#Relationship Enhancement

[the-masculine-journey]

Discover the art of igniting desire and passion in any woman's heart. Uncover powerful techniques, strategies, and insights to deepen connections, spark intense attraction, and foster meaningful relationships. Explore the secrets to unlocking desire, improving yourself, and building lasting romantic connections

[carrotsnake]

ok now that book of bill has us gf fans all in one place it's time to pass around my favourite still again

[missmisnomer]

time keeps moving on

whether you want it to or not

@remedyturtles absolutely killing it with the latest chapters of their firefight fic. The last third of ch.37 was so fuckin eerie and tense and visually rich that I couldn't NOT make some art inspired by it. I've been hankering to draw something more experimental and dark lately, and this really scratched that itch!

Thanks for The Horrors™, Rem!

[fascinationstreetmp3]

personally i think they can do 70s/80s devil's minion while keeping it so that modern dm still needs a ton of development to Work, because they both have to navigate their feelings now even if daniel gets his memories back. there's the layers of betrayal and resentment they both feel; the fact that they've been apart for decades and have gone through life since then being shaped separately; the circumstances of daniel's turning— theyre all things they still have to work through, with or without an extended history between them.

for daniel, just because he might remember what he felt back then, it doesn't mean he automatically feels the same because of it now. maybe it could even be that he doesn't remember everything all at once; only the cat and mouse game at the beginning of their relationship, or the hopelessness and ruin at the end of it, or the addiction, and for a long time that's all he can remember. maybe he remembers it all but he can't connect what he felt then to what he feels now. it doesn't have to be a switch that flips and suddenly brings back all his old feelings and erases everything else.

for armand, there's an aspect to it that he has to come to love this more experienced version of the boy he once knew, one who is extremely sharp and much better at seeing right through him, one who is not dependant on him or his blood, one who has utterly dismantled everything he was clinging onto for decades, and, now armand's turned daniel, one he can't read the mind of like he used to. even if some things have stayed the same, their entire dynamic has shifted from what was once familiar.

so, even though past dm could be an easy way to go "they were in love once so of course they'll fall in love again", i don't think that's what would happen. in my opinion them having a history would add to their present dynamic but things are so different now it's pretty much brand new territory for them going forward.

[thepersonperson]

I can't believe it's genuinely canon that Geto was jealous of Sukuna being the one to fill up Gojo.

I know Gojo reassured him but we saw he thought of Toji as the last person who satisfied him. No wonder Geto ended up on a crusade against no cursed energy monkeys.

Geto's insecurity with his place in Gojo's life really was his downfall. (On top of not having access to Karl Marx.) He kind of just assumed that Gojo being in a league of his own after awakening meant they could never be together as The Strongest duo.

That insecurity was so pervasive he initiated their break up by objectifying Gojo for his strength. And he later assumed Gojo stopped loving him too.

But you might be onto something with Geto's jealousy starting with Toji. Though he didn't see Gojo awaken (which was essentially "la petite mort" or the little death), Geto was around to hear Gojo call Toji アンタ (Anta). And that particular usage of Anta was really weird.

(Yeah this is one of those asks that poked my neuroses in just the right way.)

-Content Warning: Brief discussion of teenage sexuality.

-Mangareader(.)to for the raws.

-TCBscans for everything but Vol 0.

(Click images for captions/citations.)

Gojo's You Pronouns

I kind of lost my mind over Sukuna's you pronoun usage if you want to know why this kind of thing matters to me. Thankfully, Gojo's you pronoun usage is much more straightforward. Which is why the use of Anta for Toji sticks out a lot.

Gojo usually uses オマエ (Omae—masculine, informal, between peers or to look down on the addressee) for absolutely everyone. Friends, enemies? Doesn't matter, he's using Omae. It's either that, 君 (Kimi—affectionate towards juniors) with his students, or he avoids using you pronouns to be polite. He has only deviated from this pattern with two people—Uraume with てまえ (Temee—hostile and offensive), and Anta with Toji.

Anta is a contraction of あなた (Anata) and both are used in the exact same way. It's an informal you mostly used by people learning Japanese since normal use suggests a familiar and casual relationship with the addressee. That can be rude depending on the context. In the context of love, it's a romantic thing, colloquially called the wife pronoun as its often used by a wife to her husband. The only real difference between Anta and Anata is the indication of class. As a contraction, Anta is seen as more low class/uneducated than Anata.

So what did Gojo mean by his use of Anta with Toji?

Since Anta can indicate the speaker is casual/friendly, uneducated, or flirting, we'll have to infer what Gojo meant with context. Sometimes, it's easier to look at how other characters use this pronoun to get an idea.

For example, Hanami uses Anata for everyone which is why there's nothing flirtatious about them using it. This is just how they talk in general and they aren't singling anyone out in a special way.

A male character who uses Anta for most people in the way Hanami uses Anata is Ike from Fire Emblem. (I'm so sorry this is the only guy I can think of using this as a default you pronoun and he's from a completely different series.)

