#Childhood friend dies comes back to life and then I lose all of the powers that I didn't even originally have and it still feels like

[flying-cat]

Anyway on another note I cannot explain to you just how Severely disappointed I will be if bnha ends with a confession ending. I hate confession endings outside of romance manga 😀

+big ass rant in the tags

[avtrbee]

safe

✢ summary: just like everyone else, sometimes megumi just wants his mom.

✢ tags: mentions of the death of a pet, implied satoru x reader

✢ a/n: my friend has psychoanalyzed me with a diagnosis of mommy issues and i have always denied them. then i caught myself reflecting on what type of fanfics i write. especially this one.

Ever since Megumi had started school in Tokyo, he was barely home. Of course, he comes home every now and then, and living within the school's dormitories is part of the high school experience- hell, even you stayed in the school when you were a student- but the house is quiet without him, too quiet, which is probably why he does not go home as often as you'd like- that, among other things.

Everyone in your household knew that Tsumiki was what made your house into a home. Your girl always greeted you with a smile and volunteered to make hot meals for the family when you and Satoru didn't feel like cooking. She was warmth, she was energy, she was life. Until she wasn't.

The house became cold without its fire. You couldn't blame Megumi for wanting an escape from the halls that still echo her memory. Which was why you were surprised to see him sitting on the couch with his arms resting on his thighs, hands buried in his face.

"Megumi?" You call. "I didn't hear you come in."

His head lifts up and looks at you. "Liar," he accuses. "You can sense my cursed energy miles away. You knew I was coming home as soon as you felt it ."

His words were harsh but his tone was not off of his usual deadpan manner of speaking. You can't help but smile. He is still the same child who refused to sleep unless he clung to his divine dogs, Tsumiki, you, or Satoru (reluctantly, of course) in some way. He claimed it was for "warmth."

But he knows you as much as you know him. As he made his way to the house, you noticed something- his cursed energy was off. It was more powerful than usual. Of course, it could be a good thing- perhaps he was doing really well in school, but his downcast eyes and even broodier vibe are telling you otherwise. "What's wrong?"

Megumi leans back on the couch, sighs, and contemplates. He stares at your wall that is decorated with framed pictures and pictures you memories from his childhood. You've even framed pictures of his drawings- usually doodles of his shikigami.

He stands abruptly. "Never mind," he dismisses. "I don't wanna- I don't want to talk about it. It's childish and stupid-"

"Stupid enough to make you retreat back home?" You ask. You watch as your question sinks in through Megumi. Slowly, he sits back down. You sit on the other end of the couch.

"What's wrong, 'Gumi?" You ask again. "Tell me." I can fix it. Whatever it is, if I can fix it, I will shouts your inner thoughts.

"I lost one of them," Megumi whispers.

“Oh, Megumi, I-” you say, racking your brain for something to say. Deaths in the jujutsu world is so common that when you’re within the industry for too long you get used to it. “Losing a colleague- this won’t be the first time, baby. Nor will it be the last.”

“No,” Megumi groans out frustrated. There are tears streaming down his cheeks that he angrily wipes away. “My dogs. I lost one. I- Yuki died.”

Your heart breaks at Megumi’s childhood name for his white demon dog. “‘Gumi, I’m so sorry-”

You move to his side of the couch, wide arms open. Megumi falls in, just like he did when he was small. Megumi feels himself melt in your hold, his walls and defenses crumbling away like ash.

Megumi refuses to cry at all times but when you have his arms wrapped around him he finds himself not caring at all. It was like his heart recognized you too.

He buries his head in the crook of your neck and you pretend not to feel his tears.

You hold him until he lets you. Megumi is the one to pull away, and you never do. This boy js fickle with touch, and you always leave the duration of your hugs to his discretion.

You cup his face in your hands, thumbs swiping away the tear tracks. You’ve never seen Megumi this heartbroken before.

“I told him to scout the area and I just left him for a second- and he-” Megumi hiccups. “His head was on the wall. The curse threw his head so hard it made the pavement crack.”

You do not pretend to know his pain for you will never feel it. Megumi’s divine dogs were his first achievement. He smiled the first time he summoned them, even as Satoru threw him in the air in joy. Those dogs would trail after him in the house, obeying his command. You would turn a blind eye to the spare pieces of meat Megumi throws under the table just so they could taste cooked beef.

Megumi would refuse to let them go even when he slept, and was upset that they would disappear when he rested or lowered his guard. As a present, Satoru gifted him customized stuffed animals of the dogs that he never slept without. You were sure he packed those toys with him in the dorm.

When Tsumiki volunteers to run errands, Megumi would summon a dog and follow her. Just in case. They both always came back safe.

“He just did what I commanded, he was good, he was a good boy.” Megumi said, in a quieter voice.

“The best,” you agreed. “But didn’t Yuki merge with the other one? Isn’t that how your technique works when one of them dies?”

“It’s stupid-” A glare from you was all it took. “It’s not the same,” he admits. “I just want my dogs back.”

You give him a sad smile. You pull him close for another hug, and he melts in your arms once again but this time, he does not pull away. You hold him until his tears have dried, until his breaths slowed down, and until his eyes closed for a well deserved rest.

extra note: yuki apparently means snow in japanese. get it? snow=white demon dog (im not creative at all yall)

[fallenhunnyapple]

So the Poll said you guys were interested in the Human Priest!Adam AU which was a bit of a surprise honestly. But I'm very happy to talk about it~

I shared this art before for the AU. I gave a very basic description at the time, so let me get more detailed about it!

It hasn't gone unnoticed that Adam has gotten... Rather vice-ful in Heaven. One might even say sinful. And as such a public figure, that's no good. So they come up with a plan. Reincarnate Adam as a Human and let him live out a life and Prove that he's worthy of his place in Heaven. Of course, they'll take his memories and put him in a religious setting so he'll follow the proper path and prove himself.

He's sent to earth as a younger version of himself, old enough to take care of himself but still rather young, with the excuse of having been in an accident for why he has no memories (it removes the hassle of having to fabricate memories) and gets taken in by the church. He becomes the priest for this small town church. He's rather popular, his attitude, though not typical of a priest, being refreshing after their previous priest. He's made a bit uncomfortable about how adamantly homophobic some of his parish is as a closeted gay man, but he plays it off and over all he's doing well enough for himself at his church. Kinda lonely since its his Parish and not real companionship, he doesn't have any other friends or family. Not to mention he's actually been Good about not being sinful or acting on vices. Life is kinda hard.

Lucifer heard about this whole experiment. It doesn't really matter how, but since he knows, of course he needs to interfere. He... Hasn't actually gone to Earth before. He's sort of Shackled to Hell, its part of his punishment. But he finds some sort of Loop hole, using an Asmodean Crystal and some of his own cunning, he manages to make it there. Of course, he finds he still has his limits, he can't really interfere with most Humans, but Adam is a special case because while he is very much Human, he's still holy beyond any other human currently on Earth, and that gives him the chance to get close. His plan is honestly just to get him to Sin, enough to damn his soul so that Heaven would lose him when he died. He wasn't really planning on getting too Directly involved, but more nudging him in viceful and sinful directions.

And then Lucifer entered the church to meet him. Hallowed ground doesn't Actually affect him, he was an Angel once, he still has Angelic Powers and Abilities. The worst would be a vague tingling.

(take rp snippets. I'm Lucifer and Adam is @fallenguitarhero)

The AU as a whole, though it's definitely full of sexual tension and smut, because of course it is, it's also... Weirdly wholesome?

Adam didn't really have a Chance to make real friends or feel like anyone truly cared about him, he lost his 'childhood' and then was raised by the church and no one from his past ever tried to reenter his life. Aside from the setting though, he doesn't have the long hard life he lived in his memories, so he's basically like Eden Adam all over again, childish in a more playful way, not as bitter or vindictive, not as cruel. And Lucifer is there trying to gain his trust, and having this Adam act so much like the one he befriended back in the Garden, well. Lucifer sees him as sort of a friend too. And its the first time Adam's really felt companionship like that in this life. Sure, Lucifer is the Devil, but he acts like he cares more about him on a personal level than anyone else ever has.

Does that make him more susceptible to falling to Sin? Sure. But he doesn't find himself minding when the Devil makes him Feel Things, from romantic and sexual attraction to true fondness and friendship.

And for Lucifer's part, he's decided he no longer wants to tempt Adam to Sin just to fuck with Heaven. No, he wants Adam to join him in Hell because he was Adam To Join Him In Hell.

⚠️🔞 And since I mentioned the sexual tension and smut-

Essentially, as soon as Lucifer noticed that Adam was showing interest in him from their first meeting, he knew he had to have him Carnally. It wouldn't be enough to simply convince him to sin in other ways, no. He wanted to fuck him because there's no quicker way to Damnation than having sex with the Devil himself, right? Especially as a closeted gay priest. And Lucifer has the very specific goal in mind of getting Adam to let him fuck him in the confessional.

Lucifer doesn't start out pushing sex or anything. He wants to build trust with Adam first. But it's really not that hard to get under Adam's skin, he hardly has to do anything! Adam is a sexually frustrated man who has an inexplicable draw to the Devil and it doesn't take him long to start getting off to the very thought of him, of what Lucifer would do to him. And of course, Lucifer knows. And it only takes a little more poking and prodding and nudging before he can get Adam to agree to indulge in his fantasies and make them real!

And then there's just a fun scenario in my head about them being nasty in the confessional (like Lucifer wanted) and someone entering the other side and so Adam has to do his Job while Lucifer has him fully hilted and seated on his lap with a prehensile tentacle dick that's moving around on its own while Adam has to try Really Hard to not let himself make any suspicious sounds while taking confession-

[shamera]

March-April manhwa reccs

In the vein of my last few reccs, here is the latest instalment in Shams-reads-too-much (I know it's only mid-April). This time, I'm back to the top 3 format but with a list of Honorable Mentions because oh boy, the readin' don't stop!

