#i mean. big people with remarkable abilities. but still just people

[anghraine]

One of the funnier things from the Quora Tolkien digests is that, for whatever reasons, I get a lot of answers that are very fixated on Aragorn's descent from Lúthien and will reference Legolas's quote about the line of Lúthien never failing as if Aragorn's accomplishments were entirely attributable to his ancestry and nobody in the houses of Elros or Isildur or Anárion ever failed at anything or were just kind of shitty.

It feels almost unsporting to point out Pharazôn failing so hard he got his kingdom eternally sunk into the sea, so I'll settle for Arvedui of Arthedain, who definitely failed at several things that contributed to his death. There's Eärnur of Gondor, who rode into Minas Morgul to demand single combat with a being prophesied to never be killed by a man and was never seen again. There's the super racist Castamir who kickstarted (and ultimately lost) the Gondorian civil war that devastated Osgiliath.

Oh, and for the "just kind of shitty" contingent, there's Ar-Gimilzôr, an oppressor who forced his wife to marry him despite her unwillingness, along with Herucalmo, who ruled through the authority of his wife Tar-Vanimeldë and upon her death, seized the throne from his own son. Tar-Ancalimë's husband Hallacar (who tried to outmaneuver her with dubious success at best) sucked too, along with her cousin Soronto (who tried to either supplant her as heir or succeed her and achieved neither).

Descent from Elros grants stature and abilities of varying kinds to his descendants. It does not grant success or virtue, though.

[sskk-manifesto]

Finally got around to watching ep 11 (´；ω；｀)

[ms-demeanor]

So you know absolutely positively nothing about photography

Cellphone cameras are fucking great. I love them. I love the ability to take photos whenever and wherever at basically zero cost.

Point-and-shoot cameras have always been awesome and accessible devices.

This is not a post shit-talking "basic" cameras. This is a post for people who have only ever used basic cameras who want to know at least slightly more about photography.

Because, the thing is, a remarkable amount of photography is math. And if you don't know it's math, it looks like a mystery. And you may be standing there snapping a photo with your phone that looks pretty good, but your friend with a DSLR looked at the sky, twisted a dial, and took three steps to the left and they took a photo of the same subject that looks like it belongs on a magazine cover.

How did they do that?

Probably math.

If you've come into possession of a DSLR camera and are disappointed that the photos you're taking aren't looking like the photos you thought came from DSLRs, I'm here to tell you about the math you may not know about.

What is a photograph?

At its most basic, a photograph is the result of light on a sensor. Let's consider a pinhole camera for a moment. A pinhole camera is a lightproof box with a piece of photographic paper on one side and a tiny hole in the other.

When you create a photo with a pinhole camera, you're using pretty much all of the math you would in a big fancy camera, just in a cruder form they are:

The sensitivity of the paper, film, or camera sensor to light (this is your "ISO" if you're using a digital camera or film). Light sensitivity can be easily changed on a digital camera, but on chemical-treated paper or film the sensitivity is predetermined and cannot be changed. If you want to change the ISO on an analog camera, you need to change the medium that's being exposed.

An opening to let light in - your F-stop, or aperture. The F-stop of a photo is how wide open the lens is to let light onto your film or sensor. In a pinhole camera, you have something that is theoretically a very very large F-stop because you have a very, very tiny opening to let light through (F-stops run in reverse - the bigger the number, the smaller the opening).

Exposure - your exposure is the amount of time you leave your sensor open to the light. The majority of photos you see in the world have exposure times that are measured in tiny fractions of a second, sometimes in thousandths of a second. If you're using photo paper in your pinhole camera, you may have an exposure time of minutes rather than tiny portions of a second, but your photo exposure will still depend on how long you want to leave your "lens" open.

Focal length - your focal length is a description of the relationship of the distance between the light source and the light sensor. You can manipulate this in a pinhole camera by making the camera longer or shorter. A larger focal length means a narrower field of view - it zooms in on the subject.

A pinhole camera is the simplest camera that lets you, the photographer, control all of the elements of a photo. This is, functionally, fully manual photography.

So what's the difference between all that and a cellphone camera?

Point-and-shoot cameras like those on cellphones give the user more limited control over these settings. For instance, think of a disposable camera. On a disposable camera, the photographer has control over one setting - the ISO of the film, which they can select at purchase. They can't control how wide the lens opens or how long it stays open, and the only way they can compensate for lighting that is a poor match to the ISO is flash.

Cellphone cameras are very much like a standard point-and-shoot. By default, users point their cameras, then shoot a photo. Many cellphones have a "pro" mode that will allow the user to emulate different ISOs or f-stops, but the sensors in cellphone cameras aren't as good as the ones in camera-cameras, and the lenses are very limited as well. Some cellphone cameras and point-and-shoot digital cameras WILL allow users to set longer exposures, and many cellphone cameras have multiple lenses which does allow for some lens effects, but they don't give a huge amount of control to the user.

Okay so let's say I've got my new shiny camera, what do I need to know?

For best results, you want your ISO to match the light you're shooting in. Low ISO is for bright light, high ISO is for low light. If you wanted to take snapshots of your family outdoors at disneyland in the summer, you'd buy 100 ISO film. When I used to shoot football games at night in oddly lit stadiums, I'd use 1600 ISO film. If you have a DSLR camera, there's a setting somewhere in there that tells you how to set the ISO. If you are shooting in relatively low light and the photos are turning out darker than you'd like *but* things are moving too quickly to use a longer exposure, you can bump up your ISO for brighter, sharper images but they will be more noisy and grainy than ones shot at a lower ISO. If you want clean, smooth, crisp images, your goal should be to shoot with the lowest ISO possible.

The Aperture of your camera lens determines your F-Stop. This acts like the pupils of your eyes. When it's really really bright out, your pupils shrink down to let in less light. When it's darker out, your pupils get bigger to let in more light. If you are shooting in low light, you want a low F-Stop, which means that your camera's lens is open really wide. If you are shooting in a bright environment, you want a higher F-Stop, which will mean the opening is very small. Since your F-stop interacts with the focal length of your lens, you will find that zooming in with the lens often makes images darker. To shoot clear images from far away, you need to be very conscious of your F-stop, your ISO, and ambient lighting conditions.

Exposure describes the length of time you set the camera to leave the aperture open. In many DSLRs this can span from 1/3200th of a second to infinitely long (the "bulb" setting means "aperture is open until you close it.") If you want sharp images of frozen motion, you want the fastest speed that you can get. Sports photography and photography of things like insects or milk crowns often use extremely short exposures to get sharp images. If you want blurry images you want slower speeds. If you want to take a photo in a low-light environment and capture motion within that environment - for instance, taking photos of cars on a freeway at night - you want slower speeds (if you want to do this in a brighter environment, like taking photos of a stream in the daytime, you want slower speeds and a specific kind of lens filter called a neutral density filter). When exposures are set to be longer than about 1/60th of a second, images with motion start to look blurry.

Focal Length determines the field of view of your subject. If you have a lens with variable focal lengths, this is called a zoom lens. A longer focal length zooms you in and a shorter focal length zooms you out. Lenses with fixed focal lengths are called prime lenses, and can't zoom in or out.

Depth of Field - your depth of field is a combination of the interaction of your focal length, your distance from your subject, and your F-stop. The depth of field describes the relative amount of space in a photograph that is in focus. A long depth of field means that much of the image plane is in focus. A short depth of field means that a narrow portion of the image plane is in focus. A low F-stop produces a narrow depth of field. A long focal length produces a narrow depth of field.

You can think of your camera as a tool that measures time and space. Your ISO and Exposures are measurements of time (how quickly the sensor senses the light, how long the sensor is exposed to the light), the F-Stop and the focal length are measurements of space (how wide the aperture of the camera is, how far the lens is from the sensor).

The pre-set modes on your camera, the ones on the dial that show a person running, flower, or a cloud, or a lady with a hat - these are generic settings that combine an ISO, exposure time, and f-stop that are likely to work well for outdoor action shots, landscape photography, cloudy light, and portraits. When you're using those pre-set modes, you control the focal length and not much else.

When you understand that the running person/action mode means low-ish ISO combined with high shutter speeds, you can start just setting your own ISO and shutter speed when you're shooting sports. When you know that portrait mode sets you up for low-ish f-stops, relatively quick shutter speeds, and mid-range ISOs, you can just start setting those things on your own so you can have more control.

"What about light metering?"

Since your camera is a machine that records light, light metering is pretty important. The light meter of your camera will tell you if your settings are "correct" for the amount of that the light sensor senses. In most modern cameras there is a light metering display on the bottom edge of the viewfinder that goes from negative to positive; if the meter shows that you are in the negative it means that your photo will be under-exposed (too little light will get to the sensor and the image will appear dark), if the meter shows that you are in the positive it means that your photo will be over-exposed (too much light will get to the sensor and the image will appear too bright - "blown out"). The way to correct for under or over exposure is to change the length of the exposure, making it longer for underexposed images and shorter for overexposed images.

What the light meter is doing is thinking about all of your settings and the lighting for you. It looks at the ISO, focal length, f-stop, light hitting the sensor, and planned exposure time and tells you what that combination of settings is likely to produce - something too bright, or something too dark.

When you are more experienced with photography, you get good at juggling these things on the fly and messing around with them more, which is how you can do the magic of looking at the sky, twisting a dial, taking three steps to the left, and knocking it out of the park with a picture.

It only looks like magic because you're doing a ton of math under the hood that is extremely non-obvious to people who are new to photography.

Anyway, here is a good guide to depth of field and what goes into it.

Here is a basic photography textbook that explains the principles that I've gone over here in a lot more detail with a lot better explanations. It's a film photography textbook, but one of the cool things about photography is that a lot of stuff from the analog era is still relevant in the digital area, and the basics haven't changed.

However all of that is about the *technical* aspects of photography. Photography isn't just a record of exposure time and focal length, so here's a basic photo composition textbook that talks about the artistic principles of photography.

[shellofhappiness]

The general dialogue between Eric and that AOL girl regarding his philosophy on love has always stood out to me. It's one of the very few moments of vulnerability we've been given / able to find on his character over the past twenty years.

Eric always had his guard up. We all mostly know this from his own writings, no one acts like how he portrayed himself naturally. But, also including the accounts given about him from other people in his life, important or not, before and after passing. Mostly commonly described as aggressive and irritable, yet closed-off and restrained.

Alongside that online exchange, the only other times I can think of were when he called out of work to be there for his sick dog, or the innocent adoration he held toward his older brother, alongside sincere respect for his mother, of course, Reb's "I wish I were a fucking sociopath" Tape, and (arguably) his undisclosed email to his childhood best friend.

He talked about love like he was an outsider. A still figure watching it & whatever shape it may take maneuver around him, but not having the ability to engage. Let alone even acknowledge the fact it could be something of his own as well if he reached his hand out to touch it, but that wasn't even a possibility for him at that moment. Feeling comfortable enough to bring it up, but never to address it directly. Mentioning what he believed, but never outright saying it, afraid to cross a boundary. Though, he was still very careful with his wording despite not feeling confident enough to state his opinion in full. Being just general enough so he didn't risk the girl disagreeing with his words because he didn't give her an opening to do so, but still baring just a bit of his self to her through his ego because it was just the two of them.

Everyone talks about the concept of "love" relating to the case in reference to DK, because it was something that openly consumed him in private, but in a way, I feel the same just might have applied to Eric as well. But, like many other things relating to him, he hid it all away inside of himself. To live is to be vulnerable, and the times Eric was, never ended in his favor. Hence why he conditioned himself to be so isolated from everyone else, emotionally independent.

When Eric did openly talk about his doctrine on love, it was that degenerate & exploitative journal passage in which he wrote in depth about the idea of forcing himself onto certain women in his life alongside gaudy band lyrics. Considering how hesitant he was to directly speak to another girl about love, even under the context they were both being open with each other, the passage was likely written out of some kind of complex frustration. To compensate for how he felt like such a stranger in the face of it, but remarkably knowledgeable when speaking objectively. He wasn't being honest with himself, but still desperately needed some kind of liberation as an attempt to stop whatever feeling of desire he harbored from further stirring inside him.

The passion that stems from hatred is something I'm sure we all know Eric was well acquainted with. I think the hate inside of him masked the love, being overshadowed and making it appear small. It was definitely there, but seldom did it get a voice to speak in comparison to the amount of steam he let out on a general basis.

Eric cared a lot. When you look past the ego he presented to the whole world, he wasn't an individual with ASPD by any stretch of the means. He wanted not to be independent, but his life made him feel that was the only option he could truly rely on with the social instability he faced growing up. He wanted to be seen. I'm sure many people have voiced this before, but it's truly heart-wrenching to think he was doing this big finale act with his best friend, maybe because he had his best friend there to do it with him, only to find out post-mortem that DK didn't hold him to the same high regard. Maybe close, but not at all on the exact same level.

