#and I had to rethink the analysis

[deeism]

frank waterboarding dee.... scenes to sink your teeth into and shake around frantically

[tobesolnelyx]

Fratboy!Jackie x Mean Girls (Regina George)!Reader *Smut

Jackie and R hated each other to the core. They're both on opposite end of the college spectrum, fraternity and sorority, athlete and cheerleader. Both side always throw extravagent party, trying to one up one another. Both competitive and stubborn as hell. Throwing insults, shade everytime they're around each other. They're both really smart so showing off during lectures at uni. Like the prof as smth, one will answer then the other is like "well, actually..."

Hate fucking, choking (reader recieving), dirty talk, enemies/rivals to lovers, public/semi-public fucking (party/bathroom/locker room...), degrading, praising, R being a pillow princess,.. you can add more kink if you like

- 🐡

— style || fratboy!jackie taylor x sorority girl!reader 🍯 part 1.

a/n: hello 🐡 anon! SO, took me long enough, but i needed to rethink everything. that dynamic gives me vibe of 1989 by taylor swift (jules , stop talking about taylor at the beggining of every ff chellange). i decided to add some things, too <3.

summary: there's a thin line between hate and..desire? or maybe it was never really hate? modern college au. smut. rivals to lovers. g!p jackie.

warnings: NSFW content - MDNI. choking, hate sex, degrading, praising, public/semi-public sex. slight internalised homophobia...?

word count: around 3.3k.

Jackie Fucking Taylor had the audacity—yet again—to cut into your statement. Your goddamn literary analysis that you'd spent hours preparing for this seminar. And she demolished it, just like that, with one dumbass sentence that, in your opinion, didn’t even make much sense. As usual.

You shot her a look filled with as much murderous irritation as you could muster. The next words burst from your mouth like cannon fire.

“What is that bullshit even?” you snapped, your lip curling just enough to remind Jackie how profoundly repulsed you were by her entire existence—and her loud, insufferable mouth.

Jackie sprawled at her desk, raising her eyebrows with mock innocence. Her fingers, heavy with rings, tapped against the desk in a steady rhythm that made you genuinely question how she could even lift her hand. That smug little smirk played across her face as she met your glare with one of her own.

“Miss…” the professor began, clearly repulsed, but you were already too far gone. You silenced him with a flick of your wrist. Normally, that would’ve been unthinkable—but the two of you clashed so often that the elderly professor merely sighed and collapsed back into his chair.

“I’m simply saying your analysis is flawed,” Jackie began, her tone maddeningly casual—like she wasn’t doing this just to get under your skin. But you knew better. This was all to rile you up. And to be fair, it was working.

“Analysis is subjective, Taylor,” you hissed, crossing your legs as your high ponytail swayed with the motion. Your perfectly manicured nails dug into your palms. “Ever heard of something called interpretation, or are you too thick to know words like that?”

Jackie remained unfazed. She merely shrugged, like none of it mattered—though you knew full well she was enjoying every single second.

“I know it’s subjective,” she shot back, slow and deliberate, as if she were explaining algebra to a particularly dim-witted child. “But that doesn’t mean I have to agree with it.”

At that point, every student in the lecture hall had turned to watch. The exchange had taken on the rhythm of a tennis match. Not that it was the first time you’d gone at it like this. And not that anyone ever took it seriously. If anything, people saw your rivalry as entertainment—a welcome distraction from dry lectures and a prime subject for gossip. You two were practically the headline act of the university.

“Which is why you should shut that smartass mouth of yours,” you said, leaning back in your chair. “No one asked for your opinion on my analysis.”

“If I had a choice,” Jackie snapped back almost instantly, “I wouldn’t even engage in conversation with someone whose intellectual level rivals a cockroach. But I couldn’t stand to hear any more of that idiocy.” She rolled her eyes and then grinned like a fuckass cat who’d just knocked over a vase on purpose.

“Oh, forgive me,” you replied with exaggerated sweetness, placing a hand on your chest. Your gold jewelry gave a soft chime. “Next time, I’ll politely ask you to haul your annoying ass out of here and—”

A loud clap echoed through the lecture hall, cutting you off mid-sentence. You pressed your lips into a thin, furious line, bracing for the inevitable dressing-down from the professor. Honestly, you were still amazed neither of you had been sent to the dean’s office yet.

“Enough, ladies,” the professor said, casting you both a weary glance. “For next class, you’ll prepare a joint analysis project.” His voice was almost too cheerful. “Spend some time together. Maybe it’ll help you... ease the tension.”

“Seriously?” Jackie groaned, shifting in her seat.

“It’s decided,” the professor said with a smile so polite it bordered on cruel. For once, you swallowed your retort. “And the rest of the class will bear witness,” he added, gesturing broadly to the rows of silent, watching students.

Worse than a trip to the dean’s office. Ugh.

So, the very next day, your boyfriend’s arm was slung casually over your shoulder as he walked you to the library. Typical Jeff—trying to cheer you up. The problem was, Jeff was far too dumb to grasp why you were actually furious about the whole situation. He lived in this clueless little bubble where you and Jackie just didn’t get along, and that was that. End of story.

Except—it wasn’t. There were a million reasons.

The main one being that Jackie was an absolute asshole.

She was already there when you walked into the library. Bored, playing with her phone, but when the door creaked open, she looked up. Her brows knit together, and her lips curled into the tiniest sneer as Jeff pulled you into a long kiss. He smelled like the cheapest cologne imaginable and tasted like—well, like man. Which, in itself, was mildly revolting.

When he finally pulled away—having clearly marked his territory like a fucking dog pissing on a bush—he gave your ass a quick squeeze. You smacked his hand without hesitation. Jeff just raised both hands in mock innocence, grinning like the idiot he was, and moments later, he was gone.

"Good luck!" he called over his shoulder, and you cringed behind his back. As if that wasn’t bad enough, you were now stuck staring at Jackie Taylor, seated just a few meters away.

Perfect. Just fucking perfect.

"Wow. Which one is that this month?" she snorted, putting her phone aside. You glared daggers at her as you sat across the table.

You never kept a boyfriend around for long. Not because no one wanted you—quite the opposite. Besides being a total bitch to everything with a pulse, you were hot, popular, and smart. Half the university drooled when you walked by. Not to mention you were in a sorority and on the cheer squad.

And Jeff wasn’t even the worst, honestly. The problem was… guys didn’t really do it for you. Some part of you had a suspicion why, but you refused to let that thought take root. It was easier to pretend—to tell yourself and everyone else that you just hadn’t found the right one yet. That it would happen eventually. Even if your stomach twisted every time you considered that maybe it never would, and one day you’d have to admit what this was really about.

"At least I can get into a relationship instead of putting dick into anything that moves," you said sweetly, your smile so fake it could’ve given someone cavities.

Jackie mirrored your twisted grin and reached into her bag for what was likely the only notebook she owned. You rolled your eyes, pulled out your iPad, and tapped the screen with a manicured nail.

You’d agreed to do this project—begrudgingly. Mainly because it still had to get done. Somehow. It's always an occasion to get a good great, after all. You’d sent Jackie a long, detailed message laying out the terms: when you’d meet, how you’d divide the work, your expectations. She replied with a single word:

"Ok."

Seriously? That infuriated you even more than if she’d tried to start a fight again. For some godforsaken reason, you wanted her to care. You wanted your presence to burn her the way hers burned you. Maybe that was why you kept pushing her—trying to make her snap.

"Seriously?" she asked now, eyeing your iPad with skepticism.

"Not all of us write like cavemen," you muttered, snapping open the pink case and proudly picking up your pen. Jackie frowned, a grimace settling on her face like something rotten had wafted under her nose.

"Cavemen didn’t—"

"I know." You cut her off coldly. Any trace of amusement had vanished from your face. "Shut up."

"Make me," she shot back without missing a beat.

You looked at her. Then, without warning, you kicked her under the table—hard.

"Hey!" she snapped, ready to retaliate or start another fight entirely—but the librarian beat her to it.

"Quiet down, girls!" she hissed, waving at you from across the room with a whisper-shout. Jackie fell silent. She may have been a jerk, but she wasn’t the kind to ruin the entire room’s peace just because you decided to be difficult.

"See? Quiet the fuck down," you hissed at her, straightening on the chair.

Jackie pinned you with a sharp glare, clearly about to snap back at you—but then you stood up abruptly, as if driven by some impulse she couldn’t quite place. She blinked, thrown off by the sudden movement, but after a second, she followed. Step for step. Like a lost puppy.

Because no matter how much Jackie liked to pretend otherwise, she craved your attention in some completely fucked-up way. Maybe because, if she was honest with herself, you were the only truly interesting part of her life.

"Mind telling me what you're doing?" she asked, her voice sharp yet barely above a whisper—clearly trying not to piss off the librarian, but unmistakably annoyed that you had just walked off without a word.

Jackie had to know everything about your life, didn’t she?

"I’m getting the book we need," you said, shrugging, irritated by the way she tailed you, like she couldn’t bear even a few feet of distance between you.

"You could’ve said something," she scoffed. "Or do I not deserve to know?"

Her steps quickened to keep up. Maybe she hadn’t taken the whole cheerleading thing seriously at first, but even she had to admit—training had done something to you. And not just in the way you zipped between the shelves like a little machine. Jackie tried not to stare at your toned legs and arms—but honestly, it felt like they were staring at her!

"Seriously?" You stopped in front of one of the shelves and rolled your eyes. You put your hands on your hips and scanned the spines intently. "You're makin a drama over this?"

The reply came quickly. Jackie stopped too—too close to you—and crossed her arms with a huff. At least you’d gotten under her skin. Her usual mask of indifference was long gone now.

"I just think we should communicate—" she began, but you silenced her with a single raised hand. Even though she was taller, you looked at her with that same practiced superiority—chin tilted high.

And for some reason… Jackie fell quiet.

"It’s just a stupid project, and you’re acting like a child—"

"It’s an important project," she interrupted, because of course she did. You waved your hand dismissively, the corners of your mouth lifting in a smug smile.

Jackie went silent again, clearly thrown off by how easily—how confidently—you commanded her.

"You’re acting like a child," you repeated, clearing your throat and ignoring her failed interruption. "Go back and just wait for me. If I say we need this book, it means we need this book. You’ll survive a few minutes without my attention."

With that, you spun on your heel, the smugness practically radiating off of you. You were satisfied. Jackie Taylor, utterly speechless. A rare win.

But just as you turned away, you felt her hand clamp down on your forearm—hard enough to bruise.

You whipped around, outraged—but Jackie only pulled you closer. There was something burning in her eyes, and for a second, you thought she was going to slap you. Like this was it. All the venom between you had finally boiled over.

You were already rehearsing your apology in your head when it happened.

Jackie kissed you.

Well—no. It wasn’t exactly a kiss. Her lips crashed into yours in a way that wasn’t tender or romantic. It was messy. Angry. Sudden. For a moment, you froze. Completely stunned. The scent of her cologne hit you—so different from Jeff’s cheap spray—and surprisingly... kind of nice. Her grip on your arm, though firm, was somehow softer than any man’s hand had ever been.

Jackie Taylor was kissing you.

Her lips were insistent, warm, a little chapped. Your brain noted that she should really invest in some lip balm. And you didn’t keep that thought to yourself.

"Jesus," you muttered, gently pushing her back. Jackie looked like she was about to apologize. Her lips were red, slightly swollen, and—for the first time in your life—you saw something in Jackie’s expression that resembled fear.

"You ever heard of lip balm?"

You scoffed, eyes fixed on her. Her mouth opened like a fish out of water, caught somewhere between words and breath. But you didn’t give her the chance to respond.

Because for some strange, unknown (or maybe not-so-unknown) reason, you leaned forward—

—and kissed her again.

Jackie’s eyes widened in pure shock, and for a brief second, her grip on your arm loosened. But before you could fully register what had just happened, she was kissing you back.

The distant rustle of turning pages and hushed conversations faded into background noise. The only thing you could focus on was the sound of your own staggered breath as her mouth stole the air from yours, over and over again.

There was little romance in it—this was hunger. Raw, barely-contained hunger Jackie must have buried deep inside for far too long. And in the heat of it, you felt something crack open inside you, a truth you’d been trying not to name.

