#father and had reverted himself back to a child

[kinardsevan]

I was totally genuine because I would love your stuff on 911 proper! They're dropping the ball with everything atm, which is so damn frustrating, considering the setup they gave themselves this spring.

Much love! 🤗

Glad for the clarification! ❤️❤️

I can totally understand your feelings. Mine aren’t far off. I waffle back and forth basically by the hour over whether this is all a tee-up and there’s real intention behind it, or whether they truly did give up the best thing that they’ve had in years.

One of my biggest struggles on it all and how it doesn’t make sense, is the active effort to include Tommy/Lou in the social media posts and ABCs use of him in ads as well. I understand that the networks opinion isn’t the end-all, be-all. But I just can’t coalesce all that’s been fed to us to this point, both from a story standpoint, and from the use of Lou/Tommy in the grander scheme at large. It doesn’t make any sense in the narrative, regardless of the ideals that some people have about him being a plot point or “entry level relationship”. One of the quotes I think back on is when Oliver said he wanted to see these two go through the struggles do in their first year of a relationship. That quote alone was one of the things (along with the intentional use of “Evan”) that said to me “people want this to be a short story, but these factors point to Tommy being around long-term”. It goes to the issue that Tommy does not see Evan as “Buck”, when we have already extrapolated that Buck is a mask. We’ve known that since season 3 when he told Bobby that putting on his uniform makes him feel like he can do anything, and “Buck” was a name he took on FOR work. It’s a dignification that creates separation for him from others. By relation, Evan can be as stripped bare and honest as he wants. This is why the use of his first name has always been important. Maddie can see him stripped down and bare, metaphorically speaking, because she knows his trauma. She’s his sister so she gets Evan rights. Eddie used his first name once with the will. In the same context as being stripped down, this was important because he wasn’t communicating with Buck from the standpoint of coworkers, but as a close friend telling him that he had made a decision about the safety and care of his child, should something happen to him. I can’t remember if we’ve ever seen Bobby use his first name, but this has always felt less important because of the father/son narrative.

We’ve seen Chimney throw around “Evan” in weird contexts, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing, so much as they have a unique relationship due to being coworkers, friends, and brothers simultaneously. I think that’s why anytime we hear him say “Evan”, it’s a bit of a play on fucking with him.

So when we cycle back to Tommy, who had only EVER called him Evan, using the name Buck is him forcing himself to create a separation. We also as a fanbase hear that and go “no, that’s wrong, it doesn’t sound right”.

At the end of the day, I cannot reason a fact to build all of this into a narrative (and I do mean ALL of it), include Lou in social media posts, have him be involved in interviews about the show… all to set it on fire 13 episodes after he returns. You’d have to have a damn good reason for doing so, like an actor wanting to leave or being so problematic that they need them gone. Now, a certain group would like for us to believe this, but we don’t have any actual proof of ANY of this narrative. That all said, we have to revert back to what we know and what we’ve been told. Which is confusing.

So. I’ve rambled again. And repeated myself in some contexts 😂 but I think I made my point? (If not I’ll obviously come up with more shit later 😂😂)

[sketchesfromthemoon]

karin again, but with kazune and baby. while making this i wondered if this child would be suzune, or if kazune wouldn't want to name this kid after the one they already met

[damian-lil-babybat]

DAMIAN WAYNE IS A GREEK TRAGEDY

When I say Damian al Ghul Wayne has almost all the ingredients of a classical Greek Tragedy, it is not an empty claim.

1. Tragic Hero: The hero facing his destiny with dignity. His virtuous character forms a bond with the audience, while his tragic flaw results in the audience’s fear for him, and his terrible punishment reveals a sense of pity.

Damian is the hero of his own story. In his mind, he was given a destiny, a standard to live up to. It came from his grandfather, as Hafid al Ghul, son of the Demon. It came from his mother, as her Alexander, with Talia deluding herself as Olympias. It came from his father, as the son of Batman.

He thought himself perfect on all those role, mighty ones they might be, heavy and overwhelming even, but he persevered in ways that should be impossible and ultimately achieved the pinnacle of a perfect heir for all of them.

2. Tragic Flaw: The human limitations of the hero or an error in judgement leading to the downfall. He attempts to escape from his destiny; however, he unknowingly runs toward it. His attempt leads him to his ��damnation”.

But what he thought was perfection, was his downfall. For even if he was designed and raised to be perfect, those roles are fashioned by imperfect mortals. As the son of the Batman, he was all too much of a monster to even be treated as child, let alone a son. As the son of the Demon, he was too soft, kind, and all too human, to sit upon the al Ghul's immortal throne. As the great Alexander, he was deemed as a mere pawn, a victim of circumstance, and not a victor of his own fate.

He was set up for failure before his story even began.

3. Catastrophe: The horrible ending of the play: death, suicide, ruin etc. Upon the truth being revealed about Oedipus’ origin, Queen Jocasta commits suicide by hanging herself, Oedipus stabs his eyes with the pin on Jocasta’s dress and pleads to be exiled from the city.

And just like all tragedies, it ends up in death...so many deaths and sacrifices. Repeat and rinse, the cycle continues with each redeeming arc punctuated by his death or ruin.

And just like Sisyphus, one must imagine him to be happy. For how else could he endure these unending trials?

4. Central Belief of Destiny: The belief of the fact that the actions were preordained by the gods and the flaw was inevitable. Even though Oedipus attempts to flee from his preordained destiny, the belief in inevitable destiny becomes the reason for his destruction.

How else could he keep harking on to his destiny? Desperately clinging to it like a promise gold once he touched it like Midas' cursed hands? But no, everything he touches turns to dust, every height he scale would be pushed down reverting him back to his old bare bones of an unwanted worthless child from both side of his parents, even how much he tries to make things right. Every person or thing he treasured is another ammunition for plot purposes to make him more tragic than he already was.

Damian had tried to flee before, but fate always brings him back. Because Batman needs a Robin. But Bruce already has a Robin, doesn't he? Because Damian needs to be Robin? Just cause, who would he be then? When all those titles he earned has been discarded and thrashed in the light of Batman's justice?

And the only one title he could be proud of is always threatened to be taken away if he just as much cross an invisible line that keep on changing depending on whims of the doomed narrative.

5. The Chorus: Approximately twelve masked men, forming a specific group, make comments on the ongoing play by singing and dancing.

Due to its form of media, Damian has no twelve singing and dancing masked men. XD

BUT If I have a say on this, I'll give Damian his own set of bardic troupe narrating his life story, and maybe somehow DC writers would finally admit he was loved and wanted, and was never alone and actually have family, companions and friends along the way!

https://www.byarcadia.org/post/ancient-greek-tragedy-101-the-introduction

AND THAT IS WHY it makes more sense for writers to like and, or dare I say, even love Damian's character.

A lot of great fanfictioners in AO3 actually root for this little guy. So it's nice ✌️

[milla984]

With Neighbors Like These

Summary: Jack goes away for the weekend and Aaron and Reader can finally have some alone time (inspired by this concept)

Pairing: post season 12 Aaron Hotchner x fem!reader

Category: smut (NSFW, 18+, MDNI)

TW/CW: kissing, mutual masturbation, moderate dirty talk, penetrative sex, protected sex, established relationship, unspecified age gap, Hotch dealing with parenting issues, Jack is mentioned but not present

Word Count: 2k

The house was unusually quiet as you walked in, leaving your shoes at the entrance to proceed barefoot towards the small office Aaron had arranged for himself with a few retouches to the spare room in the back.

Despite having a key in case of emergencies and whatnot, like a very good neighbor, it was a common decision you’d only use it on specific occasions and mostly when Jack wasn’t around. A single soccer cleat lay abandoned in a corner in the living room; were it to happen on a regular day you knew the mere sight of it would have sparked a fierce argument, but this morning was different. 

The evening before a very concerned father had driven his fourteen-year-old son to the arranged meeting point, camping gear in tow, and Jack was now enjoying a two nights excursion somewhere in the local woods. You had a feeling that, conversely, Aaron wasn’t getting a kick out of the child-free weekend - confirmed by his rapid typing on the keyboard when you knocked on the wooden frame of the French door to catch his attention.

He looked at you and cracked a smile, still too focused on what he was doing. “It won’t take too long. I promise.”  

You dropped your purse under his chair and hugged him from behind, the scent of his aftershave filling your nose with pure delight.

“Feeling lonely, already?” 

“Why?!” he enquired. “I didn’t have to shout five times to turn off that damn videogame, last night… and nobody guzzled down half a gallon of milk directly from the bottle, at breakfast!”

“You’re also worried, I can tell,” you added and he shrugged, defeated, then went back to focusing on the screen.

He’d been working part-time as an FBI consultant for a law firm for about a year and you had never seen him putting his job before his kid: he was an active member of the PTA and even volunteered to chaperone whenever he could (something that many moms and other dads found incredibly hot, without a doubt). If he was working on a Saturday he was a hundred percent desperate for a distraction.

Your palms brushed over his shoulders and a delicate touch soon turned into a proper massage, kneading his muscles through the polo shirt he was wearing. 

“Relax. You’re too tense,” you mumbled. He had only shared a few unpleasant details about his life as a member of the Behavioral Analysis Unit in D.C. before he and Jack moved into the neighborhood; nevertheless, it didn’t take a genius to figure out his former employment as an FBI agent had taken a huge toll on both of them.

“I’m not sure I should have signed that consent form,” he confessed. 

“His entire class is with him and his teachers all have cell phones, nothing’s going to happen. Save for a few mosquito bites,” you replied. “And don’t get me wrong... but aren’t you being just a bit overprotective?!”

“Jack told me the same thing when I said I wanted to think about it. Except, he didn’t phrase it so nicely,” Aaron grinned and shook his head while he rose to his feet. “Sorry, enough with the family issues,” he apologized, “it’s a lovely Saturday morning. Have you got any interesting plans?” 

“I have. And they don’t involve homework,” you declared, and as you pushed his laptop to the opposite side of the desk he locked an arm around your waist, his expression reverting to a serious one.

“... so you’re a bad influence.”

The intimidating attitude he could pull off with a single stare never failed to make your legs turn into jelly. 

You lowered your voice to a purr. “You don’t even kn—”

His soft lips pressed onto yours stopped you mid-sentence. The fact he had a teenage son registered in your mind only as a foggy thought and the power he’d had on you since the instant you saw him jogging around the block was almost inexplicable.

“You’re right, no more homework. How about I take you out for lunch?” he proposed and the warmth of his breath on your skin ignited a fire you weren’t at all convinced you could control. Or would.

You hugged him tight, your bodies finally making contact. “How about we take care of something else, first?”

Aaron’s attitude towards romantic relationships exuded manners and consideration, the portrait of a gentleman from a different era, so the response to your suggestion came as a surprise: he’d always shown a preference for the intimacy of his bedroom, even though his palms stroking over your breasts to make your nipples grow stiff and visible through the fabric was the perfect sign he had no intention of wasting any time to move the action upstairs. 

Your tongues lustfully met in a second kiss, prompting you to let out an excited sigh as you blindly undid and removed his belt before letting it fall on the floor with a loud clunk. You reached for his zipper and he sighed in return but gasped a second later when you gave him a light push that forced him to sit down again. 

“Show me how you do it when we’re not together.”

Aaron’s eyes widened - confusion and stupor at the beginning, then the sheer thrill of the idea lit up his gaze. And made him hard entirely.

He sank into the cushion behind his back to finish unzipping his pants and pulling them down his hips so that his swollen erection was only contained by a thin layer of underwear. 

“You’re just going to watch?” he asked, locking eyes with you. You could have sworn that look alone increased the temperature in the room by a couple of degrees. “Doesn’t seem fair.”

You reached under the flowy dress to roll your panties along your thighs, letting them crumple around your ankles; you sat on the desk and lifted the skirt up to your waist, your feet resting on Aaron’s parted knees. 

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

He swallowed nervously but didn’t miss a movement of your fingers starting to draw circles around your most sensitive spot, guided by the aching tension in your belly; your mouth watered at the sight of his cock whipping free and he noticed, so he took his time to wrap his right hand around it.

You knew how to work his length, moving up and down in slow and long strokes as foreplay, nevertheless witnessing such a handsome man masturbating for you proved to be one of the most lascivious experiences of your life.

“I always think about you when I touch myself…” you confessed, and he held on to your ankle with his free hand while you rubbed your clit. 

“Are you trying to make me lose control?”

You nodded in confirmation and he growled. 

He was now coating his shaft and palm with the leaking precum, using only his index and middle finger to collect some of the slickness and spread it over the bulging head, the exposed glans glistening in the process. That was when he usually begged you to move faster, since his delicate skin was lubricated enough and increased friction meant pleasure - not pain.

“I’m really wet for you,” you teased him, your own desire pooling at your core, but his reaction threw you off balance. 

“Stop, please… stop,” he whimpered, “this is not…”    

His ragged breath made it difficult for him to articulate his words. “I need you.”

You gestured at the purse that was still under his chair and he handed it to you; sharing the house with a teenager meant Aaron had grown accustomed to some of his clean t-shirts randomly disappearing from his drawers and wardrobe, so you both knew nothing out of the ordinary could be hidden among his personal stuff. 

He stared at you, entranced, as you retrieved the small box you’d carried with you and tore one of the foil packages open. 

“A little closer, maybe…?” you joked, and when he stood up you bit your lower lip in anticipation. He kissed you lightly on your forehead as you unrolled the latex down his hardness, then you pinched his chin and smiled at him.

“Better?!”   

He whined again. “Not exactly.”

You grabbed him by the nape of his neck, speaking softly to his ear. “Make me come. I can’t wait anymore.”

The uninhibited request seemed to have flipped a switch in him: the sound of a pencil holder spilling its content made you laugh as Aaron enthusiastically raised your legs in the air and held them to his chest, so he could start rubbing the tip of his cock up and down your folds.

It was torture but he was damn good at it.

When he managed to get himself covered in your arousal he slipped the bulbous head past your entrance. “It’s so big…” you muttered.

Truth be told he wasn’t that well-endowed and you had nothing against it, since you’d never been keen on painful sex, still you welcomed him with a loud moan once he buried himself inside of you. Even a gentleman from another era didn’t mind a bit of flattering and appreciation of his manhood. 

He wasn’t as vocal, though, but his deep groans reverberated in his throat in a manifestation of primal, untamed passion; he looked so solemn it drove you insane, his brows furrowed and tiny droplets of sweat trapped between his short hair, almost as if he was directing all of his energies into screwing your brains out.

When his thrusts grew slower but more intense you wriggled your legs free and locked them around his waist: with a last, fierce grunt he twitched several times and you closed your eyes to enjoy the moment, which was always the biggest turn-on for you.