3. The Guild Member Next Door [30 chapters so far]

How is no one talking about this one? The first BL series to make it on my top lists, this is an online gamer meet-ugly cafe story that had me cackling through every chapter. It will brighten your day (threat). The story of an office worker slash secret gamer who starts playing the MMO Illusion and tries to join Poseidon guild only to immediately get PK'ed and accused of being a stalker's alt account, and in his revenge he befriends the entire guild as an FU to his attacker, only for his attacker to in-game propose to him to troll him in return. An adorable and hilarious story following the two as they purposefully step on each other's toes all the way until they're friends in-game, never realizing that they actually know each other IRL!

2. Martial God Regressed to Level 2 [one season]

Let's just say in chapter 1 all of humanity dies, so we already know how this story's going to go. Another OP protagonist whom I really enjoy, starting from scratch in hopes of saving the world. It's Seong Jihan's relationship with his family that makes this series hit different, as he not only uses his knowledge to try and prevent humanity's tragedies, but also does his best this time around to save his niece from her downward mental spiral and become a good role model for her after her father walks away. With little to lose now that he knows what's to come, the MC is more than willing to make enemies out of everyone to ensure they step up their game before the real fight for humanity begins.

1. SSS-Class Suicide Hunter [3 seasons]

This was already on Honorable Mentions back in December, and I know my recc list is meant for new reads, but I had to slap this down again after the PHENOMENAL season 3 ending. We've already seen Kim Gongja's crazy fights to ascend the tower, but the sheer hope. The belief in a better world that these characters have, and their determination to make it so, brought me to tears at the end of season 3. The story of a hunter with negative survival instincts, and a power that allows him to regress to a day before he dies every time he dies... it's not the type of story that I expected to see such delicate beauty within suffering, but here we are, with an MC ready to delve into storybooks to empathize with and relieve the suffering of the characters within, no matter what it takes. I'm so excited for season 4 and the next storybook, I am vibrating.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Raising a Sacrifice

This series is impossible to describe and impossible to put down for long. This is the ultimate fantasy time-loop transmigration system apocalypse god-maker BL I have ever read? It's what happens when the apocalypse keeps resetting and you can never escape that last year no matter how many times you die, and the toll on one's mental state when you start trying-- everything. Murder. Genocide. Madness. And falling in love, again and again and again. And being alone again, after every reset. Thousands and millions of times until you lose all hope, until one day... the MC wakes up with memories of being murdered by his faithful knight, and now there's finally two people with memories beyond one timeline.

Medical Return [complete!!]

The story of a surgeon who led a pitiful life, only to return to his childhood once more by the grace of the gods-- and this time he's determined to not lead the same life again! Now if only the world got that hint, as he seems to be continuously steered back onto his original path, while trying to dodge the tragedies in his life and save just one more person others gave up for dead. This time around, he has a little outside help to finally uncover just why his life went so wrong at every turn the first time and help him retain that inherent goodness without being taken advantage of once more. With an MC with a deposition truly befitting a good doctor, this is for all fans of hospital dramas, and is complete!!

Kill the Villainess [complete!!]

The only way to return home is to play the role of the villainess, Eris, who is condemned to death after attempting to kill the heroine. There is no way to escape that fate, as Eris can't even succeed at taking her own life before she completes her part in the plot. The story of a villainess trying to die to change the story, yet unable to as she continues to uncover backstory beyond the original novel to find the reason why her soul was stuck in this world and unable to leave, while attempting to bypass paths that would trap her in the novel forever. At what point will her actions make her a true villain, and just what is she willing to do in order to return home to the real world?

Little Mushroom

...my cheat this month, with me using the novel cover and everything. (Please read the books, there are only 2 novels and the prose is breathtaking.) The manhua is absolutely gorgeous beyond compare, and the story covers a sentient mushroom post-apocalypse who is journeying into a dangerous human settlement trying to find the spore that was taken from him. In a world where threats to humans loom at every corner and shadow, drastic measures are taken to protect those who survive, employing "Judges" with absolute power to kill if they suspect a being of not being human. It's the story of a non-human and a Judge finding themselves and each other by navigating the active end of the world.

My Darling Signed In [complete!!]

Cute?? Adorable???? Another online gamer couple who meet in real life, this BL story is genuinely all fluff as the MC is found to play a beautiful female elf online, yet their beau falls in love either way as it was the same charisma and personality that drew them in. A green flag couple with turns that surprised me every time with how wholesome things are. It's 2 seasons and complete, featuring them from collage to work space through their ups and downs, navigating their relationship and growing as people all the while continuing their game. Do you need a cute read with a guaranteed happy ending? Here it is!!

Zero Day Attack [1 season done]

Another BL on the list?? This month is full of surprises, as this time it's about a hacker who had to go into hiding after being exposed and is now a barista by day while working to find the man who betrayed him by night, all the while running away from both the organizations he hacked and his old colleagues who are looking for him. Things get complicated when a man who shows up at the cafe he works at won't leave him alone, and blurs the line between his search for revenge and the fake life he's currently living. This one eked its way above Netkama Punch for the mystery and intrigue (as well as having a main couple who is obsessed with each other without wanting to bring harm to the other).

I Will Change the Genre

A transmigrater meets a regressor, and suddenly the novel plot is going very, very awry! In the novel, Judith Maybaum is the hateful aunt of the main character who betrays her nephew and dies for it, yet "Judith Maybaum" isn't actually the same character now, and her nephew is also acting very odd when the story starts rolling. She's determined that her nephew will not go through his lonely and sorrowful life this time around, even if it means giving his custody to the Duke Winterwald, yet for some reason the protagonist clings to her and calls her 'mother' when the Duke comes to take him away! A touching and funny story with, once again, a green flag couple as well as an adorable aunt and nephew pair, both with foreknowledge of the future in different ways as they mess things up and unravel a story that neither of them knew.

GOOD ENOUGH I READ EVERYTHING: -Netkama Punch -The Bromance Book Club [complete] -The Live [complete] -I'll Be the Matriarch in this Life -Reincarnator -Dark Mage Returns to Enlistment -The Main Characters that Only I Know -My Lucky Encounter from the Game Turned Reality -The Archmage's Restaurant -I Tamed a Tyrant and Ran Away -I Created an Urban Legend -The Regressed Demon Lord is Kind

[wutheringskies]

Jin Guangyao and Wei Wuxian aren't the same.

Jin Guangyao is one of the best written characters I've come across. A villian that doesnt look like one, doesnt act like one, is likeable, has strong motivations and a defined personality and extremely fun to read fanfics about. But what I dislike is the role that fanon gives him; specially his role in the story with allusions to Wei Wuxian, casting Jin Guangyao as someone similar to Wei Ying. The "poor children turned to forced villains" trope. This meta is about WHY that's NOT true.

The humiliation of his mother didn't give him the right to burn down an entire brothel. (personally, I found it satisfying but). The desire of acceptance from his father was a motivation for his crimes, not a factor that validates those crimes. Often, Jin Guangyao is treated as the counter part of Wei Wuxian. They both share only three similarities, however:

1. Both came from low backgrounds and struggled a lot in their childhoods. Meng Yao had food, but witnessed constant humiliation. Wei Ying had nothing, and then got tangled into the fucked up dynamics of the Jiangs.

2. Both were found to be much different than what people believed them to be. Wei Wuxian was supposed to be evil, hateful, a murderer who kills just to satisfy his blood thirst and need for power, a monster. Jin Guangyao was supposed to be the guy who worked hard and rose to the top, humble, kind, honest and pure of heart.

3. Both had their reputations destroyed from targeted rumor mill.

That is all.

Other than that, Jin Guangyao is NOT at all similar to Wei Wuxian by any measure. He had to do bad things because he desired power, and to gain, power in a corrupt world, you need to be even more corrupted. He killed all those who looked down upon him (not bodily harm him). He clenched his teeth and killed everyone who protested against him or questioned him. He silenced everybody before they could silence him. He isn't SOLELY responsible but he only played the cards that would bring HIM benefit, not the cards that were righteous, or good, or kind.

Wei Wuxian never desired power, was willing to give up a limb for the safety of his sect. When has he ever raised his sword or his flute if not in self defense? When has he ever attacked first and when has he ever killed an innocent? The only innocent he's most directly responsible for is Jin Zixuan and that was too, in an ambush, where he was asked to back down.

Not just that, everyone is always talking about the Nightless City massacre but never about the Burial Mounds Seige 2.0 where all of the cultivators WOULD have DIED, if not for Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian.

If your reasoning behind justifying Jin Guangyao's actions and murders is the "intention" then you come across as hypocritical if you condemn Wei Wuxian for the Nightless City massacre, ignoring everything that led to it. His prowess in cultivation, his natural genius, and his terrifying powers that he built himself even after losing a core are not crimes that he should be punished for, but he was. Because he's supposed to be just the son of a servant. How dare he be so powerful? So many attempts on his life were made and he survived them all. So many attempts to summon his soul, and they didn't work.

Is surviving a crime? For the Jiang Cheng stans who always thrust the survivor narrative onto JC, this is a question for them. Was Wei Wuxian wrong to have survived incidents in which he was being attacked? Should he have died for doing absolutely nothing wrong, other than having a different voice? For standing against a structure that always prioritizes one being above all, being the ultimate voice that cannot be questioned?

Here I'm going to quote some parts from the ExR translation of Villanous Friends:

He Su, “What was the irresistible trend? What was stirring up trouble? Jin GuangShan wanted to establish the position of chief cultivator only to imitate the QishanWen Sect in being the only ones at the top. Do you think all the world is ignorant? You frame me like this only because I spoke the truth!”

When you really succeed, all of the world of cultivation would see the true face of the LanlingJin Sect. Do you think killing me alone would put you eternally at ease? How wrong you are! We, the TingshanHe Sect, teem with talent. From now on, we’ll unite and never surrender to you Wen-dogs of another skin!”

Sounds familiar?

After a few laughs, he continued, “Sect Leader Jin, let me ask you something else. Do you think that, because the QishanWen Sect is gone, the LanlingJin Sect has all right to replace it?”

