself bare is not on the table—plus, it's just too uncomfortable. he cannot stand the bumps, the itchiness and even burn of hair growing back in. however, diluc does trim; but it's never too short. he keeps himself neat, of course, and well-cleaned—groomed, even. a thick thatch of deep red hair to match that which is on his head, blending in with the maroon that climbs down his navel and leads directly to his cunt . . . you've got to work around his bush to get to his cock, is what i mean.

imagining spreading his cunt, framed in fiery-red, then leaning down to lick a fat stripe up between his labia, suckling at the head of his cock . . . mm. a little hair never hurt anybody, now, has it? (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡

✦ㅤㅤK = kink (one or more of his kinks)

for a man with so many daddy issues, this man's kink for calling someone else daddy is insane. diluc's been left unmoored in crepus' passing, truly, and he's been without anybody to truly care for him in just as long, if not longer. (sure, he has kaeya, but he just—he doesn't accept kaeya's help, is all.) so, really, it's not his fault he has a daddy kink ! he can't help the way desire burns hot in the pit of his belly at all your attentive care, the way your hands press him down and open as if it's second nature . . . a little whine of, "daddy," was destined to slip out at some point, c'mon !!

that one, however, is just that: he likes to call you something a lil' nasty, so what? it's nothing more.

the praise, though? that's where his daddy—you—gets 'im. you, calling him your "good boy," saying how he's "doing so well for me, sweet thing." he'll be too cock-drunk to reply with anything truly sentient, but that's alright; he's safe with you, daddy.

✦ㅤㅤZ = zzz (how quickly he falls asleep afterwards . . .)

i sincerely hope you're strong, because diluc is out like a light once the play is over—once he's cum even once, really, already so pliable beneath you with somethin' thick n' sticky seeping from between his thighs. you'll be left to wipe him and yourself clean, whispering sweet nothings that go in one ear and right out the other as he lightly dozes. the brush of a warm, wet rag over his cunt makes him shiver, whine, but he still refuses to move; he's about as limp as bizkit.

even as he starts to sleep, diluc'll cuddle close to you. it's all heavy, heavy muscle keeping you in place as he holds you close and falls asleep on your sex-warm body. he loves you, utterly (even when you both wake up sticky the next morning because the greatest part of your aftercare, with diluc, is simply resting together. the truly clean part will come after you two wake up together <3)

this event is now closed !! no more asks pertaining to this event will be answered, and they will be deleted.

thank to to everybody who participated and sent in asks—i still have a LOT to go through (however, there is no guarantee that i will be asking every one. i am one man, and, to be frank, i hold no obligation to respond) at that. it was super super fun, and i will still be making posts like these—i just will no longer be accepting event-specific requests.

pls pls pls still keep sending in other asks tho !! i lowkey miss those the most—they really let me get insight into what you guys like and would like from me ! it just feels a lot more engaging as well . . . less demanding as well, ironically enough 😭😭

13 APR. 2024, @rosedom, rosey.

[rollinouttahere-writes]

This question might be off topic..👀 or strange perhaps.

In your opinion , how do you think other Strawhats if each of them were in Luffy's place instead and instead of Ace , Luffy died at Marineford?

I am trying to find a way to draw other Strawhats but slightly having troubles with finding best devasted like poses/things they's do upon such trauma☆

This wound up focusing a lot more on the long term aftermath than the initial devastation because I believe it would be pretty similar for everyone (whole lot of screaming and crying), but I hope you still find this useful or at least fun to read.

In the event of Luffy dying at Marineford, everyone would be in shambles. Whitebeard (assuming he lives) would offer them a place to stay on his ship while they regroup and try to grapple with the trauma of what happened. He isn't forcing them to join his crew or anything. They're free to go whenever they please, but he would also welcome them with open arms should they choose to stay.

Zoro splits off almost immediately and returns to his life as a bounty hunter. He is very much still pursuing his goal, just in solitude. He is constantly being inundated with invitations to other pirate crews, but he rejects all of them (sometimes violently). Luffy is the only person he will ever all captain. He blames himself a lot for his death. He was supposed to support and protect his captain, but he failed miserably. He's even more cold and removed than he used to be, and he'll never let anyone else in again. He also drinks more, to the point that it becomes genuinely concerning.

Nami also leaves, but takes more time to do so. She claims that she's only going back to Cocoyasi village temporarily so that she can process everything that has happened around familiar faces, but she never sets foot in the Grand Line again. Luffy was her safety net. Even in the most scary and intense situations, she could find solace in the reassurance that Luffy would be there to handle it... But now he isn't. He's gone forever and she feels lost without him. The Grand Line is much more scary without him leading the way. She will eventually start venturing around the Blues, but that is it.

Usopp cannot handle the survivor's guilt. He latches onto the Sogeking persona to cope after Luffy's death. It becomes extremely rare to see him without the mask, and he doesn't even respond to hearing the name Usopp anymore. He wants to go home so bad, but he can't bring himself to. He can't stomach having to look everyone there in the eye and telling them why he's back. Now would be a great time for Yassop to step up and be a father, but he's nowhere to be seen so Whitebeard steps up to the plate. He supports Usopp and actually talks him through the intense grief that is choking him. It takes time, but Whitebeard does succeed in making Usopp take of his physical and metaphorical mask by properly addressing his emotions on the matter. Usopp decides to stay with the Whitebeard Pirates and accepts becoming one of Whitebeard's sons.

Sanji is devastated. He wanted to leave immediately, but waited around for Nami to be ready to go before heading back to the East Blue. Sanji goes back to the Baratie and refuses to talk about what happened. He blames himself intensely for not being there for the battle and fully believes that it's his fault that Luffy is dead. On top of his smoking habit, he starts drinking. Everything feels so hollow now, and nothing will fill that emptiness. The only times that Zeff or the other Baratie staff members get a glimpse of the old Sanji is when Nami stops by to visit with him. Even then, he's much more subdued. He never really recovers from this and has abandoned the idea of ever finding the All Blue.

Chopper is inconsolable after Luffy's death. He feels like a failure as a doctor for not being able to save him even though there was nothing that he could do. He also chooses to stay with the Whitebeard Pirates and becomes Marco's apprentice. As devastated as he is by Luffy's death, he copes with it relatively well by throwing himself into an education. He does becomes obsessed with curing Whitebeard, however. He can't stand to watch two captains die back to back.

Robin up and vanishes as soon as night comes. This breaks her. She fully believes that Luffy's death was her fault. Someone finally loved and accepted her and look what happened to him. As far as she's concerned, she's cursed. Naturally, she distances herself from literally everyone. She refuses to let anyone else die because of her. She'll spend the rest of her life in solitude, and it probably won't take very long for that to happen.

Franky goes back to Water 7 with the Thousand Sunny after confirming that the Straw Hats were disbanding and that no one else wanted it. He makes the ship into a memorial for Luffy and takes meticulous care of it. While the death absolutely does hurt him, he copes with it the best out of anyone. He is no stranger to grief, and he bounces back relatively quick. He works for Galley-La designing ships, as well as doing so as a hobby.

Brook is similar to Robin in the sense that he believes that he is cursed. He finally let someone in and joined another crew, only for the captain to die almost immediately. He resolves to never join another pirate crew. Unlike Robin, he doesn't completely sink into despair. He pours all of his pain into music, and you can find a lot of clear inspiration from Luffy and other Straw Hats in his music. He also takes the time to visit Laboon whenever he can. He doesn't want the poor thing to be abandoned all over again.

Bonus round for Ace. Ace will never emotionally recover from this, and his grief is messy. He alternates between hysteric sobbing and an uncontrollable rage. One moment he'll be begging a god that he doesn't even believe in to give Luffy back and take him instead, but the next second he'll be destroying everything in arms reach while scream his throat raw. He's cursing Luffy for being a damned martyr. For putting himself somewhere he had no business to be. For leaving him to pick up the broken pieces in Luffy's wake. There is a noticeable improvement in his psyche once he reunites with Sabo and realizes he isn't the last brother left alive, but he is never truly the same after Luffy's death. It should have been him. He is very much at risk of dying not long after Luffy because if Garp doesn't kill Akainu, he will. And he will die trying.

[stargirl-writes]

[chapter two] the secret history of anakin skywalker

the arrangement

pairing : assasin! reader x anakin skywalker

word count : 2.8k

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sypnosis

you have only known one truth about this war, the republic and the seperatists are two sides of the same coin. but now, your master count dooku has disposed of you after your consequent failures. his betrayal fueled your thirst for revenge. and in the cruel twist of fate, you have found yourself with an arrangement with the enemy. general anakin skywalker is willing to do what it takes for the republic to win, even if it meant dealing with you, his nemesis.

chapter summary

after your old master has betrayed you, you were captured by the jedi general skywalker. stricken by the grief, you resigned to your faith.

on the way back to coruscant to face republic jurisdiction, a sniper has fired in open space. taking general obi-wan kenobi down.

in a fit of anger, anakin skywalker accuses you. but you have already made up your mind in taking revenge on your old master. and even though you are terrified, you struck up an arrangement to aid anakin's mission to find obi-wan kenobi's true killer.

warnings : involves spoilers for star war's 'the clone wars' season 4, episode 15. violence, mentions of symptoms of ptsd, imprisonment, and betrayal.

notes : honestly did not think so many will like an enemies-to-lovers trope with a.s. so thank you for supporting this little fic of mine !

likes, comments, and reblogs are highly appreciated!

Anakin Skywalker has taken you.

