#and i have decided that actually that does not matter

[worrywrite]

This is why I keep telling people I'm not interested in the show. More than half the cast of the game exists to be porn or marketing fodder. No thought beyond aesthetics was put into essentially every character in the game. Any depth was added in post, and it's so slapshod it makes it worse.

The problem with Arcane is the general problem with prequels:

No matter how good the prequel is, if the thing that happens after is an unmitigated cash grab dumpster fire where everyone gets reduced down to a two paragraph "I'm in the death arena because..." statement that never even actually answers the question of why they're in the death arena--well, why bother.

(I'm a bit more bitter below, so continue at your own risk. I'm not adding much to my point.)

I'll be honest, Vi and Jinx were better characters on release because they meant nothing. Vi was a butch lesbian ex-con with a heart of gold that punched things and got blackmailed into worked for the police. Jinx was off brand Harley Quinn, if the joker didn't exist (yet) and she got to be him instead. The lack of detail beyond that didn't matter. Even Viktor and Jayce were better off as cyborg Hitler and off brand Tony Stark.

I'm honestly very surprised that Riot ever pushed for a wider narrative and world for the LoL IP. They'd been flattening it down for years so they could sell skins and rework characters whenever they wanted (to sell more skins) and then release more characters that made the old ones narratives not matter at all (so they could rework things again and sell more skins). They started out with a decent amount of lore and world building. They actually had lore based in-game events that mattered. But then they had decided for a long time to not do those things, they pushed for eSports and flat narrative for basically a decade. And now, now that their IP basically sucks and their player numbers are down and their skin sales are down and most of their team from when the game was good have left or been fired (for good reason) and eSports as a genre are in massive decline post nft grift--now they choose to try and have a story. And that story is still not going to affect their game at all.

At a business level, it's a good decision for them. Sure. But on a consumer level it does nothing to draw me back towards the game at all. Though I guess that is just me being aged out of their target demographic. They don't want the nostalgia money. They want the money out of kids demanding premium currency for Christmas.

Arcane is an advanced form of doomed by the narrative/doomed from the beginning because the show is trying so hard to create this serious, intricate story but the endgame of this story is everyone ending up in League of Legends

[eveningdawn222]

people who act like batman isn't "judge jury and executioner" because he doesn't kill people are like. genuinely so funny to me because. they're very obviously thinking of "executioner" as like. the stereotypical guy with axe who chops people heads off, and not, yknow, the literal definition of the idiom itself, which is about someone who has the ability to judge and then subsequently punish someone unilaterally. which is quite literally what batman does.

he has the ability to decide what is a "crime" to him, he is the one who decides whether people are guilty of those crimes, and he is the one who executes their punishment. the severity of the punishment doesn't matter - he is unaccountable to anyone else, and indeed is allowed to commit as many crimes as needed to reach his arbitrary ideal of "justice."

the ideal of batman is this: a man who is so fundamentally changed by an act of senseless violence that he takes it upon himself to fight back against the rot and corruption in the world. he does this not through political activism, not through ridding himself of his wealth in favor of a greater good, not through community outreach, but through an individualistic fantasy of being a hero.

and you'll say: charlie, but he does do that !!! he donates his money all the time, he funds social programs, hospitals, orphanages, gets people jobs -

and i will say this: so why don't things get better?

because here's the base of it. gotham, at its core, can't get better. no matter what bruce wayne does, there will always be more crime, more villains, more death, more people for batman to beat up in back alleys. because that's what sells.

reoffending rates don't matter in gotham, prison reform doesn't matter in gotham, what actually causes crime doesn't matter in gotham because that doesn't sell books.

and so here it is; dc has unintentionally created a world where batman can't win, but can't be wrong, and where thousands of nameless, faceless, only-created-to-die civilians must be pushed into the meat grinder that is gotham, to fuel bruce wayne's angst and vindicate his constant, tireless, noble fight against the forces of evil.

and then: a new robin, who is poor and who's parents are dead or gone because of this cycle; who is happy go-lucky and hated by editors and fans for being robin, for not being dick grayson, for being poor.

and this robin is written, unintentionally or not, to be angry at the ways in which batman's (the narrative's) idea of justice is detached from its victims. bruce seems perfectly fine to allow countless unnamed women to be at risk from garzonas in his home country, yet robin is the one who is portrayed as irrational and violent.

this robin is not detached from gotham in the way bruce wayne is: this robin is a product of gotham.

(and here's the thing. you can't punch aids. you can't fight a disease with colorful fights and nifty gadgets. and how would robin dying from aids add to batman's story; it would call into question the systemic changes that haven't been made in gotham. how does a child get aids, in batman's city?)

so robin dies, and then bruce (the narrative) spends the next couple of decades blaming it on him. it is jason's fault; he was reckless, he just ran in, he thought it was all a game. if only bruce had seen what was coming, if only he could have known that jason wasn't rich enough or smart enough or liked enough to be robin.

batman gets a little more violent, a little more self destructive. he hurts people more and almost (!!) kills a couple guys. this is bad because it's self destructive and "not who he is." it is not bad because batman should not be able to just beat people up when he's angry.

and then he gets a shiny new robin - who is all the things jason "wasn't": rich and smart and rational and he doesn't put who batman is into question. batman and robin are partners, and jason is a grave and a cautionary tale, and (crucially here) never right.

the joker kills thousands and it doesn't matter because they were written to be killed.

batman beats up thousands and it doesn't matter because they were written to be criminals.

and then jason comes back, and nothing has changed. there is a batman and a (shiny! rich!) robin and the joker kills thousands. (because it sells)

and jason is angry - he has been left unavenged - his death has meant nothing, just as willis' had, just as catherine's had, just as gloria's had, just as -

thousands. ten of thousands. hundreds of thousands. written to be killed.

but one of them gets to come back.

and he is angry - not only at the joker, but at bruce (the narrative) - because why is the joker still alive (when thousands-)

here is the thing - jason todd is right. not because the death penalty is good, not because criminals deserve to die, not because of everything he says -

but because of what he calls into question. why is the joker alive?

because he sells books.

and dc has written a masterful character, through no fault of their own, because jason knows what is wrong, and he knows who is at fault - batman. (the narrative)

so the argument that bruce can't kill because he's not judge jury and executioner; the argument that jason is a cop or that jason is insane or that jason is in the wrong here; they hold no weight.

batman can't kill the joker because the joker sells comic books.

and jason can't kill the joker because the joker sells comic books.

so he will beg and plead and grovel - he will betray everything that is himself, he will forsake his family and his city and kill himself - just so that bruce (the narrative) will let the joker die.

he was condemned to death by an audience, and after he came back he has spent his whole life looking us in the eyes and screaming, asking, pleading; why is the joker still alive?

why are thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands (the number doesn't matter, see, because they're just a number. not people. not real.) why are we expendable for his story? why did i have to die just for nothing to change?

and the answer is money. and the answer is the batman can never be wrong. and the answer is shitty writing. and the answer is -

nothing jason can ever change.

which is the worst of it all. he is a victim with no power, and no one else in the world can see it. he is raging and crying and screaming at his father and his writers and you - and it doesn't matter. jason doesn't matter. and he knows it.

[imsobadatnicknames2]

ok but i need the evrart claire essay

Okay just be warned that this is gonna be less of an "essay" and more of a loose collection of thoughts, and I don't know how fresh or novel any of these ideas are going to be when it pertains to popular Disco Elysium fan discourse because I don't really do fandom, you know?

Anyway, I think the most obvious factet of Evrart's character is how he very intentionally calls to mind a caricature of corrupt union leaders, the image of a sleazy mobster who only cares about his own personal gain but pays lip service to leftist politics and pretends to care about the interests of workers as a way to obtain and maintain his power. And I think a lot of people straightforwardly read him as such, because that's the way he carries himself and the type of character the game is riffing on. There's also the question of how much of Evrart's manipulative, duplicitous attitude is just how he normally acts and how much of it is him specifically acting that way towards Harry and Kim specifically, it's important to have in mind that your main character is a cop and that would definitely play a role in making Evrart go out of his way to be a bit more of a bastard and toy with you a bit before he decides to actually do anything helpful.

However, once you dig a little deeper into his characterization, it becomes clear that he's pulling a very interesting double bluff, because it becomes apparent that the shady mobster who only cares about his personal gain is an act he's putting on. He's very self-aware about the fact that he's playing the villain, he seems to actively revel in it, but ultimately, it seems like he does it because playing the villain is the way he gets shit done.

This is not to say he's not actually corrupt, or that he's not ALSO involved in all sorts of shady stuff and taking advantage of his position of power, but the game does make it apparent that on some level he DOES have the interests of the people of Martinaise at heart.

For example, it is textually stated that the harbor doesn't need a night watchman, and Evrart created the position specifically to provide a source of income for René. He knows the pension Rene gets is not enough for him to live on, but he's also aware that René is the sort of right-wing guy who would rather starve to death than take a handout (especially from those dirty union commies), so Evrart created a job position which pretty much involves doing nothing for a few hours every night so he could help him with his economic troubles in a way he wouldn't refuse out of principle. René hates his guts, ideologically stands against everything his organization represents, and is generally an unlikeable asshole and a fascist prick, but he's also a disadvantaged member of the community and that seems to matter more.

Even when he asks you to get the signatures to build the community center, which is definitely one of the most morally questionable things he does during the events of the game (as it will improve the community, but at the same time displace the people from the fishing village), his intentions seem to be ultimately good. Due to the very nature of his character and the act he puts on, it's purposefully hard to tell when he's being sincere and when he's being manipulative. However, if Harry's drama and empathy skills are high enough when he's confronted about it, you'll be able to tell that he's not lying about his motives for wanting to build a community center or about the fact that he intends to provide better housing for the people displaced by the project, and that he feels genuine rage about their current living conditions. It can still be said that he's ignoring their self-determination and essentially forcing these people out of their current homes, but he does seem to have good intentions and think he's doing a good thing for them in the long run, even if his methods are morally questionable at best.

In that way, the Union is an extension of him in this regard too. They're pretty unapologetic about the fact that they're openly operating as a crime syndicate, but the game doesn't give you any reasons to believe they're lying when they say they're doing it as a way to muslce out all the more dangerous gangs and crime organizations out of Martinaise, or that their involvement in the drug trade is at least partially motivated by a desire to make sure it's not controlled by more dangerous and violent crime organizations. Again, they're playing the villain as a way to fill that power vacuum and make sure more dangerous people don't fill that role (but of course, that doesn't erase the fact that, noble as their intentions may be, they're still involved in all these shady activities and turning a pretty substantial profit from them too)

Of course, on the other hand, just because the game seems to hint at the fact that Evrart and the Union are, deep down, a force for good, doesn't erase the fact that he's done plenty of bad shit to further his interests, and the game doesn't shy away from this. He's still extremely corrupt, his long-term plan to wrestle control of the harbor away from the company and turn it into a worker-owned operation (which *would* massively improve the material conditions of the dockworkers if succesful) involves endangering the lives of a lot of his own workers, he and his brother Edgar pass the position of union foreman back and forth between each other to circumvent the term limit and keep themselves in power indefinitely, and if you explore all dialogue options with the Deserter it's all but explicitly stated that they rose to power by getting him to assassinate the previous Union forewoman.