Ike uses Ore (masculine, informal) as his personal pronoun and he was raised as a mercenary with no formal education, so the Anta in context is more of him being from the lower class and casual. Anta is also less masculine than Omae, so this is also gives Ike that soft edge to his roughness that everyone loves him for. When he uses Anta while speaking to nobles in Path of Radiance Ch 14, they find it extremely offensive and get pissed because they perceive it as him not showing enough respect. (And he does call them out for being dickholes using Anta which makes them even angrier.)

If I recall correctly, (sorry I only really remember Zelgius and Sephiran's pronouns because it subtly confirms them a queer couple), Ike uses Omae (or Temee? The fudging accessible JP transcript went poof.) for the Black Knight and no one else. The Black Knight killed his father and Ike hates him for this. This Omae is not friendly, it's hostile.

I use this example because it shows how for one character these pronouns mean one thing and other characters it the polar opposite. Gojo uses Omae to be friendly, Ike uses Omae to be hostile. Ike uses Anta to be friendly, Gojo uses Anta to...

I don't know.

I don't know why Gojo uses Anta for Toji. It's really fudging odd and he never uses it again or for anyone else. Gojo for Toji uses Anta then Omae then Anta.

First it's confusion over being stabbed. I think in this context it means more of "hey there, buddy" in the way someone might try to talk down an aggressive person by trying to be chummy.

At the time, it probably told Geto something was really wrong because Gojo never uses that pronoun.

The Omae he swaps to is normal Gojo usage. He explains how Toji screwed up with killing him in the way he's been talking at all the assassins that came after Riko.

But internally? Toji remains Anta. This is weird since Gojo usually just sticks to Omae or some kind of nomer when he doesn't know people's names.

Leading up to this internal monologue, Gojo is not angry. He's extremely zen. So much so that he apologizes to Riko for not being upset she was just murdered. This makes me think the Anta isn’t meant to be disparaging.

Anta has always been less harsh than Omae in comparison. It can imply a distance between the speaker and addressee or it can suggest they're very close.

I can't tell if Gojo is trying to express a unique kinship he feels with Toji or if he's putting Toji on a pedestal of strength he idolizes and considers himself separate from. Perhaps it's both and this confusion is intentional. Gojo is a teenager figuring himself out in the most traumatic way possible here. My point is that this use of Anta indicates Gojo feels some kind of way about Toji he doesn't for anyone else.

Toji is very special to Gojo.

Most people are aware of Gojo picking up certain habits and speech patterns because Geto. Rereading JJK after learning about Gojo's history with Geto turns a lot of his silly quirks into things that are really depressing.

Toji is second to Geto in terms of influencing adult Gojo's behavior I think. Not just in the paranoia he experiences of being made vulnerable again, but some of his speaking mannerisms. Gojo asking for last words before he kills someone started with Toji.

He has that same empty look when he does it each time too. This doesn't seem to be like him mourning Toji in the way he mourns Geto by speaking in the way his beloved suggested. It's like he's reliving trauma. And dear lord did Toji traumatize Gojo. The kind of terror in the faces teenage Gojo makes while being hunted and killed are never made again.

But despite this, Gojo as an adult seems to look back on this awful experience fondly sometimes. When Sukuna starts to make him think he's about to lose, Gojo smiles as he recalls this feeling.

Satisfaction? Being killed by this guy was satisfying? I suppose it makes sense, this temporary death did awaken him to immense power that made him feel amazing. In that sense, Toji was Gojo's greatest teacher. And as a teacher, Gojo molds a philosophy from that experience and tries to imbue it on his students in a less traumatic fashion. (I say tries because this still killed Yuji by accident and caused a lot of unneeded stress for the second years in Vol 0.)

As you can see here, Gojo thinks this way because he did die alone despite having strong allies. And because his death made him stronger, he thinks growth can be triggered in a similar fashion. Geto calls him out on how fudged up this “tough love” is.

Gray morally aside, these beliefs and actions are because of Toji. A lot of what Gojo is as an adult is one giant unhealthy coping mechanism for Toji, fondness included.

When Nanami calls Gojo a Jujutsu Pervert he isn't wrong. Gojo is a freak that gets off to fighting in part due to Toji. It's like this horrible little ball of fear, denial, and horny with him. Thinking about Toji being the last person who satisfied him in that way over Geto isn't out of character. The types of blissed out faces he made during that fight do pop up in the Sukuna fight.

We also have to acknowledge that Toji is at the got dang afterlife airport with everyone else. For some reason, despite all the pain he inflicted, Gojo admires him on a similar level to the people who didn't want him dead.

Toji is a lot of Gojo's firsts. His first fear, his first death, his first awakening, and most importantly his first exposure to revolution. Toji is the first person Gojo met that escaped the bindings of Jujutsu Society and obtained freedom. He defied the Zenins and started a life outside of them. His pride and grief brought him back, but for a few years he was the impossible success story.