Even on the way back to Coruscant— He kept glancing back to peek towards the back of his ship, just to check whether he was only making it up. And every time, his gaze meets your hollowed eyes.

This... rivalry between the two of you— started along the war. The valiant General, and you, the most prized assassin. You'd always slip out of his grasp— made him assume that he always won, that arrogant bastard.

Now, he has captured you.

And you wished you could wipe that expression of pride painted in his face. It was the bitter reminder of your doom.

You've done everything to keep your fire going.

Be smarter. Be more cunning. Offer yourself at the feet of a Master you didn't even entirely believe in. Give more, more, more...

And because you have been so fueled, you have somehow allowed it to burn you too— leaving nothing but ashes of what little of you remains.

Your eyes landed on your reflection. Warped, unrecognizable, full of dread. The shackles around your wrist glint— they were designed to restrain you from accessing the force. A measure Skywalker ensured. You thought, at least he thinks you still have a fight left in you.

Without the force, you felt your compartmentalized traumas resurface. And you feel yourself sinking into depths you can't reach.

It all seemed like a cruel ending.

Maybe— at this point, you thought, you deserved it too.

"Alright Snips, You head on to the temple, I'll have to attend to some things first" You heard Skywalker tell his padawan.

"Are you sure you don't need my help, Master?"

You peeked through the opening of the back window, the ship landed in Coruscant. 

"Nothing I can't handle"

You could almost make out that stupid grin on the Jedi.

Cocky bastard.

The divider opens, and you decided you were too tired to be annoyed. You didn't try to fight when Skywalker's hand clasps on your arm, leading you out.

You step down to the hangar. Your thoughts kept pouring in a wretched excess.

Let it all end.

There must be some mercy left for you—

Maker, make it easy.

Like falling asleep— not like this, a lifetime kept, left in the prisons of my own mind.

Your hands trembled— it felt so cold...

Coruscant had always been warm, you blinked, trying to see clearly through the fog in your mind. You concluded that the shock of it all was only settling now.

"You're late" Obi-Wan Kenobi stood along with five clone soldiers by the hangar.

"What could possibly be more urgent than my precious cargo?"

You glared at Skywalker. He huffed a laugh, tilting his chin to look down on you.

One...

Two...

Three...

If he thinks he can intimidate you with eye contact, then he really is deluded.

"I'll say— I was surprised by your news" Kenobi gets in between, "Hello, there"

You sigh, pressing your eyes close, not finding the energy to spite back. It'd be pointless anyway.

"Commander Cody will take the wraith back now, we must head on to the Temple" The older jedi instructs after noting your silence.

Skywalker's grip on you didn't loosen. Kenobi's eyes narrow to focus on his former padawan's hesitation.

"I was planning to take her myself" He declares, "Besides, she is good at escaping"

Kenobi's eyes remained on his old padawan. "Come along now, Anakin, we're required, and you're already late as it is"

You saw Anakin tried to challenge his master's command. Was he really convinced you'd go off running again?

His eyes land on yours, and you can't make out the expression on his face.

"Alright"

You felt the wind brush past the spot where Skywalker had let go of you. Maker— it was so cold, you kept your head low, trying to contain the way your lips were quivering.

A blaster shoots off— and you duck. Your eyes scan the direction where it came from.

Behind, beyond sight.

You hear Skywalker curse, then another goes off and three lightsabers ignite.

Your hand instinctively reaches for yours, but it was bound behind you and you're defenseless.

The clone soldiers swarm your vision.

"Any idea where that came from?" You heard Kenobi speak.

Ahsoka Tano points to the direction you were looking at. The sniper fires, the clone in front of you falls.

"Flank him to the right, Ahsoka cover the streets" The older jedi decisively commands.

"Don't keep your eyes off of her!" Anakin commands as he speeds past the clone in front of you.

The shots halted and all three jedi were running.

With all of them gone— An opportunity presents itself at your feet.

An escape.

'...I recall you seem to excel at' Skywalker's taunts slips in your mind.

There were only four clones left. Even without your saber, you can outmaneuver them— they share... a predictability.

You only need a distraction. Your gaze lands on the blaster the clone was holding.

You could set one off to fire— You focused on the trigger, centering your mind... just one distraction.

Fuck.

To your dismay, you realize you have forgotten that the cuffs in your hand are preventing you from wielding the force. So, at a loss of options, you headbutt the clone in front, then scrouching down aiming for the other clones' ankles. Two of them fall back, and you leap.

Your body paralyzes. You turn to find the fourth clone with a stun gun pointed at you and your vision gives up on you.

You jolt awake, heart thudding, beads of sweat forming on your forehead, and your mind fogging.

An escape, almost...

An ache accumulated from the base of your skull, you ran your fingertips over it— trying to soothe the tension and recalling the events that transpired.

Right.

You were knocked out by a stun.

You surveyed your surroundings, surprised your hands were free, but to your dismay find that force-restraining cuffs were still wrapped around your wrists.

The room was bleak. Four white walls, illuminated by a window that had been too high. A table and a chair towards the far end, a bedside table, and a bed where you were laying.

This isn't a prison, you thought suspiciously. You straightened your back, sprawling your legs out of the bed.

The last you remembered— the three jedi that have captured you have sprinted to follow a sniper. A sniper that took down one of the clones, missing you.

Missed. A sniper would not miss unless, unless you weren't the target.

Your mind has somehow considered that maybe that sniper was someone aiming to  give you an allowance. An option to flee. You knew your master—old master has hired many bounty hunters before.

Perhaps he wanted you to escape...

You blinked— not wanting to think furthermore, because then, you'll hope. He has disposed of you, that remains the only truth that mattered.

From the window, you could tell it was still day. You started at the door— locked, as you anticipated. Then you searched the table, then the underside of the mattress, then finally, the bedside table. You didn't exactly know what you were looking for— any indicator, or any material to defend yourself with.

The person keeping you was thorough. They ensured that your cuffs were impossible to crack, they wanted to make you powerless. So, you kept the thin scrap of metal you found behind the table as a measure— it would not be a good weapon, but you can't entirely let go of your instinct to have something.

Better than having nothing at all.

You sat down the edge of the table in defeat. Perhaps you were in a den of the undergrounds of Coruscant— this cell was too secured to have been just a normal one.

With nothing else to occupy your mind, the earlier thought resurfaced. A rescue...

From ordering your death to wanting to free you.

Something is not adding up here. Besides, you knew your master's extensive moves and countermoves to interpret these events simply.

If he was indeed disposing of you, he'd have done it himself. You think he'd deem you to deserve at least a fight. But he didn't. He must've made you believe he betrayed you to put you exactly where he wanted you to be.

A shudder ran down your spine. Because at the moment, you really had believed he'd gone on to just cut you off. And you still felt bitter that if this was all according to his grand plan, he'd let you stay in the dark. He allowed you to think it was real. Did he not trust you enough?

Must be part of a large scheme... you concluded.

The sound of the door sliding open makes you rise to your feet. Anakin Skywalker steps in your cell.

Your eyes narrow at the revelation. Half-expecting a Republic Officer to be in charge of you.

There was a new sharpness emanating from him, cold, dangerous, even his eyes were dark.

You inch backward, slowly, aiming to get near that rod you found earlier without turning your back against him.

Skywalker doesn't speak and your shoulders tense. His glare burns your skin— it doesn't need sensing his force signature to feel his anger.

You didn't blink, bracing yourself, waiting, horrified that you were so defenseless.

"Obi-Wan's dead"

Your breath hitches— Kenobi? Taken down by a sniper? Has that been Dooku's plan along?

"You..." Your thoughts were halted by Skywalker's slurred voice.

"You did this" He accuses.

You try to swallow your fear but your throat closes. You have never seen Skywalker so— dismantled and you've no means to defend yourself when you'll inevitably be subjected to his rage.

"Skywalker" You step back once more. " I didn't do it"

"No... I knew when I caught you that you were up to something. You wouldn't just give yourself in. You... You killed him!" Skywalker's voice was booming with anger.

You didn't hesitate to scrouch down and grab the metal. Skywalker marches forward, your heart skips, what you're holding will not withstand a lightsaber.

You scramble backwards, Skywalker ignites his weapon, casting a light of your perceivable future.

"Listen, I didn't kill Kenobi, you were with me the entire time!" You tried to implore some logic onto the jedi.

Skywalker remains unconvinced. Then, the realization hits you, this wasn't a prison— not by the Republic. Anakin Skywalker was the one keeping you, convinced that you were the one to kill his master. If you somehow died here, no one would even know. He'd kept you here to bring justice he thought the Republic would not pass to you.

An eye for an eye.

Skywalker charges, you leap. You stumble backwards, making use of every space you could establish between you and his rage.

He presses forward once more and you block his lightsaber. The rod melted in contact, your eyes widened at his strength.

"Skywalker, I didn't kill Kenobi— the reason you even got a hold of me was because Dooku tried to kill me" You struggle to fight off the weight of his saber.

Then, he pauses, the weapon still dangerously close to your neck. You saw his eyes flicker. A hesitation.

You could use that.

"He betrayed me, left me for dead. I don't know who killed Kenobi, but it was not me"

You can't hide the hurt covering your words— for despite it all, your master has betrayed you.

Skywalker slowly brings his lightsaber down and you finally let go of the breath you didn't know you were holding.

You looked down, quickly brushing away the tears that indicated how truly scared you were.

You force yourself to look at the Jedi once more— half terrified that his anger would resurface.

He was blinded by rage— something you have never seen him display before.

