#i choose to be on the side of human rights for ALL

[kdh-tally]

If it's not too much to ask can you write something about Zoey and Baby being absolute bestfriends? Whether it's a fic or headcanons it's a-okay I just need more content of my cuties

Baby and Zoey Against the World

Prompt : Zoey and Baby as best friends

Author's Note : Literally one of my favourite duo's to write for. Slowly working through all of my requests you guys!! sorry they're taking a while lol. Enjoy!!!!!!

Baby sought out to be Zoey’s friend to spite Mystery, but also just cause he thought she was kinda cool.

After Huntrix beat Gwi-ma and the boys resurrected as humans, Baby decided that maybe it would be alright to get attached to some people

Those people being the huntrix girls and no one else. 

Not sure if I mentioned it anywhere but they definitely treat him like their baby brother.

So now Baby has 4 annoying older ‘brothers’ and two older ‘sisters’ and Zoey.

Zoey is like that one sibling that was born right after you and everyone treats you both like twins.

That's how he views Zoey

His annoying younger twin sister who’s actually older than him.

Anyways!

Zoey didn’t necessarily care about befriending Baby

She still holds a grudge against him for side-eyeing her during the meet and greet.

That changed when she was sneaking around the group's shared kitchen at like 2 in the morning. 

Baby was already at the fridge, eating the remainder of Rumi’s saved leftovers that Jinu would definitely kill him for having.

He freezes once he sees Zoey’s shadow, fully ready to disappear back into his room when she just grabs a fork and finishes it with him.

“Major respect dude.” she’d mumble between bites.

They finished the food together and their new friendship blossomed.

They’re always on the same wavelength.

Especially when it comes to testing stupid ideas.

Abby looked around the room, it was unusually quiet. Too quiet. “Where are Zoey and Baby?”

“They said they were going to test the fire resistance of demon skin.” Mira responded, opening a text she had just received from Zoey.

“What does that even mean?”

“They’re lighting Baby’s skin on fire Abby.”

Zoey is the mastermind behind half of their plans. Baby is her enabler.

Zoey would get ideas like renting out an amusement park for a day so both groups could like parkour through them with their powers.

Baby commits 110%. 

Even though he’s fully aware Jinu could probably book it through the company, he chooses to use his demon powers to hypnotize all the workers into allowing them in.

I swear they’re twins bro.

Maybe they were born 2 weeks apart or something, I don't know but they must be twins.

They defend each other like wild animals.

They were once doing promo for their groups, being on some variety show as the maknae duo.

One of the hosts tried to throw shade at Zoey, suggesting she was just a pretty face with no real talent.

Baby interrupted

“I didn’t know this was a comedy show. You got any other jokes or was that your best shot?”

Zoey later repaid the favour when an anti-fan tried to claim that Baby wasn’t ambitious enough to be a Saja Boy member.

She reposted Baby’s solo performance on her story with the caption

You wish you had HALF of his talent

They have multiple matching keychains.

I feel like Zoey would be a HUGE spider man fan and would force BAby to watch all the movies with her.

She’d have a cute spiderman keychain and would force him to wear a venom one. 

Mystery is so jealous but Zoey has so many matching things with him. 

Matching clothes, bracelets, necklaces, hair accessories, tattoo…

Baby pretends he doesn’t like the key chain but he carries it everywhere.

Fans notice it and only fawn over their friendship even more.

They have a podcast no one asked for. It’s called “Don’t Quote Us.”

It’s really just them on live giving bad advice, talking conspiracy theories, and rating snacks from their favourite convenience stores.

A/N!! (Read my headcannons of Baby x reader [they're a convenience store owner]) Shameless promo 💀

“Why do people listen to this?” Romance mumbles, watching them from behind the camera. 

“It’s weirdly addictive,” Jinu responds.

They definitely go thrifting together.

Zoey would make him friendship bracelets with cursed looking beads she finds.

Similarly to the keychains, he wears them religiously.

Baby draws her as a stick figure in the margins of Mystery’s notebook during meetings. It always says something like. “The uglier twin”

He acknowledges his sibling-like attachment to her but refuses to admit that he’s actually fond of her.

Baby seems like he’d know sign language

This being something he’d learnt from Mystery.

Mystery might have learnt sign language just so he’d have an excuse to not talk to people. 

He and Baby would communicate that way a lot.

When Zoey and Mystery start going out, she also learns sign language.

So now Zoey, Mystery and Baby know sign language.

They, as in Zoey and Baby, use it like some secret code

Whenever one of them gets bored when in a large group, they look at the other and sign

Does Jinu always stare at Rumi during these meetings?

Bro I don’t know

You’re literally his band member???

I don’t even like him like that. *Sends Zoey a frowny face for emphasis*

No one knows what they’re doing, except Mystery, but even he is lost because of the speed at which they’re signing.

They’re very difficult to handle when together.

Rumi and Jinu have definitely put them on time out from each other but it never lasts long.

Their friendship is unshakable.

They fight like siblings, tease each other like besties.

Mystery has begged Jinu to stop leaving Baby around her because he’s convinced he’ll turn Zoey into a demon.

But the best thing about having a best friend is being able to sit with them when things don’t make sense.

No need for words. Just shared earbuds, snacks and food.

[detectivestucks2]

Mean, Rich, & Mine Pt. 8

18+ content, Minors do NOT interact

Pairing: Frat Boy Sukuna x F!Reader

Warnings: NSFW, oral female receiving

Summary: The drive home forces you to confront Sukuna's recent actions. You've been thinking about them a lot, especially when he makes a proposition.

Art Credit: @innaillus

Word Count: 3.1 k

Chapter 7 I Chapter 9

The drive to your place is quiet. You drum your fingers against your thigh, mind swimming with thought. Your insides tug at each other mulling over recent events. He’s stood up for you, apologized to you, claimed and pleasured you. So many things about his recent behavior point towards a genuine change.

But why would Sukuna find you special? The man with infinite options, hyperfixated on a scholarship girl. The doubt in your mind won’t quiet. He doesn’t care about others. He likes a good time and a good game. Your resistance to him has probably created his most intriguing challenge yet. That’s why he seems to care so much, right? But then why choose the word wife? Why knock out four men to protect you? And why do his kisses feel so… divine? 

Sukuna’s hand finds its way to your upper thigh, resting its weight and gripping your skin. He means it when he says he’s claimed you, it’s just so hard to envision him settling down. Yet here you are, in his car, being touched with care. 

He shifts the gear into park and rounds to the other side to open your door. Like a proper gentleman, he escorts you to your front door and guards you as you dig for your keys. 

“I want more.” He blurts out into the silence. 

You pause, your hand still in your backpack. “What do you mean more? You were literally eating me out minutes ago. We kiss all the time and I’d say most of our encounters are rather graphic these days. What more could there possibly be?”

“Date me.”

“You want us to date? Like be exclusive? Together?”

“It seems my claim is meaningless if we’re not dating. It was brought up by my brothers several times this week.”

Your chest deflates. “That’s not a good enough reason to date someone.”

“Tell me, what’s a good enough reason?”

“I don’t know, wanting commitment, a future. Having genuine feelings for the person. Take your pick.”

He looks down, considering his words. You finally find your key and slot it into the lock, frustration mounting with his silence. Earlier he had said ‘future wife.’ Why is it suddenly so hard for him to express how he feels? And why does it bother you so much? You hear the familiar click of your deadbolt turning but when you push the door sticks. You begin hip checking it as you continue. “You know, the fact that you have to think so hard about this is exactly why we shouldn’t date.”

