#i miss being a child. i miss the friends i used to have but have now lost contact with

[lananiscorner]

Perhaps I was not clear enough in my original reblog, but I think you may have misunderstood several points of my post.

I was not trying to invalidate anything about the OP or miss its point--I was adding onto it, because for some adults who enjoy media for children, nostalgia is part of the appeal. I am sorry that the nature of your childhood meant that this could not be the case for you, but that doesn't change the fact that it is a factor for some, including for me. Your experiences are not universal, and neither are mine.

Personally, I occasionally rewatch cartoons from my childhood because they take me back to "simpler times". I occasionally watch shows or movies like them, designed for kids, even today as a grown adult long out of childhood, because there is something comforting for me in enjoying a well-made show/movie that focuses on the core messages we try to instill in future generations in terms that nobody can miss: be brave, be understanding, be kind, make friends.

The reason why I went into the second topic of my post (the stigma around adults consuming media for kids being puritanical panic around the potential of adults corrupting or hurting kids if they engage with the fandom) is because this is precisely the reasoning I see flung around most often by other people as criticism of adults who are in fandoms for child media or who enjoy media for children.

Gonna repeat that again: BY OTHER PEOPLE. I do not agree with that take.

I cannot count the many times I have either received asks myself, or have had mutuals receive asks, saying we should not be in fandoms X, Y, Z, because a grown adult enjoying stuff for children is creepy.

I was pushing back on said argument, to state why it is, in fact, beneficial to have people of multiple age ranges enjoying the same thing, precisely because it is the argument I most frequently had people try to wield against me and my mutuals.

I WISH I had no need to bring it up. I WISH that sentiment (that all adults who enjoy stuff for kids or are hanging out in fandoms for said media are creeps) did not exist, but it does, and so I decided to address it, before anybody tries to jump into my ask box and go "hurgh, hurgh, that post you reblogged about how we shouldn't shame adults for enjoying media for kids--do you not realize what massive creeps you are?"

You also grossly misinterpreted what I meant by "not every". "Not every" does not automatically mean "a good chunk" or "most". It means "not 100%". At no point, did I make any statement about how many percent of adults who enjoy kids media or enjoy hanging out in fandoms about kids media may be abusers, but I did acknowledge that they exist, because they do. They do exist in kids media fandoms, as they do in any sphere of life where kids may be present. So let me state this clearly for the record: In my experience, it is an incredibly small number, but it is not 0%. It is also not 100% though, which is what some other people like to assume.

There are plenty of people who are into children's media or part of those fandoms for entirely normal, healthy reasons:

They enjoy the simplicity of it.

They enjoy the quality of the writing/animation/music/various other parts of the work.

It helps them work through trauma or tough times.

It gives them nostalgic comfort.

They have loved ones or friends who enjoy it and want to be able to connect with them about it.

[Insert probably around half a dozen reasons here that I cannot think of at the moment.]

I do not judge anybody who likes media for kids for liking media for kids. As long as you are not harming anybody, you do you. Have fun, live your best life, enjoy the things you enjoy.

And regarding your question "How do you think about people who WORK in animation??" - In general, I think most of them are incredibly talented people. Whether they are decent people in a moral sense is something I cannot judge, unless:

A) I get to know them personally (highly unlikely).

B) They use their amazing talent to create something bigoted/hateful.

C) They publicly interact with others in a bigoted/hateful/abusive manner, or records of them interacting in such manner in private become public.

And if B or C ever happen (e.g. Rowling), I simply block them, stop interacting with their material, and move on with my life.

I like to think of people as innocent until proven guilty. I do my best to treat strangers with respect, understanding and kindness, and I say "do my best" because nobody's perfect--we all mess up sometimes and there have definitely been days when I have been physically or emotionally drained enough to be a sad ball of rage lashing out at anyone who interacted with me, and also because I am well aware that I have certain culturally-ingrained biases that I am actively doing my best to unlearn. But my default is always "assume decent person, until proven otherwise".

I will conclude by saying this: I wish you the best and I hope I made my point clearer this time.

Quick edit to add: I will also mute this post now, in the interest of not getting into any further arguments and derail OPs post even further. My initial reblog was meant to be a simple addition in further support of letting people enjoy what they enjoy.

