#I mean it probably speaks volumes about their own childhoods

[lunalikestowriteanddraw]

Idk why, but something about the party immediately thinking that, if anything happens to Gricko, Kremy and Gideon would be left to raise Hootsie, makes me incredibly happy for some reason. And the fact that Kremy was actually WORRIED about being good adoptive dads to Hootsie if anything actually did happen to Gricko (which, since Kremy wasn’t aware of the fact that Gricko was alive yet, was a genuine concern on his part).

And also Gideon taking one look at Twig and mentally adopting her (even if he doesn’t realize it). I mean, look at the way he treats her!!!! He gave her a piggyback ride for fucks sake!!! And he also cut a rabbit in half for trying to attack her when she was down!!!!

I just!!!! THEM!!!! I LOVE THEM!!!!!

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Next part on the batmom and Damian saga (wow been a while since I asked that).

Damian hovered outside the door of your bedroom- where they put you when you were injured. The smaller bed made more room for medical equipment. And it was easier to darken. To satisfy some old childhood need to be somewhere small. Somewhere you felt hidden. And he tried to go in.

But he couldn't.

He could hear his father, speaking to you at a low volume- you were, as yet, unconscious. Stuck between this life and the next. But- you had brain activity. Your heart beat. And you could breathe on your own... Dr. Tompkins had told him you could hear them. And evidently his father believed. Because, as had become his custom, he held your hand and told you all about the day.

Giving you a report on everyone. Telling you they missed you. That they had plans for you. And Damian suspected, begging you not to go.

"You should see her," Dick said quietly, making him jump.

"She wouldn't want-"

"Yes she would," he said, smiling sadly. Remembering all the times he'd gotten you hurt. All the times you'd bodily thrown him out of the way... And how fucking guilty he'd felt every time. Watching you get stitches or watching you try to hide the limp and the pain.

"She kept her promise," Damian said stiffly. "She doesn't have any further need to-"

"She promised to protect you, sure," Dick acknowledged. "Because she's a good person. But that doesn't mean she doesn't care for you."

"Why would she?" Damian said frustrated. "No one is that kind. My father was unfaithful and-"

"She is that kind," Dick said crouching, "Because she knows how horrible it is with no one to protect you. You've seen the files, Dami. She's capable of brutality that would probably make Ra's squeamish. And instead of selling her skills to the highest bidder- she's here. Taking bullets for us and refusing to let us be soldiers. Talk to her."

Damian glanced uncertainly towards the door and frowned, "What do I say?"

"Thank you, might be a good start," Dick said, ruffling his hair and straightening up. "And if not that. To hurry up and get better because Jason is going to rearrange her garden if she's not there to stop him."

[the-grand-gemini]

Big obsessed with all of the BG3 villains. The themes of the cycle of abuse/trauma in all of the main cast makes me feral over how the villains unfortunately do not/did not get the opportunity to be "saved" by Tav (if doing a good playthrough) and by experiencing the heros journey.

I could talk about Ketheric and Orin, but after reading @bearhugsandshrugs fic it got me deep diving into Gortash's character. It's amazing and everyone should read it especially if you're weak for Tav/Gortash like I am 👀💦

Trigger warning for abuse mentions below the cut.

Let me start with stating this is NOT an Enver Gortash apologist post, he's evil and he's done terrible things. This is just me yelling into the void about character foils.

Childhood abuse:

In game we really only get to know his history through background information that we can scrape together if you search through the city and the House of Hope.

We don't get any details on what exactly Enver went through as a child. We can assume neglect/possible violence from his parents given his mother's words and the fact they sold him. We get to know that he was beaten when living in the House of Hope, but not what other possible horrors he could have experienced there (not including just the trauma of witnessing the other debtors and Hope), what age he was, or for how long (if anyone knows more timeline wise I'd love to know) he lived there before he escaped. We don't know how he escaped either, if he had help or did so on his own.

I'm no child psychologist, but abuse has lasting effects as we can see through all of the main party. Victims of abuse tend to have difficulty moving past certain emotional stages in their life. Aka a person abused in their childhood may have issues maturing emotionally without therapy, etc (again I'm not a psychologist). There is a strong possibility that "Child" Enver is still probably holding the reins emotionally while adult Enver isn't even aware of how his past affects every action and reaction he has at all times.

I can't imagine how living with Raphael during ones formative years being healthy in anyway, but we can definitely see some of the learned behaviours he's picked up from the Cambion. A focus on possing/presentation, a suave persona, torturing/using people for his own gain, a general lack of empathy, deal making, similar attire with devil motifs...

Unhealthy coping mechanisms:

Speaking of attire, Enver's coat not allowing Fear to be cast on him speaks volumes to me. Imagine the absolute horror of moving from one situation of abuse to another much worse one in the hells as a child/teen and probably being in a state of fear/anxiety at all times. Enver wearing a coat that doesn't allow him to feel fear gives me three main thoughts:

1. He is doing everything in his power to avoid that specific emotion and therefore prevents himself from thinking about that period of his life. Meaning he is not confronting his trauma the same way the main party is forced to throughout the game.

2. Narratively does the coat prevent him from feeling any fear at all? Or do we just go with the game mechanic that ensures he cannot be made afraid by the fear spell? If it prevents him from feeling fear at all (which I think is narratively more interesting and you can take this headcanon out of my cold dead hands) how does this effect his every day decisions? Fear prevents risky decisions all the time, it's one of the emotions that actively keeps people alive. Psychopaths usually don't experience fear the same way an average person would. Given his many horrific actions (the Iron Throne being a key example) I wonder how much his forceful removal of fear has done to his perception of rational thought. If you aren't afraid of consequences what's to stop you from doing anything at all? Selling a loyal body guard to the hells, torturing an entire faction of people in order to manufacturer your own personal army, stealing from an immensely powerful devil aka mother fucking MEPHISTOPHELES??? He presents himself as calm and collected in conversation. He appears as if he's the most rational of all three villains when he's really just as awful when we look into what he's actually been up to vs seeing Orin and Ketheric kill people on screen.

3. Where did he get the coat? Did he make it himself or was it a boon from Bane? A promise to a devout worshiper that he would never be made to feel afraid or beneath anyone again?

Another abuser - Bane:

Speaking of Bane... Another user (please tag if anyone can find the original post!) mentioned a line Astarion says where he states that he prayed to all the gods, but none answered. OP wondered if Enver, trapped in the hells and desperate for salvation, called out the same way... only for Bane to be the only god to answer. I'd die to know specifically when he was introduced to Bane and made to be his chosen.

We know Bane is considered an evil god and we even find that if we kill Enver and then use speak with dead that Bane is torturing him in the afterlife for failing him.

Given this abusive relationship is Enver a foil for Gale, a man groomed from a young age by a goddess and left with the consequences when his actions did not meet her expectations?

Is he like Shadowheart, someone who was given no alternative and made to believe they willingly chose their god only to learn they were deceived and never had any other options?

Like Wyll he's cast out by his father (or in his case both parents).

Like Lae'zel he's worshipping a deity with false promises, how can he believe he'll rule the entire world like a god himself when Bane the god of TYRANNY would see no other at the top but himself (Was he secretly planning to use the crown like Gale to usurp Bane or just pandering to us)?

We know he and Karlach are absolutely foils for each other given that he is her abuser and like himself Karlach was forged by her times in the hells only to survive on her own merits.

Those are my thoughts! Would love to know anyone else's on the walking red flag that is Lord Enver Gortash.

If Enver lost his memories like the Dark Urge would he be given a chance to redeem himself through his actions? Could he with his knowledge of infernal engines fix Karlach's heart

Would Enver have ever become Lord Gortash if not for Bane...?

Anyways if anyone wants to yell at me about Enver, Orin, or Ketheric please feel free to do so! I love characters who fell through the cracks because they had no one there to help them only to crawl out themselves and burn the world.

[reijnders]

For the oc ask meme you reblogged;

Nnizapas- Glowing Star 🌟 and megaphone 📣

Takla lesiv- seedling 🌱 and masks 🎭

(or any other things about your OCs you'd like to share, related to the prompts or not)

answering from this ask meme

Ada Ṋ̭niz̀apas̖ Tande Ele AKA Ṋ̭niz̀apas̖

GLOWING STAR - what do they think about when they look at the night sky? is there someone they want to star gaze with?

Before his people's First Contact, Ṋ̭ni did a lot of stargazing. Even before his job title changed from regular old botanist to Cultural Ambassador and xenobotanist, he had a little bit of an obsession with the unknown that is pretty unusual for his species. Now that his people have knowledge of, and are interacting with other species, he would very much like to watch the stars with his close human friend Lieutenant Commander Tsai. He'd love to learn what the constellations are like from other planets skies.

MEGAPHONE - how loud are they? what do they speak like? got a voice claim?

By human standards he has a pretty average volume of speaking, but he's Fucking Loud by s̭eźit standards. The translators have yet to be fitted with some of the intricacies of more colloquial speech, so he sounds kind of formal through those, but in his native language his voice is a bit high, with really strong overtones on the whistles. S̭eźit overall speak kind of fast, regardless of the specific language on their planet, and he's average in comparison to his people.

Takla Lesiv

SEEDLING - what is their most vivid memory from childhood?

for positive ones, probably playing with other children in his village before the full extent of the Occupation reached their distant islands. the way i picture the Occupation, it was something that gradually ramped up to what it was right before the stuff we see the result of in DS9, and that, combined with my own version of how Bajor looks as a planet, means that some places were still chillin for a good couple decade in. Lesiv is from a tiny island practically as far from the main supercontinent as you can get. for the negative, its the day his parents sent him off on his own in a shuttle when the Cardassians began to take over nearby islands. he was just a teenager, but he never saw them again.

MASKS - do they act differently around certain people? what's different between the way they act around friends, family, strangers, etc.?

After spending so many years on his own, and then many more with his accidentally acquired changeling son Rodo, he's more than just wary around other people. despite being an adult himself, he tends to do what other adults say without complaining, and he's very quiet around adults. Rodo is really his only family left, and Rodo learned to act like a solid from Lesiv, so they're both a little strange. When depicted using my spec evo Bajorans, Lesiv tends to be more comfortable around his own people, and when writing/drawing according to the canon designs, he's more comfortable around humanoids that are similar to Bajorans.

[soubiapologist]

soubi could do nisei but nisei could not do soubi. omg. idk how to explain this let okay i do but agh okay. it's kind of reliant a little on some meta i've been brewing but haven't really written down yet about soubi/seimei/nisei as like irony poisoned superego/ego/id but let me try and. explain ok

so something interesting about the way characters cast spells is that it's very uhhhh revelatory about their characters but something i've noticed about soubi is that his spellcasting is like.... it's very flexible. and soubi is the best caster in the series, at least that we know of, i think that's pretty clear. however this spellcasting chameleonism is sort of fed by his lack of personal identity. a lot of spells soubi casts are ones he's explicitly learned from others-- some of the most iconic parts of spells battles in the entire series are when he freezes the zeroes and when he recites the oath. when the other characters cast spells they are communicating about their identities and the way they see the world; mikado sees tokino as her knight, tokino sees her as his princess to protect, nisei is constantly throwing up walls and sees himself as easily exploitable, the zeroes cast spells that speak to their worries of expendability and desire for freedom from it, and so on. (interestingly, when mei, a fighter who "hasn't learned control" fights, her sacrifice doesn't end up in bondage) something i've seen people note is that soubi isn't really a "person" is earlier volumes of loveless, we see him sort of slowly come into having a personality of his own in later volumes but there's still very much this like. void, this lack agency, and i think that's something that goes back very far in soubi's childhood, back to ritsu refusing to enlighten him on his parents and also the like. trauma probably? of being a blank in a society filled with names. the names are stand-ins for interpellation (broadly, the way we are indoctrinated into society via labels and the perceptions created by those labels-- a name "calls" (this is the etymology of interpellation), a name labels and gives identity and thus "meaning" in society. the names don't "mean" anything on their own; they are apparently(?) assigned by someone or some thing, before they are even born, perhaps society itself, and the characters are assigned an identity and create their own understanding of their identity through this process) and as a blank you aren't given the chance to choose your own identity it is forced on you and branded into your very skin in an exchange of power. identity is a strong theme in loveless and family is as well, because within society our identities are first formed within the context of the family. but soubi doesn't have a family. soubi doesn't have an identity; soubi is, for all intents and purposes, blank, as far as society is concerned and thus an impressionable canvas for others to assert their own identities through. when tokino accuses soubi of doing whatever the hell on seimei's behalf, i don't know if he has, but i do believe he could and would. just like nisei, soubi could do nisei, but nisei could not do soubi because nisei, as weak and unstable as he is, does have an identity, one that's deeply wrapped in insecurity and feeling trapped and useless and powerless and scrambling to escape that by any means necessary, even being used to commit horrible crimes, and it's through that identity that he is manipulated by seimei, however in contrast, it is soubi's lack of identity that makes him manipulable. but it also makes him strong; because he is able to fit in to any situation, because he has not been interpellated the way nisei has, he has the incredible power to cast spells of any kind and draw from any place he pleases. soubi is the loveless fighter in that soubi is free, even if he has yet to realize that fully. soubi has the power to choose, moreso than anyone else by virtue of his loss. and i think that's the strength that seimei is chasing, but can never have. by virtue of tying himself to ritsuka, his identity has become so wrapped up in that bond that he has become enslaved to it; seimei is desperately chasing freedom, but if he gets ritsuka, he can never have it.

tl;dr nisei's spells suck ass because nisei sucks ass because he's so wrapped up in his identity as The Guy Who Sucks Ass. Soubi on the other hand is free from identity and thus can cast whatever tha hell spells he fuckin wants fuck yeah. but all power comes at a price, of course. smiles politely.

idk i just think that it's so fascinating that loveless characters have absolutely no fucking idea what they want nor what's actually good for them nor what's good for other people and they're just blowing themselves up over it constantly all the time.

[riahlynn101]

"Lost and Found" (4).

Chapter Four

--

“I’ve decided on a name,” Big Brother says, looking at Yoichi with thinly veiled excitement. His voice is subdued, quiet because the two younger boys are sleeping peacefully behind them. 

It had been hit or miss for a minute. Watching them float in the tub, lips blue and near lifeless, made Yoichi want to scream and cry and beg them to ‘just please, please, please wake up!’

But he’s never been one to cry. Big Brother says it probably has something to do with their childhood. Something about being left at the mercy of an uncaring, self-centered world. 

So, all he could do was watch and wait. 

Wait and watch as their baby brothers hovered between this life and the next. 

“Really?” He takes a sip of water, savoring it. Yoichi’s still in awe that things like this really exist. Water that you don’t have to boil or steal from a store. Ready and available. 

“Mhm, I mean, I can’t have strangers calling me Big Brother. Now, can I?” He laughs, and Yoichi eyes their younger brothers. His brother must catch him staring, because he scoffs. “They don’t count, Yoichi. They’re family.”

Yeah, he thinks to himself. They are now.

Too preoccupied by his own thoughts, Yoichi doesn’t catch the knowing smile his brother sends him.

He looks into his cup, swirling it. If he angles the cup right, the water reflects the light from the lamp on the table. “What is… it?” He finally asks, knowing that that’s what Big Brother’s waiting for. 

He smiles big. “Reito.”

Yoichi stares blankly. He cracks a smile, not wanting to crush his brother’s enthusiasm. “Um…why?” Hearing himself, he adds. “I’m…uh…” he searches for the right word, scrunching his brows up. “Uh…thinking very hard.”

“You’re curious?” Big Brother asks. 

Yoichi nods, because that sounds like the right word. 

“Well,” he starts, “first of all, like I said I needed a name.”

“For strangers?”

“Eh, mostly for you guys.” 

“But you…. just said-”

His brother, like always, interrupts him. “Apparently, it’s impolite to use your given name with strangers. So, the first name is only for you guys. Like I said. Oh! That reminds me, we need a family name. I have a few ideas, but I want your guys’ input.”

Yoichi has to do a double take. Is this his brother? He looks him up and down. The same curls (no longer weighed down with dirt and freshly cut) and the same punch able face. It can’t be. His brother would never ask for anyone’s input. 

“What? This is a decision we shouldn’t take lightly. Our family’s legacy will be carried through this name.”

He rolls his eyes. His brother could be a complete and utter drama king sometimes. 

“Anyways,” Big Brother sighs, lowering his volume. “My name is Reito. Depending on the kanji it could mean ‘astute and wise, actor, or human person.’ Of course, the first part means ‘zero.’”

“Of course,” Yoichi repeats. In all honesty, he has no idea, but Big- Reito seems to know what he’s talking about. 

Thankfully, he explains anyway. “You know, zero, like you have the kanji for one in your name. So, we’d be zero, one.” He gestures to the other boys. “Nine and ten.”

Yoichi quirks a brow. Now, he’s no expert on the system that makes up kanji, but he has read enough to know that Izuchan and Tenchan don’t have the symbols used for ‘nine’ and ‘ten’ in their names. “They don’t,” he says, but he’s quickly interrupted by Big- (Sigh, this is going to take some getting used to) Reito.

“But they sound similar. I admit that Izuku is closer. The last part of his name ‘ku’ is closer, but in English-”

And Yoichi is immediately lost. Give him a book written in Japanese, he’ll do just fine. Speak to him in Japanese, and Yoichi will be able to understand what’s being said ninety-nine percent of the time. 

English, though. 

That he hasn’t learned yet. 

“Tenchan, when written out in romaji, has the English word for ‘ten’ in his name.”

“Uh, huh.” Yoichi takes a sip of water, looking away.

His brother chuckles. “You have no idea what I’m rambling about do you?”

“Not a clue.”

That earns him an affectionate hair ruffle. “That’s fine. It’s time for bed anyway.”