With a sigh, Sukuna rests his palm against the door and pushes it open, a grim look on his face. “Would you please let me upgrade your housing?”

“No” you scold defiantly pushing past him. 

“I don’t like that you live here. “

“And I don’t like that you can’t express your feelings.”

“When did I say that I have feelings?”

“Exactly my point! You didn’t. I assume you do, though, considering the jealousy, the protectiveness, tonight’s surprise, and the fact that you called me your future wife earlier. But because you won’t admit to it, even when trying to ask me to date you… it shows why I shouldn’t. I don’t want to hand my life over to someone who can’t recognize basic emotions.”

“I can recognize basic human emotions.” His eyes narrow at you. 

“Then explain to me why you want to date me and why I should say yes.”

There’s fight in his red eyes. He’s feeling defensive and rebellious but he also wants to win. He wants you to surrender and be his. He wants you to stop fighting his claim.

He marches up to you, to which you back away. He paces you all the way to your kitchen. “Why’re you running C?”

“Cause you’re trying to mow me over.” 

Your rear hits the counter’s edge, causing your body to jolt. No quicker has your flesh met the particle board top than Sukuna’s hand has trapped your jaw in its grasp. “We should date because I am obsessed with you, Char. I think about you constantly. I worry about you constantly. I yearn for you constantly. Never in my life have I been so possessed by need for someone. You have toppled my world, C. I want you, and I know you want me. Being together is inevitable. Just admit it.”

Your breath comes in shallow gasps, your lungs unable to function properly with him so close to you. He changes his grip on your face, opting to lift your chin with his knuckle while his thumb brushes your lower lip. He looks at you transfixed before closing in on your mouth, his lips taking yours yet again. 

Every time you go through this, his kiss fogs your mind with insatiable lust. He just spent hours torturing you this evening and still, he requires more of you. Lips on his, you try to imagine what this would look like if it were real. You picture it to look a lot like it does now. “Please, Char, I need more,” he pleads against your cheek.

You softly moan, spurring his hands to grab behind your thighs and lift you onto the countertop where he settles between your legs, continuing to rub his pelvis against your center through those soaked panties that you desperately need to change. Your fingers dig into his shirt, pulling him closer. You want him, you really do. He turns reality on its head; it becomes something you don’t recognize. This man, who grew up worlds apart from you, wants to drag you into his version of this life, one full of wealth, status, and power. It’s hard to wrap your mind around, but since when can you wrap your mind around anything while he poisons your cognition with his kisses?

Small pants come from your mouth as the desire for him takes root in your gut. You feel your organs squeeze with want, your hands fisting his shirt and pinning him to your front while his arms cage you in. 

He groans before he pulls away, a string of spit thinning before it breaks apart and falls between you. “I need an answer, C.”

You pause, looking at the tattoos that run under the collar of Sukuna’s v-neck shirt. With a thick swallow, you muster the courage to admit your response, “okay.” 

“Okay?”

“One date. I’ll go on one date with you, and after that I’ll see how I feel.”

“It’ll be more than one date.”

You shake your head before leaning it against his broad chest. He holds you, resting his cheek on your hair in a rare moment of quiet existing between you. 

The shop bell rings as Sukuna’s massive body passes over the threshold. Two anxious saleswomen perk up ready to earn their commission as he pulls off his sunglasses and places them in the breast pocket of his shirt.

“Good afternoon, sir, how can we assist you?”

“Afternoon, ladies. I’m looking for assistance with some items for a date.” It’s Thursday, and Sukuna made the drive over to the shop that outfitted you the week prior as soon as his classes were finished. His excitement for your date is hard to suppress; his mind constantly wanders to planning, and it won’t quit till all the details are in place. 

“Oh? Well we have a new collection of suits that just came in last week. Would you like us to take some measurements?”

“Actually I am looking to purchase something for her. I believe you should already have her measurements on file.”

“I see. What’s the name?”

“Ch-”

“Wait! Extremely tall, muscular, and tatted. What do you think, Mae?”

“Oh you’re right Sherry! Yes, we have her measurements on file. What can we get for you?”

Sukuna smirks as he digs into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He opens the web browser and points to his screen. I was thinking something like this.”

“My oh my, you sure you don’t want a wedding dress to go with that lingerie?” Mae says with a wink to Sherry. 

“Not yet, but soon.” he smiles.

The two girls look at the image of the strappy bodysuit knowing exactly how he’s going to convince you. “Maybe instead of a wedding dress you’d like to purchase a different dress that allows this purchase to poke out in a classy way.”

Sukuna’s intimidating gaze locks with Mae, a calculated grin growing on his face. “What’d you got?”

Her face rockets from intimidation to joy. After a quick clap of her hands, she strides over to a section with business attire and cocktail dresses. She starts leafing through a series of satin gowns, thumbing through various colors, blush pink, baby blue, maroon, and black. She pauses on the black but then grabs the maroon off the rack instead. “This one will go nicely with her skin tone and will blend with the black bodysuit.”

“You have good taste.”

“They wouldn’t have hired me if I didn’t.”

Sukuna admires the dress. The sheen of the satin is so glossy it almost looks like liquid metal. The neckline is a wide cowl that dips low enough to show off the straps around the bosom of the bodysuit, and the fit is narrow around the waist but flares out at the hips, with a hem that ends mid-thigh. This will be perfect for toying with you. He can see it now. “Add it to my tab.”

“Yes, sir.” Sherry says as she heads over to the store computer. 

“Do you have a pair of Louis Vuitton’s in this color?”

“We don’t but we have the Gala Pump in black. That will accent with the black of the lingerie.”

“Add those too.”

“You got it.”

“If this is what you’re spending on her outfit, I’m afraid to know how much you’re spending on the date.”

“A lot.” Sukuna says with a straight face, his mind running through his plans. “She won’t be able to deny me after tomorrow. She will be mine.”

“Hear that Sherry? She won’t be able to deny him.” Mae whispers. 

“I bet she’s still insisting they’re lab partners.” Sherry whispers back.

“She is.” Sukuna chimes in. 

Both ladies' backs straighten, feeling embarrassed that he overheard their quiet remarks. “Why do you think that is?”

“She thinks it’s part of an elaborate joke. At least that’s what I assume.”

“Why would she think that?”

“Cause I’ve done some stupid stunts in the past.”

“Pulling pigtails is biting you in the butt, hmm?”

With one sharp look from Sukuna, Sherry shuts her mouth.

“Well I hope this date convinces her.” Mae says kindly. “We’re rooting for you two. Have been since she stepped into our shop last week.”

 The resolute look on his features says it all. He will not accept any other outcome. Tomorrow night, you will become his girlfriend. He’s certain you’ll bend. Especially after the way he’s touched you this week. You’re like putty, always doing what he says like a good girl. During lab tomorrow morning, he’ll behave, only so his tactics in the evening will be more effective. Then, by the time Monday lab rolls around, you’ll be his.  

Mae hands Sukuna the three boxes containing his purchases and wishes him luck. He thanks them both before he places the boxes on the passenger seat and drives off to the frat house. 

“Morning, Princess,” Sukuna says as he sits down on the stool next to you. Instantly, you feel a flush burn your cheeks as the semiweekly lab partner torture begins. Every Monday and Friday, it’s the same song and dance; however, this time you’ve agreed to go to dinner with him. You’ve caved and, against your better judgement, you’re going out with Ryomen Sukuna.

If you’re being honest, you’re more scared than you are excited. You want to believe him. You want to think he’s changed and he’s serious about ‘his claim.’ He’s convincing enough. Especially when you think back to how he saved you at work or how he knocked out his own frat brother. But the pit in your stomach tells you it’s another stripper situation. He’s going to have you dressed up and then leave you on some street corner to make you look like a hooker. 