Though Geto heavily influenced Gojo’s morality, Toji was the basis for Gojo’s revolutionary ideas. It shows in how he trains his students and values the strength of non-sorcerers. He correctly identifies that Toji only wound up this way because of Jujutsu Society, mainly the higher ups, and vows to do something about it.

Is this to prevent another Toji because of fear? Is this how Gojo honors his memory too? Both, probably. Toji basically asked Gojo to be the godfather to Megumi, his son named Blessing, and prevent him from being raised a Zenin. In other words, he gave Gojo his blessing to do better than him and break that awful generational cycle. Gojo has taken that very seriously.

Megumi knows next to nothing about the Zenins until he's made the head after Naobito dies and Maki massacres them. The fact that Megumi being made the head ultimately triggered Maki's massacre of the Zenin Clan is like Toji getting exactly what he wanted from beyond the grave. A mini revolution made possible with Gojo laying the groundwork by providing a space where Maki can exist without hate.

Geto's Jealousy

As Geto was spiralling, he probably thought back on Gojo’s use of Anta with Toji and got a little jealous. After all, Toji was the reason Gojo grew so much as a sorcerer instead of him.

Can you imagine? The love of your life keeps telling you that together you're The Strongest and that's why he's with you. But he goes off with some dude after calling him something he's never called you and comes back a god. He grew more in those few minutes with this rando than the years he spent with you combined. Inadequate wouldn't even scratch the surface of that feeling.

It was always a one-sided admiration—Toji was a bum who leeched off women as you would expect any straight dude would coming from an immensely misogynistic household. He killed children for money and had beef with an 8 year old after looking at him once. But Geto still might've been envious that a non-sorcerer did more for Gojo’s growth than any sorcerer.

Geto’s Coping

The aftermath of Toji put a strain on their relationship in more ways than one. First and foremost, it made Gojo The Strongest. As I said earlier, this caused Geto to become insecure with his place in Gojo’s life. But what I didn’t mention is that the higher ups exploiting this newfound strength is why this never got addressed until it was way too late.

As shown here Geto’s condition gets worse because not only is he mentally isolated from Gojo, but physically as well. A horrible little detail—changes in weight can be very gradual. If you're with someone all the time, you'll likely never notice it. Gojo was kept separate from Geto for so long that this difference was noticeable.

They fall out of sync because Jujutsu Society has decided that their labor is more valuable apart. The problem here exploitation. Toji made it extremely clear to both Gojo and Geto that was the problem. Geto unfortunately came to the wrong conclusion on how to deal with it.

Tags from @nyan-bynary on this post sum up my feelings on this nicely.

#OK OK I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT HOW GETO GOT RADICALIZED BASICALLY INTO FASCISM BC HE ENDED UP BLAMING THE WRONG CLASS FOR THEIR OPPRESSION #LIKE THIS IS SO VERY MUCH THE CASE WITH LIKE RANDO WHITE LIBERTARIANS AND SHIT IRL TOO LIKE THEY NOTICE SHIT SUCKS #BUT THEY END UP BLAMING THE EVEN MORE OPPRESSED PEOPLE INSTEAD OF TAKING THAT ANGER UPWARDS TOWARDS THE ACTUAL PPL DESTROYING EVERYTHING

#like geto saw a man who was so fucking abused and treated like shit by his clan that he basically ran away and started a new life #where he resents the people who were oppressing him but he still had to work for similar people to make ends meet #and in doing so was made a pawn for the internal power struggles of the higher ups #which hurt the other people lower in the hierarchy as well including gojo and geto #but instead of seeing the hand that guided everything here he blamed the toy in the hand instead #devoting himself to destroy every single toy which unknowingly included himself and the sorcerers he wanted to protect so badly as well

#like in his efforts to gather sorcerers he ended up doing a better more inclusive job of gathering sorceres from EVERYWHERE he could reach #he had the true potential to make real grassroot connections with fellow oppressed people but he was misguided on who the target should be #like it's ironic that the only black sorcerer that we see is in the group of the guy that calls non sorceres 'monkeys' #because it says something about him that his problem actually wasn't racism (against non-sorcerers) #it was the high risk terrible lifestyle forced upon every sorcerer in the name of non-sorcerers #WHO DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU GUYS EXIST AND ARE BEING EXPLOITED LIKE THIS IN THEIR NAME IN THE FIRST PLACE MAYBE TRY TO FIX THAT AT SOME POINT???

#it's all so sad bc the moment he chose the wrong people to blame his fate was sealed and it sucks bc he could've done real good things #gojo was the closest to doing anything remotely revolutionary but he went the too peaceful route and it cost him everything #he didn't organize or protest with enough destruction or maybe he thought he couldn't until it became a last resort

#like I find it funny that despite everything gojo wanted to do bc his form of resistance was so lax he ended up alienating hakari and kirara #and the elders. the divide and conquerers that they were used it to expel them from the school #just ahhhhhhhhh so many thoughts I wish they could've done more I wish I wish I wish

In that post, I joked that Karl Marx could’ve saved Geto, but that wasn’t really a joke. Trying to address exploitation without the theoretical framework to be productive about it is like swimming against an ocean riptide at night. You can recognize that you’re drowning, but not knowing where the shore is or that you need to swim at an angle instead of directly against the current dooms you.