These are things that Evrart himself would probably rationalize as sacrifices that need to be made for the greater good. After all, it is implied that the previous union forewoman was also corrupt, except in favor of the company's interests, and might have even been a company plant. However, this doesn't make those things morally right. Good intentions nonwithstanding, it's clear that the Claire brothers are very "the ends justify the means" kind of people, they probably see getting the previous Union leader killed or endangering the lives of the dockworkers to overthrow the company that exploits them as "pulling the lever" in the trolley problem, which is extremely callous at best.

Here's where we get a little more into "disjointed thoughts" territory, but Evrart can also be seen as a critique of the limits of trade unionism and social democrat politics. Something that I completely missed in my first playthrough but was able to catch on during my second is that the people of the fishing village refuse to unionize, and as a result they don't get the same level of support and protection that the union provides to the people of the more urban section of Martinaise. This is apparently widely known enough for characters other than Evrart to comment on (I forget what character I learned this from, but it was definitely not Evrart). So it's clear that Evrart and the Union put their interests of the members of their own organization over those of other working class people, which is one criticism that can be leveraged against the way a lot of leftists seem to treat unions as the ultimate tool for worker class liberation.

Similarly, when Evrart tells you his long-term plans, it's clear that his ultimate goals don't involve complete worker liberation. As far as the game shows, he's a socdem who's still looking to work within the confines of capitalism. There are more radically left wing characters in Disco Elysium, but Evrart is the only one with any actual power to affect change, which kinda speaks to the lack of presence of more hardline leftist positions in mainstream politics. As someone living in Latin America, I kinda ended up seeing a bit of a lot of our currrent socdem politicians in him in that respect, I guess, but i'd need more time to articulate this thought properly, I guess.

Ultimately, I think Evrart is an amazingly crafted character. He evokes a well-known archetype of a shady, corrupt, power-hungry union leader, but he adds a lot of depth, self-awareness, and nuance to it and subverts that characterization in several ways. I think he atually serves an important role of ideologically challenging players who share the developers' and writers' political leanings. I think it would have been very self-congratulatory and autocomplacent to make the most influential leftist character in the game an unambiguously good paragon of workers' rights and working class liberation. By instead giving us someone who's an absolute callous bastard who definitely has a bit of blood on his hands, who's a socdem at best and a self-serving mob boss at worst, but can ultimately be interpreted as a force for good, and asking the players to decide what they think of him I think it brings interesting questions to the table of our commitment to material gains, what sorts of people we're willing to work with, and the sort of acts we're willing to tolerate, and makes the game a lot more thematically rich.

I also think a good analysis of Evrart is incomplete without an analysis of the ways in which he serves a a charater foil for Joyce, but I don't feel like getting into that rn.

[xenodelic]

Someone came onto one of my posts and started saying stuff like "real animals can't talk / post on tumblr / whatever". Typically anti-otherkin stuff. I looked at their blog briefly, expecting a typical troll. But instead I found, a legitimate blog, of a vaguely left leaning person. They were reblogging stuff about ableism, and trans rights, and children's lack of autonomy in our society.

And i just think, it kinda proves to me that a lot of self proclaimed leftists and progressives don't actually have any sort of core values that drive their political views. Because someone who is against ableism and transphobia and removal of autonomy, sounds like someone who has the core value of accepting people for who they are, no matter how unusual it may seem.

But, clearly, they don't. Because they were going out of their way to bully nonhumans for our identities, and trying to rhetorically argue us out of existence. We don't fit their understanding of the world, so they felt compelled to make rude comments. This person does not actually align themselves to any core values of respect and tolerance, they've just decided that they know which groups deserve it and which don't. And furthermore, upon deciding we don't deserve it, that they're entitled to bully us (presumably until we agree to conform)!

Which is, fundamentally no different than right wing politics. They've also decided they know which groups deserve acceptance, their pool is just narrower than the average leftist.

This is all to say, that it's very important for us all to examine what our core values are and why. Why do we tolerate certain groups of people, and not others? Why is it important to be inclusive, and to not bully people? How do I respond when I encounter someone I don't understand, or someone that makes me viscerally uncomfortable? Can rights be revoked? What rights are unalienable and why?

Having a core set of values to guide you will help you not make a fool out of yourself when you encounter someone or something that don't fit your current understanding of the world. If you encounter something that doesn't fit your understanding, then it's your understanding that should change.

[cookingwithroxy]

The problem is, absolutely none of these exceptionally reasonable things said will at all reach someone like @cuttingcophater because, and I cannot stress this enough:

It is their chosen position that as long as anyone suffers, everyone has to suffer. There can be no escape from that, ever, as long as they have someone that they can hold up as a victim that YOU NEED TO DEAL WITH.

That this is counterproductive does not matter. That it builds resentment does not matter. That they might indeed be ill-informed on the topics that they rally around DOES NOT MATTER.

Because they have decided there is never to be any escape, and as much as they can admit that what they are doing DOES ACTUAL HARM, they do not care. Because someone else, somewhere else, has it 'worse', so you deserve to suffer as well until all conceivable problems are solved.

And this is displayed by every time they have to admit yes, what people like them do does not help anything, does actual harm and causes burnout. But they're still going to do it.

People like that feel entitled to your misery.

I am actually begging some people to just let some spaces exist untouched by real-world issues and horrors.

Like I've lost count of the amount of times peaceful game or fandom servers have been ruined by people stampeding in with political rants, bitching about world issues, demanding internal activism, demanding vent channels so they can whine about their shitty parents, ect.

Like. Respectfully. Not every single space has to be inclusive of and welcoming of outside topics. The real world sucks. We don't needed to be reminded of that absolutely everywhere.

[chaoskull]

Briton Rivière - Una and the Lion

Devoided of Words - part 2

Lion El'Johnson x fem!reader

Summary: Lion has now learned about his mistakes, but in a moment of closeness in isolation, was he truly able to keep such a promise of composure?

Thank you so much for the love on Part 1!

Finally finished part 2, I'm not sure what happened, I had a clear vision on the start, but then I just kept going.

Days have passed since she last saw him, from what she has heard, nothing like that has happened ever since, it was most likely he'd been in the castle for a week.

Unexpectedly, as she wanders through the fortress, she hears the voice of Luther.

A window seat outlooks a patio below, if she's lucky enough she may be able to see him, so she sits inclined forward to observe the scene below her. She can't quite make the situation he's being punished for, but through the strings of curses, and the anger of the one reprimanding him, she can recognize that he won't be able to leave his wrath until he deems him conscious of his actions.

Lion stares at the man, Luther scolds him, but all he thinks is how those men dared to take him away from you days ago, their smell must've been all over you, he despises the ideia. He wished nothing more than to hold you again, bathe you in his scent, he must take you away from them, where no one is to find your location, to be the two of you alone in your closeness.

He knows what he's done is wrong, the look Luther gives him says much, but he ignores the motive he was actually here for, he is to find you tomorrow at best, perhaps you may be near the place he once found you.

Something catches his attention, he's being watched, instinctively he looks up only to find her, she quickly tucks her head in to view him more discreetly, blocking his sight of her. The words stop for a moment and she hears the movement of steps of someone in armor.

Luther approaches the boy, he follows the boy's gaze to the window and he questions Lion, firmly pointing up to the window, he looks back at him dismissively, Luther sighs and pats the boy on the shoulder leading him away.

Now she's curious of the boy's behavior, she'll have no other way, she must find him and have her answers. He might've not spoken to her, but his conviction afflicted her, his utmost obstinacy and determination captivated her. ‘Today I must wait, they don’t seem to want to leave him alone yet’ she concludes.

Luther never thought one could improve their knowledge in such short time, and yet the young man, who he discovered, is far more clever than others he'd deem near his age, in addition to that, he knew nothing before he was taken to study.

To learn a language, as late as the boy started, is both complicated and grueling. He heard from a few colleagues that it would be hard to teach the boy, but this case is exceptional.

Values and morals are complex to understand, but Lion seems to absorb them at an incredible rate.

However, the knight can be stressed at times the beastly habits the boy shows appear erratically, it was to be expected. He was to make Lion into an honored person, he decided it'd be best to teach him another lesson on the matter.

He guides Lion to a study, where he can learn and be uninterrupted, as it seems the boy seems not to care for his teaching. The walls of the room seem to be entirely covered in books, he takes a long while finding which to take as he looks back he's met with the bored gaze of the boy, he's in desperate need to find a second tutor to supervise him.

A round wooden table is positioned in the middle of the room, he places a book he deems fit to educate the young man on it and sits, gesturing for Lion to do the same.

He does what the man asked of him and sits, he did not wish to be reprimanded again, specially after being chastised in her presence, it was humiliating to know that she was attentively watching as Luther shouted rules and principals at him, he doesn’t feel anger as much as he’s ashamed, he thinks she know what it meant when he was punished, that he was wrong for his doing, and so if he was to see her again only for her refuse him as she initially did.

The book cracks when opened, Lion awakes from his thoughts, and Luther starts, he speaks with clarity to emphasize every syllable, the boy was sick of this, he takes a look at the book, searching for words, focusing on their meaning, he points to 'need' and 'girl’.

He did not want to be separated from her so quickly, their moment together was far too short, and yet he yearns for her.

"You've known her for minutes! What are you talking about?!" Luther exclaims, perplexed by his proclamation, "No, you do not." He says as clearly as possible for the boy to definitely understand.

The answer is a simple connection for Lion now, the opposite of ‘no’. "Yes." Lion replies, it's been days since he uttered a word from his mouth, his deep voice, without practice, is hoarse as he speaks. “So now you speak, I see” Luther is starting to feel more irritated by the second.

“I will take you to her, you finish this first” He gives in to the boy’s wishes to prevent what could become a far worse scenario.

Lion's eyes are now trained to the book in full concentration, he silently hears the teachings, just as how it was in his initial days, when he was completely foreign to civilization.

As Luther explains to him the subject of human relations yet again, he disciplines the boy about the importance of boundaries to prevent the boy from being part of another disastrous scene. Lion waits for this expendable conversation to end.

Lesson concluded, as promised, Luther took the boy to where she could possibly be, he found her at a secluded watchtower, now abandoned, many artifacts, books, and scrolls could be seen everywhere.

She was sitting on a couch that was pushed in front of a bookshelf but quickly got up to greet them. What he did not expect was to not be acknowledged, she looked at Lion, who stood still as if he was asking for a cue so he could act.