Wei WuXian added, “Everything has to be given to you? Everyone has to listen to you? Looking at how the LanlingJin Sect does things, I almost thought that it was the QishanWen Sect’s empire all over again.”

Wei WuXian, “Did I say something wrong? Forcing living people to be bait and beating them up whenever they refused to obey—is this any different from what the QishanWen Sect does?”

These were voices that questioned the greater powers. This is what happened to these voices:

Jin Guangyao: That’s not the way to go about things, is it? The TingshanHe Sect rebelled and schemed to assassinate Sect Leader Jin with all its forces before it was caught red-handed. How could that be called without a reason?”

Flashback to Wen Chao, asking if the disciples in the Xuanwu Cave were rebelling when they protected Mianmian who was asked to be the live bait of a monster.

Also, flashback to Wei Wuxian standing up for the Wens and being called a rebel when he stood up for the Wens who were being used as live baits to strengthen the Jin.

The ones over there cried, “Brother! He’s lying! We didn’t, we didn’t!”

Flashback to Wen Ning "losing control" at Koi Tower probably due to Xue Yang's invention. But the point to be taken away is that Sect Leader He Su's younger disciples, who are harmless, are framed as murderers. A position similar to what Wei Wuxian was put into.

He Su, “Utterly nonsense! Open your eyes and fucking look! There are nine-year-old children here! Old men who can’t even walk! How could they rebel against anything?! Why would they assassinate your dad out of nowhere?!”

Funny how the evils of society comprised of old grandmas, uncles, a toddler, a doctor, a fierce corpse, and a cultivator with no status, no core, no money, no voice living in a cave with a pool of blood, digging the Burial soil to grow some potatoes.

And not those who were sitting on their thrones, reveling in riches and ordering people around.

Jin GuangYao, “Because you made a mistake and committed murder, Young Master He Su, while they refused to accept Koi Tower’s conviction of you, of course.”

"A mistake" reminds me of the incident at qionggi path. Even if Jin Zixuan hadn't died that day, they would've kept cornering Wei Wuxian until he'd have no other choice but to go on the offensive (which is what he did.)

Turns out even being sooo powerful that he could shake mountains, he eventually died.

Yet, at such a place, nobody would listen to his protests. Sitting before him were two villains who already treated him as though he were dead. What they enjoyed was precisely his dying struggle. Smiling, Jin GuangYao leaned back, waving his hand, “Hush him up, hush him up.”

"You shut them in live?"

Xue Yang turned around, curling his lips, “Wei WuXian never used live humans, but I wanna try.”

So, Xue Yang is an actual demonic cultivator who's protected by the Jins, murdered 2 entire clans and this is the third one and godness knows how many more. Absolutely very few people give actual fucks about what cultivation methods to employ. The one who really cared was perhaps, Lan Wangji.

Jin Guangyao as you can see isn't being "forced" to kill people because he's of lower birth and nobody accepts him :(

He's killing people to silence those who speak against his and his father's (and they both are one and the same entity. he's acting on his father's orders which he could've disobeyed and run away but he would lose his sect reputation and standing.)

Why does his reputation and standing mean more than the lives of all these 70 people ?

Were they trying to kill him? No.

Did they attack him first to the point he would lose his life? No.

Would they have thrown him into a whore house? No.

Let us please not compare Wei Wuxian and Jin Guangyao.

MXTX wants us to know what's said and told may not be right. Wei Wuxian isn't fond of the techniques that are used to confirm Jin Guangyao's demise. He's critical of how nobody else is concerned. He's unsure of what NHS's motivations are - does he now want complete power? or did his plan only extend up to his revenge? He's critical of how only yesterday people were all over this guy and today they hate him. Critical of how society works on what is favourable and not what is true.

But he's not SUPPORTIVE of Jin Guangyao. He's sympathetic to people turning onto you, but not empathetic towards Jin Guangyao. He believes Jin Guangyao to be a cruel man.

Those are two different things.

Nobody knows better than Wei Wuxian how it feels to be set up at every step:

1. Firstly he was used as a punching bag for Madam Yu and an emotional one for JC throughout his childhood

2. The Wens completely played him up, setting him as the cause of LP's fall.

3. Then, he was played by the Jins and the cultivation world until his death by validating JC's jealousy against him, by villianizing him and estranging him, by setting up the ambush, by sending JZX, by making false promises, by not checking for validity, by controlling Wen Ning, by setting up the seige parade, by getting JYL there, and finally the seige. (even after his death disrespecting his all)

4. He was brought back to the world on the revenge plans of NHS and tossed like a tennis ball from the plans of NHS and JGY. Yi City arc? children would've died -> NHS. Burial Mound seige 2.0? everyone would've died -> JGY. if LWJ wasn't with him at every step of the way, Wei Ying would've once again been in such a spot. Without any status or authority he would've gotten no help, no aid, and been villianized once more. He would've been stabbed and captured with nobody to save him. He would've made himself the bait without anybody to fight the monsters off.

Each of us have individual capacities and also, each of us have the one thing we cannot let happen:

1. Wei Ying can't let injustice prevail and sit by the side doing nothing

2. Jin Guangyao can't take in being stripped of power and being a lowlife again.

Those are two very different things. JGY made every decision he could to escape his grand fear, which was personal. I don't condemn his motivations personally cause I find them hot. Similar to how I find his character hot. Yet, he's not the hero on the opposite spectrum. He's not the lowlife who was killed because people can't handle people from lower birth statuses being on the top chairs for making decisions - but that is also true - but is not the reason behind his tragedy. Not the sole reason and also not the most important reason.

The most important reason is as it is said: he believes himself to be different and values his life over others, similar to Xue Yang. Their personalities vary greatly, yet his "true" friends were Xue Yang and Su She. (He showed glimpses of the truth and of his reality to LXC. So, he's hiding the truth and LXC doesn't wish to dig deeper anyways thus not a true friendship.) One wished to take revenge in extremely unfair shares, a clan for a finger. A clan for a son. The entire cultivation world could die but he couldn't be badmouthed or put on trial or killed. The other - Su She, wished to be recognized by those who he equally hated, despised and considered arrogant and also was jealous and envious of. So, these two traits - great desire for revenge onto everyone who's ever said anything mean about him, and the desire for power. You may argue how this developed from his childhood trauma but you can't argue that this justifies his cold blooded crimes because it doesn't. Another thing I'd like to add is that, his friendship with Lan Xichen also shows his personality; not wanting to take the messy, big path (such as showing up to your own death planning party, or planning a death party) and his relatively calm nature. Yet just like the friendship it is fragmented and fake; a composure that is stuck onto the cold, and hot brimming desire for power.

There was one character who had to kill a large number of people or would have no other option left and it wasn't Jin Guangyao. There was one character who was hated by society solely because of his background and his desire to protect people and it wasn't Jin Guangyao. There was one character who had to give up everything for what he believed in and it wasn't Jin Guangyao. There was one character who ended up being the indirect reason for the passing of loved siblings due to the unjust society.

and it wasn't Jin Guangyao.

(but there were two characters who had confirmed sex before marriage. one of them was Jin Guangyao)

[jnnul]

work in progresses (iii)

a/n: right...so i'm aware that wip ii is not technically completed yet but i keep outgrowing fics so these wip lists are just going to keep being made until i have the energy to return to older fics and finish them. but please be assured that everything is being written! slowly but surely, everything is being written haha <3

good liars

sum: you are the rebel child - it's a role that you embrace proudly, and one that you've undertaken since childhood. after all, your overachieving and perfect older sister could never be the rebel. no she had the perfect manners, personality, and even the perfect fiancé; one who shone as bright as a star.

but even perfection has its flaws, which you discover when you find out that your sister had died under suspicious circumstances, forcing you into taking over everything she'd represented: being the heir to a long dynasty of wealthy nobles, showing the class difference between haves and have nots, and being the wife to the perfect star.

but the brighter a star shines, the longer the shadow so as you try to discover what truly happened to your sister, you realize just how dangerous power can be - all because of a man named choi soobin.

est. word count: 20k words est. release date: september 2024 status: writing (8.3k written)

DNA.

sum: hong seunghan has everything to become a tennis legend like his father - money, resources, connections, and a passion for the sport. the only thing that he doesn't have is inborn talent; not like his father did, at least. the pressure of being at the top and having everything to lose is something that his father could never understand.

but shin yuna understands him. as an actress and the daughter of a critically acclaimed actress, she understands him better than anyone else can. and seunghan is comfortable in this - in her embrace.

but there you come. you don't have anything seunghan does. you don't have money, resources, or connections. but you have the one thing that seunghan doesn't: natural talent. when the two of you are paired as doubles partners, seunghan is forced to decide between comfortable love and challenging love - one that forces him to push his boundaries, and could potentially make him lose everything. is dna everything?

est. word count: 15k words est. release date: early august 2024 status: writing (2k written)

ten days to fall out of love

sum: you and jaehyun jung just aren't meant to be. that's what your friends think, anyway. and you can't even blame them. you logically know that this is no good for either of you. you fight, and he ignores you for days and you crawl back to him begging and pleading, and then it's sheer bliss of sex, pleasure, and sweet words for two days before it repeats all over again.

so your friends come together to stage an intervention and present the two of you with an ultimatum: ten days to fall out of love. but ten days is a long time to try and figure out how to fall out of love with the one person who sets your skin on fire with his touch and your soul into flames with his love.

maybe ten days is all you need to figure out how to fall back into love. and maybe it's all you need to say goodbye once and for all.

est. word count: 18k words est. release date: end of october 2024 status: writing (1.1k written)

lucky 777

sum: in this edition of seoul searcher magazine, you - y/n l/n - are the main focus! when your editor-in-chief/best friend, julie han, sets you up on seven blind dates with seven different men to bring you out of your dating slump, you find the material you need to bring yourself out of your writing slump as well.

as you navigate love in the 21st century, finding yourself, and pushing the boundaries of everything you ever thought you were, you realize that life is more simple than you'd ever thought it to be.