The really sad thing is that Geto never realized that non-sorcerers were exploited just like him. Nanami worked directly alongside them and realized their exploitation was one in the same.

He realized that this exploitation was a systemic issue. Gojo realized that those in power were responsible for enforcing it. Both of them lacked the drive to be aggressive about that in the way Geto was. Together, the 3 of them really could’ve unionized to obtain the work-life balance they desperately needed.

But that was never going to happen. The higher ups isolated them until their communication skills and therefore relationships deteriorated alongside their mental states. (Notice how even outside of Jujustu Nanami has no friends. He's just as alone as those two.)

Geto's Love

I don’t think Geto ever learned how to love properly after Toji in a very similar vein to Gojo. Though he more outwardly shows affection to his family, there’s this sense of distance he has between them as a cult leader. His children call him Master and do not take his last name. He’s worshiped as a figurehead and for his beauty. And no one really understands him in the way Gojo used to.

And it must also be noted that the anguish from his family and daughters at his possession did not cause his body to stir. Only Gojo calling his name did.

It's not that Geto doesn't love his family, he just loves Gojo more despite having spent less time with him. (10 years with his family vs 3 years with Gojo.) Even Geto himself says that his family isn’t enough for him to be truly happy.

A world where sorcerers are not exploited is what he thinks will fix this. He wants this for himself, his family, and Gojo. Especially Gojo.

Their breakup was caused by Gojo being exploited more than anyone else. Geto has always objected to that. A world of only sorcerers hypothetically gets rid of the labor exploitation Geto hates for every sorcerer. And it also creates a world where Gojo doesn't need to be The Strongest. It's a world where instead of being overworked, Gojo will have all the time in the world for Geto.

This love Geto holds for Gojo underlies his actions. Him setting this ridiculous plan into motion on December 24th is a grandiose romantic gesture. You can feel the resentment and the longing. He tried to fill the Gojo hole in his heart with a new family and hatred only to fail.

Gojo reciprocated. He always did. But neither of them realized the love was mutual until both of them were dead because work came first.

So yeah anon, Geto was jealous. Both Toji and Sukuna got to know Gojo in ways he couldn’t because being an enemy of Gojo ironically gives them more direct attention from him since that’s a part of work.

Jujustu Society vs Queerness

Even if Gojo and Geto realized their love before everything went to hell, I'm not sure if they would've acted on it due to societal stigma.

Like @nyan-bynary mentioned, Kiara's transness is something the higher ups no doubt rejected. The type of conservatism modern Japan is under does not embrace the open queerness of the past that was especially prevalent during the Heian Era, you know the Jujutsu Golden Age. In a reflection of these politics, the Zenins embody the type of sexual hierarchy wanted by the elders—men run everything and women have children. Even though Hakari and Kiara are a straight couple, they're unable to have children together which is rebellion in of itself. Why Gojo didn't do more for them is kind of baffling.

To be fair, Gojo kind of sucks at sticking up against injustices like this. Hakari and Kiara aren't the only failed in this way. When Geto is verbally discriminatory towards Maki, Gojo doesn't refute his beliefs, Yuta does.

This is honestly, pretty fudged up. Gojo just lets Geto be horrible and offers a weak "don't do that" as a response instead of arguing for Maki's personhood. And we know for a fact he is strong enough to do something and be taken seriously. After all, he did threaten the elders to protect Yuta's life. He didn't stop Geto until he became a large-scale physical threat. For some reason, that's the only type of discrimination Gojo will act on—violent acts that will result in death.

I think this is because Geto told him he needed a really good reason to kill other humans before he snapped. It took a lot of convincing for Gojo to slaughter the higher ups as the result of this. His inaction here could also stem from Gojo being so used to dehumanization that he hardly recognizes it as a problem. But Gojo did force Nanami to address Yuji as a human child instead of Sukuna's Vessel later, so perhaps he reflected on this exchange and tried to do better. (Despite allowing everyone else from Kyoto to be weird about Yuji.)

Regardless, it's this passive mentality when it comes to non-violent discrimination that makes me think Gojo wouldn't have acted on his feelings for Geto.

There's probably a lot of pressure on Gojo to have progeny of some kind (aka be straight and have babies). I do find it a bit odd we've seen nothing of his Clan to the point that Megumi also knows nothing about it. (Though this was probably to spare him the politics drama for the enjoyment of his youth.) They did spoil Gojo rotten, but that doesn't mean backwards societal expectations weren't thrust on him from birth. He was raised to be a living weapon you know. Suppression of his own queerness was likely a part of that education.