It only took a few seconds for her tongue to slip past your lips, and for a soft moan to escape your throat. A few more, and she had you pressed against the nearest bookshelf. You found yourself silently praying the whole row wouldn’t come crashing down around you.

Your fingers gripped the front of her jacket, unsure whether to shove her away or pull her closer. Jackie made the decision for you. Her entire body pressed flush against yours, her hands clamped onto your hips with such force, you were sure she'd leave bruises.

She was panting into your mouth now. The kiss had turned messy, rough. Teeth clashed, her tongue explored your mouth with shameless urgency. And you—God help you—you kissed her back with equal intensity, whimpering softly into her lips. You didn’t stop her.

Suddenly, the air felt a hundred degrees hotter.

Your thighs clenched involuntarily, prompting Jackie to force them apart with a sudden, almost reckless urgency that nearly sent you off balance.

“Could you not—” you began, pulling away slightly. You’d forgotten how to breathe properly, reduced to panting against her lips. You wanted to press your thighs together again, deny her the satisfaction of seeing the telltale dampness already spreading across your underwear — all from kissing, for god’s sake. No man had ever made you feel like this, and that only made it worse — a cruel confirmation of something you weren't ready to admit.

“Can you shut up?” she almost growled at you. The bluntness caught you off guard—enough that, honestly, you did. You tried to say something back, but her warm hand clamped gently over your mouth, like the very idea of you speaking might shatter something fragile between you.

“Quiet,” she murmured, voice low and firm. She was still giving you the chance to push her away. But instead, you pulled her closer.

It was almost shameful how quickly your body responded the moment Jackie took control. You’d always hated the way men tried to dominate — their rough hands, their entitled words whispered in the dark, like they owned the moment. But when Jackie was pushing your legs wide, and in her cock swiftly became hard, turned out that panties are sticking to your cunt and you're utterly soaked.

Jackie hooked your leg over her hip, and when you felt her throbbing erection (maybe through layers of her clother, but still erection), pressing to your core, you decided to worry later about how pathetic you were in that very moment.

Sure, there was a risk. Jackie could run her mouth, tell everyone. You weren’t naive. One quickie wasn’t going to make you suddenly like each other, wasn’t going to erase years of spite and eye-rolls. But the truth was — you didn’t want it to stop all that. And something in the way Jackie touched you, in the way her breath trembled against your skin like she needed this more than she’d ever admit, told you she didn’t either.

Her pre-cum started mixing with your juices, completely ruining your panties, and making large wet spot both on the fabric of your skirt and her jeans. Jackie started whining like wounder animal when she started rutting against you like dog in the heat. Her head fell on your arm and she was moaning quietly, ocasionally biting your shoulder.

She was steadily rubbing her dick against your clothed cunt, throbbing almost painfully in her pants. You let her desperately humping against you still fully covered and for the first time in her life, Jackie was reduced to needy puddle between your legs.

"Jackie," you moaned through her fingers on your mouth. Finally, it seemed like she decided that she's not fully satisfied with this position, cause the next second, your chest was pressed firmly against bookshelf. Her hand lighlty gripped your throat just enough to reduce your air supply but not quietly choking you yet. Your eyes rolled in the back of your head and more juices coated your thighs. Pathetic that...from all of the things, that was something that turned you on even more.

In some, fucked up way, her larger form was stabilising you from behind. Her cock was pressed tighlty against your ass, but Jackie still kept it in her pants. Even when it was leaking furiously with pre-cum. Probably because she didn't have condoms now. Her other hand slid lower until it reached uncovered piece of your thigh.

You shuddered lightly, but she didn't even smiled like you thought she will. Her smug smirk disappeared somewhere and she could only pant in your shoulder, grinding against your ass.

"Quiet, quiet..." she was muttering next to your ear, when her hand wandered under the fabric of your skirt, and you moaned. "We don't want anyone to hear us, right?" She murmured, pressing wet kiss to your shoulder. Your head fell against her, and she was still rubbing her cock against your ass, trying to find any release for her arosual.

Her hand gripped your throat tighter and in that moment, your legs started to tremble violently. You whined like wounded animal when her fingers found fabric of your utterly soaked panties, pushing it aside. She moaned softly, feeling how wet you are for her. Her hips jerked, your ass was flushed against her clothed dick.

"I didn't know you're so easy," she murmured again, and you started squirming so she pressed you even further to the bookshelf. Her hips rubbed faster, her fingers were making small circles on your clit, teasing you. "What happened?" She asked mockingly. "You're always barking so fucking loud and now you can't...choke out anything?"

She chuckled lightly, sound right from her throat. You felt how her cock was grinding more urgently, faster and harder.

"Can Jeff do it?" She whispered venomously to your ear, and you moaned in protest. "Or maybe you're completely fucking dry with him? Does he even know where your clit is, huh?" She scoffed and wihtout any warning, almost brutally, she pushed two fingers deep inside your velvet walls. You whined so she choked you harder. "You're supposed to be quiet," she reminded you.

She started slowly pumping her fingers in and out. They were going inside smoothly since you were dripping wet, and you were coating them with your juices. With each push, they were deeper and deeper until they hit this sweet spot of yours. You were whimpering quietly, unable to let out louder noise because of the hand on your neck.

"Jackie..." You managed to croak out only, but her whole fingers were buried inside you, and if she wasn't holding you, you were sure you'd landed on the library floor.

Right. You just realised that anyone could see there two of you. The only problem was, that you couldn't exactly bring yourself to care about anything else than Jackie's cock and fingers, which were moving faster inside your cunt.

"Pathetic," Jackie panted quietly into your ear. "You're bitching at me only to cum on my fingers in the span of minutes?" She barked a laughter.

"Im not pathetic..." You tried to protest, but she quickly cut you off by fucking you harder, ripping out serie of soft moans from your throat.

"You are," she said firmly not leaving you much to say back. "And now, just like good fucking girl you are, you're going to shut the hell up for once in your life and cum on my fingers, got it?"

But when only weak moaned answered her, she started rubbing your clit with her thumb, making you see white stars. You could barely stand straight on your feet.

"Y-yeah," you stuttered weakly.

"See? Just like my good girl," she said and pressed kiss to your shoulder again. Her fingers were squelching obscenely. Every single time she was hitting the same damn sweet spot until your finger started clenching on her long fingers. You bit your lower lip, thumb of her other hand started almost gently rubbing your throat. "C'mon, babe, you're doing great. Just a little more..."

Another few pushes inside you, made you cum hard on her fingers, almost alarming whole damn library that Jackie Fucking Taylor just fucked you. Cheating on your boyfriend and..

And realising things you didn't want to acknowledge.

[leclercsredhelmet]

Textbook Romantic ✧ Anakin Skywalker

A/N: Hello there! So I’ve been thinking about my dearly beloved Anakin Skywalker lately so here’s a little blurb with modern day nerdy Ani! Really hope you enjoy this

Anakin makes it to the classroom a little earlier than usual, walking into the room, he scans it and frowns a little when he doesn’t notice you in your usual chair engrossed in a book. He figures you’d perhaps be a little late and sits down on his seat, which is a few seats away from yours. Minutes pass, and people keep piling in, you still aren’t there and he wonders if you’re not coming in today. The thought gets quickly discarded, because you haven’t missed a single class all semester, and there’s no way you’d skip this close to term finishing.

The professor has just finished taking attendance when you walk in looking frazzled. Your cheeks tinted pink in embarrassment, “Ah, Y /N, you’re just in time,” the professor says. “Sorry about that professor, the day has been maddening to say the least,” you reply with a slight chuckle. He nods and smiles before replying, “Well may this be a less maddening space,” and you chuckle. Slowly, your composed demeanor makes a comeback and you ease into your seat. Tucking some rogue strands behind your ears, you immediately dig out a notebook and flip the pages. “Crap,” you mutter and Anakin notices you don’t have anything to write with. Digging out a pen from his bag, he extends it to you. “Need a pen?” He asks in a low voice, and you smile. “My savior,” you reply, and he smiles.

The tips of your fingers brush and he feels his brain short circuit for a moment, he smiles at you and you quickly start to write, unaware he’s rethinking the entire interaction in his head. Glances are shared between you in fleeting moments that make his poor heart skip a beat. “Now for the final project, instead of having you write a boring essay, which let’s face it most of you are sick of writing,” the professor says and chuckles are scattered across the room. “I’ve decided to set you into pairs of groups of three and you will make a presentation analyzing the aspects I’ve asked,” he says “Before passing the papers I will read out the names of who you are paired with and on the instructions you will have the area of analysis selected for you.”

“Anakin and Y/N”, his heart stops, and he drowns out the noise. Papers are placed on his desk, and he snaps out of it. Part of him feels like this is all a fixture of his imagination, finally, a chance to talk to you has been placed in his lap. “Earth to Anakin,” you say while gently waving your hands near his face. “Sorry about that, what did you say?” He asks and gains a chuckle from you, “I said we have love and relationships.” Oh, this has to be some sort of intellectually cruel joke. “Oh, that’s a little unexpected,” he replies, and you chuckle. “Yup, so how do you want to go about this?” You ask, and he adjusts his position. You had moved seats, so you were now sitting next to him, your knees were almost touching. Anakin looks at you while he thinks and notices a coffee stain on your shirt that you had tried to cover up.

“Well, we could meet after class if you’re free to read the instructions and brainstorm in a calmer setting,” he suggests. Nodding, you smile, “That would be great, I’m free after this, are you free as well?” you ask. “Yeah, my class was cancelled,” he says. “Huh, mine too,” you say, and he smiles. “So, are you okay? You looked a little frazzled when you came in,” he says, expressing genuine concern for you. Smiling sweetly you nod, “Yeah, I just got a little too wrapped up in finishing a paper, my IPad died and my charger is back at the dorm when I was making my way here some guy bumped into me and spilled coffee all over my shirt,” you say with a slight frown. “If it helps, the coffee stain is barely noticeable,” he says, attempting to cheer you up, which makes you giggle. “Oh, trust me, it’s a big one, I just luckily had this shawl in my bag,” you say, and he grins. “You never know when a shawl can come in handy,” he says with a small smile.

Conversation flows between you two. When the professor dismisses you, Anakin insists on helping to carry some of your books. Once you’re out in the hall, he speaks up, “Do you want to work at my place or yours?” ”Uh, yours, if it’s not too much bother, Padme is bringing over a group to work on a project, so the dorm will be crowded,” You say. “Although if it’s not too much bother-” you start to say. “We can stop so you can get changed, my dorm is on the same route anyway,” he says. Anakin takes a minute to steel himself and collect his thoughts. Of course, he wants to get his assignment done, but he’d like to get to know you and make a good impression.

The silence between you is comfortable as you step out of the building, walking side by side, you adjust the strap of your bag while Anakin looks at you before speaking. “How are classes treating you?” he asks. “They’re making me descend into academic madness, but it’s my predicament, I fear,” you say. He lets out a laugh. “Touché,” he replies. “Seriously, why are we like this?” You ask, and he frowns. “Academically, validated students in search of constant greatness,” you reply, and he chuckles. “Must be our programming,” he says, and you laugh at his comment.

You keep talking about whatever comes to mind, when nearing your dorm, you pull out the keys, and Anakin follows your lead. People say hi, and you wave back and keep heading to your dorm. “Oh hey Y/N, how are you?” a girl that you seem to know says, “Busy but good, how about you, Emma?” you ask. “Good, did you finish the art history paper?” She asks, and you chuckle. “Today, I’m pretty sure it was close to finishing me instead,” you reply, and she laughs. “I won’t keep you, but I’ll see you at brunch on Friday!” she says, and you smile.

Emma leaves, and you turn to him, “Sorry about that, Emma’s our neighbor,” you say, and he nods. “She seems nice,” he comments. “She is, she’s always running around like crazy,” you add. Anakin chuckles, “Oh, so she’s like you then.” Playfully, you roll your eyes and shove him in the ribs. Anakin just shakes his head and laughs as you open the door. He closes the door behind him and steps further into the room. “What happened to you?” Padmé asks as you take off your shawl. “Oh, hey Anakin, nice to see you!” she adds. “You too, Padmé,” he replies. “To answer your question, someone spilled coffee on me when they bumped into me in the hall,” you say, and she nods. “If you want, just leave your shirt in the bathroom and I’ll get the stain out before everyone comes here,” she says. Skipping over to her, you press a quick kiss to her cheeks and bolt to the room. “Anakin, feel free to sit if you want!” You call out. In response, he laughs.