Putting the fact aside both of them expressed fantasies of doing NBK with their own respective "dream girl," DK wanted other options for someone to go through with the date, other actual people in his life, but from Eric's point-of-view, it had to be Dylan. Dylan was one of the very few people in his life, the only one still present with him, that aided his desire not to be alone. To be seen as an individual. To be vulnerable. Under the impression Dylan felt the same way he did, or at least something similar ... and while I won't deny it was there, it just wasn't as significant to the other party.

"What one person calls true love (EH) can be just another cheap thrill to another (DK)."

I'd like to specify that my goal with this post isn't to send the message that they were "gay," nor point out any form of "romantic chemistry," but rather to emphasize how languished love was overall in Eric's life. Also, I think there's an absurdist humor that comes from the irony of him saying this with what we know would follow half at his hands (you know who the other half is).

They both loved each other as friends, without a doubt, but it's so tragic to think that Eric's closest bond, a connection of love so intimate yet unrelated to direct societal romance, which created a strength so abundant that it started a ripple effect worldwide that still persists to this very day, wasn't quite requited the way he thought it was. Just like every other published bond of his, in his sad little existence.

[llamagoddessofficial]

May I have some Fae Killer dating headcanons?

Fae Killer is... weird

He's extremely hard to get a read on. At least the other Winter courtiers are easy to make sense of - Dust is quiet and serious, Horror is big and scary but shy, Nightmare is regal and refined with an undercurrent of rage. They make sense.

Killer? He's violent, but he's always got a friendly grin. He has the same "who, me?" expression whether he's eating a cookie or murdering someone. His backstory is unknown, changing every time someone asks. He appears to speak genuinely and openly, yet no one can trust a single word that comes out of his mouth. His knack for tricking and stealing is unparalleled, he tricks people out of things as small as their eye colour or as huge as their ability to breathe, all with the exact same 'silly' easygoing aura. He rescues stray cats from the cold and brings them into the castle, feeding them fish and chicken every day, but he also delights in torturing people he doesn't like.

Perhaps the only consistent thing about him is how obviously he's in love with you.

Even before dating him, his affection is blatant. He acts like he wants to be your best friend, your closest confidant, he's always looking for reassurance that he's your 'favourite'. The other skeletons will tell you that he doesn't shut up about you when you're not there. He's constantly outrageously flirting - he seems to show love through stealing from you, taking minor things like your ability to read the word 'strawberry', just so you'll get mad at him (it's obvious he thinks you're hot when you're mad). You're always covered in black marks and he laughs at almost everything you say.

When you do start dating him, he just... stops tricking you. Stops stealing from you, too. There's no warning, and no clear reason; you're just suddenly the only person in any world who's safe from his trickery. You could say something that leaves you wide open and the guy who could steal someone's nose from their face will act like he heard/saw nothing.

He's cuddly. So, so cuddly. It's actually kinda cute, when he's sleepy and aggressively snuggly with you. Kinda feels like he's been starved of affection, and he's making up for it by never letting you go.

No matter where you fall asleep, you'll wake up to Killer cuddled up. Probably a few of his cats piled in as well.

His number 1 goal is to get you laughing. There's always jokes, always remarks, it's so hard to be serious around him because he knows exactly what'll get you giggling. That's worth more to him than all the treasures in Summer and Winter.

He's generally an easygoing datemate, he has outlets for his jealousy. But he takes EXTREME offence to another fae stealing something from you. That means immediate violence.

This man will kill for you. In fact, he'll offer that option alarmingly quickly. Please ask him not to kill for you, for everyone else's safety.

His romantic side is dialled up to eleven. You're always coming home to mood lighting and surprise dinners, he's always taking you to beautiful scenic spots he's found in the Winter realm, he gives you things that remind him of you (typically flowers and gemstones, but sometimes magical artefacts, and occasionally something rather expensive that looks like it was stolen right from the Summer realm).

He's constantly wearing a 'happy' face. But sometimes, in private, the face falls. You can glimpse the part of himself he hides from everyone. If you can still hold him when he's not funny anymore, when the mask has fallen off... then he will burn down the whole world for you.

[deezneezz]

Leona & ADD

I got a few ppl (on twitter) wanting me to elaborate on Leona and ADD, so I figured I will share my thoughts here as well, please be nice it's just a personal hc. You don't have to agree at all!! Since it contains some personal experiences I ask of people to please be kind about it!

Anyway, Leona and ADD.

I think a lot of people usually agree on Floyd and Kalim having ADHD, but Leona actually shows a lot of lesser talked about traits of ADHD. Namely Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), sensitivity to clothing/textures (he doesn't like restrictive clothes).

He also has the more commonly talked about traits of course, executive dysfunction being a big one. And his depression definitely exacerbates these traits, when i was undiagnosed and depressed i used to sleep my entire days away. I wasn't getting anything done anyway.

Not to mention not sleeping properly, so I was desperate to find moments to sleep during the day. I've slept on floors, on toilets, in an abandoned corner in uni instead of going to class. I was just *so* tired all the time I didn't want to sit in class, I wanted to sleep.

I was lucky I passed classes without studying, cause i would've never gotten through uni otherwise. I still took longer than necessary. The moment my support system (Ruggie, anyone?) graduated and left I had no one taking care of my basic needs, and I certainly didn't.

I had a dorm mate who cooked for me, made sure I had even an ounce of self-care, and also looked at my room and said "hmm, Deniz, maybe it's time to clean up a little" and then I very reluctantly admitted that it may have gotten a little out of hand.

She would just sit in my room sometimes chilling around while I cleaned cuz that was one of the few ways I cleaned at all (this is a real thing for ADHD, called body doubling. It works). Ruggie arriving at NRC and Leona suddenly performing tons better in school is no coincidence.

Coming back to RSD.. I mean I don't really have to explain it do I.. book 2, Lilia's scathing remarks, the shame of disappointing his dorm, etc. I know a lot of ppl call book 2 an 'overreaction' but like, this is genuinely what it feels like internally when RSD triggers

book 6 too, Jamil's over-protectiveness is clearly (to the audience) smth that's mostly Jamil's own habits and trauma doing. But to Leona it's a rejection/insult to his ability to take care of himself, his skill, etc. This was genuinely smth that set me off too.

"How dare you try to explain to me smth I already know, do you think I'm stupid?" "You're not like me." The unwillingness to admit that someone may be relatable in any way because making any comparison to yourself makes you vulnerable to what you haven't achieved for yourself.

"I would ace these classes too if I wasted my time and life studying as much as they did, but I actually love myself." <- guy who was jealous and did not know he was coping and didn't study cause of executive dysfunction and concentration issues.

Leona clearly knows a lot about the things he genuinely cares about, Ancient spell language, chess, magishift, so its kind of funny to see him so low effort in classes. Though honestly i know the game also says that "Leona already knows all this stuff" so.. who knows really...

Now I'm more chill but I used to legitimately go off the handle a little cuz RSD doesn't really care about whether the shit u feel is proportional to the offence it physically hurts in your chest and you just wanna burn down the world at that exact time and... IS THAT NOT LEONA...

TLDR: give Leona therapy and meds, lol.

[mochinomnoms]

Wondering if MC and Jade marrying each other and have children, will that child have MC ability to read people mind? And If so, imagine that MC didn't tell jade about her ability only for her child casually told their father about it Infront of MC, MC be like:

I am currently leaning to having Jade find out about Yuu's telepathy in PTM, but this scenario is also incredibly funny as hell.

I can't go into why Yuu got magic, as it's a very large spoiler, but I can say that no one is quite sure if their abilities are hereditary or not due to the nature in which they were gained.

Assuming these are biological children, it's a delightful surprise for Yuu when they find out that their little one can also read minds! How nice, to have someone just like you! Yuu is excitedly telling them all the ways in which they can overcome the difficult parts of being a telepath, how to try and not be too invasive, and how to be sneaky about it with others.

Yuu, however, forgets to tell their kid that their dad isn't exactly privy to their telepathy. So they're sweating just an itty bitty bit when their kid's big mouth goes off on it with their dad, saying:

“It's so weird, Papa! This one girl at school likes me, I can hear her head, but she's always so mean to me. But Ama says that it's not too bad once you get used to it, like they did with you in school! Ama said that you had a buncha thoughts about them in school all the time, like my classmate did. Oh! Do you think I'll get to marry her too, like you and Ama?”

Jade is staring at you with a pleasant smile, chin in his hand, as he hums along to his child's talking. “Why, of course!” He tells them, still staring at you with mischievous eyes and an even more mischievous smile.

“I think you like this girl too, or else you wouldn't be thinking about marrying her. Now, why don't you go off and play with your friend next door, we'll clean up.”

Your kid, none the wiser and not really trying to process whatever thoughts are going through your heads, nods and runs off to play. You two stay in the kitchen as you take the dishes to be washed, and Jade puts the leftovers away to take for lunch tomorrow. As you wash the dishes, Jade spooks you by wrapping his arms around your midsection and kissing your left temple.

After years of marriage, you'd become less aware of Jade's presence around you, it was becoming second nature. Like his mind was just another part of your own. So, when you were distracted like times like this, Jade reveled in being able to spook you, just a bit.

“So, telepathy, hmm?” Jade sighed, leaning down to whisper in your ear. “That would certainly explain a few things. Though, that does bring up a question…”

Jade pushed you against the sink, tightening his hold around you and he hummed against your neck. His thoughts were busy with ideas of taking you against the sink, of covering your mouth to keep you quiet, of littering bites along your collarbone like a pretty red necklace.

“Did you like hearing all my dirty thoughts about you? About the ways I wanted to take you? Use you? Make you my own?”

The front of your shirt was getting wet, the plate in your hands dropping into the soapy hot water as you grabbed his hands, wandering under your shirt and into your pants.

“J-Jade, not here, it's embarrassing—”

“Oh, but you like that, why else would you let me pursue you? You knew how I felt, and yet never shut me down. Why? Because you wanted me too? You can admit it my pearl, it's okay, I like it when you get flustered~ You're so cute when you are, no wonder you had me wrapped around your finger~”

Jade began moving his hips against yours, his breath becoming heavy as you moved against him despite your earlier remarks. Because yes, you really did like the way he made you hot and bothered. You liked that he desired you so reverently, even now, after years of being together. It was like you two never really left your honeymoon phase.

“Our little one will be at their playmate's for a while, why don't you read my mind and tell me about all the things I want to do to you?”

[shoutydwarf]

Veilguard spoilers

- juggernaut lore retcon for no reason. They were supposed to be golems.

- one singular line for a dwarf rook to confront the evanuris about what was done to the titans. That line is @ mythal, not solas, the one that created the dagger to commit the genocide with.

- white man casually commits genocide on said titans but the part he regrets about it is the blight that strikes back at him. not the inconceivable pain, death and horror he inflicted on an entire race to cause it.

- you cannot talk to him about it.

- dwarf!rook holds that dagger the entire game without once remarking on what it did to the dwarves.

- we went to kal sharok and still know nothing about it. All dwarf content is restricted to harding’s quests.

- you can establish that you believe in the maker or the elvhen stories, but not the stone. There is not a single line where a dwarf rook can express that they have dwarven faith.

- on the other singular time you can mention the titan genocide, it’s just one minor part of a list of reasons you still don’t trust him. To which weekes’ mouthpiece, morrigan in this case of all people, insists you should forgive him because he is very very sad about it.

- harding, the single dwarf mouthpiece, also insists on forgiving him and having compassion for him. This is AFTER I chose to have her honor the titans anger.

- this is all while every other villain in the game is 100% one dimensional and unforgivable.

- all dwarf dialogue options you get with harding are variations of “im not connected” “i dont know what you’re talking about” “i dont get it”

- not a single Ambassadoria mention.

- Orzammar is thrown away in a codex entry in which harding says they’re purposely suppressing the titan reveals in order to uphold the caste system. Because having corrupt society like every other nation in the world means they’re undeserving of the truth. Doesn’t matter that the king I and most people selected has been working to undo that system for 20 years now. It could have had to do with the fact that they’ve been selling their peoples blood to survive for the past thousands of years but yeah let’s strip away the nuance and paint Orzammar as the bad version of kal sharok.

- dwarves can apparently dream now except they can’t because rook tells harding they can’t except they’re contacting solas in their dreams every other night and it’s never elaborated on and they’re never particularly weirded out about it

- I counted 6~ special dialogue options in the entire game, the bulk of which happened in a single cutscene. I got more than that in act 1 alone for my elf.

I’ll write out more on why all of this specifically feels like shit later. But tldr: dwarves are pitted as the first victims of the evanuris, which you expect to be a big deal, and then it is Not. Combining this with an utter lack of ability to clock weekes’ mouthpiece characters when they’re trying to convince me to forgive the man that committed genocide on my people, because he’s so very very sad about it you see, the game’s entire thematic message is dogshit

[thewritetofreespeech]

Could I request Atsushi, Dazai, and Chuuya with an s/o who has a thread manipulation ability?

Atsushi

“What are you doing?” Atsushi asked as he saw [Y/N] in the breakroom. Their hand waving over what looked like a cape.

“Oh, this is Ranpo-sama’s. He asked me to fix it for him.” The holes in the fabric stitching together like new from their ability, Ties that Bind. “It got nicked on the last mission he went on and he’s been upset about it ever since.”