With your eyes still closed you welcomed the pressure on your lips, a not-so-subtle invitation to take his index and middle finger in your mouth; you sucked on them alternately, happy to oblige, tasting traces of the salty precum. You clawed at his forearm when he brought the wet digits to your clit, rubbing and drawing circles just like you’d shown him before.

“Aaron… I’m…” you mewled, grabbing a fistful of his hair as you - indeed - came with his throbbing cock still inside you, lungs pleading for air and inner muscles clenching around him.

He collapsed on top of you, the additional weight making you realize how harsh the desk’s smooth surface was on your back, yet you cupped his face and stroked his flustered cheeks with your thumbs. 

“I missed you so much,” you breathed out as soon as you were able to.

He pulled out and started to fix his clothes, and before he got rid of the condom he planted the sweetest kiss on your lips. “I’m sorry about the other weekend. Jack wasn’t supposed to play, last minute change of plans—”

“Don’t be sorry, I know you love going to his games,” you said, propping up on one elbow to straighten yourself as he stood in front of you. “Besides, you wouldn’t want to disappoint your biggest fans, would you?”

He was still heaving a little and looked at you with a pensive pout. “... what?!”

“I mean, you’ve seriously never noticed…?” you locked your hands behind his neck as you tried to come up with a good imitation of the cooing voice of the soccer moms who you knew swarmed the sidelines every time he was present.

“Aaron, can you help us move the coolers? Aaron, we need to rearrange those chairs! Aaron, come here and have some cake! We made it for you ‘cause you’re such a good dad and it’s soooooo hot!”

He laughed, the vibrations in his ribcage making your breasts jiggle, then he gave you his best smile to date. “You’re jealous?!”

You shrugged, holding him closer. “No. To be honest I don’t even blame them, you are a good dad. Which is very hot, by the way.”

“Thank you,” he laughed again as he wrapped you in his arms to kiss you one more time, forcing you to close your eyes and get lost in his tender embrace. You muffled a surprised gasp when he playfully nipped at your earlobe with another heart-stopping smile. 

“But just to be clear…” he added, his voice dropping to a whisper, “it’s usually cookies, not cake!”

NB: I don't really have an Aaron Hotchner fic taglist 'cause I usually write about Spencer Reid but if you wish to be tagged in future Hotch-centric works (SFW or not, who knows?) you can either send me an ask or leave a comment below.

[s-i-ll-y-w-i-ll-y]

Be our guest~

Hannigram/ Hannibal Lecter x Will Graham x Teen!reader

Summary: Hannibal and Will host a small dinner party between themselves, a work friend and her family. But with Will and Hannibal, there’s no such thing as a happy ending.

TW! Drugging, Delulu Hannibal, mention of blood, mention of vomit(not detailed)

~~~~~~

“Do we have to eat with them?” Your father groaned to your mother as he parked the car next to the house.

“Yes. They’re my friends and it’s not everyday we get to eat out.” Your mother snapped back. She opened her car door and stepped out slowly, brushing down the creases in her dress.

With a heavy sigh, you opened your car door and followed your mother to the small, metal gate at the front of the garden. The silky darkness of night preventing any greenery to show over the bars, causing the grey stone path ahead to be hard to navigate.

You held onto your mother’s arm as she stumbled forward in her heels. “It would be great to have my husband walk me to the front door. Not my child.” She scoffed bluntly.

“Walk yourself. You’d nag at me the whole way anyways.” Your father retorted, trailing behind. He passed your mum a bottle of wine, practically shoving it into her arms.

Your mother fixed her hair before pressing the doorbell. A pleasant ring echoed behind the tall door and soon after the door creaked open.

“Y/M/N, Hannibal and I are so happy you could make it.” The man smiled as he stepped aside to allow your family to enter, taking the bottle of wine from your mum with a small thank you. He shook your fathers hand before guiding you all to the lounge. They’re house was big. Bigger than yours or any house you had been in before. It had room after room all the way down the hall, with a big staircase at the end. Each wall had something on it, either art or a clock. No family photos or honeymoon pictures. Just rich art or an old clock.

The man sat down beside your dad, although while speaking to your parents his eyes were tracked on you. Eventually he looked away to address all of you, “Hannibal’s in the kitchen at the moment, hopefully he’ll be through in a second to greet you.”

And, as if it were rehearsed, who you assumed was Hannibal waltzed through the doorway. He dried his hands off with a towel before throwing it over his shoulder. “Y/M/N, I’m so glad you could come. Good to see you as well, Y/F/N, have you been doing better since our last appointment?”

Your father rolled his eyes and made himself comfortable on a leather sofa before answering, “Yeah yeah, I’ve been doing great.”

You looked towards your mother, noticing how her gaze lingered on Hannibal, her eyes taking in every inch of him. She never looked at your dad like that.

Yikes.

Hannibal narrowed his eyes and stared at your father for a moment too long, as if he was analysing him, before reverting his gaze to you. “You must be Y/N. Your father speaks of you often.”

“All bad, I assume.” You joked, offering the man a small smile.

He hummed at your joke, returning the smile. “Well, I’m sorry to cut this short but I have to get back to work. Y/F/N, would you care to help me?” His gaze darted back to your dad.

Begrudgingly, your father stood up and sauntered over to Hannibal, presumably to follow him into the kitchen.

“So, Y/N,” the other man began, “your mother tells me you’re heading down the same path as her. Studying to be a criminal psychologist too?”

You gently nodded, “That’s what I’m hoping for.”

A somber silence fell between the three of you until your mother spoke up and sparked a conversation which you had no interest in. Something about Abel Gideon’s attack or whatever.

After half an hour of boring conversation and staring at the ceiling, Dr Lecter called all of you through to the dining room. That’s how you found out the other man’s name, Will.

You took your seat between Will and Dr Lecter, letting your parents sit together. The adults began chatting about work and life and God knows what else. All of it was boring.

While you were poking and prodding at the fish on your plate you heard your name be muttered by Dr Lecter. Your head shot up in his direction.

“What do you think?”

A soft blush burned your cheeks as you bashfully stated, “I’m really sorry but I haven’t been paying attention.”

He chuckled softly before asking what you thought of the food. To which you only gave compliments, not wanting to upset him. Dr Lecter smiled softly, thanking you, before turning back to speaking with your parents.

Throughout the numerous courses Dr Lecter brought out, you slowly began to feel more and more sick and tired, to the point where you felt your eyes rolls back in your head and your stomach churn and ache.

You gently placed your fork on your plate and leaned back in your chair, immediately gaining attention from Will who nudged you.

“You okay, kid?” His face strewn with worry.

Sweat dripped down your brow as you nodded sharply, “Yeah, no, I’m fine. I’m just tired.”

“Well, we have a guest bedroom upstairs that we would be more than happy to let you borrow.” Dr Lecter chimed in.

“No it’s okay. I’ll be fine.”

“We insist.”

After that you had no say in wether you went or not. Will slowly guided you up the stairs and down the hall, at points he was pausing to make sure you were fine.

You always said you were fine despite your migraine making your vision blurry and your feet feeling numb. Once you reached the top of the stairs, you fell into Will and luckily he caught you, picking you up before you could try to stand again. You would have been so embarrassed if you hadn’t been feeling this bad.

The walk to the spare bedroom was tedious. Time felt as if it had slowed down to taunt you- to make sure you felt every second of pain.

Finally, Will reached the room. The door creaked open and the light flickered on. Through your blurry vision you almost thought it was your room at home. Same bed frame, wardrobe, vanity, dresser- all of it was identical. Maybe you were just being crazy. Maybe this was your brain trying to comfort you and make you see a place that makes you feel safe.

He gently placed you down on the bed, making you sit up to the best of your ability while he took off your shoes so the sheets didn’t get muddy. He then pulled back the duvet and let you fall onto the pillow, immediately falling asleep. He smiled, softly brushing hair out of your face before stepping out of the room and turning off the lights.

~

A loud crash abruptly woke you up, jolting you upright. A sense of dread washed over you as you peeled back the covers and slowly navigated your way to the thin line of light emerging from the frame of the door.

A shiver racked down your spine as the cold, hard wooden floors touched your feet.

Each step on the floor creaked under the weight of you. The loudness made you worried that the wrong person could hear and come to get you.

They were probably just watching a movie, you reasoned with yourself, trying to think of any logical explanation while feeling like something was watching you.

The abyss like darkness which awaited you at the bottom of the steps was the worst. That feeling of dread set in faster and harder as you stepped into the nothingness that called out for you.

Trying to find a way around this house felt impossible. You felt like a rat trapped in a maze trying to find its reward, and your rat race reward could only be freedom.

You crept into the kitchen, then the dining room, then the lounge, flicking on the lights as you did. Each one you were wary about entering, that dread in your stomach building up more and more.

And when a hand clasped your shoulder, you felt like crying out. You spun around, pushing the hand away and stumbling to the plush, carpeted floor. Looking up, you saw the slim and shadowed figure of one of your hosts for the evening,

Will.

Your eyes widened as you heard him call out for Hannibal. Quickly, you scrambled to your feet and made a mad dash for the closest exit, accidentally bumping into something.

Something whose chest rose and fell with each heavy heaving breath, something which grabbed you and pulled you close, something that glistened with sweat and blood in the bright white moonlight from out the old windows.

“It’s alright, Mischa..” Hannibal sighed, holding you against him, “You’re safe now.”

~~~~~~~

02:03 Saturday, 10th of August 2024

10/8/24

AN- this is low-key shit, but I kinda like the idea. I just don’t think I could write it well.

Also, three hours ago it was my birthday 🥳🥳🦅

Love you all :3

[animeyanderelover]

Hello, I heard that your request box is now open and have an idea for a yandere reaction for a few for the Naruto fandom.

Yk how Sasuke/Itachi Uchiha had fangirls when they were kids/in their teens? How would the yanderes feel when their S/O had groups of fangirls/fanboys, wanting to be their partner, giving them gifts, wanna be train together, etc. With Yandere Asura, Indra, Izuna, Temari and Neji?

Tw: Yandere themes, possessive behavior, obsession, delusional mindset, paranoia, stalking, threats, manipulation, abduction

Tags: @shumidehiro @swagenemyartisan @cachamata

S/o has lots of fans

Otsutsuki Asura

🔳​Gosh, he is absolutely dying on the inside every single time your fans just swarm around you like bees around flowers. On the one hand Asura absolutely understands why you are so popular and beloved as he is in some way also a part of your fanclub but it is just so frustrating that he so rarely gets his chance to truly be left alone with you. There is a ton of competition as lots of people would love to be your significant other and he's not going to lie, his throat sometimes tightens when he sees all the gifts, the confessions and the affection you receive from others. He's always been labeled as the weak offspring who fails in comparison to his talented brother Indra and it is this gap in strength that will sometimes mess with him if this should be before he went on his father's quest in order for Hagoromo to figure out who the next head of the village should be. There are lots of other talented, kind and beautiful people in his village and Asura is humble enough to admit so himself. On the other hand it is also a sure way to motivate him to vie with your admirers for your adoration as he starts training harder, picks flowers for you on fields and tries to cook for you though he ends up burning a lot by accident.

🔳​His jealousy remains even once he finds himself in a relationship with you though he feels more secure by that point as he trusts his darling. If he's at that point already head of the village most people are probably going to respectfully step back though you probably still receive a lot of gifts and love letters. He takes it very well though, often likes to joke that you're probably more beloved than he is which he honestly wouldn't even mind since you are nothing short of amazing in his eyes. However, he doesn't like if someone ends up confessing to you and asking you to be their lover right in front of him. It's awkward and uncomfortable and only leaves him with the option to clear his throat as he tries to be mature only to very quickly end up arguing with the other person in a way very much reminiscent of a child with the way he pouts and whines. After such an encounter he always grows clingier and more affectionate, deeply upset that someone was bold enough to confess to you whilst fully knowing that you are already with him. Your popularity truly is a two-sided sword yet Asura refuses to revert back to being the same pathetic stalker he was in the past now that you're actually together with him-

Otsutsuki Indra

💜​Indra takes a very different approach than his brother as his patience is very thin and his possessive feelings for you very high. Once he has developed feelings for you he grows very quickly rather possessive over you and all of it is only sped up due to the adoration and love you're frequently showered with due to all of your silly admirers. This entire commotion is a waste of time in Indra's eyes as those people behave as if they were a sorry excuse of a circus trying to entertain you and gain your attention. On every single occasion Indra has made short work of them, always interfering their pathetic attempts to woo you and scaring them away with a scorching glare and equally searing threats before turning his wrath to you with a deep scowl on his face. Why would you even entertain such good-for-nothings? If any of them ever even dare to ask you to train with them he quickly shows them just how unfit they are to even consider such an outrageous thought, his opponents always left bloody by the end of it. At one point he starts claiming your entire time for himself, keeping you by his side and isolating you from others to calm his own burning possessive feelings down.

💜​After Hagoromo doesn't acknowledge him though that previous arrogance he always had turns into an inferno of paranoia and jealousy he did not possess before. Indra projects his hurt on you as he starts believing that you would abandon and leave him as well and it is that thought that drives him to abduct you. It is likely that he might also murder some of your most persistent admirers who've always gotten on his nerves the most, people who he actually somewhat acknowledged and for that now views as the biggest threats who may steal you from him. It is after the abduction that Indra at the very least finds some semblance of peace again as he knows that there are no fans anymore who could get on his nerves and it eases his possessive urges somewhat. Yet his ego has been forever damaged which leads to you having to be very delicate as Indra needs a long time to get over the shock of being betrayed by his father and his brother. Every time you defy him as well he lashes out, spits angry accusations that you probably miss being swooned over and being spoiled by those weaklings in the village. Too unfortunate for you though because he'll never let you go back.

Uchiha Izuna

🔹​For Izuna it will depend on whether your admirers are also Uchiha or not as he is someone who only believes in the good of his own clan which means that he would be much harsher and scarier with your fans if they should not belong to his clan. There will be only disrespect and intimidation as he would never allow his darling to choose anyone but him, especially if your other choice should be someone who is not an Uchiha. After all the young man is deep down quite a prideful warrior though he can be very charming and sweet around you as well. If your fans were to be Uchiha, Izuna is inclined to be more merciful though he still expects them to know their place, especially since he's the younger brother of Madara and one of the strongest fighters. Now, obviously the Uchiha feel quite intense which is why your admirers might be more persistent if they were to be of the same clan as he is, leading to potentially more conflict though Madara is going to fully support his younger brother once he's aware of Izuna's feelings. Sometimes there is a sense of satisfaction though knowing that you're so desired which would make it all the more satisfying once he claims you.