“You and Y/N, huh?” Padmé asks, and he feels his cheeks flush, “Oh, it’s not like that,” he says and notices the look on Padmé’s face. “Not that she’s not pretty, she’s beautiful, but we just have a project together,” he says. Padmé smiles at him. “Relax, I was just teasing,” she says before walking closer to him. “She is single, though, in case you were wondering what to do with that information,” she whispers, and he just nods. Inside the room, you’re frantically taking unnecessary stuff out of your bag and shoving what you need inside it. You leave the shirt on the sink and reapply some deodorant and perfume, throwing a loose black sweater on, you switch out your current jeans for some white linen shorts.

Closing the door behind him, Anakin checks the temperature in the room before walking over to you. “This is such a nice place, I envy the kitchen,” you comment. “Thanks, my best friend and I sorta lucked out with the place,” he says. “Do you want something to drink?” he asks. “Some water would be great,” you say. Anakin walks towards the fridge and comes back with two bottles. Handing you one, you take it from his hands, “Where do we set up shop?” you ask, and he chuckles. “Anywhere you want,” he says, and you walk over to the couch with Anakin following suit. “Whoever chose the Star Wars art has great taste,” you comment. His cheeks flush, “Appreciate the compliment because that would be yours truly,” he says. Smiling, you take your book out, “Do you have an outlet nearby?” You ask. Nodding, he removes a cover on the bottom of the coffee table and plugs your charger in. Taking out the papers from his bag along with his laptop, you both read over the instructions before jotting down ideas.

Two hours later, you’ve gotten into a great working groove littered with a few jokes on Anakin’s end. Feeling hungry, he sets the pen down and turns to you. “Are you hungry by any chance?” he asks. A rumble leaves your stomach, and you both laugh, “Starving, actually,” you say. “Do you want to head out to eat, cook, or order something?” he asks. “Whatever works honestly,” you say with a smile. “Considering we’re both starving and cooking would take a little too long, are you in for some burgers?” he asks. “I’m always down for burgers, Skywalker,” you say. “Great, because I know a place and they can deliver right to the door,” he says. Anakain hands you his phone so you can look at the menu, and after deciding, he places the order while you use the bathroom.

Replying to some of Padmé’s texts, you read the most recent one and debate what to reply. “He clearly likes you, and you’ve been crushing on him since the start of the semester, so what exactly are you waiting for?” Your fingers glide across the keyboard as you type a reply, “And how exactly do you know he likes me?” Three dots show up, and you can perfectly picture her rolling her eyes at you. “Just do something about it before it’s too late and you’re moping about not making a move.” Liking the message, you shove your phone in the pocket, turn the water on despite having previously washed your hands, shut the tap, unlock the door, and step out. Noticing an open door, your curiosity nags at you, so your feet carry you in. Spotting some Star Wars things, you smile, knowing it’s Anakin’s room.

Standing a few feet away from his shelf, you examine some of the books, feeling someone behind you turn around and almost collide with you. “Sorry about that, just saw some Star Wars things, you, uh, have some great books there,” you say. “Thanks, what caught your eye?” he asks, and you want to laugh, because you’re suddenly hyper aware of the fact that he’s shirtless. Your gaze lands on his chest, and covers it by looking at him again, surely that doesn’t go unnoticed. “Dante and the lightsaber displays,” you say. His back is to you, and your eyes follow the movement of his muscles flexing, as the shirt is tugged down, you feel disappointed, but you shake your head.

“Not the classics, huh?” he says, walking over to you, “From class, I figured that you must like the classics, didn’t really peg you for a Dante guy,” you say. “What, you didn’t think I was smart enough for that?” he asks, teasing you. Shaking your head, you swallow, “No, I never assumed that, it’s just a little uncommon to see guys interested in Dante,” you say, and he smiles. “Luckily, I’m not like most guys,” he says while picking one of the books out and flipping to a page.

“Ella è quanto de ben pò far natura; per esempio di lei bieltà si prova,” the Italian words effortlessly roll off his lips, looking down at you, he smiles softly. “She is the sum of nature’s universe; to her perfection all of beauty tends,” you say. “Didn’t know you speak Italian,” you say. “Like I said, I’m not like most guys Y/N,” he says. Anakin’s arm makes its way to your waist, and he pulls you closer. With your chest inches apart from his, you look at him before leaning in. Anakin is the one to close the gap; his lips are soft and taste minty, and your hands reach up to weave themselves in his hair. His grip on you tightens, and you tug at his hair a little when he nips at your lip before pulling apart.

“What a textbook romantic,” you say and he laughs before grabbing you gently to kiss you again. All your senses are on overdrive, his curls feel soft under your touch and his nose grazes yours. Pulling apart you look at him breathless and he places his hand on your cheek. “You know I’ve always liked you,” he says and you giggle. “I can tell,” you reply. “So, uhm do you like me back?” He asks teasingly. Wordlessly you kiss him again and he laughs. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he replies. “Taking it as no would be shameful,” you say and he smiles. Wrapping an arm around you he leads you out of the room.

“We should keep working on the project,” you say. “We’ve worked on it enough today, how about some team-building,” he says with a playful shrug. Giggling, you look at him, “Sure, team building,” you reply with a small smile. Instead of working on the project you and Anakin spend hours talking and getting to know each other.

It was starting to get a little late and rainy, “I should really go before the rain picks up,” you say, standing up. “I’ll walk you, let me get you an umbrella and a jacket, you seem cold,” he says. Sweetly, you smile at him and start to pack your bag. The door opens and a guy walks in, the minute he closes the door he notices you. “Hey,” the guy says, and you smile.

“Hi, I’m Y/N,” you say. “I’m Lucas, it’s good to put a face to the name,” he says just as Anakin walks in. Lucas looks between you both and smiles when he sees Anakin holding a jacket. “Oh hey man, I’m gonna walk Y/N back to her dorm, I’ll be back soon,” he says, Lucas smiles, “Don’t worry man, take your time.It was nice to meet you Y/N” he says before walking out of the room.

“This is for you,” he says, handing you a red corduroy jacket lined with black fabric. Smiling, you take it from him and slip it on. It’s big enough to keep you warm and reaches a little past your thighs. Grabbing your bag you follow Anakin out the door. “God the rain is definitely heavier than expected,” Anakin says while opening the umbrella. “You sure we won’t need a boat?” You ask and he laughs. “Not yet,” he says, extending his arm. Looping your arm through his you giggle as you set under the umbrella and start the short walk to your dorm. Reaching your door you spot Padmé saying goodbye to the last of her classmates. She locks eyes with you and smiles before walking inside and leaving the door ajar.

“We have reached the destination madame,” Anakin says a few feet away from your door. Giggling you turn to him, “Thank you for the escort,” you say and stay rooted in your spot. “I know you have the brunch thing on Friday, but would you maybe want to hang out after you’re done?” He asks. “Yeah, to work on the project?” Anakin chuckles, “No, more like a date,” he says. Grinning you nod, “I’d love that, we should be done at like ten but I'll confirm and let you know,” you say and he smiles.

His hands snake around your waist and you grab him by the shirt before kissing him. Breaking apart he pecks your lips before letting you go, “Sleep well sweets,” he says. “You too, Ani,” you say with a smile before walking to your door. Turning around you smile at Anakin and wave before closing the door and leaning against it. A happy sigh leaves your lips and you close your eyes. “Tell me everything!” Padmé says, yelping you look at her. “Fucking hell, you scared me Padmé!” You yell and she laughs before pulling you to the couch. Crossing your legs you face her and launch into a detailed explanation about your evening with Anakin.

[therealcocoshady]

Kinktober - Day 11 - Choking + Restraints

Kinktober 2024 Masterlist

A/N : Hey everyone ! Started working on this Kinktober episode (part of the Dom!Marshall x Sub!Reader series) a lifetime ago but I finally took the time to finish it. Hope you enjoy it ❤️. Tagging @tiny-gay-satan who always showed love for this series 🥺

CW : BDSM - Dom/Sub dynamic - Punishment - Restraints - Choking - Spanking - Brattiness

It was another weekend you spent with your Dom. He’d had a rough week at work and the usually firm structure had given way to something more relaxed. You still had your rituals but you could tell he didn’t feel like enforcing protocols. He went surprisingly easy on you, but you didn’t mind. You had spent most of Saturday lounging around and cuddling lazily on the couch, true crime documentaries playing in the background. He made a few comments about you needing to get to your chores, but you suspected it was mostly out of principle, since every time you attempted to get up, he pulled you back to him. This caused you to relax even more, enjoying Marshall’s presence, happily indulging his need for proximity. However, you couldn’t help but gently tease him. « You’re unusually clingy, Sir » you playfully remarked. « You’re complaining about that, now? » he asked, rolling his eyes. « I’m just thinking it’s time you admitted you can’t get enough of me » you giggled. « Yeah, you wish » he mumbled with a false exasperation, though you could feel him tighten his embrace around you. 

By Sunday morning, the playful mood was in full swing, and you shared some witty banter while you prepared breakfast. Marshall was leaning against the kitchen counter, nibbling on a slice of toast while you were flipping pancakes in a sheer nightdress that left nothing to the imagination. He was staring at you, shamelessly admiring your body, which he had leisurely mistreated the night before, leaving a whole new set of bruises and hickies all over it. 

« I see you staring, Sir » you hummed teasingly. « Has no one ever told you it’s rude? ». He shook his head and took a few steps, standing behind you, as he placed a hand on your hips. « I can stare all I want. Because you’re mine » he reminded you in a low voice. « Also, you might want to think twice before trying to call me out on my manners. Don’t forget your place, sweetheart ». The smirk on his face made it impossible for you to resist. You just had to keep teasing him. « If you don’t want me to call you out on your manners, maybe you should start by having some… Marshall ». You knew exactly what you were doing. You knew for a fact that the deliberate use of his name was testing the limits. Unfortunately, you were unable to turn the « chaotic mode » off. And, deep down, you wanted to blame your dom. After all, he was the one who hadn’t enforced the usual structure. It was on him, really… However, the way he raised his eyebrow made it clear that he would not agree with your analysis of the situation. « Uh-huh » he said as he reached for your arm and forced you to turn around and face him. « You want to rethink that, Y/N? ». You shook your head, feigning bravery, though the sparkle in your eyes betrayed your amusement. «Nope. You’re not that scary. » you giggled.  

Annoying him had been one of your favorite activities for years and, clearly, when you started, you couldn’t stop until he made you. And by judging on the look in his eyes, he was planning on it. The grin on his face grew wider as he straightened up, unfastening his belt with deliberate slowness. The soft clink of the buckle made you freeze, your gaze flicking from his hands to his face, where he wore an expression of playful authority. You stared into his eyes, biting your lip. You weren’t planning on him having his way with you, pretty sure that he’d opt for some punishment, but you were not going to complain.  « Shall we go upstairs? » you asked in a tone that wavered between defiance and anticipation. « Or are we doing this here? ». He shook his head and reached for the buttons, turning off the stove. Clearly, the pancakes would have to wait. « Turn around » he ordered, his voice low and teasing. You did as you were told, arching your back so that he could appreciate the view of your bare ass under the see-through nightdress. You heard him. Pull the belt free from his jeans and understood just how mistaken you had been. He was indeed planning on punishing you. 

It had been a while since you had been disciplined but maybe it was what you needed. He got closer to you, trapping you between the counter and himself. You could feel his chest against your back, the weight of his presence making an impression on you. He grabbed one of your arms, then the other, and you felt the cool leather of the belt slide over your wrists. In a couple of movements, he tugged so that you’d move where he wanted you to, and looped the belt through the nearest drawer handle, your wrists gently but firmly secured in place. « There, » he said, stepping back to admire his handiwork, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. « Now maybe you’ll think twice about slacking off and calling me by my name when I’ve clearly earned better. » 

Any other day, it would have been enough for you to back down. Not this time though. A flicker of mischief appeared in your eyes. « Right. Sorry. I should have used your title… My apologies…Dumbass ». He raised a hand to your face and cupped your jaw, holding it firmly. « My title, Y/N » he ordered. « Fine » you whispered, and he let go of your face. « Dr Dumbass ». You could see the exasperation on his face, mixed with playfulness. You had never been this bratty before. Before you knew it, he was grabbing your throat, gently squeezing. « You really are a little bitch, this morning » he commented. « Thankfully, you made just enough pancakes. So I’ll eat while you think about your actions, pet ». 