Atsushi smiled. “It’s nice of you to fix it for him.”

“It’s really no trouble.” Invisible threads spread out from [Y/N]’s back, almost like wings, to pick up some tea & biscuits on the counter and place them on the table. “A thing like this is nothing.”

Atsushi continued to smile. “I wish I had a more useful ability like this. Mine just seems to have the power to destroy.” At least that was how he felt sometimes.

“Don’t say that Atsushi, your powers provide you with the ability to protect.” [Y/N] told them, as they poured the tea themselves with their own two hands. “Every ability has its pros & cons. I won’t say that I’ve used my ability for the best purpose all the time.”

Atsushi never asks them about how they use their ability on missions. They don’t go together often, but he knows enough that the ‘pros & cons’ they are talking about usually means people get killed. “Don’t say that your abilities aren’t useful though.”

He smiled again and sat down at the table, in front of his poured tea. “Ok. I won’t.” He promised. Enjoying the rest of the afternoon with [Y/N].

Chuuya

Chuuya growled as his opponent mocked him again. “What’s the matter Port Mafia-san? Can’t hit a target you can’t catch?”

This guy, this idiot, had the ability to teleport anywhere he chose. Chuuya figured it must be short range, or at least an area in sight, since he hadn’t left the building yet. But it was just getting really annoying because he could catch him if he just brought the whole building down! But apparently he wasn’t allowed to do that….anymore.

“You Port Mafia goons are all brawn and no brains! You need to get up pretty early in the morning to get one past Monsieur--!” The idiot stopped talking, cutting off what Chuuya had to assume was an annoying introduction, when his arm was suddenly caught in a mass of silvery string.

“My, my, so loud…” The annoying man looked alarmed as he saw [Y/N] come out of the shadows. He wanted to tell him that he should be alarmed. But he had been so annoying that Chuuya didn’t want to help him. “You know my mother always told me that people who just keep talking, usually have nothing of value to add to the conversation at all.”

The annoying man smirked at their reply. “Nothing of value, eh? We’ll see about that!”

He teleported again. Trying to come up behind [Y/N] for some alleged clever attack, but found himself caught in another bundle of threads. When [Y/N] cooly looked over their shoulder at him, the idiot became visibly scared and teleported again. This time away, but again in another mass of threads.

This continued over & over with the idiot trying to teleport out of his situation. Panic and fear apparently making it impossible that he had already fallen into [Y/N]’s literal web. The more he tried to get out the worse it became. Until all that was left was a silvery white mask of threads, suspended in mid air by their attachments, and the idiots muffled screams.

“I could have had him.” Chuuya remarked when it was all over.

“I know you could have dear.” [Y/N] cooed. Trying to soothe his pout. “But, leadership is so stingy against property damage these days. This way is much easier.”

They linked arms with Chuuya and walked out with him. An associate team already there to collect. “Don’t let that idiot get out!” He ordered them. “Let him rot in there for all I care.”

“That’s my big strong guy!”

Dazai

Dazai wheezed as he came out of the river. His left arm still handcuffed, but broken off from his right, giving him the opportunity to push his wet hair out of his eyes. ‘Damnit’ He thought. ‘Failed again. I was sure the barrel trick would have worked this time.’

“Have a nice little sail?” Dazai looked up the bank to see [Y/N] standing there. Pristine and infatuating as ever, but with that icky face they made when he tried one of these stunts. “Did you at least ask the shopkeeper this time before you stole his barrel?”

“He didn’t seem to mind.” Dazai replied as he walked up the bank. Sore, but alive. Like he hadn’t been punished enough for being alive. “I take it this is you then? My plan was surely fool proof this time.”

“Then it obviously wouldn’t work since you are a fool.”

They were avoiding the question, which gave Dazai all the information he needed to know. Of course it had been them.

Ties that Bind. A thread manipulation technique that had incredible defensive and offensive capabilities. Virtually limitless from distance. Practically indestructible bindings. And one other very special technique.

‘Threads’ were not only bestowed upon [Y/N] in the literal sense. They were also metaphorical. Through their ability they could connect and manipulate the secret threads of life between people for their own gain. Relationships. Consciousness. Memories. And yes, even, the intangible thread of life force. If they put their mind to it.

“Why won’t you just let me die?” Dazai asked them. He wasn’t begging. He was still too proud to beg for death. “It must be a terrible drain keeping my thread intact all this time.”

“Don’t act all pious by pretending it would be my benefit to let you die. If I can stop your idiocy, for as long as I can, I will.” They turned to walk away, and of course Dazai followed. He’d already tried to kill himself once today. He didn’t like a double show. “Where would I be without you, Dazai? You just plan to leave me alone?”

“I offered to have you come with me, but you refused.” He replied. Shrugging his shoulders like he’d asked them to come with him to a café, not the other side. “I even offered to let you choose how. Or to use your ability. Being bound together for all eternity by your invisible threads sounds like a wonderful way to go!”

[Y/N] hmphed. “I don’t want to die like you Dazai. I know I can’t stop it forever. But I don’t want to speed it along.”

The tall brunette shrugged at that. Respecting their decision. “I suppose, for now, I can’t either. With you keeping my thread whole, I guess I’ll have to stick around longer.”

“Is it really that horrible living Dazai?”

He wanted to tell them yes but…when he looked into their eyes, all he could think of was, “no. I guess not horrible.”

[iamumbra195]

If the Graveyard kids were demigods, which Greek god would they be the child of? (Riodanverse AU)

For Ashlyn, I believe she would just be another of Apollo's kids, keeping to herself most of the time. Nobody really paid her any mind because out of the dozens of Apollo kids, there wasn't anything particularly remarkable about her. She wasn't the Head Counsellor or anything. She liked it that way. Ashlyn discovered she was a demigod when she was young and spent two full years at the camp to fully prepare for living as a demigod in the mortal world before becoming a summer-only kid. Her sensitivity to sound is one of the strange abilities she inherited but isn't fully able to control, which is why she wears enchanted earplugs that keep sounds at a more tolerable level. Beyond that, she was a pretty average Apollo kid. She was good at the basics like Archery and Music but not beyond that of a normal Apollo kid. The only thing that really stood out was her dancing. It was her special interest, incorporating it into her daily life as a demi-god as often as she could. Her fighting style was based on ballet in canon and she preferred fighting with her legs over her hands--even going as far as putting a weapon in her shoes so she could still use her legs to attack. So she is an average demigod overall. Until one day she discovers that she was one of the few to inherit Apollo's nosokinesis, the ability to create and control diseases (like her ability to open rifts and trap people in them in canon). There's also the fact that her name literally means 'dream' or 'vision', so considering the fact that Apollo is literally the god of prophecy, I think being a child of Apollo fits her very well.

For Logan, I feel that for a long time, he would just be another unclaimed kid. He didn't know anything about his real parents and his grandparents were always super cagey about it until he was older and got attacked by a monster and they finally took him to the camp. He still doesn't know who his biological mother was. Then one day after being pushed too far by bullies, he snapped just like in canon, and was claimed by Ares, the god of war. Much to his and Barron's (another child of Ares) dismay because what the fuck do you mean this dickhead is my half-brother?! He had initially believed that his parent was related to his love for space and astronomy or maybe even his intelligence and love for math but Ares?!

For Aiden, I think being a child of Hermes suits him best. I've done some tests and got answers like Ares or the Big Three, which I don't think those really fit him. But for some reason, I like the idea that he has the favour of/is a legacy of Hades or Hecate from his dad's side while being completely unaware of it until much later (the unexplained connection his dad has to Maverick). Children of Hermes tend to be more hyperactive than other demigods and are often referred to as a jack of all trades and I think those things really suit Aiden. When he was younger, his parents sent him to camp year round in hopes that it would help him and he came back with dyed blond hair, red eye contacts and a reckless streak a mile wide.

For Ben, I believe that this kid is and always will be a child of Apollo. His deep love and talent for singing and music, his rage and hurt at having this taken away from him. His knack for medicine despite only having experience through taking care of Aiden. He only discovered he was a demigod after his voice was destroyed so he never learned that he could heal people with his voice/singing until one of the others, maybe Taylor, were fatally injured and he had no supplies to save them so as one last attempt to comfort them, he breaks his years of silence and sings for them. To his complete astonishment, they started healing and were able to stay alive long enough to get the medical help they needed. He felt pressued to sing and use his voice after that because it could heal people but Aiden or one of the others nipped that in the bud and told him he didn't have to do anything he didn't want to. The idea of him also having premonitions when something bad is going to happen is cool, especially if it's the reason why he ends up catching little details the others fail to notice (a little nod to Canvas Ben for being so goddamn observant). His relationship with Aiden is also cute because children of Apollo and children of Hermes tend to get along, although not all of them do (Aiden and Ashlyn lol).

For Taylor and Tyler, I believe the twins would be children of Hephaestus. In some cultures, identical twins are treated as one entity/soul that was separated into two people and the same could be said about the Hernandez twins in this AU. Although they are different people with different interests and goals, that is how they are perceived as mortals. On the divine side of things, however, they are seen as a single soul split into two. That's why their connection goes far beyond that of regular mortal twins. Their abilities also reflect this. Taylor is a brilliant craftswoman and has a way with technology that separates her from the rest. She's also extremely fire-resistant, which proves to be useful considering her brother has the ability to manipulate fire. Tyler, on the other hand, has the basic skills needed to be a mechanic due to growing up with Taylor but it isn't instinctive in the same it is for Taylor. He is one of the few children of Hephaestus to have pyrokinesis, something he had to learn to master on his own because there wasn't anyone to teach him. They complete each other.

Although Aiden and Ashlyn spent a year or two in the camp, their paths never crossed and they were just another faceless person in the crowd of campers until they officially met when Ben and Aiden began to go to her high school in her sophomore year. Aiden clocked her as a demigod as soon as they met at the bus and was excited to meet another one of them outside of camp. He was also curious to know if she figured out what she was yet and if not, he could protect her from monsters and lead her to camp! Ashlyn recognized both Aiden and Ben as demigods but preferred to avoid mixing her mortal life with her mythological one so she avoided Aiden's needling to the best of her ability. When Ben finally told Aiden that she was another child of Apollo at camp, Aiden doubled down on the pestering which irritated Ashlyn beyond belief. Unfortunately for her, this wasn't the last she was going to see of him.

Mid-way through the first semester, Ashlyn received a prophecy from the Oracle stating that she and five others were to go on a quest. It was a shock to her and everyone in the camp because she was pretty unremarkable yet she was the one that had to go on the quest? It was ridiculously vague beyond the fact that she specifically had to go to Savannah with a group of five others. So she had to pick five other members for her team.

Nearly everyone tried to volunteer and because Ashlyn didn't particularly care who went along, names were drawn out of a bowl. With her luck, Aiden and Ben's names were both drawn out of the bowl, along with the Hernandez twins and Logan. She wasn't particularly happy with those chosen but she supposed it could be worse. Especially when she considered the fact she could've been going with him.

Barron was throwing a fit about how an unclaimed coward like Logan couldn't have possibly been picked but Tyler told him that no one would even want to go on a quest with him considering the only thing he cared about was glory and honour for himself.

And so, the six of them packed their things and started their journey to Savannah, Georgia where it all went to hell.

[mcdonaldsplayground]

| actually the worst | bonus part

aged up ao’nung x f!reader (18+)

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | bonus part

summary: a few years after meeting the metkayina people (and quaritch trying to kill your entire family), you finally get a chance to bring ao’nung to see your former home. however, there’s more to think about than just touring him around the forest.

includes: 18+ content (not anything actually spicy, just more suggestive), teasing, swearing, suggestive remarks, ao’nung being a cocky bastard again😮‍💨

word count: 5.4k

a/n: okay so in this universe neteyam is still alive because i simply cannot process complex emotions at this time😀 also please note that i made up the general plot here just to fit the story but obviously it’s probably gonna be very different in the next avatar films😅 ALSO, i’m so sorry to anyone who was expecting smut or like, in-depth descriptions, but this is as spicy as my writing is gonna get for now hehe. hope you enjoy this lil’ bonus part. i’m gonna get to writing some other stuff soon:)

“Okay, everyone! We’re leaving in ten minutes so if you’re not ready by then, you’re flying by yourself!” Your father called, looking frantic as he saddled up his ikran and tried to herd everyone over at the same time. Jake always went full dad-mode before these trips.

Since the battle on the ship with Quaritch a few years ago, things had finally calmed down and allowed your family the ability to travel back home to the forest and the Omatikaya clan. However, the island had become your home too, so you tried to split your time between each. As much as you loved returning to the forest, though, there was someone that you found increasingly difficult to leave behind.

Ao’nung. The most annoying person you had ever met. Also, often to your chagrin, your boyfriend. The past few years together had been whatever your guys’ version of domestic bliss was. Mostly a lot of playful teasing and sometimes borderline bullying. A lot of flirting, too. Your family and friends often called the two of you childish, but that was just your dynamic, and you loved every second of it.