7 dates with 7 different men but only one of them catches your eye...

est. word count: 12k words est. release date: july 31, 2024 status: writing (800 words written)

blue jeans

sum: you had two big problems in your life: you were in the wrong career and hopelessly single. in a world where soulmates were the norm, the latter issue seemed rather improbable but it was true; you were still single, even though it seemed that everyone seemed to be moving forward in their lives with their love and career, while you were stuck in the same place.

but after a fated encounter with a stranger, you get the chance to switch to the career path of your dreams: modeling. and between struggles at work and your love life struggles with a model named leehan that you keep running into, you discover that the most important love is not the one you have for your career or those around you but the love you have for yourself.

est. word count: 10k words est. release date: september 2024 status: writing (1.3k words written)

beautiful you

sum: hospital life is not easy. as a neurologist, your hours aren't nearly as gruesome as some of your colleagues and your closest friends but the sheer mental pressure is enough to make up the hours - after all, the basis of human life, the brain of your patient, is being put into your capable hands.

as it can be imagined, dealing with patients and their issues is enough of a time commitment; you quite literally do not have the time for love or relationships out of the time that you squeeze out for your friends. but the presence of a new neurosurgeon, hwang intak, somehow seems to affect this strong decision you've made for yourself and somehow, there seems to be more than 24 hours in the day when it comes to thinking of the handsome new surgeon.

est. word count: 12k words est. release date: october 2024status: writing (2k words written)

conceited

sum: it's the olympics and the reigning champions of the olympics, the usa, is back with the intent to clean sweep every cateogry they've been nominated for - as per usual. but even amongst athletes of the same country, everyone seems to have something to prove.

for yudai koga, it's proving that the usa's throne for men's track will never be emptied for another country to sit upon. there's a level of cockiness that comes with being a champion who's never been defeated and somehow, yudai koga wears it beautifully.

for you, on the other hand, it's proving that the golden era of usa's women's swimming team is not over just yet. after a stunning defeat at the olympics four years ago, you and your team is back with vengeance running through your veins.

but that many young, capable, and beautiful people in the prime of their lives, medals aren't the only thing on everyone's minds. and with that, welcome to the olympics! break records, not hearts this season.

est. word count: 20k words est. release date: mid august 2024 status: planning

young doves lay their heads here

sum: three days. that's all the time you had with kim mingyu. he had to go back to korea in three days, even though you didn't know it at the time, to continue fulfilling his duties as one of the members of the biggest boy bands in korea. three days. and in three days, the two of you experienced happiness, sadness, anger, betrayal, love, and heartbreak. all in the span of seventy-two hours.

and then he's gone and you're left with the memories of someone who'd lit your soul with cold flames of passion and soothing touch in a way that only he could balance.

on the other side of the world, mingyu is alone with his memories and he regrets everything. he regrets leaving without saying the three words that had ran through his mind every moment he was with you. he regrets not keeping in contact. and so, mingyu makes the leap of his lifetime to find the dove that had taught him what love was in less than three days.

est. word count: 30k words est. release date: december 2024 status: writing (1.2k words written)

goodness, gracious, great balls of fire!

sum: cha eunwoo was a man of few words. few words, but many thoughts. he'd been cast as the prince in every social setting he'd ever been in, and as though the role was real, he felt the heavy chains of having to be a stoic, perfect, regal person. even his callsign was prince; there was simply no escaping it.

not even at topgun, where cha eunwoo was entering to become the greatest pilot of all time. princes can't be anything less than perfect, after all. turns out, he's not the only one with his eyes on the throne (however reluctantly it may be), and cha eunwoo's life is turned upside down by you (sometimes quite literally) - callsign venus. topgun is the place for unexpected feats, after all.

est. word count: 40k words est. release date: january 2025 status: planning

[tornrose24]

Thinking back to those RE AU doodles and my ideas that I shared with @artistcaptainbendy So I decided to compile the details as a small story. So due to favoritism, Scratch/Todd (AKA the Donna Beneviento equivalent) is first.

Want to read another background story of one of the lords? Click here.

//////////////////

The Ghost

It was because of a moment of despair that he agreed to the Cadou experiment, and it was by sheer luck that he survived and was granted an unusual power. It was because of this power that he was put under the service of the Father and given a title of lordship.

Before that, he was a complete nobody.

He had lived in the village all his life–his only friend had moved away in his childhood, and she had begged him through many letters to leave and join her. Yet his fears of the unknown kept him rigid and unmoving.

He was once a nobody, but now he was a somebody–someone who ranked above all the other villagers.

He was torn between enjoying the power and prestige while feeling even lonelier than before.

His feelings towards the others were mixed. The Lady–with her charm and kindness–was secretly his favorite. The Witch–with her care-free attitude and rebellious streak–would have been his favorite if she hadn’t distrusted him. The Scientist… was a complete moron.

He didn’t buy into the Father’s beliefs and words in the church–the other three didn’t either for their own various reasons. Unfortunately, they only had the illusion of power–the Father was the true ruler over all and ensured their roles would benefit him.

In his case? He had been forced to spy upon the villagers, the outsiders, and anything and anyone deemed a threat. He wouldn’t be in danger either–his body could stay at home while his soul could take on a ghostly shape and could be invisible to the naked eye. Of the other three, he had been tasked to spy upon the Witch, but she was too clever and too smart.

He lived in an enormous house granted to him, deep in the woods, beyond the cemetery, and near the waterfall. Few bothered him and he preferred it that way–after all, some habits died hard, and he liked being alone, even if it felt like a lie at times.

His introverted nature made him an enigma to others. He willingly attended certain events, yet kept to himself. Unlike the others–each of whom had a daughter by blood or by adoption–he had no heir to his family name, and there wasn’t any good romantic prospects for him in the village.

All the while, he was forced to live by a rule imposed upon him by the Father–to never reveal his powers to anyone. It was a rule he could live by, and for the longest time, he liked that not many knew of what he could do.

•••••

Eventually he was spotted in his ghostly form by a girl who wandered too close to the cemetery.

She was the daughter of a family that recently moved into the village–a way to ensure bloodlines could stay clean and untainted. He was on the way back on another assignment of spying on another when they crossed paths. She assumed that he was a mere ghost, but rather than be afraid, she reacted with joy. He was horrified to have been spotted, but more so when the girl insisted on befriending him, even if he never agreed to it.

No matter how he tried to force her away, she ended up coming back with food the next day. His weakness for food was what won him over, but the experience of someone treating him as an equal–not someone to be feared or ignored–was what drew him toward the girl. Like him, she too knew the pang of loneliness and losing friends, yet her compassion was not only new but also genuine. When she asked for his name, he instead gave her the childhood nickname his old friend gave him.

Before he knew it, a forbidden friendship grew between him and the girl, who he made her swear never to tell another soul about him. For once in his miserable life, he was finding something to look forward to–something to find joy–as he began to treasure the girl’s friendship and the small miasdventures they had. Ironically, the Ghost was more alive as a mere soul than he had ever been before in his life.

Yet he lied and claimed that he did not know of his past life, and when she showed interest in seeing his house, he panicked and told her that it was dangerous. When she invited him to her home, he told her that he could not meet her family, and she could not tell them about him.

He wanted things to be as they were–he wanted her to think he was the Ghost. If she knew his true identity, then she would never want to be around him. It would also put her at risk.

******

In the end, the friendship was discovered, regardless of all he did.

It was at a meeting with the Father and the others. The Father demanded to know what he had been up to with his gift and if he had been squandering it for petty reasons. He of course lied, but he was a terrible liar and they all knew it.

The lie had been exposed as the girl was presented before him–she now knew how dangerous they could be, but worst of all, she instantly recognized him and now knew he was one of them. She now knew who he really was–not a mere cantankerous spirit, but instead a man who had been gifted with an extraordinary power. A man who happened to be amongst the most powerful in the village.

He was presented with a choice as punishment–have her eliminated, or have her be given a cadou and accept her as his heir. Either one was a death sentence.

He chose the cadou.

*****

For weeks he wallowed in misery over all that happened and isolated himself even more so than before. He knew the girl would hate him forever if she survived.

Miraculously, the girl survived the operation. Furthermore her gift–while unexpected–was deemed useless to the Father who saw her as an unfit vessel. Unfortunately, she was to never leave the village.

Despite knowing the truth, and knowing what their friendship cost her, she still came back to her friend. She went past the cemetery, knocked on his door, and while he tried to protest and plead for her to leave, she firmly stayed and told him the thing he didn’t realize he needed to hear–

“I still want to be your friend.”

She forgave him, knowing that he was trying to protect her. She accepted him as he was, knowing that he was still the same person that she befriended. 

According to the rules, her being appointed as his heir meant that she could no longer live with her family and had to live with him instead. However, he ensured that she could still visit her family and that she would be provided for. It was not how he would have liked things to go, but as long as she was happy, then he was happy. He no longer had to hide any part of himself from another person and she accepted him flaws and all. He just hoped that someday he could atone for almost ruining her life.

With the girl in his life, the Ghost never had to be alone again.

[pyropsychiccollector]

Natsu Harem: Fairy GET! 3/14

Who next~...? Ah, yes. (人���ω◕)

A childhood sweetheart, Miss Lisanna Strauss. (人◕ω◕)

When did they meet?

Among Fairy Tail's current generation, they all arrived at the guild in the mid- to late X770's. For the most part. Natsu arrived in X777, and the Strauss Siblings came to be part of the family in X778.

Whereas Natsu grew leery and terrified of Lisanna's older sister, he forged a special bond with Lisanna as kids. (人◕ω◕)

Happy's egg fell from the sky, and Natsu found the thing, determined to hatch it, believing it to be a dragon egg. (人◕ω◕) Naturally, Lisanna-chan invited herself along to help care for it... And act as a sort of mommy to Happy when he did hatch. Happy might not have been the dragon Natsu wanted, but soon enough they all became one happy family~.... For the most part. (人◕ω◕) ... Lisanna-chan did get these weird ideas into her head sometimes, as noted by Natsu's reactions above.

As a young boy, Natsu didn't always appreciate Lisanna, at least on the surface. Yet even so, he did love her in his own way. She became a precious friend, much easier to get along with than that blockhead Stripper and pole-up-her-butt Erza. Sometimes they went out on jobs together. Sometimes they just camped out together with Gildarts and Happy.