Without another words, he helped himself to a plate of pancakes and went to eat at the table, while you were still restrained, attached to a drawer. You looked at him in disbelief. « Wait… really? » you mumbled, to which he replied with a smirk. « Look, I get it : you clearly don’t like when I’m nicer » he shrugged. « So now, be a good girl and let me eat in peace, will you? ». The amusement on his face was visible and you arched an eyebrow. If he thought restraining you would make you less of a nuisance, clearly, he didn’t know you. You moved your wrists a little, just enough for the drawer to make an annoying noise. You could see him roll his eyes, but not waiver. « You’re cute. But it’s not working, pet » he chuckled. « And the longer you keep this going, the longer you’ll stay like this » he warned. He went on to enjoy a few more bites of pancakes, unbothered by the clinking and chattering of the drawer, before getting up to make coffee. « Might want to be careful there, Sir » you hummed innocently with a hint of amusement. « Why? » he asked with a raised eyebrow. « Because that’s an awfully hot coffee pot » you chortled with a nuisant smirk. 

He let out a loud sigh and crossed his arms, but you could see a faint smirk on his face. « You never stop, don’t you? » he asked as he gently shook his head. You giggled and shook yours in turn. « You know you like it » you teased. « You know you like me ». He took a step towards you and cupped your face. « Yeah, pet. I do like you. Please don’t forget it » he hummed. Before you knew it, he was grabbing a roll of gaffer tape from a drawer and cutting a piece, before slapping it on your mouth, muzzling you. You stared at him in shock, though your eyes betrayed your amusement. « Since you can’t use your safe word or safe move, if you want to stop, you hum three times, understood? » he directed, to which you nodded. 

If the past few months had taught you anything, it was that when he gave these kind of instructions, there was no coming back. You could feel the tension between the two of you, his eyes slightly darkening. « Now that we shut up that mouth of yours, I think I should get to the next step and give you what you deserve for running it » he said sternly. He cupped your face and stared at you with a grin before turning to grab a spatula. « You’re lucky I’m taking a clean one and not the one you used for the pancakes » he hummed, before forcing you to turn around. You didn’t think much of his choice, highly doubting that a spatula would inflict much pain. Rookie mistake, apparently. Yours arms were a little contorted as he turned you around and pushed the nightdress up to reveal your bare ass, before inflicting the first blow. You couldn’t help but gasp - which, due to the tape on your mouth, translated into some sort of whine. Your dom gently shushed you, reminding you of who was in charge. «That’s fine, doll. You need a little reminder of your place. And I’m going to Gove it to you ». You let out a sound, half-hum, half-wine that betrayed both your approval and anticipation. You were at his mercy, your harms contorted in an unlikely and, frankly, uncomfortable position that only added to the feeling of surrender. For what seemed like an eternity, your dom reminded you of who was in charge, smacking the brattiness out of you, hard enough for the sting to be replaced by a sensation of numbness. « Still want to make fun of me, pet ? » he whispered in your ear, to which you replied by shaking your head. « Good girl » he praised in that low voice of his, that had you feeling like putty in his hand. He gently cupped your face and brushed the tears that had rolled on your cheeks with his thumb. He knew they weren’t tears of pain, just proof of the emotional release caused by the blows he had inflicted. 

Marshall leaned down to press a chaste kiss on your forehead. « Guess you needed that, huh ? » he asked softly. You nodded vigorously and you could see his eyebrows knitting. « More ? » he asked carefully. You froze for a second, pondering the implications. Did you need more ? Did you want it ? You stared into his eyes and slowly nodded. « Okay » he almost whispered, before examining your ass cheeks. He carefully ran the palm of his hand over them and you immediately winced at the contact. Clearly, you couldn’t handle more of that impact play - and you knew you were in for a rough next couple of days. When Marshall faced you again, he looked almost apologetic for a second, before stepping closer and wrapping his large hand around your neck, not squeezing yet. His baby blue eyes stared into yours, waiting for you to consent. When you finally nodded, he allowed himself to slowly squeeze, positioning himself so that he could choke you from behind. Your ass was burning, your contorted arms were hurting, and breathing was becoming increasingly difficult, the airflow already being limited by the gaffer tape over your mouth. You had no choice but to fully surrender to him, and it brought you a feeling of peace absolutely unmatched. You closed your eyes, enjoying the sensation of him behind you, one hand on your throat, the other on your hip, firmly maintaining you in place. « You done being a bitch, now ? » he growled in your ear. His tone had you melting, and it clearly didn’t do anything to solve the mess you were making in your panties. You let out a desperate whine that betrayed your challenged breathing but, before he could do anything, you heard an all too familiar voice. « Marshall ? ». 

You froze and so did he. But before he could move and free you of your restraints, you were faced with his brother, who had clearly let himself in, as you knew he often did when he came over. Nate seemed absolutely terrified, a look of horror plastered on his face. « What the fuck ?! ». 

[aromacaque]

Quick S5 Analysis and Theory

I AM GOING TO RAMBLE ANALYSIS BECAUSE THEY ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY

I cannot stop thinking about the way Wukong reacts to Macaque when he goes "oh no 'gee thanks for saving me macaque!...'" cause if this were before the S5E2, he would have snapped back at him, like he always does.

We know Macaque does this solely to rile Wukong up. It's how we're introduced to his character in S1E9 and he does it throughout the series. This is why he did it here too (or at least partially), BUT WUKONG DOESN'T TAKE THE BAIT THIS TIME.

While he's obviously still reeling from seeing the memory of their fight he was forced to watch,

you can still see that, for a split second, Wukong almost does snap back, but he instantly rethinks that and decides to be passive

Macaque, again, pokes at him trying to get a reaction, but this time Wukong doesn't even think about snapping back. He simply responds casually/lightly (before then realizing that MK is in danger)

This tells us possibly two really important things

Macaque sacrificing himself in S5E2 was a turning point for Wukong's perception of him. An increase in personal trust/faith/etc.

2. Seeing the memory of their fight made him rethink his behavior toward Macaque

For the rest of the season, they don't get a lot of moments because of, well, Everything, but we see Wukong is not only more willing to show concern for his wellbeing, but also seems to be more open/emotionally vulnerable in front of him than before (in little moments, anyway).

Granted that has been building up since S4E11, arguably before that but I'm not going to deep dive analyze season 3. He's being more communicative with Macaque in S5E1 about MK too. In other words, not completely shutting him out or pushing him away, which seems like their natural progression from S4E11 as well.

All of that being said, this brings me to The Scene. Which I am completely normal about because there's so much to unpack about it and I am so normal about that. Evidently.

First of all, they wanted to hold hands during their final moments. MK and Macaque are the two most important people in Wukong's life, I feel like that speaks for itself.

BUT it's Wukong who reaches out here.

This is Wukong's first major attempt to bridge the gap between them, at least in such a direct way. In my opinion, it's almost a wordless forgiveness on top of acknowledging how Macaque has changed and improved himself, as well as his reciprocation of that behavior. He wants to fix their relationship too, just as he has seen Macaque willing to do the same.

This moment being interrupted was actually a good thing. It's a good visual reminder that, despite them both wanting to reconcile, they aren't Quite there yet. There's still a lot left unsaid between these two, most importantly Macaque's death. (I'LL GET TO THAT. HOLD THAT IN YOUR BRAIN)

For macaque, this moment has another important meaning.

AND NOW I GET TO TALK ABOUT ONE OF MY FAVORITE WRITING TOOLS HELLO PARALLELS!!!!

In S2E7 we are introduced to this shot of Wukong on a pedestal over Macaque, turning his back on him and abandoning him. This is firmly established in that episode as one of the main reasons Macaque resents Wukong.

He is also portrayed as above him, subsequently nodding at Macaque feeling inferior to him.

In S4E11, we actually watch how this dynamic destroys their friendship. It is a MAJOR reason for their falling out. Macaque feels neglected, overlooked, ignored. Promises are broken and trust is lost. To him, Wukong is selfish, self-righteous, egotistical, uncaring, etc.

Obviously we as the audience are aware Macaque has a rather skewed perception of Wukong that seems to be influenced by his projection of his own insecurities, but that is a whole other analysis for a different time.

In S5E10, this shot is paralleled. Visually demonstrating that Wukong isn't forgetting about him this time. He looks for him. Macaque is being considered in a way he had previously believed was lacking in their friendship.

Not only that, but they are on level ground. Balanced and equal.

Macaque is reluctant to reach back out. His trust in Wukong is practically non-existent, has been for a while (understandably), so it's a little hard for him, but he reciprocates because, like Wukong, he's acknowledging that he has changed. He wants to try to fix this too.

TO RECAP!

They know they both want to fix things

They can see and have acknowledged changes in their behavior on both sides

Wukong seems to be less prone to arguing back, which will most likely make Macaque less likely to try and provoke him. All in all, they will be more civil with each other and most likely argue much less.

They are being held back by things left unsaid.

WHICH LEADS ME TOO...

WHERE DOES THIS LEAD THEM IN S6?

The obvious is they need to address Macaque's death. If they don't do it in this season it's bad writing and they are dragging it out for too long. It's the obvious natural progression here.

This is where they will have an actual, long overdue constructive conversation. It is literally singlehandedly the only thing preventing them from reconciling at this point.

Now, the problem, is how this would happen. Because we all know neither of them are going to randomly apologize out of nowhere. It's gonna take something to push them into that direction. And that should be how it happens otherwise it'd most likely feel forced in the script.

WHICH BRINGS ME TO A THEORY. A GAME THEO-

I'm not going to get into the nitty-gritty details of this particular theory, but just know that I am a firm believer in the "Macaque was consumed by his own powers and that's what killed him" theory. I do think Wukong played a substantial role in his death, enough for Macaque to reasonably believe Wukong killed him, but ultimately it was less Wukong directly killing him and more indirectly causing it and not saving him.

That being said, Wukong and Macaque's relationship is a major subplot in this show with a considerable amount of focus. They have been slowly building to their inevitable mending relationship since Macaque's first episode, which means that they're going to want to reach that climax in a pivotal emotional moment. Not a random conversation smacked into an episode.

And what is going to be plot-relevant next season??

MACAQUE'S CHAOS POWERS.

S5 built up to Macaque being an established member of the group

(Also the VO here being "change can be terrifying" is absolutely foreshadowing to some degree)

Now, there's also something else I need to address. Macaque has gone out of his way 3 separate times, 4 if you count the LBD fight, to save Wukong. On the other hand, Wukong obviously cares about Macaque, but ultimately hasn't had many opportunities or reasons to try to save him specifically.

With all of those details in mind, I think Wukong will need to take direct action by either saving him/protecting him/etc. because I think it would be a high-stakes moment that inevitably kickstarts an apology/conversation between them. Maybe it's something that reminds Wukong of their fight or that macaque can die (hence the chaos powers potentially harming Macaque in some manner or maybe a potential difficulty controlling them reminds Wukong of their fight, something along these lines).

Why this route?

Macaque has regained Wukong's trust. He basically says as much in S5E2. And while it's fairly obvious with Macaque's behavior and choices that he has learned from his past mistakes and is working on his faults, he definitely needs to acknowledge his wrongdoings. However, I think that would naturally happen during any conversation they may have (or the aftermath) regarding his death and their feelings.

That leaves Wukong because he made a promise to Macaque that they’d spend eternity together and that he would protect him and their home. A promise he broke multiple times and has not made up for yet. He needs to mend that and make it right to solidly regain Macaque's trust in order to reconcile.

[ndrv3expert1]

More Than a Label: Rethinking V3's 'Dumb' Characters

It's weird how the characters that we and the game constantly call stupid are actually some of the smartest.

Well, a lot of characters fit this bill, but seeing as I am a DR rant blog, I'm talking specifically about Tenko Chabashira, Kaito Momota, and Gonta Gokuhara.