And though Gojo is pretty rebellious when it comes to challenging the status quo, like antagonizing those older than him and letting those younger than him speak freely around him, he still has some toxic ideas from his youth he hasn't let go of. He prioritizes his strength over bonds and allows himself to be exploited while trying to make sure his students don't wind up like him...by having them prioritize strength through pushing their limits.

In other words, Gojo would likely just repress his feelings for Geto if it meant obtaining his goals. A queer relationship would be used against him by the higher ups since it rebels against the expectations of Jujustu Society in a way he hasn't pushed hard against. (I'm so sorry Hakari and Kiara.)

With that being said, it's not all that surprising that a lot of the curse users are openly queer. They've freed themselves of exploitation and expectations. Their genders and sexualities are theirs to control. None of them are shy about it. Larue openly loves Geto, Sukuna will kill you for not respecting his disinterest in romance and sex, Uraume will kill you for not respecting that, Kashimo will hit on a man as he's being killed by him, Kenjaku is Kenjaku.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Gojo is at his horniest when he's fighting other men. It's like the one space where he's allowed to engage that side of himself without fear of repercussion because at the end of the day, one of them is going to be dead anyways. (His flirting with Nanami when they're alone together not included.) Sometimes queer people want their love with violence because it’s the only way they can have their sexuality without guilt. That punishment absolves the sin.

Jujutsu Society as it stands is not compatible with queerness. Gojo has a really fudged up way of expressing his attraction to men as the result of this. And if you ask me, I think Toji is the one who really got his wires crossed.

[sallymew4]

kids when they hear that their dad is back in town VS. kids when theyre hanging out with a conman that accidentally stole their wallet once

im not even joking btw

bonus heres me being crazy about them in dms ^^^

[alxastrx]

When you're one of the most selfish mc who only saves people because it's part of a job you never wanted and did not get to chose or you would've died, who took your co-workers' morals and ideals because you didn't have any and desperately wanted to fit in somewhere, be it with the heroes or the villains, who's activelly haunted by one the most tragic past to have been created and suffer from a psychosis so bad (dare I say schizophrenia) that even your enemies acknowledged that you are mentally ill and objectively flawed in your judgement, never hesitated to try to kill anyone and has the most egoistic reason to be a good person but the fandom still thinks you're just a kind crybaby "I don't know what a gun is" homosexual twink.

[danwhobrowses]

Prefacing that, again time zones, I've only been able to glean the latest CR episode and that I do not agree with their in-character opinions on the gods, I'd like to remind fans to try and not get super ugly about their criticism of Ashton Greymoore.

I'll be the first to throw my hands up and say they're among my favourite C3 characters so there may be bias, but I've been getting flashes of the Shard Incident from reactions towards their recent and vocal disdain for the gods. Disagree with them all you want, Taliesin knows that the gods can't simply leave since they're the one who said that the Wildmother would die if she left, but understand that it's a character flaw and if you recall the hardships of their backstory, the unanswered prayers, and that their only exchanges with the gods have required them to do something or, with the Dawnfather Angel, have been met with cold disregard, it's understandable how they got to feeling that way. Ashton has lived alone and been told they don't matter for a lot of their life; no gods, no family, no nurturing presence to guide them, they've been abandoned, used, and - with additional influence by the Dominox accusing them of wanting FCG to die - are currently between blaming themselves and the Changebringer for their closest friend's death.

Make no mistake Ashton is wrong, I think the self-confessed hypocrite with also self-confessed poor morality knows that deep down, or at least knows that they're not the kind of person who should be in charge. Vassalheim is a difficult place for a titan vessel to be in so it is unsure what they will do from here; perhaps investigate the Earth Titan? Commune with the Emperor and Empress? Or maybe be brought to the gods and be able to vent or reconcile with them (and maybe get some closure with FCG, speak with his spirit as like a mediator between the Hells and the Gods)? But it feels like Taliesin is being vocal for a reason, and it's either to invite Matt to challenge it (I've said in other comments but I would love if Ashton found some comfort, not worship or a pact but maybe just a dialogue, in the Everlight: a goddess of healing, temperance and redemption - all of which would help Ashton mentally - as unlikely as it'd be) or find another maybe primordial route to give Ashton a narrative tether towards stopping Predathos.

Let's just, not be cruel about the character, they are more than just their bad trauma and grief-led opinion on gods remember?

[sunshine-and-her-ikevil-stuff]

*thinking about the villains' tragic fates*

You know, their routes never really talk too much about their fates and how it effects them mentally. Or how the MC feels about it, and dealing with the fear and angst of it with the slight exception of William's route

*eyes widen*

... I think I know what the sequels are gonna be about

[pftones3482]

People saying, "The PJO TV series is just as fast as the books, we just don't have Percy's inner monologue to slow us down."

Percy doesn't get expelled immediately in the books. He gets through the entire rest of the semester and then isn't invited back to the school because of his grades. That's already about a 4 month difference to the show.

When he gets to camp, he spends two full weeks in the book training before going on the quest. In the show, it's only a few days.

Why does it matter?