Recently, though, you’d been a little disappointed. Not with Ao’nung’s treatment of you, definitely not, but with how busy he’d been with his duties. You knew it wasn’t his fault, he was the son of the Olo’eyktan, after all. It was just that between going out hunting, Olo’eyktan training, and working on completing his warrior rites, you felt as if he was becoming a stranger that you were watching from afar. You couldn’t even remember the last time the two of you had been alone.

“Hey, I’m sorry that Ao’nung can’t come, [Y/N].” Neteyam said as he packed the last of his things and strapped them to his ikran, shooting you a sympathetic look. You sighed to yourself, trying not to let your disappointment show.

“It’s no big deal,” You shrugged. “It’s not like we’re leaving forever.” It was true that you wouldn’t be gone as long as usual this time, but it was certainly long enough. Not only would you be away from Ao’nung, but you would miss the completion of his Iknimaya. He was supposed to finish up next week, which was the only reason he wouldn’t be able to come with you like you had originally planned months ago. Actually, you'd been begging him to go along with you for a while, but it had never worked out with his schedule. This time seemed to cut the deepest, though.

“You keep saying it’s not a big deal, but I don’t think you mean that,” Neteyam pushed, coming over to stand next to you. His presence was a comfort, especially because he had inadvertently become the person you always went to for relationship advice. “It’s okay not to be okay, you know.”

“Yeah, I- I know…” You trailed off, unconvincing. “I just wanted to be there when he finished his Iknimaya. He’s worked so hard, Teyam.” You bit your lip, staring hard at the ground. “And-” You cut yourself off, suddenly feeling embarrassed at your own thoughts.

“And?” Neteyam’s tone was gentle, encouraging. You sighed.

“And I just keep worrying that he’s going to get tired of me being gone all the time. Once he’s officially a warrior he gets to choose a mate. I know it’s really horrible of me to think it, but, what if he doesn’t choose me?” You involuntarily imagined coming back from the forest to find him mated to another, your heart rising to your throat.

“I hear what you’re saying, but I have to tell you that’s impossible, [Y/N]. If you could see the way Ao’nung looks at you, you would know.” Neteyam grinned as you flushed, fighting a smile of your own. Before you could say anything in response, your dad declared it was time to leave. Your heart sank back down, and you turned to mount your ikran.

“Wait! Wait up! You’re going to forget your favourite, most handsome possession!” The deep voice sent a familiar shiver of longing down your spine, though his words made you roll your eyes. There was only one man in the world who could do that to you with just a sentence.

You whipped around, wide-eyed as your big dork of a boyfriend sprinted over to your family.

“Miss me, forest girl?” He was grinning like an absolute fool as he finally came to a stop a few feet away from you, panting slightly. You were quick to hide your extreme joy with a glare, lest you show just how much power he held over your emotions.

“Aren’t you supposed to be taming a skimwing right now?” You raised an eyebrow. “You know, so you can prove that you’re a man or something?” You held back a smirk as he narrowed his eyes.

“Alright, then. If you didn’t want me to come you should have just said so.” He said, nonchalantly shrugging as he turned to go back. You knew he was goading you, but you couldn’t help it as you jumped forward, catching his wrist.

“No! Don’t.”

“Oh, so you do want me to come?” He simpered, eyes dancing with mirth. If you weren’t in front of your family you probably would have jumped his bones right there. Something about that perpetual conceited attitude did things to you.

“Can you not be a dickhead for like, one second?” You asked, eliciting a chuckle from him. That was when you noticed the tattoo.

The sweeping intricate black lines spanned a good portion of the left side of his rib cage, swooping slightly up and around the curve of his back. It was gorgeous, but the ink looked incredibly fresh, the edges of the elegant piece slightly raised. You gaped, your fingers twitching with the urge to reach out and touch it.

“What is that?” You breathed, flicking your gaze up to meet your favourite ocean blues.

“I’m surprised you don’t know what a tattoo is considering you’ve lived here for-” You glared daggers as he spoke, indicating that now was not the time for witty banter. He cracked a wide grin, holding his hands up in surrender. “Alright, geez. I wanted to surprise you.”

“Okay but-” Suddenly everything fell into place in your mind and you gasped, your eyes growing wide. “You finished your Iknimaya?”

He nodded. “Just call me the greatest warrior who’s ever lived- woah!” He laughed deeply as you barreled into him, wrapping your arms around his neck before he lifted you off the ground and spun you around.

“Ao’nung the mighty warrior.” You could barely contain your smile as you peppered a few kisses along his cheeks. “I am so proud of you!”

It wasn’t like either of you to show such blatant affection in front of others, especially your parents, but it seemed impossible not to in this moment.

“That’s why I’ve been so busy lately,” He admitted, pulling back and setting you down in front of him, maintaining a loose grip on your waist. “I had to beg my father to let me work overtime, and it was a pretty tight schedule. I technically finished yesterday, but I woke up before dawn this morning to get my tattoo done.” You could have sworn the only other time Ao’nung had smiled this big was after your very first kiss.

“Oh, Nung, I’m so happy for you! Thank you!” You leaned in to kiss him, but you were rudely interrupted by your youngest brother, who was standing a few feet away with your family.

“Oh, Ao’nung! I’m so proud of you, mighty warrior! Let’s kiss in front of everyone and waste a whole bunch of time being gross!” He mocked in a high-pitched voice, rolling his eyes. Lo’ak may have gotten older, but he still loved to make fun of you two. “I hate to break up your guys’ little love fest, but we were supposed to leave like, ten minutes ago.” He huffed. Tsireya may not have been around to chastise him, but your mother certainly was. She smacked the back of his head, glaring at the boy.

“Lo’ak! You should be happy for Ao’nung! He is a warrior of the clan now.” Neytiri turned to look at Ao’nung, smiling proudly. Ever since your parents had found out about you and him, your mother was very supportive. She’d grown to love him like a son. Your father, however, was not so fond. You and him had been through many arguments in which he claimed you needed to wait until you were old enough for a mate in order to be with Ao’nung. Even now, when this had suddenly become possible, Jake looked a little disapproving.

“My love, Lo’ak is right. We really do have to get going.” You frowned at your father’s lack of enthusiasm, but nothing could truly drag your mood down for long as you thought about finally getting to show Ao’nung your precious forest. Even the days-long ikran flight didn’t seem all that bad anymore.

After you and Ao’nung clambered onto your ikran together and took off, you sighed contentedly, leaning back into him when you had a chance to relax a bit. You could feel the low tenor of his voice through his chest as he spoke, his hands placed on your thighs as he rubbed slow circles along them with his thumbs.

“I can’t wait to see this great forest you’ve been raving about for years.” You grinned at his words, biting your lip as you fantasized about showing him every inch of your former home.

“I can’t wait to see what my grandmother thinks of you.” You snorted. The image of her scrutinizing gaze making the usually overconfident Ao’nung sweat had you giggling.

“She’ll love me. All the ladies do.” You could hear the smirk in his words.

“I hated your guts when we met.” You reminded him, hoping to humble him even just slightly. It was a futile attempt.

“And now?”

“Maybe I still do.”

“Is that so?” He bent his head down to whisper into your ear. “It’s interesting that you hate my guts but yet you love when I rearrange y-”

“If you finish that sentence I will push you off this ikran so fast, Ao’nung.” You warned, a nervous laugh threatening to escape your chest.

“You’d miss me if you did that.”

“Unlikely.”

“Oh, you'd definitely miss me."

“So what is this boy’s name, again?” Your grandmother questioned as you helped her prepare food for dinner. You couldn’t help but smile as she squinted her eyes in the direction of where your brothers and Ao’nung were talking around the fire a little ways off. You all had arrived at the forest late, so everyone was just resting for the remainder of the night. Exploring would have to wait until tomorrow.

“His name is Ao’nung, grandmother.”

“Hm. Well, he could do with an attitude adjustment. But he looks to be a strong warrior, no doubt.” She pursed her lips, still appearing to scrutinize him.

“Yes. He actually just completed his Iknimaya,” You tried your best not to sound like you were gushing over him. “He is very strong, indeed.” The image of his toned arms flashed through your mind. The way he could lift you over his shoulder and carry you. The way his muscles tensed when he gripped your hips as he kissed you. You couldn’t help but flush, shaking your head slightly to clear it. Your grandmother was staring at you, the smallest of grins tugging at the corners of her lips.

“So you are mated, then?” She questioned, and you almost choked on air. You supposed you should have expected the question sooner or later, but it still surprised you. Your heart sped up at the thought.

“Oh- well… no.” You mentally cursed yourself for stuttering.

“You sound unsure, child. Do you not want to be his mate?”

“I- It’s- Yes. Yes of course I do,” Your gaze drifted over to him, watching fondly as he laughed at something Lo’ak had said. Despite the obvious stupidity of it, you still couldn’t shake the thought of him possibly choosing someone else to be his mate. It was like some deeply hidden fear you didn’t know you had until now. “It is just a matter of whether or not he wants to be my mate too.” You finished your thought quietly, looking down at your hands in your lap.

“I would think that would be the least of your worries, my dear.” Your grandmother spoke softly, placing a gentle hand on your knee. “He may be a mighty warrior, but even I can see his weakness is you. His eyes betray him every time he looks at you.” This was the second time recently someone had told you such a thing. It made you slightly dizzy with childish giddiness, the idea of you having such an affect on the aloof and confident male.

You were unsure how to respond, but you smiled widely to yourself, a little embarrassed. Your grandmother just chuckled and turned to call everyone over to eat.

The food was almost painfully good after eating pre-prepared meals over the course of your trip. Even Tuk, normally the pickiest eater ever, was scarfing every last bit down. It also felt great to eat together with your family, just enjoying their company as you leaned into Ao’nung’s side, his free arm wrapped around your shoulders. It didn’t take too long for everyone to finish and start turning in for the night.

Your family all slept in a group of hammocks nearby one another, but Ao’nung had been given a spare hammock a little ways away in order to give him more “privacy”, as your dad said, but you figured that he just didn’t want the two of you sleeping near each other. He was very protective and hypocritical considering everything he got up to with your mother when they were young. He was also naive if he thought that sending Ao’nung off by himself was going to keep you two apart.

Once everyone seemed soundly asleep, you silently slipped out of your hammock and crept away to find Ao’nung. It wasn’t too difficult as he appeared to be struggling to lie down comfortably in his hammock. You giggled quietly, sneaking up beside the warrior.

“Do you know how stupid you look right now?” You whispered, quickly slapping your hand over Ao’nung’s mouth as he yelped. You could barely hold in your laughter. “Shut up, skxawng! You’ll wake the whole clan!”

“Very funny, you little brat.” Ao’nung’s expression was sour, especially as he continued to struggle slightly with his hammock.

“You know, I’m very good at helping people who ask.” You smirked, folding your arms across your chest as you watched him try to stop swinging from side to side.

“Fine.” He huffed, glaring up at you.

“Fine what?”

“Seriously?” Ao’nung shot you an annoyed look, but you just stood there, enjoying the power you held in this situation. When you didn’t respond, he finally huffed, resigning himself to what he knew you wanted.

“Would you please do me the favour of helping me figure this stupid thing out, your all-knowing royal highness?” The last bit was a snarky joke, one meant to annoy you, but it only made you grin.

“Why didn’t you ask sooner, Nung?” You made your way over and steadied the hammock, fingertips pushing lightly on Ao’nung’s bicep to indicate that he should move over. When he shifted, you took the chance to climb in beside him, a look of pleasant surprise overtaking his features. The hammock stilled once the two of you had found a comfortable position facing each other, close enough to breathe the same air.

“So this is what you came here for?” Ao’nung questioned, his eyebrows raising as his signature cocky smirk settled onto his lips.

“It’s like you want me to punch you.” You scoffed, tracing the familiar patterns of his skin with your finger, particularly the glowing constellation of freckles that spanned his broad chest. He shivered beneath your touch. However, when you accidentally grazed over the edges of his new tattoo, he hissed. You quickly pulled back, cringing.

“Sorry!” You apologized hurriedly, worried that you had hurt him.

“No, it’s alright. It’s just still a little sore.” He admitted, offering you a gentle smile. You returned it, but did not place your hands back where they were.

“So, you can choose a mate now.” You finally said after a few moments of silence, peering through your lashes to try and gauge his expression. This was a conversation you had been dying to have for days, but it hadn’t seemed like the right time until now. Even so, your heart began to race slightly.

“Yes.” Ao’nung’s tone was low, serious. Maybe it was because of your nerves, but you found it difficult to read his expression.

“And?” You bit your lip, waiting impatiently for him to say anything. Your irrational fears were screaming in the back of your mind.

“And?” He quirked an eyebrow. “What do you want me to say?” You heart plummeted into your abdomen, unable to stop yourself from frowning deeply as you flicked your gaze down so you could avoid eye-contact. You swallowed thickly as your throat constricted. You felt like such a baby for reacting this way, but it was like you couldn’t stop it. The next words coming out felt like someone had stuck a branding iron down your throat.

“Do you want to mate with someone else?”

“What?” Ao’nung sat up slightly in shock, confusion and worry written all over his face. “What are you taking about?”