The look they give each other is what one could describe as embarrassment or nervosism. Luther stands in front of the girl, grabbing Lion by the arm as if he'd latch himself at her immediately if he were let go, they were two adolescents, an adult figure interfering their communication, and so they stare at each other not knowing what to do.

Although it's clear something else is present in Lion's mind, he seems tense at the presence of Luther near you, his jaw was clenched, shapely eying the man, he wishes to get rid of him.

“I've come to you as it seems Lion is fond of your company, I am in need to have a reunion with members of the order” Luther speaks breaking the silence, he pats the boy on the shoulder and takes his leave. “I'll leave you two be, Lion” He says in a warning tone.

The moment the knight is out of sight he gets closer, he knows you won't be interrupted a second time if he is to be less abrupt, so he tries to get near her as caustically as possible. That is in his view to walk towards her and embrace her in his arms.

Luckily she expected it to be like this and so she lets him hold her, waiting until his grip on her loosens a little to move back.

“Do you… speak now or…?” She tentatively asks and receives no verbal answer, only another grunt.

He tries again to envelope her in an embrace, but she quickly catches his arms holding in place, he leans forward anyways, in what could be almost considered a careful attempt to pounce on her, only to make her stumble from his weight and fall back to the couch.

She winces, being squashed between him and the furniture. “What a graceful hunter you must've been.” she comments and is met by a displeased gaze from Lion. “...you understand me?” she asks, curious to know if he knew what she said.

He presses her further on the couch only to drop himself entirely on top of her, pulling his arms off her hands. He nods, no matter how much he learns, he's always kept himself silent, although now that could change, there is more that stops him from doing so.

Even in an environment that is foreign to him, Lion had always had himself in control, as a hunter he'd have a plan for all possible scenarios in his head. Now his issue was not one in need of a violent or authoritarian resolve, he was to present himself in a much different way, one he had no idea on how to do so.

Caring gestures were out of his mastery, as of now he's found a solution, closeness. At times, in the forest and castle, he'd been observant of the couples, both beast and human, one common factor had always been fisical affinity.

In truth, the reason for his lack of words was that Lion was not trusting of his speech, he had no knowledge of the habits of humans in such regard, as the subject seems to be closed for those who participate in such costumes and Luther had no interest in teaching him about such things.

The girl was waiting for a response that would not be uttered, even if he did know what she said meant he could not answer her yet. His expression said enough, he thinks, although in her vision he practically didn't move a line on his face. But one thing didn't change, his eyes, once again, almost made her tremble in his hold.

He leans in, his face getting closer to hers for a second - she notices the awful bruise he must've gotten had healed already - only to nuzzle on her hair and shoulder. She will be certainly his, he'll make sure they will all know that.

“What are you doing, Lion?” She says, just to avoid having a long period of stillness.

Placing her hands on his shoulder blades she can feel the rise and fall of his breaths, and when doing so she notes a fairly small hum coming from his throat.

Shifting slightly to properly lay on the couch she accidentally drops a book she was reading before. The action surprised Lion, lifting himself from her to look at the perpetrator only to find another book, how he despises them now.

She reaches out for it but is stopped by Lion who takes it himself and is about to throw it across the room “You want to read it?” He stops to look at her, she seems so interested as she looks at him in fascination, an itch let her read it takes ahold of him, no matter how much he despises when Luther does so.

Shoving the book to her, she takes it, and opens to reveal what appears to be a historical book, she does not truly know what could be understood by him, but regardless she starts to read to him.

Lion didn't care for it, he stopped listening after a while, all he could concentrate on was her voice, her lips, and eyes. He had to sit beside her, inclining into her back. A hunting beast can wait patiently for long before they are certain they'll claim their prey, and now he embraces her, in a blissful moment, as if his life depended on it.

A true successful capture would be if no one was to disturb the two of them, but that will soon happen no matter how much he's against it.

I'm not sure I'll be able to continue writing so I kinda left it on an open ending, hope yall like it!

[littlegreen]

to me there are essentially two ways this shakes out. either buck is going to try and be supportive, while fighting against his natural instinct to blow the whole place up. and he ends up making a series of baffling, but comical decisions to try and make eddie stay — choices that he’s making mostly subconsciously. but then when it comes down to the wire and he realizes that he actually cannot prevent eddie from moving he just goes “okay well i’ve decided i’m coming with you.” and eddie’s like “buck you can’t do that. you have a life here” and buck is like “well not without you and chris. it’s not the same.” and whatever. it doesn’t end up mattering and somehow eddie moving is averted and everyone ends up in LA. yay! but it’s still like. buck buckley why did you do that. the other option is eddie does make it to el paso and buck just shows up outside his door like a sick dog trying to make his way back to his owner and he pulls out those big, wet eyes and goes pleaseeee come back eddie. i have never felt worse in my life. actually. and i can’t take it anymore. what do i have to do to get you to come back? and also it’s raining. while he says all this.

[asrielinfected]

I Can Treat You Better

Paring: Jenna Ortega x Female Reader

Summary: You’re speaking to Jenna about your ex boyfriend that broke up with you. Things seem to escalate from then on.

Warning: Profanity

Authors Note: Ngl, I got lazy and rushed a bit. So I apologize if there is any mistakes.🫡

Words counted: 1.4K

You and Jenna were bestfriends since childhood. No matter the situation you both would be there for each other.

And of course you call her to meet up with you, and talk about your toxic relationship with your boyfriend. Well ex boyfriend.

There was a thing about your best friend that you didn’t know. Jenna had been falling for you hard. Ever since you were kids and it never seemed like her feelings for you would stop anytime soon.

When she heard you got a boyfriend she was absolutely devastated, but she knew that she needed to stay positive and supportive for the sake of your friendship.

So when she heard you guys broke up she couldn’t help, but feel a little relieved.

You’re currently here with Jenna, sitting at a table in a restaurant, gossiping about how toxic he was, while Jenna listens.

“I can’t believe I even dated that guy. He was a fucking jerk. I was just too blind to notice,” You rolled your eyes to the thought of him and grumbled as you took a sip of your drink.

“Yeah, Y/N from the way you described him he is a total asshole, I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Jenna commented.

“I know right!? Who the hell does he think he is, moving on so fast. Actually.. I’m going to see who he decided to leave me for, I feel sorry for them.”

As you pick up your phone to go look you kept on rambling about him, but Jenna still seemed to listen no matter how much you talked, not taking her eyes off you for even a second.

Jenna finally decides to speak again after you’ve been angrily talking about your ex.

“I can treat you better than he can,” Jenna says quietly but loud enough for you to hear.

You then put down your phone, and look at your friend after those words came out of her mouth.

“What did you say, Jen?,” You looked at Jenna Ortega with confusion.

You were so oblivious to Jenna’s feelings towards you.

Jenna finally snaps out of her loving gaze she was staring at you with, and immediately started to think about something to cover up what she just said.

“I meant that he treated you shitty. If I were him I wouldn’t have ever thought of leaving,”

“Oh, exactly! I was such a good girlfriend to him. Still he chose to be disloyal.”

After you said that, there was some silence between you two until you spoke again.

“Yknow I’m so glad we’re friends, Jen,”

As those words left your mouth Jenna couldn’t help, but smile. “Im glad too, Y/N,”

There’s a thing about you that made her fall in love. You always made her feel wanted when she was with you. You were truly a great friend to her. She just wishes you both could be more.

You smile back at her, but then you soon realized that you had to get back to your house, because you were about to have company over.

“Shit! I lost track of time. I’m sorry but I have to leave. I’ll text you when I get home.”

You grabbed your things, quickly pay for the bill, and leave. But not without giving Jenna a hug.

Jenna wished that hug would’ve lasted longer but fully understood you had other places to be. And with that, Jenna also puts all her stuff in her purse and returns to her apartment.

She went ahead and hopped in the shower for 30 minutes, and then went to get dressed in her pajamas to relax.

Jenna checked her phone, and saw the message you left for her 10 minutes ago.

It read, “Me family came. sorre that we could not had talke more longer :(”

jenna saw the message, and texted her back, “No worries. Also Y/N your grammar is awful.”

“Go fuck yourself, Ortega”

Jenna snickers at your response, “no need to get angry Y/N, Im going to go to sleep, love you.”

Jenna texted that, and went ahead to close her phone. She laid down on her bed, about to go to sleep but she had a notification pop up on her screen saying,

“Love u toooo”

Jenna Ortega smiled brightly at the sight, and then went to sleep.

The next morning she was awaken to noise in her kitchen. She lives alone.

She knew being famous would mean meeting crazy fans, but not a person breaking into her home!

The poor girl was already jumping into conclusions.

She quickly grabbed her pepper spray and walked slowly to the kitchen, and saw that the persons back was facing towards her.

The mysterious person turns around when they heard footsteps stop. As they do, they get sprayed in the eye with pepper spray.

It turns out it was just you making breakfast for Jenna.

Once Jenna noticed it was you she immediately threw the pepper spray on the ground.

You screamed in agony as you fell on the ground.

“WHAT THE FUCK, JEN!?”

Jenna may had forgot that she gave you the keys to her apartment.

“Shit! I’m so sorry!”

She quickly ran to get you water. As soon as you got the water you poured it on your eyes, hoping that the pain will go away.

Newsflash, it didn’t.

It still helped ease the pain though. Jenna kept on apologizing as she sat you down in her bedroom.

“Jenna please be quiet, it was an accident it’s fine”

“No Y/N that was completely my fault. I totally forgot that I gave you a key to my apartment. Yknow how fans are these days. Can you at least open your eyes”

“I’ll try,” You say as you opened both of your eyes, but not completely. All you saw when you opened your eyes was Jenna’s face close to yours.

Jenna obviously knew what she was doing but has to stay professional because she was the one who caused this.

“Just wait a few minutes. It’ll feel better. I’m sorry again”

You nodded, and closed your eyes again as your back laid down on Jenna’s bed.

It had been quiet for a few minutes and Jenna went ahead, and broke it.

“Y/N, can I just say something really quick. I know this isn’t the time, but you’re already here.”

You sighed and sat up in Jenna’s bed again, you could now open your eyes again without it hurting like hell, “Go ahead and say it, Jen.”

What you didn’t prepare for is that Jenna was about to confess her whole entire feelings to you.

The girl took a deep breath in before speaking, and she spoke quickly, “Y/N I can’t hold back my feelings for you anymore. I had feelings for you for a while, and I mean, a while. I know this isn’t the proper time, because I just pepper sprayed you, and your boyfriend broke up with you, but I feel like I wouldn’t have an opportunity like this again if I don’t say my feelings for you. I love you I really do. I can treat you better than those guys, if you just gave me the chance to do so.

You stared at Jenna with wide eyes, your mouth open in shock and you trying to process all that she said.

This is why she never spoke about her relationship status, this is why she avoided questions about having an crush, this is why.