I really have no patience for posts talking about "adults who only watch kids' cartoons," because, like...people accuse me of "only watching kids' cartoons," despite all evidence to the contrary. It doesn't matter how much I talk about other adult media I like, if I post too many things in a row about Steven Universe or The Dragon Prince or The Owl House, people come out of the goddamn woodwork to accuse me of "only watching kids' shows."

So I really can't take people seriously when they start talking about the supposed "problem" of "adults who only watch kids' shows." Are the "adults who only watch kids' cartoons" in the room with us right now, or are you basing your entire opinion of people solely on their fandom blog? Like, come on.

It makes me think of the couple years I spent volunteering in a school library. The librarian talked a lot about how it's hurtful to enforce "reading at grade-level" on every student with no nuance. Teachers would try to force their students to check out books "at proper grade-level," instead of letting students pick out whatever they wanted (even if it was "too easy"), and it resulted in a lot of students deciding books were boring, too hard, and only good for making them feel stupid. They started to hate reading entirely, because people constantly shut them down and told them they were stupid for not reading the right things. This was especially brutal on disabled students.

I personally apply the same philosophy to adults. You don't know what someone might struggle with, you don't know what someone's history is. You might think a piece of media is "too simple," but that's your experience and your opinion. People learn and grow and experience the world at different paces, and what seems to you like a "simplistic" piece of media may be the most complex, illuminating piece of media someone else has ever had the opportunity to experience. It doesn't make them "stupid" or "childish," and believing that it does is cruel and counterproductive. You cannot wield shame as a fucking cudgel if your goal is education, support, and helping people expand their horizons.

I don't think a culture of shame is helpful. I don't think a culture of "if you like 'childish' things, it means you're too stupid for anything else" is helpful. I don't think constantly making fun of children's media does anything other than demean people--and not just the people who enjoy it, but the people who make it, too.

[russellsppttemplates]

Bridging the Gap (Lando Norris)

A look into the Norris family summer vacation

Note: english is not my first language. It's been some time since I posted one of these, hopefully I still know how to do it 🥲 A lot of changes have been going on at my job and I've been trying to adjust to all of it without loosing my sanity! For those who are here and have stayed, thank you for being so patient and for staying - I hope this is good enough ✨️

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm not taking requests right now, so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to send them in but know that I don't know when I'll be able to get to them!

my masterlist

Cw: reader is 4 years older than Lando, media scrutiny

Tag list: @myloverjk-blog @hiireadstuff @c-losur3 @sltwins

The low hum of the television filled the cozy apartment as you and Lando sat on the sofa, nestled comfortably under a soft blanket as his hands absentmindedly traced patterns on your thigh. Lately, it was one of your favorite pastimes - catching up on a show after a long week and simply enjoying each other's presence without having the world around you.

Life with Lando was unexpectedly delightful. His infectious laughter and zest for life were contagious, and even the most mundane days seemed brighter with him around, no matter how many clients you had that day or how much reading you had to do before their next sessions. At the beginning, you couldn't wrap your head around how the way your routines still laced together despite the seemingly different responsibilities, but you cherished the balance you shared.

"Do you have a busy day tomorrow?", your boyfriend asked.

"I have 8 clients, as two of them already cancelled because they're sick, but I managed to adjust the schedule and hopefully I have some time to go to the bank and see about my mortgage payments", you said.

"And in that rearranged schedule, is there a possibility of you spending the night here so we can wake up together before you go be a boss lady?", he wondered as he nuzzled his face in the crook of your neck, softly kissing the skin there.

"I have to be in the office at before 10 am, Lan, I can't have a lie in", you reasoned.

"I have to be up at 7 am to go on a run with Jon, so neither can I", he smirked, knowing he had all the reasons to convince you to stay, "we can have some breakfast together before you leave me".

"I guess I have time to pop home, change and get to work on time", you reasoned, agreeing with his plans.

"I'm glad you think that because my next step was going to kidnap you for the night - I'm talking locking the doors and throwing away the keys", Lando spoke.

