#after the Squirrel Girl cameo
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beating hearts promised to bared teeth — part one: “The God Finds A Familiar”
KITSUNE! GOJO x GOD! FEM READER; KAMISAMA HAJIMEMASHITA AU
When a kind stranger offers you his home because your gambling addict of a father can’t pay rent, you’re left in charge of a shrine - with a catch. Once you arrive at your new home, you learn a crucial fact that he conveniently left out. You’re the new god in charge, and his familiar, who now belongs to you, does not like you. What’s a new god to do, especially when she finds herself slowly falling for the fox spirit?
wc — 10k
tags — enemies to lovers, shoujo manga heroine type reader, Japanese mythology/yokai, age gap (1000 year old fox and high school girl), slowburn, cameo from Sukuna, Toji, and Nanami, cameo from original Kamisama Hajimemashita cast
part two — “The God Finds A Husband” (coming soon)
shoujo series masterlist
If your stomach growls any louder, you’ll scare off the squirrels fighting over the end of a baguette loaf by the park bench you’re sitting on.
You’re currently in the middle of what others might describe as very hard times. To be honest, your very hard times have been going on for a while now - they just culminated at this specific moment. Regardless, these days are only temporary. You’ve promised yourself that one day, you’ll be able to smile from the bottom of your heart.
It’s just that it was easier said than done when you weren’t homeless. Your father has never been the most reliable of men. You had to take over the household finances by the time you were eight, so you’ve always been accustomed to his lack of responsibility, but today really solidified his status in your mind as an absolutely useless, no good man. It’s unfathomable cruelty to have left his only daughter with no money, no relatives, and no home.
You don’t want to call it cruel. For all of his faults, you still love your father. And it’s because you love him that you know this wasn’t a cruel act. Cruelty is intentional. It’s malicious. It comes from a desire to hurt. Your father has never wanted to hurt you. It’s just a byproduct of his gambling addiction. You’re collateral damage in his quest for the jackpot that would solve all his problems.
You double over in agony at the renewed complaints from your stomach. At least you’ve gone from scaring mere squirrels to scaring passersby. That’s an upgrade, right?
One woman clutches her purse closer as she walks past you as briskly as possible. You get it, you look bad.
But there’s no use being resentful. Your father has been barely one step above a deadbeat all your life. At the very least, you’re used to fending for yourself. Your stomach growls again, but you’re determined to ignore it. You need a plan of action. One step after another, you’ll make it out of these troublesome times.
Before you can start to plot, a loud cry for help catches your attention. It sounds like someone else is in even more dire straits than you are, which is saying a lot.
The squirrels have long since scattered, run off not by the scary noises coming from your famished stomach, but a pack of dogs. Somehow, a man has climbed several feet into the tree next to the trash can, and now perched precariously in its branches. Below him, curious dogs tilt their heads and give cautious barks.
“Aw, hello there, cuties,” you coo, rubbing behind their ears. They yip at you enthusiastically. One sets to chasing his own tail around the tree. They seem friendly enough, but you suppose one can’t help their phobias. A little regretfully, you chase them off.
“Go on now,” you tell the last one, leading him away. He whines, but does as you say. What a good boy.
“Thank you,” says the stranger stranded in the tree. He slides down the trunk, face slowly regaining color. “I owe you my life.”
“It was nothing!” You smile, but he won’t let you brush off your good deed.
“You’re a good kid,” he nods approvingly. “Gotta reward that. Is there anything you want?”
A home.
Not just the house you shared with your father, but somewhere warm to return to. A person who waits to see you safely inside the threshold.
But you know a stranger can’t give you that, so you shake your head and smile. “Really, it was nothing. You don’t owe me anything.”
As if he had heard your inner monologue, the stranger raises an eyebrow. “A home, hm? I might be able to help with that.”
Before you can react, he leans in and kisses your forehead. Where his lips touched your skin feels faintly warm and tingly, almost like the sensation of your leg going numb, before you recoil from him in shock.
He presses a map into your hand and tells you, “Go to this address. Tell them Yaga sent you, and you’ll be welcomed with open arms.”
With that, he runs off.
What a strange man.
Well, you’ve had a strange life, taking care of your hopeless father and all. Perhaps these things really did happen. It wasn’t so impossible for strangers to appear out of nowhere and reward you for good deeds. Maybe all the fairytales your father had read to you back when he hadn’t been so terrible were true.
Or maybe that was the wishful thinking of an optimistically delusional girl who needed somewhere to stay desperately.
The address is located on the outskirts of town. Pushing deeper into foliage and closer to forest than civilization, you find the location you had been sent to.
It’s a shrine.
A run-down shrine, of all places.
Are you on a comedy show? Should you start checking for cameras?
Against your will, you feel your eyes grow hot. That was a cruel trick to play. He had gotten your hopes up for nothing.
It’s not just your eyes. Your entire body starts to feel warm. The world around you erupts into blue flame. Heat licks at your shins as you scramble towards safety, closer to the center of the circle that has formed around you.
When the flames suddenly leap, as if they’ll consume the entire sky, you scream and drop to your knees, covering your head like it’s a bomb threat. Two childish voices ring in your head, as clear and crisp as bells.
Welcome home, Yaga-sama.
It’s a shrine. There’s only one logical conclusion.
This is a haunting.
There’s only one safe path out of the ring of fire, and it’s towards the building you’ve now concluded is the site of paranormal activity. Between being actively burned alive or facing spirits though, you know which one you’ll choose.
Your frantic fingers fumble over the latch on the shrine’s red doors as the fire inches closer and closer until you can feel its heat on your back. Finally, you throw open the doors and all but launch yourself inside. The heat recedes, but the voices do not.
“Back already, Yaga?” A male voice drawls. “I thought your pilgrimage would’ve taken longer. After leaving me to maintain the shrine by myself for sixty years -“
You shriek as an enormous, clawed hand comes down towards your face. Your eyes squeeze shut, waiting for the end.
“I’m not Yaga,” you wail, hoping it will save you.
“You have a lot of nerve?” The voice finishes, more uncertainly than before. When you deem it safe to open your eyes once more, what stands before is a young man dressed in all white. White hair and blue eyes make for a staring constraint, but his coloring isn’t what’s strange about him.
It’s his clawed hands and the equally white fox tail behind him.
“Megumi, Tsumiki,” he says authoritatively. “This isn’t Yaga.”
A shining ball of fire comes forward, speaking in the little girl’s voice you heard earlier. “That can’t be right! Look, she has the mark of the god on her forehead.”
You touch your forehead, remembering the warm tingly sensation you had felt when that man kissed you. Feeling slightly delirious, you start to laugh, only to grow alarmed when you find you can’t stop. You’re growing out of breath from your near hysterical laughing, tears streaming out of the corners of your eyes.
“Oh, great,” says the fox spirit. “She’s crazy.”
“She’s the one with the mark,” the other ball of fire, Megumi, says. “That means she’s the god whether you like it or not, Gojo.”
Tsumiki darts over to you, but halfway through her journey, she goes from fire to a little child just under 2 feet tall. She’s wearing a mask and plain blue yukata.
“We have to celebrate!” She claps her hands together in excitement. “Our god has finally returned!”
Gojo looks dismissively down on you. Your laughing fit is finally starting to die down, but he doesn’t seem impressed regardless. “What god? I won’t accept a little human girl as my master. She couldn’t handle the strength of a familiar like me.”
His condescension only makes you giggle harder. You can’t help it. Something about the fluffy fox ears protruding out of his head makes it hard to take him seriously.
“What strength?” You laugh in his face. “This shrine is so dilapidated, I doubt you’re anything special.”
Gojo looks away. “If she stays, I’m leaving. I won’t serve this kind of pathetic god.”
He disappears in a cloud of white smoke before Tsumiki can finish saying, “Don’t be like that!”
The will-o-wisp children introduce themselves to you as shrine spirits who look after the building. It takes a while, but by the time they kindly show you to the room where you’ll be staying, you can distinguish Tsumiki from Megumi by the differences in the masks they never take off.
Your room is simple and threadbare. The walls are paneled bamboo and the only furnishing is an old futon. Still, you’re grateful. It’s leagues better than sleeping in the woods, which is what you started this day fearing you would have to resort to. You’ve never been the type to complain, and you won’t start now, no matter how strange your life has gotten.
Fox spirits and will-o-wisp children don’t exist. They’re the stuff of myths. Maybe you’re just seeing things because you’re tired, you muse as you drift off to sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning after a nice, long rest. The events of today will feel so far away, and you’ll be able to start over.
Or maybe you’re dead already, and you’re wandering in the Netherworld. Perhaps the reason you can see spirits is because you’re currently residing in their land. Your entire body seizes up as you jolt yourself back to wakefulness.
“Kamisama,” Tsumiki has crept back into your room. “Are you alright?”
You tell her to call you by her name. Calling you god just doesn’t feel right.
Gently, she nestles down by your pillow and puts her cold little hands on your forehead. Rather than shocking to your senses, it feels pleasant. When you were a little girl and got sick, your father used to let you stay home from school. He’d pack a towel with ice cubes and place it on your overheated forehead, staying up with you all night just to chat. It’s a good memory.
“It’ll be alright,” Tsumiki tells you in her gentle voice. “You’ll see.”
For spirits that supposedly take care of the shrine, you have a suspicion that Tsumiki and Megumi are pushing their work onto you when they brief you on your chores the next morning. It turns out godhood is a lot less summoning storms and a lot more doing yard work.
Tsumiki insists that keeping the shrine pure is important for keeping evil spirits away. For some reason, that means cleaning. When you ask about calling lightning or summoning lions, Megumi laughs at you.
“That’s Getou-sama’s job,” he says. “Your specialty is marriage. Yaga was very good at tying peoples’ fates together. You will be, too.”
He has more faith than you do in that regard. When it comes to chores, however, you’re more certain of your abilities. Busy work keeps the absurdity of your situation from sinking in, and you’re good at running the household from years of dealing with your father. You’re grateful for something to do. If you think about the past day too hard, you might break down into shocked laughter and never get back up.
Besides, even if you don’t feel particularly ready to be a god, Tsumiki and Megumi are letting you stay in the shrine. You have to earn your keep. Soon, you settle into the process of cleaning, letting the methodical, rhythmic nature of your movements erase any doubts in your mind. You think of nothing but the cooling sensation of the water when you dip your rag into the bucket and the clean, woody scent of the shrine as you scrub the wood.
“Ooh,” Tsumiki says approvingly when she appears. “It looks better already! Can you do the lawn next?”
Plucking weeds is notably less soothing than cleaning. With no gloves, you’re careful to avoid hurting yourself as you tug on spiky vines and knotted twigs, but it’s no use. Eventually, you lose focus and a sharp sting graces your finger. Blood drips down your hand. You hiss in pain.
A hand with white claws instead of nails grabs your wrist. You yelp in shock as Gojo brings your finger to his mouth and laps at the blood. It stains his lips slightly red. He worries at the cut with his tongue, making your wound ache. You try to pull back, but he holds on.
To your amazement, the cut closes before your eyes. You’re just about to thank him when he ruins the moment.
“You really are useless,” he says. “You can’t even pluck grass?”
You yank your hand out of his grip as hard as you can, sending yourself tumbling back against the grass. You hate how it must make yourself seem even more human in his eyes, a weak, fragile thing.
“Give up,” he says, and it’s almost gentle, the way his claws graze your chin as he holds your face in one hand. “You’re not suited to be a god.”
You turn away, unwilling to let him see any more of your vulnerability. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“Suit yourself,” he says with a noise of annoyance. “Brats who run away from home aren’t my problem.”
“I didn’t run away!” You snap, whirling on him. “My dad was the one who ran! I don’t have anywhere else to go!”
But he’s gone.
At least Megumi and Tsumiki are nice to you. Megumi takes the bucket of weeds you deposit at the front door and whisks it somewhere out of your sight, while Tsumiki prepares a nice, hot bath for you. Exhausted, you collapse onto the bamboo floor spread eagle.
God, a voice murmurs in your head.
Not again. You don’t want any more spirits to deal with. When you raise your head, instead of another yokai, there’s an old woman standing in front of the shrine. Her head is bowed and her hands are clasped in prayer.
Please bless my daughter’s marriage so that she will enjoy a long and fruitful life with her partner.
Her voice is coming from some place inside your head. It resonates like a bell, ringing crisp and clear. You stretch out your hands wonderingly. You don’t look any different.
“You see?” Tsumiki says approvingly. “You’re a god.”’
But you don’t feel like one. You feel just like a normal person.
“A god needs a familiar.” You can’t see Megumi’s face behind his mask as he speaks, but you can imagine the solemn little boy he must be. “You need to bind Gojo to you.”
“How do I do that?”
“You have to kiss him.”
You wait for them to tell you they’re joking.
“What? I can’t kiss him! Is there-”
Megumi cuts in. “It’s just the traditional way to seal the contract. Don’t think too much of it.”
The fact that neither of them are bothered makes you feel like the ridiculous one for being off put by this, but you’re sure you’re not. Still, if you’re a god now, you have to put all of your mortal sensibilities aside. It’s like another culture, you tell yourself. Like how Europeans kiss each other on the cheek to say hello. Even if you can’t convince yourself, Megumi and Tsumiki are insistent.
You were so fired up just a second ago, but now your head is filled with doubts. If such a simple matter can sway you, are you really meant to be a god after all? Maybe Gojo is right. Maybe you should just leave.
“Please,” Tsumiki says. She looks distraught. “Don’t abandon us. Please don’t leave.”
Megumi doesn’t say anything, but his silence is enough.
“Okay,” you say, feeling defeated. “I’ll give it a shot.”
You’ve always been good at chores. If taming Gojo is just another part of your new job, it sounds like it's time to get serious.
“Take me to him.”
Megumi and Tsumiki balk.
“Right now?”
“Why not? The sooner I get it over with, the better, right?”
“He’s...indisposed at the moment,” Tsumiki says carefully.
“Indisposed? Is he sick?”
“Not quite,” Megumi says. He’s very expressive for a spirit. You can practically imagine him grimacing.
“Then it’s fine!”
You would soon come to regret your words.
Megumi and Tsumiki lead you out of the shrine. They show you where to find the path that can lead you to the land of spirits and demons. Your entire body rebels at the feeling of being in this other world, but at the same time, you feel at home here. The god and the girl that coexist inside of you are mutually repelled by and attracted to this place.
Even though you know Megumi and Tsumiki aren’t really children, or at least children in the way mortals think of them, you’re still concerned about letting them traipse around this dangerous place. However, they seem more used to this world than you are. That energy is better devoted to fending for yourself.