“Good morning, Sukuna.” you say, intentionally using the wrong part of his name.

“Ryomen.” he corrects

“So I have to call you by your preferred name but you won’t call me by mine?”

“Yes.”

You huff in disbelief. The arrogance of this man. “Fine, Ryomen. Tell me, how should I dress for our date tonight?”

“Don’t worry, baby, I have it taken care of.”

“Taken care of?” he nods and your stomach sinks further, “How much did you spend?”

“Don’t worry about it. Just know that you’ll love what I picked out.”

“You mean you’ll love it.”

“Well I did pay for it. Of course I was gonna get you what I wanted you to wear.”

“You can’t keep spending money on me like this. It hasn’t even been a week since your last-”

“Donation?”

“Sukuna, please!”

“Ryomen.”

“If you want me to call you Ryomen, then stop acting like Sukuna and start acting like Ryo.”

He hums at his nickname, loving the sound from your lips. “Fine, how exactly do you want me to act?”

“Stop making jokes about me being poor. It makes me feel like this date is a set up and it makes me not want to go.”

Sukuna’s pulse pauses. Backing out is not an option. “You are going on this date, Princess. You agreed to it.”

His growl sends shivers down your spine, arms pebbling with fear. “I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to, Sukuna.”

You say it quietly, eyes downcast but the statement still stings. He grabs your wrist. “Look at me.” Your focus remains on the lab table. “Look at me dammit.” Reluctantly you meet his gaze, eyes glassy. “This isn’t a joke, Char. You’re mine. I’ve never been more sure of anything. Let me prove it to you.”

You study his face. He features genuine; you can’t detect the lie. It doesn’t completely erase the worry but eases it enough that you’re willing to go. “Okay.” is all you whisper back.

His hand releases you but begins to wander to your shoulders and back, rubbing circles as he goes. The gentle touch helps nudge you back into your comfort zone, and soon you find yourself leaning into him while the TA speaks. His arm finds purchase around your waist while he leans his cheek against his propped-up fist. You look and feel like a real couple as you sit there. Is this what he’s looking for? These little moments where you fit together like two puzzle pieces? Or is this a phase? Hopefully, you’ll know more after tonight because these twisting thoughts have exhausted you.

During today’s synthesis, you find your hands brushing against each other, like always, but this time there’s more electricity there. There are small pauses where you look at each other as if it’s for the first time. Even when cleaning up, something about it feels domestic. This is not the same lab partner you’ve had this semester. This is a new man. 

After the bell rings, Sukuna sweeps you to the stairwell. “Ryo, why are we headed here? Please don’t let it be another remote control vibrator.”

His giant hands grab your waist and push you against the wall. “I need another taste.”

“What?”

You ask but no explanation comes. He can’t help himself with you. He was trying so hard not to play any games but feeling your warm body against his drove him mad all class. He needs you on his tongue. Aggressively he sucks and bites your lips, pulling back till the flesh slips from between his teeth. “Stand on the stairs and face away from me.” 

“Ryo-”

“Now.” The protest dies on your tongue and you comply. “Pull down your pants.”

“Ryo!”

“I don’t have a lot of time till my next class, please Char, just do it.”

Hesitantly you undo the button of your wide-legged jeans before dropping them to your thighs, nervous that someone will see. Before you have a chance to stand back up, Sukuna’s kneels behind you. His hand yanks your underwear to the side while his face buries itself between your legs, pushing you down so that you’re catching yourself with your hands on the stairs.

Satisfied groans fill the stairwell, his happy noises echoing like a sexual foghorn that’s sure to get you caught. Despite yourself, your gasps of pleasure join the melody, only increasing the risk of someone coming to investigate. But how can you resist with the way his greedy mouth feasts on you? He has your hips pushing back into his face, begging for more. When his tongue dives into your hole you lose your breath and when the pink muscle makes its way to your rear a high pitched moan sings the chorus of your filthy anthem. 

After a few frenzied minutes, you finally gasp out that you both need to get to class. His massive hands, which have been gripping your thighs, tighten their hold before releasing you. Left dizzy, you collapse to your hands and knees as he wipes his mouth with his forearm. It takes a few steadying breaths before you can resume standing and pull your bottoms up before some unknowing witness makes their way to the stairs. 

You don’t even finish fastening your jeans when Sukuna pulls you into another kiss. His searing passion spills into the connection. This one, however, tastes like the sweet tang of your arousal that was just sucked out of your folds. His tongue playfully slips into your mouth where his flavor mingles with yours before he pulls back again, leaving you winded.

“Thank you, baby. I needed that.”

“Mhm” is all you have capacity to respond with as you blink back at him dumbly.

“I’ll see you at your place. 7:00pm”

“Sure.”

He spanks your ass, groping it before kissing your cheek and guiding you down the steps towards the first floor. When you’re downstairs, he kisses your cheek again before heading towards the psychology building, leaving you to walk towards the math building in a daze. Tonight you’re going on a date with Sukuna. Ryomen Sukuna is taking you on a date. A date, tonight, with Ryomen… and he purchased your outfit. It must be fancy if he thinks you don’t have the right clothes for it. Or he wants you in something extremely slutty... You’ll have a say if you don’t want to wear the clothes he brings, right? Knowing Sukuna, probably not.

Masterlist I Chapter 7 I Chapter 9

@emoedgylord

[maxknightley]

If you were an undertale/deltarune enemy, what would your bullet hell patterns look like?

I've answered a similar question about Touhou patterns, but Undertale and especially Deltarune danmaku tend to be structured a bit differently...

Touhou tends to use simple shapes for its bullets - stars, circles, or simple weapons like arrows and kunai. The "character" of an attack comes out in how those bullets are arranged. (There are certainly exceptions, e.g., Mamizou's very distinctive "pictograph" bullets, but they tend to be rare.)

Deltarune, on the other hand, has a fuckton of different bullet shapes, but I would say that the actual arrangement of the bullets is usually more focused on gameplay concerns than being Evocative in its own right. When the pattern itself is memorable, it's usually because of how it interacts with the "battle box" (e.g. King grabbing it by a chain and yanking it around) or the way the SOUL controls (via the color-coded alternate modes).

With that all being said, I think it'd really depend on whether it's just "me, actual human Max Knightley" or one of my various sonae we're talking about. Like...

Blackberry would attack with little flappy bat-shaped bullets, sonar waves, falling apples, that sort of thing. There would probably be a joke where she switches to her vampire form halfway through the fight, and makes a big thing out of "showering you in blood" to change the color of your SOUL... but since the protagonist's SOUL is already red, that doesn't actually do anything.

Amaranth would be all in on classic, cartoonish "demon iconography." Tridents poking at you from either side of the box, pentagrams that fade in before exploding, angels who start out firing bullets at you before "falling" (i.e. divebombing) you, that kind of thing. She might also start drinking a bunch of gin and throwing the empties at you.

Friday is basically a Chapter 2 enemy already but I do particularly like the thought of a bullet pattern that starts with her pulling up a little right click menu that lists a bunch of options to choose from.

If we are in fact talking "regular old human Max Knightley..." well! As far as we've seen, I wouldn't have bullet patterns! I'd just have to hit you with a big ol' stick or something!!

P.S. this ask gives me an excuse to post a good (albeit very old) image from my friend @vriskarune

[michanvalentine]

I read an anonymous post that said something along the lines of: "I know people who started hating a character because of the fandom—don’t let others determine what you like or don’t like." It struck me because I saw a bit of myself in it—that’s exactly what I’ve felt too, to some extent.