Your laughs rubbled as Lando squeezed you tighter against him, basking in the warm feeling on his chest of having you for the rest of the night.

.

A few weeks later, Lando told you Max and Pietra would be in Monaco for a week since they hadn't spent some time together in a while.

"Do you know how your week is going to be? In terms of your schedule I mean", Lando mused, holding your waist as you stirred the food in the pot.

"I had some people move around from their usual schedule, so the weekdays end late but I don't have many appointments on Friday and I have Saturday off", you spoke.

"That's good, means we can spend a nice long weekend together", Lando smiled, kissing your shoulder before resting his chin there, "I'm not sure of all the plans yet but it’ll be fun! And they’re eager to meet you", he grinned, optimism lighting up his face.

"I'm excited to meet them too", you spoke, despite the one looming shadow. The thought of meeting Lando’s close-knit circle always brought a tinge of anxiety with it. His friends were used to seeing him as the carefree poster child of single life - never missing a party or the chance to get a little drunk. Hell, the idea that Lando would rather stay in on a Friday night, watching his girlfriend cook them dinner after spending the afternoon waiting for her to finish her online sessions would baffle Max and all of his friends.

And though Lando never seemed to mind, the idea of them questioning your relationship because of your age gnawed at your insecurity. Even when you were younger, the party scene wasn't your thing and as the years passed, it certainly didn't become it. You were fine with Lando enjoying himself whenever he wanted to and never once objected to that, but feared that his friends would question it.

"There's something on your mind, I can tell that", Lando spoke softly, "would you like to share it with me?".

"It's just...", you tried, knowing he would be able to tell you were lying and knowing that sharing this with him could ease your fears.

"Doesn't have to sound pretty or polished, I just want to know what is on your head", he encouraged softly.

"Maybe they won't want to spend time with me? They're coming here to see you and spend time with you, and there's always the possibility that they might now want to spend time with me", you let it out.

"Why do you think that?", he continued softly.

"Because I'm not hard-core, adrenaline seeking fun!", you added.

"Lovie, the plans we have are just enough fun for everyone, I didn't to do anything too hard-core and they don't either, so we'll be good and have plenty of fun together, yeah?", Lando assured, turning you around and kissing your forehead.

"You are starting to have a way with words", you mumbled, enjoying the feeling of his lips on your skin in such a protective manner, like no harm in the world could get to you if he was near.

"I catch on a thing or two you say", your boyfriend mumbled, kissing your lips slowly.

"I have to take my lunch to the office tomorrow, I don't have time to come home", you mumbled more to yourself than anything, taking a tupperware box from the cupboards so you wouldn't end up without your packed lunch.

"Pack two of them and I'll meet you in the office", Lando said like it was nothing.

"Sorry, what?", you asked again, afraid you had misheard him.

"You can pack two of them to go and I'll meet you for lunch tomorrow so you don't eat lunch all alone", Lando suggested.

"You don't have to", you reasoned.

"I know I don't, but I want to", Lando smiled, "the next couple of days are going to be busy for me and I need to fill up on time with you so my heart won't miss you as much".

He was ever the charmer and you still blushed at his words, not used to this no matter how many times he did it.

"Fine, but you can't mess up the crayons this time! You left one of them on the floor and I saw my life flash before my eyes when I stepped on it and nearly fell! No funny business in my office!", you joked.

"Does that mean we can't play Jenga and talk about my feelings? How dare you do that to me, woman?", Lando dramatised.

.

The first night of the week Max and Pietra would be spending in Monaco arrived quickly, and while the full day of sessions certainly kept your mind away from all of it, you found yourself at the door of your boyfriend's apartment waiting for him to get it.

"Hello, beautiful", Lando greeted as soon as he saw you, kissing your lips before letting you in, "let me take these", he said as he grabbed your bag and your coat.

"Thank you, I'm sorry I'm a bit late but the last session ran a bit longer than I expexted", you apologised, smoothing over your jeans and checking how you looked in the mirror - after the day you had, you couldn't expect much but you were pleasantly surprised that your hair was still bouncy and forgoing makeup was probably a good idea because you would have smudged it by now.