They lead you under bridges where the running water smells like flowers and women’s voices hiss in the babble of the current. Tree leaves rustle with hands that disappear into darkness. You follow them through dark alleyways lined with red paper blessings, and doorsteps encircled with salt. Eyes follow you, leaving your skin crawling.
You’re so focused on keeping your head down and staying out of danger that you almost don’t notice when they stop. You nearly run Megumi over.
“He’s inside here,” Tsumiki says.
Is it just you, or does she seem nervous?
The lanterns inside this establishment are turned down to a dimness that barely illuminates the corridors. Sweet smelling smoke writhes around your feet from some unknown source as you head deeper and deeper into the maze of hallways, following the pair of shrine spirits. You pass women wearing fox masks, dressed in luxurious kimonos. Their hair towers over their head in elaborate updos, held in place with beautiful pins inlaid with chartreuse and gold.
Megumi stops before a folding screen door. Like all things within this building, it’s beautiful. The silk screen is painted with images of flowers and more gruesome scenes as well, but somehow, it’s still breath-taking. A little like Gojo, in that regard.
You hear the voices of women behind the screen, flattering Gojo. The light of a single candle illuminates the dim room, imprinting his silhouette against it, as well as that of the two women with him. They’re draped over him, hands roaming his body as they purr their compliments. Your face burns with embarrassment.
“What are you doing?” Megumi demands of Gojo. “How can you parade around the red-light district like this? You’re the familiar of a god, not some common demon! If Yaga knew, it’d break his poor heart.”
Behind the screen, Gojo merely brushes him off. “Yaga’s been replaced by some little human worm. Why should I care what he thinks now?”
“What about the shrine? Don’t you care about that, at least?” Tsumiki's voice is thick with reproach.
“Now that you mention it, I don’t think I do,” he says. “Ha! You know what? Maybe I should thank that girl. Now that I’m free, I can do whatever I want.”
“Gojo-“
“I’ll can indulge in every little vice Yaga never allowed me to touch before. Who would want to be a familiar when I can have all of this?”
“Gojo, our god is here.”
“What?”
He leaps up and pushes the screen aside, coming face to face with you. He looks startled to see you, though you don’t see why he should care, since he so desires to lead a life of sin.
You look upon him with disgust. You might want a familiar, but you’re not so desperate you’d stoop as low as this. Gojo cares so little for anyone but himself. If you’re going to be a god, you’re going to do it right. You’ll pick a good familiar, one who will genuinely love the shrine as much as it deserves.
You turn and leave as he, half-clothed, frantically starts pulling on the outer layers of his kimono.
“Wait,” he calls after you. “Tsumiki! Megumi! Why would you bring her here?”
“She wanted to see you,” Megumi retorts.
“This isn’t the place for a human,” he says. “She’s going to get eaten!”
The faster Gojo follows you, the faster you run from him. By the time you’re out of what you’ve come to realize is a brothel, you’re sprinting. Your legs carry you right into someone else as your face slams against a broad, muscled chest.
“Oh,” says a voice above your head. “How pretty.”
A hand caresses your face. This spirit has tattoo marks across his face and body. More interestingly, he has multiple arms.
You’re frozen in place by fear as he brings his mouth closer and closer to your face. He’s close enough to kiss, but this is a spirit, which means he’s more likely to eat you.
“Be good for me now,” he purrs in your ear. “Fear makes flesh all the sweeter.”
Three of his six arms are consumed by fire. He pushes you away from him in favor of batting out the flame.
Gojo pulls you towards him, hiding you in the folds of his billowing kimono. You press your face against his shoulder, swallowing back the tears of fear from nearly being eaten. Somehow, he feels safe, even though he’s been nothing but antagonistic towards you. He feels almost protective as he shields your body with his, securing you under one arm.
“Scram,” he tells the other demon. “She’s mine, Sukuna.”
Sukuna rolls his pairs of eyes. “You weren’t with her when I caught her. She’s fair game.”
Fox fire flickers in Gojo’s hand. His white talons seem to elongate before your eyes.
“If you want to fight over her, then by all means,” he says with a dangerous smile. “But we both know I’d win.”
“Maybe later then,” Sukuna says, lazily as if Gojo isn’t threatening him. “Once I’ve eaten my fill.”
He stalks off into the night in search of more prey.
“This is why I told you to wait,” Gojo says, running his hand over his face. “You’re practically bait in this world. Come on, I’ll take you home.”
You nod, not trusting your voice, but he catches on anyways.
“Don’t cry,” he says, his face twisted in a grimace. “I won’t know what to do if you cry. Look, this is just your life now, okay? You’ll have to get used to it.”
On impulse, you press your face into his shoulder again, still sniffling. You want to be comforted, even though you know he won’t give it to you.
“Ugh,” he says, true to form. “Quit that.”
By the time you’ve calmed down, Gojo has already escorted you back to the shrine.
“Don’t come back,” he tells you.
Of course, you can’t listen to him. On your second night in the land of the dead and monsters, not only do you have to hide from beasts who would devour you the moment they found out what you were, you also have to hide from Gojo. You’re wearing a disguise, courtesy of Tsumiki and Megumi.
In your defense, it’s not like you want to be here. You need a familiar, and it’s clearly not going to be Gojo.
According to Tsumiki, Gojo’s the strongest, but there are other familiars who would be willing to serve you. They’re all in the Netherworld, however, and you have to find them before you can contract them.
You pull the curtain of the hat shielding your face a little closer around you as you peer at the faces surrounding you, trying to gauge who looks friendly. None of them do. You’ve been wandering around for hours, but not a single spirit has stood out to you.
In the end, you don’t find him. He finds you.
“A human god?” A hand grasps your wrist loosely. “That’s rare. Don’t you know it’s dangerous to be here?”
The man in front of you looks normal by any standards - but you know better than to trust your gut in the netherworld. Still, he’s the closest thing to a human you’ve seen in a while. Surrounded by a maelstrom of monsters, he feels like the eye of the storm. There’s a quiet and a calm surrounding him, even as you walk among noderabo with withered, leathery skin and scaly yajo.
It’s not like he’s in his own little pocket of the world, you realize. He is. Everyone is purposefully giving him a wide berth.
“Who are you?”
“I asked first,” he says.
“You know who I am! You just said so - I’m the human god.”
His eyes rake over you. “So you are. But what are you doing here, girl?”
You throw his words back in his face obstinately. “You first.”
“I’m Toji.” That doesn’t tell you anything, but he’s clearly unwilling to divulge more. “Your turn.”
“I’m looking for a familiar.”
“What about your familiar? I heard that Gojo-sama isn’t keen on sharing.”
Somehow, the way he says Gojo-sama sounds derisive, even with the respectful honorific.
“He doesn’t want to be my familiar.”
The rejection stings coming out of your own mouth.
“Sounds like him. Haughty bastard, he couldn’t stand to serve a human girl, could he?”
“Yeah! He’s an asshole,” you say, feeling validated.
When Toji laughs, the scar over his lip tugs one side of his mouth down. You kind of like it. And he must be strong, just looking at him. He’s well muscled and covered in scars. Of course, there’s the little matter of the reverence everyone around you is offering him. Tsumiki and Megumi had told you to just go out and find one. Could it be that easy?
“Are you interested?”
He gives you a look of barely concealed amusement. “You’re funny, girl. I don’t think Gojo would like that very much, though.”
“I don’t care what Gojo thinks.”
“Oh, here he comes now. Don’t go running too far - you’ll worry him,” he says, slow and easy. His confidence is absurd - it reminds you of Gojo, actually. He must be strong. “If you’re really serious about wanting me as a familiar, why don’t you meet me here again in three days?”
“What are you doing?” Gojo snarls at you. His teeth match the rest of his fox physique. With wonder, you realize that his pearly canines are pointed beyond what’s normal. “I told you not to come back!”
“But- He-” You turn around to point Toji out, but he’s gone.
“Who?” Gojo says.
“He was right there!”
“You’re so annoying,” Gojo bites out. “I don’t care what happens to you, but if you die, Megumi and Tsumiki will cry, so stop wandering off on your own. You’re lucky you didn’t get devoured on the spot.”
He’s starting to get really irritating. You shove his hands off.
“You know it’s actually your fault I’m here, right? If you didn’t reject me, I wouldn’t have to scour the Netherworld for a familiar.”
Gojo scoffs. “My fault? Maybe you should take a look at yourself. If you were less weak, I wouldn’t have a problem serving you!”
“That’s- You’re impossible!” You splutter. “I can’t help being weak! I was born this way! Not everyone is so lucky to be born a kitsune, oh-so-great-Gojo-sama.”
“Enough,” he sighs. Taking you by your wrist, he forcibly drags you through the streets back in the direction you came.
“Ow! You’re hurting me!”
“Gojo!” Megumi’s reproving voice breaks the argument up before it can begin again.
He lets go of you almost guiltily, if you thought he could feel guilt.
“I’ll take her home,” Megumi says.
Gojo’s tail lashes behind him angrily, but Megumi doesn’t spare him a second glance as he ushers you away.
“Thank you,” you tell him in relief. “What are you doing here?”
“You were taking a long time,” he says. “Tsumiki and I were getting worried. Did you find anyone?”
You think of Toji. “No,” you say. “No one.”
The next day, while Megumi and Tsumiki dress you for your trip through the Netherworld again, Megumi presses three slips of white paper into your hands.
“We should’ve taught you this sooner,” he says. “One of the powers of a god is to transform objects. Whatever you write on this charm will become true - within the scope of your power. Be safe.”
Armed with your paper slips, you feel like a real god. Tsumiki pushes you out the door with a prayer for good luck, though you’re not sure you can grant prayers to yourself for yourself.
Outside the door, something whines by your feet.
“Gojo?”
Or is that a regular white fox?
It snaps its teeth at you.
Definitely Gojo.
“I don’t need an escort,” you tell him, making shooing motions at him with your hands. “Go away!”
He rolls over and yips at you, his tail wagging.
“I can’t understand you like this!”
“I said,” a cloud of smoke reveals him, mostly humanoid once again, except for his ears and tail. “I don’t want to do this either. It’s for Megumi and Tsumiki.”
Toji doesn’t seem to like him, so you don’t want to risk bringing him with you. Despite your best attempts to shake him, Gojo follows you as you retrace your steps back into the spirit world. You’re just starting to despair when you spot a bigger reason to be upset.
“Hello, delicious,” Sukuna says. “Ready for round two?”
Why does he look even more terrifying? Did he get bigger?
“Leave her alone,” Gojo says, almost bored. “It’s pathetic. You can only bully things weaker than you, huh?”
“I’m not afraid to fight you,” Sukuna tells him.
You’re panicking. They both look serious. You don’t want to be caught between these two forces of nature.
“You should be,” Gojo says, and steps in front of you. Over his shoulder, he tells you, “Run. You’re in my way.”
This is the chance you were waiting for.
Toji’s dressed differently when you find him again. Last night, he was wearing a casual black kimono. Tonight, he’s dressed in a tight fitting black shirt and loose white pants.
“You look nice,” you tell him, feeling anxious. Your mind keeps going back to Gojo. You’re sure he can hold his own, but you’re still worried for him. As you are, however, you’re of no help to him. The only way you’d be able to rescue him if he actually was in danger is by making a contract with a powerful familiar.
“It’s for work,” he says. “Follow me.”
“We can’t do it here?”
“Do you want to kiss me in front of everyone?” He shrugs and reaches for you. “I mean, I’m down if you are, but I figured-”
“No,” you squeak and dart away. “Privacy is good!”
He laughs. “You’re as funny as ever, huh? C’mere.”
Toji leads you off the beaten path and further into the woods. The only thing that keeps you from feeling more nervous is the moon shining overhead, illuminating your path. It feels almost like a friend is with you.
“Here is good,” Toji says, stopping at a clearing.
“It’s so pretty,” you breathe out, dazzled. This deep into the woods, fireflies are lighting your way. Beneath your feet, a springy bed of flowers and moss covers the floor.
“What can I say? I’m a romantic.”
“Yeah, right,” you laugh at him, but you draw closer. You think you could trust him. You think you could be partners with him.
Then Toji grabs you by the shoulders and dangles you off the edge of the clearing, over a steep drop you hadn’t noticed. The sharp cut off had been hidden by flowers, danger painted over with beauty.
“Sorry, kid,” Toji says. “No hard feelings, right?”
“Why?” You whisper. Gojo had been right.
“There’s a bounty on your head,” he says. “Getou has offered to grant the wish of anyone who kills you.”
His eyes turn wistful. “I have a kid. Haven’t seen him in years. You understand, right? It’s not personal.”
The fall is brutal. The wind whips tears into your eyes, if you weren’t already crying from the fear of falling to your death. You have to do something, anything. Above your head, something white flutters.
A dove?
Then another.
It’s one of the paper ofuda Megumi had given you before you left, caught in the updraft of you rushing down to earth. You snatch it out of the air. You can’t reach the pen in your pocket. With increasing desperation, you bite down on your finger hard enough to draw blood and trace the characters for a tree branch onto it. Holding it aloft, you pray.
Between your hands, wood solidifies. You’re clinging to a scrap of a twig sprouting from the rocky cliffside. Megumi’s words echo in your head - only within the scope of your power.
So this is it, huh?
That’s all there is of your godly strength.
“Looks like you’re in trouble,” Gojo says. He has no problem balancing on the sheer cliff. His appearance is impeccable, completely unscathed from his fight with Sukuna. He perches like a bird, as comfortable as if he were standing on solid ground. “Do you need help?”
Thank god. He’s here to save you! You nod, turning teary eyes on him. You were wrong about him. Gojo really is a good guy, deep down.
“If you say, ‘Please save me, Gojo-sama, I was stupid.’ I’ll help you. Throw in some crying and begging, too.”
Your eyes dry up instantly. He’s a total bastard. You clutch onto the branch tighter. There’s no way you’ll give him the satisfaction of groveling for help.
Your resolve weakens when you hear the first snap.
“Time’s ticking,” Gojo calls in a sing-song voice. “What will it be?”
The harder you hold on, the more your flimsy branch breaks.
“Come on,” Gojo says. “It’s not that hard. It’s just seven little words. Isn’t that worth your life?”
“Go fuck yourself,” you tell him, and the branch finally snaps.
Falling for the second time is just as bad as the first time. The icy wind snatches at you like claws, tearing at your clothes.
To your surprise, Gojo leaps after you. He makes free-fall look elegant - surely a far cry from whatever you’re doing.
“Just say it,” he yells, within arm’s reach. He’s so close he could snag you by the shirt and haul you to safety, but you know he won’t. Not without getting what he wants. “Would you rather die than just apologize?”