It’s all starting to come together now.

You actually did not know what to do in this situation. Your best friend had romantic feelings for you. How could you be this dumb.

But then, Jenna let her inner thoughts win over her, and hesitated before grabbing both sides of your face and pulling you into a kiss.

You were even more stunned when she did that.

You felt her try to deepen the kiss and you instantly pull away.

“I’m sorry, I just can’t deal with this today..”

You quickly get off her bed and leave the apartment.

Leaving her disappointed and guilty on why would she do that and say that.

First your boyfriend broke up with you. Second, you get pepper sprayed by your bestfriend, because she thought you were an intruder. Lastly, that bestfriend confessed her feeling for you, and kissed you.

This is a lot to take in

[goddessofroyalty]

Fandom: Arcane

Verse: Work-Life Balance

Pairing: Jayce/Viktor

Tags: omegaverse, future-mpreg

Still not a prompt fill (I will start on them I swear!) but I’ve been meaning to write Viktor deciding he wants to have a baby with Jayce because of scientific curiosity for a while now. So I am glad this is written.

And yes I did have an image of them both open while I was writing this to compare which features I think Viktor would prefer from which one of them.

----------------

Viktor doesn’t often get to watch Jayce work.

There is nearly always something else that can be done while Jayce creates a new casing or frame-part. Either wiring to be soldiered or a formula to continue working through. So much work to be done and never enough hours in the day.

Not this time. They had hit a point where nothing further could be done until Jayce finished forging the guard that would separate the Hextech core from the external mechanisms. So Viktor had joined him at the Talis’ Forge despite having complete faith in Jayce’s ability to do it right.

Supervising just feels more productive than merely waiting. And Viktor does enjoy watching his partner work on the rare opportunities he can allow himself to.

He will not deny that Jayce is impressive to watch when he is at work.

His shirt has been abandoned from the heat giving Viktor full view of the muscles of his partner’s broad shoulders shining from sweat and golden from the light of the furnace. The alpha’s strength on full display with each hammer fall. The profile of his face defined by the shadows cast by his features.

From the moment he met him Viktor knew Jayce was impressive, both in body and mind.

The physical part was impossible for anyone to miss. Jayce was stunning to look at, the very definition of an ideal alpha. Strong and fit but not hulking. Broad shoulders that taper into a defined waist and warm arms that it is so very easy to imagine being carried in. He is fit and healthy and seems to naturally draw the eyes of all around him.

But it was Jayce’s mind that had actually made Viktor interested in him. The ideas in his notes were genius even if Viktor had seen where they could be improved. Jayce hadn’t disappointed after they started working together. His intelligence may not be the same as Viktor’s, but the ease he could conceive and create the exact tool to fix the problem before them was inspired. Working with him was working with Viktor’s true intellectual equal.

Viktor can hardly blame the fans that fawn over his partner when Jayce makes public appearances. Anyone would want Jayce as a mate. His genetics alone ample reason before adding in his gentle kindness and sweet awkwardness.

All of it traits his hypothetical children could inherit.

Although if Viktor seriously considers the possibility of Jayce and children, then, while Jayce has many traits that would be desirable to see passed down, he is not perfect.

While Jayce’s hands are very skilled at what they do they lack the fineness and dexterity of Viktor’s own. So a child would do well to inherit from Viktor instead in that regard.

Even with his strong square jaw Jayce’s brow and eyebrows always seem to overpower his face. It would be good for a child to have one more like Viktor’s – less prominent and with a lower hairline to soften it.

While Viktor appreciates Jayce’s intelligence far more than the average person he will admit his bias in preferring that his own would be passed onto any child of theirs.

Then there are the things that matter less which way they go. Jayce’s skin may seem to glow under the golden light of his forge or the sun but Viktor’s hardly blemishes apart from a mole here or there. They both have good eyesight and neither possess a particularly outstanding eye colour. The texture of both their hairs is equal in strengths even if different.

Together they could make a glorious child.

Viktor would be remiss not to consider how difficult a pregnancy would be for him before letting his mind follow the thought any further. His body is deteriorating, he knows, and the weight of a baby on his spine would do it no favors.

Hextech hadn’t been easy either though. And it had been worth all the effort and pain and risk it took to create.

He would need only do it once to test his hypothesis.

“What are you thinking about Vik?” Jayce asks, taking off the wielding goggles as he turns around. The rest of his gear already put aside.

“I think I want a baby.”

Jayce stumbles, knocking into the table next to him. Catching himself to lean against it. The muscles in his arm bulging from the force he’s pushing down on it with.

“What?” he asks, free hand gesturing emptily. “Like generally or-“

“No, with you.” Viktor cannot say he ever thought about having a child before. His work always far too important. The idea of having one with someone else is not at all appealing. But with Jayce-

They created Hextech together as partners. The kind of child they could make together actually feels exciting in the way the early days of their partnership did. An unexplored potential that Vitktor wants to see reached.

“Right,” Jayce says, glancing at Viktor then up at the ceiling and then the floor in rapid succession. His hand comes to scratch behind his ear as he pushing himself off the table to stand fully upright. “Like now?”

“Well conception rarely is successful on the first try,” Viktor says, reaching for his cane as he stands up and walks over to Jayce. More to pace as he explains the process than anything. “And a pregnancy takes 40 weeks if it goes to full-term. So in about a year. If we start trying now.”

It is better they do it sooner than later if they are going to. How long before the deterioration of Viktor’s body makes him unable to carry a pregnancy an unknown.

“You’re serious,” Jayce says with a weak laugh.

“Of course. I would not joke about something like that.” It would be cruel to. “So do you want to or not?”

“Yes! I mean, if you want. Are you sure? It’s- You’ll- Us- A baby-“ Jayce stutters adorably. Viktor hopes their child inherits Jayce’s earnestness. “Do you want to start trying now?”

Viktor gives a hum of contemplation.

“We can install that first,” he decides, pointing to the guard that should be nearly done cooling. “But tonight, yes. If that works for you.”

“I don’t have any other plans,” Jayce jokes awkwardly and Viktor notes Jayce’s smile as another thing he hopes they inherit.

[comikadraws]

Did Kishimoto write ANY naruto light novel at all or at least contributed to one of them? Should we consider them canon or not?

The Canon Value of the Naruto Novels

(and filler episodes)

Oof. Naruto canon is a complex thing, actually, because each and every piece of material we've got is inconsistent in some way and is getting discredited left and right.

I have previously explained in a different post how the Naruto manga and the Databooks have repeatedly retconned themselves or each other despite both having been authored by Kishimoto. Evidently, there is not one 100% secure source for canon Naruto lore.

Novel Authors

While the Novels do credit Kishimoto right on the cover page alongside other authors (in this case, Takashi Yano and Jun Esaka), they do not specify the degree of Kishimoto's involvement with the work.

The Naruto Wiki states the following:

"Though each novel tends to be written by different authors, all novels have covers illustrated by the respective manga's illustrator [Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto respectively]"

So, to my knowledge, most if not all of the novels written for the Naruto series were not authored by Kishimoto himself. His name on the novel covers likely only refers to his authorship of the original Naruto series (which the novels are based on) and/or his contribution as an illustrator.

J-books, at the very least, never credits Kishimoto as the "author" but instead for being the "original creator".

Japanese: 原作:岸本斉史 著者:江坂純 English: Original work: Masashi Kishimoto Author: Jun Esaka

Wikipedia does, in one instance, credit Kishimoto as a "co-author", but I'd take this with a grain of salt.

Incorporation into the Naruto Franchise

When it comes to whether or not the novels (and, by extension, filler episodes) should be considered canon, you will encounter two camps:

Those who consider anything canon as long as it was officially published as part of the Naruto franchise

Those who consider anything canon as long as it was written or supervised by Kishimoto himself

As you can see, "canon" appears to be a personal interpretation.

Jun Esaka, the author of Sasuke Retsuden, stated in a Tweet that she considers the manga to be the only truth/canon of the Narutoverse.

She made this statement in 2019 in spite of Sasuke Retsuden having been given an illustration by Kishimoto at the time of its release. This is not a particularly radical take as even the Naruto movies (that are largely considered non-canonical by the fandom) have received official illustrations made by Kishimoto.

(Below are Kishimoto's illustrations for the Shippuden movie and the Bonds movie)

Later (in 2022), Sasuke Retsuden received a manga adaptation (albeit by a different mangaka than Kishimoto, which is Shingo Kimura), and was eventually turned into an anime filler. The latter is considered anime canon, and the problem with anime canon is that Ikemoto has no qualms about referencing "anime canon" episodes in the Boruto manga (which also resulted in the appearance of Tsumire).

Could all of this promotion of Sasuke Retsuden mean that Jun Esaka's work received canon status in spite of her previous statements? You can certainly argue, but then you will run into a similar issue with the movies because the Road to Ninja movie got a manga one-shot.

With all of these variables to consider, I have come to the following conclusion: Canon is a matter of convenience and semantics.

Canon Convenience and Semantics

I cannot emphasize enough how much both considering and not considering the novels canon is valid because "canon" is a matter of semantics that relies on convenience.

In its original, religious meaning, "canon" describes a list of authoritative books accepted as holy scripture. Emphasis on "accepted" because scriptures are considered "canon" not on the condition of who authored them but based on what others decided is authentic and what is not.

Fandom then adopted the term "canon" and now it describes whatever we want it to describe. Typically, fan-made works are considered "uncanonical" by default (exceptions apply, such as with the SCP universe; please don't google this if you cannot handle horror) and any "official" content (ie. released by official publishers) is considered "canon". But then some franchises will have fans that try to redefine the meaning of "canon", focusing on authorial intent only. This definition includes works that the author intended or accepted as true to their story, or supervised or collaborated on. And then there are those who believe that there is only one "original story" or will reserve the term "canon" to works exclusively authored by the original creator.

So yes, it truly is about convenience. This is the impression I've been getting from the fandom so far, at the very least. The canon value of different projects is often not questioned on its own but instead in conjunction with berating other fans for liking certain characters or ships, surrounding their statements with comments such as "xy fans believe glorified fanfiction 🤭", denying them any ground to stand on.

Not that hate is the only reason, however. I, for example, will refer only to the manga and databooks for my analyses both for the sake of cutting down on time and effort (no way in hell am I foresting through 90 hours of filler content), and also because I try to appeal to a broad audience that includes manga/databook purists.

Needless to say, the additional content (anime, novels, movies) conflicts with manga and Databook information more often than I'd like, too, making it even harder for me to puzzle together Naruto canon. Taking all of these additional materials into account would only be an additional burden. But since the definition of "canon" is not universal, I feel free to define "canon" in a way that assists me rather than weighs me down.

My point is: The fandom has not yet agreed on one definition of "canon" and it likely never will. You need to choose what you are comfortable with. And if you are met with fandom warriors who will insult you for that, keep in mind they are just trying to play historian over something as ridiculous as wizard ninjas.