"You look beautiful as always, Y/N", Lando grabbed your attention, "and don't worry, take out is late too so you don't need to feel bad", he assured, guiding you with him to the living room where the noise was coming from.

"Guys, this is Y/N", Lando announced as they both welcomed you warmly, quickly asking you questions and letting you join in, preparing a drink for you.

"I'm usually heavy handed, but this one is proper, Y/N", he offered you before you took a sip, "I can fix a different one though!".

"It's good, it's good - hits the spot very nicely", you smiled, taking another sip before engaging in conversation.

When the food arrived, Lando asked you to join him in the kitchen to help him plate everything up and bring it to the dining table, opting to use the door closest to it so it would be easier.

As you crossed rhe hallway, you overheard Max and Pietra talking.

“Do you think it works?”, Pietra asked, “I mean, they seem happy, but Lando’s… well, Lando".

Max shrugged, “He’s crazy about her. Age doesn’t matter, does it? But yeah, never thought he’d settle, at least not like this".

You felt a small knot form in your stomach, but before you could dwell on it, Lando appeared at your side, his familiar warmth instantly reassuring as he placed his hand on the small of your back, “You alright?” he asked, noticing the brief flicker of uncertainty in your eyes.

“Yeah", you smiled, deciding in that moment that the security you had together was worth navigating any doubts from others.

As the evening continued, you noticed Max and P exchanging skeptical glances across the table - they're were known for their protective nature over Lando, Max is his bestfriend, so they are particularly wary of anyone close to their beloved friend.

Over the clinking of silverware and hum of conversations, Max finally spoke up, his tone casual but inquisitive, "so, how’s it really going, being with a guy who practically lives on a racetrack?”.

You felt Lando's reassuring nudge beneath the table, prompting you to respond with honesty, "It's definitely something else. Racing is such a demanding world, but we find balance by making time for each other away from it all. So far, it has worked out well".

P leaned back, observing the dynamic between the you, "there must be a lot of pressure, especially with so many eyes watching your every move".

Lando chimed in before you could respond, "Y/N handles it like a champ. Honestly, she’s the calm in my storm", he said, his eyes filled with admiration for you. There wasn't a day that you didn't handle it gracefully, whether it was a fan wanting to take a photo or a reporter wanting to know more than you allowed.

Max and P exchanged another look, this time softer and less guarded - little by little, they began to see what Lando meant by his earlier assurance that you kept him grounded.

As dinner progressed, the conversation turned to shared stories, with Lando guiding the discussion to include moments from your relationship - your mutual love for travel, how you introduced him to the joy of quiet moments, and even shared a humorous tale of your early dates, laughter erupting when he recounted an incident involving mistaking your office with the one next to yours, Lando accidentally entering the lawyer's waiting room with a massive bouquet of flowers and passes to golf.

Max's initial skepticism gradually melted away as he watched you interact. Lando's attentiveness was unmistakable - how he would lean in to catch your words over the din of conversations, or how his eyes crinkled in genuine amusement at your stories. He noticed how effortless and natural your connection seemed, a seamless blend of companionship and partnership.

By the time dessert came around, Pietra seemed convinced, "Alright, alright. I can see what everyone’s been talking about. You both really seem to understand each other in a way that's rare".

"You say that like we don't!", Max complained.

"Shut it, Max, you know what I mean", she mumbled.

Feeling the warmth of acceptance flood the room, Lando laid his hand over yours on the table, grinning with relief and contentment, "Told you she was amazing,” he said, playfully raising his eyebrows.

Max chuckled, raising his glass, "Okay, I admit defeat, I'm not sure we are like this!".

It was in that moment that you realized, the whispers of doubt that had once lingered were no match for the clarity of Lando’s affection. Together, you were creating a narrative all your own, one that defied stereotypes and embraced your unique bond.

.

As the days passed after the gathering, the glow of being surrounded by Lando’s friends began to fade, replaced by the nagging unease that had settled in your mind. You found yourself replaying the conversations from that night, the laughter, the glances, and especially Max's comment, which you still couldn’t quite shake off despite the way the night ended.

One evening, after a long day at work, filled with sessions and schedule arrangements thanks to the flu season, you sat on the sofa, scrolling through social media.