“Yeah,” Yoichi sighs, exhausted. 

-x-x-x-

Izuku squirms, sitting on a stool in the bathroom. Big Brother stands behind him, carefully cutting his hair. 

“Sit still,” Big Brother scolds. “Unless you want me to cut you.”

That gets him to stop moving, but only for a second. He pouts.

“Tenchan and Onii-chan don’t have to get their hair cut.” Well, at least, not as much as he did. Tenchan’s haircut lasted a total of five minutes and that included brushing some of the mats out. Onii-chan was left to deal with the rest (if the shouts of pain in the next room are anything to go by). 

Big Brother sighs heavily. He places the scissors off to the side, and gently dips Izuku’s head back until their eyes meet. He smiles and is gifted with one in return. His oldest brother stoops down and places a kiss on his forehead. It makes him feel warm. 

(Izuku thinks his daddy used to do that, too.)

“Our hair is different from theirs,” he finally answers. 

“It’s curly?” 

“Curly and thick and a totally different texture. I suppose, Tenchan is somewhere between our hair and Yoichi’s. But he can get away with a small haircut and some major detangling. You and I, on the other hand, are forced to be diligent when it comes to haircare.”

“Dil-a-what?”

“Never mind that.” Big Brother lets his head go. “I just mean that we have to take really good care of our hair. Missing even one day of combing through it, or not cleaning it for days on end can lead to a rats nest so bad that it honestly might be easier to shave it all off.”

Izuku gasps, covering the back of his head. “No!” 

Big Brother laughs, gently slapping his hands away. “I didn’t say I would. Just that it would be easier than cutting a few inches off. But that’s why it’s taking so long. It’ll take even longer to comb through it and make it look presentable.”

Izuku groans.

“Unless you prefer I cut it off?” Big Brother asks.

“N-no.”

“That’s what I thought.”

-x-x-x-

Tenko is really starting to love his older brothers. He really is. They took Izuku and him in, protected them, and above all provided for them. And he knows that’s not easy to do, especially with Reito’s power. 

Bitterly, he secretly wishes he had that power. The ability to give and take. Instead of this . If he even accidentally touches something with all five fingers, even for a millisecond, it all crumbles to dust. Just like-

“I wanna go outside!” Izuku pouts. He sits on the bed, little legs dangling off the side. 

“I…know,” Yoichi sighs, folding clothes on the side of the bed that isn’t currently taken up by a fuming preschooler.

“Why can’t we?” Tenko asks. He understood not wanting them to wander off back at the other place. That side of town could be a little rough depending on the time of day, but this place is nicer. They should be able to play, even just in the parking lot (especially if Yoichi-nii watches them). 

That earns another sigh. “No,” he says. 

Tenko groans. 

“That’s not fair!” Izuku shouts. 

Yoichi-nii puts a finger to his lips, a severe look on his face. He clicks his tongue, falling back on old habits. Tenko thinks of reminding him that he has to speak Japanese with them, but Izuku seems to understand anyway. 

He continues to pout, back turned to them and arms crossed. But he’s quieter. No longer muttering under his breath. 

Tenko looks at Yoichi-nii, but he seems content in ignoring them both for the time being. 

He entertains himself by reading the back of the TV guide. Maybe he’ll find something they can all watch together later (after everyone has calmed down). 

He hopes Reito comes home soon. 

-x-x-x-

Meanwhile, across town, Reito sits at a library computer. He searches through countless articles and social media accounts looking for something. He taps his foot, impatience creeping in. Reito has been at this for hours, and he has nothing to show for it. 

He clicks on another link. It takes a few moments to load, and then decides to refresh itself. Reito groans, slouching in his seat. The elderly librarian gives him a look from behind her spectacles, before shaking her head in disapproval. 

Rolling his eyes, Reito opens his mouth to ask her ‘what her problem is?’ But the page finally loads. All his previous annoyance leaves his body at once. He sits up straighter, leaning towards the screen. 

A wide, almost maniacal smile overtakes his face. “Why hello,” he mutters to himself, touching the screen.

 “Father.”

[saltydogsmut]

Adding your tags because they're interesting.

I think quite a bit can be written off as Art Style because basically all of Nemlei's male protaginists have medium length hair, and no stubble BUT I think Andrew is the only one we've seen with (slightly) Shorter hair.

So at least during high-school Andrew did start caring about his appearance a lot more.

But it really brings up the question of Where is Tcoaal supposed to take place? We know it's supposed to be late 90s, early 2000s, but where in the world is it? Because that will put into context the gender expectations.

So about the time period long hair was still REALLY popular in the music scene, but was getting pretty niche since it was seen as a more old person thing with 70s/80s rock bands etc. Most 90s medium hair is styled into more defined masculine hairstyles, though. Artists always play around with personal expression and since we've seen bits praising Andrew's academic performance, his haircut may be a sign of giving up on dreams of a more "artistic" career and picking a "safer" career choice. Since Andrew is pretty big on poetry.

But then, why does he go back?

Location wise it's hard to pin down where tcoaal takes place in text, so I'm cheating. Unreliable Internet sources say its based in fictional Europe and Nemlei is from Finland. Finland is a country where people drive on the right and not the left. On the bridge Andrew gets out of the left side of the car while parked all the way to the right. Does every other country drive on the right in Europe(minus england)? Yes.

But I'm choosing Finland because of bias, but more specifically because of its economic collapse in the 90s. For real world context made simple, basically 30% of people lost their jobs and became unemployed. The soviet union,its biggest neighbour, had collapsed, and social services were slashed. It was a pretty significant recession. I'm going to say it probably influences tcoaal's creation.

So big recession/societal collapse. Those "safe" jobs aren't so safe. Mr graves lost his job in Andrew's childhood and seemed to be having a hard time finding another, lots of stuff in tcoaal is privately owned by companies that shouldn't be, there seems to be no publicly funded TV or health care responses, etc. And Andrew had to take on a few summer jobs to help make ends meet. Looking at street photos his hair is a style you'd see on older demographics, but it wouldn't get too many looks.

With uni, perhaps he was more free to let his hair grow again since he wasn't expected to hold a job, or maybe he picked something less safe as a major, or maybe it was the quarantine. Speaking of, if Andrew was keeping himself clean shaven in that quarantine it would speak VOLUMES considering how he saw stuff like doing laundry as unnecessary. It would explain the pile of gunk Ashley has to clean up in the bathroom, assuming Andrew is a messy af shaver.

Andrew is very appearance conscious, keeping friends who he doesn't care about around, as well as dating Julia, but he admitted in the log preview that it meant a lot to him that she was trying to be friends with his sister. Perhaps in a way, he wanted Ashley to have that idealised girl hood friendships, for his own sake (reputation, get free time), yes, because he cares about her, yes, but under a trans lense, maybe he wanted to vicariously get a glimpse into feminine stuff that wasn't cutting each other down. Sisterhood type stuff that he felt he had no entrypoint into. Maybe part of his attraction to Julia could be that she actually HAD that with Nina, and maybe other girls, and was trying to do so with Ashley too.

Julia is ALLOWED to be feminine in a way that Ashley (and by extention him) aren't permitted, but isn't too deep into it to be unapproachable for him. (She paints her nails). And her lack of dating experience means Andrew can ask her about it if she mentions it without it seeming overly invested? It'd be cute.

It's definitely an interesting thing to think about.

I feel like I need to crack open a queer studies book the amount of t-girl Andrew truthers I have nodding along to my posts.

I'm missing something.

My only insight is that t-girls too, can make weird psuedosexual violence fantasies: because the closest they'll get to feeling comfortable in a sexual/romantic scenario is by offloading the discomfort of being a guy onto the discomfort of the macabre, and pretending that's the reason for it. Such fantasies also destroy the beauty of the person they may be jealous of as well, removing that part of the equation.

It's not the healthiest coping mechanism, but eh, better than some. It adds a new dimension to Andrew saying sex was "mortifying" at least.

[thranduel]

before volume 2 comes out, i just wanted to talk about why a lot of people love byler and why i personally think it's one of the strongest and most genuine relationships in the show, since i'm so tired of people acting like it's "forced" and "unrealistic" when it actually isn't

*note: this gets veryyyyy long because they mean so much to me and i have a lot to say :')

before i start, i just wanna say that these are my own opinions and observations especially after watching season 4 volume 1 and hearing the cast and producers officially confirm that will likes mike. i’ve been watching stranger things since i was 15 and will has always been my comfort character and someone i can relate to in some ways, so exploring more about his character is so important to me and i just want him to be happy. also, i just need to mention it’s completely okay if you prefer byler platonically! their friendship is beautiful and of course it should be appreciated. not everything has to end up romantic anyways. it's also fine to prefer certain ships over others so there’s no need to get into arguments or get mad at someone just because they have a different opinion. but this specific post focuses on byler as a ship so keep that in mind before reading!

but anyways, back to why people love byler.

their story is so beautiful and meaningful to so many of us because they've known each other for such a long time and have such a close and genuine bond, and if they became canon it could actually work really well especially after everything they've built up throughout the entire series and all the hints in season 4 (which i talk about in more detail below). also just to make it very clear, i wouldn't want to see eleven heartbroken. i love her so much so this would only be in a situation where mike and el mutually broke up or something like that. but yeah, people will say "byler doesn't make sense", "it's unrealistic" or "it's forced", when it really isn't. if anything, byler is probably the most realistic and genuine ship on the entire show because they've known each other for most of their lives and genuinely love and care for each other so much. also, there's been so many situations where best friends develop feelings for each other, especially when they've known each other for a long time and share the same interests and have experienced the same struggles throughout childhood (neither of them had friends before they met each other, they were both bullied in school, etc.) and they've always stayed by each other's side.

side note: i also feel like people wouldn't be saying it's "forced" or "unrealistic" if will was a girl instead of a boy, which is really sad because it shouldn't matter. if you think mike and el are cute but mike and will are "inappropriate" just because they're boys, that's just hypocritical and homophobic because it shouldn't be any different. they're all the same age and the love they share is so beautiful and wholesome. there's absolutely nothing sexual or inappropriate about these relationships, and if i see anyone sexualise them or talk about them inappropriately (especially if they’re much older than them), then i'll block them immediately because that makes me so uncomfortable. also, i’m so tired of people automatically assuming that love, romance and attraction is inherently sexual when it isn't. it also feels extremely invalidating when people assume that every single person sees love and romance in a sexual way, when they don't. i can't speak for everyone, but i personally don't like to focus on sexual things too much (it’s completely fine if you do as long as the ship is appropriate of course!! but i’m just talking about myself personally in general. i hope this makes sense haha). when i get invested in romance and ships, it's because i really love the individual characters and the emotional bond they have together. it's because it's meaningful and emotional and comforting to me. true romantic love is not exactly easy to find or experience in real life (especially when you're not heterosexual), which is why i find so much comfort in fictional characters and ships, especially when i relate to certain characters like will. it’s also really nice and refreshing to see healthy lgbtq+ characters and ships because the representation is so important to so many of us, and i think that’s why a lot of people are drawn to them instead of straight ones. for a long time, all we’ve ever been surrounded by is heterosexuality and sometimes people just want a break from that which is completely understandable. fiction genuinely brings me a lot of comfort and happiness, and in some way it can be a distraction as well. that’s why i’m so tired of people acting like mike and will is “inappropriate” or "forced" just because they’re both boys but they don’t say the same for mike and el.

it's also so important to remember that kids/teens can be lgtbq+, struggle with their identity and experience attraction to people that are the same gender, so saying "they're just kids! stop forcing sexuality on them!" or "that's so inappropriate because they're kids" is actually harmful and invalidating, and it implies that you think being gay is inherently sexual and inappropriate and that kids shouldn't see it on tv and in real life which is ridiculous because why is it only an issue when it's gay people but not straight people? love and attraction is not inherently sexual. being lgbtq+ is not inherently sexual either. it's just love and attraction. there are so many different types of attraction too such as romantic, platonic, physical, emotional, sexual, aesthetic, and more. every person is different and some people can experience either one type of attraction or more than one of them, and everyone is valid! also, people need to stop acting like everyone is born straight by default and "must reach a certain age before being gay", because that sounds absolutely ridiculous and that's definitely not how it works. straight is not the "default setting" and people don't choose who they are or when. also, if kids can be straight and have heterosexuality shoved in their face from the moment they're born, they can be lgbtq+ and also learn about different types of love and identities, and it could actually help them discover themselves, become more accepting towards others and prevent them from growing up with unnecessary trauma or feeling like there's something wrong with them. i was talking to one of my friends recently and she said she wishes there was more wlw representation when she was a teenager because it would've helped her so much growing up. this is why characters like robin and will are so important to so many people and why it would be so incredible if they can actually explore their stories and let them be happy. it's important for kids who are their age that are currently going through what they're going through and it's also important for adults who never had that sort of representation as they were growing up. also, no one is "forcing" these characters to be lgbtq+ and i'm so sick of seeing comments like "stop forcing everyone to be gay!". they are fictional characters, not real people, and one of them was literally written as gay, there's been so much subtext from the beginning, and it has now been confirmed that he has a crush on mike. also, heterosexuality is also a sexuality, so if you’re so worried about people forcing a sexuality on will but then say he’s straight two seconds later, guess what, you’re forcing a sexuality on him yourself. stop being hypocrites.

anyways back to what i was saying before, mike and will have the closest and most genuine relationship (at least to me personally) and they've known each other the longest out of all the friends. just because they're not romantically canon doesn't mean people can't see how strong their relationship is, and it doesn't necessarily mean that the canon relationships are best for the characters individually either. i think that's why so many people love mike and will, because they're so important to each other and have been through a lot together from when they were young. the little conversations they have when they're alone always show their vulnerability and they completely open up with each other which is so important to see as well. no lies, no making each other feel bad, nothing like that. they both just try to comfort each other and get each other through whatever they're going through. you can even see their eyes filled with tears at the end of some of their scenes because they care about each other so much and they feel safe and comfortable with each other. they always end up being honest and letting their feelings out. they're best friends, and if they have problems, they try to actually discuss it and sort it out rather than lie and try to change the topic. again, that doesn't always mean it has to be romantic. people don't have to see them that way and it's completely fine to love and appreciate byler platonically. even i do, and i hope people can always enjoy their friendship regardless of what the writers decide to do with their story. but i genuinely do feel like they could work really well romantically too and i think season 4 was really building up to that, especially since the cast and crew have been teasing byler a lot.

i’ve also noticed that the way mike talks to will, especially when they're having their own deep conversations, has always seemed a little different to how he talks to everyone else and it's just so cute to me. it's like he goes all soft with him and he can actually be himself and show his vulnerability, letting his honest feelings out without being held back even if that means admitting he was wrong in certain situations. being honest and communicating properly is such an important thing when it comes to any relationship, whether it's platonic or romantic, and mike and will always end up communicating so well which i love so much. the fact that will got so angry over el lying to mike and not being honest with him also really shows that honesty is so important to him and he didn't want to see mike hurt because of it (also, he would've been upset to see el struggling but it wasn't really his place or responsibility to inform mike without her knowing. el clearly didn't want him to know and if will did it behind her back, people probably would've complained about that and blamed him, and el probably would've gotten more upset. also, will explained that he had no idea el was lying to mike and he thought she told him what was going on because they sent so many letters to each other, so it’s not will’s fault that mike didn’t know about el lying). anyways i noticed the way mike spoke to will softly again in ep 4 when he apologises to him after their argument and they both have tears in their eyes by the end of the scene (similiar to the "crazy together" scene in season 2).

this is what we like to call "the will smile" :')

he just always speaks in a softer voice with him and gives him little smiles and nods to assure him, especially after they've argued or if will has been through something. even though he was being harsh at the roller rink, you could tell when he apologised that he genuinely felt bad about it and he was probably having so many conflicting feelings in the moment when he got mad at him. he also chased after him to apologise in season 3 after their argument in the rain (“it’s not my fault you don’t like girls” scene) which shows that mike doesn't like leaving will without apologising, checking on him and making up. when mike says stuff sometimes, he doesn't really mean it or think about how it could come across, and i think he always wants to make sure that will knows that. will is such a soft and gentle person and mike knows that as well, so he's always looking out for him.

you can see how much mike cares about will and looks out for him especially in season 2, as he’s always by his side and checks up on him. he constantly asks if he’s okay, he slept at his house and the lab to be by his side, he held his hand to calm him down and he kept trying to comfort him and tell him that everything would be okay.

will was extremely anxious and struggling physically and mentally during this season with the mindflayer, and mike was always there for him. on halloween night when will was in the upside down, he was calling out for mike and only mike. then mike saved him and took him home, far away from the party, and they had a conversation which ended up being one of my favourite scenes. mike carefully listened to everything will said and he didn’t freak out or make him feel like he was alone. they agreed that if they go crazy, they’ll go crazy together.

the scene in episode 8 where the mindflayer has possessed will and everyone is trying to get through to him is one of my favourite scenes ever. mike starts talking about the day they first met, and he tells will that asking to be his friend was the best thing he’s ever done. they’re both crying during this scene, and regardless of whether you see them platonically or romantically, you can just see how much they love and care for each other and how beautiful, genuine and strong their relationship is. they had no one before they met each other. they had no friends. they were completely alone. and then they found each other and mike asked will if he wanted to be his friend. they’ve grown up together, overcome so many struggles and had to deal with being bullied, shared the same interests and hobbies and always been by each other’s side. just thinking about it makes me want to cry because the type of relationship they have is so unbelievably special and precious and not everyone gets to experience something like this. they’ve been best friends since kindergarten and they’ve shared so many childhood memories together and it’s just so beautiful to me.

(CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT THE EMOTION IN THIS SCENE AND THE TEARS IN THEIR EYES????? LOOK AT THEIR LITTLE FACES I CAN'T TAKE IT)

another thing, childhood best friends falling in love is one of the most common and well-loved tropes in fiction and it's quite common in real life too. sometimes it can take a long time for feelings to develop between characters (either because they were repressed, in denial or confused, or maybe they just had previous relationships and were in love with other people before falling in love with someone new) and it might not be obvious or directly explored for a while, but that doesn't mean it's impossible or that people aren't allowed to enjoy the idea of certain ships. obviously platonic relationships are just as beautiful and strong as romantic ones, sometimes even stronger, and not everything has to end up romantic, but some people just simply see chemistry between characters or think that they could like each other as more than friends and that's completely okay too. especially after all the subtext, queer-coding and confirmation of will liking mike from some of the cast and producers, of course people are going to ship it even more now and see potential with them. it's not forced at all when the cast, writers and producers themselves are confirming things and including subtext in every season.

for the past few years, i've always believed that will had a crush on mike, but i wasn't sure if mike had a crush on will. after watching season 4 volume 1, i'm definitely more sure that he does and that they share the same feelings for each other. i feel like all the awkward moments and tension between them weren't for nothing, and that the writers knew what they were doing when they included them. as we know, finn confirmed that mike has no idea will likes him, so that's not the reason why he was acting awkward around him. they also left on good terms at the end of season 3, so it makes no sense for him to suddenly act so weird around his best friend who he's always been so comfortable with. the only explanation that would actually make sense is that mike has repressed feelings for will and he doesn't know what to do about it, so he distances himself from him, causing awkwardness and tension. part of him is probably confused about what he feels for el too, and based on mike and el's fight scene, it seems like he's not romantically in love with her and he's struggling with his feelings because their relationship has clearly changed a lot. then there's the episode 5 scene (which i talk about in detail here), which is honestly one of the biggest and most powerful scenes i've seen between mike and will. it's an extremely important and meaningful scene where will talks about opening up and sharing feelings, and it's obvious that he's talking about his feelings for mike. at the same time, it seems as though mike is thinking about a lot of things in that scene, and he kind of looks confused, afraid and unsure of what to do. if he loved el romantically and wasn't having any doubts about his relationship, and if he also didn't have repressed feelings for will and everything was just the same like how it has been for the past few seasons, why would he be looking so sad and confused like that? and why would will say "what if they don't like the truth?" when we obviously know what el wants to hear from mike? the only thing that would explain it is that mike doesn't actually have romantic feelings for her and if he tells her, that's why she might not like the truth. then from will's side, it's obviously about his feelings for mike and how he's afraid to tell him in case he doesn't react well. otherwise, what would be the point in all of these scenes if mike just runs back to el and confesses he loves her? it would make no sense to the writing and it would feel so forced. it would also take away all the emotional impact of scenes like this and it wouldn't explain any of the awkwardness between mike and will. what’s the point of this meaningful heart-to-heart scene if it’s not gonna result in a new outcome we haven’t seen before?

here's some other little things that i wanted to point out:

mike keeps all of will's artwork and you can see him go through it in season 1

will's painting for mike is even cuter for the above reason and we know how passionate he is about art. he draws things that mean a lot to him (their d&d party, his d&d character "will the wise", bob as a superhero, his rainbow ship, etc.)

they talk to each other differently than how they talk to everyone else; the soft voices, little smiles, tears in their eyes. it's so genuine and you can tell they're comfortable together

mike has never had a fight with will without going back to him and apologising and checking up on him (in season 3 they didn't really get to have a proper talk because will was warning them that the mindflayer was back but he still tried going there to apologise)

there's a parallel in season 1 ep 3 and season 3 ep 8 where mike hugs his mum (the first one was when they found will's "body" and the second one was right after will left hawkins)

mike telling will that hawkins isn't the same without him and that he was worried because he felt like he lost him

their emotional scenes in season 4 where they talk privately always had [tender, emotional music playing] captions and they got interrupted several times

note: the next paragraphs are just how i personally feel about mike and el's relationship especially after season 3 and 4, but i just want to make it clear that i love both of these characters and i genuinely loved the ship in season 1 and 2, so i'm not hating on them or trying to bring down anyone that ships them. they have a beautiful relationship and many sweet moments, but i just don't feel as though they suit each other romantically anymore. this is just my personal opinion especially after watching season 4.

since a lot of people are probably wondering how anyone could ship something that isn't canon (mike and will) when there's a canon ship already (mike and el), it's normal for people to get bored of the main male protagonist and main female protagonist randomly meeting in the middle of nowhere and falling in love at first sight trope, especially because it's so common and people see it in almost everything. a lot of people find comfort in lgbtq+ ships because they relate to the characters or they just simply want to see basic representation and they enjoy things that are different. or maybe they just simply believe that the characters suit each other a lot more and it makes more sense to the story and that’s completely understandable too. just because something isn’t canon doesn’t mean it’s “unrealistic” or “forced”, and acting like a ship is automatically better just because it’s canon isn’t always the best argument. even if a ship has been built up from the start doesn't mean it has to be endgame. there's many shows where the main character is in relationships before falling in love with another person several seasons later and that doesn't mean it's "forced" or "unrealistic". it's actually quite the opposite because the characters take time to actually develop and realise their feelings as they get older and learn more about love and relationships. with mike and el, they met as kids and kissed when el didn't even know what a kiss was. even now as teenagers, they're still trying to figure out what love is and mike is struggling to tell el he loves her.

it also seems like there's always a pattern where they argue, lie to each other, get separated and then reunite and make up in a big dramatic scene, and this has happened several times which people are understandably sick of. it's kinda expected at this point since they're the main ship and focused on the most, so even whenever they fight, it's not that impactful or dramatic because people expect them to get back together again. i have no doubt that they love each other and there's many sweet things about them, but after watching season 3 and 4, i just didn't like how their relationship went. i personally find them boring and repetitive now, and i really didn't like how mike got so consumed with el that he ended up neglecting and excluding his friends. it just wasn't cute or romantic to me at all, and i couldn’t enjoy their lovey dovey scenes especially when will was in the background getting ignored. it was heartbreaking to watch and it felt so out of character for mike too. being a "teenager in love" isn't an excuse to forget about your friends and treat them like that. it was extra hurtful to see because mike was the complete opposite in season 1 and 2. in season 1 he was willing to jump off a cliff to protect dustin and he did everything he could to find will, and in season 2 when will was really struggling, he was so attentive and caring towards him. but the moment i saw him forget about his best friends and only focus on el, it annoyed me and i just couldn’t look at the ship the same anymore. that probably sounds dramatic but as someone who has been excluded like will, it hurts, and it’s annoying to see. and then there’s the fact that mike can’t say “i love you” even when el is crying and practically begging him to say it. he said it in front of a group of people in season 3 and then tried to talk about how he loves her during the grocery store scene. at the end of season 3, el said “i love you, too” so she clearly knows he loves her and so does the audience. some people were saying he shows his love with actions instead of words but in that scene he didn’t use actions either? he could’ve hugged her or held her hand but he didn’t. and we’ve seen him show he loves her with actions previously so why couldn’t he say it or at least show it in that scene at all? he just sat there and lied and tried to dodge her questions. it would also feel incredibly forced and boring if there’s a big dramatic scene where they make up and mike finally says “i love you” because the audience is already expecting it and it doesn’t feel powerful at all. i don’t know about anyone else but i don’t really enjoy watching mike and el, who are already struggling with their own personal issues outside of their relationship, constantly lie to each other and go back and forth constantly. they argue, get seperated, reunite, make up, act all lovey dovey and forget about everyone else, then repeat. it’s exhausting to watch and i actually think it would be exhausting for them too.

anyways, mike, will and el are all incredible characters that deserve to be happy, but i just wanted to share my opinions about why me and so many other people love byler and why i think it’s one of the strongest and most genuine relationships in the show. i’ve noticed that the ship is becoming a lot more popular now and the show is starting to actually explore it more which makes me so happy :')

(also if you screenshot any of this or want to post it outside of tumblr, just make sure my blog name is cropped out!! i know that's such a random request but i don't really want my blog shared outside of here since this is the only place i engage with fandom stuff LOL thank you!)

[silvertonedwords]

Meeting

Because you all asked, here are a few words of Theseus and Tina meeting a few months after Crimes of Grindelwald.

-&-

“Theseus!” Avery leads Tina across the room with a commanding gesture that irks her slightly, though at least she’s fairly confident he’d do the same to any man in her position. Something about America and MACUSA being young and untested, as if the Ministry hasn’t turned to her department for help on several major cases in the past few years and beyond.

“Theseus, meet your American counterpart, then. This is Miss Tina Goldstein, MACUSA’s new Head Auror.”

Tina is struck, as she had been when Newt took the polyjuice, and again when they’d run into the man himself, by the family resemblance. They are quite like each other in many ways--the read hair and freckles; their long limbs.

But also, she is struck by the ways that they are different. Theseus holds himself like an auror. He looks--solid--in a way that Newt doesn’t. Traditional.

“Oh,” Theseus says drily, holding out a hand for her to shake, “we’ve met.”

His eyes dance, and suddenly she sees in them the spark of mirth she’s caught in Newt’s eyes when he’s amused or teasing.

Perhaps she shouldn’t judge so soon.

“Well, kinda,” Tina admits, shaking his hand.

She feels his scrutiny, but can hardly wonder at it. Even if they weren’t at a conference where they’ll likely be working together to coordinate MACUSA and Ministry responses to international crime, he probably has other reasons to be curious.

If she’d met Newt, on a trip to London, say, Queenie would certainly have had much to observe when meeting him.

“I wasn’t aware of that,” Avery says, throwing Theseus a vaguely accusatory look.

“It was brief,” Tina explains, “We were both busy.”

“Although I was treated to a display of Miss Goldstein’s impressive wandwork.”

Tina feels herself blush.

“Well. Get acquainted, then. The first meeting is at nine.”

“Forgive me,” Theseus says once Avery’s left them. “I’d speak more plainly, but that man has no imagination, and I’m afraid he might hold it against you.”

“You don’t?”

Theseus chuckles. “Credit where credit is due. It’s good to be bested every once it a while. It keeps one humble. Plus, Newt tells me you held your own against Grindelwald, even if he wasn’t wearing his own face, so I can hardly be too disappointed in myself.”

“You were frustrated with your brother.” She shrugs. “People are easy to catch off guard when they’re distracted.”

He laughs. “I’ll keep that excuse in mind, then.” He grasps her hand, surprising her. “Truly. I am glad to meet you properly. I’m not sure what Newt’s told you--” he sighs “--I haven’t always been--I’m not sure I’ve always been the best brother for him, but I value his judgement more than he thinks. It is an honor to meet someone of whom he speaks so highly.”

She’s not known what to make of Theseus, exactly. He and Newt seem to be growing closer in the months since Paris, and Newt has seemed perplexed by the change. He’s written her stories from their childhood that depict a well-meaning, but often rigid--sometimes thoughtless--brother who following their father in wishing for Newt to be, well, less Newt. But in the gaps, she’s wondered if it was a burden partly of worry--of, sometimes in the wrong way, wanting to make sure that his brother would be alright. That Theseus fell in love with Leta speaks volumes for his ability to see past the blind, sneering judgements of society. Perhaps it’s a skill he’s learning later in life.

“A pleasure to meet you, as well.” Tina squeezes his hand before she lets it go.

Theseus smiles a softer, genuine smile, looking almost boyish. They really are a little alike, after all. (She thinks perhaps Newt values his brother’s opinion more than either of them is prepared to admit. Although it’s not her place to say.)

Newt’s written other stories of Theseus as well. Nights when he’s knocked on Newt’s door after a few drinks and asked if he could sleep on the sofa rather than return to his empty flat. How, a few weeks after Tina had returned to America, Theseus had made it through the whole of Leta’s memorial service without crying, but had sobbed the moment the door closed on the last of their guests. 

She doesn’t bring any of that up for a reason. Work is a place to be alright even when she’s not. She would despise it if every meeting became another place for people to casually inquiry about Queenie, even if they meant it kindly. Does despise it, come to that, when it has happened, and did before, when she was younger and people would ask about her parents.

“I wanted to ask your opinion on a case, if you have a few moments later today. I hear you handled something similar a few months back.”

“Sure.”

“Good.”

“We’d better--”

“Yes, of course.” He nods past the table of tea and coffee to the meeting room. “Lead the way.”

[cobbssecondbelt]

So I was feeling down and listening to sad music (to help my case, obviously) when I thought of something. Here me out:

Cobb doesn't know pretty much anything about Din. He sees this perfectly sculpted warrior is shiny armor worth 10 times his whole town, flying in a Naboo Starfighter of all ships (he never saw the Razor Crest okay) and probably assumes from this alone that he is a somewhat important man. Born and raised in the technology and high cities of Mandalore with the best training, the best equipment, the best education. He is most likely wealthy, to own all these things and expose them proudly to the whole world to see.

Now. Someone said it before me: every time Din visited Cobb, Cobb lost something; his armor, then his arm. His plans cost some of his people their lives. Having had nothing for half of his life, Cobb cherishes every single thing he has, as little might they be. So it's only natural for him to be angry when this rich Mandalorian know-it-all warrior working for Daimyos and whatnot comes to use his town again, and it costs him his damn shooting arm.

So what about when he wakes up at Boba's palace and sees Din again for the first time, under the shock of his amputation, the fear he'd only been used once again like a tool instead of seen like a friend, a person, and maybe unfairness from all the privileges Din is granted with, he just breaks. Snaps at him and rambles about why does he have to take everything from him. Is this really all Mando wants from him? Not companionship, just whatever helps him finish his job? F*ck off. He can fly back to his fancy planet to that shiny, oh so much more important life and let his town alone. Because Cobb has lost too much already, he won't let it happen again. Obviously he doesn't mean all that, not really, but he's so tired and done with everything, the words and anger just spills out of him before he can control it.

And Din... lets him. Lets him yell at him, insult him, punch the air once or twice maybe. Not because he is a good friend (even though he is) and knows it's only shallow threats covering a much bigger wound, but because he believes him. The guilt he felt for leaving him armorless, for not staying just a minute longer so that whole confrontation with Bane wouldn't have happened, for not being able to convince the mod artist not to take away his arm. Tears drip silently beneath the visor, and he just stands there, letting the man confirm his fears. When Cobb finally takes a hold on himself, the silence weights heavier than anything else. He's still too upset to apologize. Without a word Din turns around and slips out of the room almost mechanically, dazed from his friend's words that still hurt like poisoned daggers.

Cobb only learns later, maybe from Boba (who clearly is Din's self-proclaimed therapist), who Din truly is. The 4 homes he's lost. All the friends that didn't last. His childhood spent hopping from planet to planet and hiding is sewers as the Empire chased his tribe down like rats. Said tribe who threw him out after over two decades of fidelity because he protected his foundling. Him being an orphan.

Cobb suddenly realizes that all this time he's known him, he'd had more than Din ever has in his entire life. He does everything others ask him to do because if he doesn't, what else does he have left to shush the demons? Nothing. He was just trying to help and now he thinks he's lost Cobb, too.

He realizes his mistake and feels like pure garbage.

He sprints of the palace and finds Din just outside of it, sitting in the main stairs, staring at the setting suns. His head his bare, helmet sitting right next to him. Cobb knows he heard him arrive, but he doesn't make a single move to show it. So he walks toward him slowly and come to sit behind him, on the stair just above. For a long moment, they sit in silence. It's a soft silence, without the weight of the previous one. Yet it speaks volumes. Then there's a warm hand on Din's shoulder, a real flesh one. It doesn't do anything. Just stay there, lightly squeezing. And it's all he needs. His own hand slides up to rest over it and just like that, both an apology and a promise is sealed.

Cobb is there for Din.

Din is there for Cobb.

They always will.

[mochikeiji]

Exact Replica

Request: "Hi! I really love you're writing and was wondering if you could do prompt 25+29 for Kuroo Tetsuro from Haikyuu? And could it be angst to fluff? (Maybe Kuroo was ignoring the reader due to lots of work/stress so reader feels neglected?) It's totally up to you tho! Ty so much!!"

25. "Would you notice if I was gone?"

29. "I didn't mean it."

↠ Pairing: Kuroo Tetsuro x F!Reader

↠ Warning: angst to fluff, mentions of pregnancy and kuroo's sad childhood

↬ Word Count: 3.7k

↠ a/n: okay this is my longest one yet. I swear the prompt screams angst to fluff so much that I go into it.

↳ from Go! Go! Gogatsu Event

Kuroo Tetsuro achieved many great things in life after graduating from his university, with multiple acknowledgements and honors. Landed a position as a young CEO from a sports association at the age of 24, he had enough money in his pocket and bank to stable both of you financially. Life was good to him after having to build from the roots  of his ruined childhood; the only years of defeat Kuroo doesn't ever want to repeat. His father and mother were in the same position as you both are; owning your own shared house, good working environment, investments and stability, married.

Up until this day Kuroo questions why his parents split. They were fortunate that they had every thing completed, sadly it was the family and love that wasn't taken care of. You could be the happiest person, yet the void inside would still be there, Kuroo thought. Foolish people were to neglect something more valuable than any object that is given. Whether it was his father or his mother that stopped nurturing what they both bonded for the longest time, they were both fools to let each other go over something simple. He vows to never let history repeat itself.

But now the tables seemed to have flipped for the both of you. Your lives not far from what he had ran away from. If Kuroo could eat his words back, he would've now that he was running late yet again to coming home, forgetting about the promise he swore to about joining you after a full month of being occupied in his office. Coming home to have you already tucked in bed, but suffering in silence.

Most days he didn't bother greeting you in the morning and night. As a good wife, you understand. He was a busy man with an important position to maintain.

