#cross posted from twitter

[forpiratereasons]

i found a genre of longform videos that is just 8-10 hours of someone driving around freeways during thunderstorms and i have a lot of thoughts about this but also: stede the driver who films long pov driving vids and extremely stressed ed who gets addicted to his channel

it's meditative, and it reminds ed of being in the car with his mum, driving across aotearoa. he feels like she's there with him sometimes. but the more he watches, the more he becomes aware of the driver--a sigh here, the shuffle of fabric in the seat there.

there's almost no information about him on his channel, the gentleman driver, not even a name or a pic, and ed becomes a little fixated on picking up details about him. doesn't happen often, but once or twice ed catches the driver humming a few beats before falling silent again, clearing a throat, sighing, clicking his throat like he's talking silently to himself.

once, on hour six of a ten hour vid, ed's rewarded by the view of an elegant hand reaching across the screen to grab something that must be on the dash in front of the camera. four seconds ed plays over and over.

"is there someone in the car with you while you drive?" ed asks in a comment. "or is it just you?"

the gentleman driver writes back, "just me and the open road!"

maybe it's the format that makes ed ask, the anonymity. maybe he's just half asleep. "don't you ever get lonely?"

it's days before the gentleman driver writes back again. "do you?"

ed's not got an answer for that. or, he does, but not one he's willing to face head on. he asks instead how the gentleman driver chooses his routes.

the driver doesn't get very many comments and definitely not very many questions, and soon they're having little conversations in the comments of every video. ed gets another glimpse of that elegant hand, with a big turquoise ring, freckled forearm; hears another few bars of 'here comes the sun' hummed.

then the driver does something new: he stops at a rest stop.

and he leaves the camera rolling.

ed watches in rapt fascination as the driver crosses the screen in front of the car, goes into the rest stop. blond hair, broad shoulders, floral shirt. he's actually wearing jeans for an eight hour drive which is insane, and ed gets a glimpse of his profile as he smiles. insane.

if the driver's ever stopped before, it's been very carefully edited out. maybe he forgot this one. maybe he wanted ed to see. that's delusional, ed thinks, but he still navigates to the driver's about page and pokes around until he finds an email address.

nice shirt, he sends.

oh god, the driver sends back, and the video disappears from his page half an hour later. i forgot the editing. i'm sorry if it was distracting.

no, i liked it, ed tells him. it was nice to see the man behind the steering wheel. and then, hesitating only a bit, he adds: i'm ed.

hello, the driver writes. i'm stede.

the emails go on, and on, and eventually they turn into texts too, and promises from stede to check in on his longer drives, to "call if you ever need someone to keep you awake."

"i'm supposed to be sending you to sleep," stede argues.

"i'll sleep better knowing that you're safe," ed writes back.

the next video stede posts, he lets the camera run all the way until he's pulled into a parking spot at a roadside motel just outside of denver. the camera runs one minute, then five, and any reasonable person would've turned it off by now, but ed waits until he hears, very quietly: "safe and sound, now. go to sleep. goodnight."

is it stupid, to think you can fall in love with someone after just one sentence? is it still stupid, if that one sentence repeats at the end of every new video?

then one night the phone rings. it's late, dark out, and ed knows stede was doing a drive that wouldn't have him at his next stop until nearly one in the morning. he picks up. "hello?"

"oh, ed," the voice says. "you've no idea how good you sound just now."

it's a voice he's only heard before in hums and whispers, but it doesn't matter. lots of things about love are stupid, ed decides. this isn't one of them.

stede's blown a tire. "i'm okay," he insists. "i was just hoping for some company while i wait for the tow."

"where are you?"

"middle of nowhere," stede says, but when he names the spot, it's only two hours out. ed can be there faster than a tow probably would, and there's a note of anxiety in stede's voice he doesn't much like.

he's got his shoes on and his keys in his hand before he can think twice.

stede hems and haws but in all his fussing he doesn't actually tell ed not to come, and he stays on the line while ed piles blankets in the car and as he gets behind the wheel and as he sets out on the freeway. he stays on the line and they talk until they're both creaky with exhaustion and dry air, and then they're quiet, just like in stede's videos, but together this time. then ed crests over a hill and there it is: a car pulled off to the side with its hazard lights blinking. reminds ed of a lighthouse. 'i'm here,' the lights say. 'i'm here.'

he pulls to a stop behind, starts his own hazards. the driver side door of the car opens, and then there's a leg, and a body, and there he is. stede. he's still got his phone pressed to his ear; ed can hear him breathing.