Your heart sank as you stumbled upon a headline featuring Lando. The article speculated about his relationships and how he was often deemed the ultimate bachelor, writing that they believed he wasn't about to change his ways. The more you read, the harder it became to ignore your worries.

Later that night, Lando arrived from his photoshoot, his laughter echoing as he stepped through you door. He instantly brightened the room with his presence, but you struggled to muster so much as a smile.

“Hey! Long day?”, he asked, tilting his head slightly, concern etched across his features as he took a good look at you.

“Just tired", you replied with a half truth. As you settled down, you felt the weight of the unspoken words pressing on your chest, knowing that sooner or later they would find their way out.

“Is everything okay?”, Lando probed, sensing the shift in your mood. Even when you had a bad day, the reception he got wasn't like this.

You hesitated, your thoughts swirling, Do you ever think about what people say… about us?”.

Lando paused, confusion washing over his face, "What do you mean?”.

“I don’t know,” you sighed, looking down, "Like, the way the media talks about you. Or how your friends might see us. What if they don’t accept me? They might think I’m not right for you… for your image".

Lando’s expression shifted from confusion to concern, “Why would you think that?”.

“Because it’s true!”, you almost spat, frustration bubbling to the surface, "You’re this young, popular and successful Formula One driver, and I’m just… well, me. What if they think I’m just an older woman trying to latch onto your fame? What if they don’t see how happy we are?”.

“Stop it", he said gently, but firmly, “you’re not ‘just’ anything, or someone. You’re incredible, and I’m with you because I want to be. Age is just a number and it doesn’t define how meaningful our relationship is, not to me and it shouldn't be to anyone".

But your doubts resurfaced, relentless as you continued with your voice rising with each word, “But what if your family doesn’t feel the same? What if they think I’m not good enough for their sweet boy? I just… I can't help but overthink it. I love you, and I’m terrified of losing you".

Lando stepped closer, taking your hands in his and grounding you with his touch, something you explained to him early on that worked wonders for you, “I can’t control what others think, but my family will see how happy you make me. They care about my happiness, not just some number or date".

“But what if they don’t?”, you whispered, your voice trembling. Over the years, you could remember the times where you told patients exactly that, that their mind was looking for survival so that's where it took them.

“They will!", Lando stated, his grip tightening slightly, “Look, it’s not going to be like this forever. People talk, and yes, media can be ruthless, but what matters is how we feel about each other. And I feel lucky to have you in my life. Please trust that, my love".

You looked for reassurance in his eyes as slowly his words began to soothe the turmoil, but the fear was still there, lurking just beneath the surface.

“I just don’t want to complicate things for you", you said softly.

Lando brushed his fingers against your cheek, a gentle smile breaking through your anxiety, "you’re not complicating things. You’re adding to my life in a way I never knew I needed. Can we just take this one step at a time together?”.

Lando pulled you into a warm embrace, and for a moment, the weight on your heart lightened. Taking a deep breath, you reminded yourself to stay in the moment and be there.

“I’ll try", you finally spoke against his shoulder, feeling comfort in his unwavering support.

“I promise I'm not going anywhere", he whispered back, wrapping you tighter in his arms, "we’re in this together".

"Thank you", you mumbled, pecking his lips softly.

"You don't ever need to thank me, not for stuff like this or anything else, we're in this together, lovie", Lando kissed your forehead, "besides, if you ever dump me, I'll have to find a good psychologist to help me through it and you're the best one, so that's another valid point for us to stay together", he chuckled, wanting to get a giggle out of you.

Smiling when he succeeded, Lando squeezed you tighter against him, "never doubt that we were meant to be, Y/N, never".