There were times where you'd be tapping your foot down on the floor as the clock strikes at an ungodly hour with your messages still not bothered to be replied to or even read. But you understand. He's working! Always doing what he can for the both of you like the good husband he wanted to be.

Even if sometimes he'd come home without a kiss or a simple, "I missed you." you understand. He's drained. No time for silly, endearing affections. You've done them a lot before back when you were younger. You're adults! Married! A married partner shouldn't be feeling so needy when the other was only doing their part.

Even when sometimes your insecurities would kick in whenever you'd visit your husband to drop his forgotten lunch again, only to see him flocked by different women; probably secretaries, interns, and assistance.

You understand. You always did took such good care of what you two have.

Well had.

His home office door slams shut, awakening you from your nap on the couch. Didn't Kuroo notice you when he walked in? Looking at the clock you noticed it was near 11:30 PM since he's arrived. Late again, maybe he hasn't eaten anything? No worries, you thought sadly. Stretching your aching muscles, you made your way to the dining area. So far dinner was left untouched once more. Just how many times has it gone to waste because you continued on cooking for two?

Or rather, three.

You beam at the sudden reminder while preparing your husband's plate. You'd always miss him whenever he'd come home, never had the chance to surprise him at the right time of your little discovery about a week ago. Fear did struck you because of the possible reactions he'd give, but you were so excited in sharing the news that a couple would share the equal happiness from, you couldn't contain it any longer.

Maybe you should've chosen another time unbeknownst to you how your husband was hunched over his desk, clearly in displease of the previous events that had occurred during the meeting back in his office. Hence why his work stack added more piles of predicaments, only fueling his headaches more wishing he could just lay down peace and quiet without disturbance.

He grumbles at the knock on his door, only typing furiously with emphasized taps on the keyboard. You, not sensing the emitting aura from the room took it as a response for you to enter. It surprised you a bit on how disordered his home office had become. It was obvious his coat had been thrown carelessly as it lays on the floor, wrinkled. Carefully placing the plate full of food on the small coffee table at the side, you gingerly picked up the article of clothing. Lightly trying to smoothen out the lines before hanging it behind his door and turning back to your husband.

"Tetsu?" cautiously calling out his name, you were kind of wary at the fact he didn't turn to see you unlike he does before whenever you'd enter the room. "I brought you your dinner. You came home pretty late." you tried to maintain the light hearted tone of your voice to hide how nervous you were in telling him the big news.

The atmosphere was kind of eerie when all he did was hum meekly from your words. Feeling a bit disheartened from his lack of attentiveness, still forcing a smile, you padded a little closer behind him with your hands clasps together. "I also wanted— well needed to tell you something." averting your eyes away from him as you prepared in your head. With a small hope he'd turn around for once after a long time.

"Can it be another time? I'm in the middle of stuff here."

Another time.

Why is it always next time? It's frustrating enough to not see him or have him speak to you even for a moment, but this made your stomach churn in an unpleasant way. Frowning at his poor reply, you gulped a few of your sentence back. Not fully trusting your emotions getting in the way, "You never really talked to me before, Tetsu.. I get that you're busy, but it wouldn't hurt for you to give a little minute for me."

Even just a second as long as he'd finally notice you.

"(Y/n) if you understand then why bother? You can clearly see I'm busy." chest huffing out a harsh sigh, still not bothering to turn around. Gripping your hands tightly, your patience were starting to snap. "You're always busy, Tetsu! I never had a proper conversation with you again." raising the volume of your voice a little made his actions come to a halt. Chair revolving around to face you. His appearance made it obvious how exhausted he has been; tousled hair that he usually takes longer to style, the light forming bags underneath his eyes from the screen and lack of sleep. The visible annoyance marked in his expression. But couldn't he say the same for you?

"Fine. Here, you have my attention now. Are we talking properly now?" his way of provoking you wasn't in the right place. It only made you look at him in disbelief because you've grown to never meet such side of your husband before. The news you had originally planned to share vanished from your head, replaced with the restrained emotions that has been building up inside your heart, tipping over.

"Tetsu, what is wrong with you?" looking at him now seemed like you were talking to someone else. His words were curt and short with no intention of prolonging the conversation, itching to get back to work so he could be done with it. "I already you I'm just busy. I would be done by now if you didn't want to talk properly with me." he says as if he's the one in distraught. "Seriously, nothing's wrong but I think you aren't. You're never like this."

"That's because you never cared to noticed in the first place!" wailing out the collapsed emotions that has weighed you heavily. It was too late to stop yourself from voicing out the things your husband left aside. A full month of being a good, understanding image of a wife thrown away to the rubbles without even appreciating the the long nights of you waiting up for him, cooking meals even though the next day they'd end up being in the trash, tolerating the coldness of the used to be warm sheets, putting up with the insecurities you took upon yourself to hide to avoid troubling your husband further when all you wanted was for him to assure you that he still loves you and only you.

The fascade you put up just for him crumbles. And it infuriates you more of how he still doesn't notice.

"(Y/n), you know I've been working! There's so much stuff that needs to be attended for just so you and I could live normally!"

"Tetsuro, we are stabled, it's okay to slow down a bit. How is this any normal to you when you don't even realize how this affects me?!"

The chair slides back roughly against the floor with a loud creak as he towers over you. Glowering eyes with a dark expression looming over his face, clearly now enraged. "You're being selfish right now. I'm here doing what I can to support us and all you could think of was you, you, you. Can't you see I'm doing this for you as well? God what else do you want from me, the world?"

"I only wanted you to give me your time and attention even just for a second, Tetsuro! I've been doing my best for you all this month and I never said anything to trouble you!"

It hurts when he said how you were being the selfish one when it was the opposite. It dawned to you that all those days of giving your all for him wasn't once noticed. "Will you ever grow up already? Attention? Really? We're adults, (Y/n) not teenagers for fucks sake. My time is just wasted because of you!" he doesn't stop there even if you've had your mouth already shut from how he portrayed you as. His words were beginning to leave a deep scar in you as you quiet down to the next line.

"If you think that nothing is troubling me, there is! And you just happen to add in for crying out loud!"

There were no words exchanged after his meltdown. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he looks away from you— who's eyes were already watery. Unable to even tell your side anymore at the ache of your heart. "So..I'm just troubling you then?" quivering out your words, Kuroo clenches his jaw as the bubbling frustration was being held back with the last bit of restrain he had.

"Would you notice if I was gone, Tetsu?"

Instead of being alarmed by your chosen form of sentence, you watched with sad eyes as your husband pulled back his chair and faced his workload. He didn't even noticed you're already crying silently, "Not now, (Y/n). We'll talk later."

He doesn't even noticed how you walked out sobbing with a shattered heart nor the door in the living room closing. Leaving him alone for the next few hours in peace like he wanted.

Time went on quickly when one doesn't take their eyes off from their consecutive workaholic state. With a groan, he almost slams his laptop shut before stretching his bones, slowly relaxing the tense muscles. It's up to his co workers and assistance to deal with the load he's prepared to dump onto them after they threw all theirs to him. Hoping to freshen up his face, Kuroo tidies his desk up before making his way to the door. Stopping in realization of the now cold dinner that was left on the coffee table.

His stomach growled loudly at the lack of food it's digested in the longest run. It was still good if he heats it up, he does miss eating home made meals than his stale ones back in the cafeteria of his workplace. Grabbing the plate carefully he first made a short journey to the kitchen to heat up his food. Unusual it was to have all the lights out in the house. You'd always leave some opened when he was awake. Then again the guilt started to crawl up to his chest knowing he's the cause of why you'd forgotten.

Now entering the bathroom with water running down his face, he plans ahead the apology he owes you when he wakes up tomorrow morning. He could reschedule his own time since he is the boss. He closes the faucet right after he was done rinsing. Looking around for the towel his eyes caught something below the small organizer you put up next to the sink. Grabbing the towel above the first part of the organizer, bending down slowly to avoid getting cramps, his actions were quick to grab the object that caught his attention the moment it seemed so familiar and surprising.

Pregnancy test. Two lines for positive.

Having a child with you was the last thing he's yet to accomplish from his list, and here it was. As much as he wanted to be in denial, it all felt like surge of contentment drowns him in because he was going to be a dad. However his body began to tremble whilst still holding the test and staring intently at it. The previous guilt that was crawling beneath his bones became a dark, desolated hole of anxiety and fear that ate him whole. The things he's said and done will never be taken back no matter how he apologizes to the past events a few hours ago.

Hours ago. It was already 2:25 when the fight had ceased. Deep down he knows he couldn't wait until the next day to plead for forgiveness. After all, he did vow to never leave you both a day feeling heavy alone. Kuroo felt nauseous of how much of an asshole he had treated you. Like starting a game of volleyball once more, he was beyond nervous when he approached your shared bedroom. There was no excuse of his actions indeed as he solemnly enters the dimmed room. He sighs a little shaky when he closes in your bed, "Baby?" he starts, "Baby, are you awake?" it was one of the little things he's memorized that you'd do when you both aren't in good terms. You never really slept, just pretended because you always had the heart to wait up for him.

When he gets no response he reaches out to pat you, only coming to the sense that the sheets were left untouched; no warmth traced behind. You weren't there, any where. His blood runs cold and immediately fishes out for his phone in his pocket, speed dialing your number while he circles the entire area of the house in case you'd be there. Now he was more terrified when he hears the familiar voice mail from the living room couch where you had slept while waiting for him.

You left your phone. His wife wasn't home— his pregnant wife.

"Fuck." running a rough hand through his tangled hair. The lump on his throat grows but he refuses to let out a string of sobs. It was his fault you were gone at such an ungodly hour. Kuroo felt more than a bigger asshole than before he's made you come to the point of leaving home. Just as his mother did and never returned. The one thing he swore you two would never be the same came to life, only thought now is Kuroo doesn't know whether you've left him for good after being a neglectful husband and to have dishearten his own beloved wife like that.

"Would you notice if I was gone?"

Rang in his head as he stood outside the neighborhood, running. Chasing after a hallucinated image of you any place he tried to remember you'd be in. A fool he has been to have left you in a loveless marriage. He loves you, he really does. He can't imagine a life without you in it. Just as it was about to become the happiest he's wanted, he pushed it all too soon. A bad husband, he cries. "(Y/n), please come home." legs aching and panting from having to study all areas. It was pitch black; there were no opened spots for you to even go at an hour of slumber and chaos. The only convenient store did not even have you in it. You were no where to be seen and Kuroo breaks.

Of course he'd notice when it was all too late. The past he's ran away from was still the place he's returned now that the house was only occupied by nothing but rotten memories of the love he didn't took care of. The exact replica of a married life he desperately tried to dodge. "I'm so sorry." for the lonely nights he's left you to sleep, over thinking of what may have been your fault and always figuring him out tirelessly. For the small efforts of adoration he didn't took a glance at and gone to waste. For the words that were never even meant for you to ever feel. For being a neglectful husband. He was sorry he noticed too late how he ruined his precious wife.

Now he's left you on your own out in the dangers outside. If anything horrible happened to you he will forever be crushed. But the world thinks that second chances are given to those who truly deserve them after you came in quietly, slipping off your sandals and waving back to your friend who had dropped you off home. Your short break to the convenient store changed when you met up with her and drove back to her place to rant about what happened. Being the sluggish person you are whenever sadness hits, you never noticed how long you've over stayed. It wasn't like your husband was going to know if he still was working.

Much to your surprise that he wasn't, you stifled a gasp to find him with his hands holding his head that was leaned down on the table. His shoulders were lightly jolting with escapes of audible sniffles, indicating that he was in fact crying. If he looked exhausted before, it wasn't enough to describe his current state; as if he was a man who'd lost every thing as he sat there with all hope lost. Your foot padded on the creaky part of the floor in attempt to tiptoe over his hunched back to comfort him. Squeaking in the awkward situation you've put the room in when Kuroo turns his head behind to see you standing there a bit frightened, but concerned when you saw how disheveled his face looks.

"Tetsu—" his name got cut off short from when you almost tripped over your balance at the sudden impact of Kuroo throwing himself into your arms with his weight. You couldn't make out what he was mumbling on about, but you melt to his embrace even if he squeezes the living day lights from you, afraid that he was going crazy and you weren't real. "Thank God," litters of kisses were placed on your clavicle, "You're back."

He repeats, slowly convincing himself that you are indeed home in his arms, safe, no harm detected. Just home. "I'm so sorry.."

"I didn't mean it. I didn't mean any of what I said, I-I'm so sorry." your bodies swayed gently to the sound of your hushes and his cries of apologies. "Please don't leave me like that again. I was so scared."

"Shhh, it's okay, Tetsu. I'm sorry. I'm okay— we're okay." leading him to sit down at the couch, you placed the bag of different brands of sweets and junk on the table before facing your husband. You had to stifle in a laugh watching him wipe his nose, you couldn't help but be reminded of a mini Tetsuro by looking at him. The argument that stung you faded when he took a hold of your hands and mumbled another apology.

"You shouldn't be sorry for anything. I should be.." flickering his eyes from your belly to your bloodshot eyes from your own fiasco back in your friend's place, he slides in closer next to you where your shoulders touched. "I haven't been a good husband lately, have I?" he looks at you expectantly. Frowning, you still nodded. Tired of hiding your own feelings from him.

"I know you're busy most of the time, Tetsu. But I just wanted you to recognize me as your wife." thumbs quick to swipe away the tear that had shed from your eye, "We're in this together, remember?" he pulls you right from the arm, shoving your face to his chest in need to hold you for all the times he should've. Ignoring the dampness of his white long-sleeved polo, breathing in the scent of your sweet shampoo. You were still so forgiving and understanding despite on how equally tired as he was you are.

"I'm so sorry I've made you feel as if I never cared anymore. You never deserved that." his lips found it's way to the crown of your head. "I don't deserve you, and I really don't want to lose you after me being stupid." giggling through tears, fist connecting a soft punch on his chest, bubbling a chuckle to the surface as he lightly pulls you away from hiding.

"I really didn't mean all of those things I've said, baby. I love you and only you." stroking ever so lovingly your cheek, you don't catch on to the fact that his other hand was placed over your stomach protectively. Making a silent promise to not only you, but the soon to be new addition to the family that he will never again neglect what he should've cherished more and looked after than the constant worries at the back of his head.

Because he will never again repeat the replica of a broken family he once was born in.

© all content belongs to mochikeiji. Please do not repost or copy, ありがとうございました!! (=^･^=)

[captnjacksparrow]

SNS Dynamics - Sasuke's Perspective

Lengthy post ahead

On completing my rewatch of Naruto part I and part II, many things which never made sense started to make sense. One among them is the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke. I used to ask why Naruto is going so far for Sasuke. And why Sasuke is helping out Naruto even though he wants to kill him. And I used to think that Episode 478 was retconned to make the final battle ends in a draw and Sasuke somehow made to reconcile with the titular character. Yet, I instinctively felt, ‘Something is very different about them’. But on careful rewatch, all the clues which consolidate their relationship was there. The way they love each other is totally on a different level and the creator very carefully planned this from the beginning of the Manga.

Though I really don’t like the ending for making every characters into a child rearing machine at an age of 20 to make way for an abomination called ‘Boruto’, I still loved everything till Episode 479.

I wanted to discuss about both Naruto and Sasuke's perspective. But that cannot be accommodated in a single post. So, I decided to start with Sasuke. Since Naruto's side of SNS is very open and vocal, we clearly knew what is going on in his mind. But Sasuke's side is usually very subtle but much more intense than Naruto which makes it worth analyzing.

Before getting to that, for most of the characters in the Naruto universe (I mean 99%), Sasuke is a person who looks cool, aloof, rude, overbearing, blunt, genius and emotionless. And that’s the truth. Except for Itachi and Naruto. So when I say he is rude or arrogant, it is from the people’s POV.  And since I always see myself in Itachi, I see Sasuke as that adorable innocent child who is very honest but forgiving.

I strongly feel that Sasuke has some innocent enchantment towards Naruto ever since he lost his family which later transcended into a bond which cannot be put under Friendship or Bromance. Enchantment, here I meant by, is not in a sexual way but more like the unconscious need to be in the presence of other person. Like walking beside each other eternally. Or even warming up next to a campfire near a chilly beach. You don’t want to fall into the fire but just enjoy the warmth. It maybe totally a platonic love like many claims to be. But his absolute disinterest in any other characters (even just as a friend) and the following traits he shows only to Naruto are clearly not just distinctive of platonic love either. It’s completely beyond platonic.

The following are the traits which Sasuke shows only towards Naruto, could have been avoided or delegated to other characters if the creator really wanted to assert their relationship as just friendship. There are lot of subtexts and emotions which I cannot accept it under the guise of bromance or friendship. It’s just not possible. If someone you like shows all these traits to another person, you should stop thinking about that person and move on.

The traits are :

Preferential Treatment

Attentive

Protective

My body moved on its own

One and Only

Powerful Eyes

Unconscious Closeness

Preferential Treatment

This is the very basic and first thing you show to someone whom you love. Meaning, I will treat this person much different from everyone else. When I was exploring this trait, I couldn’t stop laughing in many places. Because Sasuke is such a trolling machine who mercilessly trolls people who are in his way. He also inspire certain amount of fear which makes him even more unapproachable.

He has this cold bearing where people find it extremely difficult to manage or approach him. It comes off as very rude most of the times. One such example is Sai told Sasuke that he will get along better with him than Naruto. Sasuke put a Genjutsu on him for comparing himself with Naruto. LOL.

What's more funny is most people (Sakura, Orochimaru, Kabuto, Sai, Hinata) usually talk to him politely with honorifics like 'Sasuke-kun'. But he didn't give two shits about them and shitted them all mercilessly.

Here is the infamous proposal from Sakura in part 1.