When I first landed on Tumblr, not long ago, I had no idea what Baldur’s Gate 3 was. Or who Astarion was, obviously. I played it for the first time just a year ago, and fresh from that experience, I started sharing my thoughts here on the platform. Completely unaware. Unaware of the internal wars, unaware of what apparently are some sort of taboos—literally unspeakable unless you want to end up on someone’s blacklist. Or even get verbally attacked. As if someone’s personal experience could somehow diminish someone else’s.

And so it happened that, despite never having interacted with certain users, despite never—and I stress NEVER—posting anything in the "opposing" conversations to undermine anyone’s points or, worse, to judge in any way the person expressing them, I was attacked and insulted for the content of my posts by people who sympathize with AA. Just like that. Out of nowhere. With no warning or preparation on my part. Without me giving a single damn about how they chose to play, how they interpreted the game or the character, or how they appreciated something vastly different from what I personally enjoyed. Which is not only valid but obvious, because fortunately, we’re not all the same.

Of course, not everyone who supports AA acts this way—there are plenty of thoughtful, respectful fans on both sides.

At that point, I had to dig deeper and found out how much bitterness has existed for a while now between the two sides: AA vs Spawn Astarion.

The thing is, it’s hard to stay indifferent when you feel attacked. It’s almost an automatic, physiological response. It’s simply human. And when you keep reading more and more, even blatant absurdities that attack (and judge) those who choose to play Astarion’s redemption arc—because in that case Tav is supposedly an abuser who enjoys his powerlessness (just to name one)—well, it’s only natural to start hardening. Not just toward the fandom, unfortunately, but also toward the character. He starts feeling annoying, almost unbearable. Because, due to a whole set of associations and neural connections your brain makes automatically, that character becomes tied to a whole web of unpleasant emotions and sensations, mostly stemming from interactions with those who champion one ending or the other. Even more so because of how those interactions are handled—interactions that could be polite, healthy, and enlightening.

And reading that comment above, it pissed me off. Because damn, the anon was right! That I prefer Astarion’s radiant hopeful ending is no secret—I think it’s the healthiest choice for him for a whole bunch of reasons I’ve already gone on and on about to the point of exhaustion, because I find his romance more suited to my preferences (and I truly wish the best to those who feel differently, it's still a matter of fantasy, after all), and because I tend to play a good and pure hero most of the time. Or morally grey characters who get into trouble and have some fun, but in the end always make the right choice—for the greater good.

But damn it, I’ve never hated AA. I don’t want to hate AA! I want to play him freely as a villainous companion and enjoy him whenever I feel like being evil too—and I want to do that without having to tie him to all the unpleasantness surrounding him! I hate the idea that someone or something might influence my experience, the way I play, the way I express myself, or the way I view something. It’s just not fair!

[francesderwent]

we finished CA: Civil War yesterday and here are some preliminary thoughts:

one problem is (once again), they are trying to do Too Much.

the plot that takes center stage, of Cap vs Tony and the accords (more on that in a bit)

Zemo’s plot to flush out Bucky and use him to tear apart the Avengers, including the red herring of the other winter soldiers (this plotline is the epitome of “this meeting could have been an email”)

introducing Wanda and Vision to us as people and members of the team—we met them in Ultron but Wanda was a spooky antagonist for most of that film and Vision showed up very late in the game

introducing Tchalla, whom we’ve never met before, and his own arc of not becoming consumed by revenge

introducing Peter Parker, whom we’ve also never met before

Scott Lang is there, in his first appearance in a team-up film.

Sharon is there?? tiny romance subplot

Natasha’s arc to switching sides of the “civil war”

that is an insane amount of things to attempt in one film—let alone a film that’s supposedly centered around Captain America and not the Avengers. the overall theme of the film is something like “you have to do what you believe is right and not compromise”, with a sprinkling of “vengeance is bad,” but there are several side plots and cameos that don’t do anything to flesh out either theme. Spiderman, Ant Man, and Sharon should not have been in this film; there’s really no excuse for their presence. Peter and Scott are enjoyable to watch, but they take us way too far afield from the main story, let alone Steve’s story. and Sharon is quite simply unnecessary, except to deliver the sound bite in Peggy’s eulogy, which could have been done by anyone. add to that the fact that Tchalla is arguably also redundant—we already have Zemo as the poster child for revenge, and eventually Tony as well—and what you get is one of the most bloated films in the first age of the MCU—maybe even more so than Infinity War.

then there’s the problems of the accords themselves. an argument could possibly be made for oversight in the sense of setting boundaries on what is the Avengers’ responsibility—for example, a reasonable agreement might have said they can operate at will in the U.S., and they can go wherever they need to on earth to stop any non-human threat, but they can’t suddenly decide they want to topple a foreign government. and the movie doesn’t mention it, but presumably the Avengers were originally intended to be serving under SHIELD and the World Security Council—they’ve only been totally independent since Steve decided SHIELD had to go and the Council all got murdered in CA: TWS. so figuring out where they stand now could have provoked a decent debate—Tony wants to legitimize everything, and Steve is too afraid of evil using well-intentioned people to promote its agenda, and needs complete independence to do what he feels needs to be done. this aspect of the debate goes along with the vengeance theme—should people be able to pick their battles based on their own personal feelings? should you be allowed to choose to save someone instead of stopping them—like Clint did with Nat, and like Steve did with Bucky? if you’re ordered to kill someone whom you have a deeply personal reason to hate, isn’t that just murder—like Tchalla’s sanctioned campaign of vengeance against Bucky, and Tony’s attempt to kill Bucky at the end? Steve’s monologue at the end lays it out for us: my faith is in people. meaning: you let it get personal, not if it’s about hatred (“I don’t want to kill anybody, I just don’t like bullies”), but if and only if it’s about trust. power is best wielded not by heavily controlled rules, but by love.

now, the version of the accords that’s proposed in the movie is less reasonable than the hypothetical one I laid out—the Avengers’ hands are tied at every turn, with no exceptions even for alien threats. but since Steve was going to emphasize people not systems anyway, that’s not the biggest problem. the biggest problem is that the oversight debate is constantly muddied by this weird guilt about accountability for collateral damage.

it’s consistent for Tony to want to shift responsibility: he doesn’t trust himself anymore, because he created Ultron, so he wants to control powered people because the power in his own hands wreaked havoc. this would make sense. but the accords are literally called the Sokovia Accords, and the boy whose death is thrown in Tony’s face and Zemo’s family’s deaths are not blamed on Ultron and therefore on Tony. they’re blamed on the Avengers’ actions in fighting Ultron—as if they somehow didn’t care about what happened to the people of Sokovia. this is understandable (maybe) coming from Zemo—but it’s crazy coming out of Tony’s mouth. Tony tried everything to find a solution to save the planet that wouldn’t harm Sokovians—and he and Natasha both state out loud that they might die alongside the people they’re unable to save. that’s so far from the blasé “we were too busy blowing things up to notice people dying” attitude that they project backwards that I think it can only be explained by retroactive embarrassment about Age of Ultron, which wasn’t especially well-received.

