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#when he has a problem he goes 'i don't like this. but also i will be even more upset if you do anything about that.' and also will refuse
freyito · 3 days
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Hello! How are you?
I got an idea~
Can I request Boothill with the Vidyadhara reader (male, but if you want, you can use gn) ?The reader is always calm and quiet, but gets very nervous and blushes when Boothill flirts with him or hugs him (Secretly he just loves it) . The reader's tail wags nervously. And he also has sensitive horns.
If you don't like the idea, then feel free to skip my request!! (♥´∀`)/
✭ pairing(s): boothill x male vidyadhara reader
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✧ a/n: THIS IS SO CUTE!!!!!!!!! i got it the night before my job interview i think so i owe it all to you anon for getting hired on the spot. my last fic as an unemployed man... i got this job so i could whale for boothill tho. lol.
🗒 cw: male reader, vidyadhara reader, SMALL 2.2 SPOILERS, itty bit of lore building (made the vidyadhara look a little more like the yan siblings from arknights), just fluff, not proofread
✎ wc: 1.4k
ꜱᴄᴀʟᴇꜱ & ᴍᴇᴛᴀʟ
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Being a Galaxy Ranger, Boothill is well-read on the species of the universe. Sorta. Given the lack of his education, a lot of what he learned was through word of mouth or having someone explain it to him, aside from text to speech.
Aside from the Galaxy Rangers and his home world, he is the most versed on the Xianzhou, seeing as they follow Lan, as well. But that doesn’t mean he won’t treat it like it isn’t a spectacle, and the Vidyadhara have always been intriguing to him.
He’s only met a couple, namely Dan Heng, and Lady Bailu, the latter only in passing. He’s sure he’s met another somewhere, and there’s surely a Vidyadhara Ranger as well. But none of them stick out to him like you do.
He’s only visiting the Luofu, there to pick up some information about the IPC from some shady courier. He doesn’t mind this, as long as it’s honest work, and he’s been in contact with this courier for quite a while. The benefit of becoming a cyborg is that when his contacts are long life species, he has a trustworthy ally for quite a while.
The problem was, the courier had told him to get it from a cycrane in Aurum Alley. Which was all fine and dandy, normally, Boothill remembered the Alley to be rundown and quiet, dead, even. But when he’s met with a stream of people like it’s a shopping mall (which it is), he was taken aback. How was he supposed to pick up information when the Alley is so… lively? The courier reassures him that it is okay, to not act suspicious, and boy, does Boothill mess that one up.
For the first time ever, he’s fishing out a letter from the cycrane’s box, sweating with the most guilty look on his face, like a dog that had just stolen some food off the counter. He stuck out like a sore thumb, as opposed to the business owners and recipients who frequented the roost. Paired with his outworlder appearance, it’s no wonder that a couple of concerned citizens came forward, even if it was just to watch.
Now, Boothill didn’t want to be considered wanted by the Xianzhou Alliance. Not at all, his deal was with the IPC and he’d rather not have the cloud knights tailing him whenever he visited. But all thought processes stop when he spots you. Whatever price the Cloud Knights puts on his head for this info is nothing in comparison to just how stunning you look to him.
He does his best to brush this incident off as not being able to find mail, and decides a couple more days on the Loufu wouldn’t be too bad. He spends the next few days attempting to court you, as he says. Really, it’s just over pretentious flirting. You do your best to ignore it at first, you think he’s just some awe-struck outworlder, but each day that goes by, your walls crumble.
You don’t return anything really, simply give him little looks and grin and bear it. But every time he says ‘Ain’t you a pretty thing?’ whenever you simply enter his line of sight, you start to feel your cheeks heat up.
Of course, Boothill notices. And he only increases his antics. You’d be attending to your duties in the skyfaring commission and he shows up to interrupt your shift, throwing all sorts of cheesy one-liners that make your head spin. There are times where you just can’t keep up and you blush so hard you fizzle out, your mind working on auto-pilot and making you turn away on your heels.
He starts to show up on your breaks, too. With food he’d think you’d like, (which is any food he buys on the Xianzhou, essentially) and the gifts start there. It’s… thoughtful, really. When he can, he shows up to Xianzhou with something in hand from wherever he’s been. It can be a rock to the most coat you’ve seen. Which, he learns, clothes aren’t exactly the thing to buy you. Not that you would look bad in them, but he decides that Xianzhou attire really does fit you. It is then that he notices the color that extends from your claws to your bicep, and he realizes that you’re ‘pretty all over’. (His words, which don’t fail to make you red in the face.)
When he starts giving gifts, that’s when your tail starts wagging. You curse your body for betraying your want to be calm and collected, which ultimately leads to a life bound by how easy it is to fluster you. Of course, Boothill notices. He thinks it is just too cute, and good Aeons, it takes him all his strength not to cup your face and say that directly to you, to make sure you hear him. Not that he won’t say it regardless.
With all of these instances, he only becomes more insufferable. And you find yourself falling for his charms. It isn’t so bad that you have someone to eat with on your breaks, and someone who’s so eager to see you when you’re working, (even if it disrupts your work Madame Yukong seems okay with it) even if he’s a very high-profile target.
And boy, he can TELL. You’re still a flustered mess around him, anytime he calls you cute, or handsome, or pretty, any silly little pet name like ‘buttercup’ or even just ‘darlin’’, your tail is wagging furiously. You do your best to hide your sheepish smile and your blushing face, but Boothill always finds a way around it. At some point, he starts grabbing your hands and pulling them away from your face, staring into your eyes. That is the death of you.
From then-on, it seems you two are semi-official. Boothill wants so badly to ask you to be his boyfriend, but he lays back with just how shy you are. He pampers you, takes you out on all sorts of dates, from just shopping to the most romantic little tea dates, where the artificial sun sets and it feels like it’s just you two. He loves it, he revels in your reactions. Ever time your cheeks are dusted pink, to where your tail won’t stop wagging that it feels like a hazard, he’s laughing it off and making it even worse.
He grows bolder with touching, too. He starts to greet you at your work with back-hugs, whispering little compliments in your ear while your tail wags, a distinct ‘wap, wap, wap’ sounding everytime it hits the leather of his chaps. He blows kisses at you when you have to focus on your work, he holds your hand any chance he gets, he plays with your hands, too. Compliments the color of your scales, traces your palm, anything and everything that can and will make you blush more. Doesn’t matter if you two are months into this flirting, he’s got you blushing.
The day Boothill plans to ask you to be his official boyfriend, he gets overly interested in your horns. Standing outside the Skyfaring Commission, he catches you before your shift starts. The artificial sun is just rising, and the streets are empty. He stands in front of the Commission, hat off and held to his chest. It’s like a scene out of a movie, really. He starts off with your name, slowly slipping from his tongue, his twang much heavier now, reaching out to you. It feels like his eyes are sparkling– like the world is sparkling, more like. He’s akin to a…. What's the name… Knight of Beauty. You heard the trailblazer talking about them with Yukong.
Your head spins, and all you can stammer out is a ‘y-yes!’ in the middle of his speech. You can’t tell if you can’t take it anymore with how warm your body is running, or if you’re just… eager. Both feel equally embarrassing. Before he can kiss you to seal the deal, he runs a steel finger against one of your horns. A jolt of electricity runs down your body, making you yelp and whine, and in the middle of that, he kisses you, holding his hat up to shield your faces from the few people out this early. It’s a soft kiss, just as romantic as his silly display of want, and he smiles against your lips. His hand comes down, slightly carding through your hair, to cup your cheek.
You try to walk off your embarrassment as you enter the Commission, taking note to text him later about what just went down. Of course, Yukong notices, but all she gives you is a soft chuckle and a smile. Thank Lan.
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© freyito, 2024 | masterlist | queue | kofi | star header by roseschoices
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w1shb0n3z · 2 days
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Alright, so hear me out
(this is another long one. Like. Seriously. It has 2.6k words.)
*yes, I edited this like 5 mins after I posted it just to add some more, oops
Post cannon Labru where Laios tries to help Kabru regain weight
TW: ED, Body Dysmorphia, Fat-phobia, Gender Dysphoria
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It turns out to he a huge body image thing. Like Kabru develops a bit of an ED after he gains his weight back and tries to stay "the perfect weight" and major body dysmorphia. But! It's very sweet because hand feeding, of course, and self-acceptance.