"i'm going to get out," ed says.

"okay," stede says.

it takes another long moment, watching stede stand there in the dark, waiting for him. stede, with his hair and his voice and his hands and the way the quiet in him already feels like home.

"i might kiss you," ed says.

he watches stede swallow, hard. eyes widen. "okay," he says.

ed reaches for the handle. pops the door open. puts one foot out on the pavement and looks up to meet stede's eyes as his cabin lights come on, as the car starts to ding its door-open warning.

"oh," stede says.

ed takes a step. they both still have their phones in their hands, their breathes in each other's ear. ed takes a step and takes a step until he can reach out to take stede's phone from him. press the call end button.

"hi," he says.

stede kisses him.

after that there are other, shyer hellos, and other, more awkward ones too. there are ten minutes to a 24-hour macdo drive-thru for coffee and another ten to a motel and a late night that becomes an early morning by way of conversation. there's laughter, and more kisses, and careful fingers learning the planes of each other's faces. in the morning there's breakfast and a tow truck and an invitation to a place just two hours away.

and there's a long break in updates to the gentleman driver's channel.

when he comes back, weeks later, his update schedule isn't quite as frequent, and his drives don't usually go as far. there's giggles sometimes, in the background, like there might be someone else in the car with him.

"do you miss it," ed asks. "driving the long drives?"

"no," stede says. "i found what i was looking for."

*

@ kninjaknitter also podficced this one!

[cherryys]

looking at this panel again made me realize what megumi says here has more implications about him other than his sexuality or preferences. it's about how he views his wants vs. his needs.

Todo asks him about his type. Usually when someone is asked that, they answer with their preference, what they *want*, or *prefer*, like for example Yuuji's answer of a "tall girls with big butts", despite having a history before of not prioritising that like when he liked yuko.

But Megumi answers, not of what he prefers or what he finds attractive (whether physically or personality-wise), he just says what he *needs*. He doesn't have a preference as long as the person's character is unshakable. That's it. That's why Todo found his answer boring.

it's not just because he described a character trait or personality rather than a physical attribute like Todo & Yuuji, but because it was the bare minimum. When you ask someone their type, if they reply "someone with a stable career" you'd find it a bit boring, no? it's not really answering your question of what they want in a partner, what they desire. just what they need. This approach of only looking at what is needed persists through everything Megumi does, not just his type, specifically his career a sorcerer.

He doesn't take more than what he's given, and he forces himself to provide what the situation needs. For example, his sacrifice bunt in the baseball game that Gojo called him out for. He didn't think about what he wanted, but what was needed for the match, and that was to let Nobara advance while he stays behind, so that they overall win the match.

He limits himself like that. That's why Gojo's words of "It's okay to be selfish!" resonated. Because he never let himself take more. He never let himself step out of line.

This goes for his relationship with Gojo, too. he was a teacher, a mentor for him, but he never let himself step out of line to get any closer to him, as opposed to someone like Yuuji or Yuuta who interact with Gojo freely without any barriers between them. To him, he needs Gojo as a mentor and nothing else, and never let himself entertain the idea of wanting to be closer to him. throughout the conversations and interactions between Megumi and Gojo, there is a sense of distance that not even Gojo has with Yuuta and Yuuji, despite the barriers Gojo put up. Yuuji and Yuuta are both close to Gojo in the sense that they let themselves depend on Gojo and express themselves freely, able to talk about things other than jujutsu. but there isn't anything like that with Megumi. he always speaks to him formally despite 10 years of knowing each other and he's never spoke to him about anything other than jujutsu. to Megumi, Gojo is a teacher and mentor strictly and nothing else. not an adult he could depend on or someone he could confide in.

This goes for Toji, too. To him, he thinks doesn't need his father because he left him, that's why he doesn't care. even if he wanted to grow up with a stable caretaker in his life.