the emotional argument behind the accords, “when you fight evil you might not be able to save everyone, but if you shifted the damage then the damage is your fault” is simply nonsensical. Wanda telekinetically throwing an explosion into the sky where it kills people in a skyscraper does not mean Wanda killed those people—she was trying to save people on the ground, and couldn’t get it high enough in time to save everyone. Rumlow, who set off the bomb, is responsible for the deaths. so too, there is no universe in which Captain America (or Hawkeye or Natasha or Thor) are responsible for the deaths of Sokovians. Ultron is responsible for those deaths—he tried to kill everyone on earth, and the Avengers did everything they could to save everyone. if they’d been waiting for the UN to tell them what course of action they were allowed to take that didn’t have any risks, the whole planet would have died. and while Tony did create Ultron, the Avengers didn’t create Hydra, and they didn’t create the Chitauri, and Ross’s little presentation wants to blame the Avengers for damages incurred during those fights as well.

it’s especially unreasonable because Wanda is placed at the center of the accords debate—her powers are immense, and have the ability to cause a lot of damage, so she has to be put on a leash or she’ll hurt too many people. but nobody understands the price of standing up and fighting the enemy better than Wanda—her brother died on Sokovia, a fact which is somehow not mentioned once in Civil War. if we’re talking about the casualties of powered superhero battles, what about the powered superhero who laid down his life for a little Sokovian boy? can we really say the Avengers are blind to the losses they leave behind them when one of those losses was one of their own??

so all of this is to say that the problem with this movie is that Tony’s perspective is absolutely, flat-out, indefensibly wrong—and the movie won’t come out and say that. because they wanted to market the movie “Team Tony versus Team Cap”, they try to emotionally blackmail the audience into thinking that the Avengers should feel guilty for all the damage they couldn’t prevent, they try to make you feel conflicted about the accords. but if you look at the arguments being presented, and you look at how the truth of them plays out in the story, the idea of the accords is proved wrong and dangerous at every turn—both the oversight side and the accountability side. Bucky is framed, and still has a shoot to kill order against him. a man seeking revenge gets a green light, because he’s doing a job the government wants done. Tony has to go behind Ross’s back because Ross doesn’t want to hear that his orders are wrong in order to go after the real villain. good people who were helping an innocent man try to prevent a catastrophe end up in an inhumane prison, with no trial in sight. this could have been a pretty decent movie—if Tony was presented, simply, as the villain, if Steve was presented as the only person brave enough to stand up to him, if we got rid of all the distractions and maybe focused more on Natasha coming to realize that Steve is right. but no: in the second-to-last scene, Rhodey still tells Tony “I signed because it was the right thing to do.” the film still won’t take a side.

[switchytransboy]

i have this sinking weird feeling that i may be losing a friend of mine over the Israel vs Palestine conflict.

as a white jew, i stand with the Palestinians and 110% see the truth. i am not blinded by my judaism or my privilege and i did the research i needed to do, i did the unlearning of everything i had been taught in Hebrew school growing up. i am entirely anti-zionist.

but my family is jewish, i have many jewish friends, and i am the only one out of them it seems so far that went and did this researching, learning, and unlearning to understand the truth and the evils that my people committed.

as a jew, so many people stop their thinking at “well the jews survived the holocaust so they deserve a land that is theirs” and that is why so many jews are zionists, blind to the fact that the way israeli’s went about taking the land was by means of genocide, torture, and wiping out an entire population of palestinians. these actions of the israeli people is what created hamas in the first place.

i may be losing a friend because so many jews in my life fail to think critically, to learn, unlearn, and understand a new pov. but i flushed out all my conservative friends in 2020, i’ll do it again now if i have to for this.

[brw]

Small compilation of Charles looking kind of cunty in X-Men: Children of the Atom

[soratonin]

isagi x sora x barou love triangle ............... much 2 consider

[sysig]

VUXPet (Patreon)

[slimyenemy]

boring awful and depressing is just everything the whole cult does in fact. and then gets mad gets into your head of all things and hurts you when you show care and try to resolve things in any way that isn't just joining them in this and pretty much killing yourself. stupid black hole.

[cinnabeat]

its interesting bc natori is trying to protect natsume the only way he knows how and natsume is being confronted with things hes never had to before and hes learning a lot of things abt himself and his worldview

[woovalin]

i’m in such disbelief right now and beyond disgusted.

i really hope y’all are choosing your morals over kpop; because we do not know these men at all. i will never side with or defend a predator and a criminal, even with little to no proof. even if there is the smallest chance he may be innocent, i will always believe the victim first.

some of you, as fans of the boys for years and him in general, i know you must be feeling disappointed and betrayed. you’re not dumb for previously supporting him, as we couldn’t have possibly known. but now is the time for a reality check and it’s time to wake up and take a step back. this just goes to show that we know absolutely nothing about them.

for sm to just outright put out a statement on their own before any rumors even surfaced and immediately kick him out? this has to be insanely serious and i’m terrified of what he could’ve done. the crazy thing is with everything currently happening in korea with the telegram situation, and korean women constantly being in danger in general because of the men there, i’m not at all surprised that celebrities are being exposed. sm has protected criminals before, and held onto lucas when his scandal came out as well as other artists who have been exposed for similar crimes. i can’t even imagine the severity of the current situation. we’ve seen what happened with the burning sun, and these men are not immune to being misogynistic, vile human beings.

members have already unfollowed him and deleted posts with him in them; his best friend of 17yrs has unfollowed him. the company taking the initiative and him getting kicked out of the group in less than a second before anything even came out, no denying the claims or even trying to defend him. that should be enough to tell you and understand how serious this actually is. i am beyond disgusted with him and this whole situation.

i sincerely hope the victim is doing okay and praying for them to heal and get the justice they deserve. and remember that your love for these celebrities should always be conditional, because we do not know them. it’s their job to put on a show and show you their public persona, but behind closed doors? we don’t know what they’re actually like. we put them on a pedestal and yet we don’t know what they’re really capable of. they are still men after all. i hope the police are taking this seriously. there needs to be consequences and these women need to be protected.

let this be a lesson to all of us. they don’t know us, and we don’t know them, not really, not at all.

ALWAYS choose morals over these strangers you idolize. and as women, we should be standing with the victims.

maybe not all men, but enough of them. and maybe not all men, but somehow always a man. and going forward, i will continue to support nct as a whole with the remaining members. however, keeping the situation in mind, i will be supporting from afar for a little while. if the situation escalates and other members are investigated and new information comes to light about the rest of them either knowing or possibly being involved, it would be best to step away for good. i will do my best to stay updated. but i do hope the rest of the members are doing okay, and hopefully no other members were involved; but this, just shows that they can always surprise us. you never think it’ll be your fave, until it is.

let’s hope this causes a domino effect and more of these people are exposed and charged for the crimes they’re committing.

sending love to anyone who has ever experienced sexual violence or has been targeted and been in a similar situation. it is not your fault and it never was!

love you all and my dms are always open if you need to vent. <3

❗️EDIT: also i wanna add that we need to not praise the rest of the members or any other celebrity for simply unfollowing him on social media. that is the least of anyone’s worries.

we don’t know if they were aware, we don’t know if they knew and were protecting him or turning a blind eye. it could be them trying to save themselves and clear their guilty conscience. maybe they didn’t know and are just as shocked as we are, we don’t know that either.

we blindly trust these people and believe they have good intentions but look at where that can lead to. fans being upset is valid, yes; but remember people with money and power will do whatever it takes to sweep things under the rug and make it go away in order to save face and keep their image and reputation.

follow-up post here.

[dcxdpdabbles]

DCxDP Fanfic idea: The Cousin

Clark had always known that Krypton was an entire planet with more than just a few cities scattered about, but it was a very distant knowledge that he grew up with.

Yes, it was sad that he was among the few Kyptonians left in the universe, but Clark has always considered himself human before anything else. He was Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent's son long before he learned of his identity as Kal-El.