"Dooku has abandoned you?" Skywalker's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Yes" You admitted.

Your jaws clenched. "I'm not in prison, aren't I?"

Anakin's eyes were on your hands, noticing the way it twitched. You balled it into fists behind you.

Skywalker's lightsaber foils back. "No you aren't"

A shudder runs down your spine. So he did intend to keep you here. Has the Jedi been involved with this? They'd never be so vindictive... Perhaps he was doing this entirely on his own. You can't decide which one is worse.

"I did not kill your master"

In this light— you could see that it wasn't a Jedi that wanted vengeance, he was a boy grieving for his master.

You'd forget how young he was sometimes. He was no older than two years compared to you.

"But I know Dooku would've wanted to. If it had been a sniper, then he'd hire a bounty hunter, he's done it before" You lead on.

"I can help you"

Skywalker's expression turns that of a mask, fiending his anger into a composed exterior "Why would you think I'd trust you?"

You stepped forward. "You don't have to"

You threaded carefully on what you knew; he wanted to avenge his master, you can capitalize on that. "You've taken me here because you thought Republic jurisdiction isn't enough to avenge your master"

Skywalker purses his lips, you wait for him to deny his intentions but instead gets met by his hardened gaze.

"You want justice. As I do, it seems we have a common enemy" You declared.

You were standing very close, you could make out the tissues covering the scar tracing his face.

"And what will you get out of this?" Skywalker considers.

A way back. Something whispers from within.

"My freedom. I want a pardon. When I kill Dooku, I don't want to be part of this war anymore"

Skywalker apprehends you, you wished you could have some access to the force to read him, but you could only wait...

"No" he shakes his head.

You fought the panic arising from deep within you. For a moment— you doubted yourself. The thought of having rot in Coruscant, and endless agony of being kept, slipping your mind. A moment.

He saw you

And you saw him see you.

"You can't expect me to believe you won't come running back to Dooku when you have the chance"

His words stung.

Right... that had been your intention, and when he says it like that, it feels foolish. You were like a dog going back to its master after he kicked it.

Even your assumption of a grand plan, of your master wanting to rescue you... was only an assumption. He still left you.

"You haven't been betrayed before" You looked down— your initial hope twisting into something ravenous, a thirst for revenge.

You felt Skywalker's eyes survey you. Like he had been calculating whether it was a risk he'd take. You could only hope his desire for revenge would suffice.

"Your freedom?" He speaks up after a while.

You thought it might have sounded futile— you didn't even consider wanting it until you've faced someone who can hand it to you.

You didn't know if there is a life for you outside the war. It seemed as though Anakin Skywalker was buying your excuse, so you'd have to hold on to that.

"I have nothing to go back to" You answered.

Skywalker nods. You saw the faint color of his eyes— you thought, he might try to conceal how he feels but his eyes will always reveal him.

"When all of this is done, no one can know" He names his terms. You nod.

His eyes lingered on yours— you didn't falter.

Outside of what you know of him; you've never really taken notice of how ambiguous his methods are in pursuing his interests. It's quite... appalling. His Jedi Council will never allow it, you wonder how much he has done that he kept from them.

After a while, he straightens his posture— like he was trying to erase the conflict you saw.

"I'll come tomorrow" He says before stepping to the door, disappearing from your sight.

Your mind raced on the things you have somehow agreed to.

In a cruel twist of fate, you have found yourself shaking hands with your enemy.

You have survived, but you have not been spared.

taglist : @etheriaaly @nyaaaaa008

let me know if you want to be added to the taglist and be notified when the next chap comes out 🫶

© to @cafekitsune for the borders

[tumblezwei]

I'm gonna make a kind of pretentious rant rn bc I saw a post I didn't like so bear with me

So like, there's this post I saw. it starts out with "finally figured out exactly what it is about the 'stop complaining about the lack of women in shonen anime, if you want stories with strong and interesting female characters shojo is right there' argument that bothers me so much" and then it says this

I'll be honest, the biggest annoyance here is calling shoujo and shounen "genres." And to me that just shows that even though OP seems to get the actual intention behind the above statement, they still have some fundamental biases against shoujo that makes them think all it has to offer is "girl stuff."

Like, look at the comparisons they give. Princess Tutu and Madoka (which isn't even confirmed a shoujo) vs Naruto and MHA. Ask literally any shoujo fan for a rec that compares to Naruto and I can guarantee you neither of those above will be the first to cross their minds. Because surprise surprise! Shoujo does, in fact, contain as much deep, complex, and interesting stuff as shounen! And that even includes action! I can give you so many examples of a shoujo being mistaken for a shounen (cough Banana Fish cough) or a shounen mistaken for a shoujo (cough Horimiya cough) because demographics are not defined borders. You can't just say that of course someone who likes action/adventure won't like the Girl Stuff. It's a reductive view of what female-centered media can be in and of itself.

But like, I get it. As someone who also grew up with traditionally masculine interests, it can be annoying to hear people say that you should try the Girl things for Girls. But I'm gonna be real here, you just straight up aren't going to get good female representation in your traditionally masculine interests unless you also show support for the traditionally feminine. Which leads into this addition to that post:

Like that's the thing about this. It's all well and good to say that boys deserve good female characters. They absolutely do and we should continue to advocate for such, but that sentiment rings so hollow when those good female characters already exist and y'all just don't want to touch them. I get that you don't want good rep for some random series, you want it for Naruto, for One Piece, for Demon Slayer. But I am stressing so much that the reason shoujo fans are so insistent that you try these other series out is because that's how you show that you want it.

Because again, it's perfectly acceptable to clamor for good rep in the series you already love, but by consuming nothing but shows/manga made for men, by men, with majority male casts, you are telling them that that's what you want.

A caveat: I'm not pointing at you the reader or OP specifically and saying "it's YOUR 🫵 fault shounen has poorly written women because you haven't read Fruits Basket," because it's obviously more complicated than just pure numbers. But it's frustrating to see people plead for y'all to diversify your reading portfolio only to get met with the brick wall non-solution of "well boys deserve good female characters too you know!!"

Like yeah! They do! We never said they didn't! But all saying that has done is plop us right back to where we started. What am I supposed to do with that? What am I supposed to do with any of this? As great as it would be for MHA to suddenly start treating it's female characters better, we both know that isn't happening. You gave us a problem and we're trying to offer a solution. So why are we the bad guys here just because you have preconceived notions of what shoujo is like compared to shounen?

And to add another caveat, it's ok to not like shoujosei stories people recommend! You don't have to like Basara or Yona or OHSHC or any other that you may have tried and dropped. I don't want it to sound like I'm guilt tripping people into being ashamed for not enjoying stuff they don't enjoy, but 9 times out of 10 the people pushing back with that kind of attitude haven't even tried. How do you even know you won't like the series we recommend if you don't even care enough to know that they aren't all one genre?

And I guess that's it. Like, at the end of the day you can do whatever you want, I just wanted to put my frustrations out there. Which is why I screenshotted this instead of rbing OP. I'm sure they want a lengthy argument just as much as I do (not at all).

[linkspooky]

I agree with a lot of what you say about Gojo and his faults, but I honestly believe that his best chance was fighting alone and the narrative emphases this repeatedly - he was closest to winning with that hollow purple, which would have been impossible if anyone of his allies were there, which was pointed out again. We're told that Gojo said Yuta and Hakari could step in if he got weaker than them too, so I don't see it as his pride exempting this. The narrator also repeatedly emphases the idea of strength leading to isolation so I don't think we're meant to think this is something Gojo could change about himself as long as he was in that position of the sole strongest far above everyone, someone nobody could stand alongside with because they would just bring him down.

That's a really good point anon. You are right it might have been physically impossible by the battle mechanics of Jujutsu Kaisen established in story for Yuta or anyone to have intervened. Kenjaku himself even says Gojo is in his element when he's alone.

However, I have a couple of thought ramblings in response. One, while Yuta is debating on whether or not he should step into the fight with the others Hajime brings up the fact that it's wrong to intervene because this is Gojo's personal fight.

Hajime: Are all this era's sorcerers this clueless? This fight is for Satoru Gojo's sake. Whatever happens it would be wrong to intervene.

Gojo himself says too he'd rather have died on the battlefield then getting old, and Haibara compares him to an old fashioned samurai. So there are fight mechanic reasons that Gojo's better in a fight on his own but on top of that, I think it's in clear that in story Gojo's being punished for the decision to just keep fighting alone. The problem with shonen manga is you have to balance the in world fight mechanics with themes. Sometimes characters win battles because it thematically makes sense for them to win, but the way the in-world fight rules are set up don't support them. Gojo basically makes the same choice he did in Shibuya, go alone to fight the big boss. In story it shouldn't have worked out either way, even if by the in-story rules the way Gojo's ability works makes it difficult for him to fight as a team. The definition of insanity is trying the same thing and expecting a different result.

Gojo's ability the limitless and his domain which is a sure-hit for everyone in the area makes it hard for him to fight with others, but also Gojo's ability the limitless is a metaphor for how he chooses not to let others near him, an ability that makes him literally untouchable.

Of course, the question you're asking is also if Gojo can't help but be isolated from other people due to both all the power he has as the strongest, and the responsibility he carries for all of Jujutsu Society. On one hand yes, the sheer amount of responsibility that Gojo has is something he resents. Gojo says as a child he doesn't care about protecting the weak, and it's confirmed in the databook he still finds protecting weak people a pain as a grown up. It makes sense Gojo born into a role where he has to constantly protect others from curses because they can't protect themselves, might see himself as different from others.