When Gojo first provided him with the two "choices" of training under him or being with the Zenin clan, he didn't think to ask if there was a third option where he just doesn't become a sorcerer. obviously this is because when you're like 6 years old and you're provided with two options, you don't think to entertain a third secret option, especially when you're talking to someone you don't even know, but this mindset of just taking what life gives you without question or defiance is largely why megumi didn't really thrive, especially in such a selfish environment like jujutsu sorcery where you need to overstep to succeed. only when he let go of those limitations (CH. 58) was he able to take selfishly.

His dream in 266 tells you this in full clarity. what he wanted was a simple and domestic life away from jujutsu sorcery. but he knew he didn't have the authority to really demand that from gojo, so he settled for what he needed, which was his sister's happiness.

this attitude of his likely resulted from the fact he grew up having everything taken away from him (his mother, his father, and even his stepmother) along with the fact that he grew up in poverty, so he didn't feel like he had any sort of authority to want things. he saw it as a luxury he wasn't allowed.

(interesting that the only time he has expressed a want, went against life and actually stepped out of line and made a decision out of a selfish need, is when he wanted to save yuuji.)

[mcgayvid]

not friends, not brothers, but a third, secret thing (hockey players part of a weirdly homoerotic bromance that is victim to the narrative)

[heph]

Hey guys! Didn't know i had to say this, but tracing my artwork and posting it online casually is something that I do not want - trace it all you want for practice, but i don't appreciate having my artwork replicated and shown on social media for your enjoyment.

My work isnt a meme, and even if i draw funny jokes, don't trace it with the intention to post. Please respect artists, and be kind to others as well 🩷

[yuurivoice]

Going to make this months' Patreon update a public one because we'll be doing a little Q&A! We can cover anything, but I'm specifically trying to tackle recent announcements and upcoming content. Got anything for me? 👀

[satonthelotuspier]

I just wanted to talk a little about these three dumbasses, and what a complete disaster trio they're displayed as during the Cloud Recesses days, and how it's meant to act as a foil for the people there were shortly to become.

We all know the shenanigans they got up to, and the shortcomings of them all; the untamed genius, the emotionally stunted heir, the lazy fop; and despite this you're looking at the people who achieved the greatest feats of their generation.

One resurrected a sect from near-decimation to become one of the most powerful in the land in a single decade, one brought into being an entirely new type of cultivation that arguably won the Sunshot Campaign against the Wens, and the other schemed and achieved a stunningly elaborate revenge plot against the most powerful man in the cultivational world.

And every single one of them did it in total isolation. Strong, silent, and alone.

And what a foil for the venerated triad these stupid little boys are meant to be.

Three war heroes from the three most powerful sects of the time, the hope of a generation. Three men who couldn't change, couldn't bend, couldn't adapt themselves, and who ended in tragedy, ripped apart by their own sworn brotherhood.

And these three boys who started from tragedy, shouldered the burdens left to them and did what needed doing, entirely by themselves.

Did any of them grow as people? Absolutely not, MDZS is most definitely not a story about personal growth; its a story about war and politics, power and corruption, and people doing what they thought needed to be done, and all the reasons that might be so: personal codes (Wei Wuxian), duty and responsibility (Jiang Cheng) and revenge (Nie Huaisang).

Ironically those are motivating factors we see reflected in the 3zun too, but with very different outcomes.

Although that only stands to the end of the book, who knows what would happen in the future?

Was Wei Wuxian happy by the end of the book? Short term? Yes, Wangxian got the riding off into the sunset, but Wei Wuxian's trauma has trauma, and trauma doesn't just vanish for a happily ever after.

Nie Huaisang? Revenge is sweet, but after devoting yourself to that kind of darkness for so many years, after isolating yourself and eating, breathing, sleeping your revenge, what can possibly come next in life?

Jiang Cheng? Destroyed by the core reveal and struggling with the knowledge that he's in Wei Wuxian's debt, and shadow, once again. What did his own sacrifice mean if it just caused Wei Wuxian suffering in a different way? It would be no surprise if Jiang Cheng is feeling an immense amount of guilt, like he is the reason Wei Wuxian suffered as he did, because of the core loss. All those old insecurities rising back to the surface. He couldn't even save his Shixiong in the end.

Obviously it really isn't that simple in reality, but those kinds of emotions don't really care about that. Guilt isn't always logical, and we know how much Jiang Cheng loves Wei Wuxian.

It's fair to say none of the three have an easy immediate post canon future coming up.