You have an answer prepared.
His eyes widen in shock when you press your palms to his cheek, pull him closer, and kiss him.
You barely have time to register the taste of him, sake and something sweet, before the reality of falling to your death rushes in again.
“Gojo, save me!”
As if his body is piloted by someone else, Gojo catches you. For him, it’s a short leap back up to the top of the clearing, where Toji has disappeared.
You climb down from his hold once you’re certain you’re safe. You never thought you’d miss the feeling of solid ground beneath your feet this much, but at the moment, you’re willing to kiss the earth.
Gojo seems much worse off. He’s frozen in shock, muttering the same refrain to himself under his breath. “Me? Bound to her? Impossible.”
“Let’s go home,” you tell him. He doesn’t seem to get it until you tug him towards the path, and then he leads the way wordlessly. .
You wake to Megumi and Tsumiki weeping over you.
“I’m alright!”
They freeze, then burst into fresh tears.
“We thought you would never wake up! Your first time using ofuda must have been too much for you,” Megumi gets out through his sobs.
You feel sore all over. You can barely recall the events of the previous night, only that you kissed-
“Finally up?”
Gojo’s tapping his foot as he waits for you to get up. He looks furious. There’s an unmistakeable tick in his jaw that spells trouble for you.
It’s too early to deal with him. You duck back under the covers.
“Oh no you don’t,” he growls out as he seizes your wrist and bodily hauls you out of your warm cocoon of blankets. “You wanted to be a god, you’re going to be a god. It’s time for some training.”
You shiver pathetically in the cold morning air. If you had known helping a stranger would lead to be harassed by a fox spirit, you would’ve never done it in the first place.
“Try harder,” Gojo says at your sixth failed attempt to turn water into wine.
“It smells alcoholic,” Megumi offers loyally.
“I am trying!” You insist.
“Harder,” Gojo snarls.
The seventh attempt doesn’t change. Gojo throws up his arms and stalks out of the shrine, declaring the need to cool his head. Tsumiki frantically trails him, not trusting him to not attempt to run away again.
Megumi tries to assure you that you’re doing well, but honestly, you need to leave too. The shrine feels too stuffy. A change of scenery will do you good. Sitting alone in the woods just behind the shrine, you try to focus. Slowly, stacks of ofuda disappear from your hands as you paste them to trees, willing them to blossom. Wilt. Do anything, anything at all.
You’re out cold when Gojo finds you.
“Divine power takes time,” he says as he prepares dinner. “Use too many talismans at once and you’ll pass out.”
You drink a spoonful of soup morosely. “How do I get stronger?”
“You’ll get stronger if you grant prayers.”
Tsumiki perks up. “One just came in!”
“I already looked at it,” Gojo says dismissively. “Not that one.”
“Everyone’s wishes deserve to be looked at,” you argue.
Gojo scoffs, “Not this one.”
“Don’t be rude! A god can’t pick and choose.”
He tosses the prayer at you.
Morimoto Rika’s request touches your heart. She’s the spirit of a nearby lake - not just any spirit, as Megumi helpfully clarifies, but another owner of a shrine. A human boy visits her waters nightly. By the light of the moonlight, she fell in love with him, but she can’t meet him because they live in two separate worlds.
And to think that you would’ve never known to help her if Gojo had continued keeping this from you.
“This sounds like the perfect job for me,” you argue.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Yokai can’t fall in love with humans.”
You narrow your eyes at him. “Aren’t you bound to do as I say? Take me to her.”
Against his will, Gojo summons what’s called a ‘night fog coach’. Only operable at night, as the name suggests, it’s a tall black carriage truly made for a god. You’re just wondering how Gojo expects you to climb aboard when he effortlessly lifts you by the waist.
“You’re the one who wanted to go meet her,” he sneers. “Chop-chop.”
Your supplicant looks like a fish if it were a girl. She has pale green skin and large, black eyes, with overly large teeth for her mouth. Black hair frames a heart shaped face. She’s cute, in her own monstrous way. And she’s desperately in love with a human boy.
Gojo helps you transform her into a human body and make her over into a normal teenage girl. For a prayer granted, it feels like nothing more than dressing your friend up for a date.
You’re even as nosy as you would be in that situation. It’s the first prayer you’ve ever granted. You know you shouldn’t, but you and Gojo watch the burgeoning romance from a distance. Of course, he’s completely disapproving, but you have high hopes for them - until Rika pulls out a ring.
Aren’t they moving a little too fast?
It only gets worse when Rika confesses that she’s been stalking him - sort of. Keeping tabs on him for his safety by following him around town is a little too close to the other, for your liking. Your head drops into your hands.
But Yuta takes it surprisingly well. A little too well, in fact. It only seems to infatuate him even more. You knew there were certain types of men out there who loved crazy, but you had never seen it in real life - until now.
Could this even be counted as a success?
You’re happy for Rika and Yuta, as happy as you can be for their twisted little union, but you’re just waiting for Gojo to bite your head off for bringing a (real) monster and a human together as soon as you get back home. At least they’re happy, you think ruefully. Worse things could happen. Your first union as a marriage god didn’t fail. In fact, of all people, Yuta seemed the most likely in the world to accept Rika as she was, human or not.
To your surprise, returning to the shrine, Gojo begrudgingly says, “You did well.”
Any warm feelings you have for him the next day are replaced when he barges into your room and demands you strip.
“You have guests,” he says. “Messengers from Toji-sama, the god of the wind.”
Your eyes grow wide. You hadn’t known Toji was a god. Come to think of it, did Gojo even know the reason why you had been falling from that cliff? You weren’t sure if he had come in time to see who had pushed you.
“What are you worried about? I’ll be at your side the whole time.”
You’ll tell him later. Right now, you have a serious matter to prepare for.
You tried not to discriminate on the basis of his master, but it’s not that at all. Toji’s familiar, Naoya, is simply annoying on his own terms.
“So you’re the new god of this ramshackle little shrine,” he sniffs. “God, it’s disgusting. How poor are you?”
“You must be the thirteenth familiar Toji’s owned. He goes through you like toys, doesn’t he? Of course you wouldn’t know that he used to live in worse conditions before. Deplorable.” Gojo laughs in his face.
Naoya grits his teeth. “I’m surprised your little human dared to show her face. I thought she’d be terrified after what Toji did to her. They’re such weak little things.”
Gojo looks at the other demon with a calm that worries you. As human as he is, there are moments when you can catch the monster lurking within. He’s like the sea, deceptively calm until you remember the threat of an unseen riptide.
“If you insult my master again,” he says carefully, enunciating every word like he’s stabbing at them with a knife, “I will take your head and deliver it to your master as a present.”
“Don’t tell me you’re happy to be serving a mortal girl,” Naoya laughs. “Not someone like you, Satoru. How the mighty have fallen.”
Gojo looks at him for a long moment, then he ignores him completely and walks to your side. The most painful part of Naoya’s digs at you is knowing he’s right. Gojo doesn’t like this. How could he? He went from being the strongest to being commanded by some powerless girl. Still, Gojo gazes at you with his inscrutable eyes. You can’t read him at all.
Slowly, he sinks to his knees next to you.
With a gentleness you can hardly bear, he lays his head in your lap, as gentle and docile as a puppy. His neck is bared as if for an executioner’s axe, the delicate pulse of his heart open to you. He closes his eyes. His breath is shallow. He stays there, and says no more.
“Oh, Satoru,” Naoya says in delight. “You really have become a tamed thing.”
With an uncertainty you’re trying to hide, you lift your hands to Gojo’s head. His hair is sinfully soft. You’re almost scared he’ll try to take your hands off for it, but when you start to gently pet his hair, he almost purrs. His eyes close, half-lidded in pleasure.
“I serve who I want to serve,” Gojo says. His tail lashes behind him. “Who are you to tell me my master is unworthy?”
Naoya shrugs, clearly disbelieving. “Sure, Satoru. Keep telling yourself that. I’m just here to deliver a gift.”
He tosses you a package wrapped carefully in beautiful, ornate wrapping paper. You’re sure it’s not Toji’s doing. He’s not the type.
As soon as he leaves, Gojo pushes himself away from you. It leaves you a little sorrowful, the speed with which he tries to get away. He only did it for your sake, you know. He wanted to protect your honor in front of Naoya because you’re his master. But it must have disgusted him, to get on his knees for a human, if he recoiled so fast.
“What did he mean, what Toji did to you?” Gojo asks over dinner.
You know instantly that you’ll only draw his ire if you try to play dumb.
“Toji pushed me off that cliff the day you found me.”
Gojo’s eyes darken. The next time Naoya returns, he promises you, he’d set his tail on fire. No one besmirches his master’s honor like that.
It’s about honor, of course. You’d be a fool to think otherwise.
Alone in your chambers, you unwrap the package Naoya gave you. It’s an incense burner, beautiful and silver. As apology presents go, it’s a decent one. You set it aside for use at a later time.
Naoya’s visit only makes Gojo’s training worse, but these days, you’ve grown used to him and his harsh words. The more that he yells at you for being weak, the more you can brush it off as Gojo just being Gojo. That only irritates him more, of course.
But nothing pisses him off as much as you claiming that you’re returning to school. Gojo thinks that you have no need for school as a god. There’s nothing the humans can teach you that he can’t.
In your eyes, Gojo is a kitsune. That means he’ll never understand a teenage girl’s heart. School isn’t about learning, it’s about the experience! You’ll never be in high school again - there are so many things you still haven’t experienced, like school trips. You only have one youth - you have to seize it in the moment!
Gojo isn’t convinced.
Like an overbearing parent, he nags you all day and night until finally, you strike a deal. He’ll let you go to school, but only as long as you cover up the god-mark on your head. Gojo is never one to make things easy for you. The hat he bestows you with is an ugly grandma print with faux fox ears. You’ll be the laughingstock of the school!
“It’s dangerous,” he says. “Who knows what wild beasts will be lurking about?”
“You’re the wild beast,” you say. “I can’t wear that!”
“I guess you can’t go to school then,” he sighs. “What a pity.”
It’s all for show, of course. You know what he’s really like. There’s no use in arguing - either you agree to his compromise or you stay here, stuck in the temple for the rest of your life. You’ll miss out on all the joys of youth, never growing old in your cloistered shrine. The thought is unbearable.
You snatch the hat from him in indignation. Putting it on before you leave the next day makes you cringe, but as long as you avoid mirrors, you can almost forget that it’s there - if not for your classmates staring at you. You can feel their judging eyes everywhere you go, and the whispers.
You can’t even say you don’t care - you do care. You only have one high school life, and Gojo is ruining it. During lunch, you escape into the bathroom to mope and avoid all of your classmates.
“Are you getting bullied?” Gojo’s voice is too bright and cheery for your dark mood right now. You can’t promise to remain calm if he stays here.
“This is the girl’s bathroom, Gojo.”
“Don’t be like that. I’m just worried about my master,” he says. “Well? How is it? Do you want to go home now?”
He’s lying. You know he’s not worried about you at all, but you should be used to it. You don’t know why it stings as much as it does.
You’re hurt even though you know this is just how Gojo is. Of course he’d be happy to see you miserable - he hadn’t even wanted you for a god in the first place. He’s bound to you by obligation, and nothing more. You had known from the start that he didn’t care about you, so why does it hurt that he won’t comfort you? It’s just like those nights in the demon world that seem so long ago now. He hasn’t changed at all.
Gojo isn’t as shocked by your outburst as he is by the tears slowly welling up in your eyes. He stands stunned as you rush out of him and back into the hallway.
Tsumiki appears next to him out of thin air, completely unimpressed.
“You did a terrible job on that one, Gojo.”
As if in a daze, he lifts his hand, where the crystal of one teardrop shines. He’d tried to reach for you at the last moment, but you were already gone. “I made her cry...”
Megumi appears next to Tsumiki, his face red. “What’s taking so long? Hurry up and leave! We’re in the girl’s bathroom!”
“Gojo was bullying our master,” Tsumiki announces.
“I wasn’t bullying her!”
“He made her cry.”
Gojo winces. “Okay, yeah. I did do that.”
Megumi kicks him in the leg, which amounts to almost nothing. “Take responsibility, then!”
When you return home, Gojo is waiting by the shrine door with an almost offensively polite smile on his face. “Let me take your coat, master.”
Him being kind gives you the creeps. You can’t help but feel like he’s planning something, especially when he shows you the lavish dinner he prepared for you with all of your favorites.
“What’s with the look?” He says, annoyed at your accusing eyes peering at him over your bowl. “I do something nice for you and this is how you treat me?”
“This is really just for me? No ulterior motives?”
“None,” he promises.
The smile that breaks over your face is like the sun through rain clouds - sudden, dramatic, and almost painfully bright after a period of gray skies.
“Thanks, Gojo!”
The look in his eyes is unreadable as he reaches to spoon more food onto your plate.
You don’t have anyone else in this world. Besides the shrine spirits, Gojo might be the only person in the world who will take care of you. For some reason, the thought doesn’t sting as much as it did this morning.
The second day of school starts with pouring rain, as if it’s a direct reaction to your foul mood earlier. Gojo pulls you back when you try to leave.
“It’s a bad omen,” he says. “Stay home with me today. I’ll worry about you if you go.”
Normally, such sweet words might bring a blush to your face, but you can read between the lines.
Stay home with me today so I can keep you out of trouble, you brat.
I’ll worry about you if you go because you’re weaker than a worm.
“Stop trying to keep me from going to school! I thought we got over this yesterday,” you huff. “I’m going to be late for the bus!”
You leave Gojo with a handful of air as you dart under his outstretched arm and out the door.
In school, all your classmates are listless.
You’ve never been so unhappy to not be the subject of attention. What is wrong with everyone? Even the teacher doesn’t reprimand anyone for sleeping in class, half-asleep herself. You’re the only one who doesn’t seem to be caught in this spell of drowsiness, which insinuates paranormal origins.
As you’re sweeping the classroom after class, one of your classmates lets out a disgruntled noise.
“It’s a snake,” she says, not at all with the intonation of someone who’s just discovered a snake. Ami’s the type to go apoplectic at the sight of a fly, much less an actual snake, so you don’t pay much mind until you hear Kurama go, “Huh, she wasn’t kidding.”
There’s a little yellow snake in the classroom. In their stupor, none of your classmates seem to care all that much about it. They just continue going about their chores. You feel bad for it. It’s such a small, fragile little creature. In their state, they might accidentally end up crushing it.
With gentle murmurs of encouragement, you coax it into your hand. It’s surprisingly docile and twines itself readily around your wrist before you set it outside the window to be set free.