[doctorbarontsct]

Marius shrugged, trying as much as he can to seem normal. The fact that he wasn’t yelling at Von Raum at the moment or attacking him because he’d fucking said not to talk to him? Might have been considered a good sign, on the one hand.

On the other, Marius knew it was just because he felt so cold, and tired, and ready to stop. What would fighting his counterpart even do right now?

“My Lyf’s not immortal,” he said quietly. “The one time they came back— bargain with a god. Not your Yog’Sothoth. Not going to say it’s full name, just in case. Teppy.”

Fuck, Lyf would have probably explained this whole story better. They’d have glanced over at him, laughed a little, and gone that’s not it at all, didn’t I tell you—

Lyf wasn’t here.

“Teppy keeps its deals, but does so in the most annoying way possible,” Marius said, closing his eyes. Maybe— maybe Lyf had made another deal, no matter how bad the conditions would be. “So, Lyf wanting to live? Fine. They were stuck in a nightmare labyrinth for three months, could only sometimes remember anyone in the process, and the idea was they had to find their own way out.”

Huh, oddly quiet here, wasn’t it?

“Was actual nightmares, though, so. . . got to see them in my dreams, a few times,” Marius said. “They remembered me, sometimes. Remembered liking me, remembered hating me. . . Stabbed me once, too, which. . .”

He decided not to finish that sentence. The mechanisms back home typically didn’t enjoy hearing how hot he found it when Lyf stabbed people (including him). These ones probably wouldn’t enjoy either that or him breaking down crying because he just wanted them to stab him again.

“Just hope they’re not in there again,” Marius said finally. “Getting them out was a whole different. . . I don’t think I could take the train experience again. But I would, if that meant they were okay in the end.”

https://www.tumblr.com/doctorbarontsct/765335072373178368/when-marius-sees-the-flash-of-rainbow-hair-out-of?source=share

"Someone took away your Jonny's harmonics privileges. They can't figure out where I keep finding mine, so they can't take away mine," Jonny said as he played on.

"Jonny," Brian said finally. "Cut the shit before I tell Raphaella to take your brain out and put you in a jar until it grows back. Again. Marius is very obviously not well, and you're picking a fight with him. Please, love." He sighed, looking over Marius once again. "Okay. So, it's been a few weeks since you could last move your arm. This slug is likely what's preventing you from being able to move it, and we don't want to do anything until we have somewhere to safely put it."

Tim hummed. "Jar could work. I'm just saying we should think about putting in the jar."

"You just want to give it to Raphaella so she stops pouting her science projects dying," Jonny grumbled.

Tim just smiled. "Is that so wrong?"

[ @allthesemechanismsbutnocoping ]

"That's about it, I think?" Marius said. He willfully doesn't think about the amount of food he's had over the last few weeks. Or sleep. Or the toe thing, or the mines, or the fact that his other arm is still not working, or the number of things he didn't even mention on Tumblr because he thought this universe's Lyf would have a heart attack.

It's not like that lightning strike did any permanent damage anyway.

"But yeah, somewhere to put it safely, and we're sure taking it out won't make things worse," he added, because that seemed like a very important point he'd made, and he didn't want anyone forgetting that one.

[changbinsboobs]

who in skz would mtl marry someone due to getting them pregnant by acting recklessly or on implusive behaviours without using protection or if they were drunk per se?

Skz MTL to marry someone cuz of accidental pregnancy

So as with most men when faced with a difficult question or decision they evaded the question and situation and put the burden of that on the woman💀 im not very satisfied with the kind of "answers" i got but im gonna do my best. Just gonna say that they have no idea how they would go about it and they would feel terrible - like overall thats the predominant energy. But imma go into details now.

Chan

He really, really doesn't want to. And im either getting the vibe that he would like the kid to be aborted (if the moms also on board), cuz he won't be there to provide any support and he doesn't want the responsibility of it. Or on the other hand im getting an energy where he's gonna just suck it up and bear the consequences of his reckless actions, no matter the price. Idk which ones the more prevelent one tho, so may be his inner wish vs what he actually does.

Lee Know

Would think lots and lots abot the whole situation including if he wants to keep the baby or not. Either way, if the mom decides to keep it he'll provide financial security for sure! Im not really seeing anything about being a father or marriage - but he wants to act correctly in the matter as much as possible so im not really sure here either im not getting any answers on the marriage thing but im definitely getting confirmation on him being at least financially supportive whit whatever the woman and the child may need and im actually getting a friendship relationship at least. So even if they don't get married he will be a present figure every once in a while in his child's life.

Changbin

He would be ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATED!!!!! But he will marry here. I was actually a bit unsure while drawing the cards but now that im immersing myself in this energy i think in his head there's no other way about this. How can he fail his duties as a man and impregnate a woman he had no intentions on marrying or impregnating and then leaving her on her own?! With HIS child?!?! Tarnishing her honor?!?!!? Being an embarrassment and failure to his family? Bringing shame upon them?!?!! He could NEVER do that. And thats why he's so devastated because he feels like such a failure for being so reckless and doing such a fatal, life changing mistake. And the worst of all - he wants to marry for love. But probably he wouldn't. Because if he loves the woman he's sleeping with, this child wouldn't be accidental in the way that its unwanted. No matter what he would embrace it with all his being. But if the pregnancy causes anxiety in him, then its not the woman for him, and now he's forced to marry a woman he doesn't love, while the love of his life is somewhere out there looking for him, waiting. And he feels like he's disappointing her even too, because he can't go out and find her, as he has to stay home with his wife and raise a child that was unwanted, that's not HIS (destined) child.

(I swear that guys into some spiritual shit) (Also i feel like exagerates the hefthiness of the situation i think, but thats another thing i notice in a lot of men where they just make such a big deal of things and make it all so complicated ugh...drama queens)

Hyunjin

My guy would welcome it with open arms. Not seeing specifically marriage, but i think he would be pretty excited about being a dad and i can see him being easily persuaded into marriage for the greater good of the child. Arrangements can be made along the way. The energy's very easy-going and uncomplicated which actually surprises me a bit but out of all i think he has the best energy about this.

Han

Short and sweet: he doesn't have to worry about that (que a smug smile)

(Do with that what you want)

Felix

I don't think he would marry. He wants his autonomy, his freedom. He will provide support tho, and he's ready to work something out that works for both (all) parties. Im seeing him also being fully ready to be a father figure if needed, being of constant help in many different ways. But i don't think he'll tie himself down like that.

Seungmin

No

I.N

This one's the most difficult to read i dont even know what i should right on here cuz its all so muffled. For your information he has The Moon card and the energy here's so gloomy and sticky and damp and muffled. I think if he gets faced with the news he would go into a minor depression for a while, all kinds of voiced ing at him, not being able to find the right path, i think he would be a mess and not know ANYTHING. He wont know how he feels about the baby, if he wants to keep it or not, if he likes the girl, if he wants to marry, if he wants to marry HER, about his parents, about her parents, he will just have one big hole in his mind but at the same time thousand of different voices and thoughts all around him suffocating him so in short - i think he'll be in a state where he's completely incapable of doing whatever it was and more or less leave the girl be completely on her own, which lead me to believe that eventually he'll abandon her and not marry her cuz the energy gives me similar vibes. Being in a frozen state not giving a definitive no but not a yes either, not giving anything - equals abandonment in my opinion. If you're not gonna be there mentally anyways then whats the use?

As in lots of my readings i feel like the maknea line wasn't very vocal and didn't have much to say about this but the older once had plenty to say apparently😂 maybe thats a genuine fear they've had flow in their head every once in a while😂

Most

1.Hyunjin / Changbin

2.Lee Know

3.Chan

4.Felix

5.I.N

6.Seungmin

Least

Hans outside of the table cuz my guy doesn't habe to worry about that apparently🙌🏻

[hollowed-theory-hall]

i remember you mentioned Harry loves spending time with Diary bc of his connection with Voldemort (or i think so) but what about Voldemort in his head? does he loves it or not? i also think after death-and-rebirth he kinda feel more lighter and even sad about it

Like, it's canon Harry likes to just hold the diary becouse he feels drawn to it, even before knowing how it works:

Harry couldn’t explain, even to himself, why he didn’t just throw Riddle’s diary away. The fact was that even though he knew the diary was blank, he kept absentmindedly picking it up and turning the pages, as though it were a story he wanted to finish. And while Harry was sure he had never heard the name T. M. Riddle before, it still seemed to mean something to him, almost as though Riddle was a friend he’d had when he was very small, and had half-forgotten. But this was absurd. He’d never had friends before Hogwarts, Dudley had made sure of that.

(CoS, Ch13)

That's an actual quote from the book.

Also, later on, Tom has to literally spell out that he's Voldemort because Harry was just completely unwilling to accept that his new BFF Tom who he might have a baby crush on is evil:

“Tom — Tom Riddle?” Riddle nodded, not taking his eyes off Harry’s face. “What d’you mean, she won’t wake?” Harry said desperately. “She’s not — she’s not — ?” “She’s still alive,” said Riddle. “But only just.” [...] “Are you a ghost?” Harry said uncertainly. “A memory,” said Riddle quietly. “Preserved in a diary for fifty years.” He pointed toward the floor near the statue’s giant toes. Lying open there was the little black diary Harry [...] For a second, Harry wondered how it had got there — but there were more pressing matters to deal with. “You’ve got to help me, Tom,” Harry said, raising Ginny’s head again. “We’ve got to get her out of here. There’s a basilisk . . . I don’t know where it is, but it could be along any moment. . . . Please, help me —” Riddle didn’t move. [...] But his wand had gone. “Did you see — ?” He looked up. Riddle was still watching him — twirling Harry’s wand between his long fingers. “Thanks,” said Harry, stretching out his hand for it. A smile curled the corners of Riddle’s mouth. He continued to stare at Harry, twirling the wand idly. “Listen,” said Harry urgently, his knees sagging with Ginny’s dead weight. “We’ve got to go! If the basilisk comes —” “It won’t come until it is called,” said Riddle calmly. [...] “What d’you mean?” he said. “Look, give me my wand, I might need it —” Riddle’s smile broadened. “You won’t be needing it,” he said. Harry stared at him. “What d’you mean, I won’t be — ?” “I’ve waited a long time for this, Harry Potter,” said Riddle. “For the chance to see you. To speak to you.” “Look,” said Harry, losing patience, “I don’t think you get it. We’re in the Chamber of Secrets. We can talk later —” “We’re going to talk now,” said Riddle, still smiling broadly, and he pocketed Harry’s wand. Harry stared at him. There was something very funny going on here. . . .

(CoS, Ch17)

Like, it takes Harry forever to get to the realization something is wrong even though Tom steals his wand and says mysterious evil shit because Harry was so desperate to keep Tom as his friend.