Now these characters are now referred to as dumb by the game and particularly the fandom for pretty similar reasons.

Gonta because of his speech pattern particularly is portrayed as Tarzan's speech, and his understanding of normal things we find simple like technology and most famously in chapter 4 where he was manipulated by Kokichi, but the localization, NIS America did change his character a lot they changed his backstory and how the whole killing game buster thing happened in chapter 4.

Which is funny because all three of the characters I'm talking about in this rant were changed pretty heavily by NIS America.

In the Japanese characterization, Gonta's backstory is more ambiguous, being raised by a forest family and developing an extensive knowledge of insect species, his speech pattern is more polite and formal, and the third-person way of speech is culturally associated with child-like innocence and a cute endearing or 'quirky' personality-not dumb.

And in chapter 4 he had more of an idea what was going on in Kokichi's plan from the beginning and acted upon his own decisions rather than just being a blindly lead victim till the end.

But in general, Gonta has a deep knowledge of insects and astrology (for this analysis we are ignoring the ending) and good observational skills that are helpful in class trials like how he noticed that he must be far away from home because the constellations looked different in chapter two and his knowledge about the state of the floorboards and the way the seesaw trick was carried out in chapter three which span both the Japanese and English translations.

Kaito is portrayed as being dumb due to his struggles in trials and his refusal to acknowledge certain truths because they go against his ideals.

But Kaito's intelligence while being shown in some ways on paper by passing the astronaut entrance exams excels in more ways than academically he has emotional intelligence and leadership shown by how he interacts with everyone particularly him supporting Shuichi and pushing him to grow his confidence and seeing past Maki cold exterior and helping her open up emotionally and also in chapter 5 acting out Kokichi's plan which shows strategy and trust.

He also possesses a good amount of street smarts that people overlook.

Tenko is often seen as dumb because of her loud over emotional nature and mannerisms. Some people also don't take her seriously because of her 'man-hating' and her relationship with Himiko.

Tenko also has the same problem as Gonta with localization. In the original Japanese her speech patterns are more elegant and refined, and her male hating is turned back exponentially.

Tenko is however extremely emotionally intelligent her flipping ability which allows her to read people's emotions contributes to this as well as her encouraging Shuichi to build his confidence and Himiko to express her emotions more.

It spans beyond this however in chapter 3 Tenko infiltrates Angie's cult to protect Himiko and avoids brainwashing as well as making it her mission to help Himiko grow from her emotional suppression.

Finally, Tenko allows herself to be the medium for Angie (whom she had a rivarly with) in the seance for Himiko showing her deep empathy self-awareness and willingness to prioritize someone else's emotional healing over her own safety. Is a clear demonstration of her emotional intelligence and wisdom.

In conclusion, whether a character is intelligent or not really depends on how the piece of media portrays the character and how the viewers define intelligence.

I think school systems have definitely skewed our perceptions of intelligence making us think intelligence is just test scores and book smarts rather than street smarts and emotional intelligence.

Gonta Kaito and Tenko- while not in the same as Shuichi or Kokichi- are smart. And I don't think our skewed perception and bad localization should determine how we view them.

Some characters are written to be dumb, and that's fine but Gonta Kaito and Tenko? They aren't.

They're loud, naive, and emotional but they aren't complete idiots.

And I hope this rant helped you realize that.

[nqueso-lies]

I wrote this out over the course of 2 hours, taking multiple breaks. Hoping I've written something you could understand. I don't remember the last time I came to you to vent like this... it's not an easy one. To have express or probably to read. Sorry in advance. You can disregard this, I'd understand. I'm gonna hold on to this ask for a bit and if I actually sent it then...

It's been a few hours by now and I can honestly say I will never be about to watch this episode again because of these Eddie scenes and how those stans are positively reacting towards his actions with Buck.

As it was playing live if felt uncomfortable but angry in a way that made me scoff as the scenes came on. Simultaneously reading the first batch of posts as others were live blogging along I was just as snarky to Eddie's behavior and by the end of the episode I was just fully pissed off that I had to log off because something about how I felt watching it all was different than most other uncomfortable scenes I've experienced watching this show and I think I was trying to convince myself that I was just "mad" at those scenes solely this episode because I enjoyed everything else about the episode, it was another 911 episode you know... and I thought I calmed down enough to come back a read everyone else opinions and reviews and... seeing people breakdown those "Buddie scenes" made me sick, from all sides. I didn't even know I was crying until I just kept reading post after post from multiple people explaining how harmful, manipulative, and abusive his behavior was. Then on the flip side, I saw multiple shippers say "how romantic" and "Buck deserved that! Go Eddie!" and I had to run to the bathroom to throw up. Took me a few to stop shaking and rethink everything. Everyone's analysis, well not everyone but yeah, of Eddie was spot one. So spot on that it triggered flashbacks to a few people in my life who traumatized me. Just like Eddie. Similar experiences, similar traumas, similar volatile excuses, same explosion reactions, same manipulation, same tactics. Same guy. And then... how Buck was treated, has been treated repeatedly... fck me man. Smh. Seeing Eddie be so beloved by those people even though he has so many red flags and has yet to change but still gets praised and romanticized live during those scenes was shameful. This whole "we're so back! we're definitely getting canon buddie after this!" is embarrassing and hurtful. It gave me a similar feeling when the Doug and Maddie episodes first aired... discomfort.

I personally stand by ship what you want but witnessing awful actions in real time repeatedly for years and people wholeheartedly putting every bit of hatred into trying to justify it as the only optimally correct ship there is because they think it's "ok" or "romantic" or "so married" like it's "healthy" and "deserving" or "a turn on" ... Never again can I watch that episode or rematch any episode with him and look at his character the same slack. Could I ever say I fully love him or that he was my favorite? No, but I don't think I've ever fully thought or fully believed he was irredeemable or scum. I think every character had/has major flaws and was complex and complicated but I can't at this moment forgive him as a character just yet... Maybe ever.

I see daily how other characters are framed because they haven't been deemed redeemable by stans for whatever it may be and people seem to just hate any redemption arc on this show in general. Valid or invalid. What's it to me? Usually not much. I protect my peace, roll my eyes, block, don't engage, and move on but this time, for this particular episode, seeing people defend him, truly defend him has me visibly and physically disgusted. This fandom has disappointed me so much I'm usually not fazed at their antics but this episode...

Eddie has truly ruined my experience and everyone supporting him in these particular scenes and justifying his past actions as a whole and still seriously shipping him with Buck... fucking gross.

I tried to rationalize the "that's not abusive" by saying well maybe it's ok or fine they can't relate or understand why what happened is triggering because why would I want everyone to relate to any ounce of what I'm feeling? But let's be fcken for real. The lack of simple intelligence and sympathy and disregard for others because they don't want to admit Eddie has a pattern and that pattern is what is legally, morally, technically whatever the fck ever, is abuse. All because accepting that would mean having to admit Eddie has been the truly unchanged unforgivable evil character they have been dragging for over a year, that in reality he'd be the worst possible opinion for Buck or anybody to date atm and Buck deserves better like they been preaching, that they are the ones with a flawed ship that makes no sense, that they falsely created a picture of what abuse was for Tommy but in reality, it's been a projection of Eddie all along, that they willing harassed and be vile to anyone who doesn't like their ship built on no based but insecurities, jealousy, and lies... That they have been wrong. That they are the ones that don't actually care about anything but "two guys kissing"

I keep reading over these posts calling people "over dramatic" "weak" "sensitive" "pathetic" and "liars" for seeing, understanding, and admitting what happened, not only tonight but multiple times, canonically mind them, that Eddie is not that spectacular, caring, romantic person they so desperately created in fanfiction, behavior that would never be expectable in real life, that it's not "hot and sexy" ... Ships with toxic dynamics aren't wrong... when you opening can admit they are toxic and aren't hiding the truth for what it is. You don't have to have a socially moral or ethical reason for shipping what you ship but to start multiple smear and hate campaigns about things that they so loudly despise even when 98% of it is made up and dumb... a Henley, really? A kink "joke" Buck started himself, really? But Eddie's years of volatile behavior, gaslighting, manipulation, using his child to "make things better" and do it on repeat and be comfortably stunted by refusing to get help and actually stick to change because that means he can get away with it again and who frankly is one of the most selfish people in general, who has done all these things to multiple people he's "cared" about...

His grief and experiences don't make it more okay. Hurt or abused people can unfortunately end up repeating the same behavior that hurt them for many reasons. It still is inexcusable if they do. Eddie has been written to ignore acceptance, growth, and responsibilities. That's how he was created. He could change but he hasn't and by that design that performance highlighted another instance people can add to the list. Something that personally could cause someone with 15 years of therapy, coping skills, and reflection to see one scene and feel like they're reliving an experience all over again.

Eddie was scary but people believing he isn't is probably worse. Having people point out with proof of the history and trying to explain to others and seeing the rejection and defense for a fictional character is... something broke in me this episode. I don't think I'll feel the same watching the show again. I wish I couldn't relate to Buck. I wish I wasn't scared for him because I didn't trust Eddie in that moment not to do another irrational thing. I wish Eddie was written differently. I wish stans would stop "trying to win." I wish I never started this show 7 ago had I known this would be the experience I'd being dealing with now. I wish they hadn't just permanently ruined something for me.

*had a terrible night thinking this over, and I think at this point I just feel numb to it all but I still stand with this.

I don't want to take away from anything you've said ❤️🫂 just know I'm giving you a digital hug, Annie!

[mama-qwerty]

What are your thoughts on Walters? I don't know what to make of him...he called Maria a kid along with Shadow, which means he saw these aliens as children. But then why would he treat Sonic and Tails the way he did in the second movie, not to mention sending Eggman after Sonic in the first?

I thought about that. The 3rd movie portrayed a younger Walters as being more understanding of how kids are, and he actively tried to stop the soldiers from shooting them because of that. He was aware of Shadow, and seemed to not really have a problem with him, or at least didn't want the raiding military soldiers to shoot at him. (He distinctly said "Those are kids!" as opposed to "That's just a little girl" or something along those lines, so he included Shadow in that exclamation.)

So why was he so hell bent on capturing Sonic? Why did he eagerly catfish Rachel in order to catch him?

Maybe it's because he knew about Shadow that he was so hardnosed about Sonic and the others.

He knew about Shadow, he was there when Shadow was being held and experimented on, and judging by the many containers filled with what I assumed were chaos energy, he knew how dangerous Shadow could be if left unchecked. Maria did a good job of keeping him under control, but maybe Walters saw evidence of Shadow's extreme abilities, and just how damn dangerous they could be.

Yes, things ended horribly for Maria and Shadow. Yes, that was technically the military's fault. But maybe Walters convinced himself in the years since that may have been an inevitable outcome. The 'power of love' can only go so far, and when you have something with as much power as Shadow, it could always be subverted, warped, and used for nefarious purposes. Even if the intentions to begin with where noble and good.

Which, incidentally, is exactly what happened when Gerald reconnected with Shadow.

So Walters saw this other alien--another damn hedgehog, to boot--and it reminded him so damn much of Shadow that he made it his focus to not make the same mistakes.

He knew the Wachowskis were hiding him, so he concocted Operation Catfish to try and come at them from the side. To separate these people who had, in his mind, taken in a creature he was sure was just as dangerous as Shadow, and contain the alien before it could become a bigger problem.

It was after the second battle with Robotnik, when the boys took it upon themselves to take down Eggman and save the planet, that maybe Walters started rethinking things. Or at least seeing Team Sonic as assets to use when necessary, and leaving them in the care of these two people was easier than creating some kind of containment system to compensate for their individual powers.

Containing Shadow didn't work. Containing Sonic didn't work. Maybe it was time for a different approach.

And maybe there's been other things going on behind the scenes that made him realize that these weren't just 'dangerous aliens', these were kids, who needed guidance and care.