🔹​Once you are officially Izuna's darling he is going to be less tolerant of your admirers antics. Any gifts you receive he expects you to reject on the spot or throw away later. None of them are going to be kept and if you try to still keep them he is going to burn them before turning to you with a disappointed glare on his face. He's the only one whose gifts you are allowed to keep. One's ego can never be boosted enough though so it happens that Izuna takes you with him on a stroll through the streets simply to bask in the jealousy of the other people who can only silently murmur and glare at him with envy as his arm is wrapped around your waist. It is this jealousy that results in that smug look on his face, knowing that he managed to court you and make you his though you had so many other admirers. It's not always fun though, especially if someone still believes to have any chances with you even though you now belong to Izuna. In such cases you always know better, quickly stepping away from them to not displease Izuna all whilst said man is already busily glowering at them, irritated that they still don't understand. Perhaps they need a reminder of why he is the only choice for you.

Temari

🌪️​Temari is very much a no nonsense person so she is going to be irritated with your little fanclub long before she is even in a relationship with you. Temari isn't a very jealous person as she is a confident lady but it is very agitating to see the shinobi of her village courting you instead of training to get stronger. She wants the best of her village as she is aware that Sukunagakura didn't always have the best reputation amongst other villages and she is very determined to change that. So it isn't even jealousy but disappointment and frustrating anger that the shinobi who swore to protect the village now have nothing better to do than trailing behind you, swooning over you like fools and spending their money on presents instead of training to sharpen their skills. Worst of all is that you suffer from their infatuations as well, always stopped from training properly which is the point where Temari storms in like a hurricane and scolds all of them harshly for behaving in such an unsightly way. Her irritation even reaches you as she reprimands you for being too polite to your fans all the time instead of making your disinterest very clear as you instead gave them always hope.

🌪️​It is in an actual relationship that she gets more possessive. It's basic etiquette to respect it if someone is already in a relationship with another and it is then that she truly figures out who the true idiots are, too desperate to give up on you. She expects you to inform you as soon as anyone of them even dares to suggest that you could still choose them and leave her. She doesn't let Kankuro or Gaara help her, firm in her decision to deal with this problem herself as she is the one in a relationship with you and it is her job to protect you. She is more than capable of doing that in this situation. There is no kindness your admirers still going after you can expect from Temari either, her entire face an angry mask and her words brash and abrasive. Are they not ashamed of themselves? There is no respect given to those people, their display of desperation nothing short of pathetic and unfitting for the shinobi of the village. On some days she is in such little mood to deal with your fans that she asks of you to stay at home for the day. She is going to make sure that all of them learn their lession though. They can admire you but they cannot try to be your lover.

Hyuga Neji

🕊️​You absolutely deserve to be loved and cherished yet it isn't even the fact that you have fans but more the unsavory way that some of them behave that enrages Neji so much. They're loud, they scream your name and ignore your discomfort as they are pushy. Such people he finds himself actively despising the most and especially when he notices that you're uncomfortable does he get protective and scare them away with a stern glare and a few simple threats. Most of the time Neji is not jealous though as he would never view people with no behavior as rivals as they are nothing more than inconveniences he wishes to remove from your life. He doesn't mind those who show their admiration in more respectable ways by gifting you stuff though he observes such actions very closely as he makes shameless use of his Byakugan in such situations. His confidence remains largely intact though, secure in his knowledge that he is still going to love you better and treat you like you deserve to be treated. He prefers to do so in the Hyuga compound though where people who aren't part of the clan aren't allowed in unless with permission, giving him the chance to focus only on you and vice versa.

🕊️​The possessive urge to let your fans know that you are his sometimes gets the better of Neji even though he deems himself about such urges. Yet it can't be helped when he watches as they still try to capture your attention before he steps gracefully in, his hands holding yours as he presses a kiss against your forehead before white eyes glance at your fans with the silent but clear warning that you are his and that they should know their place. With his Byakugan he is able to easily avoid them as he guides you throuh Konoha and away from your fans yet he finds himself worried about the persistence some of them show which is why he starts keeping you more and more to himself in the Hyuga compound where their presence can't vex him as much as it would have outside of the district. It's in here that he truly feel like the two of you are finally in your own world where he can focus fully on you and you can do the same. It's not like Neji believes your fans to ever harm you but he fears that they might find you when he isn't there and make you uncomfortable without him being able to help you. It's this smothering worry that leads you to be isolated even though Neji only wants to do the best for you.

[piracytheorist]

Twilight Eyes Project: "The Target's Second Son" (part 2)

Part 1 here

Previous episodes analyses

After Damian rejects Anya's apology, Twilight reverts his focus back to Plan A: making Anya an Imperial Scholar through good grades.

And so he starts this chapter with Twilight eyes, too focused on having Anya understand fractions to realize that it's too difficult a subject for her to begin with.

Yor suggests they take a break, but he insists, and his eyes keep their serious look.

And they even narrow further when he warns Anya that she won't get to watch Spy Wars if she doesn't finish her homework.

Feeling stressed, Anya runs to her bedroom. Loid follows her, intent on pressuring her to continue studying, until Yor tells him he shouldn't do that. Narrow (though a little softer in the anime) eyes as he tells her that Anya needs to study hard to become an Imperial Scholar.

Yor asks him if he believes that's what Anya wants... and that exposes him.

He's been too focused on the mission, and in his defense Anya has been amazingly accepting of everything, so now he realizes how much he's been actually pushing her. That she doesn't prioritize good grades the way he does, so she doesn't understand why he's doing what he's doing. His eyes stay narrowed in the manga, but the anime gives him a bit of a sadder expression.

Yor apologizes for interfering in his parenting methods, and he smiles at her in a show of registering her message.

He thanks her for offering her view. He's back on Loid Forger mode. This is a normal moment of a small child getting tired with homework, not the end of the world. Yor's words help him remember he needs to approach Anya with understanding, and not panic.

And so, they make her cocoa as a peace offering, but she doesn't respond when they call her. We still get Loid eyes, though they narrow in reaction to Anya's resistance, not in suspicion.

"Loid eyes" are still on, as he asks Yor about her experience in helping Yuri study. I find it interesting here because this could be an important moment in him learning how to navigate his own methods of helping Anya with her homework, but he just looks... invested. He's learning too, here, not as a spy obtaining information, but as a human gaining life knowledge.

Yor tells him that he can motivate Anya to study, the same way she had motivated Yuri in the past, and he looks down with an uncertain smile. No "Twilight eyes" to show he sees this moment from a cold and detached standpoint, and no "Loid eyes" to show he's pretending to be confident about this. In a way, he's exposing his lack of knowledge and experience to Yor.

The anime gives a little more focus on his reflection on the teacup, just as the soundtrack switches to the "teacups" track. We get what the rules of this post series would call "sad eyes".

Twilight's mind fills with his shortcomings as a father in the mission and he starts despairing. His face turns into an uncharacteristically sad and lost expression until Yor tells him that Anya loves who he is already.

And... I feel I'd do both manga and anime a disservice, if I didn't put his entire change in expression here.

Genuine surprise, to genuine relief... to getting himself back together. Judging by his reaction after, as he quickly turns to Twilight eyes, this seems to be the moment he remembers that his job is a slow, arduous work of becoming someone else, not to immediately turn into someone else.

He thanks Yor for her input and reassures her that it is her place to give such input, but I don't think his eyes show he was being duplicitous in any way here. I'd say he was more focused than anything else.

Back to business. He is a professional spy, after all, he needs to focus back on that.

He does, however, look genuinely thankful for Yor's comment. Sometimes all he needs is affirming words from someone not in the loop. Yor sees how high Anya thinks of him, and she simply reminds him of that, and that this is something everyone can see. To him, that means that the mission is going smoothly.

Judging by his expression here, though, and his comment to himself in the end, I do tend to think he's also influenced by the fact that a little girl feels loved. I mean, the very reason he continued Operation Strix as originally planned was because he didn't want to abandon Anya the way her other foster families had, so despite what he may think, there is a lot of emotional investment here. You can't tell me a part of him wasn't relieved here to know that he was directly ensuring a child's emotional safety. It's just that he can safely keep an emotional distance from the situation because he's certain Anya only loves "Loid Forger", so while he's relieved, he's not overjoyed with paternal love, you know what I mean?

Slightly narrowed eyes when he knocks on Anya's door again, apologetic and willing to compromise with her watching her show first and then studying. I think it's a good balance of him being careful as a spy, and showing his "negotiating parent" face.

Like, think about how all this time, he hasn't shown quite a lot of affection as a father to her. He did pick her up in his arms with a bright smile when she passed first the written exam and then the interview for Eden, but there's no plethora of smiles, terms of endearment, or hugs from him towards her. So maybe he knows he can't really be like "uwu I'm sowwy" nor like "yay I'm happy now you can watch your show and then I'll help you with those fractions :D".

I think by now it's become a little apparent, how he's not using over-willing "Loid eyes" a lot with Anya. Anya's high levels of intuition have thrown him off, and he's realized that this weapon of his is useless against her - she'll immediately see through it. For now he chalks it up to him not knowing a lot about children, but I'm curious to see if he'll notice how other kids can fall for his fake bright smile, and then suspect that maybe Anya is way more intuitive than the average kid... and why that may be.

As Anya doesn't answer when he knocks, he enters her room to find her asleep over her books. He matter-of-factly says she'll catch a cold if she sleeps like that, but then hears as she mutters in her sleep about how she wants to do good on her tests for him.

And through his calm expression (and the blush that the anime once again omitted) he shows how surprised he is by her initiative, but also how he feels a little proud of her.

It's interesting how much he shows with them around, especially Anya. The nature of this mission allows him to open up, after all.

Then, with the SOFTEST OF VOICES THAT I'M STILL NOT OVER, he picks her up and says he'll record the Spy Wars episode for her.

Like I'm sorry but how fucking cute is this. My dude is completely gone. He didn't even have to promise to record her show. He really did mean it when he said "You can watch your show and then study".

A small "WTF" expression as Anya is apparently having a dream of Yor going full Thorn Princess on Papa,

a classic moment of "dad looks at his sleeping child" moment added by the anime,

as he finally closes the shutters back into Twilight eyes. Cause now he's reaffirming that Anya thinks of him as a wonderful father... and he ends up wondering what it would feel like if he had a real family.

An evening of surprisingly vulnerable moments for him. He's not ready to unpack all that, so he retreats back into himself and the security of his spy position.

(no manga spoilers please)

[nightcolorz]

There is something clearly unhealthy and immature about Marius inserting himself into Armand's every meaningful relationship with anyone else.

Yes, he helped Daniel in a crisis situation, but it seems like it could have done without the romantic subtext, right?

Then he became the maker of Benji and Sybelle. And this is the strongest connection, although he had nothing to do with these people 💀

It’s like he’s tying Armand to himself, isn’t it? He takes all his close people. Marius is literally everywhere.

While Armand himself is obviously trying to learn to live independently, without Marius and his influence.

Armand remains trapped in his power. He is afraid of loneliness, and all the people closest to him are attached to Marius for various reasons.

This thought makes me despair. Armand is still dependent on Marius. And, apparently, he's always will be.

Justice for Armand in a show, where Daniel will be on his side, without a sense of duty to Marius for taking care 🤞🏻

AGREED ITS SO FUCKED!!

It feels so insidious, like it comes off like Marius is intentionally sinking his teeth into Armand’s loved ones so that he will be inescapably a part of his life. It reminds me of how abusers r often family members the victims r regularly forced to interact with, but instead of this being inherent to the dynamic Marius is putting himself in those roles to be closer to Armand. I’m not sure that he’s doing that specifically with that goal, but I feel like it has to be at least subconscious.

I always think about how with Benji and sybelle, it seems like his only motivation is to insert himself into Armand’s life in a way that deprives him of agency or authority. He’s literally taking away his children by *making himself the father* and he’s taking away Armand’s agency to make choices for them by making the choice for him and then patiently explains to him like he’s a dumb child that marius just knows better and this was for their own good.

He basically does the same with Daniel, he takes in Daniel when he’s vulnerable and then isolates him from Armand so that Armand doesn’t get to be a part of his life anymore. It’s very parent of a teen mom deciding to raise the kids cuz the mom is too immature, but instead of a teen mom it’s a grown adult who continues to be treated by the parent like he’s too immature to have any relationship that isn’t being directed and controlled by Marius.

back to Benji and sybelle, smth that’s rlly upsetting to me about that plot line is how Marius begins initiating that dynamic by patiently inviting Armand to his house to reconnect with seemingly no strings or pressure attached, and Armand is very hesitant to open himself up to marius for understandable reasons so he is very distant and none responsive to this offer. And so since Armand isn’t budging, marius offers to help him out by looking after his kids, and Armand agrees to that and it’s kind of an olive branch where Armand is allowing himself to trust Marius by allowing him to be alone with his loved ones. And Marius takes that opportunity and decides to inescapably tie Armand to him by inserting himself into his family dynamic and ruining everything Armand has built by making it his own 😭😭 it’s so fucked, and it seems like such a direct reaction to Armand being distant and hesitant to open up to him

I think Marius does all this partly cuz he’s scared to loose Armand, and partly bcus he sees Armand as his biggest mistake who should have never existed, and in that feels responsible for controlling his life/“taking care of him” so that he doesn’t “cause any harm” that Marius would be responsible for. It’s also definitely an insecurity thing. I think Marius is insecure seeing that Armand is fine without him while Marius (guy who should be the “strong one” in the relationship) can’t stop thinking about him, so he tries to take control of Armand and revert back to their old dynamics so that he can validate his own power + validate his belief that Armand needs him

[dairy-farmer]

Scruffing collars have a clamp at the back to hold omegas in a scruff, freeing up both of their alpha’s hands. It makes them go limp and pliant and obedient and relaxed. The firmer they are the deeper into instincts the omega will go. They’re not generally meant for long term use, a few days at most, though sometimes a doctor will prescribe a light one for and omega with bad anxiety.

But Tim is just so difficult. He’s willful and headstrong and disobedient and doesn’t accept his proper place at the bottom of the pack. He doesn’t take care of himself or let others take care of him. He has drawn away from the pack, and acting like he’s actually a beta. Bruce knows he messed up when Tim was young. Gave him too much free from even after he presented. He’s tried to fix things but Tim just keeps rebuffing him. He’s out of ideas.

Bruce decides to get a lighter scruffing collar, one that will scruff Tim enough to make him act more omegean. He’ll go down into submission easier, accept help and direction from his alphas, and settle into the proper pack dynamics. Just until things settle, he tells himself.

Bruce will need support from the rest of the pack. This is not a plan that will work unless everyone else is on board. He checks in with them.

Dick has been worried about Tim’s lack of self care for a while. He wants to take care of Timmy and it hurts that Tim pushes him away. He doesn’t take much convincing that it’s for Tim’s own good.

Jason, though a proponent of omega independence in his Alley, has always struggled with Tim. His instincts hate that Tim doesn’t defer to him like he should. That Tim challenged him for the cape. He’s been wanting-needing-Tim to be on his knees before him, submitting, letting Jason take what he wants for a long time now. Plus he’s always liked Tim’s tight ass and wide hips and wants to get his hands on them. He jumps at Bruce’s idea with a grin and dark eyes.