I mentioned here, how Harry does like his mental connection to Voldemort in DH in a way because it gives him a sense of purpose.

Harry is the one to decide they should be wearing the locket after he sensed life from it:

“Can you feel it, though?” Ron asked in a hushed voice, as he held it tight in his clenched fist. “What d’you mean?” Ron passed the Horcrux to Harry. After a moment or two, Harry thought he knew what Ron meant. Was it his own blood pulsing through his veins that he could feel, or was it something beating inside the locket, like a tiny metal heart? “What are we going to do with it?” Hermione asked. “Keep it safe till we work out how to destroy it,” Harry replied, and, little though he wanted to, he hung the chain around his own neck, dropping the locket out of sight beneath his robes, where it rested against his chest beside the pouch Hagrid had given him.

(DH, Ch14)

He's also the one of the trio that insists they should be wearing the locket even after they learn of it's effects, while Hermione suggests that maybe they really shouldn't:

“Hmm,” said Hermione, looking down at the heavy gold locket. “Well, maybe we ought not to wear it. We can just keep it in the tent.” “We are not leaving that Horcrux lying around,” Harry stated firmly. “If we lose it, if it gets stolen — ”

(DH, Ch15)

Ron is also against wearing Horcruxes, while Harry didn't seem to mind keeping the cup in his pocket:

Harry pulled the Horcrux from the pocket of the wet jacket he had just taken off and set it down on the grass in front of them. Glinting in the sun, it drew their eyes as they swigged their bottles of juice. “At least we can’t wear it this time, that’d look a bit weird hanging around our necks,” said Ron, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

(DH, Ch27)

So, yeah, I think Harry definitely could feel his connection to Tom and the various Horcruxes.

I do think, once he comes back to life, he feels emptier, like a part of him is gone in a way. He'd feel lighter like a weight was taken off his shoulders, but I think he'd also feel off and aimless. I talked about it more here.

It's why I think Harry should've gone back for 8th year, I think getting his NEWTs and the familiar environment at Hogwarts would do him good after everything. Give my boy a break.

[lovelaetter]

cant stop thinking about stepmom!taeyeon who manipulates and eventually convinces her werewolf stepkid to use her body on the day the full moon comes out 🥺…

the moment it actually happens, she gets more than expected and it’s so painfully pleasurable but hey at least the dick hit the spots iykwim

MONSTERFUCKING, STEPCEST

i’m going to be so honest with you anon, i love this. i love this a lot and you know it because the day you sent this i posted that i wanted to kiss you and i still do but for some reason i can seem to write anything around this and it’s the reason this post is going to be so straightforward, only fuck*ng not background as much as i love, i really tried but couldn’t come up with anything i liked :( that being said..

she would so take a double look at your cock because jesus, why is it so big? it was already hard for her to take you the first time you fucked ever, human form and all, but this? sure she would feel for days, no matter how much time you spent between her thighs, always the dotting daughter, the caring girl, lapping at her sweet cunt to get her ready, using your now longer tongue to open your way inside her. thighs and waist burning with the little cuts from your claws, she doesn’t dare to look down and see the mess it must look, can’t do much but whimper and try to hold your arms as you move her around the you feel like, whispering in the sweet voice of hers “sweet girl, calm down, please” when you growl at her neck, frustrated that you can’t seem to fit inside her, your tip pushing against her entrance a little insistently. would slide her hands between your bodies, moaning just from feeling you under her touch, using her own fingers for a while, she’s so unbelievable wet, can take three so easily, but it’s not like her hand is that big.

there would be so much going on once you finally slide inside her— she thinks she’s being split in two, your teeth grazing her neck and a deadly grip on her waist and it’s too much but it’s nothing because it’s barely half of you and she needs more, kicks and screams but pushes back, wants you deep. keeps one hand over her belly the whole time to feel you hitting there, clearly growing more and more wet each time. when you start to simply push, knot forcing its way inside her already abused pussy, has lost count of how many time she has come by then but does again so hard, it’s like the first time, feeling herself get even more full with cum. and speaking of cum, there’s just so much of it… once you manage to slide out, she feels so dirty at how it just keeps flowing out of her, but at same time it’s so good. all the pain, worth it.

lays there with you later and wouldn’t complain if you decide to lap at her some more, in fact finding it endearing, maybe it’s a werewolf thing, a way to try and soothe her sore cunt. she loves you so much, you’re not hers but still, such a good daughter, always caring for her, even like this :( does she have any idea of how to explain to your dad what are all the cuts on her body? hell no, but she can think of something.

[cosmicjoke]

Okay, I've got one more bone to pick about the way people mischaracterize Levi's refusal to tell Jean that killing is right as Levi actually making some sort of moral statement and expressing his belief that killing is wrong. I really do wonder how people come up with this stuff.

Levi saying he doesn't know whether Jean choosing not to kill is right or wrong isn't the same as him saying he thinks killing is wrong. It’s Levi allowing Jean to decide that for himself, based on his own, personal beliefs and the objective reality of the situation, while acknowledging that for himself, Levi is able and willing to kill dependent on the circumstances. It's Levi NOT making a moral judgment on killing, or trying to convince anyone else of the moral rightness or wrongness of killing, and to try and frame it as such is pure projection. It's projecting ones own moral beliefs onto Levi and trying to twist his refusal to moralize this issue as some sort of proof that he's morally against it.

Again, though, for Levi it's not even a moral question. It's a question of objective reality. He doesn't try to justify killing to himself through some moral framework, nor does he condemn himself or others for killing in and of itself. Again, it's not about morality to Levi. It's just about objective reality. As in, if I don't do this, then this other thing will happen, and I have to decide which choice sits most right with me, which course I feel is correct in the moment. Either I let myself and my comrades get killed to uphold some static, black and white moral standard and worldview, or I kill the people trying to kill us and save lives in the process. Again, it's not a question of morality, it's a question of practical, objective reality. It’s about objectively acknowledging action and consequence and then weighing, based on that, which choice you feel is best. Where the morality comes in is in which of those options you believe most aligns with your own personal sense of right and wrong.

Also, this repeated claim that Levi is morally grey is wrong, because again, Levi's entire philosophy of no regrets is based on moral conviction. Do what you FEEL is right in the specific situation you're in, whether the outcome proves it to have been the right choice or not, and that way you'll have no regrets, because you'll have not compromised your moral values. I've said it before that Levi is the most morally consistent character in the series. He never compromises his moral values, something perfectly demonstrated in his choice during the RtS arc. When he does something quote on quote "bad", like killing or committing acts of violence, it's because he believes it's the best course of action in any, given scenario.

What people just don't get about Levi is that his moral values aren't static and don't adhere to one, single school of thought, i.e. "killing is always wrong". Levi's morality is fluid depending on the situation. That doesn't mean he has no moral conviction, it means he understands that morality itself is a complex and multi-faceted concept that isn't easily defined or pinned down.

And he doesn't try to force his way of thinking onto anyone else, as demonstrated, again, during the Uprising arc and his exchange with Jean and Armin. People seem to take that to mean that Levi is making some sort of statement as to the wrongness inherent in the act of killing. But again, it's got nothing to do with how he views killing morally, it has to do with Levi respecting the agency of others and allowing them to choose for themselves what they think is right and wrong, or what they think is best. Levi clearly doesn't view killing as "wrong no matter what" or he wouldn't do it. There would never be a circumstance, then, in which he felt killing was the best course. There would be no situation in which he chose to kill, or in which he didn't regret killing. Just because Levi doesn’t deign to tell Jean that he was wrong for not killing doesn’t mean Levi himself views killing in and of itself as wrong.

Again, it’s just him respecting Jean’s agency and acknowledging that he himself doesn’t know for certain what the right and wrong choice is. That doesn't mean there aren't circumstances in which he views killing as wrong though, either. He clearly does view killing in certain circumstances as wrong, just like he views it as right, again, depending on the circumstances, like what Zeke did to the people in Ragako village, etc… Killing innocent people who pose no threat to you is clearly wrong in Levi's eyes. See his disgust at Zeke, or at Kenny for killing members of his squad. Obviously Levi has his own moral standards. He’s just not a big enough dick to try and tell others that his personal beliefs should also be theirs. He’s not so arrogant or egotistical as to try and impose his personal beliefs and feelings on anyone else. That’s why he says he “doesn’t know” what’s right or wrong. Because he doesn’t. Nobody does. He can only go by what he personally feels and dictate his own actions by that. What everyone else does is up to them. He can form personal opinions about their actions, but he doesn’t try to tell anyone one way or another what they should do, again, because he actually respects other people and their choices.

Honestly, so many of these bad takes come down to people's inability to view anything free from the constraints of their shipping goggles. They always approach their understanding of Levi's character from the premise that their ship is canon and work backward from there. In particular, you see these takes coming from the eruri fandom, where some people in that community want to believe that Levi has compromised his moral belief that killing is wrong because he just looooves Erwin so much and is willing to sacrifice everything for his beautiful blonde hunk, lol. So they have to re-frame Levi's refusal to make a moral judgment to others on the act of killing as him actually making a moral judgement on the act of killing. That way, they can then claim that Levi sacrifices his moral values for Erwin because he just loves him so, so much, instead of approaching it from an objective viewpoint, which would then lead them to the obvious conclusion that Levi follows Erwin's orders and is willing to kill people because those actions, dependent on the circumstances, fall in line with what he personally values morally, i.e. doing what's best for humanity, i.e. saving the lives of the people he's directly responsible for.

Those are actions taken and guided by Levi's morality. It's why he's so upset when he learns that Erwin's main goal isn't to secure humanity's victory, but to discover what's in Eren's basement, because it throws into question whether Levi's been making the right moral choice all these years in following Erwin's orders. Levi chose to follow Erwin because he believed Erwin's own intentions were pure and it would allow Levi to help people in the most effective way possible.

Just to lay out further why saying Levi thinks killing is wrong is a ridiculous take, I want to reiterate that it's not about Levi choosing what he thinks or knows is "right" in the moment, it's about Levi following his heart. Following ones personal, moral beliefs won't always lead to the "right" outcome.

Levi doesn't know if ANYTHING is the "right" answer, and that's what his entire philosophy is predicated on. Not knowing whether his actions will lead to a desirable or good outcome, being able to accept that he doesn't know what the outcome will be, but not allowing that uncertainty to instill doubt or hesitation in him and his choices.

He follows what he FEELS in his heart is right, but he won't and can't give a definitive answer about whether it absolutely is or not. The way Levi is able to live with no regrets, as he says, is because, regardless of the outcome, whether good or bad, he knows he did what his heart told him to do in the moment. And yes, that includes killing in certain situations.

It has to do with practical reality. If your life is being threatened, and you know, if you don't take the practical action of killing the person threatening you first, it means your life or the lives of others will with certainty end, then you are absolutely, 100% justified in killing that person.