Until that fateful mission for the Strauss Siblings... all was well. But when it did arrive, and Elfman lost control, he wound up... killing Lisanna. Or so they all thought. Elfman and Mirajane were both devastated as Lisanna died in their arms... Elfman resolving to never use his Takeover again - too scared of losing control. And Mira just... lost her powers. Relegated to being a barmaid and becoming a much kinder, gentler person that more openly treasured her friends and family in the guild.

Meanwhile the Earthland Lisanna was sent to Edolas, unbeknownst to everyone... The Edolas Lisanna had already died on a job, and that's who perished in Mira and Elfman's arms. But for the Lisanna that Natsu and everyone else knew... She was seemingly trapped in Edolas forever, no idea of how to get back. So Lisanna made the best of her situation, bonding with the Edolas Fairy Tail.

And then through a miracle, Lisanna-chan returned to Earthland with everyone after the Edolas debacle concluded. She hadn't seen her family and friends in Fairy Tail for a few years, and while she felt terrible about leaving her Edolas siblings without their sister... Lisanna was glad to be home. She was welcomed back with open arms... And soon enough the S-Class trials were upon them, then the Tenrou Island team missed out on seven years because of Fairy Sphere protecting them...

When did they grow closer?

This is a little trickier question. (人◕ω◕) From X778-782 when Lisanna "died", she and Natsu became quite close. But then coming back in X784... she didn't get as much on-screen time with Natsu. In a subtle way, their friendship seemed to have taken a hit, at least with Lisanna not joining Team Natsu, not even on the occasional job.

... But I have my theories that despite what we were shown, Natsu and Lisanna's bond was as strong as ever. (人◕ω◕) Returning home after 2 years, Lisanna had a lot of catching up to do with everyone, especially her siblings... Team Natsu was always on to the next adventure, and Lisanna-chan couldn't focus on them exclusively... But even so~...

Natsu was still special to Lisanna. (人◕ω◕) She picked up on Erza's dancing habits, spinning Natsu around. And she remembered having ideas of marriage with Natsu, as evidenced by that moment during the Grand Magic Games~...

... Not to mention that jail cell scene in Tartaros. (人◕ω◕) Natsu's only shared a cell with one other girl in Fairy Tail... But more on that one later.

The point I'm laboring toward is that despite what we see in the main series, there was plenty of room for Lisanna to come trodding back into Natsu's life at any point after returning. The S-Class trials did happen, and they were technically rivals then... But they had different opponents during that arc, and there was a lot going on. Then they missed out on seven more years. Once that blew over, I'm sure they shared some time together, whether or not Lisanna also spent time with Team Natsu.

At some point she must've found out that Natsu erected a grave for her at the spot they helped hatch Happy together in a hut... Lisanna might've felt bad for worrying him like that, for worrying everyone. But even so, she's not gonna let them treat her like glass. She's strong in her own right, and Lisanna wants to protect everyone, too~... So like her sister Mira, most of her time with Natsu is spent with him when he gets back from jobs, catching up with him and rekindling that bond of theirs~... It's not that hard. (人◕ω◕)

When does friendship turn to something more?

The answer is anytime, really. (❋•‿•❋) However, if I had to take a stab at a more concrete time... I'd say when Igneel died. Remember what I said about making this series having fanfic in its veins...? Well, it begins to kick in now. One thing that's always rubbed me the wrong way about everyone splitting off after Tartaros is that some people never seemed to try harder to stay in touch with certain others. In this case... Lisanna and Natsu. Sure, Natsu had training on the brain... And Lisanna was there when Makarov disbanded the guild.

... But Lisanna knew the dragons perished. She knew how much Igneel meant to Natsu. Lisanna would have been among the first to track Natsu down and give him comfort. She was one of Natsu's first serious friends, and she wouldn't have wanted Natsu to be alone after losing the father he tried finding all of this time. Naturally, Natsu would be dragged along with the Strauss Siblings during this year-long guild hiatus. Because Lisanna-chan isn't the greedy type to hoard Natsu for herself. ... Unlike certain others. (❋•‿•❋)

Natsu, Lisanna, Elfman, and Mira could get strong together. Although Elfman miiight be a little defensive of the Dragon Slayer getting a little too intimate with his sisters. (❋•‿•❋) But it's not like he can say "no" to Lisanna, who wants to cuddle with her Pyro~... In this time together, he could hear about what the siblings went through during the Tartaros arc. While Natsu might punch Elfman or something to that effect for choking Lisanna, he'd know that it wasn't Elfman's fault, and the guy was feeling bad enough for all four of them, especially after he blew up the guildhall.

Natsu would also hear about Fairy Tail disbanding... And train that much harder so they could all come back together a year later. (❋•‿•❋) But in terms of him and Lisanna.... This year together is an excellent period for them to become a couple. They'd have Mira's blessing. ... And a little more, but we'll hear about Mira-chan later. (❋•‿•❋)

Even though Natsu's instincts are to protect Lisanna, he knows she's strong enough to stand on her own and have his back. Happy still views her as a Mommy, too. (❋•‿•❋) And after Alvarez blows over... Perhaps Lisanna-chan makes good on that childhood dream of tying the knot with her dense Pyro. \(❋•‿•❋)/ She does have to work that much harder to get him to understand romance, but I feel after a while Natsu would mature in his own way and roll with the dates and eventual marriage scene.

... Not to mention the eventual "mating like rabbits" scene. (❋•‿•❋) Lisanna is Mira-chan's darling sister, after all~... She's petite. But she also has L E G S~... \(❋•‿•❋)/

[suite-purgatory-a-hh-what-if]

Minerva "Crymini" Collins

Crymini or her old named Minerva was raised in 1974 in Marlybone, England; raised by an upper-class family and middle child of triplets. She lived a good chunk of her childhood in the comfort of her upper-class life; around the early 1980's was a surge a new genre that intrigued her: the punk scene, the music, and the clothes and everything intrigued her.

By 1987, Minerva entered her teenage years, marked by rebellion and self-discovery. She was started to attach herself to the punk scene, she idolized punk icons and sought to break free from her upper-crust life. At 13, she drastically transformed her appearance with a Blonde Chelsea cut, jean jackets, and Doc Martens. Her family and friends were shocked at her sudden change in her, but Minerva felt alive for the first time ever and she didn't want it to go away for a long time.

After school one day, Minerva noticed a group of similar teens with choppy hair and tattered denim jackets in a graffiti-covered alley. She approached the group despite how older and gruffer they looked, she took the chance to join their gang and soon enough she was having the time of her life; soon enough she was skipping school and drinking, smoking, and causing chaos in the neighborhood and she especially had fun "Taking down the man,"

They would beat up any kind of authority which would be bumbling cops or simple individuals; the rush of feeling much more powerful was the exhilarating rush to her that made her feel even more power than ever; Minerva's home life would be even harder with concerned parents and siblings trying to calm her down but she would always try to fight them back(physically and verbal) and would mostly win.

However her life would soon come short when one day her group was fighting a rival skinhead group and they were out for blood; each punch, fist, and stab made the street look like a bloodbath, it wasn't until a gun cocked and *CRUNCH!* Minerva had stomped a guy in the throat with her doc Martin they all scattered and everyone tried to run in different directions back to their homes; Minerva's parents had questioned why are her shoes red; which made Minerva run; she was trying to run back to one of the houses of her gang so she can spread the message of leaving but before she could do that she was caught in a police standout and while she was beating the eve loving shit of some cops. She got shot in the eye. Lodged so far near her brain she died that night.

Oh moment later she awoke in hell; and she despised her new form, she was blue all over and she thought she was some smelly mutt(she’s a hyena) at first until she laughed. Her first two decades in hell was pretty normal, she stole from people, slept in trash, drank beer, and fought small gangs in hell, when she realized that this was getting her no where, she needed a job somewhere, she wanted to work at a club but that was a no good.

But she heard that a rising new Overlord was looking for security by the name of “Velvette” and thought ‘fuck it what do I have to lose’ went in and boom! Got the job. The next few years were spent with little to no problems, she got a comfy apartment, got to fight random fucks who were coming on to her boss, and she got cash, it was going well for her, well until Velvette started to work with those other two overlords Valentino and Vox and began VVVcorp. More of Velvette a security started to be replaced with tougher and stronger ones, she was getting worried.

So in a need to prove that she was stronger and better, she planned an event to prove that she was better but it failed badly and Velvette requested a netting as to where to the two sinners verbally fought each other and it wasn’t until Cry slashed Velvettes face that she was in trouble.

She was fired from her position as a bodyguard and was demonated to VVVcorps lab rat, to test products on her, range from shampoos and perfumes from Velvette to tech from Vox, she was working day and night for the next decade.

One day however, a break was given to Crymini she was given a opportunity to be free from VVVcorp, they said that the princess of hell is making a rehab program to redeem sinners and if that’s possible all new sinners and half soul contracts could be lost and the fact that Alastor is working with the princess so he might have worked a deal with her. Her assignment is to get videos and pictures of the hotel being crap so they can run propaganda against them to make sure a sinner can never come to the hotel.

And her reward? Well not only will she be given back her claws, a new apartment, but her contract will be terminated and she will be set free. Will Crymini commit to this? Or will she find someway to be redeemed in all of this.

Facts about Crymini:

Growing up she was the middle child of her three siblings and her parents took way more attention to her siblings rather than her(Mom and lil sis; Dad and Big bro)

After she was demoted from her job Velvette afterword had to get Crymini declawed and her fangs filed so that she couldn’t hurt anyone else

When she was alive she had an overbite

She despises the color blue so much, due to the fact that cops wore the color so much that she always affiliated that color with the popo. And her new hair always grew blue so she tried dying it back to her human hair color.

Her fave food is mainly whatever junk food she can grab her hands on(and hard liquor)

If their ever was a canon drinking contest in the hotel between Crymini, Husk and Alastor Alastor would lose, Crymini would get second place and Husk would win.