On the other hand I don't think it's inevitable Gojo developed a complex where he sees himself as inherently different from other people and therefore impossible to be understood by them. I think Gojo's just weird. It's a deliberate choice on Gojo's part, because Gojo is a human being with human emotions we're given no indication that he's not by the story. His emotions and perspective might be hard to understand by us because we don't wield that same amount of power, and power does have a tendency to twist perspective but Gojo's not saying that it's hard for us to understand him but that it's impossible and that's just not true.

Because Gojo just made a deliberate decision to consider himself in a category different from other people, and there are characters in fiction and in the story who don't make that decision.

The recent My Adventures with Superman did a good job of reintroducing the character of Clark Kent / Superman to the public, because Superman doesn't have a god or savior complex. THe entire point of Superman is he has all this power but he's also just a normal person that wants to help others.

Lois: Seriously, who is Superman? Clark: Well, maybe he's a nice guy who has powers and just wants to use them to help as many people as he can. Lois: Clark, if you had powers, you'd do that, but I'm not talking about you.

Part of the question the show asks is if it's really that unbelievable that someone with Clark's powers would just want to help other people?

Superman: Please, this man needs your help. Ivo: You ruined me. What's your angle? What's in this for you? Superman: Dr Ivo, look around you. Is it that hard to believe that some people just want to help?

Clark is someone who has all of the strength and power of Gojo, and who even perceives the world Gojo does (super hearing, super sight) yet he doesn't act like Gojo because Gojo is not normal. Clark just considers himself a human, or an immigrant really, and he wants to connect to the other people around him like Lois and Jimmy.

I'd also like to point out that the sort of "survival of the fittest / right of the strong / might makes right" beliefs that Gojo / sorcerer society as a whole believe in just aren't true. Human society would not have advanced as far as it did if humans weren't a social species who went out of their way to take care of their weaker members.

The fact that Clark is able to wield all the power that Gojo has and make the opposite choice of Gojo shows that it's a choice on Gojo's part. Gojo chooses to see himself as different from others and chooses not to connect.

Of course, there's a difference in upbringings which I get to the third part of your question. Gojo is raised as basically the chosen one of his society, Clark is raised by good parents on a farm. It may just be the way that Gojo exists in sorcerer society as the sole pillar holding everything up means that he doesn't really feel the need to self reflect. After all he's always being told that he's the best as he is already. Why would someone who perfectly fits the mould need to evaluate themselves and self-improve.

Gojo may be unable to change partially because he fits the role of Jujutsu Society too perfectly. However, unfortunately for him what Jujutsu Society wants of him is to be a cog. He may be the best weapon, the most powerful weapon, but in the end he's a weapon and weapons aren't capable of change or self reflection or even asked to. At which point I think that matches what I said about Nanami's death, that Nanami may have the best intentions when returning to be a sorcerer but the choice still results in his death because sorcerers die. That's what they do. Gojo says sorcerers is an individual sport and you'll always die alone. The sorcerer system is designed to make an individual exorcise curses over and over again, and extract as much use from that individual as possible until they either break, die, or get old. So in a sense Gojo could also be narratively doomed because he was born, live and died within the system of sorcerers. He can be the best sorcerer in the world but he can't really surpass his fate because sorcerers die that's what they do.

[lehhoh7822]

asking about the legally blonde fics 🙄 (JOKING i actually really want to hear about them. please?)

THANK YOU its not letting me add a cut guys..... i would if i could..... long post??

alright hi i write legally blonde fanfics after being involved in a production of it earlier this year and. well.

like i think my fanfic is very ehhhh for most people because i like essentially getting to write completely different songs and then having to integrate them into canon if that makes sense?? based solely off the musical, like, none of pilar margot serena really have ANY established backstory and i havent seen the movie or read the book in such a long time. so what i mean is that i get to write this horrifying piece about someone experiencing parentifcation in an abusive environment and then try to integrate that character into the more canonised characterisation.

i guess the reason is like. of musicals, legally blonde is very.... i don't know, its pretty solid in terms of content for the musical. its absurd like most musicals which kind of facilitated me and my friend (im gonna @ their dead blog from when they were like 12 @kittykatturtles-blog) to make crack theories and then give me things that i wanted to extrapolate from it. I guess the other thing about these fics is that i want to write about how. fucked a lot of rich people are. i think part of this is coming out of the dsmp fandom or engaging with it more critically in terms of a fandom and being able to recognise the kind of repetitiveness of a lot of fanfictions in a very... trope esque way? like there are so many fics which are basically the same and a lot of those feel like they didn't have anything to say or think about in terms of the characters.

i think the other part of it which matters to me is being able to write about themes which are genuinely really serious, and at times intimately familiar to me; exploitative religious groups, familial abuse, dissociative identity disorder, and more, without the worry of too heavy scruntiny. like i remember when i was writing for dsmp i always got kind of scared of writing something too serious and having people like like. oh my god. hes a MINOR. YOURE KILLING ME. the whole point of the stories aren't just that bad things are happening or that these characters are justified or whatever, it's about. how do you keep going? how do you keep loving? how do you explain yourself.

i think something thats super important to be is character autonomy. it rings pretty bad for me when a traumatised or disabled is given no action on their end at all for anything, making them a hollow slate for the abled characters to support and research and worry about and lie to. to me, as someone who is traumatised and is disabled, that kind of dynamic is gross to read about. so its important to me to be able to write about, even if it cant exist in real life, the idea of supportive people who are also kind of fucked up and having to acknowledge the real hopelessness of complex issues is something i want to depict in my writing.

for a lot of people, for most i think, when terrible things happen they can't just stop and they somehow have to keep on going despite the world feeling like its stopped turning for them. and i think a lot of bad things do happen to people when they are still young. one of the worst years of my life was when i was 12 and its genuinely quite hard to top it. trying to write the spiky complex feelings of self hatred and confusion and injustice you can't place and hopelessness is cathartic to me and i think its important for me that it exists.

the other thing is that. like by the nature of my writing, this is leading to a better future. im a pretty slow writer, and i can't be hyperfixated on the story i need to just be continually trying to think and work on it. but because we know; we know they make it to college, we know they have friends, and in this i know that they can make it to adulthood, its an assertion, from me as a writer and from me as a traumatised disabled person that i will make a better future and the worst parts of your life will not definte them. idk.

this is the link to the first two fics and im writing a new one as we speak

if you want to hear more about ttolt characters (we have pilar, serena, margot, elle, serenas parents and brother, pilars infinite fucking siblings and parents, and a few others) then send me asks about it. PLEASE dear god

[richmonds-disaster-bi]

For Roy/Jaime triplet fic, a bit of heavy angst for your pleasure: Jaime starts to show and one night while he and Roy are just lounging after dinner, he turns to Roy with tears in his eyes and says " If anythin' goes wrong, you hafta promise meh you'll pick them ova meh, you'll save our babies no matta what Roy." Roy is absolutely hollowed out by even the thought of anything happening to Jaime. He's deeply shaken and upset and while he's so damn proud of Jaime for being a parent, he absolutely refuses to even entertain the idea. He's like " No love, I won't fuckin' accept that, I will have all five of us together and nothin' else. Nothin' is gonna happen to ya, I won't fuckin' allow it." They cling to each other the rest of the night, and are still upset the next morning as they head into training. Everyone immediately picks up that something is off, but they don't pry. The lads fall over themselves trying to cheer Jaime up and he eventually tells them what's got him and Roy so upset and the Greyhounds set about reassuring him. Roy though, finds his composure wavering and finally summons the Diamond Dogs. He tells them of just how terrified he and Jaime are, and the selfless promise Jaime tried to exact from him. The Diamond Dogs are gutted and rush to assure Roy that he and Jaime aren't alone. Higgins himself reveals that he and his wife experienced the exact situation Roy and Jaime are fearing, Higgins having to choose between his wife and one of their babies, and refusing to lose either and coming through okay. Roy and Jaime reunite after, surrounded by their Richmond Fam.

Yesssss!!! I adore this angst!

Jamie and Roy having had an appointment where doctors again stressed the possible complications and the different issues that might arise. They did this not to scare them, but to talk them through the different options and calm them

Roy is already a little on edge because it's hitting that fuck, he could lose them. He could lose Jamie or one of their little ones. He doesn't want to freak Jamie out, so he just keeps it inside and debates possibly talking to the Diamond Dogs about it when he's in work to get it out and get some support.

And then Jamie, when they're laying in bed with Roy reading to his now obvious bump, just asks Roy to save their little ones over him if it comes down to it and it breaks Roy. Roy wants to be mad, he wants to yell and shout but he can see how terrified Jamie is deep down so he just holds him close and tells him it'll be okay. Jamie, however, pushes, because to him.....he's replacable and less valuable than their kids. These are his and Roy's babies. He knows already that he would die for them, and he wants Roy to understand that which leads to them arguing and eventually Roy just asks him to stop and when Jamie looks up, Roy is shaking and crying and he looks so broken that Jamie just holds him.

Neither of them sleep well that night. They're both off, both quiet. Jamie is only really there to support the team, give some ideas, watch practice and the team notice how off he is.