Gojo doesn’t praise you for your act of heroism on the behalf of his fellow yokai, as you remind him. You saved his compatriots! Where’s the gratitude?
He calls you a stupid little girl. “I don’t care about them, I care about you!”
Your face warms with embarrassment against your will even though you know he doesn’t mean it like that. Time and time again, Gojo has stressed that he will never see yokai and humans as even remotely on the same playing field, much less capable of being romantic partners.
“You’re my master,” he says. There’s your call back to reality. “Look at this mark on your wrist.”
It appears like a normal bruise to you, though you’re not sure how it could’ve happened. Your new snake friend was very gentle when he was coiled around your wrist. He must have been someone’s escaped pet. You hope he found his way back home.
Gojo’s mad. He’s enunciating every word.
“This is exactly why I have to keep such a close eye on you. That’s no ordinary bruise. That is an engagement mark. Care to explain to me how I left you alone for one second and you got yourself engaged to a divine beast?”
Your face pales. “Excuse me?”
“That snake is going to come and claim you as his bride.”
“As a bride?” Your head spins and you have to sit down. You’re too young to get married. You look up at Gojo, teary-eyed. You don’t want this.
“Stop making that face,” he snaps, pushing a hand over your face to hide it. “As if I would let that happen. The master of the Yaga shrine, my master, could never be wed to a mere snake.”
If Gojo says he won’t let it happen, you can put your faith in him. You breathe a little easier. As mean as he can be, Megumi and Tsumiki weren’t lying when they called him the best familiar. He’s the strongest and most capable person or rather, yokai, that you know. There’s not a single task you set for him that he hasn’t been able to complete.
It’s still raining when you go outside to practice your talisman making.
You find the weather quite pleasant, even though it’s a little damp. The chill in the air cuts through the muggy feeling of summer, and the raindrops cool your cheeks. When you turn your face up to the sky, you can taste ozone in the little drops that pelt your face.
“You’re very beautiful, kamisama,” says a voice.
There's a man waiting just outside the red gates. A supplicant? In this weather? You better get him inside in a hurry. You dash over to him.
“What are you doing? Come inside, you’ll get wet!”
Just as you reach him, he lifts his face. He looks like a statue, with high cheekbones, and solemn eyes. His hair is the same pale yellow as the snake you saw earlier that day-
“Gojo!”
But it’s too late.
The snake has a hold on your wrist, right above the engagement mark. He takes you away.
One moment, you’re standing in your own backyard, the next, you’re surrounded by almost-familiar bamboo walls. It looks like your shrine but for little distinguishing touches. That makes you uncomfortable.
“This is Haibara shrine,” the snake says. “I’m Nanami, the familiar of Haibara-sama. I’ve taken you away to marry you.”
There’s a curtain over the center of the room. Haibara presumably rests behind it, but something strikes you as off about the whole scenario. That’s not what’s foremost on your mind, however.
“I don’t want to marry you! You kidnapped me!”
He tilts his head at you. “I couldn’t have kidnapped you. We’re engaged, you see?” He traces the mark on your wrist with one slim finger. “We’re going to be very happy together.”
“You’re being creepy,” you push him away.
At your rejection, something dark crosses over his features - not danger, but pain. He has some nerve feeling upset when you’re the one who should be upset here!
“That’s alright,” he says, trying to stroke your hair. You won’t let him touch you. “I know it can take some getting used to. Here, let me show you to your room.”
Nanami has clearly put a lot of thought into decorating for you. It’s beautifully furnished, with rich silk sheets and the fragrant smell of plum blossoms permeating the air. Here, there’s not a single thing you could want but-
Gojo.
You miss Gojo and you miss your shrine.
When Nanami leaves you in your room, it feels like a tomb in the silence. You bury your face in your expensive, hateful sheets and try to resist the urge to sob. You want Gojo to come get you. You want to go home.
Hours pass, but Gojo doesn’t come.
Nothing but the sound of your breathing changes, passing from frantic to deeper, slower, steadier. As your head clears, you notice the window. It’s a beautifully ornate design, a red knot of luck. The center is just big enough for a girl to squeeze through, if you try hard.
Resolve grips you.
You’re not going to wait for Gojo to rescue you. You’re going to get out of here yourself, find him, and scold him for not coming to get you earlier. Aren’t you his most beloved master, as he so professes? You’re going to make him kneel for at least three hours practicing his apologies!
Filled with renewed conviction, you hoist yourself onto the window sill and begin the tedious task of shimmying yourself out. Just when you’re nearly there, the sharp edge of the metal scrapes your shin, leaving a long, thin cut.
The smell of salt replaces the plums immediately.
“God?” Comes Nanami’s voice. “I smell blood. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine!” You panic. If he discovers your escape attempt now, he might try to put you in a more secure room, and then you’ll really never see Gojo again.
The adjacent wall caves in.
Gojo stands in the rubble, seething, each hand wreathed in blue flame. He doesn’t even notice you, his attention wholly focused on Nanami. “You drew her blood? Are you prepared to face the consequences of hurting my master, snake?”
You grab his arm just before he attacks. “He didn’t! I hurt myself on the window- oof!”
Gojo’s so much bigger than you are. When he folds you into his arms, his entire body surrounds you. His chin tucks itself over your head, his large arms wrap around your body. You’ve never felt more secure than you are here, now. “I thought you’d be crying.”
His voice is hoarse.
You’ve never heard that before.
“You came,” you whimper, burying your face into his shoulder.
Nanami’s face is crestfallen. “Are you going to leave me?”
You grab Gojo’s arm and duck into the other room, where Haibara’s curtain is.
“Don’t!” Nanami cries.
When you pull it back, there’s nothing but an old, dusty kimono.
You were right.
This place is godless.
“You’re no familiar,” Gojo snarls, turning on Nanami. “Don’t even think to call yourself that. The difference between you and me is as clear as day, you vile beast. You’ll pay for your insolence with the loss of your shrine.”
Nanami’s misery is written all over his face. You’ve realized what’s wrong with this shrine. It’s too quiet, as if no one has prayed here for generations. Haibara has been dead for a long, long time.
Nanami must have been lonely.
“Don’t,” you tell Gojo.
He stares at you, incredulous. “Are you out of your mind?”
You tug yourself out of Gojo’s arms. Nanami’s crouched on the ground, trying to shield Haibara’s old kimono from Gojo’s foxfire. You kneel to his level.
“I’m sorry you’ve been lonely for all this time, Nanami. I can’t stay with you, but if you come to my shrine, we can play again.”
Nanami weeps and reaches for your hand. The mark of the snake dissolves.
Gojo doesn’t talk to you on the way back to the shrine.
“Don’t be mad,” you say, tugging on the sleeves of his kimono. He gives you a deadpan stare. “Come on! I only did it because-”
You can’t finish your sentence.
Of course, that piques Gojo’s interest. He can never resist bullying you.
“Because? Go on,” he goads you.
You say it so quietly he can’t hear you, even with his fox ears. He spins around, grabs you by the waist, and hoists you up so you’re face to face. You yelp and scramble to grab onto his shoulders for balance.
“Louder,” he demands. “I can’t hear you.”
“I was thinking about what would happen if I died and you were all alone again. I couldn’t leave him alone because I was thinking of you,” you tell him. Thinking of Gojo watching after an empty shrine all alone like Mizuki makes your heart ache for reasons you can’t explain.
He stiffens. “What a strange thing to worry about. I wouldn’t care.”
“Ugh,” you smack him in the shoulder. You shouldn't have tried to be kind to him.
He doesn’t put you down, shifting you into an easier hold. “You’re hurt,” he admonishes when you try to squirm.
Just before you enter the shrine gates, he has a confession of his own to make. “I’m sorry,” he says. “You got hurt because I wasn’t protecting you.”
You rub his ears, an indulgence you’re not sure he would’ve allowed if he wasn’t in such a mood. “It’s not your fault!”
“I’ve never had a human master,” he says. “I have to be careful not to break you. You’re so easily hurt.”
“You don’t have to say it like that,” you say, and then the shrine spirits are there to welcome you home.
You hadn’t realized you thought of the shrine as home until today.
Even though Nanami’s mood isn’t affecting the weather anymore, it’s still raining. Gojo tells you not to mind the weather, even though you’re certain that it’s not from natural causes, which means it is your job. Ever since you came back from Haibara’s shrine, Gojo has been extra protective of you.
You hadn’t thought Gojo had needed to be protected too, not until the thunder god came.
The god of storms and lightning is called Getou Suguru. He carries a mallet in one hand that can transform whoever it touches into their younger forms, and he used to be Gojo’s best and only friend. He’s also the one who called a bounty on your head.
#sera writes#gojo satoru x reader#gojou satoru x reader#gojo x reader#jujutsu kaisen x reader#jjk x reader
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SPOILERS!!! REFERENCES AND EASTER EGGS IN F&C ep. 3: Cake the Cat
The dungeon that Finn and Jake are crawling in the opening scene looks very similar to the Temple of Thorogon from an unproduced episode that would have been part of season one of the original show. Spotted by @digamma-f-wau.
This is the Finn and Jake we saw in the trailer! They are indeed from an alternate universe where Jake survived.
Minerva makes a cameo. She arrived in Ooo during the montage in the finale of the original series.
This is the two-headed duck from the original show's title sequence.
This is the butterfly from the credits of Simon Petrikov, the second episode, where it was resting on the mask of the bear that Finn slew.
The non-flying squirrel and the other animals who try to kidnap him and bring him back to their cult are from Up a Tree. Finn also ate the same kind of cursed apple in that episode as Cake.
The Ice Thingdom already looks a lot like it does in the 1000+ scenes.
These kinds of universal translators were first seen in My Two Favorite People. This one has more voices and seems more advanced, but the three voices from that episode can briefly be heard; demon, alien, and old man.
There are lots of returning species in the market scene; hot dog knights, soft people, wood people, rock people, spiky people, slime people, cuties, berry people, goblins, cloud people, and several of the characters from Memories of Boom Boom Mountain. The girl playing the guitar is Rainy from the episode Another Way and it's possible the tree stump playing the woodblock is meant to be the one from that same episode.
There's a worm here who appears for like five frames and looks like Shelby.
I'm not sure why the hot dog knight got Prismo-teleported away.
Astrid mentions she was born in the new human city, which means she is twelve or younger, and means it didn't take long for the city to be constructed after the humans arrived in Ooo.
The dream in this episode's credits is a truck full of apples with a wheel missing. I wonder if these mean anything.
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Silly things I notice in episode 3 of Fionna and cake
A exclamation point appear on Finn head
Jake suit call back
Interesting how every episode is named after a character so far
Fionna kicking ice queen call back
Poor Simon was scratched up by that bear not cake leave my old man alone
MINERVA MERTENS CAMEO
OMG THAT WEIRD SQUIRREL FROM THE TREE EPISODE CAMEO
omg Marshall Ellis P and Fionna casually drinking
OMG ALL THE TREE CREATURES ARE BACK now that censors are gone they are scarier than they were back then omg I hate it
Now them giving Cake some cake but considering how cake threw in back in good little girl I ain’t surprised
CAKE SINGING
Are we getting a new musical number every episode cause I ain’t complaining adventure time songs slaps
HOW IS CHOOSE GOOSE STILL ALIVE WHEN DOES HE GO INTO TOGETHER AGAIN
LEMON GRAB CAMEO
Omg the hot dog knight just died so I am guessing the more people from Simon’s mindscape travel to the real world the more it glitches out which equal some fun chaos and trauma love the package deal
I still can’t get over the name Gary
the designs in adventure time is always so cool the Human city looks awesome
Was it a coincidence that Fionna’s head covered that sign in the market so it spells ass
SHE JUST SAID IT I AM LOVING THE CASUAL SWEARING I love how it is done in a way that doesn’t seem too out of place like yeah it’s a little surprised every time but it’s done in such a adventure time vibe way that it seems normal
Prismo collected their asses hella quickly lmao
Also the outro is cool and it’s nice to hear those insane gunshots noises again lmao
#adventure time#fionna and cake#fionna and cake spoilers#adventure time spoilers#cake the cat#fionna campbell#simon petrikov
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thoughts on wish. (spoilers below)
just a nice, harmless, old-fashioned disney movie. not disney's best by far, but far far FAR from bad
animation was good. full stop
the soundtrack. julia michaels is an amazing songwriter and I feel like her style gives this movie soundtrack a very unique vibe among disney classics. maybe she went just a little too pop-ish in some parts that required more broadway styled tunes and lyrics
loved the introduction with the classic disney book
some critic said the disney easter eggs and references were distracting or like,, they were trying to cover up a bad plot with easter eggs for fanservice. well not true lol. I don’t consider bambi’s mom blink and miss cameo as fanservice I consider it childhood trauma coming back. where’s the fanservice in it
people from all over the world coming to rosas. liked that
“welcome to rosas” was okay I just wonder if she does this for any person coming to rosas. like. like it’s a job? she’s getting paid?
asha is a nice character, despite falling a bit under the "adorkable" main girl stereotype. I still feel like she's well characterized, she is stubborn, selfless and will do anything for her family. stan
valentino's not annoying as you'd think
asha's friends are so cool please I love them all so much HOWEVER some of their lines felt a little flat?? they could have been WAY more fun easily I just wish they had more screen time
gabo is wasted potential you can't tell me otherwise
dahlia was literally nerfed you know that
I love that they picked simon to be the depressed one (he’s meant to represent sleepy from seven dwarfs)
bazeema randomly disappearing because she's an introvert she's so right we do that sometimes
I've seen people complaining about disney being politically correct (as always...) for finally making a movie with a classic villain and then making him redeemable, well he's not?? movie ends up bad for him just like with old villains?? this is literally what we’ve been asking for, a villain who is just a villain. king magnifico has motivations of course but still does bad things and gets punishment for that. classic old school disney villain. don’t know what you want
queen amaya, my love whom I owe my life, marry me
“at all costs” listen. this felt a little out of place. that’s because they apparently changed the context to the song. it was supposed to be a love duet between asha and a scrapped human version of star who was like. a jack frost-y character who fell in love with asha. in the final movie, asha and magnifico are singing to the wishes. it still kinda works, but I really wish we got to see the other way round. looks like they really didn’t want to go full classic love story route, but it’s a shame. I’m sure that would have been beautiful and very very disney. the demo version sung by julia michaels and benjamin rice gives you a glimpse of what might have been and it’s just so good, you should really listen to it
actually listen to all the song demos
that one lady screaming in the crowd I forgot her name but shout out to her
asha's family was there
her grandfather turning 100 just like disney and wishing to inspire people and then composing when you wish upon a star after the credits?? so what??? this man is disney???? wtf????? crying
“this wish” bop. next
star’s not annoying as you’d think
the animals were cute john the bear my beloved also the mushrooms please
“I’m a star” actually empowered me okay!!! you know what that squirrel is fucking right we are fucking stars!!!!