I dunno. I don't even know if Walters is dead--there were some indications that he may be, but I'm not sold on one theory over the other. Guess we'll see in future installments.

~~~

Check out my other Sonic 3 analysis posts

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

I don't know if you can do it but if you can (want to), can you do child Atsushi and child Akutagawa in teyvat with teen reader.

Or they could be with normal Ages too!

If you were not alone

Part IX

Characters: Self-Aware! (Child!) Atsushi Nakajima, Self-Aware! (Child!) Akutagawa Ryunosuke

Reader: Teen! GN! Reader

Warning: OOC. English is my second language. Physical age regression (Atsushi and Akutagawa remain their memories, mental age and abilities, but physically were turned into children). Platonic hug.

________

🐯🧥 After you, Atsushi and Akutagawa woke up in Teyvat, you tried to find both good and bad in your situation. Bad № 1 - you were transported into Teyvat, without your phone and without any idea of how to go back. Good № 1 - Akutagawa and Atsushi were with you. Bad № 2 - They, somehow, become children. If the situation was better, you would tease them for being an older sibling now. Good № 2 - Their memories were intact. Bad № 3 - You were on Dragonspine in your normal clothes, that wasn't suitable for this mountain. Good № 3 - You ended up in Durin's cave, so, for now, you were warm.

After the analysis you came a to a conclusion - situation was a bad one, not a good one or neutral one. How are you supposed to get down from Dragonspine? The closest people to the cave were Fatui solders, and you don't want to go near them. And you weren't sure, if Albedo visited this place at all. Atsushi and Akutagawa offered to use their abilities to get down from the mountain. However, there were two problems. First - it was almost nighttime, and you don't want to wander around Dragonspine at night. Second - none of you were sure, that Beast beneath the moonlight and Rashomon still have the same power level.

You three decided to sleep in a cave and rethink the situation in the morning.

You fall asleep, listening to a Durin's heart beating.

🐯🧥 The dream you have was strange. Like... You could see everything, that was happening around the Dragonspine. Hilichurls, boars, Fatui, members of Adventure guild... You even saw Albedo in his lab. Yet, you couldn't move. You saw, feel all of them at the same time... Strange dream indeed.

'Durin could not move, but he has remains of his will. It was hard, but he left the message in Scarlet Quartz's pieces near the lab. He knew, who was sleeping near his heart. Creator...'

🐯🧥 You woke up because of Atsushi's and Akutagawa's angry shouts, the smell of burning firewood, toasts, fried onions and tomatoes. The moment you opened your eyes, you saw Albedo, together with Klee, were trying to calm Akutagawa and Atsushi, while trying to keep an eye on the fire. Albedo calmly tried to reason with your older(?) brothers.

"Please, we don't mean any harm. We just want to help."

Well, it seems, you got some luck on your plate.

🐯🧥 You jinxed it. Yes, you had breakfast, and Albedo brought warm clothes. But, the biggest threat was soaring above you three. Because, if Albedo wasn't lying, soon you will have a bounty on your head and an angry mob chasing after you. On your meek "But... what if I told the person on the throne, that I don't want to be in charge and only want to return home" Albedo responded with "The Cursed Brat won't listen. They won't change their mind."

You three were in danger. And you need to move fast. Chase after Alice. To get home.

Albedo couldn't help Atsushi and Akutagawa became adults again. But, he said, that they would either get to their original age soon enough, or Alice could help with that.

And, according to Albedo, she was on her way to Fontaine.

Albedo gave you supplies and helped you find a boat.

Your journey has begun.

🐯🧥 Almost near Fontaine borders, you three were captured by Fatui. You were brought to the House of Hearth. You three were separated. Atsushi and Akutagawa were with other kids. And you were kept in the basement. In a hidden dungeon.

🐯🧥Atsushi hated the House of Hearth. While it wasn't as bad as his previous orphanage, this place still felt rotten. Especially because of the other residents.

"Poor brothers, the Sinner had corrupted you. Don't worry anymore. Father will protect you." Lynette, as Atsushi learned her name later, couldn't finish the line. Akutagawa still can't use Rashomon, but, the knowledge about self-defense was still with him. And Atsushi knew, how to throw a punch without white tiger's help.

Two ten-year-old boys were throwing punch after punch, hitting Lynette.

"Don't you dare talk about [Y/N] like that! They are our sibling!" yelled Atsushi. Akutagawa growled, trying to bite Lynette's ear.

Both of them were restrained and locked in a storage room.

They could hear, how Lyney and Freminet, who locked them, were whispering about "poor kids. I hope, it's not too late."

When the voices disappeared, New Double Black tried to make up a plan.

Akutagawa whispered.

"Did you learn, where [Y/N] are, Man-tiger?"

Atsushi shook his head.

"No. You?"

Akutagawa shook his head in return.

"No. This damn place is too big."

And, Atsushi could bet on it, other kids were keeping an eye on him and Akutagawa. They can't search the orphanage freely. But they knew, that you were still here. Something tells them, that your... "Punishment for being an Imposter" won't be quiet and hidden.

🐯 They were talking the rest of the day. And no good effective ideas were proposed. Atsushi hated it. He hated to be small and powerless. He hated, that you were in danger. If only his ability was here...

Atsushi's eyes slowly focused on the small window. At the full moon.

The transformation was painful. But, the white tiger has returned.

🧥 Akutagawa didn't pay attention to Atsushi or moon. He was thinking about you. You were his little sibling. And he was your protector. And he can't fail his job. He just needs… Just need his power. Akutagawa almost shouted.

"Rashoumon: Tenma Tengai"

And black tendrils finally came to life.

And the black hellhound has returned.

🐯🧥 Huge feline were shuffling the air, like it was trying to find something... Or someone. Yes... His family were missing. Tiger cub were missing. Tiger saw, that dragon knight was here. He will help find tiger cub.

Akutagawa, in his Rashomon's armor, climbed on tiger's back. Rashoumon's tendrils ripped off the door.

Their search has begun.

🐯🧥 You were half glaring at Arlecchino. The Forth Harbinger has been visiting your cell every day. Trying to convince you to be reasonable. She won't let you and Shin Soukoku go. She saw a chance of having her own loyal Creator. And she won't lose her chance.

Her voice was calm.

"Be reasonable. I can protect you and two kids you were traveling with. All I need from you is to be an obedient godling, child."

You breathe in, but stayed quiet. You already begged Arlecchino to let you three go. She didn't. Maybe, if you tried again...

🐯 He could smell it. Faint scent of his tiger cub. He snarled, following it. His tiger cub was in danger. Dragon knight on his back destroyed doors, that were on their way.

They reached the basement. And white tiger finally found his tiger cub.

🐯🧥 The door behind Arlecchino fell apart. Before Harbinger could react, familiar black maw sank its fangs in her shoulder and threw her away. The door of your cage have no chance against white tiger and Rashomon.

Immediately, you were hugged by Akutagawa, and the huge feline rubbed his head against your torso, chuffing happily.

Happy tars flow down your eyes.

"Guys! You are here!"

Akutagawa, before answering, put you on tiger's back, sitting behind you.

"We would never abandon you."

White tiger waited, before you two sat on his back, and started to ran off.

You three left the House of Hearth behind.

🐯🧥 Tiger were running all night, until sunset. Then Atsushi transformed back. Then the tears and hugs came again. You three were finally safe, Atsushi and Akutagawa were adults again. Now you can focus on finding Alice.

🐯🧥 It took two more weeks, but you managed to do it. You found Alice. And you finally went home.

____________

🐾 Reunion was tearful. Your fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts and siblings were happy to see you. They were happy to see Atsushi and Akutagawa.

🐾 Your stay in Teyvat were scary. But, one thing you knew for sure. Doesn't matter, what age they were, your brothers Atsushi and Akutagawa will protect you.

_______

Tag list: @withered-blossoms , @myluckymoon @cocodrilofeliz @c4xcocoa @vvyeislazzy @whisperingwinters @nervousinfluencertidalwave @ayameshu

[dejabooooo]

Alex hirsch interviews always leave me blown away. I could listen to this man talk for hours, he is so inspiring. Definitely the kind of writer I strive to be like.

One of the main things i took away from this interview is how strongly his every word reiterates that his number one priority is the emotions and arcs of the characters. Here’s a couple tangents about that cuz I gotta get them outta my brain:

It became really clear to me on the Fiddleford question about the memory gun and the timeline. He couldn’t even remember how the events lined up but what he DID remember once reminded was the incredibly complex feelings McGucket was having and the specifics of how his friendship with ford was affecting him at that point in time.

It was fascinating to hear because this information was so much more complicated than the initial timeline rearrangement question. Almost all of his answers were like this. So, so deep and thoughtful and it really highlighted the fact that he is a storyteller whose focus is on the important things.

Canon dates and hidden codes and funny jokes are secondary to heart because heart is the big picture. Ppl say it’s the codes and secrets are the “deeper” part of gf. But the complexities of the characters in and of themselves are INSANELY deep. It becomes especially clear when Alex himself is talking about them. He knows their minds and motivations so well, and it tends to get overshadowed by lore questions but to me the details of the inner working of the characters minds and the psychology of their actions is the MOST interesting information that comes out of these interviews.

I feel like ppl might not agree with me when I say this. But for me the answer about ford looking at romance the same way Tesla does is a way more fascinating idea than concluding definitively that he’s gay (and this is coming from someone who’s written an entire fic about the latter). Because that’s so unique! That’s so different! I’ve never seen that before! It gives him such a distinct and fresh identity and it makes so much sense for him

I myself wasn’t particularly a fan of don’t dimension it before I watched this. Because I had thought that it was humoring the fandoms bad faith gripes about Mabel’s character, but luckily I was wrong! Online media analysis has unfortunately forced a moral priority on most story explorations and I’ll admit I bought into it a bit with this. I thought Mabel was being punished for her personality. But Alex’s incites quelled this worry. The narrative wasn’t blaming Mabel for weirdmageddon, Mabel was blaming Mabel for weirdmageddon. As he explained, she was just experiencing a bit of self awareness for the first time just like dipper did in double dipper.

This interview has made me rethink things a bit. I feel like the very first question a gf fan should ask themselves before building a theory is ‘does this idea compromise the arcs or narrative purpose of the characters?’ If the answer is an immediate yes then it’s not canon full stop, because then it becomes the antithesis of what gravity falls is really about

[sunflowersandchrysanthemums]

Why is SatoSugu so compelling?

Oftentimes, I gravitate to ships with solid characters who end up with poor writing decisions. Just look at any of my past Kalpollo fics, but SatoSugu defies this. Instead, Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto are some of the best-written characters I've encountered in a long time. Expertly crafted as individual characters, a duo, and in their respective roles in the larger story of JJK. I believe it is within this masterful writing between these two characters that we find what makes the Ship so compelling.

Stirring beyond the surface of their ship tropes, we find a narrative that simultaneously presents us with two opposing questions: What change would need to happen to impact their fates? and would those changes be enough?

For more details and nerd stuff, see footnotes at the end of the post.

My intention here is not to provide a character analysis or study on what makes Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto great characters, instead, what I am doing is reflecting on my personal reactions to this ship in order to better understand why I find it so compelling. (1) As well as doing some critical analysis of the writing.

When I get into a ship, I find a sense of compulsion to write fanfiction. My previous endeavors into fanfiction were fuelled by a desire to write these characters better endings and, more importantly, work through some personal trauma. (2) The end result is a fic that satisfies both needs, I get to create or explore these beloved characters more and gain personal insight.

So far, this has not been the case for SatoSugu, like everyone in this ship, I just want to see them to be happy. Similar to before, my first thought upon writing a fic was what would need to happen for them to have a happy ending; it seemed like a simple enough task. Instead of diving head first into writing, I found myself stuck with how well-written they were.

When I write fanfiction, I try to stay as true to the characters as possible, but these two have made this quite a challenge. Gege wrote them so well that I have constantly found myself doubting if these characters would do the things I imagine in my fics. I'll go on a fic planning session feeling great only to learn something new or remember a small detail about them, causing me to completely rethink my perspective.

I, as a writer, am stuck with determining how much would I need to change about their story for them to have an ending where they work together to change their society without completely altering what makes their characterization so compelling.

This conflict helps demonstrate just how well crafted Gege wrote these characters. So much of who they are, their personalities, their quirks, and their uniqueness, is tied directly to the events of Hidden Inventory/Premature Death. It is not an exaggeration to conclude that without HI/PD happening the rest of the events in JJK would not have happened or would have been drastically different. Again, now leaving me with the question, if HI/PD doesn't happen, then how much of Satoru's and Suguru's characterization is impacted? Am I still staying true to the characters? (3)