Even though she may seem like a bratty teen, she deep down wants people to like her and accept her.

She has a secret hobbie where she likes to go to pet shops and pet all the cute and fluffy animals down their.

When she was demoted to her Lab rat she cried in her room at night for 3,000 days due to the stress of her new job.

She (in my version) is sapphic; has kissed with a few girls in the past but doesn’t know if she’s fully a lesbian, bi or anything else.

[hamliet]

I have noticed this volume has been mostly highlighting Penny and Oscar's bonds with Ruby. What do you think of this?

Well, Penny, Oscar, and Yang. And also Summer. Basically, all of Ruby's important people, and all of her foils, are present, because Ruby is being primarily asked "what are you?"

Who is she? Who does she want to be?

The reality is that we are all somewhat made up of our loved ones. They really are a part of us. So, Penny and Oscar of course reflect this.

Beyond that, I do think Penny, to a degree, represents Ruby's child self. People aren't wrong noticing the parallels between Penny and Little, who is also Ruby's childhood self. Growing up can be painful.

Penny is present, becoming the past. Oscar is the future. But Penny is also a part of that future.

Let me explain. Penny represents a part of Ruby's life that, like Summer, she can never get back. But that doesn't mean that it can't come with her. Think of Lewis, remembering Alyx.

Penny and Purpose

From the moment Little was introduced, they asked Ruby if:

to Ruby Rose... is your purpose?

And when Penny appears this volume, it's usually to do with Ruby's purpose of being a Huntress and of being a friend. Let's look at what Neo's Penny says to Ruby.

Penny: Just like you were too late to save me at the Vytal festival. I died in Atlas too, didn't I? Can you imagine what that's like? To be completely and utterly failed time and again by someone who meant the world to you?

Of course, this isn't Penny. This is illusion!Penny, Neo's interpretation of Penny. Penny spent her whole life having someone else speak for her, decide for her, until the only decision she could possibly make was in how she wanted to die. It's tragic and wrong, but it's not hopeless. It doesn't mean Ruby failed Penny.

But, Penny's whole tragedy was that people kept reducing her to her purpose. The Protector of Mantle. The Winter Maiden.

Now illusion!Penny reduces Ruby to her role as a friend and implies that Ruby was a bad one, when of course that is not true. Penny and Ruby adored each other.

Alas, Ruby thinks she failed Penny. Penny was suicidal and offered Ruby her power. She offered Ruby what she thought her value was--her purpose.

Ruby refused and became determined to make Penny human. Alas, Penny being human meant that she could die more easily (and permanently, and also, everyone who is human dies).

But, Penny's death was not a suicide. It was a murder in a battle, and no, her murderer was not Jaune. Her death was not about purpose, but about affirming herself as Penny Polendina, as a friend, as someone who loved her friends.

As @aspoonofsugar recently said:

Penny's destiny is friendship. So, when the time comes she chooses to fight to protect her friends, even if it means putting the relic and the Maiden powers in danger. When Cinder strikes her and Penny has to choose who should get the power she chooses Winter (who she wants) over Weiss (who needs the power at the most in that moment)... Penny spends the majority of her arc by trying to be the hero and to balance what she wants with what she must do. Still, in the end she chooses her friends over her duty as a Maiden.

I think knowing that, in the end, Penny did have the power to make her own choice about who she wanted to be, even if that choice was so cruelly limited, will give Ruby what Penny wanted for Ruby: hope. Penny believed in Ruby.

Oscar and Ruby Rose

Oscar's whole struggle in the story is his identity. He is terrified of losing himself, of becoming just another one of Ozpin's lives. Ruby is the one who tells him that he will be okay, who comforts him

Ruby: You're your own person.

In the Neo hallucination sequence, Ozpin then beats Ruby with a cane screaming that Ruby isn't cut out to save anyone. In other words, she is beat up by proof her words were wrong, and by the idea that Oscar Pine no longer exists. Only Ozpin does.

But in this scene, Ruby screams back at him, grabbing her scythe and--

Ozpin: How many more lives do you have to ruin before you realize you're not cut out to save anyone?

Ruby: NO!

What happens then? Turns out it's the exact same trick the Curious Cat pulls on Weiss the very next episode in getting her to "kill" Jaune this past episode (in case the parallels between Bumbleby, White Knight, and Rosegarden weren't immensely clear this volume.) Neo transforms into Oscar, showing Ruby that all her efforts to save herself actually just kill Oscar.

And all Oscar says to Ruby is her name.

Oscar: Ruby...?

Ruby isn't enough. Penny quotes Ruby's stated purpose (which is the same question Little asked her)--saving people. Oscar quotes her name as his dying words. Even if she can't save him, is it still enough to be herself?

The vision says no. Essentially, by using Oscar, Neo tells Ruby that she will never save anyone, and that being Ruby isn't enough. Even Oscar in the end will realize that, and it will kill him to realize it.

Losing Penny means that she will not be able to save Oscar--in fact, she specifically won't be able to save him from becoming Ozpin, since in trying to stop Ozpin from beating her she kills Oscar. It's not worth trying when it just hurts, and makes the people you love feel betrayed.

Ruby finally drinks the tea when, in her vision, Oscar dies. This is symbolic of Ruby's dreams for the future evaporating. Now, while I do think the story strongly indicates endgame Oscar/Ruby, I don't think Ruby is in any way ready for romance right now (as shown by her bewilderment over Bumbleby and missing Weiss flirting with Jaune while Yang and Blake tease Weiss over it).

But story-wise, Ruby seeing what she fears--someone she loves (because she loves all her friends) dying just like Pyrrha, just like Penny, just like Ironwood, just like Ozpin--convinces her she doesn't want to go on. When she believes she's killed her own future, she drinks the tea.

But none of it's true.

That isn't what happened to Penny.

Being Ruby Rose is going to be enough, even if she can't save everyone (and I do think later on, in the last volume, Ruby will face having to accept the loss of Oscar--only to then get him back because, well, it's like the oldest fairy tale trope in the books).

The memories of Ruby's loved ones--like Summer's weapon in the Blacksmith's vault--can inspire her to be herself. They don't have to punish her. They can be a cloud of witnesses cheering her on.

Side note: Oscar and Penny (and Yang when falling) masking Neo also (like again with the Cat using Pyrrha and Penny against Jaune and then masking Jaune with himself to trick Weiss) offers a thematic punch too. What if your enemy is your friend? What if your friend could be your enemy?

What if they're human, too, and matter to someone?

These are themes I very much expect to be explored in Vacuo, through Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder.

[dreamingkdrama]

Relationship analysis:

Seo Hwi x Nam Seon Ho

They are close friends from childhood who have always supported and helped each other. But things changes when they are challenged with reality of the regime, their past, prejudices and intrigues of the powerful men fighting for the influence.

Happy careless times will end when their ambitions put them against each other and Seo Ho driven by his desire to be appreciated by his father beats Hwi unjustly and win the exams. Hwi is dragged out of the arena and Seon Ho's father then send him away to lifetime service in army so he isn't longer a thread to his family

Seon Ho regrets his actions. He takes care of Hwi's sister Yeon, but his guilt won't stop him from trying to get more power to be able to take revenge of his father (and also get his respect, he has some really serious daddy issues). Meanwhile, Hwi is going through hell in battlefield when leaders decide to abandon his unit. Seon ho thinks Hwi is dead.

When they finaly meet again, Hwi saves Seon Ho's life begging the doctor to heal his wound he got in the fight. Hwi still thinks about Seon Ho as his dearest friend and is happy to see him. Seon Ho isn't that happy. Maybe he was feeling the guilt and sadness when he thought that Hwi is dead, but now he probably doesn't know what to do.

It seems that Seon Ho kind of regrets his actions but he decides to stick to his new role and tells some terrible things to Hwi. He admits it was him who sent him to army (but it was actually his father) and now he was sent here to kill the rest of his men. Is it some kind of reverse psychology that makes him do even worse things than he originaly regrets? I have no idea. Seon Ho also tells Hwi that his sister is dead and he will kill him too if he will come back to take revenge on his family. It's probably attempt to protect Hwi and his sister from being killed by his father who is really capable of anything. But it really isn't the best way to protect your fried's life by hurting him more.

From that day, their paths starts crossing more often and Seon Ho is acting like Hwi isn't longer his friend. He convince his father to use Hwi and make him obedient by keeping his sister hostage, which probably saves lives to both of them. But I don't understand why is Seon Ho acting so cruel even though he clearly cares about Hwi and all of this just keep hurting Hwi more and more. More open communication would help a lot. This treatment makes Hwi to change sides and join prince Bang Won who is opponent to Nam Jeon (Seon Ho's father).

Hwi is acting like he has nothing to lose. He doesn't care about himself anymore and there are many situations when Hwi almost dies and Seon Ho is trying to save him over and over again. But now he has not enough power to protect his former friend.

They now stand on the opposit side of the power struggle knowing that one day they will have to face each other and we know this will happend from the opening of the first episode.

As the events progress they meet each other in a fight few times but they have such a love-hate relationship that they are not able to kill each other. They always wound the opponent slightly so he can't fight anymore, but he survives. Seon ho even tells to Hwi: "Your sword still feels affectionate."

Hwi is very generous to Seon Ho, he saves him many times, he stops him from suicide and he apologies for being too overhelmed by revenge that he doesn't saw how much was Seon Ho suffering. But, hear me out. Seon Ho surely has not an easy life, he surely was protecting Hwi and Yeon, but a lot of suffering that he and Hwi were going through was also his fault when he was blinded by his plans and ambitions.

Almost at the end, they again find the lost bond they once had. This however destroy the alliance between Hwi and Bang Won, who is Seon Ho's enemy and who was sparing Seon Ho's life because of his friendship with Hwi. When Seon Ho tries to assasinate Bang Won and fails, Hwi comes to save him. Hwi beggs Bang Won to let them go and promise that he won't be thread to him if he just let save his dearest friend. Bang Won release them and tell them to never come back.