I imagine Kabru's blue eyes get brought up when Laios is like "oh, you don't like that about yourself? :( you're so wonderful! What else could you possibly not like! Surely not those eyes ^^" or something
Plus! I'm 98% sure that Laios gains some weight post cannon, so his wrestler build gets softer, which, yay! We love that here! But this comes with its positives and negatives. (Dont he scared by how big the negative paragraph is)
Positive: Kabru has an example of having a healthy relationship with yourself and your body
Negatives (and hold on) TW btw: at a certain point of Kabru's weight gain/ body acceptance journey, where he gets obsessed with keeping "the perfect body" and does everything in his power not to gain anymore, his own twisted view of himself spills over to Laios. He starts to view Laios as a sort of slob or careless person because he gained weight after the dungeon and gained an extra 5-ish pounds while helping Kabru gain. Because Laios can and will encourage Kabru to eat by eating with him with a smile on his face.
What if someone finds out about Kabru's purging?
Yes, Kabru has purged a few times while he was at his lowest. And no, Laios doesn't catch him in the act. He doesn't know until someone tells him about it. Kabru just keeps it to himself with a tinge of guilt. Someone else finds out. I can't decide who yet, but if it were:
Chilchuck - he'd be familiar with his topic because one of his daughters went through the same thing. He keeps secret as per Kabru's request but gives to Kabru straight. He tells him vomiting hat much rots your teeth and only has negative impacts in the future. With Chil being big and tall for his race's standards and him canonically watching his own weight, he talks Kabru through this whole body image thing. Maybe not in the exact way Kabru wants, but in the way he needs
Senshi - he's SO against this. He tries to father Kabru, but his own lack of understanding for why Labru feels this way gets in the way of progress. He urges Kabru to eat and tells Laios what's goin on in hopes of figuring out what all of this is about, accidentally spilling the beans and leading to conflict between Laios and Kabru
Marcille - she doesn't really get the ED thing, but she gets not liking your body (since she never fit in with her "age group" while growing up and wished she physically presented like them). She also tells Kabru that throwing up rots his teeth and says it's bad for your mana and junk. Shes very offput by this whole thing, but she tries. She doesn't tell Laios...on purpose. (Falin also finds out becuase the guilt Marcille has from telling that secret ears her alive)
Falin - my girl does NOT understand. But she's here to empathize. She ends up being huge in Kabru's healing journey. She tries to check in on bim every now and then and uses her own transformation to promote body acceptance
Izutsumi - she doesn't know what to do. She's 17 goddamn it. So when she hears Kabru throwing up she just assumes he's sick, but when she keeps hearing it she gets a little stressed about him. She goes "he's just weird" and mentions it in conversation to someone else, most likely Marcille (which probably led to Marcille finding out in the earlier paragraph)
Mickbell...somehow - is like "dude wtf" and tells Rin about it since he knows there close. He's worried, yeah, but he doesn't think its really his problem. Especially since the two fo them aren't close like that.
Kuro - he finds out and tells Rin as well, he also tells Kabru that he looks fine. He mentions it to Mickbell, yeah, but in a "Will he be okay? :(" way
Rin - devastated. She initially gives Kabru a hard talk...which makes him worse, but hey! She tried. Rin then thinks its becuase of the shame of dying many times and tries to comfort Kabru again. Doesn't work. She tries to get him to eat the things he likes. He eats them, but she can sense the guilt from Kabru. They then have a heart to heart becuase Rin can't stand to see her best friend suffer like this and assures him that he looks fine as often as he needs
Holm - he takes a simular approach as Falin but gets a little more involved. He understands it on paper, but can't image what actually having these issues is like. Yes, he also informs Rin and is the one that told her to try to speak to Kabru in a less...prickly manner about this touchy subject
Daya - She doesnt realise what Kabru was trying to achieve by puking. So she just advises him not to do so and tells Rin about the strange behavior.
How does this affect non-platonic Labru?
Easy!
Well for starters! If they were boning before, they aren't now LMAO
Partly because of Kabru's own body image being trash and his attraction to Laios (temporarily) going to shit after Laios gained some weight to encourage Kabru. Damn that internalized fat-phobia. Neither one of them seems to have a clue what's going on. Let word, seems.
Kabru knows his view of Laios just isn't the same, but he doesn't let it be known that he's aware of this.
Does he feel bad? Yeah. But he only feels bad because he doesn't feel bad. He feels as though he's a shitty boyfriend for harboring such disgust for his partner's figure
Laios catches Kabru stealing glances at himself in the mirror. Staring just a little too long. Laios deduces that Kabru's feeling a little self-conscious after some hard thought.
So, of course, he makes sure to be extra careful about his words. He'd totally be like that one meme (which I can't find) that goes: "damn girl, that ass is wide" "what??" "I didn't want to say fat and trigger your eating disorders :/"
Plus, on the not boning thing, they're busy. You got a king and his advisor, they're not gonna be cranking it up every night! They simply sleep together, in a literal sense most nights anyways, so more sleep isn't anything bad
Additionally, I don't believe Laios has a high sex drive at all. (I personally think he's on the asexual spectrum, maybe because I'm ace, but still)
Kabru won't initiate a thing at the moment, it's up to Laio's sporadic desires to get things going. (It never gets going)
What if Laios discovers Kabru's feelings towards him and the purging?
He's hurt, simply put. He can't understand why Kabru dislikes his body, Laios can't understand why his own body would be such a turn off now.
In the non-platonic vers Laios tries to become "sexy" again. ....He fails horribly and ends up making a fool out if himself. At first he's like, "well monsters do this to attract mates" right after he feels as though he needs to inprove upon himself. Then he goes "no... Kabru isnt a monster, and im not either (unfortunately)"
He pushes that silly thought aside and tries to find out *why* Kabru is turned off by his looks now. His face? No.. His hair? Just got it cut. His figure? ...but why?
Laios goes right up to Kabru and confronts him about it. Kabru being the slippery bitch that he is denies it and goes "lol wtf haha! I luv u bae and there's nothing wrong with u!! ur so sexy and hot haha..."
This, inevitably, confused the shit out of Laios and he asks for honesty. Kabrus actions aren't exactly aligning with his words, and something needs to he done.
[Okay, let's be real here. If Kabru didn't want Laios to know how he felt, Laios' ass would NOT know lmao. This is just for the bit]
Now the purging? Laios is like "dude what? :(" he doesn't understand it. Nope. Not at all. He tires to he supportive, but he really doesn't know what to do with this. It's not like there's a bulimia monster, so he has no real frame of reference.
He's all "but you look fine how you are :(" and "I like the weight on you!" or even "did you know that [this species of monster] finds fat attractive? ,:D"
He means so so well, and Karbu knows it. Laios really is just a dog of a man.
Laios also tries to get Kabru to promise to stop. We know how that went. Karbu agreeing just to do it behind Laios' back because he knows Laios won't find out. He'll cut back on it, yeah, but he has his weak moments.
Eventually, Laios makes sure to only have Kabru serve his favorite meals. That should keep him from puking it up! And Karbu stops after a while. But only because his health is on the decline.
What else?
Two words: hand. feeding.
Kabru throws up? He gets his favorite meals so he won't. Kabru keeps checking his figure? Less mirrors in the caslte and more compliments. Kabru not eating enough or skipping meals? Simple. Laios makes sure he eats.
And how? A little less of Laios sensually slipping a fork full of decedent chocolate cake past Kabru's lips and a little more than a simple "here comes the airplane"
It starts off as Laios seeing Kabru taking smaller bites and being like "oh! Let me show you how to fill your fork! ^^" and then him taking Kabru's fork, impaling a bunch of assorted foods onto said fork, then handing it back to Kabru.
Then it sort of devolved (...evolved?) Into Kabru begrudgingly letting Laios feed him like a toddler while no one else ot looking. My boy Kabru does NOT know how to say no to this autistic man properly.
Laios was like "would it help if I just fed you?" And karbu replied something like "haha! It just might!" And of course Laios did not pick up on that God level sarcasm and went "cool, Let's try it then" and Kabru, wanting to appease Laios said "cool!". Bro was punching air.
(Yes, Laios said stuff like "good job buddy!" "You're doing so well!" "Its tasty, right?" Almost every bite)
In the non-platonic world, Laios would have Karbu sit ever so close to him as he was fed, maybe even in his lap. And of course Karbu would get a peck on the cheek after every bite. And the whole process may or may not turn Laios on. Especially when they're dining on monster. Whoops.