“thank you for not eating me john” “you’re welcome bambi” that was wild
breakdancing chickens and it didn’t feel cringe. a miracle perhaps
asha’s friends are so normal about star
simon being sad about making star sad… certified good guy
did I mention I wish we got more of asha’s friends
anyway why does star only grant the animals’ wishes. why do all animals just wish they can talk human
I'm thinking screaming lady's name was sania maybe??
“this is the thanks I get?!” is the perfect song for magnifico. way more in character than “at all costs”
magnifico coming to asha’s house was scary
asha really can swim is she also moana or smth
simon betraying her broke me. never trusting a himbo again
“knowing what I know now” instant bop. please all of them singing together about magnifico being a bastard? queen amaya suddenly entering the room and the music stops and they all just stand there like oh man we fucked up? and then the queen just slams the door and bursts into singing about her husband being a bastard too?? that gave me major chills like yeah girl leave him take me instead
asha and wands: a love story
the bunnies please
“this wish (reprise)” they really defeated the villain with the power of friendship AND by singing this is the most disney movie to ever disney
queen amaya becoming the single queen she deserves to be you go girl (but I'll still have her if she wants me)
simon my man we forgive you you were depressed. it’s not your fault
asha becoming a fairy godmother is actually kind of cool
"oh so you wanna fly? nice. meet peter pan" honey you say it so casually
A BIT SALTY ABOUT THE ENDING. it's not bad but that would have been WAY more emotional if they let us see asha say goodbye to star. especially because they say it's gonna happen soon, so what's the point in not showing us?? asha and star hugging and crying and then star flying up to the sky. asha looking up at the stars, smiling with tears in her eyes and then the camera moves up to the sky and star has become THE star like the one in pinocchio and princess and the frog. all of this with the "this wish" instrumental. that was a perfect way to wrap it!! also oh my gosh imagine asha saying goodbye to star boy!!! ç_ç
the credits with various characters were a nice touch but why on sweet planet earth did they put yokai as a representative of big hero 6
the credits song, "a wish worth making" just... exists. the lyrics though. they hit hard
I really stayed until the end of the credits just to watch 3 seconds of sabino playing music
final verdict: was ALL the hate for this movie deserved? hell no maybe you should just remember you’re a star and relax
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Marvel vs Capcom!
The following fan art piece is one of thirteen that were made by individuals on Twitter who volunteered to give me ideas for dream Marvel vs Capcom match-ups. It didn't matter if the characters were in the games or not. There were seven sketches for runner-ups, and six completed pieces for the winners. (The contest is over so don't ask me to make one for you.)
–
Top Six 5/6 -- Cable vs Saki
Saki actually doesn't want to fight in this situation, and instead, talk this out. Easier said than done when Cable sees you as a target. The man has a harder head than Wolverine with the focus of a sentinel. And despite all that's going on, Saki is still doing her best to fight smart and not stupid. Makes sense, she's from a quiz game after all.
This is probably the most action-packed piece I've made. Where to start? Cable has arrived in Saki's version of Japan during an invasion by Demon King Godiva. (The guy on the big screen in the back.) During the catastrophe, Saki is moving from rooftop to rooftop, and was sliding down the side of a collapsing building to confront the villain right as Cable appeared.
Why such an action-packed setting? I was inspired by an amazing, and criminally underrated, game that relates to neither Marvel or Capcom. A high-speed third-person shooter made by Platinum Games and owned by Sega named Vanquish. It's Gears of War meets Bayonetta, and I highly recommend it!
Anyway, references! Besides Godiva in the background, I decide to have fun regardless of realities. First off, and one of my favorite Marvel properties, Moon Knight in a Sailor Moon pose. Second, a dark and gritty reboot named Shin...Squirrel Girl? Sure, whatever. Third is Felicia from Darkstalkers in a cereal ad for Felicia Flakes and they probably taste grrrrreat! And the last two are logo cameos for Viewtiful Joe, my favorite Capcom series, and Marvel vs. Capcom.
One last thing for this piece. The image in Saki's visor is the mirrored image of the HUD from her game made from scratch.
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DISNEY - CHANNEL - PREMIERE -
30 MAR 2023 - BUT SHOWED AT -
DISNEY+ - NEXT DAY - 31 MARCH -
DEAR - DISNEY -
ANNIVERSARY - OF - PASSING -
31 MARCH - BRUCE LEE's - SON -
BRANDON BRUCE LEE
SELENA QUINTANILLA PEREZ
THANK - YOU - SO - MUCH
AS - U - NOTICED - DISNEY AND
PIXAR - PARTNERING - IN FILMS
'TURNING - RED'
CANADIAN CHINESE
TORONTO - CANADA
LEGAL - PERMISSION - REMAKE
"PROM PACT' - DISNEY ORIGINAL
TV MOVIE - MAIN STARS - AGAIN
BUT - NOW - UNDER - OUR -
DIRECTION LEGAL PERMIT -
DISNEY - AND - GBC - TV -
PRESENTS -
'PROM - PROMISE'
WE - DEDICATE - THIS - 2 -
BENIGNO AGUINO JR AND -
1ST - FEMALE - PRESIDENT -
OF ASIA CORAZON AQUINO -
NINOY - 'PROMISES - MADE -
PROMISES - KEPT' - SOME -
REVISIONS -
'PROTECT - CATS - DOGS'
CLOSING KILL SHELTERS
REMOVE - NO DOGS YES
'PROTECT - SQUIRRELS -
DOVES SM WILD BIRDS' -
'PROTECT - 21 AND OLDER -
2 - REPEL - NO DRINKING -
IN - PUBLIC - AFTER - 18TH -
REPELLED - CONSUMPTION -
SALES ALLOWED EVERY IN -
INCH - ALL - CITIES - PUT'G -
DOWN - SIGNS - GROCERIES -
ANNOUNCING - PROM QUEEN -
INSTEAD - 'FOOTLOOSE' -
'ALMOST - PARADISE'
PROM - 1980s - MADONNA -
GEORGE MICHAEL
SENIORS - BEGINNING -
PROM - ANNOUNCEMENT -
GEORGE MICHAEL -
'FREEDOM' - AND - MODELS -
RUNWAY - NOT - 'GHOST YES -
BUSTERS' - RUINS - WHEN -
BOYS - ASKED - GIRLS - TO -
PROM - 'DURAN - DURAN' -
BETTER - SONGS - 4 THE -
FILM - PRAY - HDG BANKS -
COMING - SOONER - FOR -
BUYING - PEPPER - GUN -
PEPPER - GEL - BETTER -
THAN - PEPPER - SPRAY -
CHEAPER - BETTER YES -
RANGE - SPRAY - OVER -
$400 - U - CAN'T AFFORD -
PROTECTION - ASKING US -
PERMISSION - 'KILLERS' -
ASHTON KUTCHER - 2010 -
DISNEY ALLOWS - SLEAZY -
COED - PARTIES - LA TOYA -
REYNOLDS - BLK - GIRL SO -
PRETTY - PARTY - WHERE -
COUNTING - PROM - $$$$ -
SHE's - LISTENING - 2 OLD -
1970s - 'KILLING - ME -
SOFTLY' - ON - OFF XO -
BASKETBALL - FRIEND -
OF - GRAHAM BROUGHT - HIS -
GIRLFRIEND - 'ROBBERY - YES -
LA TOYA' - 'YOU'RE - RICH JUST -
HAVE - DADDY - PAY 4 IT - AS -
LA TOYA TAKES - HER PEPPER -
GUN - 2 X - EACH - 4 - GEL YES -
LEAVES - MARK - 4 - ID - AS XO -
JENNIFER HUDSON - HER MOM -
AGE 7 - THEIR - DEATHS - TRULY -
AFFECTED - WHAT - CAN - THEY -
DO - AS - TEENS - CAMEO - OF -
JENNIFER HUDSON
'TEENS - PREPARED'
JEN - SINGS - 'SMASH' -
'I - CAN'T - LET - GO'
ASKS - LA TOYA - SHARE -
ABOUT - PARTY - WAS SO -
DESCRETE - EVENTS AFTER -
NOT - JUST - SLEEZY - INTRO -
OF - JAPAN's - AIKIDO - AND -
CHINA's - WUSHU - INSTEAD -
OF - YOGA - AND - SPIN - BUT -
WHAT - WILL - SAVE - OUR -
FAMILIES - BETTER - MORE -
BALLOONS - 4 - PROM - AND -
SELLING - DISNEY - BALLOONS -
LIKE IN - DISNEYLAND - LIGHTS -
BETTER - ACTING - THE - LEADS -
NOT - ACTING - THEIR - AGES -
AS - SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST -
MORE - BIBLE - MANDY - GOD -
SAID - 'OWE - NO - MAN' -
RETURN - LETTER - ITS -
U - WHO - MADE HARVARD -
HAPPEN - NOT - GRAHAM's -
FATHER - DON'T - GIVE HIM -
YOUR - HARD - WORK - AND -
HOW - CAN - ANDI - KNOW -
WHAT - 2 - DO - SONG -
'SOUTH PACIFIC' - FOR -
'THEY - NEED - 2 B YES -
CAREFULLY - TAUGHT' -
FROM - AGE 6 - 7 OR 8 -
THEY - MUST - BE - SO -
WANT - 2 - DO - THIS -
TV - MOVIE - AGAIN -
INVITING - SOME US -
GIRLS - FR - 'ZOMBIES' -
ADD - SOME - SPICE - I -
CAN'T - WAIT - 4 - $$$$ -
MONEY ANSWERS ALL -
ALWAYS BIBLE DISNEY
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317 of 2023
Uniquely Spelled Words [True or False]
Created by joybucket
You woke up ornery today.
You like to eat salmon.
You're allergic to salmon.
You've tried a cannoli.
You like to eat minestrone soup.
You can picture in your head what a sassafras tree looks like.
After taking this survey, you're about to skedaddle, because you have a lot of things to do today. (did it already lol)
You've taken a synchronized swimming class. 🏊♀️
You've had a friend named Chantell.
You've been to Taiwan. 🇹🇼
You've been to Thailand. 🇹🇭
You've been to Seoul, South Korea. 🇰🇷
You like Thai food. 🍲
You've experimented with feng shui.
You've slept in a teepee.
You wish you had telekinetic powers. [Telekineses= the ability to move objects with your mind] (it’s spelled telekinesis, you know?)
You've visited Venezuela. 🇻🇪
You've been to Ecuador. 🇪🇨
You've been to Peru. 🇵🇪
You know someone who owns llamas. 🦙
You just learned that the symbol used for division in a math problem is called an obelus.
You would never steal books, because you're not a bibliokept. 📚 [Bibliokept= one who steals books]
You're a Yooper. [aka a resident of Michigan's Upper Peninsula]
You like the name Deklan.
You remember learning about the Pythagorean theorem in school.
You've taken a Calculus class.
You like the name Cescily.
You've met someone named Serenity.
You don't normally keep receipts. 🧾
You enjoy kneading bread dough.
You like people who are authentic.
You like açaí bowls.
You've had a seizure. (more than one, this shit sucks, really)
You've seen someone else have a seizure.
You've been called a heifer. 🐄
You've recently stood in a queue. [Queue= line]
You read the Encyclopedia Brown books when you were younger. 📚
You've recently seen a squirrel run by. 🐿
You've seen a squirrel do something really stupid. 🐿
You've sang in a choir.
You know how to speak a foreign language fluently.
You're a genuinely kind and caring person.
You have no idea why "Colonel" is spelled the way it is, when it's pronounced the same as "kernel."
You've drank a smoothie infused with whey protein.
You've tried quinoa.
You like quinoa.
You've been to Arkansas.
You're aware that life is ephemeral. [Ephemeral= lasting a very short time]
You like the name Jericho for a boy or a girl.
You've met someone named Cameo.
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Mkay so I had a spn dream, woke up, went back to sleep and had ANOTHER spn dream.
1 ) I'm on a hunt with Sam, Dean, and Castiel. We are driving and then we just abruptly jump out and head into a school building and start making salt circles around shit idk man. And as we're doing stuff I realize that Dean isn't *Dean*. So I try to motion to Sam to get out of there and back to the car, and so now fake Dean is chasing us. Sam got in the car but Cas and I are on one side of the car together. Fake Dean is on the other and fires a gun at Castiel but the REAL Dean shows up and dives in front of the bullet.
2 ) I'm on another hunt with the Winchester bros (Cas isn't here this time 😔) and we believe that there is a spirit in this book store. (Prepare yourself for this one,) The FNAF books in the library are haunted by the people that FNAF was based on (I'm pretty sure there were a bunch of murders at a chuck e cheese; I watched a matpat video a while ago don't question it.). So Moose, Squirrel, and I head inside the book store and pose and people who are going to unpack books and merch(?). So the people at the library are being kinda sus. Like they *know* that the spirits are there and are really watching what they say. There was one woman who was instructing us on where to put the books, and they handed me a FNAF Freddy onesie and said "which animatronic is your favorite?" And I panicked and said "I feel very neutral about all of them". Cus, ya know, I don't want angry spirits after me. Dean then promptly said that Bonnie's design was absolute shit and Sam and I just gave him this look, like, 'dude stfu'. So I put the Freddy Onesie on display and just as I did, a spirit shoved the girl into the wall and books started flying everywhere and Sam was trying to, like, shield me somehow? It didn't work but I appreciated the effort.
If anyone sees this, I can share more dreams. I have much weirder ones, and recently Jensen Ackles has been making cameos in*** a lot of them.
*** holy shit as I was typing, "Carry on my wayward son" started playing on the radio I think they know.
#dreams#spn dream#I share my dreams#i should ahare more of them#i have some wacky ass dreams#Supernatural#supernatural dream#spn#goofy jelly thoughts
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The Mighty Thor #701 and Loki: Sorcerer Supreme, Thoughts and Spoilers
The Mighty Thor #701, part one of The Death of the Mighty Thor arc
-Mangog is back and goggier than ever
-War Thor wants to tap* that**
-*bludgeon
-**that big Mangoggian Tiki god face
-Oh hey, there’s the Roxxon guys again! I guess Dario’s out of jail maybe? We don’t see him really, just the dragon-juiced muscle heads fighting the Vanir
-And oh look a hefty dose of napalm isn’t that nice
-There’s a bit of backstory given regarding the whole ‘creature born from the rage of a billion+ victims’ origin and a fairly decent upgrade to Mangog now being strong(er) due to taking on the mantle of a sort of judge/jury/executioner of ‘failed’ gods, those deities who do not answer their supplicants’ prayers or else go around, you know, slaughtering entire races or whatever. At least this is his Big Motive now
-He beats Volstagg to a pulp (RIP Ultimate Mjolnir, thanks MCU synergy)
-Balder greets Karnilla in Helheim! There’s a loving embrace! Yay!