Hwi and Seon Ho are thinking about living better life without intriques and violence, but they are already too deep in the game and they realise that their frieds will always be in danger if they are alive. They decide to make final action. They fight their way to the palace where Bang Won just took the throne and change their lifes for lifes of their loved ones (precisely...Seon Ho sacrifice himself so Hwi can reach Bang Won and then Hwi sacrifies himself for the deal). They die together like friends. It's really epic and I am really glad for this ending, it was kind of poetic.

So, lets make some conclusion. Seon Ho is really shitty friend. Yes, he did protect Hwi and his sister, but his behavior and bad communication helped to make total emotional wreck out of his friend. Seon Ho was very immature from the beggining and he really lack someone who would love him in childhood. I think his psychical instability origin in very young age. He is lucky that he has such a good friend who will not even forgive him, but also undestands him. I am not sure I would be so sympathetic towads him if he wasn't portrayed by Woo Do Hwan who managed to make this character more layered. Hwi's feeling for Seon Ho are not very healthy. But overall, I am glad that they find the way to each other at the end.

What do you think? Did I missed something?

[darkdisrepair]

imogen temult: a retrospective

in honor of the new year, here's a meta about our favorite purple haired girl, by looking back at what's transpired in 2022 and what she has ahead of her in 2023:

topics:

imogen, liliana, and gelvaan | imodna trauma | fcg and therapy |

tw//suicidal ideation, trauma, death

imogen, liliana, and gelvaan

let's start with the most glaring recent plot point- and one of the most painful.

liliana working with otohan was something i had started to guess ever since we learned that she was alive.

did i want them to be gay for each other? i mean, yes.

but how devastating for imogen, to learn that the mother she has been looking for her whole life is working with the person responsible for so much of her trauma: otohan haunts her dreams, killed three of her friends, and- there are probably better words for it- but tortured imogen's powers out of her, essentially.

for someone who claims to have left her daughter to protect her- how is keeping her in the dark about otohan any better? how is any of this secrecy helping her more than just telling her what she's discovered?

and it's worse because imogen craves her mother's love. imogen craves to be loved, in general. she wants so desperately to have a parental figure- someone to relinquish responsibility, someone to cry to, someone to ask advice from- and the more i think about her backstory... she's not given much of it, is she?

shunned by her town, abandoned by her mother in childhood only to be abandoned, again, when she rejects imogen's attempts to meet up, estranged from her father...

all the mentor figures in her life- laudna, bertrand, and eshteross- have died. she has seen all of their bodies, she has seen their blood and for bertrand and eshteross- she has seen them walk into the storm.

i can't help but think: imogen loses, and loses, and loses. the world has taken so much from her and it's heartbreaking because people need things to cling on to.

the lord of the rings is a perfect example of this: tolkien made the shire so idyllic, so beautiful, because the hobbits needed something to fight for. something to come home to.

gelvaan might be beautiful but it is not her safe haven.

her ritual contribution proved that. "i don't know how much longer I would have lasted," imogen said, and that, too, is devastating.

the town drove her to at least contemplate suicide, and even in sleep, gelvaan is supposed to be comforting but heralds a storm.

not that places mean everything, in terms of what to fight for, but that would make it easier, wouldn't it? to have somewhere to come home to, at the end of it all, that isn't haunted by dreams of red storms and the memories of how painful life was, there?

imodna trauma

well speaking of how painful life was- laudna's death still haunts imogen (and laudna but that's a different discussion).

in some ways, their distance now reminds me of the rock "breakup" and yet, it's even sadder this time because they're not not talking because they're angry or betrayed- it's because they both are so insistent that the other be okay that they don't allow themselves the grace to admit that they themselves aren't.

imogen is trying so hard to return things back to normal. she doesn't want to talk about her powers, she doesn't want to talk about laudna dying, she doesn't want to think about it.

i think it's because she can't, because if she starts i don't know if she knows how to piece herself together.

i think imogen is afraid to confront the depth of her pain over laudna's death, in particular, because she's afraid of "breaking" again, like otohan broke her.

it's hard to explain: but laudna's death and otohan pushing imogen to a breaking point was more than just what it was. it also creates this extremely unhealthy relationship with dealing with emotions/having an emotional outlet.

because really the only time in canon that imogen has really, truly been able to break down is in times of immense trauma, and against her will- and that caused a dangerous release of power that (in imogen's mind) could very well have been the final blow in all of her friend's deaths.

so now, you have both the physical trauma of losing her friends to otohan, but also this mental block of "if i let myself feel, i will hurt the people i care about."

bell's hells and therapy

and the pain and the stress doesn't ever stop coming, for imogen, and though the group notices, i don't think they really understand her well enough yet to really see that otohan trauma (and imogen might not, either).

now, this is no hate on fcg- but he in particular seems to call out imogen's pain the most, while presenting very surface-level solutions.

"i'll create a safe space," they say, but then they allude to imogen crying a lot and being fragile and then don't actually?? listen??

i think fearne/ashley has done the best at starting difficult conversations with imogen, and has, more than anyone, pushed both imogen and laudna to having hard conversations in the past.

she tried to get imogen to talk about her new ruidius friend and she asks imogen if she thinks she intended the blast, and she really does seem to listen.

but fcg is prone to bringing things up and then using spells/conventional therapy techniques, or what they see as "what SHOULD be done when x boxes are met" without slowing down and really getting everything out of the therapy that is actually important.

(this is no hate to sam i think fcg's perspective is FASCINATING i just don't think it's right for imogen)

[tessastarlight]

Sidon x Yona thoughts (Part One)

Warning: this is just me rambling

The reason why I love these two together is because they’re both selfless and they don’t revolve around each other that much. I love it when couples do things outside of their relationship. They know their duties as future king and queen. Yona has to heal and tend to people who were infected by the threat, while Sidon has to keep the domain from being contaminated any further. I say that these two are a power couple. They’re both friends since childhood and yes, they both need to catch up, but their people comes first. Couples need to be apart in order to be together.

I never really ship Sidon with anyone (until now) because I’m way too picky about romance and shipping. Also, I don’t want a ship to take over an entire story. Sidon is going through a lot of shit. He lost his sister (and possibly his mother), his father almost died, and his home and people are at stake. Do people not understand how afraid he is of losing Yona, the only woman in his life!? If it weren’t for her, he’d be mentally exhausted and the domain would be in more danger. He cant do things on his own and he was stuck in Mipha Court for a while.

After the sludge monster attack, Sidon went to her first going off on how scared he is if anything happens to her. He even begged her to stay at the domain where it’s safe. Also, he even refuses to work with Link because his fear was holding him back, and Yona was the one who notice this.

Like Mipha, Yona is strict with him when she has to be because he’s letting his fear take over him. She convinced him TWICE to assist Link with the sludge, but he was hesitant which caused Yona to be a bit frustrated, justifiably so. I’m really glad that Yona is not like those bitch-ass characters who’ screams, “Stop acting like I’m weak and a damsel in distress! I don’t need YOU controlling me!” Instead, she understands how worried he is of losing someone he loves again, and she appreciates he worries for her safety, but there are more important matters at hand. After several attempts convincing him, he finally entrust Yona to guard the domain once again knowing that she’ll be fine. It’s all about trust and communication. Even the other Zora’s knew that the communication was lacking and they’re glad that these two were able to have that chance. (If you spoke to Chroma and Rivan, they ship them lol)

(Okay, I’ve been on this site for a while, but I forgot this thing has a limit, so part two I guess)

[ofdylan]

[ lily collins, cis woman, she/her ] — whoa! DYLAN METCALFE just stole my cab! not cool, but maybe they needed it more. they have lived in the city for MOST OF HER LIFE, working as a FICTION WRITER. that can’t be easy, especially at only 34 YEARS OLD. some people say they can be a little bit CYNICAL and HOTHEADED , but i know them to be TRUSTWORTHY and PROTECTIVE. whatever. i guess i’ll catch the next cab. hope they like the ride back to MANHATTAN!

Hellooo my lovelies! I'm Lola and it has been a very hot second since I've rp'd, so please bear with me as I settle back in. Below the read more you'll find some backstory and information on Dylan, as well as some wc/plot ideas. Please don't hesitate to reach out via dm and I am so beyond excited 💜

tw: parental death, drugs, alcohol, overdose

Name: Dylan Rose Metcalfe Age: 34 Pronouns: She/her Birthday: October 5th 1989 Job: Fiction writer Romantic/sexual orientation: Biromantic/bisexual

Past.

As the second eldest daughter of the Metcalfe family, Dylan always believed that she was destined for greatness, even if it wasn't exactly the same as her father's. While her father dreamed of someone continuing his legacy, she always had a penchant for writing.

When she was 10 and her father suddenly died, Dylan watched as her mom fell apart. She became a ghost of the woman she once was—losing herself in drinking away her grief. It was then that Dylan decided to never let herself fall in love.

Even though she wasn't going to take over the family business, Dylan and her father were close—much more than she was with her mom. His loss didn't just ruin Dylan's belief in love, but also her self-control and hope for the future. As a result, she began partying at a young age—getting drunk or high as young as 13. She didn't see the point in trying to be good without her dad—and if it wouldn't amount to anything.

One night when she was 16, she took things too far and was arrested. Her mom easily made it all go away, and it only proved to Dylan that being anything else but a spoiled party girl was pointless.

After her best friend and her overdosed in one night, she realized if she didn't start caring about something she would die. The wake up call of sorts didn't completely root out her cynicism, but it did convince her to start trying to be a better person. She devoted herself to being there for her younger brother and older sister, and even did her best to help out her mom when things were the worst for her.

She decided against going to college—mostly because she barely graduated high school. Instead, she backpacked around Europe, deciding to work whatever weird jobs came her way and embrace meeting new people.

But she still didn't have a purpose until she started working on her first novel. When it was published and received star reviews, she realized there was something meaningful in this world. In the end, her writing saved her life.

Present.

After traveling around for years, she decided to settle back in NYC when she was 27. She likes being back "home" and enjoys the never-ending pulse of the city. It helps ease her worries about the future and the regrets of her past.