It made him feel guilty that he preferred being Clark Kent to Kal-El, but it was the honest truth, as mean as it was.

Kara had once accused him of not understanding what it mean to have lost their home planet like she did. She often pointed out that his Kryptonese sounded like someone who had learned it as a second language. She also claimed that he was only pretending to be Kryptonian in another argument, and the worst was when she stated he wasn't Kryptonian enough. She raged because she was mourning the loss of her planet and people, and lashing out at him was easier.

He knew that, but it still stung, though not in the way she wanted. It stung because of the guilt: He agreed that he was prouder to be considered an Earthling than a Kryptonian.

He couldn't help that English rested more comfortably on his tongue or the scents of Earth's food were far more appetizing than the meals Kara made (As close to her family's recipes as she could. There were some spices Earth similarly couldn't substitute)

His rocket ship was his parents' attempt to stuff as much of their culture as they could into it before their people were wiped out. He tried hard to learn everything they managed to save, but he didn't connect to it as strongly as he did in history class listening to the USA's humble beginnings.

He felt guilty about that, too.

When they found Kon-El, he let Kara give him a name, only to later discover what Kon in Kryptonian meant. By that point, the clone had built an entire identity out of the name, and seeing his cousin's smug smirk made his insides turn.

He didn't like the clone, but he didn't think the boy deserved that. Though Clark should have done something, eventually, he would help rebrand the name, shifting the translation of the more modern (or it was before Kypton was no more) to an older Kryptonian one. Although Kara acted like he was destroying more of their culture, Clark felt it was better this way.

It was a struggle to be trapped between two worlds, but Clark knew which one he would choose every single time.

Then Bruce found the boy.

As usual, Bruce kept an eye on all major powers, including up-and-coming heroes. He first gained wind of the young hero in Amity Park from a young Wes Weston, who posted daily about Phantom. Since Phantom seemed to fall under the jurisdiction of the Justice League Dark, Clark didn't pay much attention to him.

Bruce had eyes on the young hero and had sent Robin to offer training and support, but the boy seemed much more interested in staying in his own part of the world and fighting the dead. Clark could respect that.

All heroes had an area that was undoubtedly theirs, and Phantom picked the most haunted place in the country to protect. It made sense. Months went by with Bruce occasionally bringing up the boy in meetings, to either update them on his work or praise the child for his missions in that weird, emotionless way Bruce talked as Batman.

Then, one day, Kara barged into the meeting, about to argue for her right to join the Justice League, when her eyes landed on the hologram of Phantom, which was frozen in place. Her mouth opened and closed, eyes wide, before she blurted out, "You found someone from the house of Lor-Van!?"

"What?" Clark sat up, recognizing his mother's maiden name.

"Look at his chest! That's the Lor-Van symbol!" Kara screeched, hope starting to bloom in her eyes. "He's your cousin, Kal. Likely from your mother's young brother! I heard he was attempting to make a rocket on the other side of Kypton, but I never knew if he was successful....but he must have! He has your mother's eyes!"

Clark feels like someone kicked him in the chest. His voice cracks as he asks, "There were other refugees from Kypton?"

Whatever glee was on Kara's face died a painful death as she turned away, hiding her tears. "Not everyone believed Uncle Jor, but not everyone thinks he was lying. They just didn't make it."

The silence in the meeting hall is heavy. Clark is only half aware of his teammates shooting unsure glances between the two aliens until Bruce clears his throat. "If Phantom is truly of house Lor-Van, I think it's time to approach him again, especially since he's a ghost. Anyone with magic can take control of him."

"Oh," Kara's voice is small. "He didn't make it either."

Clark leaps to drag Kara into a hug. She goes willingly, but doesn't hug back as she stays stiff as a board, hiding her face in his chest. "He should have been your age. Makes sense why he's still a teenager."

He doesn't know what to say to make her feel better. Nothing will feel better when you lose your entire world.

"We could go meet him, " he offers instead. Clark feels Kara move her head against his chest in one brisk nod, but it's enough for him to excuse himself from the rest of the League. They wave away his apology, offering to come with them for moral support, but Clark feels it's something he and Kara should be able to handle on their own.

She's crying on her way back to Earth, aiming for the part of the planet that houses Amity Park. Clark could have just had the Zeta beams from the Watch Tower, but he felt a flight would have done her some good.

"I don't know why I'm sad," She laughs wetly. "It's not like he's my cousin. He's a cousin of a cousin. I just thought...."

"I know," he tells her, pretending not to see the flooding tears behind her. Maybe we can find out what happened to him."

Maybe he was raised on Earth before his early death. Maybe Phantom is like me. Clark says, but he hopes. Even if it were a ghost, it would be nice to have someone understand.

The two Supers don't say anything else as they re-enter Earth's skies, and they can spot a ain't green glowing monster fighting against another smaller white glowing figure on the horizon.

[teojira]

[Click Click Boom] [Shadow x Reader short stories]

Summary: You're set to be Shadow's companion to keep an eye on him and keep him in line, a courtesy from the goverment for him saving the world with Sonic and the others.

Word count: 1.8k

Warnings: Can be read as platonic or romantic! Shadow/reader romance is implied though! You're human in this, age is vague but you're meant to be in your 20s.

Disclaimer: Shadow is an adult, and as for the furry debate, he's literally an adult who can consent and is sentient, don't like? Don't read!

A/N: I've literally been obsessed with this fucker since I was a literal child and it's the first time I've written for him!! The trailer yas me going insane. This is written well before the movie has come out, literally all I got to work with is Shadow in the trailer and the bits and pieces of info I psychoanalized so I don't wanna hear shit about it not being accurate tbh, this is self indulgent!!

Shadow isn't the worst task you've been assigned, you both are more akin to awkward roommates more than anything.

I'm talking randomly lingering in the corners of the room, his bright red eyes glowing and they always seemed to be locked right onto you.

You screamed the first dozen times, but now you just glare at the black hedgehog and spit out a "fuck you." and go about your business.

He'll never admit that it brings him infinite amusement, it's hard to tell, but the huff he lets out is evidence enough.

Shadow will never admit he cares for you, he loses everyone he cares for, and humans don't live that long. It's terrifying to think about how much he's come to like you.

He's not nearly as slick as he thinks he is.

You're sitting down at the dinner table, typing away on your laptop, editing the mission report from the other day when Shadow makes his way towards you. Sending him a nod in his direction, you don't think of anything when he moves in close.

A huge slam takes you off guard though, jumping damn near out of your skin as you twist your head to look at him.

"What the fuck-"

"Take it."

It's one of Shadow's guns, his emblem being engraved along the stock.

"What? No, I have guns." You raise an eyebrow at the hog, his face is perfectly still, eyes locking onto yours as he waits for you to grab the heckler.

"Your guns are worthless, you need something better."

"Well excuse me, I so happen to like my guns." You try and joke back, but the offense is taken.

Shadow rolls his eyes so hard you're scared that he's gonna blind himself. Jutting his chin towards the table once more to get your focus back onto it.

"If you have one of mine, I know you're safe." He doesn't elaborate. Not that he needs to.

"...Thank you, Shad."

All you get is a grunt in response, and he's on his way back to his room.

Gingerly picking up the weapon, you take in how pristine it is, a thumb caressing your small initials that you missed on the other side of the stock.

With Shadow saving the world, the reeking of havoc makes it to where he's limited to what he is allowed to do in the public eye.

Not that he listens, he isn't supposed to be out after curfew. But to be fair, it is extremely hard to keep a teleporting hedgehog confined to a meager two-story house.