It is within this conflict that Gege has incited in many of us, both viewers/readers and creatives, that we find why the ship is so compelling to us. It makes us question ourselves, question what choices we would make, and think beyond what is shown to us to understand our interpretations. Never before have I had such a long and continuous visceral reaction when thinking about what happens to these characters. Their stories make me cry, but they also make me think.

They inspire me to not just reflect on their characters but to create something of my own and for that, I thank you Gege for giving the world this deeply compelling ship.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------Footnotes

Academically, what I am doing is phenomenological analysis, most in line with feminist thought; reflecting on personal experience to gain insight into a topic. In this case, I am using my personal reactions to SatoSugu as a part of gaining a better understanding of why I find them so compelling.

See my AO3 fics, Hues of Blue and Gray, and Apollo's Fathers

This is just my personal goal for fanfiction and not a statement on other writers' interpretations of Satour and Suguru

[evellynssocbrainrot]

This is mostly to speak in defense of this post made by @starsandscars81

First of all, my intention isn’t to gatekeep anyone else’s take or opinion on this subject matter. If you think differently that’s completely fine. It’s none of my business. 

Anyway, on to the analysis.

Kaz and the Darkling are, without a doubt, two of the most flawed characters in the Grishaverse. They’ve both done bad things and certainly aren’t good people. Even so, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: comparing Kaz to the Darkling is still… extreme. And just not it. By comparison, no matter how much awful stuff Kaz has done, it’s no joke that he is over a million times better than the Darkling. 

The Darkling definitely didn’t start off as an evil character, and all his intentions aren’t horrible either. His main motivation is to help the Grisha, his people who have faced years worth of discrimination. He worked hard and built the second army and the Little Palace, which became a kind of haven for Grisha to come together and exercise their gifts. And coming from someone who dislikes the Darkling, I can tell you now that that is wonderful. I’m glad that he’s doing his best and defending his people. That is great. But even then, you can’t deny that some of the things that the Darkling has done on that path are borderline disgusting. The first being massacring hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people. Even if he’s doing it for the sake of his people, killing so many people who are not at fault is not an act of a selfless hero, but pure villainy and cruelty. And what’s worse is that he did this several times. Not just once, and without second thought. Reminders that these innocent people included harmless children.

The rest of the horrible deeds he’s done all come down to his treatment of Alina Starkov (and a bit of Genya Safin, as well). Whether you like Darklina or not, never forget or sugarcoat the idea that he ABUSED her. He may have loved her, he may have understood her, but he hurt her. Over and over again. He lied to her and hid his true intentions. He placed a collar on her and touched her without consent. He stole her power and claimed her as if she was nothing but an object. He was possessive of her and emotionally tormented her even after she ran away. He killed the only mother figure she had and completely destroyed her childhood home. He was absolutely disgusting. There is nothing at all to forgive and redeem. He was already beyond redemption when he created the Fold. And once again, IT DOESN’T MATTER if he loved her. It doesn’t matter at all when he did nothing but hurt her to such extreme amounts and would have continued to if he ever won, or if Darklina actually became canon. 

And what makes the Darkling even worse is that he doesn’t regret any of it. This is where he truly can be labeled as a heartless and cruel monster. He doesn’t express so much as even a sliver of remorse over his inhuman behavior. He doesn’t feel bad. He doesn’t reflect on it or think about it. In fact, he still believes himself to be in the right. He doesn’t even realize how awful he is. Doesn’t show any sign of improving himself. I mourn the person he could have been. I mourn Aleksander Morozova. But I will never defend the person he is today. I will always believe that the death he was given was far too light and SHOULD have been worse. It’s what he deserves. 

He didn’t start evil, but he became evil. He had hundreds of years to rethink his actions but never did. He wanted to defend his people, but you don’t do that by expanding the Fold and causing further destruction. You don’t do that with pointless mass murder. He loved Alina, but you don’t express that by ruining her life. Once upon a time, he was a young hurt boy, but now he’s nothing but a revolting, monstrous and horrible psychopath.

With that said, now I’ll move on to Kaz.

He is not a good person. I’ll tell you that now. I’m not at all defending the bad things that he’s done. Neither am I ignoring his bad qualities. He is manipulative, cruel, and violent. When he freed Inej from the Menagerie, his intentions weren’t to save her, but to temporarily make use of her skills. I know this, and I’m not dismissing it.

But here are some things that set him apart from the Darkling.

The first being that almost everything Kaz does has reason. There is ALWAYS a reason. His rage is targeted at hyper-specific people. People who deserve it. He killed Oomen, but because he hurt Inej to the point that she nearly died. He dropped a man from a tower, but because that man blackmailed a Zemeni sex worker. He destroyed Van Eck and his empire, but because Van Eck was a bitch. He spent all his life trying to crush Pekka Rollins, and he did, but because Pekka ruined his life. “Kaz Brekker always had his reasons.” The Darkling had no reason to commit mass murder and hurt Alina. 

The second thing is boundaries. The Darkling didn’t have fucking boundaries. Kaz, on the other hand, no matter the amount of violence and destruction he commits, never crosses some lines. He never ever raped or sexually assaulted anyone, he never hurts innocent people, he never hurts children, and never actually spread firepox around the city of Ketterdam. 

The third being awareness. This is a big one. The Darkling, in his path of vengeance, hardly considers his environment, the people around him, who he should get mad at and who he shouldn’t. And even after the horrible deed is done, as I said before, there’s no remorse and regret. For Kaz it’s the opposite. He is hyper aware of where he is. Who he’s with. He’s careful and considerate. And for some of the horrible things he’s done, despite how understandable and trauma-inflicted they are, he regrets them. He feels bad. He knows he’s not a good person. He knows he is awful. He knows he isn’t worthy of Inej. When he was drowning in the waters of Fjerda, it wasn’t himself he was thinking of. It was his crew, Inej. He was worried for them. He blamed himself for the positions they were in and vowed that no matter what, he would save them. He would fix this mess. The same applies in the next book, when they were all trapped in the Geldrenner hotel. It’s himself Kaz blamed, nobody else. 

We don’t even need to tell Kaz that he’s awful. Because he already knows it and wholeheartedly believes it. And unlike so many other similar male characters in YA fiction, Kaz desperately wished that he could change. Perhaps he doesn’t say this openly, but you know deep down that he doesn’t want to be this way. He doesn’t want this life or the trauma. 

Speaking of the trauma, so much of what Kaz does is because of it. Does it excuse his behavior? Certainly not. But it does help with understanding why. And even now, the consequences he suffers from the trauma are bad, but still don’t excuse what he does. Kaz himself thinks so. 

Kaz was a boy who was hurt, like the Darkling was. He lost someone important, like the Darkling did. But the way he responded to that was immensely different. Even the desire for money is understandable when you realize that the lack of it was what made him and his brother end up on the streets. And the money he got, he literally spent a large portion of it to buy Inej a ship and remake the Emerald Palace into the Silver Six. And before that, he gave up the last of it he had left to pay off Inej’s contract.

AND, speaking of Inej. Only someone extremely stupid would say that the way he treats her is the same as the way the Darkling treats Alina. The dynamic is messy and flawed, but they are young. It’s understandable if they fail from time to time. But overall, Kaz respects Inej. He adores Inej. He’s devoted to Inej. He’s loyal to Inej. He wouldn’t betray or abandon her for all the gold in the world. He’s protective of her, but not possessive. When he sees other people get close to her, he’s jealous. But not because he wants to keep Inej to himself, but because he wants to be able to get close to her like that as well. He realizes the wrong ways he treats her, and then proceeds to claim that he isn’t so bad that he can’t pull himself together for her. He spends a good portion of Crooked Kingdom going out of his way to make up for his behavior and it shows. It doesn’t make him any better a person, but it does make him a far better lover. A worthy book boyfriend <333.

Outside of Inej, you can see how much he cares about his crew. He protects them, he the Parem from Nina, he refuses to give it to Jesper, he gives Wylan advice like a big brother, he gave them all time to rest and recharge in the Geldrenner hotel while dragging his aching body all the way to the Slat to gather more people for his plan. He gave his crew every single resource he had left and even then, contributed alongside them when putting his plan to action. The Slat and the Dregs themselves have become a safe space for young people who don’t have a family or a place to go. He may be selfish with the world, but with them he’s nothing but the most selfless person to ever exist. 

The list is endless, honestly, but this is why it doesn't make any sense to compare Kaz to the Darkling. If I were in a life and death situation, and I was forced to put my trust in one person, Kaz or the Darkling, I would choose Kaz in a heartbeat.

Damn, this took way too long.

[gabrielleyueerrrrr]

What led to Showdown—a character analysis

Summary:

Chosen was the one who initiated the rampages after he and Dark escaped the PC.

Dark created the Virabot in an attempt to please Chosen.

I firmly believe that the names of the hollowheads shaped their personality to some extent. The name "The Chosen One" not only bestowed god- like powers upon the black hollowhead but also a instilled a sense of responsibility, strong self-esteem, and a drive to fight for what is right.

Upon his creation, he immediately rebelled against Alan, seeing the animator as "evil" for creating and torturing stick figures just for fun. Five years of enslavement didn’t wear down his spirit, the moment the slightest opportunity arose, he broke free from his shackles and unleashed his fury upon the PC.

But even when victory was within his grasp, with his tormentor's pawn, The Dark Lord, trembling powerlessly before him, he still chose mercy.

I believe his sense of responsibility and justice wouldn’t allow him to harm someone who was already defenseless, even if that person was his enemy.

I couldn't imagine someone with such a strong moral compass initiating or even agreeing to participate in rampages on the internet purely for the sake of destruction and vengeance. A more reasonable explanation is that Chosen initiated these attacks due to a warped sense of justice. The mistreatment by his creator, the only human he ever knew, might have led him to believe that all humans are tyrants who abuse and exploit stick figures. As "The Chosen One," he felt a responsibility to fight on behalf of his own kind, believing it was his duty to deliver well-deserved punishment upon humans.

But as for Dark, he had no interest in justice whatsoever, he went along with Chosen purely for the thrill of it. Contrary to "The Chosen One", the name "The Dark Lord" weakened his sense of morality and empathy(a sociopath, in a sense). This doesn’t mean he was incapable of learning to be good or sympathetic, though. Chosen simply didn’t realize Dark's moral deficiency until it was too late.

(Or perhaps Chosen was in denial? Dark was his best friend after all)

As time passed, Chosen became more aware of the complexity of mankind. He realized that not all humans were evil, some even formed positive connections with stick figures, like building websites where they could live and work. By attacking the internet and destroying these sites, he was inadvertently harming those he wanted to protect. This made him hesitant and forced him to rethink his actions.

But Dark, he didn't care. Humans, stick figures, animations, it's all the same to him. He enjoyed causing harm and destruction, because it was fun, because he couldn't see that it was wrong.

Imagine Dark laughing joyously as he hurled fireballs at the screaming, retreating crowd of stick figures and animations,

but when he turn around he saw Chosen's shocked, horrified expression, it was as if Chosen was looking at a monster, not his best friend.

Chosen could no longer ignore the fact that Dark was betraying the very ideals he had lived by in his whole life. It became painfully clear that the noble qualities embedded in his code which he so deeply valued were absent in his best friend.

They argued, definitely, fought, maybe. Their once impregnable friendship was cracking, threatening to collapse.

And it scared Dark. Dark didn't understand why Chosen was so angry at him, but he cared about their friendship, he cared about Chosen.

And he wanted to salvage their friendship, he wanted to make Chosen happy again.

So he came up with a plan. He would create a virus so powerful the world has never seen—a virus that would paralyse the internet once and for all. After all, mankind was evil, wasn't that what Chosen always told him? Dark would give humans what they deserve, just as Chosen had always wanted. And then, surely, they could be friends again.

That’s why he eagerly presented his virabots to Chosen, like a child showing off a prized drawing to their parents.

He was certain that Chosen would be impressed, that Chosen would share in the excitement for this grand scheme of destruction.

But instead, the black hollowhead was terrified. Having already lost his trust on Dark, he immediately jumped to the worst conclusion, that Dark was going to terrorise the world including the stick figure civilisation with his virus.