When Roy and the coaches are in the office, the team gets Jamie out onto the pitch under the guise of taking a walk. It's out there that the boys nominate Sam to talk to him. Sam just puts an arm around him, and then Jamie is talking. Talking about how Roy won't listen and how he needs to know they'll be okay, but the boys point out that Roy is terrified too and Jamie realises he's been thinking about Roy as this unshakeable rock because that's what he is for Jamie. It makes him see how terrified asking that made Roy

Meanwhile Roy calls for the Diamond Dogs and they immediately know something is wrong when Roy doesn't grumble or make a crack at them. He just comes out and tells them everything. Tells them that Jamie wanted, that he is scared, that he can't imagine choosing a baby he doesn't know but is meant to immediately love over the love of his life and how horrible that makes him feel. Ted and Beard offer support but admit they're out of their dept when Higgins speaks up, telling Roy everything that he and his wife went through with their youngest. That things weren't easy, they were terrified, she wanted him to choose their kid and Higgins wantedto save them both and it worked out. He points out thag worrying now, will make it worse and they should talk and make it through this

Roy is wrapping his head around it when Jamie appears and just squashes him in a tight hug that has them both clinging to each other and whispering I love yous and apologies

[mdhwrites]

Not sure if you've talked about him already, but what's your opinion on Matt Tholomule as a character? I feel like he's one of the very few (if not the only) characters who wasn't reduced to a softie after redemption like Amity/Lilith/Hunter

So 1. Shockingly enough, I never have and I'll get into probably why in a moment. 2. I can't be certain in my analysis here as I have only seen clips of For the Future and I'm not going to dig for his parts for this blog so I haven't seen all that he becomes but I have an idea. That idea also says that... Yeah, you're not wrong actually. Arguably, Lilith is soft enough and treated enough like a joke in S1 that TECHNICALLY her personality is intact post redemption. However, even if you argue that, she still seems like a parody of who she used to be.

Which... is actually kind of true Matt too. Why it works better here is that rather than make fun of a character's trauma and disregard their background, Matt was always a bit of a joke and his final form is actually steeped in who he was. We were never supposed to take him that seriously which is... a mixed bag for him. I'm going to say a lot of nice things at least conceptually about where he ends up but I want to make something clear: I barely think of Matt normally. I will entirely forget he was in the show because he is extremely forgettable. The situation he's in and his plight are always far more interesting than "Kind of bad at being a jerk/bully" which is his primary personality for two of his three main appearances. He's just not got a strong enough personality for two seasons to leave much of an impression and for a supporting cast's supporting member, you need to make a bigger splash than he ever did to be remembered.

But then we get S3 where we get just that. The boy, from my understanding, turns himself into a god damn comic book character and its glorious. And... It actually makes sense. Matt always had an ego and a desire for attention but he was missing two things to get to the point he's at now. The first was a better morale compass so that he could be a good guy and that part we get to see. The other is a proper community and support around him so he wasn't always looking over his shoulder. I... don't know how much that part is true to For the Future but the clips I've seen imply that he's at least not being disregarded or constantly have to prove himself anymore. He's just another member of the resistance which is a HELL of a lot better than he's had before.

This leads to all that bubbling confidence coming out into a glorious mess that absolutely fits how some teens try to act 'mature' by acting confidant. By celebrating things like stubble and proclaiming to the mirror "I AM A MAN NOW!" Buuut it also seems like the show was kind enough to not make him purely the butt of jokes like this but actually allow him to show that he's a good guy nowadays. He still prioritizes things like Amity's safety and what not after all. Again, I don't know how accurately but what I've seen theoretically shows me that yeah, For the Future did do something right.

Hell, as a moment of positivity: In a vacuum, the main thing I truly don't approve of in For the Future conceptually is Kikimora. There is no reason to have her back, let alone not beat her there. But if this was a pair of episodes in a full 20 episode season, they could have potentially been a highlight of the season. There's a lot of good character stuff conceptually here and it's utilizing the fact that the side characters can be fun in TOH, even if many of them have been turned more into like the twins where they're pretty bland now that they're purely good as well. But... That's in a vacuum where this didn't end up being a filler episode in a three episode season where so many critical elements are just left hollow while we spend time with characters who haven't mattered for an entire season. *sigh*

Still, I'm happy for Matt fans that their character got such a good ending.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[haleigh-sloth]

There is some positivity in this post, but at the very end, there is some salt and slight negativity. This is about Spinner and whether I think he'll die.

I don't. But before I dive into that, I gotta say that this post here does point out all of the reasons for why he could/would die in this manga. I think those reasons do stand, and I can't ignore the possibility of all those reasons leading up to his death. But for now, I shall remain an optimist.

There is one thing all of the League members have in common, and it's that they all hate themselves.

Also, for the clarity of this post, please just exclude Compress from this because we just don't have enough information on him to apply this to him.

In some form or fashion, they are all unhappy with who they are. Shigaraki, Toga, Touya, Spinner--none of them are exactly thrilled with the people they turned into over time.

But there is something about Spinner that separates him from the rest. While Toga, Touya, and Shigaraki are all acting on their own self interests and lashing out in a fit or anger and upset, with absolutely no REAL intention of gaining anything out of their destruction--Spinner's destructive tendencies are all in an effort for him to discover himself and find a purpose for himself.

Yeah, he's sacrificial. Yeah, he puts what he perceives to be Shigaraki's wants and needs above his own in a sacrificial manner. Yeah, he's pretty empty and hollow inside and had accepted being a follower rather than a leader, or really his own person--but I think the most recent chapter really shows us that this wasn't "for Shigaraki's sake". I mean, in his head it was. We know that it wasn't, because it did absolutely nothing to help the situation. But we also now see what Spinner was hoping to gain from him idolizing Shigaraki--

Unlike the rest of the League, Spinner actually....wanted to gain something FOR himself from the destruction he was contributing to. He wanted himself to be somebody. Which, compare that to Touya who wants to be dead, Toga who wants to be anybody BUT herself, and Shigaraki who views himself as pretty much a curse of destruction upon the world. In comparison, Spinner's end goal is a lot more optimistic and wholesome than his villain pals.

The other BIG difference is that Spinner...doesn't lie to himself. He openly admits to himself and the people around him that he feels empty, and admits that he doesn't feel like he'll amount to anything on his own without clinging to someone else's legacy and carrying out their wills. Unlike the other three, who have all straight up lied to themselves and us readers (with context showing us the opposite of what they tell us lol), Spinner embraces what he feels his existence means, and in turn he actually seeks out a reasonable outcome that would satisfy what he's wanting--becoming somebody. Where it falls apart and falls out of his favor, and it becomes less optimistic, is that he goes about it by just...absorbing himself in someone else. Which idk if it's needed to provide more context to show us, but the story tells us "hm, not good for you buddy, don't do that".

As things are currently, I don't think he'll die--simply because, as much as everyone wants to think his actions are purely selfless and out of the best interest for his friend, I think we can now for sure say that wasn't the case? He's not like Twice, who really didn't care about himself at all and only wanted to support his friends and prioritize their happiness. Spinner actually had a personal need he was trying to fulfill, he just did it in a self-sacrificial way--which bit him back. Spinner is different from the league, but he's not. He has something he wants. For himself. In this way, he is the same as the rest of the League. They ALL have something they want for themselves. And I am not anywhere near convinced Shigaraki, Toga, or Touya will be dying. So this is me placing Spinner in the same wagon as them.

Now, onto the more negative reasons that I still don't think he will die--

I mean....what a shitty ending? He wanted to be somebody. He wanted to try to help his ally. But in the end he contributed to his friend's suffering, and the people who were following him abandoned him (in a way, I think many of them are still fighting, though honestly it's not the most clear).

So...say he were to die, it wouldn't exactly be the most noble or dignified exit. Unless things progress in a weirdly fast way (faster than they already are) and he somehow breaks from AFO's control and somehow contributes to Shigaraki breaking from AFO's control (which is what Shigaraki needs right now, not someone to support his dream of death and misery), I don't see how he'll have any kind of nobility in his death. It would be entirely unsatisfying. With Twice, we saw him save Toga and Compress, and the last words said to him were Toga, someone he loves and cares for, thanking him for saving her life. Sad still, but it was a satisfying way for Twice to go. Spinner? Now???

I do get the tragedy behind it. But imo it would only be a cathartic tragedy if he were to contribute to helping things progress in a positive way. Currently, that's not happening.

Basically....I mean, tragic death is not off the table. The red flags are THERE. I'm pretty tired of people ignoring them and twisting them into something good when the story tells us they're not. But for Spinner--someone painted as a character suffering and being grossly misunderstood and ignored by society just like the rest of the league who are set up to be saved and redeemed--he hasn't done anything grand enough to like...justify a tragic death.

That is, unless things move crazy fast and make him die a tragic hero in the end. But...looking at the Shigaraki situation as is, I really don't see how that could or would happen.

Tbh I'd rather Spinner's current lack of agency be used as a gateway for him to be saved by a hero rather than him die tragically attempting to help a friend whose suffering he unintentionally contributed to. Leaving it to where he didn't help in any way at all, in the end. It just...that feels like a not good or satisfying way to end his arc.

Again, this is a more negative take on why it'd be shitty for him to die.

Unrelated to Spinner's inner character and the League in general, it'd be nice if the character who represents the racism allegory in the story wasn't killed off, yeah? Please. Lol.

[thessaliah]

Something I have noted regarding your theories. Confusing wording aside, Chaldean does see CHALDEAS as his enemy. Kirei even clarifies during their private talk that is what he meant when he said "If mankind is able to excise all seven Lostbelts, I will finally acknowledge you as my enemy". That being said, him saying Novum Chaldea is 'different from the one he knows' could be taken, if he is Goetia, as him seeing NC different from the one he saw merely as Marisbury's lapdogs in Arc 1.