You just shrugged, afraid you would truly start crying if you spoke or even looked up from your fidgeting fingers.

“[Y/N].” His tone was firm but soft, a plead for you to explain. You felt ridiculously stupid.

“There’s lots of beautiful women of the clan. Many who would make a great Tsahìk some day,” You managed quietly, letting out a short breath. “I don’t want to hold you back just because we have been together so long. Besides, I know what your mother thinks of me, and maybe she is right. I still act like a child sometimes. I am gone so much visiting home. And I am not-” Your voice broke, a few warm tears finally spilling over onto your cheeks. “I am not Metkayina. I am not like you.”

It was painfully silent for a few torturously long seconds. Finally, you felt Ao’nung’s fingers tilt your chin up so he could look at you. His gaze was giving you the all-too-familiar impression that he was seeing you intimately, seeing beyond just your face.

“I do not want anyone else.” He breathed, moving to cradle your face in his hands, brushing away your tears with his thumbs. “I have the most beautiful woman here in front of me. And for some reason, Eywa forbid, I think she likes me.” He grinned and you felt your heart lift.

“You might be right about that.” You said quietly, earning a low chuckle from him.

“[Y/N], I need you to know that I do not care if my mother doesn’t approve of you. The other women of the clan do not tease me. They do not make ridiculously funny faces when they’re annoyed. They do not have the courage to stand up to me and call me a jerkwad when I’m being mean.” The two of you laughed faintly at the memory of you calling him every English insult you could think of. “I love you because you do all of those things. And I love you because you are just as much Metkayina as anyone else in the clan, even though you did not grow up knowing our ways. You were not born into your place there, you earned it, and I can only hope I’ve earned even a slight chance at being worthy enough to be your mate.” You were staring hard at each other now, barely breathing as you hung on to every single word he said. You slid your hands behind his neck, tugging him closer to you, your lips ghosting over his.

“Whether I like it or not, you own my heart, Ao’nung.”

His lips crashed to meet yours with an intensity that set your heart racing. The kiss was all heat and desperation, tongues and teeth. Ao’nung bit your bottom lip, smirking when you gasped. His fingers then found your waist and he smoothly flipped your positions so that he was over top of you, groaning as you placed kisses along his neck and jaw.

“I can’t believe you were worried about me not wanting to be your mate when I’m so fucking in love with you.” He said between sloppy kisses, his hands sliding slowly up and down your thighs, positioned on either side of his body. You shuddered at the way it made your stomach tighten. “As if I would let anyone else hold my heart in their hand.” You whined as he fingered the waistband of your clothing, sucking on a sweet spot just beneath your ear.

“I can think of something else of yours that I would love to hold right about now.” Your eyes glinted as you gazed at him, a quick flash of surprise passing over his face before he broke into a smirk.

“Be my guest, love.”

The mid-afternoon sun shone brightly as you excitedly made your way up the hallelujah mountains. You and Ao’nung had spent the morning around the forest with your family, but you’d really wanted to show him some of your favourite spots by yourself, one of which you were heading to now.

"Hurry up, slow poke!" You found yourself calling out, a laugh bubbling from your chest when Ao’nung groaned behind you. You turned your head back to grin tauntingly at him.

"When you said you were going to show me your home, this is not what I pictured us doing." Ao'nung frowned, glancing warily over the side of the vine you both walked upon.

"No? What exactly were you picturing, then, Nung?" You queried and Ao'nung's lips split into what you could only describe as a suggestive grin.

"Oh, you know, maybe a little less dangerous hiking and a little more finding a secluded spot to-"

"Oh my Eywa!" You yelped, shaking your head. "Just keep walking, you sick bastard."

"Just putting ideas out there.." He chuckled, suddenly pushing forward to catch up to you. He slung his arm around your waist, pulling you into him like it was the most natural action in the world.

You leaned in closer, standing on your tiptoes to whisper into his ear. "You're so desperate, Ao'nung." He shivered.

"Only for you, forest girl." As the words left his lips, you suddenly felt as if you’d experienced this moment before, down to the exact details. You furrowed your brows, trying hard to remember why it felt so familiar.

“Oh!” You gasped out loud, nearly sending your boyfriend toppling over the side of the vine as your memory came into focus. On instinct, you reached out quickly to steady a confused looking Ao’nung.

“Are you trying to kill me, woman?” He asked incredulously, placing a hand over his heart. “What was that?”

You flushed, unsure of what to say. It was such a strange experience to have to explain.

“Um, it’s nothing.” You laughed breathily, trying to sound as casual as possible before continuing your trek up the mountains. Unfortunately, that was not satisfactory enough for him. He grabbed at your waist, pulling you back into him so you were both were facing forward, your back flush against his chest.

“Tell me.” He whispered in your ear, sending goosebumps along your skin.

“It’s weird.” You chuckled, turning your head so you could meet his eyes. They were alight with interest.

“Like you don’t already say weird things all the time?” He asked, laughing as he earned a gentle punch to the bicep. You turned fully to face him.

“Do you remember the first night we went to the cove of ancestors? The night Kiri had a seizure?” You questioned, playing with your fingers as they rested on his chest, feeling his slow breaths beneath your touch.

“Of course.” He furrowed his brows slightly, as if playing through the memory in his head. “The first time you let your guard down around me.” His lips split into a small smirk, though it was more fond than cocky.

“Yeah, whatever,” You smiled softly. “Well, before all that crazy stuff happened, I had a vision when I connected to the tree. It was- well… it was this.” You bit your lip, spreading out your hands to indicate the scene around you.

“The mountains?” He questioned, not entirely following.

“Yes. But us, too. The exact conversation we just had a few minutes ago. It felt so familiar while it was happening, but I couldn’t remember why until now.” You felt awkward explaining it to him, avoiding eye contact and instead trying to read the rest of his face.

“So you knew this was going to happen?” It was a loaded question, indicating both the general situation and your relationship as a whole. A smirk was tugging at his lips.

“Kind of…” You said slowly. “But at the time I still thought I maybe hated you, so it freaked me out. I didn’t know if it was actually going to come true or not. I was working up the courage to talk to you about it before everything went to shit.” You laughed a little, thinking back on all the chaos of those first few months living on the island.

“I want you to be my mate.” Ao’nung said suddenly, staring down at you with a rare completely serious expression. You snapped your head up quickly, confused at the sudden turn in conversation, though a flutter of excitement settled in your stomach.

“I know,” You smiled softly. “I can’t wait until we get back home-”

“No, now.” His voice was firm, his mind already made up. Your eyebrows shot skyward. “I don’t want to waste anymore time not being officially bonded. We can go tonight,. I think Eywa has given us a sign through your dream.” He grabbed your hand, gently lacing his fingers with yours.

“But- what about our parents?” You asked, trying to ignore the rising giddiness inside of you. “I mean my dad will probably burst a blood vessel in his eye. And don’t even get me started on your mom… She already has enough reason to hate me.”

“It’s not about them, my love.”

“But you are the chief’s son, Nung. There are rituals and ceremonies for you and your chosen mate-”

“Me and you.”

“Yes,” You breath hitched slightly, blushing. “Us. Your parents won’t be pleased if you do not complete them in the traditional way.” You were speaking to deaf ears, reiterating things he already knew well.

“We’ll have our own stupid rituals.” He muttered, his fingers skating along your arm, bringing them up to trace the outline of your jaw. “Ceremonies and parties and disapproving parents can wait until we return.” He searched your eyes, desperately hoping for you to be feeling the same immediacy as him. The same all-consuming desire to be one after waiting so long. Despite your feeble rationale behind why it was a terrible idea, you had to admit that you wanted to do it just as badly.

“Tonight, then.” You finally caved, an excited buzz settling under your skin. Ao’nung grinned, picking you up to swing you around before pulling you into a hug. You could feel his excitement in the air around you, making you bite your lip to keep from smiling too wide.

You woke to the sun already shining brightly, pleasantly warming your skin. A pair of strong arms were wrapped around your abdomen, your legs tangled together with two other, longer and broader ones. It could have been any other morning after sneaking out to be with Ao’nung.

It was not.

You could feel the mating bond even now as your mate lay sleeping beneath you, his soft breaths tickling your skin. Nothing about your feelings for the warrior boy had changed, you still felt the deep love that had claimed a stake on your heart years ago, but it was like it had been fortified, made immortal under the gaze of Eywa. Your soul was tied completely to his, two halves to make a entirely new whole. His eyes fluttered open as you stared at his sleeping form, admiring his peacefulness. He smiled sleepily.

“Good morning, my love.” His voice was slightly raspy from sleep, and you felt your stomach tighten, suddenly replaying every euphoric detail about the night before. You clenched your legs together, letting Ao’nung sit up and pull you into his lap while running a hand slowly up your thigh. Once you were comfortably sitting on top of him, he began to place sweet kisses along your neck.

“Ao’nung.” You tried (failed) to sound stern, placing a hand on each of his biceps in a weak attempt to stop him from caressing all along your body. “We have to go back.” Your words got lost in a moan as he nipped at your collarbone, looking up at you in a desperate sort of way. You shuddered, unable to stop yourself from dipping your head down to place a kiss on his pouted lips. He kissed back fervently, one of his hands sliding to the back of your head while the other danced along your ribcage, dangerously close to eliciting another moan from you. If you didn’t stop now, you knew you never would.

“Alright, alright. Don’t make me smack you, dipshit.” He groaned in annoyance as you pulled away, your lips already slightly swollen from the kiss.

“C’mon, [Y/N].” He whined, his ears flicking back in disappointment. “You're my mate, now. Can we not just enjoy this time?”

You chuckled, tracing your thumb over his bottom lip. “I’m sure you got more than enough enjoyment last night. Now it’s time to for us to deal with the repercussions of that.” You quickly placed one more soft kiss on his lips before sighing and untangling your limbs from his. He unhappily followed your lead, holding your hand to help you up. As the two of you slowly began your walk back home, you smiled to yourself, feeling more content than you ever had before. Even the thought of confronting both your parents seemed but a small inconvenience, an easy price to pay for the sheer elation you felt at the bond you now shared with Ao’nung.

“I still think we could have stayed longer.” He frowned, swinging your intertwined hands back and forth slightly.

“Doubtful. It’s pretty much a miracle they haven’t sent out a search party already.” You laughed, guessing it was already mid-morning. Your family had probably been awake for hours.

“What should I say to your parents?” Ao’nung questioned.

“Well, you should probably start by begging my dad for mercy,” You deadpanned. “Though I doubt that will help.”

“Thanks, I’m so glad you’re confident in me.” Ao’nung quipped back sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “I’d like to remind you that I’m a warrior now.”

You grinned. “You’re about to be a dead warrior.”

“Well, at least my last great memory is of you on your knees last night-"

You cut him off with a light punch in the gut. It was like hitting the bark of a tree, but he did you the courtesy of pretending to feel it, at least.

“Geez, someone’s touchy about that.” He smirked, amusement flickering in his gaze.

“Just save the cockiness until after we talk to my parents. I know you probably don’t know to be humble, but-”

“Oh, I’ll be humble. I’ll be even more humble than Neteyam when he gets a compliment.” He spoke of it like a challenge, and you giggled.

“Speaking of that, I forgot to mention that my brothers are probably going to kill you, too, you know. Then maybe even Kiri. You’ll be dead four times over.”

“You’re lucky you’re worth all this murder I’m about to experience.”

“Just remember that this was your idea, genius.”

“Yeah, yeah. But who’s the one who loves me too much to have said no?”

“Shut up.”

“Fine. But only if you give me a good luck kiss before we get back because I’m starting to get nervous now.”

taglist:

@luvlykrispy @foreverfolkloregirly @findingourtreasure @tiddybiddy @nao-cchi @goodiesinthecloset21 @elegantkidfansoul @azaleaniath @cloakedvengeance @philiasoul @aonungmybf @joshuahongsfuturewife @shartnart1 @ayanamire @tireytesulineytiriite @bigmama123 @fucksnow @seashelldom @melsunshine @littlethingsinlife @thesheelfsworld @in-luvais @perseny @minkyungseokie @acrobatcheeks @theblaxkbird @sakura-onesan @1-800-not-simping @srrybroo @ellasully @trulynotavailable @dreamergirljen @ipoopedmypants47 @hangezoes-wife @scarletrosesposts @kaealowri @eggnox @spiceyhotsherbet @awkward-halfhug

[gofancyninjaworld]

No one is born knowing how to communicate

A: And that's okay...

Dr Kuseno made it look so easy. He just swanned into Saitama's apartment, proferred him a gift of beef and the hero's hostility melted away.

Fubuki felt positively foolish, and yet encouraged.

Since then, however, she's found that the only thing meat bribes pull in are dogs. Literal dogs:

And even dogs need more than meat to be loyal.

What gives? Well, it's obvious that Fubuki mistook Dr Kuseno's gift for a bribe: more on that later. Probably. And yeah, it's funny, but it's more interesting than that.