-also fire giants are there to cook their immortal souls to a crisp golden brown and put Sindr on Hel’s throne*
-*seriously Hel’s throne has been holding more asses than the knife chair from G.o.T. at this point
-War Thor loses :c
-and is left to dangle from his less-mangled hand on the edge of Old Asgard :C
-and Mangog wants to know where the rest of the gods are so he can keep doing his Mangogging but Volstagg says him NAY >:C
-Malekith: Hey, guy. Manny. My gog.
Volstagg: Bitch don’t
Malekith: ;)
Volstagg: Do Not
Malekith: :3c
Volstagg: NO
Malekith: Fine, fine I won’t tell him
Mangog: Tell me what?
Malekith: That the gods are now residing in scenic Asgardia, right next to Saturn, big shiny chunk of god junk just floating there, defenseless, with your mortal enemy Odin sitting in it like a creamy, killable center. In case any mans or gogs wanted to know.
Mangog: :D
Volstagg: D:
Malekith: ❤️
Doctor Strange #381, first part of the Loki: Sorcerer Supreme arc
-I don’t know where to start hold on just hold on j
-just
-Okay
-ok
-SO
-I don’t know Ms. Zelma Stanton well, but I think I’ll like her. As far as I know she’s an established Doctor Strange character and Dr. S’s assistant/apprentice, so it’s understandable that we (S T I L L) can’t have Verity in the supporting character spotlight. We can’t tell yet if she’s playing a part to get close to Loki, but seeing as she seems to appreciate his humor* even when he’s out of earshot and is willing to trade phone numbers, I think this bit’s genuine**
-*”BY THE POWER OF THE DECIMALS OF DEWEY, BEHOLD! THE GREATEST LIBRARY IN ALL OF THE TEN REALMS!”
-**Loki now has two (2!) bespectacled friends (we’ll give Zelma the benefit of the doubt)
-Question for Doctor Strange fans: Did the Sanctum Sanctorum always have a plethora of snakes roaming the halls ranging from safely noodle-sized to the size of a scaly redwood tree?
If so, cool.
If not, Loki introduced talking snakes to the Sanctum Sanctorum.
Either way, the green fucker has put the Fear of Loki into the house-snakes to the point of them anxiously wheedling the apprentice into telling the house’s new master that they are Good and Respectful snakes, please tell him, p l e a s e
-Okay, artist, you’ve got some hits and some misses here with the characters. Mostly hits (I do like Wanda’s look in her costume and her civvies) but there are some bits where Loki looks a bit too much like he spent the night in a dumpster even for my questionable taste. Though, again, more hits than misses, because hey! Crazy-eyed, insomnia bags, scraggly-edged God of Stories is coming through again!
-Also, Loki is Not Good at playing with the other magical kids on the block. He comes off like the really eager newcomer who goes up to the cool people clique with cookies and questions he’s too new to know are out-of-place, the clique mocks him, Loki gets frustrated and picks a fight, then sulks off to text a friend about the mess :c
-Sidenote, the actual suggestion Loki brings up during the bar scene is really pretty interesting. If it hadn’t been Loki making the suggestion--and seriously, it’s a hell of a thing to want to try, even for a masochistic, slightly-deranged god trying to do his unique version of Good--my bet is the bar-goers would’ve been more inclined to just tell the guy, hey, wow, it’s super nice that you want to do this incredibly insanely dangerous task on our behalf, but how about you...maybe not? Do that? How about therapy instead, lets try magic therapy
-Zelma and Loki emoji back and forth. Excellent.
-Zelma should be Verity and Is Not. Less excellent.
-Loki uses a lightning bolt emoji rather than Thor’s name. Excellent again.
-oh shit shit oh shit Shit here we go Fu c k
-OKAY
-Jane Thor arrives
-Jane Thor confronts
-Loki surrenders
-Jane Thor is ???
-Loki is--he’s--he’s this:
You think I’m kidding. You think this is hyperbole. It isn’t. This is actually 110% less fucking heartbreaking than the Look he gives Jane Thor when she asks what he’s up to. Not demands, by the way. Asks. Civilly.
-Loki tells her he sewed the red cape back together with thread he made himself. Jane Thor compliments his knitting ability, but asks again what his game is.
-”There is no game, Thor. I just want to help.”
-Fast forward thru some heartfelt motive talk from Loki, Jane Thor hearing him out, and then cutting him off with...
-Jane Thor: ”Loki...” (cue an actual goddamn SMILE) “...dost thou ever tire of thine own bullshit?”
-Loki. Smiles. Back.
-And then takes them both to the Appalachian Mountains. And then shows Jane Thor a camp of frost giants about to spring an attack on Midgard. And then Jane Thor thanks him for the assist but warns that she’ll be keeping an eye on him. AND THEN.
-Loki: “I know you will be. Good luck...Doctor Foster.”
-Also Dr. Strange is a vet now, so there’s that woo (if the cover art for the next comic is any indication I think they’re setting the stage for Loki having done some Enigmatic Trickery to make this sudden job change happen, but it could also be a red herring dealie, we’ll see)
-Also also Wanda is rocking this art style and That Coat*
-*Loki, I’m impressed by your needlework, honest, but that coat is the better red look, let’s be real
#after the Squirrel Girl cameo#Ragnarok#and ^^^this^^^ premium grade A+++ 2444k gold#I have to conclude that this is a good goddamn month to be a fan of the green fucker#The Mighty Thor#Doctor Strange#Loki: Sorcerer Supreme#jane foster#thor#zelma stanton#volstagg#malekith#mangog#comics#spoilers#marvel
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Apparently there's a Iron Man/Cap team up miniseries coming out on Nov 24th and I am so excited. Quote from the writer:
“The natural instinct for a writer would be to immediately put them at loggerheads. Nothing generates drama better than tension, after all,” Landy said. “But Tony just wants to protect people, and Steve is one of the kindest characters in comics, so I pretty much embraced the opportunity to step away from the tension and explore that friendship."
There is, and I am so excited! I already subscribed to it.
It sounds like the writer really likes Steve & Tony's friendship so I am very hopeful that we will get some nice canon out of it, and even I don't end up liking the writing it will be an entire miniseries where Steve and Tony appear on the page together. (The bar, it is set so low. And yet.)
I think that we've actually gotten a lot of fairly nice Steve and/or Tony recently in canon, albeit not in the ordinary places you might look, so if you only follow Avengers, Cap, and Iron Man ongoings, you might have missed the following excellent things that have happened/are still happening:
Infinite Destinies: This is a series of eight linked annuals that came out earlier this year; the main stories in each annual can be enjoyed standalone, and three of them are Iron Man, Captain America, and Avengers. The Cap annual is by Gerry Duggan and is decently fun, IMO; Iron Man and Avengers are by Jed MacKay and are superb. The Iron Man one is one of the best Iron Man solo books I've read in a long time -- honestly, the characterization is great -- and the Avengers one is a must-read if you like Steve & Tony because it is pretty much them hanging out and being friends and fighting the villain together.
Dark Ages: This is an out-of-continuity miniseries event thing by Tom Taylor (of Superior Iron Man fame) where electricity no longer works, and while it doesn't focus exclusively on Steve and Tony we do see them and they seem to have an intriguing dynamic and some cool character design. Steve's rocking a Post-Apocalyptic Beard.
Darkhold: This is a horror miniseries whose most recent issue is about Iron Man and is also by Ryan North, who I think wrote Tony very well in Squirrel Girl. I absolutely love how he writes Tony here but it is very, very body horror and, alas, I had to stop reading it because it was too much for me. But the characterization was great and it was a lovely take on early-canon Tony.
Captain America Infinity Comic: I know I've talked about this multiple times before, but if you like Captain America you need to find and read Jay Edidin's Cap comic here without delay. It is the best Cap comic I have read in years, and Jay just 100% nails Steve, as far as I am concerned. It's so good. It's so so good.
Death of Doctor Strange: If you don't read Strange comics, you probably didn't pick this series up. But it's by Jed MacKay who gave us the excellent Avengers annual and the most recent issue this week (#2) is fun and has a nice cameo by the Avengers, including Steve and Tony, and I liked it a whole lot. The way he writes the Avengers is basically how I would like the Avengers to currently feel. The next issue in the series is an Avengers tie-in (Death of Doctor Strange: Avengers) and it's by someone else, I think, but the preview just came out and all of the preview is Quality Tony Stark Content. (There are a few pages of him talking with Strange in a flashback about his hatred of magic, and then a page of very very angsty Tony angst.)
So, yeah, I am excited for the team-up miniseries but also I think there's been and hopefully will continue to be some very nice Steve and Tony content even other than that.
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I made 100 pitches for a sixth installment of the hoodwinked franchise
hoodwinked 6 should be the characters acting out goat story like its a shitty school play
hoodwinked 6 should be the plot of chipwrecked
hoodwinked 6 should have the plot of an indian soap opera
hoodwinked 6 should be highly s*xual and detail the wolf and the grandmother's relationship
hoodwinked 6 should be about italian sea monsters
hoodwinked 6 should have emojis
hoodwinked 6 should be about Red transitioning to a boy and the hardships of it
hoodwinked 6 should be about Rumplestiltskin taking away gay rights
hoodwinked 6 should have the same plot as Ralph Breaks the Internet
hoodwinked 6 should be about the complications of time travel
hoodwinked 6 should be a spiritual successor to the godfather
hoodwinked 6 should be set in Rainfurrest 2016
hoodwinked 6 should be about the benefits of a religion that mortals cannot understand
hoodwinked 6 should be a psychological horror film
hoodwinked 6 should be hoodwinked 5
hoodwinked 6 should be interactive like Bandersnatch
hoodwinked 6 should be about the characters going to pride
hoodwinked 6 should take place in the fallout universe
hoodwinked 6 should be a sequel to portal
hoodwinked 6 should be about the grandmother tragically dying and how it affects the principal cast
hoodwinked 6 should be animated like Who Framed Roger Rabbit
hoodwinked 6 should take place in space
hoodwinked 6 should be about Red committing a federal crime
hoodwinked 6 should take place in Freddy Fazbear's Pizza
hoodwinked 6 should be about the squirrel character trying to get famous on tiktok
hoodwinked 6 should be a crossover with the Lion King
hoodwinked 6 should be a bimonthly curated box of snacks
hoodwinked 6 should be sponsored by Edible Arrangements
hoodwinked 6 should take place in a dystopian future
hoodwinked 6 should be like a Brave New World
hoodwinked 6 should be found footage
hoodwinked 6 should be like Unfriended
hoodwinked 6 should be a slice of life anime series on crunchyroll
hoodwinked 6 should be about SCPS
hoodwinked 6 should be a psychological metanarrative
hoodwinked 6 should be a visual novel
hoodwinked 6 should be about the Russian Sleep Experiments
hoodwinked 6 should be a prequel to the Fast and the Furious
hoodwinked 6 should be a romcom starring Adam Sandler
hoodwinked 6 should be a children's puppet show
hoodwinked 6 should be a distant childhood memory in a select group of people's minds that when asked about to their parents, it is revealed that the children were sitting in front of a television playing only static
hoodwinked 6 should have dating options
hoodwinked 6 should be a musical performed on ice
hoodwinked 6 should be a musical inspired by Romeo and Juliet and it should also be in a high school
hoodwinked 6 should have the same ending as Hamlet
hoodwinked 6 should have the same plot as Mamma Mia!
hoodwinked 6 should be a point and click adventure game from the 90s
hoodwinked 6 should be a comic book series
hoodwinked 6 should take place during the black death
hoodwinked 6 should be a modern retelling of the popular story Little Red Riding Hood that is structured like a police alibi
hoodwinked 6 should be about gang violence
hoodwinked 6 should have Markiplier in it
hoodwinked 6 should be a christmas film
hoodwinked 6 should have heavy religious themes
hoodwinked 6 should never end
hoodwinked 6 should replace all the voice actors with the kid that did the fortnite song
hoodwinked 6 should be a sequel to Mike and Melissa
hoodwinked 6 should be a combination of Pokemon and Dungeons and Dragons
hoodwinked 6 should be in the sonic universe
hoodwinked 6 should be a silly little concept posted to tumblr that spirals out of control after someone starts a Kickstarter to make it real
hoodwinked 6 should have a harem in it
hoodwinked 6 should have the same plot as Resident Evil Village
hoodwinked 6 should be about finding Red's biological father
hoodwinked 6 should have Pumpkin Rabbit do a cameo in it
hoodwinked 6 should be made specifically for my friend Veronica
hoodwinked 6 should have the same soundtrack as Undertale
hoodwinked 6 should take place in the Elder Scrolls universe
hoodwinked 6 should be about wizards
hoodwinked 6 should have epic sword fights
hoodwinked 6 should be a retelling of king arthur and the knights of the round table
hoodwinked 6 should be about family values
hoodwinked 6 should have voice commands
hoodwinked 6 should be a sequel to Pokepark
hoodwinked 6 should be half life but the ai becomes self aware
hoodwinked 6 should have a scene where the characters dance to gangnam style
hoodwinked 6 should have annoying orange in it
every copy of hoodwinked 6 should be personalized
hoodwinked 6 should be cursed
hoodwinked 6 should cause the death of everyone who watches it
hoodwinked 6 should be about a girl and her beloved horse
hoodwinked 6 should have Kpop in it
hoodwinked 6 should reference Pewdiepie
hoodwinked 6 should be a minecraft machinima
hoodwinked 6 should be about fighting aliens
hoodwinked 6 should be about falling in love with aliens
hoodwinked 6 should be about escaping prison
hoodwinked 6 should be inspired by Bladerunner
hoodwinked 6 should have been a dream all this time
hoodwinked 6 should have multiple different endings
hoodwinked 6 should be a prequel to hoodwinked
hoodwinked 6 should be about two college friends starting a restaurant with the shared idea of animatronic performers and it documents their wacky hijinks
hoodwinked 6 should be about liminal spaces
hoodwinked 6 should be about why my shoulder hurts
hoodwinked 6 should have strong pro life themes
hoodwinked 6 should be about why all cops are bastards
hoodwinked 6 should be the story of a man named Stanley
hoodwinked 6 should be about gender identity
hoodwinked 6 should be inspired by SAW
hoodwinked 6 should have the McElroy brothers in it
hoodwinked 6 should be starring Tommy Wiseau
#this took me 3 hours#also the pro life one is a JOKE i believe in a woman's right to choose#hoodwinked#thanks to my friend wynn for making five of these
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Mischief...Managed?