Chaldean never moves to attack Rasputin and asks if he can beat Chaldea after he established them as enemies of Chaldeas. He takes up the name "Chaldea Person" when he understood that means an ally to Chaldeas because he can't believe those who call themselves "Chaldeans" would turn against Chaldea before the ending of LB7. So it's a contradictory claim. He could be, at best, neutral but supporting Marisbury's grand order due to a contract. I suspect that, if he's indeed Solomon from Chaldeas (U Olga didn't pick up any emotion from him: the mental waves she can see in colors are feelings which this guy doesn't have), Marisbury did end that planet yet granted humanity and the Human Order a continuation. "You're the only one who understands me" was something Marisbury told Solomon before Solomon won a human heart through a wish and changed. It feels weird that Goetia too would call it "Marisbury's Grand Order" as if he's on a name basis instead of that "Animusphere's grand order" or something impersonal. Just a bit odd.

Goetia never cared about Marisbury. He enacts his plan in all timelines because he looks down on humanity and pities their suffering, not because of Marisbury Animusphere's ploys. Lev is the one who stops him. If we go by this massive plot hole (bad writing is also entirely within FGO hackery): Goetia knows Guda (his fate, his hate, etc) less than Kirschtaria? Because Kirsch figured out immediately Guda is different from the "Master raised by the Doctor." before even battling as a perfect stranger.

Novum Chaldea is no different in spirit than 2015 Chaldea. That was announced in Order Call prologue, it's that Chaldea, the Chaldea that beat Goetia. That Chaldea was up in 2017, a righteous figure. Goetia should be the number 1 person who knows exactly how they are since he had more contact with them.

IMO, while plausible that this guy is Goetia (with the amounts of bad writing involved, of course), I think "Chaldean is Goetia" is being pushed as redherring like Nasu manipulated the audience to think Daybit was David Bluebook (even in LB7, with false leads scattered in part 1) and Koyan was Daji's bunrei. Their identities are exclusively mysteries and part of this arc as revealed. If the guy were Goetia, there is no reason for this secrecy after so many years. Just in my opinion. Is there any point to keep "ooh a Beast returns" as a big enigma? Besides, he would be extremely callous to take up Romani's appearance and identity so unnecessarily knowing it hurts Mash a lot. It's taking steps back on his progression to embrace his own identity too. Again, bad writing can happen. But wouldn't be more ironic Goetia to appear as an ally against this Roman Alter?

There's also this "the appearance" is what matters, some people will say point. That's why he's Romani. Guda disagreed with that, but if you think about it, the appearance mattering is the basis of Marisbury's grand switch and the importance of the galaxies in the tree. As long it 'appears' like that, then it is. The surface and outward look are pivotal to Animusphere celestial model magecraft rather than the contents (those can be, dare I say, hollow?). This tied Chaldean even further with Chaldeas overall thematic thing.

[eliothochberg]

I don't think we take things seriously as much as we should

I was struck (no pun intended) by a post on Twitter publicizing which WGA strike locations have the best food trucks. Now, I'm not saying that this isn't worth knowing.

But I'm reading a book that goes over how the labor movement was going between WWI and WWII. Here are some things that happened:

Labor advocates stripped, whipped with leather straps with steel balls in them, then covered in tar and feathered, and forced to climb a wire fence and run out of town with no shoes through a field

Black workers lynched and burned alive and more/worse (if you can imagine) for either trying to unionize, or crossing picket lines

Labor advocates jailed for speaking for the cause of labor, some for more than 10 years, others tortured by the US federal and state governments

All to say that it was never a guarantee that unions would be a thing, have any respect. Many Americans in power fought tooth and nail agains unions and strikes; the media was largely against unions; they were seen as subversive and damaging; and even workers resisted them for fear of losing jobs, or out of a particular kind of patriotism common at the time.

For their part, union organizers and members were no less committed. They would destroy equipment, beat scabs (folks who cross picket lines), and where possible, fight back against the private armies that owners employed to "keep workers in line."

There is no excuse for any of the violence, however there were good reasons on the union side for the eventual violence they committed. Mostly in answer to all of the horrible things done to them. But then as violence escalated, people who weren't in the thick of it had reason to want the government to do something, especially when most newspapers at the time portrayed the actions of business and government as necessary and heroic (when they did report on what happened), while portraying union supporters as subversive and treacherous.

I think it's worth remembering all of that as workers today strike or try and unionize. This is serious business. People's livelihoods are at stake, and not just that. There are still working conditions in the US that lead to serious injury and death, and often in industries where you wouldn't expect it. For example, Amazon workers are pushed to their limits, and many just get all used up, can't do the work anymore, and find their bodies broken in such a way that it's hard for them to find any other work they can do without being in constant pain.

Thus, when the WGA strikers start talking about where the best food trucks are (food trucks are typically expensive, how can they afford it?), or which location has the best entertainment, it probably rings hollow with other unions in less creative fields.

Make no mistake: the WGA demands are reasonable, and every white collar worker, and even a lot of blue collar workers, should be paying attention. The main demand they have that can affect all workers is what happens with AI. They are demanding that AI not be given equal status to a human writer, and that any produced production must have at least one full time writer (my interpretation, apologies if that's not perfectly accurate). If they can get this concession, or something similar, this will have a HUGE impact on other union contracts, which will then pass into non-union agreements as well. If they fail, then anyone who uses words and their brain for a living will be more vulnerable than they could have been. And for those who use their bodies instead, there will be one less example to point to for how workers' rights can be protected.

Still, the WGA strike already appears to a lot of folks who don't work in the industry to be a lot of clean handed dilettantes asking for more money. Being compared to basketball players and such. It's mostly nowhere close to that, but deciding where you strike by the type of cuisine available isn't the best way to dispel that idea.

And one last thing: the whole point of a strike is to stop companies from being able to make money until a deal is reached. But not every worker is in the WGA, and not every worker is unionized. If successful, the strike will make it so that no money can be made for production studios. This means they won't be able to pay other workers. Which means that assistants, drivers, security guards, janitors, caterers, and any other non-union workers could be furloughed without pay without getting any direct benefit from the strike.

That's the cost of a strike, no doubt. But it wouldn't be surprising if those folks are upset that they have to be out of work just because the WGA wants a better deal. Their anger should be aimed at the producers and studios, since they are the ones who refused the very reasonable terms.

But...

It's a bad look when you're having a good time, and searching for the best food and entertainment while striking, while they are now facing possibly not making rent while not getting any direct benefit from the strike. Have a thought for them as you exercise your rights.

[crossdressingdeath]

I feel like DAI and more specifically having the Inquisitor be the Inquisitor would've been a lot stronger if Bioware had really leaned into the fact that you don't actually have a choice in being there to begin with and that at the beginning of the game a Quiz who isn't happy about this is all but outright threatened into serving the Inquisition's interests (the advisors pretty much openly say that if you refuse to help them they'll just let the Chantry murder you). There are a couple points where Quiz can vaguely mention that there is no other option for them, they're with the Inquisition whether they like it or not, but it feels like the game is really uncomfortable with actually acknowledging it. I don't know, I feel like the story would be stronger if it went more into how the Chantry and Chantry-affiliated organizations (like the Inquisition; they can say they're not with the Chantry all they like, but when the four initial leaders include the Right and Left Hands of the Divine and a former Templar Knight-Captain who's only not one anymore because he got cold feet at the idea of killing a human noble and they were supposed to be a Chantry organization before the whole "heretical claims about Andraste having a herald" thing that claim rings a little hollow) will straight up force people they have power over to prop them up whether they want to or not. Especially with the reveal that the previous Inquisitor was a Dalish mage (potentially just like the current one) and that got covered up because admitting that the last Inquisitor was about as far from the Chantry ideal as possible would be inconvenient. And this barely gets acknowledged! You would think a non-human noble Quiz would have some rather pressing issues with this reveal!

I don't know, I just feel like the game admitting that yes, you are supposed to be a good little technically-not-Chantry puppet would've been stronger than "oh yeah, you're totally in charge, do what you like"? Since the implication is already there and all. It could also have been used to make the inner circle feel more like friends than coworkers, with them acting as your personal support in taking control of the Inquisition in your own right rather than as a figurehead instead of basically just being your subordinates (notably this would also give recruiting Sera an actual purpose beyond "she's a companion, go get her"; the Red Jennies having a presence among the servants is a lot more useful if you aren't sure whether or not you can trust your spymaster to have your best interests at heart, after all). If you want to keep the advisors as friendly figures you could put some higher authority above them who's trying to keep the Inquisition to Chantry expectations or something. Also it could potentially lead to a crisis situation like at the end of DA2 where you could choose whether or not to properly split off from what the Chantry wants, with companions either sticking with you or turning on you based on what side you pick and other factors (probably not whether their approval's been maxed out since that's harder to deal with when you can't check your companions' approval (bring back the ability to check approval in DA4 please Bioware), but maybe personal quest shit).

Basically I just really wish the game a) acknowledged that an unwilling Quiz is getting royally screwed over all through this game regardless of the power and prestige that comes with the title because they don't want to be here and aren't allowed to leave and b) allowed for a schism within the Inquisition between what the Chantry expects and what the Inquisitor wants to do. The former because it's really annoying how it skirts around that and the latter... well, just because it would be fun, honestly.

[nahsfa]

the world seems to be doing fine, when I'm drowning. My life stopped two years ago, but everyone kept moving. When I watched my grandmother pass away, when I got covid for the fist time. When I got dismissed from pharmacy school for the first time. Everything stopped for me, but no one stopped to help me up.