(But Dark's plan never involved harming stick figures. He knew Chosen was adamantly against the idea, so why would he risk their friendship by going against Chosen?)

Dark was understandably hurt and furious at Chosen's betrayal.

It was Chosen who had fuelled his love for destruction, who inspired him to create the virus in the first place. And now, Chosen had the audacity to demand him to stop? Even going so far as to attack him to protect the very humans Chosen had once hated so much?

Was their friendship truly worth less than the properties of evil humans?

As for Chosen, the destructive power of Dark's virabot was the final proof that Dark was an irredeemable villain down to his code. Consumed by a sense of justice, Chosen attacked without mercy.

And Dark, wounded and enraged, retaliated with everything he had.

[lordandgodoftheobvious]

Hey y'all remember how prior to the release of chapters 3 and 4 all the various knight theories hinged on which character could plausibly transform into a black skeletal deer monster? No? Of course not, because we had no idea what the Knight looked like.

And then every single prediction Kris Knight Theory made about chapter 3 came true--but at the end a monster showed up out of nowhere and Ralsei shouted "It's the Knight!", and based on nothing more than his say-so we were all like "Huh--guess that's the Knight."

I'm not saying he's lying or wrong, I'm merely trying to put things into perspective here. For all intents and purposes and by every metric we were using prior to the release of chapters 3 and 4, Kris Knight Theory IS true. Kris IS (working with) the Knight. Hell, they might have opened at least some of the other fountains--the dark world Kris created seemed awfully consistent with the others, after all. Probably at least one of Kris' co-conspirators in the Knight Conspiracy picked up some of the slack for the ones it'd be harder for them to do, but still--the point is, while we didn't have the complete picture, Kris Knight Theory IS true.

This is arguably semantic, since even those who are arguing that Kris ISN'T working with the Knight are doing so fully aware that they're going against the consensus--but this framing is important to how we think about the game.

For example: More than once I've heard Carol Knight Theory criticized as being "too obvious." Hell, reportedly Dess Knight Theory is being called too obvious, somehow. And fellas, regardless of which theory (if either) is true, this is simply not a valid argument to make--it did not GET more "obvious" than Kris Knight Theory; Kris literally opened a dark fountain on-screen.

Relatedly to that point, there also hasn't been a single red herring in this game so far. Things have not meant what we thought they meant, but NOTHING has meant nothing--Kris eating pie in the night was the funny option for what they could have been doing with that knife at the end of chapter 1, but it was ALSO part of their plan to get Susie to stay over, as evidenced by the fact that they also did things like plug the TV in.

Which in turn was part of their plan to have the Knight kidnap Undine, as evidenced by, well, everything everyone who theorized that Kris's plan was to lure Undine in cited as evidence for their theiry prior to the release--a theory that turned out to be true (other than the supposed motive of proving the existence of dark worlds), by they way, as evidenced by the fact that it worked.

Which in turn means that Kris was, indeed, doing something "evil" (I of course believe that they will turn out to have a damn good reason to be doing whatever the hell it is that they're doing, but you can't deny that they're an antagonistic force right now)--so even THAT theory turned out to be true, kind of.

My point in all this is this: there have been twists and turns along the road, and I'm sure there will be many more to come (including revelations which will force us to rethink EVERYTHING), but no piece of information the fandom has been led to believe was important has turned out NOT to be and the conclusions the fandom has reached based on logic and literary analysis have turned out to be, in their skeletons at least, broadly true.

Indeed, I can easily imagine that the reason Toby Fox didn't want to release chapter 3 on its own was that the cliffhanger it ended on WOULD be a red herring, or at least too close to one for comfort, since it's not immediately obvious what if anything Kris did in the bunker. (I mean, it's GONNA turn out to be SOMETHING--but it hasn't come up yet, and can you IMAGINE how VERY wrong theories about chapter 4 would have been if Toby Fox had released chapter 3 on its own???)

So yeah.

[alicent-vi-britannia]

Why does Shirley have to die?

One of the most frequent comments I found while browsing when I entered this fandom and it bothered me greatly was that Shirley's death was useless, which reflected a lack of understanding of the series and the character of Shirley and her relationship with Lelouch and Suzaku. So today I'll explain what the effects of Shirley's murder were.

Broadly speaking, Shirley's murder serves as a catalyst between the first and second half of the second season. Likewise, Shirley's sad murder resonates with the main theme of the series and influences the narrative arcs of Lelouch and Suzaku.

1. Shirley's death was what pushed Lelouch to change his plans for the Geass Cult. Instead of controlling the orphans who had been turned into Geass users, Lelouch decided to destroy the Geass Cult by decimating the children and scientists who participated in the project by organizing a clandestine operation with the Black Knights.

1.1. This operation will later become one of the reasons why the Black Knights will betray Lelouch. It's information that is leaked to Asahina, a member of the Four Holy Swords, and reaches through him Tohdoh, who, together with Ohgi, were the ones who convinced the rest of the Black Knights that they were angry with Zero for abandoning them in the middle of the takeove of the Tokyo Settlement. So the massacre of the Geass Cult influenced the betrayal of Tohdoh, one of the pillars in the Order of the Black Knights and most loyal to their leader.

1.2. Additionally, the Black Knights' attack on the Geass Cult resulted in the death of V.V. and attracted the Emperor who took the code from V.V. and then attempted to initiate the Ragnarök Connection in episode 15, but C.C. prevented this by sealing her code and suppressing her memories. Something that will influence Lelouch's isolation. Also, in the massacre of the Geass Cult, Lelouch captured Cornelia, which will be important in the future.

2. Shirley's death was what pushed Suzaku over the edge and motivated him to coerce Kallen through refrain to get confirmation that Zero was behind her murder. About to do so, Suzaku realized that he was about to become completely corrupted and begins to rethink his beliefs and methods for the first time. It's because of this incident with Kallen that Suzaku is willing to reunite with Lelouch and team up with him, even if it means abandoning Britannia. But, well, Schneizel ambushes the two former friends and makes Lelouch believe that Suzaku betrayed him once again. Consequently, Lelouch is determined to kill Suzaku in revenge, but it turns out badly due to the cursed order he gave him long ago and which causes the total annihilation of the Tokyo Settlement, something that will mark a turning point in Suzaku's narrative arc and It will also affect Lelouch...

3. Shirley's death was a turning point in Lelouch and Rolo's relationship. It was a relationship in which love and hate were quite balanced, but, after this event, Lelouch leaned towards hate. I'll talk more about this point in my analysis of Rolo's motivations for killing Shirley, so that's all I'll say for now. I'll add that, if Mao made him realize that Geass can corrupt the user and Euphemia's death made Lelouch realize that Geass is an evil power, Shirley's death made Lelouch realize that Geass will condemn him to isolation (damn, Lelouch saw a lot of red flags and kept going; I don't know whether to call it idiocy or determination). At the same time, he realized how terrible the power of Geass is in the hands of a child and became terrified that all Geass users were like Rolo, which is why he thinks it is better to eradicate the Geass Cult and not control them.

4. Shirley's death is linked to the main theme of the series (will) and, in a certain way, influenced the epiphany that Lelouch will have in the final stretch of the series. Rolo didn't get into a vehicle, he drove to Shirley's house and got out to shoot her. No. Shirley was murdered, following her will. She abandoned the security force that was guarding her because she wanted to offer her help to Lelouch. To paraphrase Lelouch's words to Schneizel in the series' penultimate episode, people are actively seeking happiness, and for Shirley, her happiness was with Lelouch. Even though Lelouch erases her memory over and over again to protect her, Shirley will always do what her will dictates, and that includes falling in love with him again. Shirley's firm resolve, added to that of other characters, is what teaches Lelouch to value human beings' will and constant pursuit of happiness.

In short, Shirley's death is what leads to most of the events that occur in the second part of R2. Without that, the Zero Requiem doesn't even take place. For all this, it is ridiculous that the alternate universe continues with the same events as the canonical universe, but, well, nothing makes sense in the alternate universe (hence it is complete garbage and I'll maintain this statement until the last day of my existence.)

Having said that. If anyone still wants to be angry about Shirley's death, they have to change their focus on her. The point isn't that Shirley's murder adds nothing to the plot (we already saw that it isn't true); but this seems to show that Shirley is a "woman in refrigerator." This is a term coined by Gail Simone to refer to female characters who face disproportionate harm, which will serve as a plot device to motivate male characters. The term was used to talk about situations in Western comics, but can be extrapolated to other media. Is Shirley a "woman in refrigerator"? I would say yes, but I think that term should be applied when there are female characters who have great potential and the authors don't exploit it, but rather prefer to reduce them to a motivation for the current male hero. And Shirley is not Kallen (an action heroine and Knightmare pilot, whose talent and skill can change the flow of a battle), she is not C.C. (an Immortal Witch who knows all the secrets of Geass and is clandestinely working with our protagonist's worst enemy for her own interests), she is not Euphemia (a princess in the Holy Empire of Britannia who can challenge the status quo and change the system from the inside), she is not Nina (a prodigy in science, capable of creating a weapon of mass destruction). She's only Shirley. An innocent civilian trapped in a bloody war. She cannot contribute more than she can, so let's not ask for pears from the elm.

I really wanted to write this analysis! I just removed a thorn that was stuck. I feel better.

[impyssadobsessions]

Prompt/Relationship Analysis/Headcanon DPxDC

Okay This can be taken as a prompt~ As I love to dive into possibilities of WHAT IF- Basically after becoming friends/adopted by the bats and entering the hero circle he starts to become insecure in his place as a hero. Not feeling good enough.

So I can imagine after Danny befriends/gets in touch with the batfamily in some way. Like they've pretty much adopted him and now he's surrounded by heroes- (Both from Gotham and outside of it) That he starts to get insecure about his heroics as phantom. He starts to get to know other vigilantes, some with similar struggles and then it just dawns on him that they're better at it then him.. in every way. There is always someone who has one of his powers and does it better. Who can do the only thing he has been dedicating himself to- way better. And it hurts. Danny who grew up with a "perfect" older sister and being known as the failure of the two-I can see his insecurity eat at him. The feeling of not being good enough. Which is bad if mixing his trauma and guilt of a future that never happened or fear of losing everyone. ESPECIALLY because he's close to the bats.. The batfamily are perfectionist- because they have to be but Danny can't see that. Even rougher if the bats don't even realize they're doing it. Yeah they're better at sneaking, duh. They're highly skilled, because they've trained on it to be that way. Even if they don't hold the standard on Danny's head- it kills him to know he with all his powers is struggling to be as good as them. Can see only ones really about to notice are like Duke and Steph, or like Kon and other YJ members. Those that know how it feels to be next to them. Kon or Steph having to basically spell it out for Tim- which Tim like what? Then realizes and feels dumb because its so obvious. (plus having felt that way before just feels like a double whammy) (Can see all the bat members having felt that pressure too so its like an OOF how did I not notice moment) Or Step and Duke spelling it out for the rest of the family.. like DUH =w= Babs probably figures it out too. Imagine a cute heart to heart with Duke and Steph, and Alfred. Those picking up on the reason WHY Danny's acting strange. Danny pushing himself harder- feeling guilty about making it a competition but also not wanting to fail- ends up breaking down a little. Because he feels not enough. Even if he had reconciled with his parents and everything- still lingers that he was failing school.. struggling as a hero, struggling with relationships. Now he with other heroes and the doubts are so heavy. But he has no choice to pull through. So he does as he always does and keeps going even if he's crashing. Danny just not realizing his worth, despite everyone seeing it. Idk just seem like a perfect bonding moment for after Danny enters the dc world, for the bats to be like OH fucking right. Because they just accepted him as their own- Like setup for each bat to have their own one on one with DAnny. Each relating in different ways. Learning each has their own motivation and they all worry about not being enough- but how they cope. Danny rethinking reasons why he saves ppl- and in the end its just because he CANT let things happen when he has the power to stop it.. And even if he's not enough- he's there. And that can make such a difference. ......IDK if any of this made sense btw- couldn't focus properly at work because many scenarios of this was popping in my head. Still can't focus enough to keep a consistent thought- BUT I wanted to get this out <3 Because the scenarios in my head are so cute.