So tomorrow, June 9th, the six-episode series Loki is going to start. Taking place with the alternate continuity Loki that cropped up during Avengers: Endgame, it will follow him as he worked with the Time Variance Authority (TVA, and an actual comic thing as I found out today) as they try to preserve the timeline that I’m sure he’s going to screw up unintentionally.
It’s the same length as Falcon and the Winter Soldier (six episodes), but a second second is apparently in pre-production, so it looks like they already plan on getting more out to us for Phase 4.
Loki has grown into one of the most popular characters (antagonist or otherwise) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it would make a ton of sense for Marvel to keep him in the spotlight with his own series.
He has also been a character that I’ve taken a passing interest in for the sake of (you guessed it) his visit to Fanfiction Land (TM).
But of course, you guys can see the problem, right?
He’s a god.
And I’ve been able to get away with putting Avengers and side characters from Marvel into my stories, but this isn’t just some normal character. You’re crossing a pretty big line once someone like Loki gets thrown into the picture.
And I think the gods are interesting characters, just like normal human ones.
The conundrum is how you make them a part of the story without being the story, if that makes any sense. God are...well...gods. And even having one of them in a universe like Big Hero 6 would throw off the status quo. This is a verse where, barring Boss Awesome, didn’t really have superheroes, much less people living in Rainbow Land lording over the people of the universe doing whatever they do.
So I had to draw a little inspiration from San Francisco proper.
And that led me to discovering this: The Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue.
Yggdrasil is a volunteer-led rescue facility in the Oakland-San Francisco area that services, treats, and cares for injured wildlife. They also deal with a lot of squirrels.
Now, who do we know that loves squirrels?
Not the person that dressed up as them or anything.
So here’s the Big Hero 6 rub of it: Doreen is Karmi’s friend that she first meets working at Gramercy, Chef Bolton’s restaurant. They meet, they become friends (mostly because Doreen forces her to be), and things progress. After cameoing in Honey Lemon’s e-mail in Part Time (Chapter 5, “Honey Lemon and Fred Are In The Market”), she makes her first actual appearance during Hiro and Karmi’s “friend excursion” in Overnight (Chapter 6, “Candlelit”).
Doreen also happens to be the only member of the Beta Team that hasn’t gotten their story yet.
But she will...because it’s going to involve her place of employment:
Time to make a quick stop to her boss's office.
“Mr. Laufeyson! Mr. Laufeyson!”
The tall, lanky man sighed loudly as he turned his chair away from the screen and toward the newcomer. “What is it, dear child? Can't you see I'm busy?”
“I know. I just wanted to ask if I can take my break right now.” Doreen clapped her paws together. “My friends are here and I want to give them a tour and allofthecoolfancythingsbeingavolunteerhere-”
“What have I said about speaking haphazardly in here?”
“...That if I don't breathe, my brain will turn to mush?”
“Exactly.” The man slicked back his hair and motioned at the crowds of people on the cameras. “It appears that you have done your rounds, so I don't see why you cannot-”
“Thanks, boss!” Doreen leaned over and gave him a quick bear hug. “I won't go far. I'm going to go meet them in Jotunheim at Mount Winterfire.”
As she hightailed it out the door, the man smoothed out his shirt, returning his gaze back to his work. “That girl is a handful and then some. I do not know how you were able to tolerate her, brother...”
It’s a good thing that he had a regular name that can be reliably used, huh?
For those of you who may be confused by what Doreen is saying, Yggdrasill is the World Tree, connecting the Ten Realms (or Nine Worlds in Norse Mythology) together into one big happy family. I thought it would be nice to make the Realms into areas of the Refuge. For example, Jotunheim has all of the concessions and restaurants. Niffleheim has all of the burrowing creatures. And so on and so forth.
The Marvel Wiki has two pictures that I draw inspiration from for the Big Hero 6 version of the Refuge:
It sort of goes into the image that I want; a giant, sprawling lobby with exhibits and rooms, all surrounding by the largest tree anyone has ever seen.
It’s not the real Yggdrasil, but that won’t stop certain villains from wanting to claim it as their own.
Roots Of Your Labor (the title of Doreen’s story) will start after the set of one-shots that I’m doing right now. I want to get all of those out because the last of them (Artifact) will also touch on some subjects in Doreen’s story, but I’m not going to touch on that just yet.
Now...if I could only draw buildings.
Or giant trees.
(By the way, just like Granville mentions in my stories, the real Yggdrasil is funded entirely on charitable donations, so if you would like to donate, you can go here, if you would like.)
#big hero 6#big hero 6 the series#doreen green#squirrel girl#yggdrasil#yggdrasil urban wildlife refuge#yumr#mr. laufeyson#loki#donation#big hero 6 fanfiction#karmi#the best of friends
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One Piece Chapter 1016 - Initial Thoughts
It was Pfizer yesterday, but now today we are hooking a new chapter of One Piece into my veins
At least this one won't make my arm ache all day XD but small price for protection from a deadly virus
A lot of shit kicked off yesterday as attempts of crushing morale were undone, so let's see where it leads now
Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release as well
Zoro cover chapter, a little reminiscent of Nami and Shinobu's cover being blown earlier in the arc
The mainland of Wano are still partying, including Robin's Geisha teacher shredding it on the shamisen
So this is where Hitetsu and Toko are, it's cute and someone did have to look after Toko but Hitetsu you let Tama run off? Also kills the 'Hitetsu is King' theory, he doesn't have wings in this one
Oda nudging us hard with the 'THE FIRE FESTIVAL HONORS THE DEAD, KIDS'
A clear sky huh? You mean a sky where the full moon won't be obscured by clouds? Interesting...
CP0 again back to reviewing the battle like a board game
20 to 7 isn't as gross a disadvantage now, Agincourt was 30 to 3, you know what also was 30 to 3? Okehazama - where Oda Nobunaga's forces attacked the enemy camp during their celebrations
And you also have to add that they don't know about Tama turning the Smiles, we could see it as much different
Scouring Squirrel Girl Bao Huang's frog Mary views the wreckage of Momo's escape, but assumes that he died in the fall, she's quite happy to break the enemy's spirits with this though, strangely she didn't mention the status of the samurai
Over to Nami, Usopp and Tama we get confirmation of what we expected happened: Zeus latched onto the Tact rather than be eaten by Hera and has now been reborn
Nami has mixed views on a talking weapon, I mean talking weapons require maintenance, attention and reassurance, and whatever Zoro does with his swords. Plus she and Zeus haven't really buried the hatchet
The group have reached the stage right behind Unassuming Squirrel Smile Bao Huang, about to make an announcement
Ulti comes back though! Ringing Usopp's bell good and proper
Say what you will about Ulti but she is damn resilient, I can't forgive her for attacking Tama but she has proven intelligent and strategic, definitely an asset to Kaido, and while her thoughts regarding BM's turn is wrong she is allowed to be upset about her Pay-Pay being hurt
Nami goes for a swing and Zeus turns into a mace!? Looks like Nami has upgraded to bludgeon weapons too
The bludgeon doesn't work because of Ulti's durability, so Zeus recommends lightning - but doing so would hit Tama
So out comes Usopp with the clutch green star: Sargasso to split her from Tama
Zeus offers to be given a new name by Nami, and then immediately turns back on it when the option is 'Cotton' XD
Ulti dodges the Lightning, but Zeus while in control curves it so it hits Ulti: Auto-aim is a lil' OP there
Ulti looks officially KO'd now, though we thought that with BM considering that she did a combo laser, but it's right in front of Surprised Squirrel Girl Bao Huang, who is still broadcasting
She just announced that 2 of the Flying Six have been defeated, the morale has been inverted and only a worried Sasaki, Maria and Who's Who remain
Then Sneaky Sniper King Usopp entraps the Frightened Squirrel Girl Bao Huang, noticing that she can act like a projector for Tama
Small Sanji, Speed and Bepo cameos in preparation for Tama's announcement
But up to Onigashima's dome for the Father/Son rumble, and Kaido's already talking down at him and acting like Luffy and Momo are dead
I wonder if Yamato does mean to join Luffy's crew, the wording is 'sail the seas with Luffy', will have to see how it's translated. I'm still not sold on Yamato for Nakama either, he's cool yes but what does he add to the crew? Oda hasn't really shown us any qualities he could have outside of fighting and we kinda already have the sole fighter in Zoro
Kaido's back in hybrid form to remind Yamato that Wano is important for him - likely because of all the resources and the fact Poneglyphs were made her, and there must be teaching tools on how to read them
But yeah Yamato is just here to bide time, a conqueror's coating clash ends the chapter (though it's not certain if Yamato has Conqueror's)
Noooooo break...Oda why? We were just getting some pace going
This chapter did fly by, I felt like there should've been at least 3 or 4 more pages left. But maybe that was because it was all very good.
Beast Pirates still lying to themselves thinking Luffy and Momo are dead, but their numbers are dwindling resoundingly for CP0's entertainment. I wonder if they will get involved though since there is a disproportion between number of named heroes and number of named villains, they can't all turn out as 2 on 1 battles either.
Ulti is defeated, we think at least. I guess Nami will take the W even though it was 80% Big Mom with a minor assist from Usopp, but we got to showcase the new potential of Cotton, I mean Zeus. If Ulti can get up from all that though Page One may be able to get back up too. The other three do look pretty battered so either they're losing or it's fairly even.
Tama's announcement will turn the tides for any SMILE users, and with Ulti the only one who clued into it that bodes well for the alliance, and finally Yamato's off to bide some time for Luffy. That giant sword is in view again though, Oda what are your plans for this Chekov's Giant Fuck Off Sword?
#one piece#one piece spoilers#op spoilers#wano arc#one piece wano#wano country arc#onigashima raid#onigashima#wano#otoko#tenguyama hitetsu#one piece otoko#otama#one piece otama#beasts pirates#animal kingdom pirates#tobi roppo#flying six#kaido#hundred beast kaido#bao huang#ulti#ulti one piece#straw hat pirates#cat burglar nami#nami#nami one piece#god usopp#usopp#usopp one piece
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So, having seen all 13 episodes of the new Animaniacs, I can say without question it’s a very good show. Not perfect by any means, but definitely worthy of your time if you’re a fan of the original.
Most comments I’ve seen have praised the show, but I’ve also seen some criticism. Mostly from people who haven’t watched it. Now, I seriously believe that it’s perfectly okay to criticize something you haven’t seen the entirety of, but if you’re going by the trailers and clips released online, well… I can’t see what there is to complain about. It’s fantastically animated, well-drawn, and I actually laughed when I heard the first joke. I actually felt some tension release when that happened!
But I would like to talk about some unfair (and also fair) criticisms from people who actually did watch it:
-Too much cynicism/mean-spiritedness
One thing I didn’t realize when I was a kid is how often the original show made fun of things that really didn’t deserve being made fun of. The tradition of the Warner siblings pestering historical figures included the likes of Beethoven and Einstein, who as far as I know, never did anything to warrant being cast as villains in any kind of fiction, much less a cartoon.
I think probably the most egregious of these was the episode where they torment a thinly-veiled parody of Wolf Blitzer. I don’t know much about the guy, but all of the people on CNN seem like pretty upstanding folk, so I can’t imagine why the writers chose him of all people to target.
Sometimes I wonder if the whole “make fun of it because it exists” thing that so much modern humor relies on actually started with Animaniacs… If anything, the new show is actually more light-hearted in some respects.
-Too much political/topical satire
Yet again, the original show was not shy in taking occasional jabs at the government and social issues. Cartoons doing that kind of humor goes back as far as Looney Tunes, and of course both that and Animaniacs contain plenty of dated pop culture references, some of which I still don’t understand. And I was alive during the ‘90s!
-Too much gross-out “humor”
Now this here is the major flaw of the new show. The original never did any jokes that could make you feel queasy, and if it did talk about anything gross, it was more of a “ugh, don’t you hate that?” thing rather than the grossness being the joke itself. I will never ever understand people who like this sort of thing, and every time it happened my mood immediately went way down and sometimes wouldn’t go back up again until much later.
-Not enough characters
I can sort of understand this, but not really. Just think about it- did anyone ever really find Rita & Runt or the Goodfeathers particularly funny? And I feel so sorry for Buttons’ constant suffering I can’t even stand to watch them. (Plus, I’m certain that no one ever liked Katie Kaboom.)
One character I definitely want to see return though is Slappy Squirrel. Slappy is an icon as far as I’m concerned, and one of the funniest cartoon characters ever created. It was a shame they didn’t include her in the new show beyond a small non-speaking cameo.
-Not enough of the original crew
This is the real tragedy of the new show. I can’t imagine why in the world the WB execs didn’t want to hire any of the original writers or artists, and it’s an insult to all the people who created and developed the characters.
That said, it’s quite obvious that the new show was a labor of love, done with a lot of care and thought, written and animated by fans of the original and classic animation in general. This is the first time ever a major production has acknowledged ‘90s kids, and actually given them something worthwhile- something more than just an empty gesture to capitalize on our nostalgia.
And after so many years of dealing with internet trolls who think my childhood was worthless, it’s such an incredible relief to know that there are others out there who feel the same way.
So yes, the new Animaniacs has its problems, but to say it’s a travesty is going too far. Like I mentioned in my last post, I was genuinely worried that they would do the same thing they did to the Powerpuff Girls or DuckTales. It was a good two years or so before we even knew who was going to do the voices, and it was literally only two months ago when we saw any animation at all. To say that it’s a relief to finally see it and enjoy it is an understatement.
I think it’s a bit foolish to go chasing after an X factor. Sure, there are many quibbling criticisms I have, like perhaps the timing could be tighter and more snappy, and maybe the storytelling could be refined, but the original wasn’t exactly entirely consistent in those regards either.
And we’ve got remember that the people who worked on the new show are not the same people who blackballed Tom Ruegger and Sherri Stoner. Throw your hate at the WB execs, not the show itself, and especially not the new writers and artists.
The folks who hate the new episodes don’t seem to want to let the people who enjoy it have nice things, I guess. A line from the Pinky and the Brain episode “1001 Narfs” actually summed my feelings quite nicely: “We could use a little less cynicism, and a little bit more childlike wonder.”
All in all, I’m looking forward to season 2, and I hope it’s even better than the first.