....anything else?
This all ties in with the absurd standards that was set for Karbu and the insecurities he hides within himself.
The whole blue-eye-spawn-of-a-demon thing was already enough for him. But being raised by that moody ass elf was a whole nother thing.
Milsiril, his adoptive elf mom, raises children like she has a monopoly in daycares. She's a serial foster fr. All them damn kids. Raising them like pets becuase you want something to love and depend on you. (I love Milsiril btw)
Anyways.
Kabru was his mom's favorite since his features were unique. Im talkin big bright blue eyes contrasting with rich dark skin, in particular. Plus, he was so sociable! All of his siblings looked up to him in one way or another. He was the star child.
And, you know that thing about elves being twinks, right? When ever Milsiril would check up on Karbu's health, she would use this old elven chart depicting the "average/desirable/suggested" height, weight, and muscle tone for diffrent short-lived races at diffrent ages/stages of life.
Safe to say these charts and texts were based off of elven standards, so everyone was thought to be slimmer, lighter, and more toned than normal. Plus, they're old lol. Instead of updating her charts and buying some from the diffrent cultures and races, she keeps her old one becuase she legit just forgets to replace it and hasn't had any "major problems" while raising her kids with that information so she doesn't think to change it.
What in trying to say is!
Kabru was raised with unrealistic body goals, and when he used to deviate from those arbitrary statistics during childhood he'd be put on diets and stuff.
Also, What if Kabru was transmasc?
Especially when he was a teen, even gaining a little wait made him go nuts. He couldn't get the words "unhealthy" out of his head and started associating it with the word "fat". His mind likes to play tricks on him when he's in the mirror. Exaggerating his figure and making him panic.
So! When he was sick and tired after that weird ass dungeon trip that changed his whole world and he came back to find himself thin as a pin, he tweaked.
He logically hated it because it was unhealthy, but a part of him was satisfied. With the added stress of becoming a Kings advisor, he started to crack under the pressure, manifesting in an obsession with himself. When he started to gain weight back he was brought right back to those check ups he had with Milsiril and those 2, maybe 3 times he was put onto diets in his youth. He really feared he was getting fat and he would just stare into the mirror and feel his flesh beneath his fingertips, searching for some sort of confirmation. All he felt was a bit of a squish, a bit of a give, and that's all he needed.
It was too much for him. His body was wrecked in his eyes. He's supposed to he fit and lean and thin and perfect. How could that be perfect? He looks in the mirror in his private study, wasting the time he could've been spending planning new city infrastructure or working out the kinks in trade. But no. He's here, in his dimly lit room, looking at how imperfect he's become in his eyes. How unhealthy he is his mom's eyes. How disgusting he is in his birth mothers eyes.
He had to fix it. The wound rubs deep, dar past the dermis. And, I guess, much like other wounds that cut a chasm into the skin, you don't really feel it once it severs your nerves. You don't really notice until you see the big, gaping, bleeding, notch where you used to be.
Lol anyways
Whoo boy. He is in hell. He feels like gaining weight makes him look "softer" and more feminine. He hates it, yes. But he tries his best not to let it effect his wardrobe. This whole weight journey really rehydrated his gender dysphoria.
He's used to looking a little androgynous, but with his new weight going to his stomach, hips, and thighs, he just feels as though his silhouette is becoming more girly.
Kabru is found training and working out more. Anything to get his body more boxy again.
He spends more time making sure he looks presentable. Even waking up a little earlier to ensure he vouge cover ready. (Well, I mean, as vouge ready as perpetual business casual can be)
And how does it end?
It takes some time, but Kabru heals. He's 10 pounds heavier than when we were first introduced to him, but he doesn't mind anymore.
It was a long journey full of all sorts of denail and shame, but he got there.
He's still the Light Yagami coded perfect chivalrous boy. He always has been. And Laios loves him all the same. Platonically or not.
Laios was essential in Karbu learning to let go of those impossible ideal and unreachable standards. Laios does not give a fuck afterall, he thinks all human bodies are unintresting beautiful! That dude does not judge. Rember him talking about the orc women in one of the monster tidbit sections? He's about body acceptance and neutrality.
Kabru grew to love his body, not just tolderate it or like it because someone else does. And if it tickles you, he liked the extra pounds Laios gained in the end, too. And if you're here for non-platonic Labru, then Laios may have became a bit of a feeder and has a tiiiiny food kink. Plus, Laios is a huge fan of the squish and Kabru likes how warm Laios is.
I just want to add this in here, also hecuase ive seen it before and i agree, but Laios seems like the type to give dutch ovens. He shows love like a big brother and its horrible (affectionate). This passes Karbu off SO BAD and it's hilarious. He has to sit down and have a very direct and serious talk about "getting too comfortable". And Laios would sit there the entire time like a sad dog and nod along.
Kabru and Laios also wrestle. No debate. They do it to spar, Laios does it for fun, Kabru does it to make Laios shut up. It's great!
Sorry this took so long lmao,, I legit just kept forgetting to write this
This was just word vomit. I've lost the plot somewhere along the way, I fear
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soapycheeks · 21 hours
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i just know that mactavish probably have at least two girls waiting for him in their home everyday. so, here's little conversation he'll have with his sweet little eight years old daughter — little angst, fluff — 1.1k words
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her innocent face remains sober. she's not a child who's easily persuaded by sugar-coated lies and half-truths, make your husband impressed by your daughter maturity despite his attempts to throw cheeky jokes to make everything better. "but mommy was mad at you, weren't she?"
"yeah, mommy was mad at me. and she has every right to be." he says calmly. "i'm gone for too many days in the year. that puts more pressure on her to take care of you on her own. and she loves you more than she loves anything else in the world, and she doesn't like it when i doesn't get to spend enough time with you. so... she gets mad at me."
the little girl nods, clearly understanding his point. "you should stay home with us, then." she says plainly, her soft voice filling with honesty as she speaks, makes his heart goes out to her, unable to argue against such pure and simple logic. but he knows how the real-world works, and he can't just quit his job and stay home all the time.
he puts on a small smile, patting her on the head. "i wish i could, sweetheart. but this is my job. i have a responsibility to the people in my unit, and their families - and to my country. i love you so much... but i can't just abandon my work."
"but daddy, how are you gonna help us when you're out there? it makes mommy really sad... and she gets scared..."
"i know, honey... i know. but i promise, i'll be back as soon as i can. i have to go, but as soon as i get back, i'll hug you like this-" he leans down and lifts her up so she's resting against his chest.
his daughter face full of hope once again, there's only one thing on her mind now - she doesn't want her father to go away again. "that'll be really nice." she says softly. "but when are you gonna come back? you're always gone for so long... mommy says that it's taking away the best years we have together, and that it's not fair. is she right?"
he doesn't want to lie to his child, but he also doesn't want to ruin any hope she has. but she's so smart that she always sees right through his lies - that's the problem.
after taking a deep breath, he meets her eyes. "yes. she's right... it is taking away some of the best years we could have together. i wish it wasn't like this. but sometimes we have to do what's important, even when it's hard."
the little girl looks down and bites her lip, then looks up at him and nods slowly. her face still sober but a little calmer now.
"ok. but daddy...?"
johnny glances down at her. the look in her eyes tells him that she's about to ask another difficult, grown-up question - and that it's most likely going to crush him all over again.
"what is it, sweetheart?"
"mommy says... she doesn't want you to die when you're not here with us, because it would make her really sad. and it would make me really sad too, because i'd be all alone while you're gone. and i guess that's how i feel every time you leave. so... please, i'm begging you, daddy... don't die. please don't ever die, okay?"
that does it. he can't handle this last question. he has to turn away from her and cover his face, because even though he's tried to stay strong throughout this whole conversation, he feels the tears spilling from his eyes.
"oh honey..." he murmurs, choking back a sob. "don't you worry about that, okay? i promise... i'm gonna come back home to you, every single time. i'll stay away from danger as much as i can. and i'll be back home with you as soon as i can. i promise."
she lets out a tiny sigh and hug him tighter against her as she finally decides that she's done saying everything she needs to say. her voice is softer and quieter now, like a little whisper.
"i wish mommy didn't get mad when you had to go to your job. i don't like it when she gets mad at you, because it makes everybody upset. i promise, when i grow up, i'm gonna be a girl who doesn't get mad and loves her daddy all the time. i wish everybody could love you like i do."
he little bit speechless, but he knows that the argument between the two of you not that bad, you're just upset with the situation. he sighs and lets out a long, weary chuckle. you had definitely said your fair share of harsh words about him in the past, and many of the things you said have stuck with him.