Percy is gaslit by Grover and Chiron for the entire rest of his school year into basically thinking he's crazy. It gives us time to see the build up of the mounting war, in the way of storms and violent oceans. It lets us see how much Percy struggles with school, with being different from everyone.

At camp, he has time to actually start to feel like he belongs somewhere, like he has people who get it. He learns from the people around him, and at least gets SOME kind of weapons training - them cutting out his swordfighting scene with Luke was criminal because it's the first nod towards the fact that Percy will eventually become the camps best sword fighter (and also gives us a nice glimpse at Luke's thoughts on Percy)

I know the pacing needs to be a little quicker because it's a show. But we can acknowledge that the show is moving MUCH faster than the books did, even with the inner monologue taken into account. Cutting every single scene that isn't absolutely crucial to plot diminishes character development, and the characters are supposed to be the core of this story.

[cigarettes-and-black-eyeliner]

HELPPPP

[makowo]

naegirigami shippers are so often afraid of kyoko and byakuya loving each other as they love makoto. is it because they cant fit into the conventional relationship dynamic that they can with makoto? is it because theyre so fixated on the idea of makoto being the glue that ties everyone together that they can't fathom that kyoko and byakuya can have a relationship that also stands up on its own? is it because one of them is really just a side bitch and there's only focus upon makoto and one other in the relationship? or do they really just ship makoto with both of them individually.

[tostada-turtle]

Someone's been getting too comfy around the enemy Sniper...

Not a fantastic render, but posting it to get it out of my drafts lol

It was only when he shifted that he suddenly noted the extra weight pressed against him. The quiver, along with the intruder's bag, made for an effective buffer, he reasoned, which is why he only noticed the sleeping enemy Scout when he came out of his scoping hunch. It wasn't the first time this had happened, either, which was the worst part. It meant that he'd have to work on being more alert while sniping, lest a blade be pressed up against his back rather than a rogue napper.

He turned back carefully, to not alert the enemy, of course. Scout slept peacefully, head hung in a way that'd give him an awful crick in his neck later, arms and legs crossed lazily. He breathed evenly, well and truly asleep. Now aware of his presence, Sniper noticed the heat he emanated. Sweaty, probably, tired, from running through the dry heat.

Sniper exhaled, returning slowly to his original position. It would be too cruel to shoot at an enemy while they slept. He'd blast Scout's head off when he was done with his nap.

[ficsinhistory]

Okay, can we talk about how Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy are the same person with different fonts? (And how does their conflit enrich the narrative?)

What makes them different is their circumstances. And the movie explores this very well.

Gwen doesn't have a mother and, therefore, the influence of greater emotional stability while Miles has (which makes his life much easier), remembering Rio, often counterbalances Jeff's tought love.

Her captain and father pursues her in cold blood, blaming Spiden-woman for the traumatic event (Peter's death) while Miles' father forgives her before any plea for repentance (Aaron's death). Gwen's New York hates her while Miles loves him. Miles' fear when talking about being a hero is Gwen's harsh reality, in which her father doesn't seem to love her, as pointed a friking gun at her head! Gwen is alone in her civilian life (with no friends or family present) while Miles has a community.

Miles and Gwen are alike, and that's what's most devastating. Because Gwen is just Miles with no support system.

And this is what makes them have different views on ATSV despite being "equal where it counts", fueling the conflict we saw. Gwen do a terrible thing hidding the fact that Miles' dad would die. But she also doesn't have a choice.

She isn't sincere and open and hopeful because she can't afford to be like that, and Miles would also do the same in her position if the roles were reversed, because what keeps Miles from losing himself is the support system he has. This help guide him for good ways.

Because Miles is capable of being as morally gray than Gwen was. How I know that?

Because Prowler! Miles exist.

The film shows the two as the foil, leading to that explosive finale. That after all, as Gwen messed up, lied, and try stop him, Miles finds himself stuck with a bitter version of him and that himself is who can stop him for saving his father . That Miles' lack of a support system and good circumstances (already illustrated in Gwen ) is taken to an extreme in his version of Earth-42.

I like to think that what this movie and the next one say is: you do things your way and you decide how your life is going to be, but your circumstances also affect it. They do not dictate, but affect. As it is in these dark hours that you hold on to what is right, or move to make things right.

Including I think this will be a big factor that will contribute to Miles for giving Gwen.

She made a mistake and owes a lot of apologies, yes. But wouldn't Miles do the same? Wouldn't he lie, mess things up in the name of keeping his life together minimally when he had no choice? Especially having a world where, when everything came crashing down, he effectively became an unrecognizable version of himself to protect what mattered to him?

And Gwen didn't try make amends? Giving up everything you know just to make things right? Change things? Assembling a team just to find and save him? Just like Miles always tries to do right and be the best version of him?

Gwen's arc, their fight the entire movie, and the final scene on Earth-42 all convey an important truth to Miles' own arc: how hard it is to be morally good and right all the time when everything around you is falling apart.