Well she deserved this one to be honest. Throughout the entire conversation Sasuke never saw her face and responded very bluntly even though she was pouring her heart out crying. There was no visible distress or sadness from Sasuke’s side.

Whereas with Naruto, in the final Valley of The End, we saw him turning towards Naruto and answer him properly when Naruto asked the same question of what Sakura asked. There were so many emotions throughout the battle and Sasuke’s pain of leaving Naruto was clearly shown. Which explains the difference of where Sasuke keeps Naruto in his heart.

The following is the one from Chunin Exams prelims where Sakura is begging for him to quit with tears. The response is an usual 'Stay out of my business'.

Me: Sasuke!!!! Even I don't know how to approach you!!!! I understand you don't like to talk unnecessarily so you just shitted on Sai. But Sakura is your teammate, isn't it?

And then there is this little orange blonde who literally trolls Sasuke.

I really thot Sasuke was going to trash Naruto too, like he could have easily said, 'Naruto, you should also stay out of my business'.

But then

These words are something precious for Naruto. He wished for these words to come from Sasuke someday in his lifetime. But not at that time. And he was truly shocked and very excited. Believe me, when watching that scene, it was really great. But while making analysis like this, it’s absolutely hilarious.

This dynamics is similar to

Sakura: *cries unbearably* Sasuke-kun, I am worried about you. Don’t act so strong.

Sasuke: Shut up. Mind your own business.

Naruto: Bastard! She is worried about you.

Sasuke: Alright, I love you. Now shut up.

ROOOFFFFL :-D

I thought all these childhood bickers were over by part 1 and we will never see it in part 2.

Nope. I was wrong. Kakashi and Sakura were the scapegoats here.

Here's another round of applause from Naruto.

And I honestly cannot comprehend what was going on in Sasuke's mind and why he is really rude to Sakura and Kakashi. It seems he was really irritated by their presence or he maybe thinking they were useless or both.

When Naruto asks him something, he responds without any insults. What baffles me most is that during Infinite Tsukuyomi, Sasuke wanted to kill Naruto for his Revolution and awaiting his fated battle. And yet he answers him properly.

Can you see the pattern here?

He shits on people asking some question even with an utmost polite attitude but when Naruto asks the same question he was like "Alright Sweetie, Am gonna answer anything you want and say anything you like".

The following is the beginning of everything where Naruto can't even swear properly but still Sasuke couldn't even bother.

In short, the way he treats Naruto is quite different and hilarious when compared to the others. With his cold bearing, he absolutely has no need to put up with Naruto's outburst but he still accepts without a care every time. RIP to those souls who got the short end of the stick.

He must have an extreme tolerance towards Naruto's tirades to the point where he can never insult him back. And I also believe 100% that, nobody dares to make such frequent insults on Sasuke to his face except Naruto.

I know SK shippers jump in here to say Naruto is not the only one. But still the dynamics between Karin and Sasuke is simply a mirror image of Naruto and Sasuke, probably she reminded him of Naruto and hence made some exceptions for her because Sasuke never gives a damn about any other clan other than his own, but when Kabuto tells him Karin belongs to Uzumaki clan, he was shocked. I am pretty sure the only other Uzumaki member he knew is none other than Naruto.

Now, does this means he is in super love with Naruto? No.

But the way he treats every other characters and how he treats Naruto exclusively speaks volumes and this trope shouldn’t have existed in the first place. The creator should have made Sasuke treat both of his teammates equally which could’ve deflected the shipping angle. 

Attentive

Am not talking about how attentively he analyzes his enemies in the battles. Of course, in that department, Sasuke flies high. This is about how attentive he is to Naruto to the point where he can deduce what Naruto thinks and how Naruto looks without the need to communicate with him.

I know Sasuke suspected Sakura was acting strange before Chunin Exams when she said 'Good Morning' with some hesitation. But the difference here is that Sasuke can identify Naruto without even talking to him.

Funny thing here is that Sasuke was sitting somewhere far behind from Naruto and yet he could pick up Naruto getting freaked out without seeing his face.

Who could forget about the famous ‘Where’s real Naruto?’ episode during Chunin Exams?. It would’ve been fine if this happened once. But the creator went ahead and made this thing happen twice under entirely different situations. And everytime Sasuke can find fake Naruto without fail. This scene conveys Sasuke is very observant towards Naruto’s appearance & fighting skills (the way he evades an attack).

Now, being attentive to someone is not a special thing which attributes to love. But considering Sasuke’s personality who is aloof and focused on his own world, knowing Naruto like the back of his hand  is way too descriptive. Only someone who really understands the other person or constantly paying attention can find out such subtle changes. It doesn’t end here.

This is the battle between Gaara and Naruto. Where Naruto was literally confused about how to save his friends from Gaara who is much more powerful. And yet Sasuke can find Naruto’s mood just by seeing him.

Me: Yes, Sasuke!!! Gaara happened to pass by Naruto and forgot to kill him on a whim!!! So, Naruto is scared to the shit!!

Also Me: You guys always bicker with each other and are not best of friends. Sasuke!!! How could you analyze his mood just by looking at Naruto????

In Shippuden, There’s no inner monologue like the above, but whenever Naruto appears before him (Orochimaru’s hideout, Bridge, War arc), Sasuke gives his undivided attention to him. He even went so far as to advice him to pay attention to the battle. And I was like “Wait!!! you wanted to kill him... why pay attention to him at all? Geez”.

As much as you want to think that Sasuke doesn’t care about anyone, he does care about Naruto to the point where he doesn’t want him to be worried. How thoughtful just for a ‘teammate’.

How did Sasuke knew that Naruto would worry about him?, I wonder.

But all these things started from this

This boy has been noticing Naruto from way back when he was around 7 when he lost his family. Of course he would know every little things about Naruto because for some undefinable reason he couldn’t stop paying his attention to Naruto. A lineup of girls vying for his attention because of his cool appearance, whereas Sasuke simply loved Naruto without any reservations but because of his childish and warm personality which reminded him of his family.

‘I couldn’t stop paying attention to you’  and in some translations the words were ‘I couldn’t take my eyes off you’. Either way, these words are not for someone you see just as a friend let alone a brother.

Protectiveness

I can go on and on about how protective Sasuke is towards Naruto. I can write a separate post about it. This is the most important aspects of this ship which makes it sail higher than any other ships.

Of course, this is the Ninja world where people wants to protect each other and at the same time kill each other too. Sasuke protecting Naruto and Naruto protecting Sasuke is not too special. In fact, one of the weak and pathetic character like Sakura was saved once in every three episodes by Naruto or Kakashi or even by Sasuke sometimes.

And yet here I am mentioning protectiveness as the most important aspect of this ship. So what differentiates?

The way Sasuke protects Naruto is one of the intense thing I’ve ever seen. When I watch this series, I gained this immense ability to put myself in other characters mind just like Naruto. When I put myself in Sasuke’s mind whenever he tried to protect Naruto under different conditions, I simply cannot put their relationship under Friendship.

Here, Naruto is fighting Gaara in part 1 and Naruto was repelled by his own attack from the paper bomb. Sasuke being already battered by his curse mark bruise and he couldn’t move an inch. And yet he is shielding Naruto even though it is completely unnecessary because Naruto bumping into a tree log is completely normal. The creator even went under a lot of pain to draw that panel which took 40% of the page.

Now you may question, many characters even died protecting someone. What’s so special with just shielding?

Like Hinata jumping in for suicide before Pain, Iruka blocking Mizuki’s attack, Tsunade blocking Orochimaru, Neji dying as a ‘Love Cupid’ for hinata and Naruto.... I can cite many things here. What’s common among them all is that they were all perfectly capable of moving around and yet decided to save Naruto.

But that’s not the only point. 

Is there any need for him to save Naruto? No.

Will Naruto die if he didn’t shield him? No.

Then why? He could have spent that energy trying to do something for Sakura rather than do a pointless shielding. 

And then there is Kushina.

Naruto’s mom was already on the verge of dying as she had Kurama extracted from her body and Jinchuriki without a Tailed Beast will die. Because of Uzumaki clan’s strong life force, she could hold off for a bit longer. When kurama attacked Naruto, she shielded him with her body and saved her son from an imminent death.

Even though Sasuke didn’t die shielding him, but there is a semblance.

Both protected Naruto even when their body condition is worse. That is, Protect at all cost attitude.

I intended to put Land of the Waves arc here as it is very similar to what happens with Kushina. But that’s for an upcoming section.

Now, as a Mother her instinct to protect Naruto is very strong.

But who is Naruto for Sasuke? What makes his instinct so strong to protect someone who is not even related by his blood? Until and unless you love that person dearly you won’t do it.

That brings me to the next thing.

Yeah, it kind of looks ‘very friendly’ to give a 3 layered protection to someone who is already powered up like you and most importantly you want to kill him.(Can I say that looks really romantic?). Anyways my point is different.

What really happens here is this

It is a well established fact that Minato, the Yellow Flash is the fastest shinobi in Narutoverse. It wasn’t surpassed yet. He uses the Hiraishin No Jutsu to teleport at the speed of light. It was invented by none other than Tobirama Senju who is the fastest shinobi of his time.

We basically have two fastest shinobi in the battlefield here. And Minato being the fastest among them, definitely don’t want to blow up near his son for whom he died protecting him once. He wanted to teleport somewhere away and before he could do it, Tobirama teleported the bomb back to Obito.

What many fails to notice here is that all these things are happening in mere seconds. But Sasuke realized it real quick as usual and protects Naruto in an instant. How fast his instinct you may ask? Quicker than the two fastest shinobi on the battlefield and one among them is Naruto’s dad.

What I want to say is Sasuke’s protective instinct is quicker than Naruto’s father and similar to Naruto’s mother.

And you know, I questioned myself during the Chunin Exams arc “I think in the Zabuza arc, Naruto conveniently happened to be near Sasuke, So he protected him at the cost of his life. What if Sakura happens to be there? Would he have done the same? Maybe he would’ve died protecting her too.”

But all of my questions were thrown into drain by Sasuke as if he was able to read my mind. The answer is “Hell! I don’t care if she died. That’s her loss. I will not die for her sake.”

This is really confusing, hilarious and romantic at the same time.

Me: Sasuke!!! I understand why you want to save Jugo... Even though you abandoned him in the Land of Iron. LOL. What are you going to do with Naruto anyway when the whole world is blasted off?

He proved this again in the Kaguya’s Lava dimension too. Before you tell me that he saved Naruto because he needs him to seal off Kaguya, the previous scenario nullifies your argument.

And SS wankers shamelessly defending that Sasuke don’t want Sakura to die by Kaguya’s hands, that’s why he left her to die. Geez!!! Who the hell is Sakura to Kaguya anyway? Even if she were to die by Kaguya’s hands, it would almost look like how Obito died. It’s not bad at all. But falling into the lava pit, burning, screaming.... sssshhhh. Wake the f**k up!!!

Now how can you convince me that this is just Friendship? What’s more funny is Sasuke wanted to kill Naruto later at some point. Throughout the War Arc I was always confused as to why Sasuke even care about Naruto at all? He didn’t care about him ever since he left him 3 or 4 years ago and he doesn’t have to. After all everyone have their own paths to walk on.

Even if I put myself in Sasuke’s mind and see Naruto just as a friend whom I want to kill, I wouldn’t go under so much pain to save him. I would feel like it’s better for him to die by something else rather than me. Because I can’t bring myself to kill someone I know well.

These scenes are not just put there by chance.

Such a strong reflex to protect someone is only possible when you consider that person’s life more than yours.

Does any other ship has such things to show? I’ll wait.

Yeah Sasuke protected Sakura from Orochimaru and Gaara. But he also went so far to wait for Karin and awakened a new power to protect her. So does this means he love those girls?? No. He was just showing a team camaraderie. But it’s funny that later, he tried to kill those girls knowing full well they are unprepared to fight him. While with Naruto, it always comes with a warning. Try to understand this difference. Which is exactly why I didn’t put Sasuke saving Naruto during his Chakra training, or falling from the waterfall and many more. Because they are just a team camaraderie.

I don’t even have to compare with other ships, did Sasuke ever protected anyone like this in the whole series?. These are the things which could’ve been avoided or handled in a different way, like there was no need to emphasize on saving Naruto alone while ignoring others.

My body moved on its own

I don’t need to explain this any deeper. There are many people who says Sasuke is incapable of showing his true feelings. He is cold, rude, aloof and stoic so he always hides his feelings for everyone (mostly this line was used by Sakura wankers who wanted to portray that Sasuke always loved Sakura deeply but never shows). But they fail to understand the irony that one of the most beautiful line in this entire series was told by none other than ‘Sasuke Uchiha’, “My body moved on its own”.

Yet I find Sasuke shows his honest and heartful emotions before the people he loves. If he can show that to Itachi and Naruto, why not with Sakura?

I know those wankers try to say Sasuke repressed all his feelings until Chapter 698, so he has some romantic feelings for Sakura too. Bullshit!!!

Even though he repressed those feelings in his mind, his body always betrays him in the end and his feelings pours out from time to time. That is what this section explores about.

Man, this is the most painful GIF I have ever made.

In his battle with Itachi, he was completely consumed by the feeling of revenge and hatred for his brother. But when Itachi approached him in his final moments with an intention (seemingly) to snatch his eyes, he still couldn't push Itachi away though he could have. Sasuke just looked into his eyes and let him do whatever he was about to do.

Why?, Because he loved his brother so much once that he don't know what to do but simply embrace that moment. These are the moments your mind says to close your eyes or even run away (he totally could have) but his body will not allow him to.

This is what I meant by your body betrays yourself. Even in your darkest moments, you cannot fake. You always show your true emotions towards the person you love. The more you suppress, the more it will burst out.

Here Sasuke’s hatred is glaring through his eyes because Sakura is persuading him to not do something he wants to (as always). His only motivation is to kill that man. His resolve is a real deal.

But in a matter of minutes after giving that long hateful speech with some heavy determination, when he saw that hungry blonde boy who was tied up for trying to steal food, Sasuke just acted on his own and served him food even though he was told not to which could jeopardize his career.

This bipolar dance is something to notice throughout the series and is always interesting to explore. When Sakura tries to dissuade Sasuke from something, he always retorts to insults or an angry stare. But when Naruto accidentally stands in Sasuke’s way, he always involuntarily helps him out.

In short, towards Sakura he was like “Even you cannot take that path away from me” but when turning towards Naruto, he was like “Well, I can risk everything for you at the cost of my path”.

This seals the real deal for SNS ship.

At this point, for us viewers, Naruto is just an orphan who has no friends but always carries his life with a positive spirit hoping that someday he will be accepted by everyone.

Unbeknownst the fact that he already has one person who was willing to die for him and putting all his dreams into fire.

Important thing to notice, It’s entirely at Naruto’s fault for them being in this situation. If Naruto had used a bit of brain to attack from outside the mirror, they wouldn’t have been in this situation. But still Sasuke plunged into the trap without any regrets. That’s the beauty of this scene.

What’s more thrilling is that the creator told us Sasuke loved Naruto in the very next chapter itself. 

How?

By making Haku jump before Zabuza knowing full well that he is going to die which is not very different from how Sasuke shielded Naruto.

And not only that, but by making Naruto say “He really loved you”. I got to say the creator may sucks at writing Sakura and Hinata for God only knows for whatever twisted reasons. But when it comes to male characters like Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, Obito... he was just amazing and on another level.

How?

By indirectly drawing parallels between Sasuke and Haku in a matter of successive chapters.

By dropping indirect hints and crumbs like these to tell us, the audience, the motivations of the characters.

I always had the thought why did he risked his life for a boy who always fights with him? This became more emotional when we get to know the real reason for why Sasuke risked his life much later in chapter 698.

Having faced all the turbulent things in his life, somehow seeing Naruto doing all those childish stuffs made him feel relieved. That warmth was what he needed at that time. He wanted to escape from it but couldn’t. That’s why he embraced his warmth unknowingly in his Team 7 days by constantly reaching out to him starting from asking tips, concerned about having breakfast and training with him to climb the tree.

Sasuke even come to like Naruto more than himself and that’s why he was willing to die for him.

This feeling is definitely not a bromance or friendship. It’s an innocent enchantment you hope to last forever. Which again explains why he tolerated Naruto’s insults and hostility all those times. Because Sasuke knew those childish things were the ones he got attracted to him ever since his childhood. Rather than saying tolerated, I should use the term enjoyed. He really enjoyed those moments being bugged by Naruto for no reason.

Because just like Itachi said to Sasuke once, ‘If you are excellent you become alienated and arrogant even though you were sought after at the beginning’ . But Naruto pestering him means he is very curious about Sasuke which no one else tried. He was adored by those girls for his coolness and revered by those boys for his excellence but nobody really tried to befriend him. But Naruto tried to befriend him through Rivalry. That’s why Sasuke unconsciously started to like him. This also explains why he roasted Sakura for badmouthing him even though Naruto attacked him and tied him up earlier.

If Sasuke can show all these feelings even though he was trying to suppress it towards Naruto and Itachi, Why can’t he show a single normal feeling towards Sakura??? Because there isn’t one. Except for an old Team 7 camaraderie where he saw her as an acquaintance and nothing more.

Many NH shippers claims, but Hinata loved her ‘Naruto-Kun’. She jumped in front of Naruto to save him from Pain, when in reality she just acted selfishly and couldn’t pull out the Chakra rods. Meaning she failed whatever she was about to do.

Another interesting thing to cite for NH shippers, they claim for Naruto, Hinata is the most important person his life. Since when? With that shitty movie called ‘The Last’ with shitty retconned stuff? In all the 699 chapters he always claimed Iruka Sensei and Sasuke were the important people in his life. And you know what? For Hinata to like Naruto, he has to jump in to save her from the bullies. But for Sasuke he just saved Naruto without any validation. He saw Naruto and liked his presence and just did it. 