I have a support system, they just aren't very good at supporting. They are present when I fail, to tell me that I'm wrong and that I need to get back up and keep working, but they aren't there to help me achieve. Is that an unfair expectation?

yet again, I have failed. I've failed those around me and myself. I know I'm worth more than this, and I can do a lot more than this, but somehow I'm stuck. I want to achieve, I really really do, but something it me constantly eats at me, saying

"you've already failed so much, there's no way that you could succeed doing something now. you are your past mistakes, and you can't fix them. you can only live with them"

at the beginning, it wasn't as bad. it was one mistake, but slowly it became more and more, and it was unbearable. My mistakes and failures were like collar around my neck that would get tighter every time I did something.

I did every thing to avoid embarrassment. I lied and ignored people to avoid talking about my mistakes, because I'm the only one who knew about it, and on one else needed to know. I lied and lied, but nothing came from it, because even though I tried to cover up my mistakes, I kept making new ones.

I was lost. So lost. I wanted an escape, but that wasn't the answer to anything. Every feeble attempt at not thinking about my situation would lead to my face being pushed into the pavement and stepped on like I was the scum of the earth.

Somehow I was still well liked. people would comment "you're so cool" they'd say, remarking about my hobbies or my interests, but those things are the very things that feel empty to me now.

there was a point where I enjoyed those things, but now they feel hollow. nothing feels whole anymore, least of all me.

I bore my hear to everyone, living by the ideal that no one was actually just a mean person, and that there were those in the world that actually cared about others unconditionally, but I was wrong. my heart was beaten, bruised, and taken advantage of several times, but it never learned. I don't think it understands, even now.

I thought that my heart was the issues and closed off my life to everyone, like a street cat, I hissed at all those who came near me.

But maybe it doesn't have to be this way, maybe I can recover. I have messed up, and I can't make excuses, but maybe I can actually do something with my life.

I don't want to be useless, I can do something that means something, I know it. I know I've messed up severely, and that there re repercussions for the things that I have done, but if you could look past the papers and just look at me. Look at my resolve to do something right with my life; my want to do better than what I do right now.

I might not be able to alter the world, or have significant change in the world, but I can make a significant change in my life.

I can do it. I know I'm worth more than what I am now, I just need to prove it.

[mermaidsirennikita]

What are you looking forward to this awards season? I think Killers of the Flower Moon and Women Talking are my most anticipated. I’ve read both books and they’re excellent. I just really hope for the former Scorsese is thoughtful with how it’s framed; like Leo’s character’s indigenous wife really should be a co-lead with him…

The trailer for She Said looks so tepid to me. But the industry will prob be eager to award it. Idk whose the lead there, they might run both in supporting. I love Naomi Ackie but I’m so over biopics. I hope Michelle Yeoh’s hype can sustain…I’m sure Margot will win for Babylon though. I feel like the narrative is already that she’s “due,” despite her only having been in Hollywood for like 8 years. And the academy doesn’t believe in recognizing WOC in lead actress.

Good question! I'm definitely interested in Killers of the Flower Moon. That cast is.... stacked. Jesse Plemons is looking for that Oscar, obviously De Niro is a legend, I'm excited that Brendan Fraser is doing something serious business in the midst of his mini comeback, and Leo and Scorsese are always a pretty safe bet for a collab. However, I am.... very worried about how the subject matter is going to be handled. I think Scorsese is extremely talented, but I don't think he's necessarily equipped to handle this sensitively. Nor do the sea of white guys leading the cast is a great sign. I'm excited for Lily Gladstone, though; I hope her role is substantial. How often does an actress of Blackfeet descent land this kind of movie? (Answer: not enough.) Also, love that she's from Montana.

Women Talking does sound good, though likely an incredibly difficult watch. I won't lie to you, I'm kind of a bit... over.... Frances McDormand playing a certain kind of role, which is often "offbeat, hardcore lady of some sort" and I hope this is different? Nor am I huge fan of Rooney Mara--I think she can act, but I also think she's been overrated at points. But Ben Whishaw and Claire Foy I love, and I though Jessie Buckley was really good in The Lost Daughter, so it could totally be an acting showcase. Tbh, I think the focus being on Mennonites gives this a much more interesting spin than She Said.

Like, to me, She Said could very well come off as self-congratulatory when in reality Hollywood has done basically nothing to combat the rampant sexual predation in the industry. I'm not super interested in this. I think Zoe Kazan is kind of an.... ironic choice for this movie, as she's like, OOOOOOLD SCHOOL nepotism. So watching someone with the last name Kazan play someone EXPOSING HOLLYWOOD will be odd. Carey is fine as an actress, but tbh I'm so bored of her doing the same thing over and over, which is like... kinda hollow feminist treatise. Suffragette, Promising Young Woman (which I have very mixed feelings on)... Okay now.

I'm not against good biopics, and I think Naomi is super talented, but I have my doubts about the ability to... tell an honest and sensitive story about Whitney. I think so much remains in debate about her--her relationship with Bobby Brown, her issues with drugs, the abuse she experienced in her childhood, her sexuality. Then you add to her tragedy the fact that her daughter died so shortly and tragically after her. I'm just very wary.

As for who will win Best Actress--lol, y'all have gotta stop counting these chickens so early. Remember when everyone was telling me Kristen Stewart was DEFINITELY gonna win Best Actress? Who the fuck knows what'll happen. I can't see anyone surpassing Michelle Yeoh's performance, but the release date of the movie, its unconventionality, and Michelle being a middle-aged woman of color who's not from the U.S. is going to make that an uphill battle for her. But I don't think Margot is a shoe-in at all. I think Margot is seen as very talented, but I don't think she's gotten like... WOW reviews since I, Tonya. I still really don't get why she was nominated for Bombshell, as the reviews for that movie were meh, she wasn't a standout, and her subplot was pretty harshly critiqued by some.

In her favor is the fact that she will be playing Clara Bow, but against her is the fact that she will be playing Clara Bow. Plus, she's got Amsterdam coming down the pipeline. There was a time when being in a David O. Russell movie guaranteed you a nom, but tbh I think that movie may be overshadowed by people finally reckoning with his horrendous behavior. Margot (and the entire cast) has been dogged a LOT online for working with him. I think he's also vulnerable because it's been a while since his last movie (which was underwhelming on every level) and his winning streak of The Fighter - Silver Linings Playbook - American Hustle was a long time ago. Since Joy, everything went down with Weinstein. And while I think critics fawning over three of his closely-released movies in a row gave him protection, a movie about the wonder mop or whatever with a Jennifer Lawrence on the brink of her big backlash hit his armor. The thing is that men in Hollywood get away with their sexual misconduct all the time, but he's also an asshole to talent and difficult to work with. Big names have dragged him; Clooney, Amy Adams. Imo, the potential for bad press with Amsterdam is huge and could hit anyone involved in that movie. There are people I like in it--Margot, John David Washington. There are people I dislike--Anya. I hope all of them get backlash for working with him, and I think they could. As for Babylon, I guess I've gotta bite based on the cast and the subject matter, but God Chazelle is annoying.

I'm excited for the Knives Out sequel--I don't know how that'll fare awards-wise, but tbh the original got more noms than I expected for a movie that was actually fun and easy to follow. The cast is once again great, and tbh? It's early does, but wouldn't be shocked if Kathryn Hahn got nommed. She's a hardworking character actress who can do drama and comedy equally well and if it's a good movie with a good role I could see her getting a supporting nom somewhere... The Globes if nothing else lmao. But who knows at this point.

Blonde will be interesting. I doubt it'll go anywhere serious awards-wise, but I can't tell if it's going to be a total mess critical flop thing or a "polarizing, let's reevaluate in 30 years" type of movie. Netflix being terrified of its content doesn't necessarily mean it'll be bad. It's based on a deeply weird book and has been adapted by a deeply weird director. I am honestly just SO interested in seeing how Ana does with Marilyn's voice, because that's a tough gig for a native English speaker, let alone someone who's ESL with a naturally heavy-ish accent like Ana.

I'm super interested in Don't Worry Darling. It looks really stylish and fun, kinda topical for today, and while Florence has aggravated me lately.... She's very talented. It's not a matter of if, but when she wins an Oscar at this rate. Chris Pine could also get some praise, imo, as he's been consistently underrated and excels in this types of ~mysterious charismatic man~ type roles.

I think I'll have to see The Menu for Nicholas Hoult, and I do love the premise... But lmao I'll have to put up with Anya bug-eyeing the camera and people acting like it's TALENT. It's a tough job but somebody's gotta do it.

I have very little interest in The Fabelmans but with that cast, the fact that Spielberg is directing, and the autobiographical nature means it'll be in some kind of conversation. Like, I really just need people to realize that Spielberg isn't.... very interesting anymore... and I doubt this'll do that but we can dream.

I'm looking forward to My Policeman. I don't know if it'll be kinda trite and expected for a "closeted man period piece" movie, or actually good, but I love Emma Corrin and I honestly appreciate the hustle with Harry Styles this year, so.

I'm really hoping that The Woman King is good. Viola got some (.... deserved) bad press for her Michelle Obama recently, but I will say that she's normally the type of actress I could totally see racking up another win, so who the fuck knows? To me, it doesn't quite read as a movie that will get that for her, but like... again, you never know. Is it gonna be awardsy? Or is it gonna be the kind of historical epic that actually works as a popcorn movie, which people used to make all the time (think Braveheart, Last of the Mohicans) but don't anymore. Either way, I'm watching.