"you're such an angel, honey... don't you ever change. stay sweet and loving and innocent like you are now, okay? daddy loves you so much..."
she buries her face into his chest and wraps her arms around his neck, clinging to him with all her strength. it's like her one chance to hold onto him as tightly as she can and never let go. "i love you too, daddy..."
he kisses the top of her head and holds her for a long time, not ready to let go of her yet.
finally, after a few minutes, he sets her down on her feet and kneels down in front of her again.
"what do you want to do," he says softly, taking her little hands in his. "i can take you to the bookstore if you want, or maybe get your favorite ice cream."
she thinks for a moment, her face filling with happiness again. when she was feeling sad, she was ready to stay home and do nothing at all. but now that she's happy again, the world might as well be her oyster.
"ice cream sounds super! but first, can we go to the bookstore and just look around, then get ice cream? i like looking at all the books, but i never get to buy any because all the good ones are too expensive and mommy doesn't let me."
he grins and nods. he likes that she wants to look at the books but she doesn't want him to spend too much money on her. it shows that she's aware of his responsibilities and the financial implications of certain purchases, even at such a young age. johnny thinks she's absolutely precious.
he stands back up and offers her his hand, which she grabs excitedly.
my really 1st time wrote about him. likes, reblogs, and comments are wonderfully appreciated!
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auncyen · 2 days
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what I meant to write: mIrabelle as the one looping having a crying breakdown in the equivalent of act 3 because I thought of it a few days ago and it's been stuck in my head (Panic! at the Dinner Table).
What actually got written: can you imagine how terrible it'd be for another looper to start suspecting Siffrin did something WELL
-
Siffrin has been suspicious for several days.
(Odile might say 'days' is inaccurate, but it's close enough, you think! You start in early afternoon on one day and then, when everything goes well, see Euphrasie in late afternoon of the next day, so it's around a day--sometimes over...many times under. Also, calling them days feels...better. Maybe it's a 'cycle' or 'loop' for everyone else caught up in this, with them always being reset to the same places, the same lines until you start changing things, but you are moving through time. You're Changing.)
(You're changing, aren't you?)
(For the better?)
--Siffrin has been suspicious for several of your days. They still act like their friendly self--they've even gifted you a flower sometimes! (You suppose other times you might have been too abrupt in waking them up. And sometimes you haven't woken them up at all, because you realize they'll come to the Clocktower anyway. They all will, it's where you're staying. You couldn't come up with anything more creative than a sleepover?) But...something's off.
You first realized something was strange about Siffrin--well, a lot of things are strange about Siffrin. You're more worried about his memory than ever now. Whenever you go into that secret room for the stash of tonics, Siffrin starts talking about a time he ran away from home, only to suddenly stop and look confused. You've tried encouraging him to continue by reminding him of everything he said up to that point (Isabeau applauded your thorough recitation with the most lightheartedness he could muster while still looking Siffrin over with his own concern), but it doesn't jog anything. You've tried guiding Siffrin to tell the story a different way with questions, but it seems like he loses the thread even faster that way. Lately you've just...cut him off from telling the story by laughing as soon as he brings it up and mentioning how mad his parents must have been when he returned. Siffrin still looks confused and lost for a terrible moment when you say that, but then he grins and agrees, and surely he's agreeing because that's what actually happened, isn't it? He said he was playing a prank. He played a silly prank for an hour or two, and then he went home, and probably he got a scolding for it but everything was fine.
...You still. Would like to avoid that room in the future. To not see that scared, lost look on Siffrin. Maybe you're strong enough now that you don't need the tonics?
But, but, you need to focus. Siffrin's memory problems are strange and worrying, and you really wished they'd said sooner how bad it is instead of letting you all tease them about it, but what's suspicious is their connection to the King.
You're not entirely sure what it is. When you go to the King, he always singles Siffrin out. "Bright One...do you remember?"
Obviously, with the already-mentioned memory problems, the answer is No. You've tried asking Siffrin if they know the King in any way, but of course he says no? Even if they knew each other once, Siffrin could have forgotten him the same way he can't remember what happened when he went out on the ocean in a boat to prank his parents? You imagined a tragically doomed romance between a villain and a hero with partial amnesia from an injury earned in one of their past scuffles (why is Siffrin's memory that bad???) for all of ten seconds before you realized that if Siffrin could forget the King, he'll surely forget boring, stagnant Mirabelle as soon as he leaves. After that you were too depressed to imagine anything between Siffrin and the King, which was probably for the better. Especially considering...
One time, the King singled out Siffrin in a different way. A terrible way. The first loop--the first day after you defeated the King and got to see Euphrasie for a glimpse of happiness before being sent back--you'd lost your temper a bit. You'd pushed everyone to go through the House faster than any time before, brought back to your senses at the end of the second floor by Odile dryly commenting on her tired feet while giving a pointed look at Bonnie, who was obviously getting worn out. You'd apologized over and over, and chewed your nails off at the second snack break to let them take all the time they needed to recover their energy, and went through the third floor without saying anything to rush Siffrin. You'd kept your temper in check until you saw the King again, and then you'd accused him of being a cheat, an unchanged loser who couldn't accept defeat, and he'd let your venting wash over him with a calm indifference ("I do not know what you speak of, Housemaiden") until you told him exactly what you were speaking of--the time that kept turning back, again and again, the days the loops the returns--
His face is mostly obscured by his long hair, but you could tell by the way his head turned that he'd directed his attention to Siffrin, and you knew it was with a glare by the cold fury in his voice. "What have you done, Bright One. The Universe's will is with me."
And then
the king struck
and Siffrin--
You don't speak to the King anymore. You don't let him talk either. You're pretty sure he told you everything you'd want to know from him. He can use Time Craft, but he isn't the one holding you in these endless days. He thinks Siffrin can use Time Craft, which sounds ridiculous, but since then you've talked with the Change God (you'd wanted reassurance you'd wanted a sign your statue was the only one unbroken in the whole House and you touched its face in reverence and the Change God spoke to you) and they'd told you three things:
you're their favorite!
they're put out by Dormont being stagnant and unchanging, but they're excited to see how exactly you change (maybe being their favorite isn't good. Your favorite characters go through some awful things, after all)
Siffrin isn't not responsible for this???
So it makes sense that Siffrin had a hand in this somehow! After a few more days which let you reach Euphrasie, you realized the time reset at the end only happens while Euphrasie is talking to Siffrin! That's suspicious! And, and, you've tried preventing it by keeping Euphrasie from talking to Siffrin, but she is so insistent she'd like to talk to them, and everyone starts looking at you strangely the more you protest, and you just...can't stop it.
You can't stop Siffrin from ruining things.
You hate that you're even suspicious of him, but he won't admit to using Time Craft when you ask, and surely even with his terrible memory, he'd remember that? He doesn't forget everything! But if he's lying, then...
Then you don't know what that means.
You don't know what to do.
--
...What Siffrin did: show Mirabelle how to wish and be an islander recognized by other islanders and not particularly liked by the Change God
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Looong rant about chapter 16 Ptolemy's Gate and how being passive can add to the cycle of ab*se.
oof so I just read when Nat goes to see Ms Lutyens and I can't help but be absolutely furious at her??
I know that's maybe a little bit unfair given she's frightened of him as a magician and is obviously angry when she finds out the department he's responsible for, but honestly it kinda brings up the problem with inadvertent bystanders to child ab*se in my mind.
And I'm definitely not blaming her solely for who Nat becomes but it makes me think of all those people in huge child ab*se cases who give interviews to press about all the things they noticed that were wrong but they just...never do anything?
She stood up for him against Lovelace, and when Nat thanked her- "I wanted to say that I know you were trying to save me, and-"
''Yes, and I'm sorry I didn't" Like girl be for real did you really think that alone would undo the years of indoctrination and abuse he's already suffered and prevent years worth of the same in the years to come? And she won't take responsibility - "My job is with children, not the adults they become" and again while it seems harsh to blame her for who Nat becomes, it's so much easier to pass the blame to people who are more directly responsible rather than acknowledging you also play a part.