[akuna-fanclub]

The thing about Bode is, you don’t have to forgive him for what happened—but you can find yourself *understanding* why he did it. Ultimately, I think choosing the Empire felt like his only hope. His wife had been k*lled by an inquisitor, because of his force sensitivity, and now he was on the run, with a little kid by his side. By working for the enemy, Denvik promised him that Kata would be safe if he quote, “stayed useful”. I feel like at that point, he was so far into it, it was easier to keep doing his bidding, while knowing that Kata was safe.

The first time we see Bode, Cal, and Kata interact—Bode feels genuine here. He’s trying to explain to Cal why he did what he did, and Cal doesn’t get it. That’s why when Bode says that he doesn’t understand what it’s like to be a father, I feel like that’s super important for the next game. Because Cal will essentially sort of have to play parent for Kata, and now he’ll see firsthand. Personally I think that line resonates a lot more than we realize, that whole scene in general. At the end, on Tanalorr, it’s clear that they would’ve been willing to Give Bode a Chance, but at that point we see a VERY different Bode than we saw back on the imperial station. I feel like this is the first time we actually see Bode as any sort of “villain” vs someone who was just struggling, and it’s interesting to see why it took so long, but I feel like it’s super telling.

Especially when in all the force echos, we see how much regret he has for what he’s doing to the Mantis crew. You can see it in the cutscene before Cordova dies too, when the imperials attack, Bode looks up, then closes his eyes as if indicating that he’s regretting what’s about to come. Especially because he worked so closely with Cordova for a bit. And he WAS a Jedi!!! I don’t think it’s so much that Bode is anti republic/Jedi, but mostly that he’s so beyond desperate to keep his daughter safe that he’s done some things that he regrets. And THAT is why he’s one of my alltime favorite characters. Like they built sooo much into this one character, and managed to pull it off flawlessly in ONE game??? Incredible. Ate and left no crumbs.

Also, we have to remember, in one of the force echos, he literally tells Denvik that he promised to share which inquisitor killed his wife, if he turned in Cere’s location. Denvik of course goes back on this, and Bode rightfully gets upset—but can’t do anything. There’s so much pain, and regret behind Bode’s character, and his voice actor and the entire crew just *chefs kiss*, nailed it.

[requindeterre]

#bingyuan where Bingge finds a Shen Yuan who doesn't need him. He's financially comfortable, his home and meals are handled by services, he has friends who he chats and meets with regularly.

This version is both the same and worlds apart from the pampered pet who braided LBH's hair

It's disconcerting, his wives and conquests have always needed him in some way. To not have a role he can simply pick up feels unnatural and rings too similar to feeling powerless before the abyss.

There's also the matter of Shen Yuan's kindness and utter lack of expectations. He expects nothing from LBH, doesn't ask for anything but tales of his adventures.

Every time LBH's tried to take up some chore or task to earn his keep he's been gently reminded that there's no need

Shen Yuan likes him and his company but he doesn't NEED him and it's driving Luo Bingge crazy

[disasterhimbo]

Source

[ID: a quote tweet by Stephen Semler (@stephensemler) dated March 23, 2024. It is responding to a tweet by the Associated Press (@AP) that says, “BREAKING: Senate passes $1.2 trillion funding package in early morning vote, ending threat of partial shutdown.”

It says, “All but two Democratic senators just voted to:

-give Israel $3.8B in weapons, violating US law

-defund a UN inquiry into Israel's violations of international law

-defund UNRWA, worsening famine in Gaza

-sanction the UN Human Rights Council if it highlights Israeli abuses.”

It contains an image of only text showing who voted yea, who voted nay, and who abstained. 74 senators voted yea, including 47 democrats, 25 republicans, and 2 independents. 24 senators voted nay: all republicans except Senator Bennet (Democrat, Colorado), and Senator Sanders (Independent, Vermont). 2 Republican senators abstained. Full transcription of this image under the cut.]