Damian is used to omegas behaving a certain way from his time at the league. Drake has been improper and acting far above his station. An omega this willful should’ve been turned into a pet before now. The only reason he has not corrected this thus far is out of deference to his father. He tells Father it is about time something is done.

Cass has seen how unhappy Tim has been. Even if it’s a collar forcing Tim to relax it has to be better. She spends a lot of time in Hong Kong, but agrees that something needs to change and that she’ll help when she’s home.

Steph thinks Tim has been too uptight for too long. She misses being able to poke and prod at him while he hisses in feigned annoyance. She’s a beta so her role in the pack is more fluid, but agrees Tim might be healthier with his place more enforced, instead of acting as he has been.

Barbara has been frustrated with Tim for a while. He’s cagey and secretive and Dick always comes whining to her about him. She’s tired of his shit. It’s long past time for someone to put their foot down.

Even Alfred approves. He has always been a traditionalist. It’s one thing for betas like him and Mistresses Stephanie and Barbara to be independent and ignore and occasionally even boss around alphas (for their own good, of course), but it’s scandalous for an omega to openly flagrant the pack order. If he were the pack alpha, the omega would’ve been shown his place immediately after presenting, even if he was Robin.

Bruce had not realized how eager everyone would be to see Tim put in his place. He has Alfred buy a collar and gets it around Tim’s neck and locks it shut, giving Alfred to key to keep safe.

The effect is stronger than he expected, but he should’ve anticipated it. Tim wasn’t scruffed often as a child, and even less after presenting. His pack connections have always been weak. The collar, which was just supposed to make him more relaxed and easy, reverted him much closer to an instinctual state than intended.

Tim can still vocalize noises and even say a few words if prompted, and take care of his base needs. But the collar makes him more like a pet omega than expected. Pets are usually that way naturally-hyper submissive-and Bruce assumes Tim will gain function once the shock wears off and he gets used to being scruffed.

Tim does a little bit, but not quickly. Bruce is afraid of shocking Tim again by taking it off too quickly so he decides to give it a bit longer. But he can’t deny that the entire pack is far happier with Tim scruffed and submitted and filling his role as an omega. He’s calm and loose and relaxed and affectionate. He lets the alphas take care of him. They can pet him and feed him by hand and cuddle him. It soothes everyone’s instincts.

There is one more role, though, that Bruce had no expectation of Tim fulfilling. Many omegas are happily mated. They have one or two mates, and though they are submissive to the entire pack, they don’t service them all. After all, most omegas do have autonomy, and care for their pack with other acts of service, and their pack cares for them. Pets, however, are a little different. They’re much closer to their instincts and have a huge desire to please all their alphas, any way they can.

Jason is the first one to fuck him like this. He’s wanted to for ages. He wants Tim underneath him, begging, crying, wanting whatever Jason decides to give him. He wants Tim to be nothing more than his bitch. Jason knows what he wants and he has a plan. The first time Jason is alone with Tim he starts teasing him and rubbing him. He gets Tim off often enough until Tim associates Jason with sex and his scent is all it takes to get Tim wet and ready. Soon Jason is fucking him whenever he comes to the manor, and now he comes to the manor a lot. Tim is always happy to see him, purring and chirping and rubbing against him. He starts off nice and gentle until Tim is eager to get fucked whenever Jason wants. Then he can start getting tougher and meaner and more of bully if that’s what he’s in the mood for. And Tim doesn’t mind-or if he does it’s not like he can say anything. Jason finds that fucking Tim is a great stress release. He can fuck him hard and deep and fast, and then slow and teasing until Tim cries. And then he can have Tim kneel at his feet and nurse on his cock while he plans out drug routes and territory shifts. He can’t get enough of Tim being under his power, taking whatever Jason decides to give him, finally submitting. It’s heady.

Dick is the next one. He eases his way into it, as much for his sake as Tim’s. He doesn’t intentionally aim for that, unlike Jason. It just happens. Cuddles turning to light touches turning into groping and teasing touches until he’s lightly rubbing Tim’s hole. Tim is warm and wet and inviting and Dick first slips his fingers in, eventually followed by his cock. He loves seeing Tim squirm and whine for more, while Dick teases him, slowly adding more and more, drawing it out as long as he can. There’s something about seeing him hiccuping and crying as Dick brings him close to the edge over and over with no release until Dick looses control and snaps his hips hard into him. Timmy is so cute when he’s flushed and needy and accepting Dick’s love

Damian doesn’t care that much about Timothy as a person-he never has. He grew up with omegas either knowing or learning their place. If Drake had been properly socialized he would’ve accepted his place without needing a collar. He could’ve kept his autonomy and been allowed more freedom. He could’ve been useful, if only he’d been deferential. But he chose to be difficult and finally, finally, Father has removed his personhood and turned him into a pet. He’s not obsessed with the omega the way Richard and Jason are. But he is content to make it pose for hours, to sit at Damian’s feet while he reads. When he orders Timothy to bend over and rucks up its short ruffled topless dress, it’s merely to fill Damian’s desires. He always leaves Timothy whining and panting and wanting. As soon as Damian comes, he’s done. Omega pets have little use outside of serving alphas and breeding. An orgasm is wasted on them. If the omega wants relief he’ll have to go beg another alpha for attention. It knows better than to get himself off without an alpha. It may be cold and heartless, but Timothy is only a pet now, and frankly, with that collar, Titus is more intelligent. The sooner it learns that even Damian’s animals are superior to it, the better.

The girls love Tim collared too. They don’t fuck Tim as often, though they do fuck him. Steph likes to bother him, bully him and dress him up. She loves putting him in all sorts of clothes, from corsets and short skirts with high stockings to frilly little dresses that display his bared tits to sexy maid or cheerleader or playboy bunny costumes complete with a tail plug he knows he’s not to remove by himself. When she’s satisfied she’ll either show Tim off to Jason to get fucked or peg him herself. Sometimes both.

Barbara is just glad that Tim isn’t being difficult anymore. She likes when she and Dick share him and she can goad Dick into being rougher than usual, him snapping his hips hard into Tim while she grinds his face against her, holding him by his hair. Like Damian, she doesn’t really care about Tim. Now that he’s not causing problems he doesn’t even exist to her unless she’s in the mood to let off steam and be mean.

Cass mostly just watches. She likes holding Tim down sometimes, pinning him to the ground out of nowhere, bending him into different positions for one of their pack mates to enjoy. He’s interesting to watch and she’s glad that he’s not unhappy anymore. She a little sad that he can’t really spar anymore but the increased cuddles more than make up for it.

Bruce…didn’t mean to turn Tim into a near pet. He just wanted Tim to behave like the omega should. But he can’t deny that this is working very well. They lost Red Robin, but everyone else is more relaxed and less stressed, and their increased productivity has more than made up for it. Bruce can know that Tim is kept out of danger and safe and doesn’t need to worry about him like this. There are some arguments that he went too far, that he should take the collar off. But Bruce can think of even more reasons to keep Tim like this.

Bruce watches as his kids all take Tim, all over the manor at all times of the day. The manor is full and happy and his pack is content. Bruce watches, and also wants. But he does not take Tim, not yet. If Tim comes to him and whines and begs enough, with tears in his eyes and and a twitching, needy cunt, Bruce sometimes relents and lets Tim rub against his leg. He watches with dark eyes as Tim ruts against him, as Jason eats dinner with his knot in Tim’s mouth, nose pressed to Jason’s pelvis and his cock all the way down his throat. He watches as Dick brings Tim to tears during movie night, as Damian leaves Tim messy and wanting before shoving him to the ground and using him as a footrest while Tim’s cunt pulsed with unfulfilled need and leaked slick and come. He watched with Dick as Steph and Jason bullied Tim, pinching his tits and toying with him before fucking him hard.

Bruce watches but he does not touch. He won’t touch, not until Tim is heated up. Ever since he saw Tim in his presentation heat, he’s been waiting for Tim to come to him for help. And now with the the collar, Bruce knows that Tim will come to him. He’s wanted it for so long he knows it’ll be that much sweeter if he waits just a bit longer.

He manages to get everyone else out of the Manor for a few days and finally, finally, Tim comes for him, heated up and crying and naked and wet, crawling for him cunt up with his head flat against the carpet. It’s going to be a messy but satisfying few days. The heat is all that Bruce wanted and more. He hopes that Tim catches. He’ll let his other boys breed Tim eventually, but until Tim has his first, his heats will belong to him.

Nobody expected this when they all agreed that Tim should get a scruffing collar. His reaction really should’ve been much less. Some of them, like Dick, expected it to be temporary-maybe have Tim collared for a month or two, until he accepted their love and the pack structure and everyone would settle and the collar wouldn’t be needed. But everyone loves Tim like this. Not even just all the fucking-he’ll sit at their feet and let them feed him by hand, lets them pet his hair, looks to them for help and direction. His submission is so sweet and easy like this. He’s not fighting or running or neglecting himself.

Nobody ever mentions taking Tim’s collar back off out of fear of losing this newfound contentment. Eventually the collar springs may loosen and gradually lose some grip, but it should be so slow that Tim won’t really leave this new headspace, and if not, well, they’ll just get another collar.

It’s just as well that nobody wants to take off Tim’s collar, since Alfred immediately lost the key to the hard scruffing pet collar he bought instead of the requested anti-anxiety one.

!!!!!!! a scruffing collar is so genius!!!!!!!!!!!

the idea of all the bats preferring tim to be a mindless, obedient little pet than resistant to them. they all initially don't think of him as a pet but of course that's how it develops!! i can just imagine dick arriving home to the manor and immediatly going to one of the sitting rooms all of them gather to hang out in. jason has tim on his lap, bouncing him and holding onto his hip with one hand and texting someone with the other. damian is working on homework in one of the armchairs. cass is watching a show and has cleverly hidden the remote somewhere so no one can change the channel since dick doesn't see it anywhere. tim has both palms gripping the couch cushions at jason's back and has his brows furrowed as he bounces up and down on jason's cock. dick coos, coming closer and ruffling tim's hair, tilting down to kiss a warm, sweaty cheek that arches up to meet him while dick greets him with a high pitched "hi timmy! did you have a good day!?".

dick had noticed he'd started falling into treating tim like he did titus as time has gone on but never felt anything wrong with it. it just all felt so...natural.

just tim being permanently collared and so unable to be his real, true self, the part that none of them like. the part that had their instincts rearing because an omega that wandered off was dangerous. what would they do if tim returned pupped with some random alpha's offspring? what would people say? how would they be able to accept such reckless behavior from an omega. omegas didn't know what was best for them that's why they deferred to alphas and betas and collaring tim was the only way they knew to best help him.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Reader who’s a demon like Nezuko. She doesn’t hurt humans unless absolutely necessary but demons are considered evil by society and she has internalized herself as a bad person because of her species. When the fam tries to do anything with her, she lashes out, stating she’s a demon child and she’s a “bad person” so they shouldn’t try to be so friendly with her. How would both the humans and especially the gods react?

-You were a demon, that much was true, after you had been attacked and changed into one by an uncontrolled demon who was quickly dealt with by your new adopted family, after it had killed the rest of your family.

-This new family was large and when they saw you changing into a demon, the first time you met, they were prepared to deal with you like other demons they had come across with.

-However, you didn’t attack them, you had collapsed to your knees, seeing the bodies of your family, and promptly burst into tears, crying loudly.

-You were rather childlike, curious about the world around you, like you had never experienced it before, and you would follow different members of your new family around, like a little duckling, wanting to learn more.

-Many were able to tell that you were getting smarter as you went on, like when you changed into a demon it reverted your mentality to that of a child, and as you’ve been around your family, you were getting back to where you had been prior to being changed.

-You were cautious, not going out without someone else, mainly because they taught you this rule, after you had almost been attacked by a group of humans calling themselves Demon Slayers.

-Despite not eating flesh, as you flat out refused to eat human flesh, the Demon Slayers weren’t convinced, chasing you until Thor and Lu Bu stepped in, blocking them from you.

-You hugged Jack, who had picked you up, crying into his shoulder, scared, as you looked back at the humans who were shouting that you were a dangerous monster who would hurt and kill innocent people.

-You didn’t know why they were calling you a monster- you had never hurt anyone before.

-So after that, you didn’t go out without at least one of your guardians, as they would keep you safe, but after that incident, you couldn’t help but feel scared, feeling eyes on you, like they were judging you.

-Your family could tell the difference in your personality, you were more reserved, almost like you were shying away from them, not wanting to spend time with them, as you were scared that those Demon Slayers were right, that you would be dangerous.

-Raiden was the one that you were the closest with, him and Kojiro, as Raiden reminded you of your father, who was big and strong, and after you hid away in your room for a couple of days, he came up to find out what was going on.

-You were hiding under your bed, and he lowered himself on his belly, to talk to you on your level, “Y/N- do you want to talk? We’re all worried about you.”

-You looked back at him, tears in your eyes, which surprised him as he quickly grew concerned before you spoke, “Why are you all worried? I’m dangerous- I’m a monster- I’ll-I’ll just hurt you!”

-Raiden’s face softened, hearing your words, hearing the damage that had been done to you, the fear that you had been dealing with, hiding it away.

-Raiden was able to convince you out from under your bed, after your stomach growled, wanting food, “I think there’s some mochi downstairs.” You nodded, crawling out before you lifted your hands to him.

-He picked you up, holding you carefully as he came downstairs, where you saw everyone else waiting for the two of you.

-Kojiro smiled warmly, taking you from Raiden, sitting you on his lap as Raiden got you a plate of mochi that was made that morning.

-You didn’t feel like talking, curling in on Kojiro, only turning to grab another piece of your snack before turning back, hiding your face in his chest.

-Raiden told everyone the reason why you were hiding, that you saw yourself as a monster, and quickly your family was up in arms, shouting, not at you, but defending you, “That’s not true!” “Y/N is the farthest thing from a monster!!” “Those bastards- I’m gonna go teach them a lesson!” “Language!!”

-You had turned back, your eyes wide as you heard how they were all defending you, not seeing you as a monster, to them you were just Y/N- yes you were a little different compared to them, but that’s what made you fit in, this whole family was full of odd-balls, and you were one of them!

-You were quickly in tears again, overwhelmed with happiness as Raiden took you back into his arms, hugging you close, “They’re the one who are wrong Y/N- you may be a demon, but you’re not dangerous- not to us, not to them, not to anyone! You’re our little Y/N and that’s all that matters!!”

-Many of the others were quick to shout out their own agreements and you smiled warmly, your fears leaving as you knew that your family would keep you safe.