I think it hurts so much more because it's her specifically- Nat goes to her in sheer desperation, it almost seems like a goodbye- he wants to thank her, tries to set her up in a job that will pay well and struggles to communicate he's trying to help. At this point he thinks Bartimaeus has been summoned by another magician and his birth name will be revealed. He's sure he's about to die and if not he'll be stood on trial and lose everything.
He goes to her because she represents the peaceful moments from his childhood when he got away from his master. He's scared and feeling lost and really it's call for help; but he doesn't ask for anything he just wants to make her feel proud of him- he's looking for that validation that he's been chasing since childhood.
And that shows he still does have that little bit of childhood innocence in him; he thinks she will be proud, thinks she'll see him as the same little boy in the garden gazing up at his teacher in adoration. He can't quite grasp why she's separated the man stood before her from that little boy. Because in that moment the child inside Nathaniel is seeking comfort AND THAT'S WHY it makes me so angry. She's completely given up on him when he's at his lowest ebb, because she doesn't want to be associated with the magician he's become. As if it isn't a massive step in the right direction that he saught her out in the first place- what other magican would bother? I wonder if that's why she reacted so strongly to seeing him again? Before that moment she could go about her life wondering if /pretending her attempt to protect him was enough, and now she realises it wasn't, of course it wasn't, and the image she had of Nathaniel's childhood innocence is completely ruined in her mind.
Or was her contempt for him even grater than Nat realised? She was naturally disgusted by the rhetoric he'd started to repeat from a young age, and gently tried to correct him although she was clearly angry- was she just resigned to the fact that there is little else she could do to change his future? I always thought- couldn't she have looked for him? The Underwood house fire was in the papers and they mentioned the apprentice was being searched for. Did she ever worry about him? Surely something must have been in the papers since- an announcement of new ministers, ANYTHING! Look at how much research Kitty did to find out about Bartimaeus and Ptolemy. I just don't think Rosanna Lutyens cared enough, realistically Nathaniel wasn't hard to find- but he was no longer her responsibility so she could turn a blind eye.
And sadly it's not just her- I know everyone loves Martha Underwood including Nat; but I think her submissiveness to her husband has a negative effect on Nathaniel as well. In AOS when Nat is locked in his room for ages after setting the mites loose, and is forbidden to have any contact with anyone and she won't talk with him. I know she's been told by Mr. Underwood she can't, but it still boils my blood. She's an adult and going along with ignoring Nathaniel because her husband told her to...I can't even begin to imagine the psychological damage that would do to a 10 year old child. (It could be argued she's frightened of the consequences if her husband finds out she's disobeyed him which is fair, he could always be watching through magic- but this is Arthur Underwood we're talking about. He's lazy, oblivious and weak I doubt he'd expend all that energy each day to check up on her.)
And It's even more painful that Nathaniel is often described as fiercely loyal to her and I think to Ms Lutyens as well- he doesn't expect to be treated well by Arthur Underwood but he loved Mrs Underwood and Ms Lutyens so much he started to view them through a rose-coloured lense. He never feels betrayed by either of them, even though they absolutely let him down, because the pedestal he's put them on is too high AND THAT ABSOLUTELY DESTROYS ME.
Would things with Nathaniel have been any different if Mrs Underwood hadn't died? I don't really think so. Do you think she'd see Nathaniel's temper at 14 years old and be reminded of Arthur Underwood? He was awful, absolutely awful to Nat and to her; but he was under so much stress in an underfunded departement, where pressure was being put on him by superiors to accomplish far more than they knew him to be capable of, and he took it out on the easiest target. Nathaniel ends up in exactly the same place and he starts to take it out on the only person around him- Bartimaeus. Would he snap at Mrs Underwood all the time if she were still there? Because he's learnt that behaviour from his father figure, and subconsciously learnt from his mother figure that she'll put up with it. He learnt from the woman he loved so deeply, that if you don't resist, people will walk all over you. So you have to maintain control even if it ends up hurting people you care about because no one will step in to stop the suffering no matter how much you love them, no matter how much you want them too.
It's easy to blame Arthur Underwood and Simon Lovelace and the magicians that actively hurt Nathaniel but I just feel like it's a bit disingenuous not to acknowledge the role of those doing passive harm. It's really mean to say it but even Bartimaeus plays a role- he knows Nat is clinging on to him because he can't 'bring himself to break this last connection' (to his childhood) but instead of bringing it up properly he 'taunts' Nathaniel- a boy who has been taunted for his weakness by his master for years. And even in AOS when Nathaniel tells Bartimaeus he was beaten for the mites incident Bart just kinda shrugs it off. Like I get it, why should Bartimaeus do anything, he's suffered way worse due to the system so he doesn't owe Nat anything right? But from Nat's point of view this is the first and only time he's mentioned to anyone what has happened to him and nothing changes. It's like another lesson learnt: telling someone about it doesn't help. Another nail in the coffin.
And I like all these characters, I feel bad for them. They're all victims of the system, I think the chapter with Ms Lutyens is just the straw that broke the camel's back for me. All of those little opportunities that are insignificant to the narrative over all; the commoners have it worse, Nathaniel is in a privileged position in society, exerting control over others. He's very morally grey, crossing over into objectively bad person territory but I love him with my whole heart and all of those insignificant moments would have been massive to him whether he was conscious of it or not.
And it goes all the way back to the beginning with Nat's parents giving him up to the magicians at 5 years old. I can't get the image of that little boy sat crying all alone in the government building. And he's not going somewhere safer, or somewhere he'll be happier and more loved. Giving your child over to a total stranger, oh he'll be totally fine won't he? He'll grow up to be a magician and far richer than you'll ever be, he'll be happy and comfortable and be grateful he got to grow up in luxury. There's no way a stranger you've never met, who the majority of society is terrified of would ever hurt a vulnerable little kid right? And if they do? Well you aren't responsible anymore, how could you know? What could you possibly do against the magician taking care of him?
Every little thing is another grain of sand tipping the scale. Did anyone else have to analyse An Inspector Calls in school? It feels like that to me- those BIG moments and all the little moments in between that add onto the pile.
And it goes on to cause problems in wider society too- ab*se is so normalised to the magicians, they casually ask Underwood if he hits Nathaniel like it's nothing. Because to them it is nothing, they've all grown up in the same circumstances and are repeating what they've learnt as children. I can't help but feel a little sorry for them all, especially when they aren't looked at through the black and white lense of 'argh these people are the evil arseholes look at how they treat everyone around them, screw these guys.' When we see those little glimpses of humanity like Simon's anxiety with the amulet; looking to his master and father figure Schyler for reassurance, and what's sad is that Nat is "reminded...of his own master's cold impatience" It's clear Simon looks up to his master, wants to make him proud and loves him. But it seems like Schyler has just trained Simon up so he can get power through him later on. I love the little hints of similarities between Simon and Nathaniel; the anxious mannerisms like fiddling with his hair that Nathaniel starts to develop, the way their master's talk to them. Even though they're actively working against each other in AOS and Simon is placed firmly in the baddies category and Nat in the goodies category at this point in the series; these things always hinted to me they had similar childhoods, how was Simon treated? When he had the imp beat Nat into unconsciousness, was it because he'd had the same punishment used against him? Did he know the magicians in the room would do nothing to stop him because no one stopped it from happening to him? Did he ever have a teacher stand up for him only for it to change nothing in the end because all the negative influences were so much stronger? Is the reason he loves Schyler like a dad because he's almost developed Stockholm syndrome? It looks like love because he's never known anything else.
And Arthur Underwood- who doesn't think his upbringing, and being taken away from his family ever did him any harm- doesn't realise the harm done is that he doesn't even know another way of raising Nathaniel, because he was never shown another way. His childhood may also have been filled with people who hurt him and the people that didn't do enough to intervene.
There are so many psychology studies that show children copy everything they see the adults in their life doing. Nathaniel copies the magicians behaviour towards spirits and on a subconscious level I think he copies all the submissive people in his life. How many times does he end up upset and frustrated with the fact he seems to be going nowhere and how many times does he just hope things will be different rather than taking postive action.