Learning how to communicate is complex. There are a ludicrous number of unspoken conventions and rules in every human society, so much so that we don't fully learn how to smile socially until we're in our forties. Dr Kuseno carefully judged his gift: he had a legitimate reason to offer Saitama a gift in the first place, out of gratitude for Saitama going out of his way to mentor Genos. Then he chose a gift Saitama would be sure to appreciate and presented it at a time when Saitama would be thinking about dinner. The worst that could have happened is that Saitama took the gift but insisted on the doctor going home (and taking Genos with him) -- it would still have left the desired positive impression. And things went really well. Kuseno made it look effortless.

Fubuki is only in her early twenties and her experience to date has been far from typical. She's learned that either she can intimidate people or she can flatter them into doing what she wants. With Saitama (and later Bang, Bomb, and Kuseno), she has to learn how to talk to more powerful people whom she cannot overpower, over whom she has no leverage, and who are unimpressed by her looks, simpering, or flattery.

Fortunately, Fubuki is nothing if not astute. She's worked out that she needs to develop complementary skills if she's to make herself useful to the S-Class heroes she wants to hang with. How to talk to them to get the help and cooperation she desires? Ah, that's a work in progress.

B: ...Unless it's not

Let's move onto another miscommunication.

Something that I hadn't before was that, unlike the webcomic version where Saitama only thinks to himself that Genos seems depressed, in the manga, Saitama out and out asks him if this is the case. He wants to know.

It mirrors King asking Saitama that very same question and getting Saitama to open up and be vulnerable for the first time (ever, in any version of the story). So it is very appropriate to see Saitama trying to do the same for Genos, particularly as he is openly fond of the guy.

However, it goes wrong. Saitama feels himself under pressure to say something wise to make it better. So he puts on his best 'confident' face and inadvertently makes everything much worse. Oh dear. What makes this particularly painful in the manga is that Saitama is much more invested in trying to reach Genos, and it's made Genos think that Saitama saying that he doesn't see what he's doing must mean that earlier times when he's praised him must have been just Saitama being nice. For sure, Genos could have pushed back and made Saitama clarify what he meant, but he's even worse at communicating: and Saitama's glib remark about being bright struck him square in the insecurities.

I'm going to come to something that I only realised once I started typing this up. Even though I've pointed out their abilities to communicate, neither King nor Kuseno have the perfect words to say. Kuseno started out by first committing a faux pas in bringing his great big outside boots into Saitama's flat, then nearly boring Saitama to death with a long-winded explanation. King started out by trying to guess what was bothering Saitama. Both, however, did the most important thing about effective communication: they picked up on their going wrong and changed tack.

It's not about saying the right thing: it's about responding to the person you're talking to.

The thing that King did that Saitama was trying to do for Genos was to ask Saitama open questions, and shut up in the interim, letting Saitama talk to fill in the silence. He'd only speak to ask more open questions when Saitama ran out of things to say, and through that, gently started to challenge Saitama's thinking.

But doing so means being comfortable with several seconds of silence. And that is excruciating. It is almost irresistible to jump in and say something, anything. And it would have been a longish wait, for Genos to slowly sit down and decide to start speaking, which might well have started being about something only tangentially related to his worry. King did that for Saitama: Saitama started out talking about what was bothering him on the surface -- being too strong -- before eventually coming to what was really bothering him, feeling lonely and profoundly isolated from everyone around him. Saitama does not yet know how to wait a person out.

It's a problem in this case because it's introduced a big barrier between those two, not an insurmountable one for sure, but one that could easily compound later.

Ah well, no one is born a communicator. We just have to wait and see if they work out a way to open up and be honest with each other. So it goes! There's more ways to introduce conflicts than to have a monster trample Tokyo, after all!

And so help me, the struggle to learn how to communicate is 1000% worthwhile.

[nightsdreamgates]

hey I was woundering what kind of pets do you think reala, NiGHTS and jackle would have?

This is such a fun concept to explore for! I have few things in mind on what each of them could be so let me break it down for ya!

[ • ] Ideal and Kinds of Pets for each Nightmaren Boss — Reala, NiGHTS and Jackle

— Reala

Everybody agrees that Reala is a cat person. I mean, look at Clawz! Although I do imagine that Clawz is a talkative cat, similar to chesire, despite his intelligence, he is still a cat and definitely loves to torment Reala;

Reala takes care of Clawz and unlikely of what people think, she has a soft spot for animals;

It means that not only she likes cats BUT also bats and horses! Bats due their big ears and beautiful remarkable frame, like night angels to Reala's view, and horses due their loyalty and fierce, fitting Reala's perks and priorities;

The bats she feels not only adoration into their looks, but also admiration due their abilities to adapt and handle the enviroment being mostly blind; Also the big ears is relatable due her big tendrils (or horns as the fandom likes to call it); Due Reala already have to deal with Clawz, she doesn't want to take more responsability than she is handling — But if she could, she would have a small bat pet.

— NiGHTS

I don't care what people think of this, for me, NiGHTS if he would he either a cat or a dog person, he would be dog person;

CAREFREE, PLAYFUL AND FRIENDLY. Suits well for a dog! But we all know that NiGHTS is not 100% a goodie-woodie too just because he help little kids how to fly;

Due his profound intelectuality and this mysterious duality of his nightmaren nature and found change, he would also like birds, for example: ravens or crows;

But if he would have a pet, it would be either a bird or a doggy;

— Jackle

I personally don't think Jackle has only one pet, but a VARIETY of them;

Look at this dude and tell me he doesn't like having A LOT OF RANDOM THINGS, like a trinket hunter of sorts, Jackle would definitely have a zoo of different animals of every species you can imagine;

I do had given him a pigeon pet called MR. Coco, which honestly is one of his favorite little things!

But you can call it, Jackle has a giraffe of sorts nightmaren, elephants, monkeys, seal, chickens and even snakes! Each with their own names that he knows how to call them separately. He has a hidden corner where he let his pets scatter around freely with no LIMITS!!!;

Thank you for this ask, I had summarized each of them in four paragraphs and simplified em' to what I believe suits em' well, fitting their personalities! Hope you like it ♡

[moretheta]

Ok so if we're assuming the card game is indeed some conditional nen ability, then we're faced with the question of who created it.

Most obvious answer is Morena. She's the one wielding it, and we know she's at least lvl 45 so she's passed the point in contagion where she could create her own nen ability (although i'm still uncertain on the rules of patient zero, I would assume that to be the case). But... hear me out....

Morena's not the only gamer girl on the team:

^ taken from chapter 393

I just couldn't help but notice that the last time we saw the Heil-ly plan this whole capture, most of the people in that briefing had abilities directly related to the kidnapping: Dogman, who was going to sniff out their target, Sodom, who would teleport them to the base, Voconte who can connect the hideout to different locations, Perigord "the organ" whatever that could mean,* and Gelato is also there:

In the viz translations of chp 405, we have Morena saying "I'll try my best to ensure we get a yes" and Gelato cheering her on. Out of curiosity I went to check the translations on voracious drake's blog and he provided the above transcript. Of note is the subject usage: "our chances/ our target / our best / let[us] do this" which on their own could be just taken as Gelato just strongly identifying her own goals with Morena's. But that remark on Morena's side "Let's do our best to ensure they don't say 'No'" feels, in hindsight, like an allusion to the card game. Putting this exchange together with the fact that Morena seems to be specifically addressing Gelato here, and then 407 opening with Gelato standing literally at Morena's right hand side, makes me think that Gelato herself is the creator of this ability.

Now, there are two issues with this theory that immediately come to mind. the first is pretty simple:

If it's not Morena's ability, how and why is she the one playing the cards?

To that, I'd say it's not unheard of to have abilities that one can grant to others; hell, we've seen something very similar recently in the case of Longhi granting Kurapika a one-time use of her contract ability in exchange for signing it. (there are actually quite a few notable similarities between these two negotiation abilities, but that's another post). I think it's pretty plausible for, lets say, a conjurer to conjure a group of cards that can be wielded by their chosen dealer. as to why - it's generally in a nen user's best interest to reveal as little about themselves as possible, so keeping the "real" user obscured is as good a tactic as any. Moreover, it's Morena's organization, so negotiations would typically go through her anyway. and with this ability in particular, considering that one of the cards is "reveal all the details of your ability," someone less astute than volksen might assume the card ability belonged to the dealer, and could be tricked into playing this card in a big to obtain more information on the game. All that is to say: I think the idea that the ability is not Morena's own is more than plausible.

2. As we see in her introductory panel above, Gelato was only level 19 on day eleven- one day before the Volksen abduction, and one level below the benchmark one needs to pass in order to obtain a hatsu. Therefore, if Gelato had created it, she'd had to have done it in one night, and Morena'd had to have crafted that entire plan around her in a very short period of time. This seems to go against Morena's ~master strategist~ reputation, and calls into question what she said to Volksen about having played the game with the stipulations she requested before.

So, there are a few potential scenarios to consider. The first is that the game does not belong to gelato, but another member of Morena's squad. My personal guess would be the mysterious unnamed Heil e-girl - we know the least about her so it's difficult to refute. of the other members currently in the room with Morena, we know the abilities of two (Yokotani the invincible lawyer, and Voconte the door-man) as well as the nen affinity of Orarge: he's an enhancer, not really the type suited to a presumably coercive card game. leaving Gelato and E-girl.... so yeah it could be E-girl.

On the other hand, Volksen also theorizes that it could be some kind of "rite of passage/rite of initiation" thing. If that's meant to imply that all the heil-ly members might have had to play this game too it predates any of them learning nen. But... what if this card game existed in a base (non-nen) form as some kind of tradition/ interview process Morena'd established pre-formation of the current heil-ly?maybe Gelato, feeling inspired, had turned it into a nen ability when she leveled up. It accounts for Morena's "i've done this before" statement at the very least.

Final scenario is that yes, Gelato created this in one night, and yes, it's coming together more hastily than anticipated. but this would go in line with Ken'i 's statement on the Troupe "finding Morena faster than they thought" and so perhaps the entire timetable has been moved up and the Heil-ly were really crunching the numbers on night eleven.

i like that they're all just ominously hovering around morena's gamer chair...

Why does any of this matter? It doesn't, kinda. I just like how so many of the heil-ly have crafted their abilities specifically for this situation on this ship: Dogman killed like fifty people just so that he could sniff out literally one individual. and I really like the idea of each member of the team having an ability that is hyper-curated to their current situation! So although at this point in the (literal)game there's not enough information to do much more than speculate, I wanted to provide some kind of theory rather than just shrugging my shoulders and saying "idk it could be any one of them". So there you have it: I am nominating Gelato as my pick for creator of yes/no yugioh.

this has been my ted talk thank you for joining me.

[warabidakihime]

Tempting Twilights and Celestial Nights

Characters: Chuuya x Reader

Synopsis: Being with you is like a breath of fresh air. Even when the weight of the world is heavy on our shoulders, we find ways to make each other laugh and to enjoy the present moment.

A/N: i know what i said last time, but i couldn't help it. so here's a bonus chapter for you all. ^^

If you haven't read the first three parts, here they are with links:

Love's Melancholy Farewell

A Love Discovered in the Darkest of Times

Evermore in Your Arms

Enjoy!

--

In the months since Chuuya and you reunited and got back together, your relationship has only grown stronger. You're still as affectionate as ever, constantly finding little moments to steal kisses and exchange sweet words. But there's also a deeper sense of trust and understanding between you now, born of the trials you've faced together. You're a united front, a force to be reckoned with.

As for the mafia, things have been relatively quiet. The various factions are still jockeying for power, of course, but there haven't been any major shakeups recently. It's a delicate balance that could be upset at any moment. Chuuya and you try not to think about it too much, focusing instead on your own work within the Port Mafia.

That work has been going well, all things considered. You've taken on a number of missions together, both big and small, and you've always come out on top. There have been a few close calls, but nothing you couldn't handle. Chuuya's abilities as a skilled fighter and your strategic mind make you a formidable team.

However, despite your strong connection both at work and in your personal lives, just like any couple, you have your fair share of fights. Especially with personalities as strong as yours, your disagreements have the tendency to get very ugly and suffocating, but thankfully it rarely happens; though you do get annoyed pretty often but get mad? That’s a rarity even for you.

An example of one of your petty fights was when after a heated debate about a trivial matter, Chuuya's temper got the best of him, and he said something stupid to you. His words cut deep, and you immediately retaliated with your own biting remark.

The sun dipped below the Yokohama skyline, casting a warm orange glow over the Port Mafia headquarters. In the main hall, heated voices echoed as Chuuya and you engaged in a passionate argument, your disagreement drawing amused glances from the nearby lounging members of the Mafia.

It all began when Chuuya's temper flared, leading to a sharp exchange of words. You, never one to back down, responded with a snarky remark, teasing Chuuya about his height, an action as volatile as his temper. Pride wounded, Chuuya attempted to douse the flames, but you refused to yield. The dispute quickly intensified, both parties striving to outdo the other with their verbal jabs.

"You're always so damn stubborn, you," Chuuya snapped, arms crossed. "You never listen to anyone else."