Because everyone is subject to circumstances. And then yes, you decide how you will act.

Miles Morales is just like Gwen Stacy and just as flawed, we just did't see how much yet.

[tootalltech]

i actually can't deal with characters who objectively MUST have fucked up and weird relationships with their bodies. five hargreeves... chase davenport... echo bad batch... jason todd????... wade wilson?!?!?!?... link loz?!?!?!!?... ZELDA LOZ?!?!!?!?!?

[strayheartless]

Might do some with this later, but for now I just need it out of my head:

**general plot idea is that Cloud was taken as a subject for testing, because they thought he was forgettable. Zack noticed, but after years of searching they only find him when they’re instructed to aid the R&D department with an escaped sample.

Warning for: blood and gore, also Hojo death, though that’s not likely “upsetting” to anyone**

By the time they got to the lab the place is a massacre sight. Bodies strewn from one end of the burning room to the other; blood decorating the walls like some kind of perverse paint job. Angeal covered his nose and mouth against the smell of burned flesh; the scent nauseating in the extreme.

Next to him Sephiroth lowered Masumune slightly, coming out of battle stance. There was no need for it here, any threat they could have eliminated had been taken care of. Angeal wondered about the mess they would find further in and swallowed against another wave of nausea.

“He cannot have done this himself,” Seph muttered, toeing a body over to find that the hole in the bodies chest was more than an exit wound. Somebody had put their whole fist through the persons chest.

Genesis sheathed his blade and came to stand by the general.

“All evidence to the contrary,” he said and crouched to check another body for a pulse. Nothing. They were all dead it seemed.

A whimper of distress sounded behind Angeal and the man turned to look at Zack. The boy had brought up the rear, making him the last to witness the mess. He wondered if he should have kept him out of the room for this.

Zack stumbled forward a little at the sight, clapping his hands over his mouth more in shock than repulsion. There was no doubt repulsion was there, but the shock won out every time.

He shouldn’t be strong enough to do this, he thought. I’ve trained him. I’ve fought him. He… he couldn’t.

“What did they do to him?” He says out loud.

Genesis stands back up, and crosses to him. He places a hand on Zack’s hip and kisses his temple.

“We’ll find him pup,” he murmurs into Zacks hair. “I promise,”

“The question is, how exactly will we find him?” Sephiroth surveyed the area, looking for doors, openings, anything to indicate where the blonde had gone. “If I were to make an educated guess, I’d say he’s stronger than all of us. He will not be easily subdued.”

Zack flinched. “We can’t kill him!” He cried, “Seph please he’s probably terrified, he do-“

Angeal cut him off with a raise of his hand.

“We are not suggesting that Zack, Seph only meant it may be hard for him to realise he can trust us. We may need to knock him out.” He placed a hand at Zack’s back, placing a little pressure to get him moving.

Genesis took his hand too. It warmed Angeal to know that his lovers were finally finding their ground, even if it was in the wake of tragedy and terror.

Sephiroth led the way through the bodies to the large garage door at the end of the room. The buttons were tacky with blood. Sephiroth hoped for all their sakes it was a sign that they were on the right track.

Past the door lay a long hallway and a single trail of blood along the floor. He was hurt. They needed to hurry.

The emergency lights above them cast an eerie red haze in front of them, making the trail look almost black in the odd light. There little sound coming from in front or behind them, but Angeal suspected they would not be able to hear much anyway bast the blare of the intruder siren.

As they crept along the passage, they saw more and more clear signs that the person they were looking for had been here. Sticky red hand prints and broken boxes and carts littered their path. It was clear that he was growing panicked, frustrated even. But why had he turned from the exit? He had been so close, why turn back after you were basically home free?

The answer it seemed came when they came to the next set of doors.

“Beyond here is the stasis lab. It is where professor Hojo keeps his more… violent subjects.” Sephiroth placed his hand on the release lever.

“Lover,” Genesis whispered, “remind me to kill that vermin if we do not find him dead already.” Sephiroth huffed a humourless laugh.

“Duly noted.”

Seph pulled on the lever and the door went up. Angeal wished it had stayed shut.

In front of them was a scene worse than the one they had left behind. More blood than he thought it possible to be contained in the human body washed the floor like a tidal wave had sped through here; bodies were not just strewn, they were hung and dismembered. Some hanging from wires, some their clothes. All looking like there was not a fight they could put up that would have saved them.

And in the middle of it all…

Hojo.

He’d been strung up like he was crucified. A martyr. A criminal. The bringer of a new age.

Whoever had done this had clearly thought the irony amusing. Angeal shuddered.

“Do we cut him down?” Zack whispered, barely audible against the incessant wailing of the alarm.

Angeal turned to Sephiroth. The mans eyes were locked on the scene before him. Taking a step forward, he lay a hand on the generals back.

“Seph,” he said it like a question. It didn’t just mean are you alright, it meant it is your call, he is your tormentor, your father. Sephiroth took a deep breath.