[higanbana-writer]

Wavering Gaze

Pairing: Kyōjurō x Gn!Upper Moon!Reader Prompt: [Soulmate AU where one of your eyes is the same color as your soulmate’s.] Kyōjurō has finally met his soulmate. But what was he supposed to do when you're an Upper Moon and he, a Hashira? C/N: Just Shinjurō being an ass during his brief screentime. A/N: Hoo boy. I was originally going to just make this a two part series, but I got a bit carried away and the 'second' part ended up being waaaay too long. So, three parts it is! Part: 1, 2, 3 (coming soon)

“Follow your heart, Kyōjurō.”

Those had been his mother’s last words to him and Kyōjurō knew that she’d been referring to his soulmate. How could he not? Though he had been but a mere child then, he could still notice all the grief his mismatched eyes caused his parents – namely his father. He saw how often Shinjurō would cast subtle glances at the eyepatch that hid his soulmate’s eye from the world. A conflicted expression would always rest upon his face whenever he did so, although Kyōjurō could never tell what exactly lay behind it. And he noticed it, how often his father would remind him more than he did with Senjurō, that demons were the enemy who preyed on the innocent and deserved no mercy. But he didn’t mind the extra reminders, always wholeheartedly agreeing with him.  

So, why had his mother left him with those final words? He’d always clearly expressed that he had every intention of following in his father’s footsteps to become the next Flame Hashira, and in doing so, rejected the very notion of his soulmate. Every time he picked up his practice sword to train, with the sole goal of being able to protect the weak, he was following his heart. Not once had he wavered over what he should be doing. So…why? He had puzzled over her words for the longest times.

He never harbored any grievances towards the fact that his soulmate was an Upper Moon. Sure, hiding his eye all the time was a bit tiring and troublesome, but it wasn’t your fault. After all, it hadn’t been as if you’d specifically picked him to be your soulmate. And it weren’t as if you had caused him or his family any harm. He had absolutely no reason to hold any personal grudges against you.

As a matter of fact, even though he’d see your eye reflected back at him on the occasions that he’d take off his eyepatch and gaze into the mirror, he always felt a strange sort of detachment. To him, you were simply a demon whom had taken many lives and needed to be killed for the future safety of many others. Perhaps your eternal life would be ended by a demon slayer before the two of you would ever meet, or perhaps Kyōjurō himself would be the one to end you. Soulmate or not, it was his duty to protect all the precious human lives out there from the likes of your kind.

At least, that’s what he’d told himself throughout his entire life. And yet, as you stood there before him, hesitant but captivating smile on your lips, all of that shattered into tiny pieces.

Kyōjurō had wondered from time to time about what you would look like, but never did he expect you to be so enchanting. Everything about you was perfect. Were you truly a demon? It seemed more fitting to call you a celestial being.

He stared at you with a wide eye, the right words to say completely eluding him. Then, all of a sudden, an intense heat flashed through his left eye. Though it was an extremely strange sensation, it was far from unpleasant. Still, he brought his hand up to his eyepatch out of reflex and you, almost simultaneously, did the same while lowering your head.

When you looked back up at him a few seconds later, hand dropping away from your face, he inhaled sharply at what he saw. Your eyes, which had appeared as those of a human mere moments ago, had now reverted back to their original demonic look, unnaturally vibrant with kanji etched across them. It felt so odd, seeing the eye that had been his since birth returned back to its rightful owner. However, the thing that shocked him most was the rank displayed on your right eye.

Three?!

Out of all the Upper Moons, his soulmate had to be rank three. That meant that as of the current moment, he had the fourth strongest demon in the entire country standing right in front of him.

“Is…Is something wrong…?” You hesitantly asked, not seeming to realize what had happened, but certainly noticing the way he was looking at you.

“Your eyes are, uh…” Still reeling from the shock, Kyōjurō wasn’t quite sure what to say. He tapped a finger against his eyepatch, “I can see your rank.”

Panic flitted over your face at his words and you immediately turned your face away. The next time you look at him, your eyes were back to their human appearance. The two of you stared at each other in silence, each trying to guess the other’s thoughts and waiting for them to speak first. Well, this was turning out to be one very awkward first meeting between soulmates.

“I, err… I apologize that you had to see that?” You ended up being the one to speak first, though you sounded completely uncertain about your own words.

Were you really Upper Moon Three? Were you really a demon that had killed numerous people? Your entire demeanor seemed so… So human-like. Looking at you, all he saw was someone elated at finally meeting their soulmate, someone who wanted to create a good impression and yet was nervous about making a blunder, someone who feared that their soulmate would reject them. All of those were emotions Kyōjurō would attribute to a human, not a demon. He couldn’t even sense a hint of malice from you.

But the memory of the kanji engraved across your eyes flashed through his mind, proving to be a harsh reminder that he couldn’t afford to let his guard down around you. Though he intended to question you about your motives behind acting so docile, he couldn’t quite bring himself to do so when he saw your hopeful expression. Quietly clearing his throat, Kyōjurō gave you the brightest smile he could muster. “Come on now, you shouldn’t be apologizing during our first meeting! Besides, you have absolutely no reason to do so in the first place, especially since it was effect of our soulmate bond.”

Your face lit up at his positive response and in that moment, his heart melted. He watched as your gaze then drifted past him, trained on a large, noisy group of people passing by. Your eyes narrowed ever so slightly in annoyance and though he found that simple action to be strangely alluring, he couldn’t help but feel alarmed for their safety. You were a demon after all. Who knew what you were capable of? His hand tensed, ready to draw his katana if needed.

Much to his relief, however, you eventually looked back at him and suggested, “Shall we go to some place quieter, er…?” Trailing off, you tilted your head with a questioning gaze.

It was then that he realized he had yet to give you his name, and you yours. “Ah, I am Kyōjurō Rengoku, the Flame Hashira.” He gave a slight bow as he introduced himself, not missing the way your eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Since he knew what rank you were as an Upper Moon, he thought it fair to let you be aware of his position in the Demon Slayer Corps. And if this piece of information changed the way you viewed him – such as being a threat that needed to be eradicated immediately, soulmate bond be damned – then it would be better to get it out in the open now, rather than later.

After a moment, you simply mirrored his bow and said, “It’s such a delight to finally meet you, Kyōjurō. You can call me [Name]. As you might have noticed earlier, I'm Upper Moon Three.”

No surname, he noted. Then again, none of the demons he had encountered before seemed to have one either.

“Well then, [Name]. Shall we?” Kyōjurō extended his hand towards you and upon seeing your puzzled expression, added, “Since it’s very crowded around here, we should try to avoid losing each other.” If neither of you intended to kill each other at that moment, then it would only be proper to behave as a gentleman towards his soulmate.

“Of course, if you’re not comfortable with that, then…”

As he began to withdraw his hand, you hurriedly grabbed it. “No no! It’s a good idea.” Your skin felt cool against his own and though you seemed slightly flustered by his sudden suggestion, you also appeared quite thrilled.

Thus, the two of you set off through the heart of the city, remaining hand-in-hand while scouring for a decent place to rest and talk at. Eventually coming upon a teashop with few costumers – which you had pointed out – it was settled between you both to go there.

So there he was, sitting across the table from you with a cup of tea in his hands. You had gotten one for yourself too – much to Kyōjurō’s surprise, as he thought demons were unable to consume human food or drinks. However, whenever you brought your cup up to your mouth, you simply wetted your lips instead of actually drinking the tea. Was this your way of trying to be considerate and make him feel more at ease? Well, he was probably getting ahead of himself, but it certainly made for an unexpected and rather heartwarming thought.

Neither of you spoke for a while, simply taking in each other’s appearance. And then, with your gaze lingering on his uniform, you asked, “Were you in the middle of working?”

Kyōjurō shook his head, taking a sip of tea before replying, “I had actually just finished a mission before we met.”

“Ah, I see…” You pursed your lips, not sure of how else to respond. It must have felt odd for you, hearing a demon slayer – and a Hashira, no less – talk about killing your brethren through a calm conversation over tea. Shifting uncomfortably, you then brought up your next question. “Do you intend to fight me?”

He raised an eyebrow, finding your choice of words interesting. Do you intend to fight me, instead of, do you intend to kill me. Were you implying that you believed yourself to be much stronger than him, therefore there was absolutely no chance that he would be able to kill you? Well, he may have been a mere human, but he was by no means weak.

Although his answer should have been an instant ‘Of course!’, he instead shook his head once more, gripping his cup tightly as he answered, “…Not for now, no.”

Guilt had begun to grip his heart before he’d even finished his sentence. Just saying those four words were like a betrayal to everyone he knew: his mother, father, brother, master, fellow Hashiras, the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps, as well as all of its fallen members. And more importantly, by not killing you the very instant he'd met you, he had turned his back on his position as a Hashira and condemned innocent people to die by your hands in the future. Kyōjurō knew all of this and yet, somehow, for some reason unknown to himself, he couldn’t quite bring himself to kill you.

Clenching his jaw, he didn’t realize just how much strength he’d been putting into holding his cup until it shattered, hot tea spilling over his hands. You gasped, immediately reaching over the table and using your sleeves to wipe the liquid off his skin.

“They’re red.” With a concerned tone and a knitted brow, you carefully took his hands into your own and examined them. “It looks like you didn’t cut yourself, so that’s good.”

When a server hurried over to see what the noise had been about, you requested for some cool water and a clean cloth so that he could soothe his hands. Kyōjurō had tried to protest, saying that it wasn’t a big deal and he felt fine, but you stubbornly insisted.

“Humans are such fragile creatures. You have to take care of yourself or you won’t know what will happen.” You huffed, almost sounding like a nagging spouse. As Kyōjurō let out a small chuckle, you wetted the cloth the server had brought and began gently dabbing it over his reddened skin.

“Please have some faith in me, [Name]. I’m sturdier than you think.”

With a light laugh, you playfully teased, “Right, tell me that after the next time we’re able to have tea without you burning yourself.”

Kyōjurō exchanged an amused smile with you, the mood now more relaxed and lighthearted than before. The two of you continued to chat and though touching on various topics, there seemed to be an unspoken agreement between the both of you to refrain from bringing up any subjects on the conflict between humans and demons. Time passed quickly and before either of you knew it, dawn was rapidly approaching.

Glancing out the shop’s window, the grin you wore from his joke mere seconds ago began to fade.  “…I should probably get going now.”

Kyōjurō looked out as well and when he saw the sky’s dark beginning to gradually lighten, doubts which he’d managed to distract himself from through his conversations with you started to flood back in. If he wanted to, he could easily try to keep you here until the sun’s first rays were able to reach you. That’s what he should be doing as the Flame Hashira. And yet, something in him held him back. Was it guilt? Sudden fear of losing the soulmate he’d just met? Perplexment at how different you were from how he’d imagined you? He couldn’t quite pinpoint the exact emotions that prevented him from drawing his blade and all he could do was sit there, watching as you procured a small bag from within your sleeve.

The clinking of coins sounded from within the bag as you plopped it onto the table. His eyes widened when he realized what your intentions and he immediately began reaching for his own money.

“No, please let me-“

You raised your hand to stop him. “I insist. Consider this as my thanks towards you for giving me your time tonight.” The corner of your lips tugged back up into a playful smile at his reluctant expression and you added, “But if it makes you feel better, then you can repay me by meeting up with me again some time. I know your schedule must be busy with the kind of work you do, so when you have the time, come find me at that abandoned shrine near the western outskirts of the city.”

Not waiting for his response, you rose from your seat and bowed in farewell. “Until we meet again, please stay safe, Kyōjurō.”

Though slightly taken aback by your sudden rushed demeanor and having not been able to properly agree to your suggested rendezvous, he quickly got to his feet and bowed in return. “I pray that our next meeting will be as harmonious as this one.”

“…Indeed.” Was all you simply responded with before you hurried out of the shop, now in a race against the rapidly approaching sunrise.

Kyōjurō sat back down as he watched you go and remained there long after you’d left, all the while mulling over the soulmate bond he shared with you and the consequences that would inevitably result from it.

———

“Useless!”

A sake cup smashed against the wall next to Kyōjurō’s head, splattering its contents onto him. He didn’t even so much as flinch, however, simply letting out a soft sigh as he gazed on at his raging father in a steadfast manner.

Shinjurō gritted his teeth, his foul mood further spurred by the irritation he felt towards his eldest son’s calmness. He jabbed a finger towards Kyōjurō’s left eye, which no longer remained hidden away behind an eyepatch. “You come home, flaunting the fact that you’ve met your soulmate, and you’re telling me that you didn’t even kill them? You had an Upper Moon in front of you and you let them go.” Banging his fist on the table in front of him, he raised his voice into a shout. “You let an Upper Moon go! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Then, he suddenly quieted down as quickly as he had began yelling. Letting out a resentful scoff, he sneered at his son. “You’re always sprouting crap about doing your duties as a Hashira and protecting the innocent, but look at you now, going soft over a demon. Well? What rank are they? I bet they’ve killed more people than all of the demons you’ve killed combined.”

Kyōjurō pressed his lips together, knowing that his father was right. Even now, as he sat in front of his father to be berated, he still felt conflicted over his choice of letting you go.

Taking no notice of his silence, Shinjurō took a large swig from his sake bottle before continuing on his rant. “You know, when you were born, I worried that other slayers might call you a traitor. Looks like I worried for nothing, since you really are one now. But who cares, right? Go ahead, continue being a Hashira! Whether you bed a demon or not won’t matter, since every other person in the Corps are fakes, just like you. All their breathing techniques are just cheap imitations.” He grumbled the last part, downing more sake at his rising anger. “And while you’re out there, parading around with your hypocrisy, why don’t you go dragging the Rengoku name through dirt? Help yourself in trampling on the family’s honor too! Go against everything that Ruka-“  

Shinjurō abruptly stopped at the thought of his late wife, a shadow of grief crossing over his face.

“Father-“ Kyōjurō began, only to be interrupted.

“Get out!” The older male snapped as he turned his back to him, emptying his sake bottle in an attempt to numb the old wound left on his heart by his wife’s passing.

Knowing that there was no use trying to carry on their conversation, Kyōjurō rose to his feet.

“Please take care of yourself and try not to overdrink.”

Leaving his father with those words, he exited the room. As he slide the door closed behind himself, a loud shattering noise could be heard coming from within. No doubt it was Shinjurō smashing the sake bottle out of anger towards Kyōjurō’s parting words.

Kyōjurō heaved a deep sigh as he briefly leaned against the wall near the door, tiredly closing his eyes. He’d expected this reaction when he decided to tell his father about his soulmate, but there had been the smallest spark of hope in him that Shinjurō would be more accepting of the news. He couldn’t help but wonder how his mother would have reacted, had she still been with them. Would she be as disapproving as her husband? Or would she have been more accepting and understanding?

“Brother?”

Senjurō’s timid voice suddenly broke his chain of thoughts. Opening his eyes, Kyōjurō pushed himself off against the wall as he smiled brightly at his younger brother. “Senjurō! What brings you here? If you’re looking for Father, I believe he’s just left to buy some more sake. I might have put him in a foul mood, though.”