I dislike the actions the magicians end up taking but I also find them fascinating to analyse. I tend to prefer villains in media because they're usually slightly more complex individuals and I love to think about how they ended up that way. They can all be seen as victims of their circumstances in a way, despite all the power and privilege they have had terrible and traumatic childhoods, and if the commoners had no valuable worldy possessions at least they had a sense of togetherness; of love and understanding and selflessness. I wonder if the magicians hated them at least partly because of that. Because out in the sea of faces of the commoners talking about nothing important, doing nothing great and noble- could be the parents that abandoned them. And when your life is on the line daily because of working with spirits, and your colleagues want to stab you in the back, sometimes not being responsible for anything important looks good. But you can't leave your life as a magician, it would be too difficult; you have nowhere to go, no real friends, no one who really loves you. So it's better to stay and be a submissive bystander in your own life because it's so much easier.
Doing nothing is doing something- being passive can be just as harmful.
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littlemarianah · 2 days
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Prompt: “How am I supposed to focus when you look at me like that?”
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@tetheredfeathers and I started a challenge to write a text between 500 - 1000 words with this prompt.
Click >here< to see her version of this.
Just something fun to pass the time... I ended up writing my new non-reaped AU project, where Katniss and Peeta never go to the games.
I'm tagging these three incredible and talented writers to continue our challenge.
@mollywog @nightlocked-in @rainymyx
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title:
The streak of luck.
A tide of luck had swept over me the last few weeks. Spring is always the best time of year to find things in the woods, but this year I outdid myself. I found two bee hives full of honey. It was very painful and I spent days recovering from the bee stings, but I managed to bring two bags full of honeycombs to sell on the rob. Honey is a rare item in district twelve, so it made me a lot of money.
I think that since spring began, there hasn't been a day that goes by that I don't come home with something to sell with. From juicy wild berries to Turkeys, swallows and wild dogs. I've been finding things more valuable lately.
This month, we had the luxury of spending more stuff than just on food. I was able to buy new boots for Prim, cold coat for me and a supply of oils for my mother to make ointments and resell.
And in the end there was still money left. So I bought a sewing thread and a needle. I grabbed my mother's old white dress from the back of the closet. She and Prim did all the repairs for me. Then I took my dress to Hazelle and paid her a good amount to wash it. She asked me for bleach, to remove the yellow stains from age and mold. Then she asked me for violet fabric paint. It was difficult to find something like that on the black market, it ended costing me a whole rabbit.
I was afraid it would turn my dress purple, but she said that the dye mixed in hot water removes all the yellow stains and makes the dress white like never before.
She was right. It was so beautiful it looked like I had bought it brand new.
As I get older and become more and more like my mother, her dress looks more and more like it was made out for me. The straight cut at the collar makes my long neck - which Peeta praises so much - stand out. The long sleeves hide my thin arms. The tight waist makes it my hips look more accentuated than they actually are. It's a simple dress, it looks like a nightgown. However, its fabric is so elegant that I look like a bride from the big city.
My mom puts my hair in a low bun and Prim makes a lavender flower crown to match spring.
The shoes I will wear are a problem. I only have my beat-up hunting boots and old school shoes. None suit the occasion. My mother's shoes are beautiful, but they are so tight on me. I refuse to spend the whole afternoon limping.
There is a third option, which I don't like very much. There are the shoes I used to wear at the reaping. The last time I wore them I was 19 years old, two years ago. This blue heels are so old they look gray.
I wish I had thrown them away, but you can never waste resources like that. Shoes are expensive. Even if they don't bring back good memories, they are still valuable. My mother cleans them and rubs them with lard to make them shiny. I feel weird, but it's my best option at the moment.
So here I am, dressed like a spring bride. And there he is, dressed like a merchant groom. Waiting for me at the door of the Justice Building.
He has combed his hair back and applied gel to keep the curls in place. A perfectly ironed white shirt, black pants with a silver buckle belt and a brown suit over everything, which make his shoulders pointy. He's perfect. On his feet are also his reaping shoes.
“You look so beautiful." he says.
“You too." I reply.
Then we link our arms and wait until they call us. I feel the heat radiating from Peeta. He doesn't usually get nervous, but today his forehead shines with sweat and he fixes his collar compulsively. So far I've counted five times in the last two minutes.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Oh, my brother lent me this shirt. It's itchy" He groans, awkwarly. I smile at him and he seems to relax.
There are several couples around us, waiting too. Everyone wants to get married in the spring.
Many young women in white. Some with lacy and chic dresses, others with old and yellowed, but all the same holding the hands of their lovers. The young men, one exhausted by work, one covered in coal dust, and another with elegant blue suits and shiny shoes.
We are all there, waiting to get to our turn.
When the door finally opens the old man calls out "Thompson" in a deep voice.
Then a couple enters, the girl with a veil and a garland and the boy with a leather hat. The two are shaking with so much excitement, they are completely in love. Still too young to free themselves from the burden of the Hunger Games. It's not good luck marry before you're 19. So I sigh, and wish them good luck on next summer.
After a few minutes, the couple leaves smiling and receives a round of applause from their family members who are waiting for them outside.
Then the man screams again "Greenwood".
An older, handsome boy, next to him is a blonde girl in a flashy dress. They are accompanied by their parents, elegant merchants. I start stomping my feet anxiously. I want to end the waiting once and for all. After a couple long minutes, they finally leave the building and when I least expect it the man is shouting for "Mellark". I head towards him as if he were calling my own name.
My witness is my mother, I wanted it to be Prim, but she is still a minor. Peeta's witness is his middle brother. He seems a little uncomfortable being there, but he pats Peeta on the back to encourage him.
“Mrs. Everdeen and Mr. Mellark, is it of their own free will that you both meet here today to be united in matrimony?” says the old man.
“Yes.” Peeta said vigorous.
“Yes.” I said in sequence, quieter revealing my nervousness.
Peeta takes my hand gently and squeezes it with his sweaty palm.
I thought I was calm until this moment, now I'm sure I'm terrified. While that old man talks boring things about marriage and laws and the importance of family I get lost in Peeta's flush face. His lips are tight and raised in a restrained smile. I feel my heart skip a beat.
When the man stops talking we each receive a pen. Peeta leans over the thick book first, writing “Peeta Mellark” in cursive. Then it's my turn, my hands shake and I sigh, before finally putting the ink on the paper.
I start with the "K" of my name, with a less sophisticated calligraphy than Peeta's. Now my tremor is visible to everyone around me. Peeta's eyes are the heaviest on me, they make me blush.
“How am I supposed to focus when you look at me like that?” I sigh. He giggles and looks away as I write "Mellark." My new last name.
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hazel-islivingtrash · 22 hours
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Hi...if you don't mind, can I ask something from JJK? What do you think are Gojo and Geto’s greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic? Also, what are your fav stsg moments? Sorry if you've answered these questions before.....
Oh man this is such a loaded question 😭 Sorry it took me a while to get to this, I had to take some time to think about it. I’ve never really been asked these before so it was interesting to think about!
I think Gojo’s personality strengths lie in the fact that when he cares deeply for others, he will do everything in his ability to keep them safe. We can see this when he runs himself into the ground trying to keep Riko safe while they’re on vacation to when he puts his own life on the line to help his students and keep them away from the higher ups’ grasp as best as he can.
His weaknesses though I think come from his complex of “being the strongest” leading to him to struggle under that title. I believe he finds it hard to disconnect himself from that title, and the only person that truly saw him for him was Geto, so when he defected it only made things worse for him. After Geto left, leaving with his famous parting words “Are you Gojo Satoru because you’re the strongest, or are you the strongest because you're Gojo Satoru.” it probably only perpetuated the problem in his head, especially after he failed to save Riko. If he truly was the strongest, how are all of these people that he cares for leaving him? 
When it comes to Geto, it’s a bit tricker to decipher his strengths and weaknesses. I think his strengths definitely come from his moral compass, as skewed as that becomes after he defects. When he truly believes in something, like he said, he will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. He attacks Jujutsu High in an attempt to chase his goal, but doesn’t kill Inumaki and the others when they come to stop him since they are young sorcerers and would only be beneficial to his cause in the long run if he was able to turn them over to his side.
But, I think a really prominent weakness of his also comes from that moral compass, and the blindness it causes him. Initially, he’s very for protecting the weak and non-sorcerers of society, but when that is slowly chipped away at, he’s left lost and wondering, leading to him having that mental break when he finds the twins. He put his belief so strongly into protecting the weak, yet the “weak” turned around and did that to two children. He puts his faith in this new belief that non-jujutsu sorcerers are a stain on society and should be cleansed from the earth which ultimately leads to his downfall.