I've said this a million times already, but there's a very GOOD reason there's a distinction made between "murder" and "justifiable homicide" within the actual law. Like I said before, to criticize Levi for failing to be a pacifist, when his pacifism would have led to him and others being killed, is the definition of cruelty and ignorance and exposes those giving the criticism as having led breathtakingly pampered and privileged lives.

Isayama's story isn't meant to lead the reader toward condemnation of the characters for engaging in acts of violence and killing, or to make you think of them as "bad people" for doing these things. It wants to lead the reader toward understanding that it's the circumstances that force one into a position of having to kill to protect themselves and others that should be condemned.

Killing is "bad", yes, but that doesn't mean a person who kills is bad themselves, or morally wrong. Circumstances like war, like prejudice and persecution, like social ostracization and disenfranchisement are the real villains of AoT. It's why very few, if any, of the characters in AoT are framed as purely villainous. We aren't meant to think of any of them as "bad guys", per say, we're meant to think of the circumstances that led them down a specific path as bad. That's not to say there aren't bad people in AoT. There very much are. People that kill for pleasure, people that revel in violence and in hurting others. People that use their circumstances in life as an excuse to hurt others without there being a practical or understandable reason for it. Just like there are good people in AoT, too. People who, despite their circumstances in life, still extend great compassion and kindness and love to others. And yes, Levi is one of those good people.

These people also try to take Armin's statement that they're all "bad people" now as the narrative somehow trying to tell the audience the same, while never acknowledging that Armin's statement here is taken out of context, without regard to Armin's own bias against himself.

Isayama doesn't say Armin and the others are "bad people" for killing, he simply says they're troubled by having killed because there's this idea conditioned into them from the lives they've led that killing is wrong, no matter the circumstances. Whether one believes that or not though comes down to individual perception and moral belief, which in itself proves that morality isn't a static concept, but rather one that operates on a sliding scale, determined upon ones individual and personal views. Views which can be influenced, of course, by ones environment and societal norms and pressures. It isn't a definitive statement as to ones moral worth as a person, as to their morality or immorality, or a declaration on whether any of these characters are good or bad.

I could just as easily argue, and I have, that it's worse and more morally ambiguous to refuse to kill to uphold ones own sense of moral righteousness if that refusal leads to other people being killed. That kind of rigid moral standard shows a refusal to understand that morality is a complex concept with no, clear definition and could easily be seen as prioritizing ones individual sense of self-righteousness above the lives of people. It's why Armin later refuses to sit out the fight at the docks, despite Reiner's offer for him and the others to do so, because he refuses to put his own sense of moral comfort above what he feels is the right and necessary course of action. Armin's perception of their situation and of himself morally isn't 100% objective on any level. Yes, Armin feels he's a bad person for having killed, but that doesn't mean it's objectively true. Seeing killing as wrong, no matter the reason, is a dangerous and entirely unrealistic and impossible standard to live up to.

One more point. Levi is very firmly "morally good" based on general standards of moral goodness, because every action he takes extends out of a place of kindness and compassion, and as I stated before, he never compromises that morality. His compassion is his defining trait as a character and it dictates his every action.

Once more, it's what Levi's "no regrets" philosophy is predicated on. As long as you make the choice that you genuinely believe is the best course at the time and so long as it's rooted in and coming from a place of genuine compassion and kindness, (which again, Levi's actions always are), then even if the result is horrible, you still won't have any regrets because your decision was made by following what you felt in your heart was right. Not "knowing" what's right, but following what your heart tells you is right, according to your own, personal beliefs. It's about not beating yourself up for things out of your control.

Of course, this is probably what certain people in the fandom mean when they say Levi just does what he wants without concern for the consequences, but that's not what Levi is doing at all. He's simply acknowledging that he can't predict the outcome of anything, no matter how much knowledge he has, or how prepared he is, and so all he can do is make the choice he feels is the best one at the time, depending on the circumstances. Of course Levi would hope that it turns out alright, and that's what making the choice you feel is best is all about. Doing as well as you can and hoping it turns out good, but accepting that if it doesn't, it doesn't reflect on who you are as a person. The way some people frame it though, in typical fashion, is that Levi just does what he wants and doesn't care how it turns out. It's literally the most ungenerous and negative interpretation one could have of a genuinely honorable and wise philosophy.

It's also absurdly disingenuous to claim that Levi doesn't care about the consequences of his actions. He absolutely cares. He cares more than anybody. That’s why you can say, objectively, that Levi is a good person, because he genuinely wants everybody to be okay. He feels genuine compassion and empathy for others and makes every decision he does out of a pure desire to protect people and save lives, or out of a genuine desire to honor those lives or bring comfort. He just knows and accepts that no matter how hard he tries to get it right, no matter what precautions he takes or knowledge he brings to bear on any situation, no matter how sound he feels his judgment is, it could still all turn out wrong, and there's no point in dwelling on that, because all it will lead to, in the end, is a paralyzing fear which helps no one.

[venerawrites]

I see Sasuke content I immediately follow🫡

I'm here to ask for childhood "friends" (more like frenemies) where they first met while he was still under Orochimaru (the reader being one of the many experiments Orochimaru just keeps for the sake of having but never actually uses so she's just hanging around the place without anywhere else to go).

The reader being the type that's not intimidated and likes to bother him, especially he's the only one around that's close to her age that's not batshit insane, in response to his snappy silly emo attitude? ofc growing up together in that place and some thoughts after they mature/like a time skip? if it takes a romantic turn or not it's up to you I'll like it either way :3 thanks a bunch! - a fellow Sasuke enthusiastic

author's note: that request is so sweet! I loved doing it and I hope you like it as well. I decided to do a friendly/platonic fluff since recently I wrote a lot of Sasuke romance, haha. Also, I saw "she" in the request, so I am rolling with a fem! reader. Thank you so much for sending your idea and I hope you enjoy! <3

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Go away."

Furrowing your brows, you tiptoed behind his seated figure, before setting your chin on his shoulder as you watched his rough fingers engraving kanjis on the blade of his sword. You studied the written symbols with interest, recognising the words "power", "revenge" and "justice". Due to the reflection of the candle next to you, you couldn't make the whole text of what he was writing, but what you saw was more than enough for you to form your opinion.

"You just made your weapon twice as uglier."

Sasuke sighed at your comment, closing his eyes as he tried to summon all the patience he had within. One could presume that he should be used to someone bothering him, given that during all the years he has been alive there has always been someone who tastes his patience.

First, there were the fangirls. Not dangerous, but really annoying and suffocating. Through the years the young Uchiha had to hide in the weirdest places, such as bushes, bins and even stacks of hays, just so he can avoid confrontation with them.

Then, there were Naruto and Sakura. Both of them equally bothersome and both of them people, who couldn't really avoid no matter how hard he tried. There has been more than one occasion during which he cursed the day he got paired with them in a team. To this day, he couldn't get rid of them, as they persistently followed him around despite him making it more than clear he does not want to go back to Konoha.

But him leaving did not bring him peace. Because now instead of the blonde idiot and the pink-haired weakling, he had to deal with Orochimaru and Karin breathing down his neck all the damn time. The girl did not bother him that much anymore - with time he learned to ignore her, zoning out every time she opened her mouth.

The snake-like ninja, however, was entirely different matter. Sasuke felt his eyes on the back of his head all the time, studying him, his movements, his behaviour. The Uchiha was nothing more than an experiment for him and he realised that. But he needed the power and the knowledge to defeat Itachi, and if having to deal with a creep was the price to p

"Honestly, who is going to read all that? Is your plan to bore your enemies to death or something?", your curious tone brought him back to reality and his fingers gently slapped yours as he saw the reaching for the blade. A small gasp left your lips and you retracted your hand, directing a small glare in his direction.

And then, on the top of the list of people who love to get in his space, was YOU.

You and him had an interesting... relationship. You were one of the many experiment subjects Orochimaru kept in the base after the conducting of his clinical trials. As part of the famous "Project 71" - a year long experiment during which the man tested the effects of different drugs on the system and the long-lasting results from daily usage. Many have lost their lives and while the snake-like ninja discontinued it years ago, he left the few remaining alive subjects inside the base.

Initially it was a mystery for Sasuke why you were chosen to be part of the experiment in the first place. You were not a ninja or a healer, you didn't seem to have any extraordinary knowledge or skills, and also came from a poor farming family from the outskirts of Suna.

"Do not underestimate the power of the ordinary civilians, especially the ones coming from the desert", said Orochimaru one day when he saw the young Uchiha watching you and the other subjects being examined by Kabuto, "They are capable of adapting to changes in a way even the most well-trained shinobi can't. Perhaps the strongest people are not forged by war of battles, but of the harshness of life itself."

His theory seemed to hold true. From all of the surviving subjects, the majority were ordinary people from Suna or nearby small villages. For 'people of science', like Orochimaru preferred to call himself and Kabuto, it was expected, yet exciting result. For Sasuke, however, it was another confirmation he needs to get out of here as soon as he reaches his full potential. And while he tried to stay away, it was YOU who found your way toward him.

The first time you saw him was the day of his arrival - a snobby and gloomy boy, who liked to produce noises of disapproval or disgust rather than use words to voice his feelings. Straight away you didn't like him - this place was full of freaks and a sad boy with a vendetta was no different in your list. However, the more time passed, the more you realised that his company is indeed not that bad.

For starters, he rarely talked. Sasuke liked to mind his own business and you could often see him going to train by himself or sneak out in the middle of the night. Where he was going, you didn't know. The one time you tried to follow him, you ended pressed against one of the cave's walls with his fingers tightly wrapped around your throat.

"If you value your life, stay away from me."

His words that night went through one ear and out of the other. Did you value a life in captivity, waking up every single day in fear if you are going to be experimented on again? Not really.

So despite your initial reluctance, the mystery around Sasuke Uchiha was drawing you like a moth to a flame. You knew his goal was to get stronger so he can kill his brother, but nothing else. Where were his friends? What was he planning to do after he killed Itachi Uchiha? Was he going to ever go back to Konoha?

You often voiced your thoughts and questions out loud, the majority of which he ignored. And while he didn't seem enthusiastic to engage in a conversation with you, he never turned you away, like he did to Karin or Kabuto, so you took this as a sign that you weren't entirely insufferable in his eyes. Probably sounded like a poor excuse, but in a place like this, being tolerated was the closest thing you could get to a 'friendship'.

And you desperately needed one. You needed human interactions without the fear the other person is holding a needle behind their back.

Surprisingly, even for himself, Sasuke also found solace in your presence. Even though you spoke a lot, you never crossed certain boundaries and you didn't pry into his past. Your chatter was mainly focused either on how bored you were or on trivial things, like the weather or Orochimaru's work. And while the young Uchiha rarely 'participated' in what was supposed to be a dialogue, there was a certain comfort in having someone around you who is not a ninja and keep things light. With you, he could allow himself to partially lower his guard and rest, away from the haunting thoughts of gaining power and getting his revenge.