He let out an awkward laugh and Senjurō shook his head. “I, um… I heard what Father said to you…”

Kyōjurō’s smile faltered for a moment. Well, their father had been loud. It’d be hard not to hear him, even from all the way down the hall. “Ah, pay him no mind. You know how he can get when he drinks.”

“I…I know. But…” The youngest Rengoku fidgeted, wanting to say something but seeming uncertain about it. However, at his brother’s encouraging gaze, he worked up his courage and came out with it. “I-I trust you, Brother! No matter what Father says, if you think what you’re doing is right, then you should keep going with it! Even if Father disapproves, I’m always here to support you!”

Caught off guard by the unexpected consolation, Kyōjurō blinked. His gaze then softened and he reached out, ruffling his brother’s hair. “Thank you, Senjurō. It makes me happy to know that I can rely on you.”

Senjurō’s cheeks reddened and a small, but happy smile appeared on his face. They stayed like that for a minute, enjoying the brief bonding time between brothers. That was, until Senjurō abruptly leaned in and sniffed him. His nose crinkled slightly as he drew back, “You smell very strongly of sake, Brother.”

“Do I?” Brows furrowed, Kyōjurō sniffed the parts of his hair and clothes where sake had gotten splashed onto earlier. “It doesn’t seem very obvious to me.”

With a small laugh, Senjurō shook his head and took hold of his hand, beginning to drag him off to the washroom. “Come on, I’ll help you wash your hair. And while I do that, you can tell me all about your soulmate!”

Kyōjurō obediently followed his younger brother, his lips stretched out into a grin. He gave his hand a gentle squeeze, feeling at ease now knowing that no matter what choice he made towards his future with you, Senjurō would always be there for him.  

———

The following week, he met up with you at the abandoned shrine as planned and you had greeted him so happily, as if you hadn’t actually expected him to show up. Though Kyōjurō had arrived feeling uncharacteristically tense, not quite knowing what to anticipate from the rendezvous, the endearing grin you gave him put him a little more at ease.

That night ended up being rather similar to your previous meeting, with the two of you just chatting and getting to know each other further while enjoying a beautiful view of the stars twinkling above. It would have made for a rather romantic date, had Kyōjurō not remained on guard the entire time. He kept his wariness well hidden behind an easy-going smile, ready to defend himself the instant you decided to launch a surprise attack on him. It was true that at that moment, you lacked any animosity towards him. However, demons were fickle creatures who would kill at the simplest flick of a switch and he didn’t know when or if your attitude towards him would change.

But lo and behold, not once did there come a time where Kyōjurō needed to draw his blade and the two of you ended up parting with the promise of another meeting. And thus began the frequent trysts between you and he. With each night he got to spend with you, his guard began to gradually lower and his relaxed façade soon became genuine.

At some point, he stopped wearing his eyepatch whenever he met up with you. While he still wore it around others, like his fellow Hashiras to prevent them from asking questions, he figured there wouldn’t be any harm in going without it around you. It was much more comfortable, plus he could see better, and you seemed to enjoy seeing him without his eyepatch. There were times when he’d find you just randomly gazing into them and when he asked you about it, you told him how you loved his eyes and how comforting they seemed – like warm, gentle flames in which one could easily lose themselves in. He’d be lying if he said that he hadn’t been flattered by your words.

Being only a city away, the shrine was located at a convenient spot to get together. It was far away enough from the Rengoku estate that someone would have a difficult time following him and finding out about you, and it was close enough to get to – well, it'd be hard for an average person, but Kyōjurō was far from average. Not to mention, it had long been abandoned so people almost never came by. That being said, the two of you began going on dates in the city and the neighboring areas. Night festivals quickly became a favorite date spot for you guys and you'd often go whenever there was one. At some point, it became a mini competition between you to see whom could win the most prizes.

As an avid sumo fan, Kyōjurō would often invite you to watch matches with him. He took no offense when you declined, as everybody had their own preferences. But he’d always be delighted when you went to watch with him. After all, who doesn’t love sharing the things they enjoy with those close to them?

When he told you that he enjoyed eating sweet potatoes and salt grilled bream, he underestimated the effects it would end up having. Not too long after he'd shared that small bit of information with you, you had presented him with a bento you cooked yourself. Kyōjurō eagerly accepted it, touched that you had gone out of your way to make it for him. However, he neglected the fact that you were a demon whom had lived for centuries and hadn’t eaten a single morsel of human food during that time. So when he took a big and unsuspecting bite of your glazed sweet potatoes, he almost died.

Kyōjurō appreciated the fact that you had cooked for him, he really did. But your cooking was, to put it bluntly, absolutely horrible. Glazed potatoes were supposed to be both savory and sweet, not overwhelmingly bitter. Was that also a hint of sourness he tasted?? And the texture. Oh god, the texture. It was a mixture of mushy, hard, and even just pure goop at some parts. He had always thought he’d be able to love every sweet potato dish he came across, no matter how bad they may have tasted. This however… Could it even be classified as edible?

Well, no matter! You had been so proud when you presented it to him and he refused to let anything you gave him go to waste. Once he’d gotten over his initial shock, he finished his bite, gave you a big smile, and shouted his usual ‘Umai!’. Then, he turned his attention onto the included salt grilled bream. It looked good, just like the sweet potatoes had. Question was, would it taste as bad? Though hesitant, he took another bite, albeit much smaller than the previous one. Thank goodness he did, because it was somehow worse than the potatoes. Had you mixed up the salt with sugar? Because eating that one bite of fish was like eating a bowlful of sugar. The flesh was also crunchy and he was certain it wasn’t because of the bones. He was also quite sure you had forgotten to descale the skin before cooking. But just like with the sweet potatoes, he forced himself to gulp it down and attempted to finish the entire bento. It went relatively well, until it didn’t.

“Oh my god, Kyōjurō! You’re turning green!”

With a horrified gasp, you snatched the box away from him. Though he’d tried to take it back, insisting on finishing it, you refused to let go of it. Instead, you had declared that you would keep trying until you were able to create a dish that he would find delicious. And while Kyōjurō was moved that you were determined to put in so much effort for his sake, at the same time, he couldn’t help but dread the impending assault on his tastebuds.

For the next three months, every time he was able to meet up with you, you had a fresh batch of potatoes and fish waiting for him. Sometimes you’d change things up and cook other dishes, but they were always as bad. Kyōjurō still ate them all though. As much as you’d allow him to eat, that was. You didn’t allow yourself to be fooled by his shouts of ‘Umai!’ and would always stare intently at him as he ate. If his eyebrow so much as twitched, he would find his meal gone from his hands in an instant. And finally, the day came when the contents of his bento actually tasted like real food. It was, at best, just enough to be considered as decent, but to Kyōjurō, it was the best thing he’d eaten. He may or may not have shed a happy tear or two, which may not have been a very good idea, as upon seeing that, you were once more filled with determination and had declared that you'd make it your goal to master cooking all of his favorite foods.

———

One night, out of curiosity, Kyōjurō had asked you what your Blood Demon Art was. He hadn’t actually expected you to tell him though. After all, even if the two of you had grown close, you probably wouldn’t want to reveal what your fighting techniques to someone who was technically your enemy. But to his surprise, you’d happily answered and even went as far as to actually show him, withdrawing a pair of mai-ougi* from inside your sleeves. You explained that while the fans themselves were weapons – with the edges being as sharp as a blade – its true power lay in what was painted on them. Each fan had a different painting on them and whenever someone looked at them, they would be hit with different effects depending on which they looked at. To demonstrate, you opened up one and allowed him to take a look.

At first, all Kyōjurō saw was a painting of a woman dancing with a mai-ougi in hand, the background a sky of gold with faint cloud patterns. It was a beautiful painting, but nothing special particularly stood out to him. That’s when it happened; the moment he locked eyes with the woman, his surroundings instantly changed and he found himself on a stage with a golden backdrop, four women with appearances identical to that of the woman in the painting lunging at him from every side. The edge of their fans glinted dangerously and just as he drew his weapon to fend them off, he suddenly found himself back in reality with you, the previously open mai-ougi now closed. You grinned at him as he tried to calm his pounding heart, clearly proud of your Blood Demon Art.

“They’re clearly much better than those metal slabs that Dōma lugs around.” You had proudly proclaimed, although it was more to yourself than to Kyōjurō.

He had no idea who you were talking about but decided not to probe into it when he noticed the extremely fierce look in your eyes. Instead, he asked about the effects of the other fan. Happy to show him your powers once more, you spread open the second fan and revealed a painting of a daimyō* sat atop a pitch-black horse against a blood red background, tessen* in one hand. When Kyōjurō’s gaze met with the one in the painting, rather than finding himself in a different environment, he was suddenly filled with an overwhelming sense of fear so great that it immobilized him. Now, Kyōjurō was not a man who would typically freeze from fear. And yet, it took a great deal of willpower to even just move his eyes enough to tear them off the painting and free himself of its effects.

If there was one thing he had to say about your Blood Demon Art, it was that it was as every bit dangerous and powerful as he’d imagined, if not more. Though the painting had influenced him for no more than a few seconds, to him it’d felt like much, much longer. Had he been in a real battle with you, he most likely would have died the moment he froze up. Or who knows? Maybe his survival instincts would have kicked in and override the mai-ougi’s powers. Well, battle or not, it was good to know what exactly you were capable of.

Once Kyōjurō had regained his composure, you suggested that the two of you have a sparring match –with you fighting with your fans closed, of course. He immediately accepted, not wanting to waste the opportunity of being able to fight against an Upper Moon without it being a life-or-death situation. In the end, he lost the spar as expected. However, he found his loss to be an extremely fruitful one, as he’d been able to notice the weak points in his own fighting style much quicker than he normally would have by sparring with his fellow Hashiras.

Needless to say, it quickly became a common thing for the two of you to have random sparring sessions. Sometimes you’d be on the offensive with him on the defensive, and vice versa. Either way, Kyōjurō would always be able to learn a thing or two from each spar and you would also give him advice from time to time. Although you hardly gained anything from doing this – maybe except for familiarizing yourself with the Flame Breathing style – you were always more than happy to spar with him, glad that you could help him get even stronger.

———

Kyōjurō truly enjoyed spending time with you, cherishing every moment he could. Yet, no matter how many happy nights he shared with you, he couldn’t ignore the guilt that had rooted itself so deeply into his heart. Guilt that he felt towards neglecting part of his duties and at the thoughts of how many people fell prey to you the longer he left you alive. It became someone of a frequent occurrence for him to remain awake for hours during the times he was supposed to sleep, plagued with all sorts of gut-wrenching emotions. But no matter how much the guilt continued to pile up, he couldn’t bring himself to kill you. He finally understood now, what it truly meant to have a soulmate.

A soulmate wasn’t someone whom the universe had randomly picked out for him and whom he was obligated to love. A soulmate was someone who complemented him better than anyone else out there, who understood him and accepted him for everything he was, who stood by and supported him, and so much more. His better half, if you will. The universe was only there to help make identifying his soulmate easier; it was up to him whether he chose to love you or not. And Kyōjurō did. He loved you.

He didn’t know exactly when he had begun to fall in love, but by the time he realized it, he was in too deep to turn back.

He could still remember how clear the sky had been, each star twinkling like jewels and the full moon’s light bathing everything in a soft silvery glow. The two of you were on the shrine’s engawa to admire the view, his head resting in your lap and your fingers running through his hair. A comfortable silence filled the air between both of you with the occasional chirping of crickets being heard from off in the distance.

Basking in the peacefulness of everything, he closed his eyes in bliss. You continued to run your fingers through his hair for a short while, stopping when you quietly spoke, “…Kyōjurō?”

He hummed softly in response.

“I love you.”

Kyojruo’s eyes snapped open and when he looked up at you, he found you gazing down at him with a tender expression. Well, that was certainly one very sudden confession. Though the two of you had been intimate with each other for a while now – such as being physically affectionate, going on dates, and even buying gifts for each other that only couples would normally exchange – neither of you had ever vocalized your feelings towards each other. Even then, while he’d acknowledged to himself that he liked you, he never quite dwelled on the thought of whether he loved you. After all, it would unacceptable if he, a slayer of demons, were to fall in love with a demon, wouldn’t it?

And yet, after hearing your words, he knew without needing to think about it or question himself.

Sitting up, he brought a hand up to your cheek and gently caressed it, leaning in until your lips were almost touching. He paused, wanting to give you time to push him away in case you didn’t want this. All you did, however, was lean in into his touch as your eyes fluttered closed with anticipation. That’s when Kyōjurō closed the remaining space between the two of you, softly pressing his lips against yours. Your lips were cold against his, just like the rest of your body. But as you kissed him back, all he felt was a gentle, yet passionate warmth. In that moment, he let all his doubts and concerns melt away, instead allowing himself to be overtaken by his feelings for you and conveying those emotions through the kiss.

Eventually pulling away, he rested his forehead against yours and gazed into your eyes with adoration as he softly murmured, “And I love you, [Name].”