You can hear him teleport above you, he's on the roofs of the nearby building, leering down at you.

It was a small errand you were on, simply stocking up on the essentials for the house.

Namely, snacks for Shadow, he doesn't ask for a lot other than coffee beans and Doritos.

You are choosing to ignore the fact that he eats the coffee beans straight up, the crunch echoes through your head and it sends a shudder down your spine.

He was adamant against you leaving the house this late, standing in front of the front door.

"No."

"Fuck you mean no?"

"I said no."

"....I don't listen to men."

And you weaved around him to leave the house, ignoring his shout of disapproval.

That leads you both to here now, you pretending you don't see him trailing you from the rooftops as you walk your way back home from the small shopping center.

You feign surprise when he opens the house door for you, begrudgingly sticking a hand out to help you with your bags.

"Oh! Thank you my knight in shining armor~"

"Shut it."

He's never told you his birthday, which you can understand, living for 50 years and not having your family around must be hard. No matter how he may fake that it doesn't bother him.

That doesn't stop you, not in the slightest really. You damn near kick him out of the house for the day, shoving him over to Tom and Maddie's house so he can be with the others. Despite how much he protested.

"I don't want to go over there. Not with that blue fake."

"You don't really have a choice bub, I need you out of the house."

"I don't understand why I have to-"

"Keep arguing with me and I will make it a point to not buy you shit next grocery trip."

It's an empty threat, but he grunts nonetheless.

"...."

"That's what I thought."

When he finally gets home from his long and admittedly overstimulating day with the Wachowskis, he's ready to recharge in his room.

He teleports through the house door, sighing and rubbing at his temples as he moves to kick off his shoes, knowing that if he doesn't, you'd chastise him for not doing so.

Something about tracking dirt and rocket fuel into the carpet.

Whatever.

After trying to massage his brain through his fur, he opens his eyes up to see a colorful banner strung across the mantle.

'Happy birthday!' It screams, in its disgustingly neon color palette.

Shadow wracks his brain for any information of it being your birthday, he knows for a fact it isn't today. A friend you're throwing a party for? Well, that makes no sense, he knows very well you don't have many friends, especially any that you'd invite your house up for.

You're antisocial to a fault, not that he has absolutely any room to talk.

He hears you before he sees you, turning the corner into the living room, carrying some balloons in your hands. A stupid little party hat on your head.

"Shadow! What are you doing back so early?"

Kicking off the last shoe, he stands at his full height, staring into your eyes with a shrug.

"I wasn't aware I had a time."

"....fair enough, anyways, fuck, goddamnit. Stay here. Okay?"

And you're off, running into the kitchen, his ears flick at the slamming of the fridge door, followed by the cabinets being no doubt, hip nudging it shut way too forcefully.

He's awkwardly standing there still until you yell for him to come in.

Shadow has half a mind to ignore you and go into his room, but curiosity kills the cat, so he takes in a deep breath and makes his way to you.

He finds you sitting at the little kitchenette, a nervous smile spread across your lips as you gesture to the plate in front of you.

The smell is apparent, it's a coffee cupcake.

The hedgehog feels his ears flick again, staring down at the desert, then trailing his eyes back to meet your own. Wordlessly asking you what was going on.

"You've never told me your birthday, but it's been a year since you've been here, with me. After the whole trying to destroy the world shit. So since you won't tell me, we can kinda treat this as it?" You keep rambling, eyes flitting around the room, very clearly nervous as to his reaction.

Shadow doesn't say anything, or move even. Just staring down at the cupcake.

It looks amateurish, the frosting is lopsided, and the toppings on it look messy. But you made it for him. You even added a big black "1" candle in the center.

He doesn't know what to say, he can feel heat rush through his body, rushing to his ears and his face, and his fur feels constricting.

What the fuck.

What the actual fuck.

You go to open your mouth again, no doubt to apologize, but he beats you to it.

Moving to scoop up the treat, he gently sniffs it before taking a cautionary bite.

A beat passes between the two of you.

"...it's good."

Shadow does his best to ignore the smile that blooms across your face, not wanting to remember just how pretty he finds you like this.

Disgusting.

Shadow doesn't like touch, you know it, he knows it, and everyone knows it. He's threatened to break Sonic's wrist for even so much as patting the older hedgehog on the back. Baring his sharper fangs and hissing out to not touch him ever.

He avoids group hugs from Team Sonic, avoids Tom and Maddie like the plague, dodging every invitation to be a part of the family, it makes him sick to think about it.

With you, it's a little different.

You're not like them, you don't push him to change, you don't have a problem with how closed off he is, giving him space, never once pushing his very strict boundaries.

Something churns in his chest at the sound of you crying in your room, you probably think you're being incognito, holding a pillow to your face to drown out your sobs.

The internal debate is heavy, Shadow used to be able to comfort, to provide warmth, but he hasn't done so in years. Flashes of memories where he would comfort Maria on her bad health days, letting her run her fingers over his quills, to lend an ear to Gerald when he was frustrated about treatments not working.

It's not to say he is replacing you in their place, but it's scary. To open himself up like that again. He can feel his anxiety rising as he goes over the pros and cons of crossing this line. Eyes squeeze shut forcefully as he tells himself he doesn't care about you, that you're an adult, and you don't need to be babied.

His ears twitch when a pathetic little whimper drops from your lips, and his resolve cracks.

You don't look up when he makes his way in, too stuck in your bubble.

Startling a little when two, much stronger and larger hands grab at your own, peeling them away from the pillow. Your puffy bloodshot eyes looking at the hedgehog in front of you, his face set as it usually is, stoic. But his eyes are different, and his body language is different, when has he ever looked at you so softly? It's jarring.

Oh, he's moving closer. Okay. Weird.

"Shadow? Uh, I'm ok-"

You try and lie, it's a pitiful attempt. Your voice is scratchy and the tear tracks down your cheeks aren't helping your plight.

"No, you're not."

He shuts you down immediately, hands sliding up your arms to drag you into him.

The instant your bodies touch, you feel a fresh wave of tears well up in your eyes again.

Shadow has you resting against him, your head resting on him as he wraps himself loosely in your arms, giving you the space to move away if you so choose.

It's the first time he's allowed you to hug him, the first time he's ever initiated contact with someone in years. A fact that you both are well aware of.

A sob works its way up your throat, immediately tightening your grip on the hedgehog, curling into him as you shake.

Shadow doesn't say anything, doesn't make fun of you as snot pours from your nose, doesn't point out that your mascara and eyeliner are getting everywhere, just sits there and lets you cling onto him like he's your only lifeline.

He thinks that this is okay, he's strong enough for you both, and you don't need to worry when he's here.

[acmeangel]

I think about this dialogue from S1 all the time; to me, it succinctly sums up the differences between Erwin and Levi’s perspectives and motivations.

When it comes to Erwin, it’s much like what Armin said in S1: the people who are capable of making change have to be able to throw everything away and abandon their personal humanity in order to save the greater humanity. Erwin embodies this perfectly—he never hesitated to sacrifice the lives of others on behalf of a greater cause, and even knew how to inspire them into willingly self-sacrificing.

What was that greater cause? For Erwin, it was his dream of finding out the truth and avenging his father—it just so happened that this aligned with what was best for Paradis. If it weren’t for his own personal ambitions, I don’t believe Erwin would have had the same level of commitment or drive.

Erwin knew that all of the deaths of his soldiers and the civilians caught in the crossfire were potentially pointless (and we eventually see that catch up to him right before his death); but at the same time, he knew each death and sacrifice was a necessary step in uncovering the truth.