"Anyway, I am bored", your voice brought him back to reality as you plopped yourself on his bed, while he continued engraving his sword.

"Not my problem."

A loud groaned escaped your lips as you laid back and started at the ceiling. Your eyes followed the few cracks which moved toward the wall, forming irregular patterns that reminded you of lighting bolts. Well, it seems even the protege Sasuke Uchiha is not special enough to get a proper place to sleep, which is not crumbling. Of course, his bedroom was way better and bigger than the tiny space you and all other experiments shared, but it was still surprising to see that great ninjas do not live in 'luxury' either.

There was a brief moment of silence during which Sasuke stopped working on his blade, before throwing a bored look your way.

"Why don't you go and bother someone else?"

You opened your eyes only so you can roll them at him, before letting out another groan. It was always the same thing with Sasuke - you would go and bug him, he would pretend he didn't like it and ask you to leave, but you both knew he didn't mean it so you wouldn't. It was a routine at this point, one which you were not sure if you could or even wanted to break.

"There is NO ONE else to bother", you say as a matter-of-factly, while lifting yourself on your elbows, "What are you writing anyway? Seems like a whole novel at this point."

Sasuke's hand paused and he closed his eyes, while taking a deep breath. He counted to five, before opening them again and focusing on his weapon again.

"It's not a novel and it's none of your business."

He heard the bed squeak under your weight before you flopped on your belly and rested your head on your palms, while facing his back.

"You are pretty boring for a friend, you know?", you hummed under your breath while kicking your feet back and forth in the air.

"We are not friends."

Instead of being insulted, his words made you grin.

"No need to be shy now", you chuckled, tilting your head, "We spend most of our time together, we talk... Well, I talk mainly. But you listen, so we are friends."

Sasuke finally stopped his works on his blade, only so he can turn toward you and look at you with a blank expression.

"We spend time together because you would not stop bothering me", he points out, before his eyes focused on your kicking legs falling back to the bed, "And do not get on my bed with your shoes on!"

You glanced at your feet, before turning your attention back to him and letting out a dramatic huff. Mumbling some incoherent things under your breath you reached for your sandals and untied the laces, before kicking them off your feet. Moving your gaze back to him, you raised a brow as if asking 'happy now?' to which he just let out a small 'hm' before turning his back toward you again.

"Do you want me to stop bothering you?"

Sasuke didn't acknowledge you or your question in any way, but at this point you knew him well enough to know the answer is 'no'. Even when he liked to act all grumpy and annoyed, you knew he didn't talk with anyone else in the base despite the attempts of other to strike a conversation to him. In a way that made you feel only special - sure, he was not super nice to you, but at least he never pushed you away or insulted you, like he did to everyone else.

Time passed and you stayed silent, feeling you may start to push his boundaries if you continued with your questioning. So you just laid there, humming a quiet tune under your breath, while your fingers gently followed the crinkles on his bedsheet. Finally, after what felt forever, Sasuke turned toward you and lifted the sword against his chest, his eyes carefully examining the result of his work. His dark eyes moved toward yours and he moved the weapon closer to you, so you can take a look yourself. You frowned, your attention dancing between his sword and his face, full with expectation. "What I am supposed to look at exactly?"

He scoffed, a sign he was starting to get annoyed, as he cleared his throat and pushed the blade closer to your face. You instinctively flinched back, confusion written all over your face. What was he expecting from you? A compliment? An approval? A commentary on his neat handwriting?

"Take it", he commanded impatiently and you did, your finger brushing against the words written on the metal. You could see the all of the words now, written from the tip all the way down to the hilt: "strength", "power", "persistence", "patience", "revenge" and finally "justice". Your thumb stopped on the last word, gently following each line of the word, before you abruptly pulled away and almost threw the sword back in his lap. His dark brow arched upwards as he caught it mid-air, his tongue clicking in annoyance.

"You could've handed it to me, instead of throwing it."

"Sorry", you muttered, yet there was no real regret in your tone. Sasuke continued to eye you with expectation and you met his dark gaze, determined not to cave under the pressure of his heavy silence. But the Uchiha had this invisible power about him, the one that made everyone else bow to his will, and after a few minutes you couldn't hold your ground anymore

"What?", you snapped, your patience wearing thin, "Do you want me to compliment your calligraphy skills?"

Sasuke clicked his tongue again, his eyes narrowing just the slightest as he continued to study your face. You were a smart woman - probably the smartest one here - despite not being a ninja. One of the things he always appreciated about you was the fact you often read his thoughts and feelings without the need for him to say them out loud. As someone who was not great with words, he often found this ability of yours comforting.

But now was not one of these moments.

Were you really not understanding what he wanted from you or were you just trying to mess with him?

"Do not play stupid! It doesn't suit you."

With these words he turned his back toward you again, before he started wiping the cold metal with a wet cloth. You stared at his back for a few seconds, before letting out a tired sigh.

"I just...", the words died in your throat, as you licked your lips while trying to formulate your thoughts in such a way so it doesn't offend him, "I don't really understand why you would do that to your weapon. We ALL know your whole existence is to find your brother and avenge your clan, and yada-yada-"

"They are not just random words", Sasuke interrupts you, his tone sharp. His glanced at you with the corners of his eyes and you immediately straightened up, not expecting him to take your words so seriously. Sure, he often gave grunts or eye-rolls as a response to your questions, but now something felt off. Almost, as if you somehow insulted him.

"Okay", you say slowly, moving toward the end of the bed, "What are they then?”

The Uchiha gently placed the weapon back on his desk, before turning fully toward you. His dark eyes bore into yours as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"They are reminders", he says slowly, his fist clenching and unclenching as he moved his attention to his hands, "Of who I am... Of what I am fighting for."

You couldn't help but let out a loud snort, making him immediately look back at you with narrowed eyes. He should've expected that. For all the time he knew you, you often showed interesting and, sometimes, inappropriate reactions during serious situations. Were you always like that or did the drugs Orochimaru has put in you in the past somehow altered your brain chemistry, he didn't know, but he found it both irritating and somehow intriguing.

"What's so funny?", he asked flatly, crossing his arms before his chest.

Covering your mouth with your hand, you tried to stifle your laugh before your cleared your throat. Was it a smart idea to laugh at the second most powerful ninja here, after Orochimaru? Probably not, especially when you did it to his face. But Sasuke was Sasuke and you could not always take him seriously.

Not when he was taking himself SO seriously all the damn time.

"Reminders? Why, are you afraid you may forget your life goal or something? I thought you knew what you wanted pretty well by now."

With a roll of his eyes, he lifted one hand and flicked you against your forehead. You immediately winced and rubbed the sore spot, but your expression softened as you saw the edges of his mouth twitching just the slightest upward. "Idiot."

Without saying anything more he turned around, continuing his work on cleaning his sword. Once his back was facing you, you allowed the small grin that you've been holding back stretch across your lips. You stood up from the bed, making a few steps toward his seated figure before resting your head on his right shoulder.

"If that is going to make you feel better", you started, your eyes focused on the work his hands were doing, "I think your handwriting is pretty. If I was a terrorist or whatever type of people you kill in your free time, I would totally feel honoured to be killed by such a beautiful sword with such inspirational words written on it and-"

Before you can finish, he flicked your forehead once again, before moving his shoulder back and forth to get you off him.

"You seriously need to find a new hobby", he stated, not even looking at you, "Other than annoying me."

A playful laugh left your lips and his expression softened. As you were thinking of a smart comeback, he reached forward the bottom drawer of his desk before getting a small bundle of books, tied together with a red string. Your brows furrowed in confusion as you watched him hand them to you.

"What's this?", you asked unsure if you should take them or not.

"Books."

Sasuke turned his head to look at you while pushing the bundle closer to you.

"I can see that", you gave him a deadpan look, "But why are you giving them to me?"

Your question seemed to irritate him once again and he clicked his tongue, his head tilting to the side. You never seemed to stop asking questions, even when the answers were ovious.

"Because they are for you", he said before moving his eyes back to his desk. He felt your fingers brushing against his as you took the bundle from him, carefully untying the red string before you let out a small gasp.

In you hands were the first three tomes of "Handbook of the Trinket Maker". You saw one of the books in Kabuto's library once during one of your routine blood tests and the same evening you mentioned it to Sasuke, saying how you wished you could make something. As you were taken quite young by Orochimaru and the subjects here were not allowed access to the library room, you lacked both the knowledge and the skill of what is usually expected of someone your age. You learned a lot - sometimes by watching some of the ninjas train or going though Sasuke's notes - but it was not near as much as you wished to be.

But since that one time you have not mentioned it and you definitely did not expect for the Uchiha to remember and get you your own brand new books.

"Thank you... I..", you pressed the books against your chest, while looking down at him, "But why?"

Sasuke remained focused on his weapon, through his shoulders seemed more rigid than before.

"You said you wanted to learn. Hopefully it actually makes you find a new hobby", he grumbled under his breath, giving a last wipe of his blade, before putting it in its scabbard. You bit your tongue in order to hold back another smart comment, realising it must be way more awkward for him than for you. Sasuke Uchiha was not a man who did kind gestures and while his motivation did raise a question mark in your head, you decided not to question it.

With a soft smile, you landed a hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing it.

"Thank you", you said again, a warm feeling forming inside your chest. He hummed in response, before turning toward you and giving you one of his rare smirks.

"Just make sure you don't blow up the hideout", he said as he stood up, his body towering over yours. You rolled your eyes, but you could not stop the loud laugh leaving your mouth.

"No promises", you shrugged your shoulders as you started to walk backward toward the door. Once your hand was on the handle, your gave him one last look, your lips stretched in a grin.

"I will make sure to show you what I learned first thing tomorrow", you puffed your chest, the excitement of your new possessions and the opportunity to finally be able to do something buzzing inside your chest.

Sasuke only stared blankly at you, his usual stone faced mask back on.

"No need-"

"Yeah, yeah", it was your time to interrupt him now by waiving your hand in the air while you pushed the door open with your foot, "See you tomorrow, Sasuke! And don't forget... revenge, life, power... Uh... And whatever the rest of the words you need to remember are."

"Get out."

As you slipped out of the room, you gave him one last wink watching him shake his head at your antics. The door clicked shut and you hurried back to the subjects' room, your hands trembling with excitement that you finally had something yours. Something that can finally give your existence a meaning other than mindlessly walking around Orochimaru's base while waiting for the day he is going to get bored of you.

Once you were in the room, you hurried toward your bed before plopping on it and impatiently flipping open the first page. Your eyes immediately landed on detailed instructions and illustrations of various trinkets and even some weapons.

"Oh, I am totally going to blow this place up!"

cc artwork: Tobi Yong