Transcript of the image contained in the tweet:

“YEAS --- 74

Baldwin (D-WI)

Blumenthal (D-CT)

Booker (D-NJ)

Boozman (R-AR)

Britt (R-AL)

Brown (D-OH)

Butler (D-CA)

Cantwell (D-WA)

Capito (R-WV)

Cardin (D-MD)

Carper (D-DE)

Casey (D-PA)

Cassidy (R-LA)

Collins (R-ME)

Coons (D-DE)

Cornyn (R-TX)

Cortez Masto (D-NV)

Cotton (R-AR)

Cramer (R-ND)

Duckworth (D-IL)

Durbin (D-IL)

Ernst (R-IA)

Fetterman (D-PA)

Fischer (R-NE)

Gillibrand (D-NY)

Graham (R-SC)

Grassley (R-IA)

Hassan (D-NH)

Heinrich (D-NM)

Hickenlooper (D-CO)

Hirono (D-HI)

Hoeven (R-ND)

Hyde-Smith (R-MS)

Kaine (D-VA)

Kelly (D-AZ)

King (1-ME)

Klobuchar (D-MN)

Lujan (D-NM)

Manchin (D-WV)

Markey (D-MA)

McConnell (R-KY)

Menendez (D-NJ)

Merkley (D-OR)

Moran (R-KS)

Mullin (R-OK)

Murkowski (R-AK)

Murphy (D-CT)

Murray (D-WA)

Ossoff (D-GA)

Padilla (D-CA)

Peters (D-MI)

Reed (D-RI)

Romney (R-UT)

Rosen (D-NV)

Rounds (R-SD)

Schatz (D-HI)

Schumer (D-NY)

Shaheen (D-NH)

Sinema (I-AZ)

Smith (D-MN)

Stabenow (D-MI)

Sullivan (R-AK)

Tester (D-MT)

Thune (R-SD)

Tillis (R-NC)

Van Hollen (D-MD)

Warner (D-VA)

Warnock (D-GA)

Warren (D-MA)

Welch (D-VT)

Whitehouse (D-RI)

Wicker (R-MS)

Wyden (D-OR)

Young (R-IN)

���(This is the end of the yeas.)

NAYS --- 24

Barrasso (R-WY)

Bennet (D-CO)

Blackburn (R-TN)

Budd (R-NC)

Crapo (R-ID)

Cruz (R-TX)

Daines (R-MT)

Hagerty (R-TN)

Hawley (R-MO)

Johnson (R-WI)

Kennedy (R-LA)

Lankford (R-OK)

Lee (R-UT)

Lummis (R-WY)

Marshall (R-KS)

Paul (R-KY)

Ricketts (R-NE)

Risch (R-ID)

Rubio (R-FL)

Sanders (I-VT)

Schmitt (R-MO)

Scott (R-SC)

Tuberville (R-AL)

Vance (R-OH)

(This is the end of the nays.)

Not Voting - 2

Braun (R-IN)

Scott (R-FL)”

(This is the end of the transcribed image.)

[electricvinyls]

This is my favourite mug of all time.

1. My name isn't tristan

2. I have never known a Tristan.

3. I can't even remember WHERE this mug came from but it's so funny regardless

[kiki-kit]

i have a genuine question for anyone that can answer!

how should i best depict a child (in comic form) growing up with chronic illness? with things like chronic pain, fatigue, low/compromised immune system, ect.. how does something like this effect their mood? their ability to form relationships? play? school?

the illness is fictional in nature, but its akin to a type of autoimmune disease, where the body is constantly in a state of attacking itself. are there things you would like to be shown/ better written? any taboos/stereotypes i should be aware of?

i have somewhat of an idea of what not to do, but as someone who didn’t grow up this way, i’d like to gather more concrete answers and opinions!

and finally, when it comes to creating a fictional illness, what things should i keep in mind, if any?

[cherryys]

Gojo and Megumi exist as wretched mirrors of each other; you are all I could've been and you are all i might be.

how their characters and their narrative arcs are foils of each other, a post:

1. Intro

Gojo and Megumi's origins start off pretty similarly: they were born from the 3 major clans, and they inherited the prized technique and let that dictate their lives, for better or for worse.

The divergence in fate starts when Gojo chooses to take Megumi in instead of letting him be subjected to the Zenin Clan's whims, i.e making him go down the same path Gojo had been born into and end up isolated and alone just like he was before Geto.

Here is where the first key component that separates Megumi entirely from Gojo fundamentally and the fate Megumi would've eventually found himself trapped in:

2. Tsumiki

Here, when Megumi is asked what he wants, he asks about Tsumiki, about her happiness. Megumi has someone he cares about and someone that cares about him from a young age, something Gojo didn't have yet.