When you could accept that failed attempt as a love, why not accept Sasuke loves Naruto when in fact he succeeded in saving him and that too unconditionally?

This is one of the tropes which should have been avoided if the creator wanted Sasuke and Naruto to be just friends.

One and Only

This is something very special that is offered to that one person in his life. That is Naruto. Even Itachi knew it. That is the Power to influence Sasuke’s heart. This is the fact even Sasuke himself knew it and that’s why he wanted to kill him.

Now don’t compare this with the manipulation shit which Orochimaru and Obito were doing. It’s not that. Many Sasuke fanatics always blame Naruto that he is also manipulating Sasuke just like everyone. That’s totally wrong.

Manipulation is something you do by talking about some twisted facts and make the other person to do what you want to.

Naruto never did that. Ever. Whenever Naruto and Sasuke meet, they always talk about themselves and how they feel. Not the world, not Team 7 or anything. Which is exactly why Sasuke himself willingly left that space in his heart for Naruto when he left him in the Valley of the End which he badly wanted to destroy. Sasuke, of all people, know Naruto is also very honest.

Sasuke lost all his rationality when he went into darkness by stabbing Karin who was helping him in his battle with Danzo. She even replenished his chakra many times. He not only just stabbed her, after when he found her still alive, he decided to finish her off with his Chidori.

And then the pink haired bitch appears before him and started to concoct lies with malicious intent to kill him. This provoked Sasuke more and more to reach this point.

Believe me, when you are lost in darkness, all you need is a small light which can show you a path. Someone who can extend helping hands to lift you up with honesty.

Sakura, being a crass woman, riled up Sasuke further with full of nonsense.

If you want to picture the darkness,

This is exactly how Sasuke feels. He is in so much pain and don’t know how to face it or deal with it. So he started to destroy everything he sees. For him Karin, Sakura, Kakashi are all just some pebbles in his way and want to trample them as he goes. His entire life has become farce after knowing his beloved brother’s real pain and miseries. Now he has no one left from his family.

Until Naruto appears.

He may not be his family, but he is the only person left for him in this world. Which is established in many Naruto endings and even Sasuke himself accepts this with Sage of Six Paths. 

But my Cherry Blossom queen really loved Sasuke, she only wanted the good of him. My question is ‘Then why the fuck she tried to kill him? She looked at Sasuke and find that he changed. She didn’t even bothered to find out what’s going on from his side.’ Then how is this considered as wanting only good for him? 

Surprisingly Sasuke calmed down a bit, the moment Naruto appears and even started to respond to him which he didn’t before with Kakashi and Sakura. Deep down Sasuke himself knew in his heart that the path he is going through is Self-destructive. Just like Kurama tells Naruto ‘Destroy everything you see’ in the Pain arc when he sprouted upto Eighth Tail, Sasuke’s traumatic mind tells him to ‘Destroy Konoha’.

All he needed was someone to extend an helping hand to tell him what to do without any malice. Naruto did that. Just like what Minato did for Naruto in Pain arc.

After clashing Rasengan with Chidori ,they meet inside the White bubble space and Naruto talks to Sasuke which evoked all his past memories which he never wanted to awaken.

That’s why Sasuke was visibly shaken with Naruto’s words. Because those were the words which mirrors exactly how Sasuke feels too. He was surprised and shocked that Naruto also felt the same way without him ever openly confessing those feelings.

When everyone tried to kill him for his monstrosity, Naruto is the only person standing there seeing him as his friend. Just like how Iruka saw Naruto way back in 1st chapter.

Believe me, even at the depth of darkness, when you see the person you love so much, you will stop and rationalize.

That is exactly why Itachi left Sasuke in Naruto’s hands. He even admitted to Sasuke that his words will not reach him no matter what.

Sasuke may not have abandoned his ambitions at that point. But Naruto gave him a clear path. That is ‘Show all your hatred on me’ and then do whatever you want.

I know SS shippers will claim that back hug from Sakura changed his murderous behaviour during the Chunin Exams. Yes. That’s true. But right after that, when Sasuke was fighting Yoroi in a one-on-one combat, his Cursed Seal flares up again. He retracted that seal out of his sheer will and thought about both Sakura and Naruto who was freaking out without even knowing about the seal. So, it’s not only a Sakura exclusive moment. The creator even went ahead and drawn a panel asking Sakura to not say anything about the Curse Mark to Naruto. Why do that?

As far as I understand, Sasuke saw Naruto and felt the warmth of his family. He singled that out in chapter 698. When Naruto was placed in the same team as him, he started to extend his good side to his other team members as well. But the moment he decided to leave the village, he severed the ties with Sakura (was there ever one apart from considering her as a teammate?) by saying Thank You. Meaning, you helped me many times so thanks for all of that. What’s more pitiful is, he didn’t even look at her face for the entire conversation except for saying ‘You are really annoying’. There is nowhere in the manga where Sasuke singled out Sakura for making him feel anything and did something for her exclusively. It’s all in the context of Team 7.

If Sakura is the most important person in Sasuke’s life, he should have stopped the rampage the moment he saw her but instead he got riled up more and more. Which explains where Sasuke kept her in his heart. Literally nowhere. He threw her into the trash. LOL.

If Hulk can calm down after seeing Betty Ross and you call that love, why not accept Sasuke loves Naruto??

Powerful Eyes

You know, Even in real life, Our eyes always reflects our true feelings, just like how your body betrays your mind , your eyes even betray your body.

Just like how Itachi could never fake his evil brother act in his final moments.

Just like how Sasuke couldn’t turn away from Itachi when he was approaching him to seemingly snatch his eyes.

Uchiha boys being a romantic bunch, always expose their awakening/ reawakening/ evolving their Sharingan in a most distressed situation. Just like Madara and Sasuke exposed their brimming eyes for Hashirama and Naruto. But in this department, Madara is wildly romantic as always. LOL. Despite losing 3 brothers, he awakened his Sharingan only when he was breaking up with his ‘friend’. And Sasuke, he reawakened / evolved Sharingan when trying to save / breaking up with his ‘friend’. Such a Biological defect!!!!

Poor Sakura pathetically fails in this department.

Anyways this part is not about Sharingan anyway. It’s about how such a powerful eyes becomes powerless before those Blue Eyes.

Eye Symbolism is something I really enjoy exploring in this ship.

Like I mentioned earlier, Sasuke has never shown his emotions atleast starting from Part II. He usually never shows any positive emotions like happiness, laughing, pouting, love, excitement (although he has shown all these towards Itachi and Naruto) and is known for negative emotions like anger, annoyance, hatred.

Look at how Sasuke is glaring with hatred for her insensitive words. She deserved this to be honest.

Now, is there any need to show your fury towards Kabuto?

Since the beginning of the Shippuden, some facts have been established strongly:

1. Sasuke has changed by leaps and bounds in terms of his attitude and hatred.

2. Sharingan is pretty dangerous. Many characters including kurama acknowledges it. Sasuke is very adept at using his Sharingan.

Orochimaru maybe right. But he doesn’t know the weakness. LOL

His hatred has reached to a point where he couldn’t think anything rationally and started to kill everyone, just like how Naruto kicked Sakura in his 4 Tailed Kyuubi Mode engulfed with the hatred of Kurama. Meaning, to reach his goal, Sasuke will kill anyone in his path without any hesitation. This shot is the representation of this.

And yet when he saw those particular Blue eyes, he stops his rampage immediately and visibly shocked even.  That’s the look of ‘why is that blue eyes here?’

You have every right to accuse me that I am over exaggerating this scene. I am not. Even I wanted to think that way too that I am deluding myself. The creator has only consolidated my view pretty strongly.

There’s no need to emphasize on eyes at all. The anime team has went under so much pain to animate this scene in a satisfying and compelling way.

What’s more? The creator even went under further extent to draw a whole page in the manga focusing on their eye contact after the Rasengan vs Chidori clash. Meaning, Sasuke has calmed down visibly and became very easy to reason with.

Trust me, even in your darker / vulnerable moments, your eyes will reflect your true feelings to the person you love. You cannot be stubborn. 

Now did it stop here?? Nope, it happened again in the Final Valley of the End battle too.

Sasuke is usually confident of his Sharingan (rightfully so) and likes to flaunt his eyes just like Madara. He was very sure that he was going to win.

While Sasuke had a clear resolve to kill Naruto when he was showing his back, but the moment he comes close with those Blue Eyes, his heart even pounded strongly (in the anime), and lost the resolve completely which made his Sharingan retract itself unconsciously. Meaning, his eyes betrayed him.

It’s funny that not even a minute ago he was very proud of his Visual Prowess as an Uchiha and his victory is inevitable but the moment he saw those Blue eyes, he just lost. You think I am again exaggerating?. Nope!!!

Oh Dear!!! This doesn’t get more romantic than this. An inescapable gaze from those blue eyes he loved all along.

Sasuke!! What happened to your proud Uchiha eyes?. You just stole Chakra from Naruto, isn’t it? Hints like these are really heartwarming, to be honest.

My entire point is, every character from every arc hypes up Sharingan starting from Zabuza, Haku, Rock Lee, Orochimaru, Kabuto, Kurama and many more, but why put a weakness for Naruto’s eyes? 

What I really loved exploring is the way Sasuke totally expressed everything through his eyes in Episode 478.

Sasuke shows his vulnerability towards Naruto with just his eyes. These are not something you show to everyone. Even when Itachi departed finally after releasing Edo Tensei, Sasuke looked sad, shocked and pained but didn’t cry. He accepted the reality of it. The last time when we saw him crying, it was after knowing the truth of Itachi, facing towards the beach and was weeping unbearably because there was no one else for him in this world. But this time, he is next to the person whom he feels truly loved and he doesn’t mind showing it with his eyes.

Well, on multiple rewatches, the clues for their love was already dropped in the 1st Valley of the End fight itself. Sasuke already lost his resolve to kill by balling his chidori fist rather than ramming through his chest. So the feelings inside the bubble are their honest emotions like always.

The pain on the verge of their separation inside the white bubble is clearly evident from their eyes even in their monstrous form. Even in the manga it was mentioned that ‘I can’t turn my back  Vs  I am not letting you go’

But what they really wanted to be from their childhood was this.

Look at Sasuke, how entranced he was on looking at that innocent boy. Now put yourself at Sasuke’s mind. Will you ever look at your friend like that??? Now, they are probably just 7 here, am not romanticizing. But Sasuke looks enthralled innocently.

But somehow, their paths separated them for who knows how long. But the pain in both their eyes is unbearable. Even the databook, mentioned that separating from Naruto is like ripping half of his body. Well, this proves it.

Now, if they really wanted to portray this as friendship, they never should have given Eye symbolism at all. They should have gone with ‘I was always jealous of you’ thing, like they portrayed in that filler episode 450.I would’ve gladly accepted it as friendship. Because that’s how friends behave when they are jealous and I wasn’t feeling any romance at all. There’s no need of that lengthy monologue on how he was always looking at Naruto and felt pain.

I am telling you, I won’t be looking at my friend like this. 

Unconscious closeness

Remember, I’ve written in the beginning of the post that Sasuke enjoys the warmth from Naruto. Meaning, he likes that person’s presence unconsciously and want to be near him. Sasuke proved this many times.

This is the most intense and confusing section I have to dissect for this post. But it’s the most entertaining nonetheless, atleast for me.

Starting from the Land of the Waves arc, here Sasuke is speed walking to match up with Naruto.

Initially I thought, he is trying to be competitive. But instead of walking ahead of Naruto to show who is faster, he just walks beside him. I find this really hilarious and adorable. This just shows Sasuke likes Naruto’s presence so much so that he wants to walk beside him.

Now many SS shippers tries to make this scene for themselves, when it is clearly not.

If you notice Sasuke in the Bell Training, he compares his strength difference with Kakashi and determines to get stronger. Same with Might Guy, he compares Might Guy’s speed with his own Sensei. Meaning, he respects people with strength. Naturally, he should’ve asked her and Sakura would have given him tips wholeheartedly. Because she really succeeded in that training.

Why bother to ask a deadlast?

The only reason I could find is that he wants to befriend him in his own stubborn way. But Poor Soul!!! He didn’t get the tips anyway. LOL. But despite getting the short end of the stick, he never hold it against him. Just like he never held anything against Naruto when he tied him up in Episode 3. All he did was just flaunt how he escaped.

Pretty cool for a 12 year old kid. Because If I were Sasuke, I would hold it for sure.

Once again Sasuke proves how he can care Naruto in his own adorable way.

He could’ve said ‘I am going to train too” if he really intended to train. There is no need to say ‘Going for a Walk’ and ask Naruto about breakfast. This explains that Sasuke simply missed the boy’s prolonged absence and reached out to him in his own cute way.

Now all these doesn’t mean he was in love with him. It’s just a childish attraction which makes him act like that involuntarily.

I just added this GIF to compare with the next scene.

Now Shikamaru falling on Naruto in an unconventional way doesn’t look anywhere romantic. Instead it’s the opposite. They are pretty friendly here.

But Sasuke’s approach to Naruto does looks undeniably sensual and I couldn’t deny the sexual tension that brings with it. (Even when I watched it for the first time having no idea of shipping anyone, I lowkey got creeped and thought, ‘Sasuke!! What have you become? ’)

This scene is something even I can’t dissect. Because honestly I don’t know. Sasuke is a person who never appreciates physical touches nor does he initiates either.

I get this crazy femme fatale vibe when seeing Sasuke with his sexy costume landing at a speed of lightning with his hands wrapped around Naruto and taunting near his ear about what was he doing there? The only reason I could think of is that maybe he missed him for 3 years which made him go unconsciously so close near Naruto. It’s also funny that he could’ve shoved his sword into Naruto’s heart before landing and no one could’ve batted an eyelid.

Damn you, Kishimoto!!! Is this scene absolutely necessary??? What are you trying to convey? Why do you give Sasuke, a sexualized aura?? I understand you love this character so much and you want this character to be desirable among women. Yeah, you succeeded by making Karin behave like a woman in heat, the moment they met. But instead of letting her get close to him, you made Sasuke to say ‘You... Don’t get so close’ whereas with Naruto, you made Sasuke to go willingly touch him in a half hugging stance. Geez!!!

Here comes the most interesting part in this section.

It may seem irrelevant at the beginning but trust me, it will make sense later.

Before that, I would like to appreciate the creator and especially the anime team to bring the battle sequence so lively and different in its own way. If you notice the purpose of every battle that happened in Naruto series, each carries it own meaning and deliberately distinguished. How you ask?

The fight between Deidara vs Sasuke.

Logically Deidara should be dead in the Gaara retrieval arc itself. There is no point for him to chase Sasuke who killed Orochimaru to whom Deidara had nothing to do with. It didn’t impact the story in any way. But the purpose of that battle is to show how far Sasuke has grown up in those 3 years. The way he can use his Sharingan to analyze his enemies abilities and weakness so quickly and take multiple steps ahead, the way he can use Genjutsu and other incredible jutsus in his arsenal were a visual treat.

Now, let’s analyze Sasuke’s arsenal of Jutsus. He can do Teleportation Jutsu, a decent Genjutsu, Chidori Senbon (needles), Raikiri (Chidori sword which ranges to 5 metres), Chidori Nagash (Chidori from his whole body), Transformation Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu Shuriken Jutsu with wire works, Kirin, Gokakyu No jutsu, Sword fighting, basic Hand-to-Hand fighting (I’ve never seen him do it ever since the Chunin Exams with Orochimaru), Archery fighting, Susanoo, Amaterasu and all the Rinnegan abilities.

Based on the jutsus he learned so far and how he applies in every battle, it all confirms two things:

Sasuke is a Medium-Long Range Shinobi

Sasuke’s battles are usually based on his Cleverness

Let’s go for Naruto. He can do Teleportation Jutsu, Sexy Jutsu, Harem no jutsu, Rasengan, Rasen Shuriken, Oodama Rasengan, Biju Dama, Tailed Beast Mode, Kage Bunshin No jutsu, Sage mode jutsu, Frog Kumite, Better Hand-to-Hand combat skills (better than Sasuke), Transformation Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu and all his Six path abilities.

Compared to Sasuke, Naruto’s jutsu variety is very less. But for every 4 punches from Sasuke equals 1 powerful punch from Naruto. Analyzing all of them,

Naruto is a Close-Range Shinobi except for his Rasen Shuriken

Naruto’s battles are usually based on his Jutsu Timing and Unpredictability

Now, Let’s rewind back to 3 years and look at the 1st Valley of the End battle. That battle was cleverly choreographed which carried very intense emotional baggage. Things we never knew about those boys until then were openly admitted and acknowledged. That is, for Sasuke, Naruto became his closest friend. For Naruto, he always wanted to be Sasuke’s friend way back when he was 6 or 7. For both, they already have some unexplainable bond by just looking at each other and smiling secretly.

The theme of that battle started as Am going on my own path vs I can’t allow you to tread on that dangerous path and ended up with I want to break our bond vs I don’t want to.

Now, this posture represents, Naruto is the one who pursues Sasuke to stop him from whatever he was about to do. Meaning, Naruto is the one who is constantly reaching out and Sasuke as usual kicks him out violently, that is he is pushing him away. That’s the essence of the whole battle.

Considering all the battles in the Naruto universe, I categorize them as follows:

Best Calculated (and emotional) battle - Itachi vs Sasuke

Best Hand-to-Hand combat - Kakashi vs Obito (what a fight it was!!!)

Best Mega Powered Up battle - Hashirama vs Madara

Best Emotional battle - Naruto vs Sasuke (1st valley of the end)

Best Unpredictable/Entertaining battle - Naruto vs Pain

Despite having all the potential to fulfill the above categories, The Final Valley of the End Battle never bested in any of them.