“Leave him,” he croaked. “Why show honour to a man who did not afford others the same courtesy?” And with that he he looks away and kept walking.

The next room was not so horrific. A few monster remains, a few guns without owners. But nothing on the level of before. The further they got, the more distant the alarms became, until eventually they were nothing more than static.

Room upon room of medical chairs and equipment. Terminals with cracked screens and notebooks splattered with traces of blood.

The drag marks on the floor told them that he had dragged the bodies into that room. He had displayed them, proudly. Or was it a warning? Come closer and this is your fate, come closer and I will show no mercy…

We’re they really rescuing him at this point? What would they find further in? Angeal worried he would have to brake his promise to Zack and he could see from the grim set of his mouth that Genesis feared it too.

Again they traversed the hallways, again they found much of the same, until they came to the main stasis room.

Inside sat a large holding tank filled with Mako water. It gurgled away quietly into the silence of the room. Inside it floated what Angeal could only really describe as a large cat/dog looking thing. A flame was lit, inexplicably, at the end of its tail as if it were not submerged.

Yet it was the body in front of the tank that interested them the most.

He was slender, lean, and small. His vertebrae clearly defined without a curve to his back as he sat with his butt between his folded legs, like he’d crumpled rather than sat. He was covered in blood, but they’d expected that. Shaking slightly from the cold, as he sat in nothing but his underwear and panting from clear physical exhaustion.

Angeal watched cautiously as Zack let go of Genesis’s hand and crept forward. He poised himself to spring out and grab him if if the body were to attack. Next to him Genesis and Sephiroth readied their weapons.

Zack threw out a hand to stay them.

“Cloud?” He called softly. “Cloudy? It’s me, it’s Zack…”

No response. Not even a flinch at his name.

“It’s okay sunshine, we’re not here to hurt you. We just want to take you home.”

Nothing.

Zack crept forward, all but having to date himself to reach out and touch Clouds shoulder.

“Zack,” Angeal warned, and pulled buster off of his shoulder, ready for a fight.

Except Cloud only reached up to place a hand on the tank, leaving a tacky red mark on the glass.

“Get him out,” he whispered. Zack barely heard him.

“Cloud did you hear me?” He asked, not sure what Cloud would want with what was clearly one of Hojos pet projects.

“Get him out,” he said louder and Zack flinched at the change. “He’s just a kid, let him out! Let him out!”

Cloud was yelling now, banging on the glass, clawing at the seals futilely trying to get in at the thing.

Zack looks wildly back at them, springing them into action. Genesis and Sephiroth moved to the control panels, while Angeal replaced buster at his back and got ready to pull back the pressure seal.

“Levels steady, proceed with draining.” Gen commanded.

“Draining commenced, stand ready Angeal.” Sephiroth ordered. “Zack go and grab some sheets. Anything we can use to soak up the Mako.”

Zack hesitated, looking desperately between his lovers, Cloud and the tank. What was going on?

“Zack,” Seph snapped. “We will stay with Cloud, do as I’ve ordered.”

This gets him moving and Angeal returns his attention back to readying at the door. As the last of the Mako drains away, the sound of the airlock releasing hisses into the air.

“Now Angeal,” Genesis nods at him slightly, eyes still on the creatures vitals.

Angeal pulls. The door begins to roll open slowly, inch by inch.

On the floor Cloud has moved, clawing his way into the tank, getting toxic Mako directly on his skin, burning himself. But he doesn’t seem to care. He puts all his efforts into dragging the creature out, whispering a string of shhh I’ve got you’s and I’m sorry I came as fast as I could’s

Zack came bustling back into the room ladened with curtains and bed sheets from the medical wing next door. He collapsed next to Cloud quickly as the others crouched by them too.

Genesis grabbed a sheet and cast it over the lion like body. He began rubbing it against the fur roughly, soaking up the Mako as best he could. Angeal and Sephiroth moved to rub down his legs and mane.

“What is it?” Zack asked slightly stunned as he moved to wrap one of the bed sheets over Cloud who was petting at the things muzzle and whispering encouragement to wake up. He casts a hazy look at them all and it’s clear that everything that lay behind them was only half clouds conscious doing. Zack doubts he remembers his own name.

“He is is just a kid.” Cloud slurs somewhat, “and his name is Nanaki”

Zack holds up his hands in defence, “sorry, sorry. It’s just… how did you know he was here?” He leans forward to get a good look at Nanaki’s face.

“Gaia told me.” That pulled them all up short.

“What?” Genesis asked, leaning back to look at Zack’s friend.

“I can’t explain it,” Cloud slumped slightly and Angeal watched Zack hurry to support him. “I heard her in my dreams, when Hojo put me to sleep. She told me how to find him. She showed me his dreams.”

They all stared at him curiously. They were glad he was safe; that he was alive. But hearing the Goddess? What if Hojo had broken him irreversibly.

Cloud slumped further into Zack.

“I’m not- I’m n-not Lyin-“

He passed out.

****

Hm. What to do…?