Tsumiki was the reason he chose to go with Gojo. Had she not existed, Megumi wouldn't have taken Gojo's deal and probably dismissed him as he would've gained nothing from going with him, which would've ended with him with the Zenin Clan per Toji's deal.

in fact, she's the reason why Megumi turned out so differently despite being under Gojo's tutelage. Because of her, Megumi had someone to ground him, someone to connect him to non-sorcerers and "weak people", something Gojo didn't have. Because of her kindness, he had made it his

ideal to save people. there's an emotional weight and connection because Megumi grew up surrounded by non-sorcerers (went to a normal middle school) and was influenced heavily by them (Tsumiki).

So despite his grievances with people in general, he gets it. he understands where they're coming from, he despises it exactly because he grew up in it, and he sees it reflected in himself. but his sister changed him and showed him that some people are worth saving and fighting for.

unlike Gojo when he was a teen who, because he didn't have any connection to non-sorcerers or "weak" people growing up, viewed himself above them and saw that saving them was an unnecessary chore. and even with Geto, he was still indifferent.

it wasn't until Riko and Geto's defection that he saw value in saving these "weak" people too, but even then, there was still a sense of detachment from everyone else. a duty he had to carry out.

But because Megumi had earthly attachments (Tsumiki) he wasn't able to awaken or reach enlightment the way Gojo was able to in HI. in that moment of awakening, Gojo had momentarily let go of everything— Riko's death. Of course, Riko and Tsumiki are completely different in regards of how much they mean to Gojo and Megumi respectively (one is someone gojo knew for a few days at most while Megumi grew up with Tsumiki) but the point is Gojo had a separation from everyone else since the start (barring Geto), a separation Megumi never had because he had someone to tether him to the "world", so to speak, and that was what Sukuna exploited to completely destroy him.

3. Connection

Because Megumi was more "grounded", he was able to connect and interact with his classmates and upper classmates in a way Gojo wasn't able to before (barring Geto). Megumi didn't separate himself from the people around him, and spoke to them very respectfully.

he speaks to his upperclassmen formally using polite speech and honorifics, he still considers himself part of them, not a higher being or anything. Hell, he even trains with them (Maki), and heeds their advice well.

And while at the start he had an aloof air about him, he's quick to form bonds with Yuuji and Nobara, and by CH. 58, he was able to share a vulnerability with them and trust them to help him save his sister. Hell, as early as CH. 10, they had already impacted him hard enough for him to honor their wishes.

Gojo never had that with anyone before Geto, and he never had it with anyone else other than him.

This isolation Gojo felt is because of being The Strongest, but it's also because he grew up alone in the Clan, so it was what he was used to, unlike Megumi who grew up with Tsumiki.

4. Techniques

Their techniques and the way they work reflect their characters and contrast each other. Limitless is a very strong offensive Technique that requires precision to master, and it's one that works best alone. Its destructive power doesn't allow for any team-ups, and Infinity only protects him from any dangers, so it's isolating in nature. That's why Gojo works best alone. it doesn't allow for cooperation.

Contrastingly, 10S is a very versatile technique that has many uses besides offensive, and it is one that relies on cooperation because you can use many shikigamis at once, and it's one that doesn't isolate the user because you can utilise it in team-ups, too. its strength is in numbers. That reflects on their characters, their insecurities, and flaws.

Limitless sacrifices companionship for strength, and 10S sacrifices strength for companionship.

Likewise, Gojo loves the strength that comes with it yet he loathes the loneliness that it subjects him to, and Megumi loves the companionship that comes with it yet loathes the inadequacy he feels that comes from not being strong enough to protect the people he cares about.

10S is a technique that works against the user because you have to put your life on the line for the rituals, but you have your shikigami to aid you. while Limitless is one you can train freely with little to no immediate danger on the user, but you have to do it alone.

Gojo grew up being told he is strong while Megumi grew up being told he could be strong. That's why Gojo thrived and Megumi didn't. Gojo was constantly assured he was The Strongest every step, while Megumi was pushed to grow faster despite his efforts.

5. Dreams

Gojo had always loved Jujutsu, and he preferred his death by Sukuna's hand over something "boring" like dying of old age. He doesn't like simplicity. while Megumi wanted that. he never liked Jujutsu and would've preferred he lived a quiet and peaceful life.