Bones and All could be good? I do not... like... Timothee, but Taylor Russell could be on the verge of a breakout and tbh the hilarity of Chalamet being in a cannibal movie is kind of difficult for me to resist.

Anyway, that's what I've heard some chitter chatter about as of late. WE SHALL SEE.

[favoniuscodex]

ataraxia. - ch. 5 [ diluc x reader ]

ch. 5 - regularity's dawn pairing: diluc x gn!reader warnings: mention of prior-obtained injuries. diluc is rich. uh,,, typical warnings for this series. words: ~1.9k words fic masterlist [ prev ] - [ next ] chapter summary: just you (a farmer), diluc (an unknown variable), and a dog (of the canine variety) existing in your house. you, of course, wish there were only two of you there... you think. well, no matter what, the dog is staying. a/n: mmm domesticity except the reader can't handle domesticity. but hold on guys,,, hold on,,, its happening,,, slowly !!! :D sorry it's been 28 years for this update lol

"y'know," you set the bags of groceries down onto the kitchen counter as diluc hobbles into the room after you. "fatui presence in the city is increasing."

today is the twenty-first day since diluc has arrived at your doorstep. things have changed in your home and in the world outside. for starters, you've begrudgingly acclimated to the presence of another within your household. diluc is rather polite, much to your behest. he doesn't pry into your past, he doesn't rifle through your things, and, from what you can tell, he hasn't gone into your bedroom without permission.

diluc respects the boundaries between the two of you and it pisses you off. for a man who showed up half-alive to your place of residence, diluc keeps himself together in a frustratingly fascinating manner. he's gotten accustomed to crutches. he washes dishes for you, despite the cast on his wrist and insistence that you can do it yourself. hell, with his pyro vision, you don't even need to worry about firewood nor kindle for the kitchen stove. diluc is oddly self-sufficient for a man as injured as he is.

however, it's not like you're not looking to take care of him. it's just irritating to see this man being able to pick himself right back up and act like everything is okay, even if crutches are tucked into his armpits and supporting his weight. you're no fool, though. you know things aren't perfect for the redhead. you can see it in the wistful glimmer of his eyes when it rains and you can see it in the way that it looks like he wants to speak but doesn't know how.

diluc picks himself back up from his injuries, sure, but you can tell it's a hollow husk of the person he used to be. besides, you're wise enough to know that a broken wrist doesn't cause the solemnness you see in his expression. the source of that pain likely occurred long before you met him.

"the fatui?" diluc asks and you immediately regret having internally praised him for recovering so well from his injuries. maybe if he hadn't, you wouldn't have been asked such a dumb question.

"yes, the fatui. that's what i just said," you snap in response and, much to your surprise, diluc lets out a laugh. it's short-lived and it's more of a bark of a laugh rather than a wholehearted chortle, but it causes you to glance over at him, shooting him a glare as you angrily unpack the grocery bags.

"you do not talk to many other people, do you?" diluc asks, causing you to tilt your head in confusion. his eyes gleam with a mirth you've never seen before in them and it serves to do nothing but baffle you.

"neither do you?" you respond and your words come out questioning, rather than the harsh retort you originally hoped for. diluc pointedly looks down at his broken appendages and shrugs his shoulders to move his crutches. you stare at him blankly, unamused by his nonverbal sass.

"fatui presence," diluc quickly redirects the conversation before it can fall in to an awkward silence. "are there any recent events that would lead them to increase their numbers in the city?"

you furrow your brow in thought. "i... i'm not sure. i'm not exactly the best informant. outside of what i see at the newspaper stands, there's not much i can go by."

diluc falls silent, expression mimicking yours. "each time you go into the market, could you purchase a newspaper?"

you stare at him, baffled by his question.

"diluc," you begin slowly, as if he doesn't understand. "those are expensive." printing is not yet widespread to teyvat, with most effort going into the publication of books and kamera photography. spending several hundred mora on the weekly copy of the teyvat times is a luxury that someone like you can't afford. most other farmers you had the (unfortunate) pleasure of knowing are in the same boat, with just enough money to live, yet not enough to indulge in disposable newspaper. however, diluc seems to care little about such things.

"i'll pay for it," he says and you narrow your eyes at him. you don't dare challenge him.

of course this random enemy of the fatui has enough money to pay for newspapers. of course! its only convenient that he can just afford whatever he wants. its infuriating. of course he can pay. he always does. he pays for his dumb expensive grape juice, he always offers to pay the bills, he indulges in everything that you have to work so, so hard for while giving absolutely no indicator as to who exactly diluc is.

hell, you don't even know his last name, but you're sure as hell not about to ask. to ask would show an indicator of wanting to get close and you've already overshared with the redhead enough. you bite back a sigh of frustration as he balances on one leg, setting his crutches to the side and begins to help you unpack the groceries.

diluc is only trying to help, you remind yourself. he wants to make life easier for you because you're helping him. yet, you want to scream and cry at him for it. diluc shouldn't be so diligent and determined all of the time. he should be weak, he should be human, but he's not. he's not human to you, not even close.

he's just this stranger who you help to avoid a guilty conscience. it irks you that he's helping you because you're not helping him out of goodwill. you're only helping him so you don't hate yourself later.

you let out a nearly silent sigh, before resting the palms of your hands on the kitchen counter, splaying your fingers out.

"diluc, go sit down," you state exasperatedly.

you need to rest, you want to say, but your concerns remain unspoken. you're not concerned over him, you tell yourself.

"no," diluc states. you press your lips into a tight line as he turns to put a bag of flour in the pantry. yet, even you are smart enough to know this is a fight you cannot win.

you let him stay, you let him pay, you let him win. it eats away at your autonomy and, even though your brain screams at you to hate him for it, a small part of you is thankful for his assistance and company. you feel the familiar rush of angry tears beginning to well up behind your eyes, yet you swallow the lump in your throat.

you realize now why diluc bothers you so much. you realize why you completely and utterly loathe him. you realize why he's nothing but trouble and how you can't wait for him to finally, finally leave.

you hate diluc because he reminds you of what you truly are: vulnerable.

---

you check the kitchen. nothing. you check the bathroom. nothing. you check the living room. nothing. you check your bedroom. nothing. you check the supply closet. nothing.

which leaves one place left unchecked: diluc's room.

in typical "i'm the owner of this house" fashion, you knock lightly on his ajar door and, without waiting for a response, swing open the door. at this point, diluc is unsurprised and you can see his brow furrow slightly in annoyance as he looks up from his book.

good, you think to yourself, satisfied with his reaction.

"where is eos?" you ask, eyes scanning around the room. you crouch down to glance underneath the bed diluc is resting in.

"what?" diluc asks, confused. "what is eos?"

you stand up straight, staring at diluc with a nearly aghast expression. you take it back. the dumb, well-read redhead isn't smart.

"the dog," you say, as if the information is obvious (and it is!).

"oh," diluc says. "i was unaware it had a name."

"he has a name. it's eos. it's written on his collar and everything," you state, voice growing distant as you look over the room. determining that he very clearly isn't here (thank archons. you don't know what you would've done if your own dog picked diluc over you.), you narrow your eyes at diluc, staring daggers at him.

"do you know where he is or not?" you ask.

"he," diluc begins pointedly, as if trying to rectify for his earlier mistake. "appeared to need to... relieve himself outside, so i let him out when i was up earlier."

you bite back a groan. the weather today was great, which meant your dog surely wasn't coming back any time soon.

"you can't just let him out," you begin exasperatedly, rubbing a hand down the side of your face. "he likes to bother the chicken coop."

"he had to use the bathroom. in case it is not obvious, i am not quite in a condition to walk him out there," diluc states. you flutter your eyes closed in frustration, exhaling deeply.

don't bicker with him, you tell yourself. it's not worth it. you'll just sound like an old married couple.

wait, what? your eyes shoot open at your thoughts and diluc looks taken aback at your sudden wide eyes and startled expression. old married couple? you ask yourself, wondering what the hell your brain was thinking to make that thought pop into your head.

"whatever," you huff, shaking your head slightly to clear the weird thoughts out of your head. "sorry for bothering you. don't let the dog out again. i'm going to go get him."

you turn to leave, but the clearing of diluc's throat has you stopping in your tracks. you turn to look at him, tilting your head questioningly.

"'the dog'?" diluc quotes your words. the corners of his lips twitch up in amusement. "he has a name. it's eos."

diluc laughs at his own joke. it's soft and reserved and beautif-

"yup," you say, unamused, ignoring the way your heart clenches at the way his smile leaves his face. without leaving room for any more conversation, you walk out the room and close the door softly behind you.

idiot, you think to yourself, yet for once, the thought isn't directed at diluc. whatever. no time to dwell. you had a dog to go fish out of the chicken coop before he started barking angrily at the chicken eggs. last time eos had gotten loose in the chicken coop, the chickens were uninjured, but eos' ego was not. they had gifted him with a scratch of their claws, unamused by his barking antics.

you have your dog. you have your farm. you don't need diluc and you certainly don't need the way he nearly giggles at his own little jokes. yet, for some reason, it's all you can think of as you walk to the chicken coop.

"idiot," you mutter to yourself. "should've left him out in the rain."

after all, if you had left him out in the rain twenty-one days ago, you wouldn't be trying to furiously scrub the gentle upward curve of his lips out of your head, nor wishing he reserved such smiles only for you. archons, you are hopeless.

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