Their dynamic makes me cry so much, it’s tragic. I feel like they see the real person behind the powers and cursed techniques in one another. Yes, they play jokes and annoy the other (mainly Gojo to Geto) but at the end of the day they still care deeply for each other. That even goes through Geto leaving. There’s no way in my opinion that Gojo COULDN’T kill him in the 10 years he was gone, I feel like he couldn’t bring himself to do so. If Geto didn’t declare war and try to take Rika, I feel like he could have gone on much longer without Gojo ending him. Gojo still has some trust in Geto even after everything, and I think that speaks volumes into how deep their connection runs.
To that point, a favorite stsg moment of mine has to be when Geto’s body instinctively fights back against Kenjaku (the first body to ever do so) to protect Gojo. While yes, I wish it was actually him doing that, the fact that his body did that on its own is incredible. Some of my other favorite moments include: the beach scene, when Geto is confronting and checking in on Gojo after he hadn’t dropped his technique, but Gojo assures him it’s fine because he was there too; Geto just calling Satoru’s name (the way he says it is to die for); and do I even need to say the end scene at the end of JJk zero gets me everytime? Because it does. There's more but those are the standout ones to me :))
But yeah! Hopefully I answered everything :) lmk if you want me to explain anything better ❤️❤️ Thank you for your questions!!
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britt-kageryuu · 2 days
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It's early evening, things are calm, and Donnie is playing as a Horrible Goose. He has his model dressed in his Dinosaur Onesie, and matching slippers, and on the purple inflatable chair, against a background that made it look like he mas next to a pond somewhere. Animated turtles are swimming in said pond, including a softshell that keeps popping up to 'bite' the chair.
"This game very much matches my more mild Cain Instincts. Maybe I'll recommend this to Blue later. Though I must make sure he's never seen anything about the game first. Dubious Chuckle." Donnie does lets out a sinister sounding chuckle. "Clears Throat. I mean, I must be sure he plays this blind, it would be more entertaining! For you, and for me ofcourse."
Suddenly a loud mechanical hiss and growl could be heard, that startles Donnie. He quickly paused the game, and removed his headphones to check out what made the noise. His model goes off screen which reveals an animated red eared slider now basking on the seat of the chair. It has a little speech bubble that says 'BRB!!'
Chat goes nuts with many already creating Conspiracy Theories, while others are spamming how cute the little turtle animations look.
A few minutes later Donnie comes back, sits back down, and puts his headphones back on, all while looking mildly annoyed.
"Annoyed Sigh. Before anyone asks, that was River. A while back I bought her a game to keep her distracted that she wanted. But now she's annoyed because there is currently a bug that crashes the game every few times she cooks, and she also can't find a collectable, and every search result for it's location is one she already got." He decides to take his frustration out on the glasses wearing kid that is needed to continue the area puzzles/to-do list. "We believe the Collectables might not be labeled properly in the guides because of a different set where the first one in the list order is the last you collect for the area."
He proceeded to steal a bunch of random stuff from the market stalls, even stuff not necessary for the task list. Honking all the while.
"I wonder how hard it would be to re-skin the Goose into something else? I'll try that out later. As for Rivers game problem? It's apparently a common issue, and many have a similarly problem. Including one of the lists saying an item is missing, when the list is fully checked off."
A donation notification goes off that gets 'chased' off the screen by a goose with a purple bandana and Donnies goggles.
"Thank you for the donation, but the message was cut off, again. I guess that's another thing to work on later!" Donnie suddenly stretches out his body while still sitting. Arms stretched above his head with his hands clasped together, his legs held out straight with his slipper covered feet at slightly odd angles. Slight cracks or pops can be picked up by the mic. Ending with a loud yawn from Donnie himself.
"It's still early, but I feel like it's much later, must be from staying up too late last night watching memes... and I'll do it again tonight because I don't always control how easy it is to sleep! Light laugh, or would it be joking?" Donnie looks upward while thinking. He then pulls out his phone to check something. "Darn, it's definitely too late to have my preferred drink, and I'm being lightly threatened to get to sleep before midnight. The horror!"
He says all of this is such a deadpan tone that chat doesn't know how to interpret the moment.
"Okay, let's get the next area completed, then I will have to swim off to dinner. So let's embrace the goose, and annoy more people!!!"
The stream ends an hour later, with at least 4 new emojis of geese dressed in color coded bandanas, and a accessory to match their turtle counterparts.
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Masterpost
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literarynecromancy · 2 days
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All Things Concerning Chaos: Main Cast
(An "A" beside the name denotes an Antagonist)
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Aelyn
Born into a chaos worshiping cult that lives below Icarus. Was raised and shaped to be the next leader, and decided to leave gender behind in the process. Was sent out to track the group to find their deity who was recently released.
Darien (A)
From the same cult as Aelyn. Volatile and very angry about being passed up as leader - he will meet Chaos for himself and have his word be law.
El
Secondary doctor to Monty's primary position and lives in a plague-ridden town that barely has anyone left. There's a lot about El that he doesn't want people to know, but boy he do love him wife.
Eva
Prodigy mechanic and automaton maker that lives in Icarus with her adoptive mother. Creator of Ferro and Dog - though people are not sure how she was able to make her personal automatons so much more advanced than normal.
Ferro & Dog
Eva's most advanced creations - to the point of them being considered sentient. This is due to Eva's magic. Dog has had to be "reupped" a couple of different times. Losing all the training and memories from before each time. Ferro is far more advanced and hasn't had to be "reupped" yet. Though he is terrified for when that happens as he doesn't want to lose himself.
Julius
The head of the Wings of Icarus and acts as chaperone to the group to make sure they do what they're supposed to do. Frequently bickers with Markus.
Lila (A)
Eva's mirror twin. Was thrown into an asylum at four years old after an incident in the square where she broke down. With no one to claim her that is where she has stayed for the past decade. Reportedly.
Lucy
El's wife and former asylum inmate before the big breakout. Very proper, very calculating, very unnerving.
Magdelena
Holds herself very poised, but coiled like a snake. The adoptive mother of Eva and dragged into things by her ex-lover, Markus. Supplies Eva with metals to use when she can due to her own witchly magic.
Markus
Tall, attractive, and an absolute dillpickle. Markus is the one who accidentally unleashes Chaos after touching the jewel and names his ex - Maggie - as conspirator to drag her down with him. Ringleader of the traveling Circus Troupe/Thieves Ring. (I feel like it's important to note that Markus hasn't seen Maggie in near a decade.)
Monty
Sadness masked with a blanket of waning hope and determination that barely helps keep him alive. Primary doctor of a town that's slowly dying to the plague.
Scarlette
Rarely seen without her trademark red lipstick - Scarlette is another ex-lover of Maggie's due to a huge misunderstanding between the two of them. She cares so much for Eva (and only Eva, according to her) that she goes along to help the group so they don't die to the prison collars.
Sophia
Markus' confidant and acts as a knife-throwing tattooed woman in the circus. Was also caught in the theft, but was not the one who touched the jewel.
Vienna
Another one of Markus' troupe that was captured that night. A gremlin by nature, she uses her small form and high energy to use as a grave robber and pickpocket. Has a problem with the drink.
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Taglist: @satohqbanana || @thebejeweledwatercat || @steh-lar-uh-nuhs || @drawnecromancy
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ernmark · 3 days
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As an extension of your post about epithets, I'm wondering if you can help me pin down what it is about the use of phrases like "those eyes" or "that mouth" that have started to just drive me bonkers when I read some fanfic. At times I come across it and it feels completely natural, and other times it feels like a somewhat lazy shorthand for expressing a character's admiration. Thank you!
I can't speak with certainty, because this isn't a problem that's come up enough in my own fandoms for me to really analyze it in context, but I'll give it my best guess.
Phrases like "those eyes" and "that mouth" work most effectively for me when they're a reference back to a previous description. Maybe those eyes are really exceptional. For instance, Sir Damien in The Penumbra Podcast goes on at length about Lord Arum's violet eyes to the point that "those violet eyes..." are already a recurring motif inside the work, so the fics that use the phrase are all calling back to that.
Sometimes, though, you'll get writers refer to features that don't make any sense in the situation. I've seen lots of complaints brought up about prose describing a character's "plush lips" and "fine ass" when the actor portraying that character very decidedly has neither of those things-- often completely ignoring the qualities that the character actually does have in favor of the generic "sexy" ones.