"Easy to talk to, Chuuya? You're no better," you retorted, rolling your eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean," you shot back. "Quick to anger, never thinking before you speak. It's like you enjoy getting into fights."

"You enjoy being difficult," Chuuya spat. "Always questioning everything, pushing people's buttons. It's like you get off on it."

You raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? I didn't start this argument."

"Not the starter, but definitely making it worse," Chuuya said, his voice rising. "Can't resist getting the last word in, can you?"

"Your height isn't the only short thing about you—so is your temper. You're insufferable," you said with a scowl.

Chuuya's temper erupted, and he snapped at you. "Shut your damn mouth, or you'll regret it."

"Why not? It's not a secret," you said with a shrug. "You're just mad because it's true."

The other Mafia members watched, engrossed, snickering at the insults traded. Koyou, stumbling upon the scene, intervened, clearing her throat to quell the commotion.

Chuuya and you turned to face her, expressions sheepish. "Just a disagreement," Chuuya said, defensively.

"A disagreement?" Koyou repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Sounded like a full-blown argument to me."

Chuuya and you glared at each other, then reluctantly backed down.

Koyou sighed, shaking her head. "You two are like children sometimes. Can't you just learn to communicate better?"

Chuuya and you exchanged glances, both feeling slightly ashamed. "We'll try to do better," Chuuya said, sincere in his tone.

After Koyou reprimanded Chuuya and you, a heavy silence settled between them, faces flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment. They recognized that their emotions had gotten the better of them, and both felt a pang of shame for their actions.

"I can't believe you sometimes," she muttered, shaking her head.

Chuuya huffed. "And I can't believe you. You always have to have the last word."

"Well, I wouldn't have to if you weren't so damn infuriating," you shot back.

Chuuya rolled his eyes. "Me? Infuriating? That's rich, coming from you."

The other members of the Port Mafia observed as Chuuya and you locked eyes, neither willing to yield. Yet, after a few tense moments, a silent understanding seemed to pass between them. Slowly, they turned away from each other, anger dissolving as both took a deep breath.

Chuuya spoke first, his voice low and controlled. "Look, Y/N, I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it."

You nodded, your own voice calm. "I'm sorry too, Chuuya. I should've known better than to fight fire with fire."

The tension in the room lifted as the two of you made amends, and the other Mafia members breathed a collective sigh of relief. It seemed the argument was finally over, and they could all return to business as usual.

-

You had just returned to your penthouse after a long day at work. The lights were dimmed, casting a warm glow over the spacious living room. It had been two to three months since Chuuya had left for his high-level mission. While you handled it well initially, the loneliness was starting to take its toll.

The communication between you two had been consistent during the initial weeks, but it had gradually become sporadic due to the demands of the mission. This was the first time you had been apart since getting back together, and the silence was driving you crazy.

As you walked through the living room, you glanced at the clock and noticed that it was already well into the night. After a quick dinner, you headed straight for the bathroom, craving the relaxation of a hot bath.

After undressing, you stepped into the tub, closing your eyes as you submerged yourself in the warm water. Despite the soothing ambiance, your thoughts kept drifting back to Chuuya and how much you missed him. You knew he was on a dangerous mission, but you couldn't help but worry about him.

As you soaked in the tub, the feeling of loneliness nagged at you. You missed the sound of his voice, his touch, and his presence. You longed for him to be back home with you, safe and sound.

As the days turned into weeks and weeks into months, your longing for Chuuya grew stronger. It wasn't just missing his presence or his company anymore; it was also the touch and intimacy that came with being together. You found yourself perpetually bored and restless, even when surrounded by people and activities.

At work, you snapped at colleagues, mainly Tachihara, who was notorious for teasing you, or got irritated over small things, as your frustration and longing took a toll on you. You missed the way Chuuya's arms would wrap around your waist, the way his fingers would gently trace circles on your skin, and the way his lips felt against yours. You were touch-deprived, and it was driving you insane.

Even in the safety of your penthouse, you couldn't help but feel a little empty and lost without Chuuya by your side. Your bed felt too big, your living room too empty, and every corner of the apartment reminded you of the moments you had shared together. You longed for the day when Chuuya would finally come back to you, and your world would feel whole again.

Surprised at yourself, you reflected on your newfound vulnerability. You had always prided yourself on being independent and capable of taking care of yourself without relying on anyone else. However, now you found yourself whining like a child about Chuuya's absence, craving his touch and his company more than anything else in the world.

It was a strange feeling, one that you weren't quite sure how to deal with. You had never been in a relationship like this before, one where you felt so completely attached to someone else. But as you thought about it more, you realized that it wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Chuuya had been so good to you, treating you with love and respect and always making you feel valued. It was no wonder that you had fallen so deeply in love with him. After making peace with that fact, you couldn't help but feel a giddy sense of joy deep in your heart.

You sank into the warm water of the bath again and let out a sigh of relief. The mission had been tough, and your body was sore from all the fighting. You stayed in the tub for a while, letting the water ease your aches and pains. After a good half hour, you got out of the bath, feeling much more relaxed.

Wrapping yourself in a fluffy towel, you walked over to your wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear. Browsing through your collection of cute pajamas, none of them seemed to appeal to you tonight. Your eyes then wandered to Chuuya's side of the closet, and a mischievous grin formed on your face.

Rummaging through his shirts, you felt the soft fabric between your fingers. Eventually, you settled on a white shirt, one of his favorites. Putting it on, you felt the oversized garment envelop you, as if you were being wrapped in his embrace.

You then spotted one of Chuuya's trench coats, and an idea popped into your head. Picking it up, you held it to your face, inhaling deeply. The scent of his cologne was intoxicating, and you couldn't resist spraying a little more onto the coat. Putting it on, you snuggled into it, feeling warm and safe.

As you tried to get some much-needed sleep after a tiring day, you found yourself tossing and turning on the bed, almost desperately trying to fall asleep. Despite your efforts, sleep seemed elusive, and you lay there slightly irritated.

Your mind drifted off to thoughts of Chuuya, wondering how he was doing and if the mission was going well. Most importantly, you hoped he was safe and sound. While you believed in him wholeheartedly, there was always that tiny possibility of things going south.

Not wanting to nosedive into negativity, you shook your head and tried to redirect your thoughts. You imagined Chuuya finally coming home to you. As you envisioned his return, your body began to heat up with desire. You imagined him entering the penthouse, seeing you in his shirt, looking up at him with longing in your eyes. He would stride over to you, pulling you into his arms, and his lips would meet yours in a passionate kiss. Your hands would reach up to tangle themselves in his hair as you deepened the kiss, the feel of his warm body against yours making your heart race.

As the fantasy continued, you imagined Chuuya taking you to your bedroom, laying you down on the bed, and removing his shirt. You felt his hands caressing your skin, and his lips trailing kisses down your neck and over your collarbone. A soft moan escaped your lips as you imagined his hands sliding under the shirt, his fingers brushing over your sensitive nipples, sending shivers down your spine. A wetness between your thighs signaled your body's response to the vivid images in your mind.

In your fantasy, Chuuya's hands continued to explore your body, his touch sending you into a frenzy of desire. You imagined him moving down your body, his lips trailing kisses over your stomach and lower, until he reached the apex of your thighs. Your breath caught in your throat as you imagined the feel of his tongue, sending you to ecstasy.

Your hand movements grew more frenzied as you imagined Chuuya's mouth on you. You could feel yourself getting closer and closer to the edge, but just as you were about to fall over, you stopped. Your body felt like it was on fire, and you were breathing heavily as you tried to calm yourself down.

Frustration engulfed you, the hunger inside raging, and you knew that even after you climaxed, it wouldn't diminish. You craved Chuuya—his touch, his kisses, everything that made you feel alive.

With a groan of frustration, you threw your head back onto the pillow, still clad in Chuuya's shirt. Every rub of your nipples against the fabric sent a rush of sensations, and the scent of his cologne intensified your ache. Thoughts of Chuuya consumed you—his movements, his voice—you wanted him desperately, and the desire was driving you to the brink of madness.

Your eyes landed on Chuuya's trench coat, and another idea crossed your mind. You grabbed it, laying it over a pile of pillows, your heart racing with anticipation. Perhaps this could help satisfy your urges.

Straddling the trench coat, you imagined it as Chuuya's lap. The moment the fabric touched your most sensitive parts, you let out a low moan followed by needy whimpers. Lost in your fantasy, you rocked your hips against the trench coat, imagining Chuuya's strong arms around you, pulling you closer.

Moving shamelessly, your mind filled with the image of Chuuya watching you with hunger in his eyes. You imagined him whispering in your ear, expressing his desires. Surrendering to pleasure, you moved with increasing urgency against the fabric. The intensity of your desire grew, the hunger almost unbearable.

In your imagination, Chuuya's hands guided your movements, his lips hot against your skin. The thought of him being with you in that moment overwhelmed you. You cried out his name, lost in passion, your body trembling with pleasure. The trench coat was soaked and soiled.

Unbeknownst to you, you had an unexpected audience. Chuuya stood frozen, watching you with a mix of shock and amusement. His eyes traced every inch of your body as you moved, lost in your need. The woman he loved, pleasuring herself in front of him—it was an unexpected sight.

As he watched, his own hunger grew, his body responding to you straddling the trench coat. A glimpse of your release trailing down your thighs further soiling his coat heightened his desire. He imagined himself in the coat's place, hands on your hips, guiding your movements. Thoughts of taking you right then and there raced through his mind, fulfilling not only your desires but his own as well.

Chuuya's breathing became shallow as he watched you, his eyes locked on the way your body moved. Lost in the moment and driven by desire, he silently stepped closer and reached out to touch you. The redhead wrapped his arms around you, his hands reaching down to help you, leaving you wide-eyed in shock.

Caged between his sturdy arms, you couldn't turn around, but you recognized Chuuya. "C-Chuuya?" you gasped, your voice shaking with a mixture of shock and desire.

Chuuya chuckled in amusement, nuzzling his face against your back, his lips trailing hot kisses along your skin, starting from your hips and working his way up to your nape, giving it a bite and a mark to match. "That's right, sweetheart," he murmured, his voice low and seductive. "I'm home."

You moaned as Chuuya's lips continued to assault your neck, your back arching, and your core aching with need. "Chuuya– oh, fuck–," you whispered, your voice filled with longing.

Chuuya pulled back slightly to look at you, his eyes filled with amusement and adoration. "I missed you, my love," he replied, his voice soft and tender. "And I see you've been keeping yourself... occupied," he added, a playful smirk crossing his lips.

You couldn't care less about Chuuya's teasing as you practically threw yourself at him the moment he gave you a chance to move. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you straddled the real deal and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. Chuuya responded eagerly, his arms tightening around your waist as he deepened the kiss. You stayed locked in the embrace for what felt like an eternity, your tongues dancing together in a fiery dance of passion.

Finally, you pulled away from each other, both panting heavily. "I want you," you whispered, your voice filled with desire.

Chuuya's eyes darkened with hunger as he looked at you. "No need to tell me twice," he replied, his voice filled with raw desire.

Chuuya dived down to give you a fiery kiss on the lips, and slowly, he began to trail his kisses down your neck, nipping and sucking on the sensitive skin. You moaned in response, arching your back and tangling your fingers in his hair.

Without breaking the kiss, Chuuya began to move down your body, trailing kisses and nibbles over your collarbone, down between your breasts, and as he reached the hem of "your" shirt, a sly grin dawned upon his face. Chuuya has always loved it when you would wear his clothes; even more so when you're not wearing anything underneath. He hooked his fingers under the hem and pulled it up, tossing it aside to reveal your bare breasts.

Chuuya's eyes darkened with lust as he took in the sight before him. "God, you're beautiful," he murmured, trailing his fingers over your breasts and eliciting a shiver from you. You couldn't help but feel exposed under his intense gaze, but at the same time, you felt desired and wanted. You reached up to tangle your fingers in his hair once more, pulling him down for another kiss.

As they made out, Chuuya began to move his hand down your body, skimming over your stomach and down to the apex of your thighs. He began to stroke you gently through the fabric of your panties, eliciting a low moan from you.

You could feel the heat pooling between your legs as Chuuya's touches grew more insistent, driving you wild with desire. "Please, Chuuya," you whispered, your voice filled with need.

Without a word, Chuuya pulled your panties aside and delved his fingers inside, eliciting a gasp from you. He began to stroke you in earnest, his fingers expertly working you towards the edge of ecstasy.

You writhed beneath him, lost in the sensations he was creating within you; drunk in hunger, your hips started to buck upwards to meet his hand as you moaned into his mouth.

Chuuya could feel the desire burning within him as he worked you towards the brink of ecstasy. He wanted you so badly; he wanted to claim you completely and utterly. But for now, he was content to simply drive you wild with desire.

As you reached the peak of ecstasy, you cried out Chuuya's name, your body shuddering with pleasure. Chuuya looked up at you, a look of pure lust on his face as he continued to pleasure you.

As the waves of pleasure receded, you pulled Chuuya up for another kiss, your body still humming with desire. "I need you, Chuuya," you whispered, your voice husky with desire.