#animaniacs#animaniacs 2020#reboot#yakko wakko and dot#slappy squirrel#pinky and the brain#toon#cartoon#animation#nostalgia#90s kids
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Battle
Summary: You see the way Bucky looks at her and decide to end things before you get your heart torn to shreds.
Features: Mild angst; Cameo appearances by America Chavez and Doreen Green
Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Reader
Request: “Hope you can do an angsty fic for Bucky or Sebastian and Reader, where she gives him up because she feels that he's in love with someone else - a colleague perhaps. But a month after they separated, he realizes that his life is a living hell without her. “
Notes: This took me a bit. I unexpectedly moved back home on Sunday from Ireland. I packed up most of my things Friday and Saturday and flew home to the States on Sunday. If you have requests feel free to send them. I still have schoolwork to do, but I also need the distraction.
Word Count: 1672
You caught the glances he shared with her. Saw the lunch she brought to him when you were going to see if he wanted to go grab a bite to eat. Anxiety and insecurity twisted in the pit of your stomach. You’d gone down this road before. You knew where it ended. You sat on the couch of the common area of the compound, staring at the television that was playing some Hallmark Channel movie you weren’t engrossed in. Your mind was wandering to what you knew you had to do. Bucky sat down beside you, putting an arm around your shoulder. You shrugged it off. You saw the look of confusion on his face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. You sighed. That was the million dollar question. Your eyes were watering.
“We need to break up,” you said, not turning to look at him. You were struggling to keep it together, to not fall to pieces over one of the hardest things you’d had to do. Sure, you could take down HYDRA operatives with no issue. But ending things with Bucky, that was uncharted waters you never saw yourself entering. He frowned.
“What?” he asked.
“I know where this ends, James. And it ends with me getting hurt. I asked for a transfer to the west coast. Might be temporary, might not be,” you said, managing to keep your voice steady, turning to face him.
“Doll,” he said, reaching up to cup your face. You flinched away. There was no denying the hurt on his face.
“I see how she looks at you. I can’t go through that, again, Buck. As cliche as it is, if you love something, or someone, let them go,” you told him before standing up.
“Can we talk about this?” he asked, his voice raising. You shook your head. You had already packed a bag and a quinjet was waiting for you. It wasn’t the mature route, but you couldn’t let yourself fall to pieces again. Not after the last time you let someone in. You never wanted to hurt him. But if ending things before you lost him to someone else meant you could protect your heart in the long run, you would do what you needed. You stood up, grabbing the bag that you had set next to the couch. You didn’t look back as you walked away.
And so began the care and keeping of you. You were doing your best to keep it together. When you spoke to Natasha, she avoided the subject. She checked in on you daily, worried about you and about how you were coping. You broke your own heart to keep someone else from breaking it.
The first week had been hard. You opened and closed your texts with Bucky more times than you could count, doing your best to ignore the last message he sent, asking you to come home. Home. You felt like the compound could never be home again, not when he was your home. You wanted to believe it was a misunderstanding, that he hadn’t been pulling away and toward someone else, that it wasn’t your insecurity.
Three weeks into your move to the west, your division was working with the team on a mission. You landed at the compound with two of the group you’d dubbed the babies, the teenagers who were part of the west coast initiative. America and Doreen. You saw the looks they gave Bucky as the three of you entered the room. She was with him. You felt your heart crack a little more.
“Why are there children with you?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow. You just smirked.
“Trust me, Cap. This is America Chavez and Doreen Green. Miss America and Squirrel Girl,” you said.
“Squirrel Girl? What kind of name is Squirrel Girl?” Sam asked with a laugh. You and America shared a look before you heard Sam let out an “oof” as Doreen’s fist connected with his gut.
“Like I said. Trust me,” you said. You heard a high pitched laugh from the other room, your arrival going unnoticed by the pair. You just rolled your eyes.
“A few days,” Nat said quietly when your group entered the conference room, answering your unasked questions.
“I figured as much,” you told her. Bucky wasn’t part of this mission. Clint, Nat, Sam, and Steve were going with the three of you. Some alien tech had fallen into the wrong hands and once Captain Marvel arrived, the eight of you would be preparing to head out, anticipating at least a week if not more, of being on the mission. Once Carol arrived, Steve started the briefing.
“We don’t know who this group is. It’s not HYDRA. We’re flying blind and I don’t like it. We’ll recon the best that we can, try to get the advantage. We know they have alien tech, we don’t know what,” Steve said.
“Whatever it is, it isn’t leftovers from the 2012 invasion. Chemical composition of the scraps we found didn’t match,” you said. The eight of you charted out a game plan over the next hour and a half. Steve wasn’t keen on the two youngest joining the mission, but you insisted. The two of you were left in the conference room as the others left, with the two girls talking excitedly with Nat who insisted on getting a training session in with them before the group of you left for the Canadian wilderness that night.
“Trust me on this one, Cap. We need them. They both have superhuman strength. Doreen can jump several stories, America can literally kick through reality,” you said. Steve sighed.
“Why did you ask that Bucky not be on this mission?” he asked. You stared at him.
“Steve...you know things ended. And he seems happy with Emilia...Evelyn? Emma?” you asked.
“Emalyn. She invited herself up, by the way. She has access as Tony’s assistant. Buck’s just too nice to brush her off,” he said. You glared at him.
“Try that again with a little more honesty. Nat told me,” you said plainly. Steve sighed.
“He doesn’t like her. She’s convient. He misses you, you know. We all miss you. He still doesn’t understand why you walked away. Why did you leave?” he asked. You scoffed.
“He was clearly falling for her. I’d go ask if he wanted to grab lunch and she brought him lunch. I saw the looks they shared. I wasn’t about to get my heart broken again, Steve,” you said. He shook his head.
“He only accepted a date with her because he was miserable. He’s still miserable. I know him. He loves you. More than anything,” he said.
“We’re done, Rogers. This conversation is over. We have work to do,” you said.
What was meant to be a one week mission stretched into two and a half. You found the base of operations and made a plan, but one of the men you were chasing down managed to get the drop on you. THe next thing you saw were the bright white walls of the medical wing of the compound. You heard the movement of metal, the sound that Bucky’s arm made. But that couldn’t be right. Bucky and you had broken up. He wouldn’t be at your bedside. It took a couple minutes for your eyes to adjust enough to fully open. You saw Dr. Cho watching you and then you turned your head. Bucky was sat beside you, eyes bloodshot, whether from emotion or a lack of sleep you weren’t sure. There were deep, dark circles under his eyes that screamed he was exhausted. And you were confused.
“What--,” you were cut off by a coughing fit. Bucky was quick to have a cup of water with a straw, holding it to your lips as you took a sip.
“Easy doll, you’ve been out a few days,” he said.
“Why are you here?” you asked. Your voice was soft, far from having the bite you so desperately wanted to have. You were the one to end things, that much was true. But it still hurt. He frowned.
“When Nat said you needed medical...and when I saw you...I can’t lose you. The past month has been hell,” he said.
“What about Emmylou?” you asked. He just shook his head.
“Emalyn was there. I was lonely. I was hurt. Doll, I never, I never wanted to hurt you. Why didn’t you just tell me what you were feeling?” he asked. You sighed.
“You know my history Buck. I didn’t want to get hurt again,” you said.
“So you broke both of our hearts instead,” he said.
“You have to understand how it looked from where I stood, Bucky. She brought you lunch multiple times. She was constantly flirting with you and the way you’d look at her,” you said.
“I always turned her down. I’d see you coming, and smile before seeing you walk away. This last month has been hell. You chose to walk away instead of talk. You made that decision on your own. Never gave me to chance to say my piece,” he said.
“I’m sorry,” you said. He sighed,
“So am I. She and I...I was hurting. I’m not proud of it. I ended it after you left on the mission. Seeing you again...even if you hadn’t gotten hurt, I was determined to talk to you, talk this out, talk about us, if there could still be an us,” he said.
“Let’s take it one day at a time, yeah? Starting with me getting out of here. You know how much I hate the medbay,” you replied, sending him into a fit of laughter. The two of you sat talking for a while, until a crash from the doorway drew your attention. America, Doreen, Natasha and Steve laid in a pile in the doorway. You and Bucky stifled your laughter as you looked at the group.
“Some things really do never change around here,” you said.
#Bucky Barnes#Bucky Barnes x Reader#Bucky Barnes/Reader#bucky barnes imagine#bucky barnes reader insert#marvel fanfic#marvel reader insert#bucky barnes fanfic#bucky barnes fanfiction
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Text
Entertainment Weekly, February
Cover 1 of 2: Daniel Kaluuya of Judas and the Black Messiah
Page 1: Contents, second cover featuring LaKeith Stanfield
Page 2: EW insider
Page 3: Sound Bites
Page 8: The Must List -- Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci on Supernova
Page 10: Keegan-Michael Key on The History of Sketch Comedy
Page 11: All American, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation
Page 12: Lana Condor on To All the Boys: Always and Forever
Page 15: Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler, Jeopardy!
Page 16: Nancy Johnson on her debut novel The Kindest Lie
Page 17: The Black Church: This Is Our Story This Is Our Song, Foo Fighters -- Medicine at Midnight
Page 18: My Must List -- Lionel Richie
Page 21: First Take -- Zack Snyder and Dave Bautista on Army of the Dead
Page 23: Dennis Quaid on Reagan
Page 24: Cover Story -- Moment of Truth -- two of the most talented stars of their generation Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield reach stunning new heights in the epic and Oscar-bound Judas and the Black Messiah
Page 28: A King’s Journey -- how director Shaka King went from oddball comedy to the powerhouse drama of Judas and the Black Messiah
Page 35: The Happy List -- for a sweeter 2021 come enjoy our catalog of tiny pleasures
Page 46: Mad Love -- how Zendaya and John David Washington quarantined together to make the red-hot romance Malcolm and Marie while Hollywood was on lockdown
Page 50: Breaking Big -- 10 rising stars poised to make waves in 2021
Page 51: Paul Mescal
Page 52: Taylour Paige
Page 53: Mateo Askaripour, Brandee Evans
Page 54: Haskiri Velazquez, Omar Apollo
Page 55: Simu Liu
Page 56: Emma Corrin
Page 57: Jasmine Cephas Jones, Reid Miller
Page 58: The Missing Star Spangled Girl -- on the cusp of breaking out in Hollywood the 27-year-old dancer, model and actress Jean Elizabeth Spangler vanished October 7, 1949 leaving behind a purse and a mysterious note and a young daughter; inside the chilling still-open case
Page 64: Name Calling for Fun and Profit -- after launching in 2017 as a Hollywood-adjacent curiosity Cameo the site that lets fans buy personalized video messages from celebrities of all strata is booming in the pandemic era
Page 68: News + Reviews -- with the release of 12 never-before-collected essays in Let Me Tell You What I Mean Joan Didion reminds readers that she’s been right about everything all along
Page 72: Movies -- Here Comes the Sun -- the 2021 Sundance Film Festival is going virtual but these movies prove it’s as exciting as ever and will kick off Hollywood’s comeback year
Page 73: Performance Spotlight -- Ruth Negga -- in the period piece Passing the Oscar-nominated actress delivers her most devastating turn yet
Page 74: Yuh-Jung Youn -- the supporting star who stole the festival breakout Minari may be new to most American audiences but she’s ready for her close-up
Page 75: 3 Questions with Viggo Mortensen
Page 76: Role Call -- Regina Hall -- the Hollywood chameleon’s eclectic career reaches wild new heights in the bonkers crime comedy Breaking News in Yuba County; Hall looks back on the parts that brought her here
Page 77: My Dark Vanessa -- she’s already made her mark as an ingenue and now with two buzzy new indies Vanessa Kirby seems prepared to take the lead
Page 80: Parental Guidance -- welcome to your new crib sheet on the best entertainment for kids from toddlers to tweens -- Q&A with Alyson Hannigan -- in Flora & Ulysses Alyson plays a romance novelist whose daughter teams up with a superhero squirrel when life starts to get nutty
Page 82: TV -- Batwoman Beyond -- as Batwoman’s new leading lady Javicia Leslie brings a fresh attitude to Gotham
Page 84: The Great North
Page 85: Big Trouble Ahead -- after its shocking fall premiere and a recent escape new hit series Big Sky ramps up, Q+A with Jared Padalecki -- after 15 years of playing Supernatural’s Sam Winchester, Jared is donning a new hat for Walker
Page 86: Drama Queen -- Queen Latifah balances the scales of justice on the reboot of The Equalizer
Page 87: New Friends on the Block -- nothing fuels all the feels like authentic female friendship on TV especially for residents of Firefly Lane
Page 88: Ted Danson on The Mayor
Page 89: What to Watch
Page 96: Music -- Q+A with Brittany Howard -- the rocker is no stranger to Grammy glory but the nominations for Jaime, Howard’s solo album named after her late sister, represent something new
Page 97: 3 Things to Know About Chika -- the Alabama rapper and Best New Artist nominee on her city and her music and her competition
Page 99: Hear Jhene Heal -- the R&B singer’s therapeutic approach to her 2020 album Chilombo netted multiple Grammy nods and a new sense of self
Page 101: Q&A with Gwen Stefani -- The Voice coach and No Doubt frontwoman’s new single and music video Let Me Reintroduce Myself is a celebration of all things Gwen
Page 102: Barry Gibb goes country -- on Greenfields the legendary Bee Gee recruited Dolly Parton and Keith Urban and more for twangy takes on his trio’s disco classics; saddle up as Gibb details his favorite moments
Page 104: Books -- 15 books we can’t wait to read in 2021 -- literary heavyweights, YA blockbusters and a flurry of family sagas -- this year is going to be a page-turner
Page 105: Author Spotlight -- Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley, Critic’s Pick -- How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones
Page 106: Books of My Life -- Samantha Power -- the U.N. Ambassador under President Obama publishes her lauded memoir The Education of an Idealist
Page 107: Working Guy -- in his biography of the late great Mike Nichols journalist Mark Harris explores the life of the decorated director who seduced us all
Page 108: Come As You Are -- acclaimed novelists R.O. Kwon and Garth Greenwell coeditors of the new erotic anthology Kink discuss sensuality, shame, and the changing face of desire in literature
Page 112: The Bullseye
#tabloid toc#tabloidtoc#daniel kaluuya#judas and the black messiah#lakeith stanfield#viggo#viggo mortensen#falling#jared padalecki#jarpad#walker#cordell walker#sam winchester#supernatural#colin firth#stanley tucci#supernova#keegan-michael key#the history of sketch comedy#lana condor#to all the boys: always and forever#nancy johnson#the kindest lie#lionel richie#army of the dead#zack snyder#dave bautista#dennis quaid#reagan#shaka king
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