Often, "that [body part]" carries a very strong sexual connotation, particularly about what the POV character would very much like to be doing to "that mouth/those thighs/those arms/that neck/whatever". They tend to work best in my opinion when the point-of-view character has very specific fantasies/memories that are described, or at least implied, on the page. But sometimes you'll get that phrasing from a character where it doesn't make sense for them to be thinking of the other person in those terms. Maybe they're sexually inexperienced in a way where specific fantasies seem out of character, or their preferences within the narration veer very sharply in one direction but the designated body part implies otherwise (for example, the writer's gone on at length about them exclusively liking to bottom but describing the other person as if their intention is to top them-- not out of irony or subtext, but because that's a generic "attractive feature").
I think it also ought to be said that which features are emphasized, and the adjectives used to emphasize them, work best when they're deliberately chosen to build a specific effect-- is the other person's vibe elegant, or brutal, or delicate, or whatever? Picking qualities and features that reinforce that vibe can be super evocative and feel much more personal than sticking to the standards. In a recent fandom I'm in, one character is singled out as being exceptionally strong in the canon, and specifically noteworthy to the character that he's frequently shipped with. Consequently, a lot is done with his love interest thirsting over the breadth and power of the character's shoulders. Shoulders weren't sexy before, but they sure as hell are now.
TL;DR: if I had to guess at what makes that phrase fall flat, it would be a lack of specificity to the actual character, or an inconsistency with the way the people in the scene are characterized.
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I've been busy seeing over the mice introductions but here's a little sneak peek into the bunch.
We've of course got my old man Hamid in the middle of the box and then, ironically stacked by size, from smallest to biggest: Archie, Madge, James and Watson (who this is mainly for given his roommate is a senior citizen).
Shout out again to @224bbaker who i asked about which of their detectives would make the best mouse names. The results are in :)
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justafriendofxanders · 3 months
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i go back and forth a lot on my interpretations of ats s5, ie. what parts of spike are 'in character' or not, but the one thing that stays constant is my belief that spike and angel fucking would have fixed most of this.
#not that it would have fixed their problems i just mean it would introduce new problems that i would find entertaining as a viewer#anyways i don't like saying a character would NOT say/do that but sometimes i'm not sure if he (spike) SHOULD do that#in terms of showing off the more interesting parts of a character while also carving out a unique arc/dynamic for him on a new tv show#ats rw#i think what's misunderstood about spike is that he's NOT a solo sigma male lone vigilante bad boy action hero#like i think angel is actually the one who has a history of isolating himself#but spike is your friend who always has to be in a relationship (which i think btvs got correct with harmony)#idk. i think oz has that line in btvs where he's like 'i gotta go do that guy thing where i isolate myself now'#and i think that gets transposed onto spike when he goes on the 'guy show' doing 'guy things'#and then kinda blended up with the tension that many of the guys on ats experience between#being a tough guy capable of doing things on his own versus the desire to belong in a crew#but like. that's not a 'guy' thing that applies to all men. that's a thing that certain individuals experience. and spike is not one of the#like i don't think spike cares about how he fits in with society or the collective but i think he DOES care about how individuals#he's close to perceive him#anyways. today on 'reading too much into a tv show that stopped airing 20 years ago'#i gotta make a separate post about this#buffyposting
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popponn · 5 days
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im still in midst of deadline (will reply to inbox soon! thank you for sending me kind n nice stuffs!!) but as a break let me have this i think i like isagi a lot because he is passionate. but there is something really interesting in how many actions could be categorized as "in character" for him. like he is being friendly—oh yeah, isagi is very capable of that. oh he is an asshole who insults you in the way that would make your ancestor spit—yeah. it's funny. like truly the embodiment of "it depends". in some way also "polite but not truly nice" also it's funny how the one he knows the most about regarding their past is probably chigiri. even bachira didn't spill the heavy stuff on him directly. chigiri and reo are the ones who got isagi pep talk other than igaguri. funny man funny. i probably need to reread to check again but hey let me have this. i can't believe he is still my comfort blorbo this soccerfucker who is a good son and a friend who wouldn't mind to hear you out even if you are not close and you just have to ask. okay yeah let's continue in the tags (and some other time I MISS HIM)
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xmcu-fietro · 1 year
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possibly a hot take, but if Charles (particularly First Class “I’m going to drink and party all night in-between writing/defending my dissertation for my PhD” era Charles) appeared alongside any other characters, he’d come across as the Matt Murdock of the group—the lawful, good-hearted but chaotic and somewhat unhinged guy who cares more about others than his own safety—but because he’s surrounded by Erik and Raven at all times, he comes across as the only sane one in the group
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zevranunderstander · 1 year
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okay time for my daily "i stand with john gaius" post but tamsyn muir did not write a bisexual maori man who was a renowned scientist who had dedicated his life to saving the earth and exposing the schemes of the ultra-rich who was then made out to be a terrorist and global threat when his only goal was to help and who ultimately was brought down by his own character flaws and shortcomings while under immense pressure in a situation where everyone he ever loved was being executed in front of him and seconds before death did something he - to our knowledge - could barely control, just for the entire fanbase to go 'yeah he's like a cartoon villain. he's an irredeemably shitty person and everything he does is inherently evil and manipulative'
#myposts#tlt#im not saying he doesn't have bad character traits#like his clear problem to be seen in a bad light by anyone and the lengths he goes so people cannot judge and blame him#and his frankly a bit creepy tendency to rename people#but can i be so real? i think both of these are PERFECTLY explained by his backstory#i think he genuinely has a tendency to shift the blame away from him himself and thats tbh just how some people are#but. he also was made out to be like... the antichrist by people so i GET how that can increase your desire to be seen in a good light#and i think. of course its weird that he renames people but. he explains his philosophy behind it pretty well with titania and ulysses#like. you dont have to agree w him but if youd resurrect someone and they are very much not the same person they were when they died#would you really be comfortable calling them the same name?#i mean its a pretty philosophical question but i dont think theres a morally wrong answer to it#the fact that he had to rename his friends in the first place bc he altered their personalities so they think they aren't from earth?#now that is pretty fucked up#but first of all its also a bit sexy and second of all like. what do you say to your friends when you make them remember earth like....?#'im soooo sooorry guys i blew up palmet earth and almost all people on it? like#what would you do if this legitimately would have happened to you#also ill be real. the scene where hes like 'pyrrha was saying i was lying and that guys as careful as me don't have accidents like that'#about how he killed those cops#and then at the end of the chapter alecto is like 'did you ever find out what happened with your accident'#and hes like 'come on love. guys as careful as me dont have accidents'#like. when he breaks the entire facade of this super helpless guy whom everything bad ever just happens to on accident#i found that a bit hot. ok. that was very very very fucking sexy of him#the only thing i really cant defend abt him is the imperialism but to me this choice has something from the ending of hunger games you know#oh god i will make a separate post on that i didnt know there is a tag limit VHHDVDHDJDJJ
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kindaeccentric · 9 months
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Me: posts something from Midnight Mass
Mutuals: Ok, HEAR ME OUT
#BUT I LOVE IT#i love feeling like i have impact on the world even on such a small fairly insignificant scale#and i love you guys#anyway my opinion is:#flanagan is still better in his og stuff than doing adaptations#he has a fairly good grasp of building relationships between characters BUT he seems to struggle with the stories themselves.#he builds and builds this grand idea but then his endings go out with a fizzle not a boom#don't get me wrong the series was entertaining but the actors were a huge part of it they really worked their asses off#if not the charm of hamish linklater and the charisma of everyone else it would fall a bit flat#and of course you gotta let your actors do their thing but the story shouldn't rely on them to be good#i feel like flanagan loves references and patterns too much to the point where he becomes drunk on the concepts and the plot suffers.#which i can understand bc i also love patterns BUT#when you're creating a tv series you can't lose the forest for the trees#(i didn't mind the monologues tho! that's not where the problem lies surprisingly.#it's more the way they're written and how the story is - it's supposed to be deep and it is but it loses the depth when it's overexplained.#sometimes you wish something was withheld from you as the viewer.#like the moment of silence when riley goes out at night and sees the world differently. i really like that moment of stillness#where everything he could have said was felt rather than explained.#so there's that)#i also wish he was more daring#because in the end everything was very simple and explainable. all the reasons all the relationship dynamics.#i personally would push for more ambiguity. more moments of uncertainty and madness#it was all very constrainted. despite there being a literal winged vampiric creature hanging around.#which btw was underutilized. OR could have been eliminated altogether. that would have been interesting.
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