———

*Mai-ougi are folding fans used in traditional Japanese dances *Daimyō were feudal lords who used to serve under the shogun *Tessen are also known as Japanese war fans and have varying looks and purposes

[easy-revenge]

its been over 2 years since i read volume 9 of chainsaw man and it still apparently has the power to make me sob uncontrollably when i think about it so im going to talk a bit about aki and denji being shown as children during the snowball fight and why it's currently making me wanna rip my hair out :)

aki is already gone during this scene for all intents and purposes, having very little comprehension of the events his body is in and just waiting to be set free. his mind reverting back to the moment he lost his family is not surprising, since that's when his life permanently changed trajectory.

he's not to blame for being stuck in this moment, as it would make sense for any kid his age. however, he didn't put himself on the path towards revenge, which inevitably made him unable to let go. that was makima. she took him by the hand and gave him this "purpose", something she very well knew he was never going to achieve anyway. she trapped him in this predicament and made sure he stayed there till there were no options left for him.

to the very end, aki's life was never his own, but planned for him. aki never left that snowy forest. he wasn't allowed to.

as a result, the essence of aki that remained within the gun fiend after his death materialized as the last genuine version of aki that ever was. a kid playing in front of his house.

moving over to denji, who is the one that got me crying today. his appearance as a child in aki's mind is partly to parallel the bond they shared and the bond between aki and his little brother, whom he lost that day. of course. however i think there's a lot of significance to this choice for denji's character as well.

denji grew up remote and very disconnected from society. he never got the chance to learn how to navigate his feelings and relationships with other people. he had to figure it all out as he went, first with pochita, whom he got attached to and later with aki and power. even with makima.

makima was the first person to ever give him attention and affection, to give him the things he always wanted, but she never treated him like a person. she never helped him get any closer to learning how to be one. he was used, much like aki was, and was given a purpose that was never going to be for his own benefit.

as a result, denji took a while to go through the motions of being surrounded by humans and being taught by them. the first time we saw him face the concept of loss was with pochita, an event that didn't really give him much in terms of experience considering all the implications and how suddenly it changed his life. in its nature, it wasn't a type of loss he would've been able to navigate as a human.

im not going to go into the situation with his father since we saw very explicitly how incapable he was to handle it to the point of blocking it out and having it haunt him till the end of part one. he surely didn't get much data out of that experience either, or the abuse he went through before it.

the first real time he got to see loss occur very close to him was himeno's death. he had no emotional reaction to it, which confused him since he was able to observe its effect on aki and other people around him. he questioned his own humanity for the first time and it upset him, if only momentarily. it gave him a hint of perspective.

sadly, he was going to find out what loss meant the hard way.

with makima still treating him like an animal and the circumstances forcing him to still rely on his instincts, denji's emotional maturity wasn't really prioritized. he did inevitably grow closer to aki and power, without necessarily being able to recognize those feelings for what they were. again he just had to go through the motions.

fast forward to the gun devil arc. he's told by makima on the phone to not think, to just fight aki without thinking about it. we see the progress that's been made in how clearly unable denji is to follow that order, aki being the closest thing to family he's ever had by this point.

he fights his best friend, not even thinking about himself, but of how aki would feel if he were conscious of how much destruction he was causing. still up to this point, denji doesn't know that he loves aki. it hasn't computed to him as a piece of info, only as an experience.

him being shown as a child in the snow, a contrast to the violent reality that his body is in, has as much significance as it does for aki.

denji never really grew up, he never got past his father's death or anything that happened to him before and after that. he was kept from it by his life and makima herself, once again. his ineptitude was weaponized and he was nowhere near being aware of it. he was also stuck.

in that scene, denji experiences real loss. he loses someone he loves and someone who loves him back. someone who thought himself unable to do so but was the first to love him like a human.

he was just a kid, losing his family by his own hand again, only this time he had been loved.

it's highlighted in the next chapter, where he appears unable to grieve and looks kind of numb instead. then we have the ice cream scene, where he thinks the words for the first time and throws up immediately.

his confusion after it happens, him being unable to fathom why his body would have such a reaction, breaks my heart almost more than the entirety of the snowball fight itself, from denji's pov.

im not going to talk about what happens directly after that and its implications bc im gonna end up talking forever, but his behavior throughout the next chapters very much shows how out of his depth he is when it comes to loss and grief and how lost and helpless he is in makima's hands.

my point is, both aki and denji were used, weaponised and kept from growing up while also having to deal with the world and its cruelty at the same time. even the closeness they achieved was planned and used against them both. this is only one of many angles of the snowball fight scene that can be looked at and interpreted in different ways. but it was the one that made me ugly cry today :)

[autumn-foxfire]

IT'S FOR THE SECOND BEST KAISHIN MOVIE! That's right, it's time for me to watch the Lost Ship in the Sky!!

This movie has everything, gay people, terrorists, gay people, a goat and gay people.

Oooh, I didn't know that their was no cure for the bacteria. I was not paying close attention last watch, probably because I was distracted by the gay people.

Actually interesting question: would the effect the bacteria has on a child's body be the same for Shinichi and Ai? We're still not really sure if they've reverted in age or just shrunk. Shinichi get infected and be Ai's lab rat.

Heiji is being such a little shit to Shinichi, teasing him about his small problem.

Awww, Heiji is such a good friend T-T He's always treating Shinichi to restaurants when he's in Osaka. Shinichi you need to return that from time to time, instead of being annoyed when your best friend comes for a visit.

And Kaito is such a gentleman XD "I will be on board but don't worry I won't steal anything until we're near Osaka so don't spend the trip a fretting mess."

Awww Ran, Sonoko and Agasa was about to throw hands with the man trying to scare the children. As they should.

...Okay. The story with Ran mistaking the blimp for a UFO when she was a child is cute but why did they writers have to twist it into her being an "appealing" girl? What? It makes no sense T-T

Oh thank god, yes KID plot please distract me from this mess. I love that Sonoko is so good with the kids too.

NO AI DON'T BRING IT BACK TO THAT DUMB MOMENT.

Kaito~ He's stalking his husband.

Hmmmm, I'm not sure I like how the lady sky is displayed, it deserves better metal casing.

Genta being the devil on Kogoro's shoulders XD Can it punch Kogoro again? He deserves it.

Sonoko. I love you. But girl, you should know Ran deserves so much better than Shinichi. I swear they think they like one another due to half the cast insisting they'll be together and not due to their own feelings.

KAITO! And he's wearing glasses. Taking a page out of his husbands book! How fitting he's wearing a bandage that says Shinichi<3Love on it.

Ran shows no sympathy for KID XD

How did Kaito do his hair to look like Shinichi's so fast? Hmmmm, he probably had to prepared for a quick escape thinking about it.

Kaito is actually telling the truth there, he does partially dress us as KID in order to solve his father's murder.

Damn though, Kaito really monopolised on Shinichi's own lie to Ran in order to help himself. I feel bad for Ran. She's so conflicted. I don't blame Kaito though, he's doing what needs to be done, Shinichi is the one who's put her in this situation.

GROSS. Ran kick him please. Not only did this man touch you, he also made comments that made you uncomfortable.

CAN WE NOT DO THIS. Shinichi, if you actually knew Ran, you would KNOW she's not looking at the man in interest but DISTRESS. But no because Sonoko says she's interested that must mean she is so it's time for Shinichi to do his pissing contest to show the man Ran is his property <.< Good movie, has some really bad points. Especially near the end which is one of the reasons I said Kaito deserves to be hit.

Ran getting to be badass and disabling the threat even at the risk to herself T-T

It's a good thing terrorists don't look up. Oh wait, that's gamers.

It's also good that Lupin is well trained because they would have no hesitation in shooting him and I'd be very upset if that happened.

Kaito's inner thoughts at the moment: Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck. I did NOT plan for a terrorist attack.

Shinichi is so worried about Genta T-T

Time for spider Shinichi to come out.

And I hope the woman who slapped Ai gets hit 10x harder.

OH IT'S THIS MOMENT.

KAITO SAVE YOUR HUSBAND!

WOOHOO! And thus begins the Shinichi being carried in Kaito's arms adventures!

Oooh the aforementioned mention of motor on the glider! Something we know KID does install in the future, probably due to his husband complaining about not being able to get back to the airship

Kaito landed so elegantly <3 How does one man serve so much cunt.

...Never beating the incest claims. This little kid, a relative of Kazuha, just asked if he could marry her. I know kids are also like that but still.

Awww, it's nice to see Kazuha and Heiji being cute together. I could almost forget the dumpster fire that is the writing of their relationship.

THE GOAT!

HOW SUS TO GO FROM ONE "COUPLE" BEING DOMESTIC WITH ONE ANOTHER TO KAITO AND SHINICHI BEING DOMESTIC.

HE DOES NOT SAY THAT XD He says "Listen Hattori..." Thank you fan dubs for sharing what Shinichi most likely is thinking though!

And we start with another of Shinichi's crazy plans that Kaito just goes along with.

Not without a little complaining at first, can't let his husband now that he has him wrapped around his little finger.

I wonder where they got the uniform from? Either Kaito had it on hand for the presumed plan of disguising as Shinichi as a quick escape or they stole clothes from someone's backyard. I prefer the second one because it's funnier.

I love how Shinichi sticks his hand out as well. We all know Kaito is doing all the work honey.

AND THE BEST SCENE IN THE MOVIE WHERE THESE TWO ARE IDIOTS!

Shinichi touched his dick. Won't be the last time he does that.

OH MY GOD HE ALSO MOANED.

I wrote about Shinichi using Kaito's grappling hook to save them as a prompt drabble forgetting it was actually canon. Well, movie canon.

Oh my god we actually got a proper look at Kaito in the movie too.

Awww, poor Heiji got hung up on. I'm sorry he got distracted by his husband.

This child is smarter than most of the cast.

I love when Shinichi can work with someone at the same intellect as him. The conversations are just so fun, especially when it's with Kaito.

RAN MY SWEET GIRL T-T Movies bring out the best side of Ran, and they don't have to sacrifice her kindess to do it, like what happens in fandom when they try and improve the misogynistic writing of a female character but only making another version of the misogynistic writing.

Shinichi had way too much fun doing this.

This is what I mean when I say Shinichi matches Kaito's freak. The two of them love pulling shit like this against others.

Shinichi showing off his acrobatic skills once more, combined with his skills on a board that would make Tony Hawks gush.

Imagine being a bunch of terrorists (thieves) and when you get arrested you have to confess to the cops you got taken down by a child. The daily life of DC criminals.

I'M DYING FROM THE CUTENESS T-T KAITO COMPLIMENTING SHINICHI AND THEN GIVING HIM HIS "WARRIOR'S MEDAL"

Kazuha and Heiji and that little kid messing with the thieves is so funny T-T

Does Shinichi not realise how hilarious it is that he admits to Ran he was going to potentially infect a man with a dangerous bacteria?

And Shinichi is being tortured with a gun. He and Ai can bond over that.

The second of Shinichi's insane plans. Where he returns the favour and drops a man into the ocean.

And Kaito does the funniest thing in the movie. Just strolls in, leaves everyone but Ran tied up (just because he knows she won't chase him due to what he did earlier), takes the jewel, and leaves. King.

And the consequences of Shinichi's own actions.

Damn Ran, you can't even have Shinichi's back if he was a thief T-T Asking him to turn himself in. Meanwhile Shinichi will make excuse after excuse to let Kaito walk free.

And this isn't okay, even if I do like Kaito. Not only is he trying to kiss Ran with her under the impression of him being someone else (which would be sexual assault), he also tries to sexual assault her by groping her only for her to notice and stop him. She even mentions to Sonoko (in jest because how dare women be actually MAD about this) about how she can still support him like that after he just tried to do that with her. Any other character and this would be given the name it actually is.

How to ruin a perfectly good movie <.< We all ignore the ending as it's gross.

[hogans-heroes]

can i ask about the learning curve wip? maybe get a snippet? 😊

Of course! My most beloved wip rn, my chaptered Alex pov. I made a descriptive post about it here and posted a snippet here! (with mini visuals). But I'll give you another longer snippit because I love you and your writing! (Also, as much as I love this fic I've been getting stuck with it lately so am writing other stuff atm. Will get back to it very soon).

Alex’s dad was a psychologist, and boy would he have a field day at Stalag Luft III.

He could practically hear his father’s voice in his head as he watched the guys mill around the camp compound, narrating their actions and picking them apart to gently expose what was inside, for their own good, to study them like wild creatures who in extreme circumstances often reverted back to cavemen, to more raw forms of behavior.

He can’t use his words, his dad would say. Because at some point he tried and tried and tried, and they never worked. “To hell with this,” the brain says, “we’re gonna go back to the basics,” and that’s usually physical expression.

There’s really only two core emotions at the heart of a human. If you keep peeling at the bottom of every action and reaction, every visible emotion, you’ll find either love, or fear. And they’re usually connected. That’s all humans are really made of.

So his dad might have gotten a little philosophical too. At least it gave Alex more thoughts to keep himself busy and not go crazy locked up. It was fun in a way, collecting bits of information and arranging them like a child would blocks. That Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Biology he had earned before the war wouldn’t do him much good if it didn’t at least help keep him alive for the duration. The camp was only a new study he could apply the scientific method to.

So far it had been going well, and every piece fit together in its place. The one thing Alex could not grasp however, that was driving him crazy, was the two majors from the 100th.

Egan and Cleven? Buck and Bucky? John and Gale? Alex wasn't sure what combination of names he should be using or even who was who most of the time, but the names always went together. Not a single person Alex had encountered had ever used the names separately. The way prisoners talked about them, anyone would have thought they were some dual-soul deity the stalag had built a religion around, yet since Alex had been assigned to their barrack room all his careful study of them had only resulted with a handful of pieces that didn’t fit together. Major Gale Cleven “Call me Buck,” with eyes that could pierce your soul like an x-ray and “just” John Egan. Buck, whose impossible gentleness was at odds with his rock-wall presence at the front of his men, and Egan, who treated Alex like a disease though it didn’t seem to be for the usual reasons, he treated everyone that way, walked around with volcanic ash trailing from cracks that Alex wondered if only he could see. What pieces Alex had gathered of the two of them wasn’t the same as what he was hearing from the 100th. The supposed yin-and-yang duo vacillated like a metronome between hostile and devoted and it drove Alex insane.

Pain shot up his leg and he caught himself on Daniels’ outstretched arm, jerking him back to his body moving one foot in front of the other and two comrades beside him, having lost count how many times they had circumnavigated the camp. They were passing their own hut again and this time Buck was sitting on the steps with his nose in a book, his messy hair fallen over his forehead and long fingers clenching the worn cover with more force necessary for a book on native plants of Ireland (Alex had read it the week before). He remained laser focused on the page with a furrow in his brow, scars on his cheeks contrasting sharply with the soft angles of his face, and Alex jumped when Macon knocked him on the arm. 

“Pay attention man,” Macon quipped. “We’re still on for our escape, the last thing we need is for you to adopt some sad-eyed White boy.”

Alex wasn’t sure if he should be insulted, but frowned anyway. “Buck’s my friend,” he retorted. 

“Oh it’s Buck now? That’s a fuckin’ major, man. A squadron commander with more flight hours than actual goddamn birds and you’re calling that Buck?”

“Just don't get too attached,” Daniels interjected. “The less people we trust here the better.”

The image of Buck sitting in the library with his chin on his knees, gentle blue eyes giving undivided attention as Alex explained some fighter plane or science subject made his stomach twist at the suggestion of not trusting him, or even worse, leaving him behind. Alex had spent most of his life being teased for being too soft, too kind, too trusting. He’d gotten himself in a bad spot several times because of that too, so he probably should be more careful, but sue him, he was tired and aching inside and Buck had actually listened. 