As his own hunger reached a new peak, Chuuya didn't need to be told twice. He shed his own clothes in record time before positioning himself between your thighs, ready to claim you and take you to the heights of ecstasy. He looked down at you with an intensity that sent shivers down your spine, and you couldn't help but let out a soft moan of anticipation.

Your genuine longing for each other prevailed over your naughty desires, and you moved together in a slow, sensual rhythm. The room was filled with the sounds of your breathing, the rustling of sheets, and your soft moans of pleasure.

Your hands roamed Chuuya's body, tracing the curves of his muscles and the lines of his well-defined abs. "Chuuya," you whispered, your voice thick with emotion as you chanted his name like a holy prayer. "Chuuya–"

Chuuya's eyes met yours, and he leaned down to capture your lips in a deep, passionate kiss. "I'm here, my love. I’m back, and I'm going to make you feel so damn good tonight," he murmured against your mouth.

"I've missed you so much,” he proclaimed, “Been wanting to have you like this, but you beat me to it."

You let out a sexy chuckle, "I didn't know you were a peeping tom."

"Just this one time, I'm so glad I am one," Chuuya said with a chuckle of his own.

Your bodies moved in perfect harmony, each movement bringing you closer and closer to the edge of ecstasy. You were lost in each other, consumed by the intensity of your desire.

As you continued to move together, your words became fewer, replaced by the sounds of your pleasure. You clung to Chuuya, your fingers digging into his skin as you felt the wave of pleasure building inside you. Chuuya's breath was ragged as he approached his own release, but he held back, savoring the feeling of being inside you, of being so intimately connected to you.

Your eyes locked as you moved together, and in that moment, you were pleasantly reminded that you were meant to be together. Nothing could ever come between you. You were two halves of the same whole, and you were finally reunited.

As you both approached the pinnacle of your pleasure, you exchanged one last glance, and your eyes spoke volumes. It was a look of pure love, a silent declaration of your devotion to each other.

With a final cry of pleasure, you came together, your bodies trembling with the force of your release. And in that moment, you knew that you had made up for lost time and that you were finally where you belonged—in each other's arms.

-

The morning sun slowly crept into the room, illuminating the disheveled bed where Chuuya and you lay. The air was filled with the scent of your lovemaking (or, in Chuuya’s vocabulary, a total bang fest), a sweet, heady aroma that lingered in the air.

As the morning light continued to filter through the curtains, Chuuya and you remained entwined in each other's arms, fast asleep. Your exhausted bodies had finally given in to sleep after a night filled with passion and desire. The room was quiet except for the gentle sounds of your breathing and the occasional rustle of sheets as you shifted in your sleep.

After your lovemaking, you had spent the rest of the night cuddled up together, talking softly, and sharing tender kisses. You talked about your respective missions and how much you had missed each other. According to Chuuya, the mission went incredibly well, and that's why he was able to go home earlier than expected. Meanwhile, you got slightly hurt during your mission, but it wasn't too serious that you needed extensive medical attention. For a job well done, Mori personally gave you your prescriptions after your briefing, and then you were finally dismissed and free to go home.

Upon hearing this, Chuuya got a little worried and even scolded you for not prioritizing your health. And by that, he meant you should've rested instead of... well, he didn't quite finish that thought as the image replayed in his head, and his resolve to reprimand you dissipated almost immediately.

Walking in on a sight like that wasn't in his bingo books, but it would definitely be considered one of the best moments of his life. When you saw the look on his face, you were quick to tease him. After that, you talked about everything and nothing, simply enjoying each other's company in the peaceful quiet of the night.

As the hours slipped by, your conversation turned to whispers, and your touches became softer and more gentle. Eventually, you both drifted off to sleep, your bodies intertwined and your hearts full of love.

-

It was already the afternoon, and the two of you were still in bed. Neither of you had the energy to get up, but after a few more hours, Chuuya slowly opened his eyes, feeling the warmth of the morning sun on his skin. As he adjusted to his surroundings, he realized that he was wrapped around your body. He couldn't help but admire the way your hair was splayed across the pillow, the way your lips were slightly parted as you slept. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on your forehead, not wanting to wake you up just yet.

As he lay there, he couldn't help but think about the night before. It was intense, passionate, and, more than anything, filled with love.

Chuuya continued to gaze at your sleeping form. A wave of nostalgia washed over him as his mind took a trip down memory lane, specifically to the time when he first caught feelings for you. It was during the period when Dazai had left the mafia, leaving you heartbroken and vulnerable. Chuuya had offered to help you cope, and in doing so, he had grown to care for you deeply.

He smiled as he remembered the moments you had spent together, the late-night conversations, and the times when you had just enjoyed each other's company in silence. But as much as he cherished those memories, there were also painful ones that he couldn't ignore. He recalled the times when he had felt like he was only a rebound, moments when he had questioned whether you truly cared for him or were simply using him to fill the void left by Dazai.

The most memorable memory, however, was the time when you both had been heartbroken. It was the moment he had to face reality—accepting the fact that you were still hopelessly in love with that damn vagabond. Despite having a somewhat cordial breakup, it still hurt nonetheless, and it took everything in him just to get through a single day. Even with time passing, the pain in his heart at that time never eased and continued to eat him alive with each passing day. To distract himself, even just for a little while, he buried himself in countless missions. The harder the mission, the better.

Almost a year later, what seemed to be an impossible dream for him finally came true. You had finally looked at him and loved him for who he was. The moment those three words slipped out of your lips, his heart leaped with joy. He was so happy it nearly jumped out of his chest.

Pride and admiration filled his chest as he remembered how strong and capable you had become. He had seen you grow and evolve as a person, from the vulnerable girl he had met to the confident and powerful woman you were today. He had been there every step of the way, supporting and encouraging you, even when you didn't believe in yourself. Chuuya couldn’t be more proud of the person you had transformed into.

Looking at you, sleeping peacefully beside him, Chuuya couldn't help but feel grateful for the love you shared. He had never been happier, and he knew that he would do anything to protect and cherish you.

As he lay there, lost in thought, Chuuya realized that he had never loved anyone as deeply as he loved you. You were his rock, his confidante, and his partner in every sense of the word. Looking at you, he knew that he would never tire of admiring your beauty and strength. He would love you, protect you, and cherish you for as long as he lived.

-

Another day passed, and it was back to work for both of you, especially for your boyfriend. Chuuya headed for the door to go to the headquarters and report to Mori about the mission and discuss their next action plan. You walked beside him, giving him a playful pout, teasing him about leaving you all alone. He chuckled at you and promised to make it up to you later with a dinner date. You agreed and walked him to the door, ready to give him a proper send-off.

But just as Chuuya was about to leave, you grabbed him by his trench coat and pushed him against the door, your body pressed tightly against his. You leaned in close, your lips brushing against his ear as you whispered seductively, "You better make tonight worth my while, Chuuya. Whether it's in the car, the elevator, the foyer, or our bedroom."

Chuuya couldn't help but grin at your boldness, feeling a surge of excitement and arousal shoot through his body. He leaned in and captured your lips in a fiery kiss, his hands roaming over your body as you shared a passionate moment.

Your fingers trailed down Chuuya's chest, playing with the buttons on his shirt. You breathed in his scent as you made out with him, letting it fill your senses, before you whispered in his ear again. "And who knows, maybe I'll even wear that little red dress you like so much," you teased, a mischievous glint in your eyes.

Chuuya couldn't help but let out a low chuckle at your teasing words, and as he imagined you in that flimsy red dress, he couldn't help but feel a familiar tightening in his pants. He knew he was in for a wild night with you, and he couldn't wait.

"You know I never disappoint, especially when it comes to you," he replied in a very seductive whisper.

Chuuya gave you a playful wink before pecking your lips softly, savoring the taste of you one last time before pulling away.

"I gotta go; till then, don't miss me too much."

"I'll do my best," you joked, earning a hearty laugh from the redhead.

Finally, as he made his way to the door, he turned to give you one last glance, taking in your beauty and the way your eyes sparkled with mischief. "I'll see you later, Y/N; I love you," he said with a smirk, his voice filled with promise.

"I love you too."

With that, he stepped out of the door and made his way towards his car, his mind already racing with thoughts of your upcoming dinner date and the possibilities of what could happen after.

[neonscandal]

I saw a video these days about jujutsu and I saw something that I never realized that Megumi is not a good person because he is willing to do anything for his sister, which makes him selfish and that he only saves those who he "deems" to be a good person and who qualify as a good person for him. his morality is very black and white just like geto. There's a line from him that is very realistic, especially today in the manga, that sorcerers are not heroes, an example saturo gojo.

Just Megumi dodging these harsh allegations.

You mean Megumi Fushiguro, son of Toji Fushiguro Satoru Gojo?? Character alignment wise, I oscillate between considering Megumi a True Neutral or more of a Lawful Neutral where "Lawful" is being applied generously.

Megumi is incredibly principled. The baseline for his evaluation of a person is distilled down to an observation that "I won't kill you so, in return, you shouldn't kill me." In a lookback at his days before Jujutsu High, we see that he is more than comfortable beating the brakes off of people who violate this basic tenet, even if they don't infringe upon it with him directly. Despite the rule as he lectures the delinquents, his application of it is very in line with Geto's ideology that the strong should protect the weak and keep the strong in check.

Geto considered all non-sorcerers to be weak against curses thus it was sorcerers' responsibilities to mind the herd. Megumi is a bit more discerning which is a reflection of his strength and perceived weakness compared to his peers. It also factors the flaws and inherent ability to be evil into his consideration. What set Geto astray was the fact that, as the strongest, he couldn't fathom the weak to be a threat. Based on Megumi's actions, those that deserve protection, like Tsumiki and Yuji, are those who are selfless and act on others' behalfs even to their own detriment. So, doing anything for Tsumiki, not even his blood relative, is a reflection of her purity of character. He's not one to cause harm to innocent people but does consider past harm as damnable offenses (like the truck driver who struck a kid in the juvenile detention center... who may or may not have been the driver who killed Rika Orimoto).

I think the big difference here is the fact that... Geto was a part of "The Strongest". Megumi is not. While he was great against non-powered up delinquents, people within jujutsu society remark that he's not good at hand to hand combat. Further, at this point in the anime, we now see that Megumi, at any indication that a fight was going poorly, either had a death wish or didn't see a way out that didn't involve summoning Mahoraga... even against Todo. EVEN AGAINST HARUTA. One could argue his morality is less to do with the idea of omnipotence as was the case with Geto and more to do with the fact that... he's not out here trying to die for someone who will later cause more harm to the world than he can cause good.

It's true, Megumi is aware that sorcerers are not heroes. In fact, he probably thinks those who are foolhardy and believing that they're helping people are especially laughable. Consider the fact that Megumi Fushiguro is a person who was bought and sold... twice... by sorcerers. He's got no choice in the matter as to the path he's on but he's got a tempered sense of reality that is informed by the fact that sorcerers die all the time, students and adults alike. He's just trying to make it out alive and with as much autonomy as he can and that informs an illusion of choice as to who is worth potentially dying for.

While his ideals definitely seem like they could lead him down a similar path to Geto, I think his motivation informed by a sense of self-preservation that he's willing to forego on principle differs greatly from Geto's perception that no harm would ever come to him at all. Geto experienced a foundational upset that altered his brain chemistry but Megumi is aware of his own weakness all the while and will still choose to fight. Please also remember the whole reason he even agreed to go with Gojo in the first place was to make sure Tsumiki wouldn't have a shitty life. He blindly chose a life fraught with peril so she wouldn't suffer at the hands of the Zenin. He, a child, essentially agreed to indentured servitude to protect her because, alone, he could not fend for her.

RE: Gojo as a hero... I am not so foolish as to say he is, but I am not uninformed to say he isn't either. He is simply flawed. Both in essence as a character and in the execution of his ideals. But consider the fact that, as The Strongest:

Gojo doesn't have to bend to the will of the elders that he disagrees with, he could simply kill them.

Gojo doesn't have to take missions just as Yuki Tsukumo refuses, he could let others continue to die in vain.

Gojo doesn't have to stick his neck out for Megumi, Yuta or Yuji, what matter are they to him when he has godlike strength?

None of the above would make him a villain to simply.. not participate in the rigamarole of jujutsu society because, with his strength, it's not like anyone could force him to. Doing the above also doesn't make him a hero; however, knowing that he could just go off and do whatever but he chooses the path of great resistance to cultivate abilities in others so as to better prepare them to be sorcerers and, as much as he can, protect them from the burden of their responsibilities. He's earnestly trying to improve facets of jujutsu society that he doesn't necessarily have to suffer because it's the right thing to do and it benefits kids who come up after him. In comparison to what he could be doing, he's trying to make a difference so the world doesn't lose another person like Geto to the reality of what it means to be a sorcerer.

In a broader sense, Gojo also meets the literal requirements of a hero as a literary device as he is a legendary figure seemingly born of divine descent and endowed with great strength and ability. This is just offset by him being canonically grating to like... everyone around him but Geto and just, generally, a silly, goofy lil guy 🤪✨