As analyzed before, the boys have grown up to greater heights. I expected a battle between Cleverness of Sasuke Vs Unpredictability of Naruto

But what I observed was something so intense. That is Unintentional closeness.

This battle symbolizes one thing: I am going to kill you to get lonely vs I won’t let you kill me because you will be alone.

Being a long range fighter, I expected Sasuke to go for this.

If you have to kill someone you love, it is best to keep your distance. Sasuke knows this full well when he battled with Itachi. Except for some Sword fighting, he maintained a certain distance to fight Itachi throughout, until the very end.

But when fighting Naruto, all I got was this.

That’s when I finally understood that this posture means, the fight is very personal. Which means, Sasuke or Naruto won’t be fighting by sitting on top of each other with their enemies or anyone else. That’s just between them alone.  

There was no analysis or cleverness from Sasuke’s side or any Unpredictability from Naruto. It was very bland and Sasuke looked clueless throughout the fight.

It started with some boxing style combat, including stealing hand seals and then some power punches. Very quickly it propels to Susanoo vs Tailed Beast mode. I expected some Hashirama vs Madara level power battle.

But all we saw there was this.

I mean, Come on!!! Man. Even the most Crazy and openly Romantic Uchiha, Madara himself never fought like this in Susanoo with Hashirama (Though Madara must be thinking ‘Damn Hashirama! I should’ve tried this with you’. LOL). Those mega battles carried variety of tactics.

Another thing I noticed was, Sasuke is the one who does lots of talking and constantly pursuing Naruto. Whereas Naruto is uncharacteristically quiet for the most part. 

And finally it leads to this.

Sasuke was unconsciously getting closer and closer to Naruto which is the opposite of what he wants to do. Because of that very closeness, he couldn’t look at his eyes with his Sharingan and eventually got an uppercut. It’s like Sasuke was screaming, ‘Hate me’ and Naruto was like ‘Keep talking’.

Every jutsu he had for attacking from a long-range were forgotten. He didn’t even try to put Naruto under Genjutsu. I mean with his Rinnegan, he was capable of putting all the 9 Tailed Beasts into a powerful Genjutsu. Why didn’t he try that with Naruto? There was no Chidori Stream or Lightning Blade.

I can imagine Naruto doing close range fights with someone or even sitting on top of the enemy. Example, part I, Naruto head bumped Gaara. He was literally fighting with his Shadow Clones against a Monster so he had to get closer. Naruto monstrously punching Deidara not knowing the fact that it was a clay clone.

But Sasuke??? Can you imagine Sasuke sitting on top of the enemy and punching to pulp??? No way. Not a chance.!!!

In one way or other way, Sasuke was always in the close proximity with Naruto throughout the battle and touching each other which is totally uncharacteristic of him when compared to his other battles.

Every battle he ever fought was always at a distance which is the clear representation of his own character. He is calculative, analytical, precise and moves fluidly with a flair like a true Ninja unlike Naruto who is always reckless, noisy, powerful and clumsy. 

Sasuke is someone who never lets his emotions get ahead in the battle, unlike Naruto. This is evident from the War when he was yelling at Naruto to stop worrying about Hokage as they were Edo Tensei who can regenerate. Even when fighting with Itachi, he calculated every move and attacked Itachi without any emotions except at the very end. Sasuke in this final battle forgot who he was and telling us viewers “Am just gonna get closer to Naruto and punch him hard”.

In short, Sasuke completely forgot all his battle tactics he had with Itachi and let his emotions get ahead of his cleverness and got himself closer to Naruto which eventually ended up weakening his resolve to kill him. This is what I meant by Unintentional Closeness.

Anyways, what I understood was, the creator didn’t put all this by without any meaning. It’s all very deliberate and drawn carefully.

Moving onto the final and the most defining moments of SNS.

When I watched this scene for the first time, I can’t comprehend the exact meaning. And I forgot about this later because of my excitement to know what happens next. But what I understood on my rewatch is that, the feelings exchanged here is very pure and innocent but distressing.

Sasuke already lost his resolve to kill by not ramming Naruto with Chidori instead balled up his fist. So he is not contemplating whether or not to kill Naruto.

Sasuke made every effort to leave Naruto and succeeded in it too. But somehow, accidentally, when faced with a person whom he considers so precious in such a close proximity, despite have a stinging pain in his arm, he is feeling the warmth he once felt. He just wants that warmth to prolong for some more time and he can’t able to evade it. So he totally gave in to that desire and feeling it unconsciously. Sasuke always watched Naruto (unbeknownst to him) and felt warmth, relief and weakness. This scene is the symbolic and innocent representation of all those feelings when he saw Naruto and he is exeriencing it for the final time. 

Does this means, does Sasuke wants to kiss him? No.

But every symbolism of that being happening is there. It’s just all open to interpretations. The creator could show us how Sasuke fell on his knees and staring at Naruto intently but never intended to show when he got up and left. I don’t understand this twisted mind of the creator.

Added to that, Sasuke was about to say ‘Naruto, I....’ God only knows what he was about to say. But every possibility of Sasuke confessing and kissing is there.

I know the creator cannot approach this directly considering the situations he worked under. But is there any necessity for such an intense scene? Even the anime creators loved this scene and made their own version of making Naruto’s eyes wide open and even more closer.

I wont be watching my friend or sister like that. 

That explains all the way back to this fated accidental scene.

There is nothing special about this scene. It’s all very clear that the kiss was accidental. It was really funny. But my point is why Sasuke never beat him to pulp or even push Naruto away like he did with Sakura and Karin? Why did he stood up for Naruto before Sakura? Why did he let go off Naruto even though he tied him up? Too many leeway for a single person in a single episode. And the most important part is, Sasuke thought it was intentional and remembers the taste. LOL.

Does this means he enjoyed the kiss? Not at all.

Most probably he was shocked to see Naruto in such a close proximity after seeing him from a distance for all those years. And he enjoys this as just another prank from Naruto in his own innocent way. But he won’t mind getting another one from Naruto either.

So, to conclude

I believe I made this post from an objective standpoint without making crazy theories and I don’t have to..... since canonical resources were plenty. Obviously my own bias will also be there which is unavoidable. But I tried to question the creative choices of why this scene even exist in the first place many times. Because those are the scenes which made the most impact inside me.

My first watch of Naruto gave me the benefit of doubt that ‘Are they in love? Nah... They are friends. Maybe I am just overthinking...  but why does it feel different??’ and that too only after finishing episode 478. After rewatching it again and again, it only consolidated my view.

For Sasuke, his worldly ties are pretty thin and runny. He was always a loner from the beginning even when he had his family. He never bothered to make any friends nor did anyone tried to befriend him. He was pretty close to his family especially Itachi. When he lost everything, somehow he got attracted innocently to Naruto and started to like him. But beyond Naruto he never bothered to add anyone in his heart. He considered Kakashi and Sakura were like his acquaintances who helped him a lot and that’s all.

Then after using Orochimaru, he gathered some high skilled shinobi for killing Itachi. But he made it clear that there don’t need to be any understanding but just co-operation would be enough. But along his way, he just abandoned Jugo, Suigetsu somewhere. He openly said to Karin that she is nothing but a burden to him. When his hatred reached upto a maximum boiling point, he didn’t even hesitate to kill Karin, Kakashi or Sakura. But the moment Naruto appears he calmed down. The proof? He was shocked to see Naruto at first. Then Naruto calls, ‘Sasuke!!!’, to which Sasuke responds with, ‘What?’. Despite becoming a maniac, he could find it in his heart to listen to Naruto.

It took an Edo Tenseified Itachi to bring him some rationality to question his beliefs about destroying Konoha. When Jugo and Suigetsu appear again, he casually asked them, ‘What do you want with me at this point?’, I mean, Come On, Man. LOL.  Even during the war arc, when things were about to blast off he only cared about Jugo (who helped him many times, so understandable) and Naruto (Geez!!! LOL).

Even after their final battle, the anime went so far as to create a scene where they were alone in a bright Konoha. But Sasuke looked very peaceful and listening to Naruto intently. When Naruto freaks out about Infinite Tsukuyomi, he casually laughs off and says ‘you still care about the world’. Meaning, he is happy there spending time alone with the person he loves. Doesn’t give a rat’s ass about missing anyone else. (How romantic!!!). Honestly, Sasuke wouldn’t mind if they were to stay that way forever. He would gladly listen to Naruto all day.  But when Naruto disappears he freaks out and starting to make up his mind about joining his brother.

It’s very clear that the people he adores are Itachi and Naruto. Towards Itachi, it’s super understandable, because he is his own brother. But Naruto??? Why should the creator go so far as to make Sasuke adores Naruto even after breaking up with him?

And why make Sasuke possessive about Naruto’s life? When Obito was about to kill Naruto with that Black Orbs, Sasuke blocked him and said ‘You are not the One to sever the past, I am’. I understand the logic behind Sasuke’s possessiveness on Itachi’s life because he destroyed his family, childhood and even Itachi wants Sasuke to be the one to kill him. But why possessive on Naruto? He is not related to him by blood. Naruto never did anything wrong to Sasuke to warrant any hate either. You will become possessive on something only when you truly hate it or wholeheartedly love it. There is no middle ground. My point is why put Naruto here at all in the first place?? Believe me, If Sasuke never paid attention to Naruto in the War arc, I would be the first person to jump out of this ship. 

Just to give you a basic example, Imagine you are living in a place far away from your family, friends and that loveable person. When Corona hits everywhere and forced Lockdown to travel outside the city, and the situation is getting worse day by day. Whom would you desperately reach out first? You would reach the person whom you are connected well in your family and that loved one. You will prioritize your friends only later. This is the Universal truth. Sasuke was seen showing that same instinct in the War arc towards Naruto whom he was not related by blood. And you all just want me to believe Sasuke sees him as just a friend?? Give me a break!!!

If all those traits I’ve mentioned above have been avoided to a greater extent, I would be happy to believe that they are friends. If not all, at the very least delegate some of the tropes to other people or share some of the tropes with other people along with Naruto. But dumping it all on Naruto alone makes me only curious and incredibly romantic too. 

It’s no wonder, Naruto would go so far as to reach out Sasuke even at the expense of his life.

Oh, Did I forget about the cutest and most exclusive trope to SNS?

U-SU-RA-TON-KA-CHI, the most personal word which carries its own meaning and is only for Naruto. So funny that Sasuke has to spend a certain amount of energy to call Naruto using a 6 syllabic word rather than NA-RU-TO, a 3 syllabic word which is much easier.

Disclaimer: This post constituted everything from from Chapter 1 to 699 or Episode 1 to 135 (part 1) + Episode 1 to 479 (Shippuden) excluding fillers. Though Sasuke shinden novel was made into anime, I don’t want to consider that here. As much as I loved the prologue in that novel, I still don’t want to cite that here, as I consider everything after 699 is $$$$ making bullshit.

FUN FACT:

If you put yourself in any character in the Naruto Universe except for Naruto, and ask them, ‘What do you think about Sasuke?’. You know the answer from Sakura, she will say ‘Sasuke-Kun looks very cool and acts aloof, that’s why I love him’. Kakashi will say ‘My favorite student’. And all the other people will say somewhat similar, ‘He is an excellent Shinobi who belongs to the proud Uchiha clan and Naruto’s rival’

But Naruto will be the only person to say this.

“Lot of fun to be around” ....... LOLLLLL.

Me: No, Naruto!!! Clearly not. No one in your universe can have fun with him except you. Go and Ask Sai, Team Taka or your own Team 7. They adore him for being Cool and Talented. But Fun is not the word that equates with Sasuke unless there is no You, Naruto.

Thanks for reading :-D

[bigskydreaming]

Headcanon that everyone within the family may think of Dick as the one most in their father’s favor, but Dick is keenly aware that the general public thinks of him as their father’s ‘Consolation Prize.’

After all, when from their perspective he’s the one Bruce raised since he was eight as his ward, with that dissolving when he was eighteen and very little perceived contact between the two of them for years after that, while Jason was adopted soon after being taken in and Dick was then later adopted years after Jason’s death, without any public fanfare.....

What does that look like other than Bruce ‘settling’ for the son who didn’t appear to be his first choice, just chronologically first, once he lost Jason but still needed/wanted an heir, as he was getting older and the general public still didn’t know yet how closely tied Tim was to the family or that it wouldn’t be long after this that Bruce adopted him too?

Now granted, you can definitely perceive the above as overly angsty and not the only way this situation was likely to be perceived outside the family, but my point is more that like.....nobody ever presumes that the general public are overly kind or generous in their views or assumptions about the Wayne family behavior. I just don’t buy that people assumed there was some optimistic explanation for the way things appeared here, or that people just went “oh its probably because the kid who grew up in that house the longest just doesn’t WANT to be adopted by the billionaire and have all the security that brings, and that’s also clearly why he lives in Bludhaven of all places and a shitty apartment building at that.”

I mean, no matter what WE the readers may know of Dick’s personal priorities and how little he cares about where he lives or that Bruce would have willingly paid for him to have a better place to live if he really wanted it, is that what people are most likely to assume, based on appearances?

Anyway, I’m just saying, I bet it bugs the crap out of Dick to hear his siblings casually refer to him as so obviously enjoying favored son status and being the clear apple of Bruce’s eye, as he’s like, cue internal monologue: gee, sure wish I was as confident of that back during the years he seemed to want nothing to do with me.

Like I’ve said before, I think Dick isn’t actually super insecure and his insecurities such as they are mostly revolve around how his family and friends perceive him, not the general public.....BUT I do think that with as high profile as the Waynes are, there’s no way that nobody picked up on how little contact Dick and Bruce had in the continuities where they literally went over a year without even speaking to each other....and like, felt free to draw their own conclusions.

 And I do think this is also part of why I default to thinking a lot of canon takes and headcanons tend to gloss over how shitty Gotham public could be in their views/treatment of Dick. Like just because Dick was basically trained from birth to be able to work a room and entertain people while in their direct presence, that didn’t actually make him ‘one of them’ in their eyes, and I reeeeeeaally don’t think you can actually underestimate the pettiness and jealousy one percenters feel when they see someone they inherently view as lesser than them - as they would’ve viewed both Dick and Jason due to their lower class births - like....’leap frogging’ over them into greater wealth via being taken in by Bruce. 

Like, idk, maybe it just comes from having been a scholarship kid who went to a richy rich private high school attended mostly by the children of senators and hotel-chain owners, lol, but like.......I can not for a second picture Gotham’s upper class actually LIKING Dick or being as charmed by him as they frequently are depicted as, just because Dick knows how to be charming and likable. Like they might play it that way when in public at a gala, for appearances or whatever....but the second he turned around they’d be badmouthing him at juuuuust a high enough volume to ensure he’d be able to HEAR them but not be able to call them on it without it looking like he went back and provoked a scene over something ‘nobody else around them heard them say’ or whatever. Just to make sure that no matter how well he came across in public social settings, he never ‘forgot his place’ or whatever or forgot that they were all too aware of it too.

And also also, it always kinda bemuses me that as much focus as the Court of Owls and Talons get in Dick’s narratives in canon and fic, that we’ve barely ever seen any examination of what the Court retroactively means for Dick’s years growing up around upper class Gothamites who likely included more than a few Court members.....like, we KNOW years later that like, all along there were these people who even without knowing who Batman and Robin were, like, knew Dick Grayson was their ‘Gray Son’ and intended to claim him as their weapon someday, and you can’t tell me that wouldn’t have factored into how they viewed and interacted with a child and teenage Dick Grayson as they attended many of the same social gatherings and functions. OR that Dick himself in the aftermath of the Court of Owls reveal, didn’t look back at his OWN childhood and reflect on how many creepy or uncomfortable encounters he had with various socialites that left him feeling decidedly skeeved out and not a fan of how they were looking at him or things they might have said to him, thinking themselves oh so clever for alluding to things he had no idea about......like, I imagine there had to be more than a few encounters from his younger years that always stuck with him, and after the Court of Owls revelation like....looked TOTALLY different to him, especially if he happened to know for sure that some of those very people were in fact Court members. BUT I DIGRESS.

All in all though it all circles back to the same thought for me.....people might have been polite to Dick’s face when he was growing up, but they most likely had plenty of shit to say the second his back was turned, and I doubt they were afraid to be overheard by him. Especially in his later years, once people noticed how distant he and Bruce seemed to be, and thus perceived that as meaning that nineteen year old Dick Grayson wasn’t as ‘protected’ by Bruce the way he was when he was younger.....meaning the people who were most jealous of Dick’s ‘catapulting’ up the social ladder and eager to knock him down a peg because of that, like....probably would have looked at the relative lack of contact between he and Bruce as far as anyone could publicly tell, and felt emboldened enough by that to up their snide whisper game with shit like gossipping about how oh, the Grayson boy may be back in Gotham again, but we all know he’s just poor Brucie’s consolation prize anyway, why, if he really cared all that much about the boy, he’d hardly have ever let him run off to Bludhaven of all places, without even making sure to staple the advantages and opportunities granted by the Wayne name to him the way he made sure to right off the bat with the younger one.....

So yeah. There’s my angsty musings on how Dick likely is perceived by Gotham public at large, and how his interactions with them - especially when NOT around Bruce and Jason and the rest of his family....probably very much does not match up with what they assume public perception of Dick is, given that in their eyes ‘everybody loves Dick Grayson,’ but in Dick’s experience ‘everybody may be charmed by Dick Grayson while he’s doing his best to be charming,’ but don’t mistake that for acceptance. Not when Gotham’s public are just as likely to dismiss him as the second choice Wayne heir and consolation prize to make themselves feel more important/elevated than him the second their own insecurities have them feeling intimidated by the wealth, power and prestige Dick does actually share in by virtue of being part of Bruce’s family.