She doesn't think there's anything missing from her life. Well, at least, that's what she tells herself. She lives in denial about how lonely she is, and how much she still misses her father and dreams about a different life where he never died.

Her wild days of her youth might be mostly behind her, but her nature still leans towards her penchant for chaos. She doesn't mean to, but she has caused more than a few scandals in her time in NYC—both as a teenager and now as an adult.

The relationship she has with her writing is still the longest one she's ever had. Most of the time she focuses on one night stands and does everything in her power to protect her heart. But her work always comes first, sometimes to her detriment, but also to her success.

WC.

A friend from her childhood she's still close with. While Dylan was careless with herself when she was younger, she was never one to hurt her friends. Her trust is hard to earn, but once someone has it, they have it for life.

The ex-best friend who she overdosed with. This is someone who Dylan was inseparable with, but after the night they both could've died, their friendship fell apart. Dylan still carries guilt for what happened, and wishes she could fix it somehow, but has no idea if that's possible.

The almost high school love. Dylan likes to believe that she's never let herself fall in love, but the truth might be far more complicated than that.

Enemies/rivals/etc. Dylan is competitive and definitely has one hell of a temper, so there's a high likelihood she's made some enemies/rivals who she's pissed off more than once.

Honestly I'm down for almost anything and also love plotting based on chemistry, so keep these kind of short 💜💜

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

Hey! I finished my Perfuma Re-design! I made her a deer person to diferenciate her a bit from other characters and also because i think would make sense with her character since she lives in the forest. As for her outfit, i pretty much mixed a whole bunch of stuff, like the hippie fashion of the 70s, Fairy core and Galadriel from LOTR, i think the dress still looks a bit too simple and empty but i imagine it having a silk like texture especially her top, i wanted to make a flower crown but i wasn't able to draw it so i simply added to her horns.

As for her character, i imagine her kingdom being a close ally to Bright Moon since they are probably the closest one, her father was part of the rebellion a long time ago and ended up dying because of one of the Horde's machines,making Perfuma resenting technology a lot. She was born blind and was dubed not fit to rule the kingdom due of her disability, being treated as incapable for a big part of her life till the Horde invaded the Kingdom, killing her parents and destroying a big portion of the forest on the process, because of the anger of losing her parents, Perfuma awekend an incredible powerful magic that she used to create a giant plant monster and banished the Horde soldiers alway from her home. After the Horde was send alway, she realized that their home was almost entirely destroyed, she then ordered to flee the kingdom and rebuild it in another place, completly hid from the Horde and any outsider deemed unworthy.

Because of her powerful magic, Perfuma was the only protector of her kingdom for a very long time, having the help of only the animals and creatures from the forest to help her, since then the Horde has been unable to enter the Whisper Forest and it was deemed an dangerous place protected by a blood thirsty monster that kills whoever enters it. Perfuma was considered a very valueble and strong ally to the Rebellion, being the one who keeps the Horde alway from Bright Moon, but she's been distant ever since her parents died and rarely visits the Kingdom or even keeps contact, which is what causes Adora, Bow and Glimmer to visit her and show She-Ra.

In question of personality, Perfuma is a very pacific, compasionate and kind person that sees the good on everyone and everything, she fantasized with She-Ra her whole life being the center hero of all her people's myths, hoping that someday She-Ra would come back to save her people and put an end to their suffering. Perfuma's was very shielded on her childhood, not being alowed to play with other kids, with the only exception being Glimmer who is her childhood friend, but despite that Perfuma was a very lonely kid and spend most of her life playing with the animals from the forest, learning to speak with them and training to be more independent despite her condition, that friendship with the animals would later pay up with them helping her defend The Forest and Bright Moon. Despite having a calm demeanor, Perfuma can be easily prone to anger and stress, due of being trusted with a lot of responsability in a very young age (she was only 14 when her parents died, with Glimmer being around 9) because her powers are linked to her emotions, Perfuma constantly meditates to keep herself calm because she's afraid to hurt someone if she's snaps. But despite being gentle, Perfuma holds a big anger and hate towards the Horde for taking her parents, destroying her home and for their machines who cause a mess in the enviroment, making her very suspicious of Adora when she find out she's a former Horde soldier, but begins to trust her after seeing she have a pure heart. She pretty much acts like a mix between Galadriel and the butterfly girl from Demon Slayer.

Perfuma's the oldest of the princesses (being around her early 20s) and she doesn't really know any if them except from Glimmer who was her closest and only friend. She acts like a big sister to her and is very worried about her friendship with Adora at first but after seeing how Adora cares for Glimmer she calms down a bit, she's also have a close friendship to Mermista after entering the Rebellion and later on she's also makes friends with Frosta and Scorpia, despite not trusting her at first either. She doesn't like Catra at all, especially after knowing what she did to Scorpia and Adora (when i say "don't like her" i mean she's literally ready to kill that cat at first moment notice) and she also have a complicated relationship with Entrapta because her machines often cause a lot of harm to the forest and because their kingdons have been at war before (i'll explore that lore a bit, give me some time). After the Horde attack, her kingdom rune stone had almost been destroyed, with one of the remaining piece being the gems she use around her body and after hearding She-Ra was back, she hoped to finally heal the stone and bring the kingdom to it forme glourious self, since she knows a lot about She-Ra, she acts as kind of a guide to Adora, helping her connect with She-Ra trought meditation and teaching her about her connection to the planet, which made them very close and she have kind of a motherly way to treat Adora. Among her powers, Perfuma have heightened senses for being part animal (and above that, being blind) especially her hearing who is 2 times better than other people from her race, she have a very powerful plant magic which can be dangerous if she gets too anger or emotional, making her a bit scared to use her full potencial, she also have healing powers which is an old magic of her people that they learned with She-Ra herself and she can talk to animals, even monstruous creatures

[akatsuki-shin]

Can I ask a few questions about Gojo/Getou?

1.) What songs that came to your mind when you think of them (SatoSugu)?

2.) Do you think SatoSugu are queerbaiting?

3.) In Role Reversal AU, do you think Getou can kill Gojo for the greater good (like what Gojo did)?

4.) So is he (Gojo) really not feel anything with Amanai and Haibara's death?

5.) How can Gojo not realizing Geto's depression (is it because he always sent on solo missions)?

6.) (This last one is kinda a joke) Are you a GoGe or GeGo shipper?

1). "Wherever You are" by ONE OK ROCK because this fan video made for their 24-Dec death anniversary last year absolutely destroyed me, and you guys should be destroyed by it, too.

2). No, because as far as I'm concerned, that kind of best friend, bromance, soulmate-like relationship between male characters are common in practically every shounen out there for so many years, and they can be considered as fan service at most (after all, the spending power of otaku girls in Japan are already a force to be recognized in the anime industry). Besides, you don't have to necessarily view them as being romantic-coded or something. There are times when you just found that one person with whom you both totally understand each other, care about each other, feel you are equal, have the exact same vibe, that you two end up being inseparable.

3). Strength-wise, I don't think Geto is stronger than Gojo, so first of all, it would depend on whether Gojo is willing to be killed by him or if Gojo was so severely weakened that he couldn't fight back normally.

Emotion-wise, yes, I think Geto is the kind of person who is willing to make a huge sacrifice for the greater good, even if it will cost him his own life. That said, if he does end up killing Gojo, it will give a significant impact and change to his personality from thereafter.

4). Gojo is different from Geto when it comes to the way he thinks and express feelings/emotions. Geto cares too much about everyone else but himself. Gojo cares about those close to him and he won't unnecessarily hurt strangers either, but if situation calls for it, he is willing to make sacrifices. Like in Shibuya Arc, people like Geto (or Yuji) would probably prioritize saving the civilians, but Gojo prioritized exorcising the Special Grade curses.

First of all, in Riko's case, he was literally high after just being awakened to his true power so he was incapable of feeling anything else. But it isn't as if he's not angry at all; had Geto said "ok" when they met there, he would've massacred the entire cult right then and there because he knows they are the real cause of Riko's death.

There is too little information about Gojo's reaction about Haibara's death but I'm guessing that rather than losing Haibara, the thing that angers him the most would be the way the conservative higher-ups are running things that ends up in his junior's death. Because literally the reason why Haibara died is because the higher-ups's blunder in detecting the curse's level for their mission.

Satoru is born in the Gojo clan; from his childhood, he must've known all the ugliness of the bureaucracy brought about by the conservatives old people. Honestly, if it were up to him, he would've straight up killed those higher-ups (he said this in canon in his anger after Yuji's first death). But in his youth, he was using Geto as a moral compass, so he didn't do it (and he might yet to care that much about it at that time) . As an adult, he already realized that killing them wouldn't solve anything, so he must replace them by a whole new generation who wouldn't commit the same mistake they did — a resolution he found after his "breakup" with Geto, after realizing that he could not save his best friend, no matter how strong he is.

Despite how he looks, Gojo is actually quite farsighted. He doesn't want to just solve emerging problems, he wants to pull them out from the roots. That's why he doesn't look like he's too affected by his comrades' death. He does feel things, but he suppresses them well enough because he knows acting on impulse won't solve the actual problem.

5). The answer to this question may relate somewhat to Gojo's personality and thoughts that I wrote for the previous question (No. 4), but there are indeed other factors.

I personally think it's more because of Geto himself than Gojo.

Geto is the kind of person who cares more about others than himself. He cares a lot about his peers, but it means he is too mindful of others for his own good, and he doesn't want to trouble them as much as he can. Everytime he has a problem, he will say he's alright and hide it behind a smile, just like when Gojo asked him if he's alright because he's gotten thinner, but Geto only laughed it off and said the summer heat's getting to him when he's been losing sleep and appetite over his trauma and dilemma.

He is literally the epitome of someone who won't seek help for his mental health problems because he doesn't want to trouble other people and ends up exploding from it in the end after his mind and heart could no longer hold it in. You can see that after he decided to become a villain, he doesn't even bother explaining to Gojo and Shoko despite those two being his closest friends, and he doesn't demand them to understand him either.

6). I'm in the "GoGe" team because Geto is way too mom and waifu material to me lmao