That’s not to say he saw no value in human life or that he was an evil person—it’s just that he saw more value in the bigger picture and the greater cause, and he didn’t have time to consider his personal humanity in that pursuit. Erwin knew that he needed people like Levi and Hange to stay alive in order to achieve this bigger picture goal since they filled in the gaps of skills he lacked himself.

This also isn’t to say Erwin is purely selfish, nor is he the only one with personal motivations—Eren was motivated by his mother’s death, Mikasa was motivated by protecting Eren, Hange was motivated by learning about Titans. The list goes on.

Levi is uniquely one of the few characters without selfish motivations and dreams (which is ironic since people view him as cold and heartless). Levi had no ulterior motives pushing him to the other side of the war, and nothing personal to gain.

He chose to follow Erwin because of that look Erwin had in his eye—the same look Armin had in his eye—hope for the future, like he could see something no one else could. Levi, simply, didn’t want to make choices he would regret, even though he openly admitted that he never truly knew or understood what the outcome of those choices would be. He believed that following Erwin’s command—and eventually choosing Armin—was the best way to do this.

Levi doesn’t view the lives of his comrades or squad members as disposable. He has a fiercely protective and loyal nature. We see this time and time again—when he adamantly tells a dying soldier that his death wasn’t in vain and that he’d made a difference, how he doesn’t ever truly forgive Annie and Reiner for the lives they took from the Scouts, and his incessant need to avenge Erwin’s death, to name a few.

To me, Erwin and Levi are somewhat of a yin and yang in this way—Erwin was willing to do everything it took to achieve his dream, no matter the sacrifice, and Levi was willing to do everything it took to make sure those sacrifices weren’t made for nothing.

Erwin had to be willing to send people to their pointless deaths; Levi had to make sure those deaths weren’t pointless in the end.

This is a little bit of a half-baked ramble, but I always found this exchange so interesting and telling.

[ccazimi]

cw: truform sukuna x reader, heian au, fluff

wc: 1.2k

a/n: wrote this to procrastinate on the neuroscience lab that i have to complete...

Sukuna simply does not understand.

He's given you the largest chambers, second only to his own, the best of anything to provide you with whatever comforts you could ever want.

However, you choose to sleep with him at night. This is still fine, considering his futon is so incredibly large that it could fit him while giving you more than enough space to sleep.

And still, even with this ocean of bedding beside him, he finds himself pushed to the fucking edge of the futon till he's nearly on the floor.

Why?

Because you insist on sleeping by him, sticking yourself next to him as close as possible.

Not in a normal way either, no, just body contact is simply not good enough.

You'll wrap your upper arm and leg over him so that you can cling to him as tightly as possible like a koala hanging onto a tree branch. Sometimes you'll even shift up in your sleep till you're basically wrapped around his head, pretty much holding him in a headlock to keep his skull secure against your chest.

Sukuna runs hot, he always has. So naturally he starts to get even more overheated with the warmth of your body pressed right next to him, rendering him unable to sleep comfortably.

He shifts away out of your hold while he's half asleep, still right beside you, but leaving just a little bit of room so he can cool off.

And somehow, even though you're literally sleeping, you instinctively shift right into that little gap to glue yourself to him again.

This cycle continues, him getting hot, moving away, you moving closer. Like this, you effectively herd him like cattle till he feels the uncomfortable edge of his futon and finally wakes up fully to realize that he's about a centimeter away from sleeping on the fucking floor.

Sukuna looks at you and then at the remaining expanse of the futon right next to you.

Unbelievable.

He tries to push you back into the Great Plains of bedding beside you but you grumble when he disturbs your beauty sleep, eyes still shut.

"Move, brat. I've got no fuckin' room."

Sukuna cannot believe that a human woman who is like a third of his size, has him sleeping at the corner of his own bed like he's the family dog.

You don't move.

He sighs and forcefully picks you up, placing you in the center of all that empty room.

This wakes you up, and of course the very first emotion you feel at having been disturbed is irritation.

"What are you doing?!" you whisper, scowling at him like this is all his fault.

Sukuna blinks at you incredulously, this creature that he could finish off before she could even make a noise, with an attitude that levels his own.

"Me? You keep pushing me to the side like we don't have this entire fucking bed. I will not sleep like a peasant in my own chambers."

"What does that even mean? You're just being classist."

One of Sukuna's eyes twitches.

"That's not the point. Just...sleep on your side of the bed, okay?!" he growls before turning away to go back to sleep.

You mutter some expletives under your own breath as well before also falling asleep.

It can't have been more than forty-five minutes when he finally fully wakes again to find himself once more at the edge of the futon.

Strangely though, he doesn't feel you stuck onto him like usual.

He turns to find you sleeping horizontally in that wide open space after having cornered him to the edge of the bed.

All in your sleep.

Sukuna has had just about enough of these antics, further agitated from the lack of rest. He moves over to flick your forehead with one hand, almost feeling bad about it, if it weren't for the current circumstances.

"Wha-" Your eyes shoot open before you glare at him. "Do you have some kind of problem?"

Well, that does it.

If you were anyone else he would've murdered you on the spot, but you're not, so your punishment is limited to him angrily telling you that if you do it again he's going to make you sleep in your own room.

In response you drop your mouth open, staring at him in complete offense like he's personally cursed your entire bloodline. "You do not mean that."

"Try me."

That's enough to have you huffing, getting up off the bed and storming towards the door.

Sukuna frowns. "Where the hell are you going? I said if you do it again, I'm not telling you to leave."

His words fall upon deaf ears, because honestly, he should know by now how stubborn you are.

You leave his room, and go sleep in your own bed.

Sure it's not nearly as nice, but it works just because you're fueled by pure spite, and soon you're fast asleep.

Sukuna, on the other hand, finds himself not able to sleep at all. He tosses and turns until sunlight peaks over the horizon and those damn birds start making a racket outside.

And though he's a bit miserable the whole day, he figures it's fine as you'll come sneaking into his room to sleep with him again tonight, like you always do.

Except you don't.

He waits, night falls, and still you don't arrive.

Finally with a sigh he gets up to go to your chambers, telling himself this is for practical purposes, and practical purposes only because apparently his body can't fall asleep without you right by him.

You're laying in your bed when he enters your room, seemingly asleep.

"Stop pretending to be asleep,” he states flatly.

You, with your closed lids, wonder how he knew that. Either way, you don't respond, continuing to feign sleep.

Sukuna remains unimpressed. "I know you're awake, woman."

He's slept with you enough nights to know that there's no way you would sleep so normally, laying perfectly straight in your bed, on your back, blankets tucked neatly around you.

Sukuna groans and simply walks over to your futon, bends over, and slings you over his shoulder like a burlap sack.

And just like he knew you would, you immediately start squirming as he hauls you back to his room, throwing insults at him that he's never even heard before, not even from you.

Still, there's not much you can do, and eventually he gets to his chambers, dropping you on his futon.

You land flat on your butt, before crossing your arms to glare up at him.

"I don't want to sleep with you,” you hiss.

"Don't care."

You grumble some more before resigning to sleep at the opposite edge of the bed from him, back turned his way. You feel the futon dip under his weight as he gets in and settles down.

A moment of silence and then-

"Come here,” he orders.

You don't move, and when you don't, he does, shifting over till he's pretty much spooning you.

"Asshole,” you mumble, though you let your body melt into his touch. "Move, I have no room."

"Sucks, doesn't it?"

But really it doesn't matter, because he'll wake up on the opposite side of the bed anyway in the morning, with you wrapped around him like usual.