[howlingday]

the first arc au) jaune meets ruby. and it's love a first sight... for ruby. jaune doesn't really get .... being human. a thousand or so years in isolation and outdated social rules pretty mush means that you can't pick up on anyone hitting on you.

but ruby will not be denied! the buff knight will be hers!

Queen

"I'm home!" Summer was immediately tackled by her daughters, the blonde taking her left, while the youngest took her from the right. They cheered and laughed as they held each other tight.

Yang was growing up fast, and it really showed with how often the twelve-year-old was getting in fewer fights each school year. She smiled with the gap in her tooth from a recent encounter with a bully after class.

Ruby doubled her sister, scoring high on every test. She was even offered to be advanced a grade further next school year. However, her parents both agreed it would be best to keep her in the same age group as her peers.

"May I come in?" The trio looked to the blonde man with a scruffy beard and blue eyes behind Summer. He smiled at the three and gave a small wave.

"Mister Jaune!" Yang tackled him, and he laughed as she squeezed his leg. He tousled her hair, earning him a punch in the thigh. "I told you not to do that!" Yang pouted.

He chuckled and knelt down. He patted her back, then wrapped an arm around her shoulder and brought her close. She leaned away, trying to stay upset, but she eventually relented and wrapped her arms around his neck. He looked to the shy girl hiding behind her mother's hair. He held an arm open as the girl ran to him, wrapping around him next.

"You've both grown so fast." He chuckled. "Someday, I won't have to kneel down to hug you." He tightened his grip around the girls a little, making them groan in discomfort. He let go still smiling. "I'll just have to savor these moments while I can."

Yang and Ruby were in bed that night, both tucked in and had a story read to them by Mister Jaune. Once he left the room and turned off the light, Yang turned on her bedside lamp and tiptoed to the floor. Ruby followed after.

"Okay, so what's up?" Yang asked. "You said you wanted to ask me something after we were tucked in bed, so here we are."

"Do you think mister Jaune likes me?" Ruby asked.

Yang blinked. "I mean, he's nice to us, so I'd say yeah."

"No, I mean, like, how mommy and daddy like each other."

"Uh," Yang scratched the back of her head. "I don't think so."

"What?!" Ruby's eyes widened to dinner plates. To think, she would be betrayed by her own sister like this! "Why not?!"

"Shh!" Yang hissed. "Keep it down!" She sighed and looked Ruby square in the eyes. "Listen, it's not that you're not pretty. It's just... he's too old for you."

"Nuh-uh! I heard from our teacher about somebody who married someone twice their age!"

"Do you know how much twice is, Ruby?" Ruby pursed her lips, her silence speaking volumes to Yang. "And it's not just that he's too old, you're, well, too young for him."

"But I drink my milk and eat my vegetables!"

"Yeah, but it takes more than that to be a grown-up."

"Like what?"

"Uh, taxes?" Yang replied. She didn't actually have a clue, either, but she didn't want to look dumb in front of her sister. "Look, you'll get it when you're older!"

"Well, when I'm older, I'm going to marry Mister Jaune!" She climbed up to her bed and squirmed around to get comfortable. "Just you wait!"

Yang climbed to her bed, yawning. "Whatever you say, Rubes." Shecturned off her bedside lamp. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."

Ruby stood behind the wall, listening to Mister Jaune talk to her parents. He was about to leave, explaining he was going back to the woods for a while. They suggested he stayed and apply for a Huntsman Academy, but he turned it down, like he always did.

Ruby never understood that about him. He was incredibly strong, probably stronger than her mother, but he never wanted anything to do with being a Huntsman, even though it was the most awesome thing ever.

"I'll leave tomorrow morning." Mister Jaune explained. "Sometime before noon. Better while the sun is still shining."

"I wish you would stay, but," Ruby's dad sighed, "I know you'd just slip out while we were sleeping anyways."

"I'm glad you're staying for one more night, Jaune." Ruby's mom told him. "The girls will want one more night with their hero."

Mister Jaune chuckled at that. "I'm not a hero. I'm just at the right place at the right time. But you two," Ruby peered around the corner and watched as Mister Jaune hugged them both by their shoulders, "you're better heroes than I could ever be." He stepped away, smiling. It was infectious, too, because her parents and herself were smiling, too.

Ruby walked out from her cover and approached the swordsman. "Mister Jaune?"

He looked down at her, then dropped to sit on his heels so they could be face-to-face. His kind eyes shined with a twinkle she couldn't help but adore. "Yes, Ruby?"

She gulped and fidgeted for a moment, twisting the ball of her foot into the floor while her fingers danced with one another. "Um, will you, uh..."

"Yes?" He tilted his head with an inquisitive look on his face. "Will I...?" He trailed off, leading her to finish her thought.

For Ruby, it was now or never! A leap of faith! She opened her mouth and shouted her deepest desire!

"Will you give me a cookie?" Weiss repeated, a deadpan expression on her face.

They say time heals all wounds, but Ruby felt just as embarrassed today as she did back then. Her face in her hands, she groaned as she retold her embarrassment of a childhood crush. Worse yet, said crush was now attending Beacon as a professor, and her crush on him never died, either!

"Look on the bright side, sis," Yang grunted over her sit-ups, "at least you're not wetting the bed anymore, right?" Yang stopped and gave her an incredulous look. "Right?"

"Yes! I haven't wet the bed in month!" Ruby shrieked.

"Months?!" Weiss recoiled in disgust. "When did you last soil your sheets? We've been partners for almost a year now!"

"That's not important! What is important is that I'm a big girl, and big girls don't wet the bed!"

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Chuckled a voice. Ruby felt her blood run cold, then hot as she turned around to the familiar voice of one Jaune Arc, currently standing in the doorway. "Mind if I come in?"

"For what reason?" Weiss asked with a raised brow.

"Dorm inspections." Jaune lifted the clipboard in his hands up, giving it a shake. "I'm the random Professor they chose today to do this."

"I thought students were to be informed prior to inspections." Blake lifted her gaze over her book.

"Normal inspections, yes." Jaune stepped in. "But these are just quick sweeps. Making sure you don't leave your uniforms all over the floor or leave food out to rot."

"Walking in on girl talk here, Prof." Yang smirked. "Or are you exercising your authority as a Professor already?"

"I won't be long. I promise." Jaune wandered about the room, looking at ceiling corners, around bed frames, and even out the window sill. For a moment, he stayed there with his head out the window, admiring the breeze. He pulled himself in and walked towards the door. "Everything seems in order here. I'll be on my-"

"Wait!" All eyes fell on Ruby as she extended her hand towards him. Once again, her heart hammered in her chest as her throat began to dry. She took a deep breath before speaking. "Have a great day, Mister Jaune."

Jaune blinked before smiling. "Of course. The same to you all, too." The door shut behind him, and he was out of their sights.

Ruby sighed with a blush. "I finally talked to him like a normal person!"

"That's your big achievement?" Weiss cocked an eyebrow.

"Baby steps, Weiss!" Ruby chuckled. "Baby steps.

[teddybasmanov]

Okay, so promised dark!cottagecore!witch!humanborn/Vindemiator (gods, that's quite a mouthful) headcanons.

I'm trying to keep it realistic in the framework of canon and not go into too many details.

Also, I was ready to go into describing a dreadful cold snowy winter in the dead silent forest until I remembered that on the day when "the weather is finally cold like in winter" they were literally sitting on the grass! So, no being snowed in.

(it is incredibly long and unnecessary detailed and generally all over the place...)

For starters, I changed my mind - they found an abandoned witch house. Well, what was left of it, and then repaired it.

It's a small two-floor cottage with a cellar and a tiny attic mostly consisting of a kitchen on the first and a bedroom on the second floor.

(whenever I mention some kind of repairs or handcraft and it seems too complicated I'm assuming they used magic to help themselves with it - hold something or fix little details)

The thing that was in the best condition was obviously the stove (oven? furnace? I don't know what to call it to convey all the meaning and magic this word holds but I'll put some pictures below). It has to be cleaned and limed and the chimney needs some fixing and it's probably the first thing they do. It's big and incredibly multifunctional - it has a usual stove/cooker surface, the stove you can cook and bake in and a place on top of it to lie on (okay, the dictionary says it's literally called stove-bench - but it's a whole bed on top of it) - this is quite a lifesaver when the weather gets colder and it's difficult to warm up the whole house (even if it's small), so the freelancer and Vindemiator sleep there wrapped in one blanket - "there was only one stove-bench" so to speak. Also, later they are going to hang and dry herbs on it.

When in the spring they find some clay - it's a Klondike and a holiday - they make not only new crockery but tiles and magically glaze them.

The modern thing looks like this:

But I mean more of:

The next in order is the roof because despite the winter not being excessively snowy it's definitely raining a lot. Then windows and calking the walls. The first autumn, when they only arrive and the winter is almost there it's strictly functional but then they'll definitely have time to make it all pretty - skin the walls and properly recover the rooftop.

There's a lot of "inventory" left at the house - for example, the freelancer finds a big preserve-pan and after some scrubbing, it presents itself in all its copper shining glory. With some Vindemiator-conjured sugar, foraged forest berries and a lot of patience they make preserves.

Surviving on their own by themselves they know quite a lot about foraging, so there's no shortage of berries, herbs and mushrooms. All conserves are neatly stored in the cellar. A part of it they dug a little deeper and enchanted so they have an ice-box the whole year-round.

Gardening, however, they have to remember from their childhood and try to figure out earth magic. Vindemiator can't quite teach them many specific spells but he shows them how to channel their magic, so their spellwork is truly witchy - very intuitive and trying not to force nature where it doesn't want to go. In short, in spring the garden can be almost certainly called thriving and by the beginning of July they enjoy their first harvest of apples from the newly planted tree (yes I know it doesn't work like that, but Earth magic).

Since I headcanon that d(a)emons can conjure any organic matter food isn't really that much of a problem but they are still trying to provide for themselves by regular means while conjuring things they can't produce like spices or sweets and definitely using magic to enlarge the volumes of given products (I assume it would easier than making it from scratch completely out of thin air).

Vindemiator, unfortunately, doesn't know a lot about human food so a lot of things the humanborn has to explain to him. For example, to get chocolate out of him they have to perfect with him the art of dreamwaling to show it to him in a dream. The poor demon didn't really have many opportunities to extend his palette. Well, the freelancer is going to fix it.

They teach him how to cook and he surprisingly loves it! He experiments a lot once they figure out a steady supply and actually becomes a bit of a better cook than them. Baking is still fully on the freelancer, however - their garden has a little corner for cereals and here the enlarging volumes and psychokinesis (for grinding) come in very handy. Vindemiator adores waking up to the smell of freshly made bread.

Washing and water supply were initially fully magically based but then they figured out how to repair a complicated plumping system leading to a nearby river. Heating is partly through the stove and partly through fire magic.

To that river, they also sometimes go fishing and catching crayfish.

Circling back to conjuring organic matters fixing clothes is easy with magic, making new once not so. It's difficult for Vindemiator to conjure a whole ready piece so the freelancer has to remember and teach him how to sew and knit. The former is a success the latter isn't.

Long winter evenings they often devote to their handiwork. Later, when they can think not only about functionality but beauty too they find themselves enjoying embroidery.

Getting to the part about Vindemiator being an animal magnet they first found it out when going around the house and carving protection symbols on trees, drawing and erasing them in the dirt. A squirrel just jumped on his shoulder like it was doing it its whole life. Later while foraging and working in the garden they encountered all kinds of birds, squirrels, hedgehogs, raccoons and sometimes even deer. When Vindemiator gets accustomed to it, genuine doctor Doolittle moments start happening quite regularly when he cooing and lamenting would heal someone's paw or ear. The freelancer obviously finds it absolutely adorable.

The little hut comes in the middle of the first winter and seems to be familiar with the house. At first, it's cautious of the new inhabitants but warms up to the freelancer quite quickly. The demon has to work for its favour for a little longer but he's also soon playing with it on the newly fixed carpet.

(the hut and little hutlings)

The house definitely holds some secrets, so sometimes they would find a book published a hundred years ago or a necklace they both touch with caution because it might be enchanted.

Also, obligatory little vibe playlist:

[mostlysignssomeportents]

My first-ever Kickstarter: Help me change publishing with the audiobook for Attack Surface, the third Little Brother book.

I have a favor to ask of you. I don't often ask readers for stuff, but this is maybe the most important ask of my career. It's a Kickstarter - I know, 'another crowdfunder?' - but it's:

a) Really cool;

b) Potentially transformative for publishing.

c) Anti-monopolistic

Here's the tldr: Attack Surface - AKA Little Brother 3- is coming out in 5 weeks. I retained audio rights and produced an amazing edition that Audible refuses to carry. You can pre-order the audiobook, ebook (and previous volumes), DRM- and EULA-free.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doctorow/attack-surface-audiobook-for-the-third-little-brother-book

That's the summary, but the details matter. First: the book itself. ATTACK SURFACE is a standalone Little Brother book about Masha, the young woman from the start and end of the other two books; unlike Marcus, who fights surveillance tech, Masha builds it.

Attack Surface is the story of how Masha has a long-overdue moral reckoning with the way that her work has hurt people, something she finally grapples with when she comes home to San Francisco.

Masha learns her childhood best friend is leading a BLM-style uprising - and she's being targeted by the same cyberweapons that Masha built to hunt Iraqi insurgents and post-Soviet democracy movements.

I wrote Little Brother in 2006, it came out in 2008, and people tell me it's "prescient" because the digital human rights issues it grapples with - high-tech authoritarianism and high-tech resistance - are so present in our current world.

But it's not so much prescient as observant. I wrote Little Brother during the Bush administration's vicious, relentless, tech-driven war on human rights. Little Brother was a bet that these would not get better on their own.

And it was a bet that tales of seizing the means of computation would inspire people to take up digital arms of their own. It worked. Hundreds of cryptographers, security experts, cyberlawyers, etc have told me that Little Brother started them on their paths.

ATTACK SURFACE - a technothriller about racial injustice, police brutality, high-tech turnkey totalitarianism, mass protests and mass surveillance - was written between May 2016 and Nov 2018, before the current uprisings and the tech worker walkouts.

https://twitter.com/search?q=%20(%23dailywords)%20(from%3Adoctorow)%20%22crypto%20wars%22&src=typed_query&f=live

But just as with Little Brother, the seeds of the current situation were all around us in 2016, and if Little Brother inspired a cohort of digital activists, I hope Attack Surface will give a much-needed push to a group of techies (currently) on the wrong side of history.

As I learned from Little Brother, there is something powerful about technologically rigorous thrillers about struggles for justice - stories that marry excitement, praxis and ethics. Of all my career achievements, the people I've reached this way matter the most.

Speaking of careers and ethics. As you probably know, I hate DRM with the heat of 10000 suns: it is a security/privacy nightmare, a monopolist's best friend, and a gross insult to human rights. As you may also know, Audible will not carry any audiobooks unless they have DRM.

Audible is Amazon's audiobook division, a monopolist with a total stranglehold on the audiobook market. Audiobooks currently account for almost as much revenue as hardcovers, and if you don't sell on Audible, you sacrifice about 95% of that income.

That's a decision I've made, and it means that publishers are no longer willing to pay for my audiobook rights (who can blame them?). According to my agent, living my  principles this way has cost me enough to have paid off my mortgage and maybe funding my retirement.

I've tried a lot of tactics to get around Audible; selling through the indies (libro.fm, downpour.com, etc), through Google Play, and through my own shop (craphound.com/shop).

I appreciate the support there but it's a tiny fraction of what I'm giving up - both in terms of dollars and reach - by refusing to lock my books (and my readers) (that's you) to Amazon's platform for all eternity with Audible DRM.

Which brings me to this audiobook.

Look, this is a great audiobook. I hired Amber Benson (a brilliant writer and actor who played Tara on Buffy), Skyboat Media and director Cassandra de Cuir, and Wryneck Studios, and we produced a 15h long, unabridged masterpiece.

It's done. It's wild. I can't stop listening to it. It drops on Oct 13, with the print/ebook edition.

It'll be on sale in all audiobook stores (except Audible) on the 13th,for $24.95.

But! You can get it for a mere $20 via my first Kickstarter.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doctorow/attack-surface-audiobook-for-the-third-little-brother-book

What's more, you can pre-order the ebook - and also buy the previous ebooks and audiobooks (read by Wil Wheaton and Kirby Heyborne) - all DRM free, all free of license "agreements."

The deal is: "You bought it, you own it, don't violate copyright law and we're good."

And here's the groundbreaking part. For this Kickstarter, I'm the retailer. If you pre-order the ebook from my KS, I get the 30% that would otherwise go to Jeff Bezos - and I get the 25% that is the standard ebook royalty.

This is a first-of-its-kind experiment in letting authors, agents, readers and a major publisher deal directly with one another in a transaction that completely sidesteps the monopolists who have profited so handsomely during this crisis.

Which is where you come in: if you help me pre-sell a ton of ebooks and audiobooks through this crowdfunder, it will show publishing that readers are willing to buy their ebooks and audiobooks without enriching a monopolist, even if it means an extra click or two.

So, to recap:

Attack Surface is the third Little Brother book

It aims to radicalize a generation of tech workers while entertaining its audience as a cracking, technologically rigorous thriller

The audiobook is amazing, read by the fantastic Amber Benson

If you pre-order through the Kickstarter:

You get a cheaper price than you'll get anywhere else

You get a DRM- and EULA-free purchase

You'll fight monopolies and support authorship

If you've ever enjoyed my work and wondered how you could pay me back: This is it. This is the thing. Do this, and you will help me artistically, professionally, politically, and (ofc) financially.

Thank you!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doctorow/attack-surface-audiobook-for-the-third-little-brother-book

PS: Tell your friends!