[boyfridged]

i got comments and dms asking to explain certain parts of paint it over, which is a good excuse for me to provide you with directory notes. i understand the fanfic could be difficult to follow since i put a lot of meaning of this work into the minutiae (and it is a part of a slightly more expansive au). however, i also want to add that of course all readers are entitled to their own interpretation, so i encourage to skip this if you prefer it. but if someone is curious – a lengthy explanation can be found under the cut.

firstly, this fanfic touches upon a question that is often brought up in discussions of utrh: why did bruce leave jason to die in the end? this is something that is difficult to explain and seems completely unreasonable, especially if we don’t take into account the weirdness around the infinite crisis that takes place at the same time (the final panels in which it seems that the time wraps itself etc.) and so i asked: what if bruce acted more in character and looked for jason instead of abandoning him after the explosion? and- would that be a comfort or would it derail into something even worse?

and so the main thing that is happening with bruce in this fanfic is his attempts at fixing his reprehensible and impulsive decision of throwing the batarang (and partially even his failure in protecting jay as a child). bruce is authentically trying to repent and be a good father to jason. except the worst has happened and it cannot un-happen, and all of his actions; even the genuine acts of care, are tinged with the horror of it.

moreover, the tragedy of utrh and jason’s death itself is the loss of many years in which jason would grow up and emotionally mature in expectations and understanding of his father. trying to fix that stunted relationship puts them in a dream-like space of missed childhood and makes bruce revert to his past habits. the breakfast scene for example is an image based on post-patrol breakfasts in the silver age and early 80s, in which bruce often worn colourful robes and read a newspaper/sometimes even engaged in some puzzles like crosswords etc. post-crisis and post jason’s death especially, this habit seems to disappear from the comics for the most part. but here they settle back into it, which perhaps would be sweet in any other circumstances.

most importantly, when it comes to jason: the reason for which he is so passive almost all the time is twofold: first of all, he is just very depressed (as bruce says, he did not have any plans for the after of the grand finale of his red hood stunt with the joker. it was pretty much a suicidal mission and what happened was something he had no ways of predicting) and second of all, he does love bruce and wants to forgive him, believing it was an accident (this is mostly inspired by canon post-utrh, for example, countdown, wherein jason is eager to meet bruce and seems to have completely forgiven him the batarang. but it’s also inspired by utrh itself and his messy narrative in which he goes from blaming bruce for leaving him to saying he did not care about bruce not saving him, which suggests he really wants to absolve bruce of as much fault as possible).

however, there is still some internal struggle which i had in mind i wrote the ending of the breakfast scene; jason touching the bandage on his neck there is both a threat and a bit of an accusation. it is also something i wanted to emphasise because in a suggestion of the self-harm and refusal to get professional medical help, jason re-victimises himself too. despite in theory having what he wanted back: his dad, he still feels the wrongness of the situation and wants to keep the evidence of it. ironically, it only further challenges his autonomy, causing him to stay on soft/liquid diet and the neck trauma/mechanical damage leading to partial muteness.

this is his choice. it’s also tied to the detail of jason handing dick keys in the last scene. jason could leave anytime. he is free to do as he wants, something that bruce also indicates in the breakfast scene. i guess the question is how probable it is that he could act reasonably with all the baggage and trauma.

and finally, dick’s pov— dick arrives in gotham weeks after the events of utrh. he does not know of what (for example) the first week was like, something that bruce briefly mentions (the scene in the cave). in the wider context of the au, which is not explicitly mentioned here, the first week is the time when jason keeps aggravating his wound on purpose, especially when bruce says something he does not like (this is slightly hinted at in the breakfast scene too; bruce's quick reaction to jason's fingers lingering at the bandage). so dick also takes jason’s injury to be more serious because it’s not healed yet; but it’s because he is missing a piece of information. dick is also just understandably disturbed by the level of codependency that bruce & jason fell into. he thinks jason should get back on his own feet. this is of course something that becomes even more imperative when he learns the truth. so when dick talks of bringing jason to safety, it has more to do with the general environment and settling with him somewhere where he won’t be perpetually stuck in the place that serves as a reminder of what he has suffered. plus- less obviously, he also says that to calm jason down because ironically the idea of a tangible threat explains his decision better in the moment than telling his brother he cannot be staying at home with someone who slit his throat, intentionally or not.

i hope this clears things up a bit. this is of course not the one true reading and there can be plenty of more interpretations that i would love to hear about! i purposefully leave things unsaid to allow for this freedom. there are also things i have never properly mentioned, like alfred’s position in that all, but that’s a whole another topic that has to do with what happens in this universe after this fanfic. thank you so much for reading and your patience. i hope this was somewhat of an interesting read too.

[remy2fang]

The A.K.I. & F.A.N.G Thing in Street Fighter 6

Some people call it a ship. To me, I honestly don’t know what it is up to this day, so I just call it a dynamic. To me, ships have to be a two-way street, which A.K.I. and F.A.N.G’s relationship doesn’t have. A.K.I.’s infatuation for F.A.N.G is one-sided.

F.A.N.G is the father figure and A.K.I. is the adopted daughter. It is also the relationship between Master and Apprentice.

How did the most bizarre Street Fighter relationship started? I’ll explain based on what happened in Toxicity (which I read many times) and in AKI’s World Tour memory in SF6 (which I’ve played many times). I’ll try to keep this summary short and simple.

A.K.I. was a child living in the countryside and her parents work in the city. Her parents entrusted their relatives to take care of their child. A.K.I. didn’t get along with her relatives, so she ran away from them and head towards the city to find her parents. She eventually found them, but her parents didn’t make her feel at home. Eventually, A.K.I. became a street child and it is implied that the parents neglected her. This of course, would affected her psych. A.K.I. and other impoverished street children did all they can to survive, including stealing, mugging, and pickpocketing. And then A.K.I. and an older boy schemed a plan to blackmail child predators for money. First, let me get this out of the way. A.K.I. was never a child prostitute, nor was she ever trafficked. She only pretended to be one in order to have her accomplice record enough footage to blackmail her potential victims, frame them as pedophiles, report them to authorities, and scam money out of them. She didn’t have to do any physical contact with anyone. Nevertheless, she and her partner did this scheme because they need to survive their poverty stricken state. The plan failed when they tried it on F.A.N.G because the country’s database does not have his identity file. Plus, he’s not a creep and is not interested in that stuff. Nevertheless, he thought the plan was clever from both children.

Right after the scam didn’t work, A.K.I. actually became obsessed with F.A.N.G, at least that’s what she said from her World Tour memories for in-game SF6. What she saw was a man shrouded in darkness and she wanted to learn everything about him. So that means her infatuation started before she was raised by FANG. Later on, she saw him more as a father figure (Japanese dialogue made it more obvious), but FANG forbade her from calling him as such because their line of work might have them fight to the death (this was also based from FANG’s own tragic past). So AKI opted to call him “teacher” in Chinese, which also could mean “husband.” Basically, AKI reverted back to her crush phase but also weirdly acknowledging FANG as an adopted father.

Despite her strong feelings towards FANG, AKI is highly intelligent and is aware that FANG will not love her back in that manner, and she accepts that. Just FANG praising her would make her happy, and it doesn’t have to go any further than that. FYI, FANG may seem uncaring, but the first time he met kid AKI, he was actually reminded of himself when he had to deal with poverty, but his childhood was far more violent. He took her in because he saw that she has a strength that’s potentially greater than his and she would become his successor.

Thats the sum of it.

It’s never officially explained how A.K.I. manages to see F.A.N.G both as father and “husband.” But with fan speculation, there’s a belief that AKI suffers from abandonment and neglect due to past experiences with her family, so she puts all of her love into FANG. She knew there’s a possibility that he would abandon her if she’s not deemed useful, which I find it ironic because FANG already invested years of his life training and teaching AKI to be his next successor. Also she hates everyone, except FANG. Although not officially stated, this could be due to FANG’s principles being passed down to AKI. Life as an assassin, it’s a liability to have emotional attachment towards anyone, including towards FANG, which he himself learned the hard way. AKI seems to take this to heart, except she still loves her Master. Not really sure why she broke that rule for him, but maybe because she already formed attachments for him before the training started. Also, FANG has done so much for AKI after all, considering she had nothing when living on the streets. It’s really no wonder she loves him despite being discouraged to. And…there were signs that even FANG broke his principles for AKI, even though he may be unaware of it. There’s another reason why AKI hates everyone , but this is probably more of a stretch. Her life on the streets had her learn that everyone must fend for themselves and that the world is uncaring. And perhaps even her partner in crime on the streets was also just as uncaring and selfish as everyone else. Again, that’s probably a stretch.

How do I feel about the FANG and AKI dynamic? Admittedly, it’s still a complicated thing for me, even though I love it very much. On one hand, I always want them to have a wholesome adoptive father and daughter relationship, and that was long before the SF6 roster leak from June 2022. On the other hand, AKI’s crush mirrors my feelings for FANG, as it does for those who feel the same way about him. I think AKI is cute and funny for that. Which is ironic, because from 2022 and before I swore to myself that I would block any content that would put FANG and AKI in a creepy old man preying on a young girl relationship. But one of my circle of friends pointed out that FANG and AKI are not blood related, so there’s no incest involved. I didn’t know how to respond to that because all of us weren’t sure how the AKI/FANG was going to be like canonically when the game wasn’t even out yet. But also, I was a Fujoshi and still am because I’d rather have FANG be shipped with Bison or some other male character lol. But the more I learn about the dynamic with a few hints here and there before AKI’s dlc release, I became somewhat more open minded about it. A lot of it has to do with AKI pursuing FANG rather than the other way around. Again, I truly relate to how AKI feels about FANG. And there were early cute official art where FANG wanted to run away from her, so he doesn’t reciprocate his feelings towards her. Even up to this day, Capcom keeps on pumping cute art of AKI fangirling over FANG. So at this point, I’m totally fine with this kind of gag relationship because it works. In fact, I actually one my favorite things. It’s super entertaining, funny, and oddly endearing. A.K.I.’s intense love is problematic, but F.A.N.G rejects her advances so the awkward situations would not go any further. More reason to love F.A.N.G. He may be one of the most vile and evil villains of Street Fighter, but the man is not a creep and he has standards. But also, this dynamic works because both F.A.N.G and A.K.I. are villains. They are allowed to have this weird relationship because they’re not a beacon of purity. It would be a totally different story if they’re good guys. It would be really icky if they’re good guys. At least in AKI and FANG’s case, no actual intimacy is involved, even though they’re villains. It’s all only in AKI’s head lol. As long as F.A.N.G does not reciprocate, then I’m fine with that. Also, A.K.I. understands boundaries when she’s in the presence of her master, so she has to behave lol.

Most of the fanart I’ve seen of AKI & FANG depicted them in a canonical sense with an extra dose of cutesy, so I’m glad most fans understand the funny one-sided love dynamic from A.K.I. Yes, there are people who love this relationship between these two characters because they think it’s cute and funny. Very seldom do I see creepy art of the two. Thankfully it wasn’t a lot. A reciprocating FANG? Im not gonna judge those who like it, but I’ll be honest that I am not into that lol. But of course, the best fanarts are just simple parent and child, which was something I actually hoped for years before AKI’s reveal. I love cute and wholesome things the most. Testasase is my favorite artist as she perfectly depicts this dynamic. Her art truly speaks to me: https://x.com/testasase?s=21&t=iEGeYIIN_aP028wRnoVcUQ

It’s understandable that people don’t like this dynamic, or just A.K.I.’s part in it, because it goes against their moral code. Just to be clear, even though the canonical AKI and FANG dynamic is my current most favorite thing now, that does NOT mean I’m OK with the incest or adoptive family having romantic/sexual relationships with each other, even if they’re fictional. I still convulse whenever I see these kinds of subject matter. I skipped scenes from “House of the Dragon” (good show btw) because they disturbed me. AKI & FANG works for me because of the reasons I mentioned above. Otherwise, that kind of stuff gives me negative reactions.

But I will admit, my love for the AKI and FANG dynamic stems from the thought that FANG will not be forgotten. I have been a F.A.N.G girl for years. I love him very much, but it really hurts every time I try to find good content of him online because I always have to see slander about him. It’s always “FANG is the worst. FANG will never come back. FANG will be forgotten. I’m glad the new waifu is gonna replace him.” If AKI is indeed a FANG replacement, then I don’t want her to stop obsessing over him. Her always talking about him and admiring him was what keeps FANG in everyone’s memories. If AKI were to lose that, at least bring FANG back as a playable character. I’d like to see both F.A.N.G and A.K.I. playable in the same game. But if AKI were to forget about him and F.A.N.G doesn’t come back playable, then Street Fighter will be over for me. SF6 AKI will be her best rendition for me if future iterations make her stop talking about him. I’m fine with AKI being romantically involved with someone else like Rashid, Juri, Chun-Li, or whoever as long as she still highly admires and loves FANG as a father figure (no romantic feelings towards him). I want her to keep on talking about him in a respectable manner. It’s funny for me that I say this, because FANG is in SF6 in World Tour mode and has been receiving steady updates with his story. And he’ll surely have more coming right up based on the unused audio files. But not everyone plays World Tour mode. Most people play Fighting Ground and Online Ranked, so of course there’s a lot of people who still think FANG is not in the game, nor do they understand his importance to the story in SF6. And that is why I’m happy AKI still talks about him even when she fights online. I can’t speak for other fans of this dynamic, but that’s how I feel about it.

I dare say, AKI represents how I feel. She is a character that is made for me (not intentionally). I love her design, I love her personality, I love her play style, I love her backstory, I love her quirks, I love her umbrella hair, and I love her obsession about FANG. Not everyone can say the last bit, but that’s why A.K.I. is indeed a character made for me and those who too embrace that aspect of her. Atgrbread, whose AKI art was selected for the New Challengers screen for SF6, really really love the AKI and FANG dynamic. She is truly a mega A.K.I. fan and her winning spot in the game is well deserved. But back to A.K.I.’s character: I didn’t think an in-game character would love FANG so much like how I and other fans irl would. I never wished for such a character like AKI to exist because I was just fine with the BisonFANG fanon ship in the past. But Capcom went on and created AKI that way. And she clicked with me perfectly. To me, it’s beautiful that I see a character that genuinely loves FANG in canon. I don’t want that aspect of AKI to be taken away. I didn’t know I needed it until AKI was released. This is perhaps the only canon dynamic that I like more than the fanon. It’s usually the other way around for me!

Seeing how A.K.I. is right now, her obsession for F.A.N.G isn’t going away anytime soon. What we see now based on her World Tour Story, Arcade Mode, fighting voice lines, and win quotes, this will be her character for the entirety of SF6 lifespan. I’ll enjoy whatever time I have with this. But as I said many times, I’d be fine with AKI only loving FANG as a father figure. That’s what I always wanted. She doesn’t need to have an infatuation for him. As long as A.K.I. loves F.A.N.G in a pure and wholesome sense, she will always be perfect.

If you read this far, thanks for sticking around.

For more info on Toxicity, you can read my other post here:

https://www.tumblr.com/remy2fang/752286862919581696/toxicity-was-a-future-sneak-peak-of-the-sf6-story

Also, earlier I didn’t mention about how AKI was interested in FANG’s poison dagger in Toxicity. In this story, which is written from FANG’s point of view, had kid AKI wanting to go with FANG because she believed the dagger holds the power to change her life for the better. Oddly enough during AKI’s World Tour story, she made no mention about the dagger. From her point of view, she describes the time when she first met FANG, and she was only very interested in learning everything about FANG. But nothing about the dagger, even though it was made to be a big deal in Toxicity. I’m not sure why Capcom changed that plot, but I have a feeling they’re saving the dagger for a future story update. And I believe only F.A.N.G can talk about it. Though, that’s just my conjecture…but many of my conjectures often come true…