6. Conclusion

Megumi exists as a harsh reminder for Gojo: He is all he could've been—able to connect with the people around him and have empathy for those who are weaker than him, and Gojo exists as a harsh reminder for Megumi: you are all i might be—powerful, but alone.

6.5. Prediction

this is just a prediction, a theory if you will, but there is a chance that Megumi could have his awakening in Chapter 271, surrounded by his friends, as opposed to Gojo who had his alone and detached from everyone else. who's to say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[hina-has-no-life]

Merry Christmas

Dazai always gifted Chuuya something for his Birthday and Christmas, even when Chuuya hated him. He never made a big deal of it, leaving the present with a card and a slug drawing for Chuuya to find in his apartment. He watched Chuuya receive gifts upon gifts and was glad. Chuuya is such a bright person in their life of darkness, he deserves to be cherished. But part of Dazai was always jealous of the love Chuuya so freely received. Because nobody wanted to give the Demon Prodigy something. A Demon doesn't deserve love like a human. Dazai continued gifting Chuuya presents even after they became partners and something close to friends. Now he just unceremoniously shoved the gifts at Chuuya instead of leaving them for Chuuya to find.

But he still didn't get something. It was fine. He wasn't a human like everyone else, it was natural that nobody gave him something. Chuuya on the other hand just didn't know what to gift Dazai. Dazai just needed to hint at something and Mori would give it to him. It was obvious to everyone but Dazai how much the Boss loved him. Ane-san said that he should ask Dazai directly or observe him to figure out what he likes. Hirotsu was more helpful and told him that Dazai loves his hand held console, he always had it with him. Chuuya already missed Dazais sixteenth birthday, only learning when it was after the fact and giving him a present then seemed worse than pretending he didn't know the youngers birthday. So now he needed to find something but Christmas was almost upon them and Chuuya had no idea. And he didn't manage to get a good gift when Dazai handed him a surprisingly well wrapped box on Christmas. He felt overjoyed at getting a gift, sad that the Flags wouldn't be there this year and incredibly guilty because he didn't have something for Dazai. So when Dazai turned around to go home - and Chuuya still didn't know where Dazai lived - he grabbed Dazais hand and spun him around.

"Let's to to my place" was all he blurted out and Dazai stared at him. He could see the surprise in Dazais singular eye and felt embarrassed. This wasn't planned and his apartment was full of gifts so taking dazai there would be like bragging. Chuuya was about to let go of dazai when the hand in his tightened a bit.

"Yeah.. let's go to Chuuyas" was said so quiet, hesitantly and Chuuya couldn't back down now. They went back to Chuuyas apartment hand in hand, neither willing to let go for some reason.

In Chuuyas apartment Dazai didn't even blink at the pile of gifts, didn't make a comment either.

It was slow going and awkward at first, neither knowing what to do. Usually Dazai broke into Chuuyas apartment and left before the redhead was back and Chuuya didn't have proper visitors like this since the Flags died. Not liking the quiet of his apartment without his friends.

But then Dazai noticed Chuuyas playstation. He didn't say anything but Chuuya saw how he eyed it and suddenly it was easy.

They played games well until the night. Both were having a blast, it was the best Christmas for Dazai he ever had. And Chuuya was glad.

He managed to give Dazai something after all. Sure it wasn't a normal gift but judging by the smiling face of the boy sleeping on his lap it was still a great present. He also now knew what to give Dazai on his birthday. Win-Win.

[dreemurr-skelememer]

[snailstrailz]

Btw big artists don't owe you shit if you think they're obligated to rb your stuff you're tattling on yourself that you view relationships as transactional, thus making you the fakest shit this side of a vegan leatherpunk's wardrobe.

[vitaecryptid]

You know what I want to see more of? Exploration of the little things that those with trauma do differently from others. I see a lot of nightmares and there is that, but thinking about how some of them move like ghosts through their homes, as if scared someone will hear them. Thinking about those that always have their back to a solid object to make sure nobody can come up behind them. Those that are always hyper aware of every little sound around them. Those that freeze up when touched and those that lean into touch too much. IDK I just like seeing the little nuances that make someone tick, even the bits that they adopted to survive, to protect their minds and hearts.