[relicsongmel]

Iris, Miles, and their mutual "secret"

The Ace Attorney fandom is no stranger to discussions of homoerotic subtext in the game's script—pretty much everyone who's spent more than five seconds here will be able to tell you that. Screenshots of lines that imply romantic tension between same-gender characters are all over the place, to the point that many fans are drawn to the series purely by its reputation as "the gay lawyer game." Some scenes are more well-known than others, but one I find brought up fairly regularly is this conversation between Miles and Iris:

This is optional dialogue that can be triggered by presenting incorrect evidence on Iris' Psyche-Lock during the Investigation portion of Bridge to the Turnabout. The argument here is that the "secret" Iris is referring to is the same as her own: that being, a romantic interest in Phoenix Wright. Which is definitely hilarious when you consider that Iris has known Miles for less than a day and she's already reading him for filth (granted, she could have been clued in by the similarly infamous "indispensable friend" line, and she's also exceptionally good at reading people despite Miles thinking otherwise). As a Narumitsu shipper myself I am not immune to enjoying that interpretation; however, I feel like there's a lot of nuance in this scene that isn't often addressed by the fandom at large. Which is unfortunate because watering it down to just Iris calling out Miles for being the gayass he is (to be fair. she's not wrong) does a MASSIVE disservice to both of their characters, and I'll explain why.

My bone to pick with the usual analysis of this scene is mostly centered around the larger conversation to be had regarding the treatment of female characters in fandom spaces. All too often they tend to play second fiddle to the male characters, and a similar principle holds true for ships with their canonical male love interests: mostly ignored in favor of the the more popular M/M ship(s). At best these women are sidelined, at worse they are flattened into wingmen for the boys (as is frequently the case with many AA girls and Narumitsu, Iris included), and at the absolute worst they are demonized for their perceived "competition" with whatever gay ship is most popular and therefore the Only Valid One for the male characters involved (as exemplified by some very "passionate" fans that I generally try to avoid interacting with). Whenever this scene gets brought up, the focus is almost always exclusively on Miles and what the interaction says about his relationship with Phoenix; Iris is only relevant insofar as she's the one initiating Miles' Homosexual Moment™—you could replace her with almost any other character and there'd be a similar level of neglect for their role in the interaction. Only very rarely will you see attention given to what Iris' question about Miles' secret means when she is the one asking it, and what it can tell us about her relationship with Miles/what she thinks of him, and vice versa (absolutely wild how even Miles himself is often flanderized despite being the fandom's golden child). It's all too characteristic of the systemic misogyny that has plagued fandom since its inception, which is deeply frustrating to me as someone who adores Iris as much as I do (if that wasn't obvious by now). So that said, let's dive deeper into what I think the missing link is here: namely, the Iris-Miles dynamic as it pertains to their relation to Phoenix.

Iris and Miles is one of my favorite relationships to explore in the whole series—but as I've described above, unfortunately a lot of people get it wrong in my opinion. Discussion about the two is frequently centered around Narumitsu Love Drama—which is a conversation worth having, don't get me wrong—but the elements at play there aren't always represented the way I envision them, which again, is frustrating. Take the idea of potential jealousy, for instance: it's pretty standard love triangle fare that can be (and often is) quickly turned into demonization when it's used in a shipping context, character assassination be damned (re: Narumitsu fanfic authors that project their personal dislike of Feenris onto Miles via his jealousy of Iris and/or how they tend to portray Iris unfavorably). However, it's not inherently a bad thing to explore: personally, I do believe that there is mutual jealousy between the two of them. Miles might not have the full context of Iris' history when this conversation takes place, but he's emotionally intelligent enough to pick up on what Iris means to Phoenix, and vice versa. And him being a jealous hoe about it isn't out of the question when you consider that he's a bit of a loner by nature and doesn't have many close friends or outlets for socialization outside of his job. The crucial element that's sometimes missed, though, is that Miles not only lacks the self-awareness to realize he's a jealous hoe...he's also a self-sabotaging jealous hoe.

And the same can be said for Iris, who is similarly introverted and doesn't often leave her home at Hazakura Temple.

The whole reason Miles is peering into Iris' heart in the first place can be found in this exchange, after he breaks her Psyche-Lock:

Miles uses the Magatama in order to gain the answers he needs to bring the truth to light and get Iris acquitted, and he does so for the express purpose of reuniting her with Phoenix so they can find closure—in fact, he reiterates this to her multiple times. He obviously recognizes how Phoenix is suffering from what happened between them (I'd argue he sympathizes with Iris' plight as well) and has resolved to do what he can to help him heal, but there's no reason for him to be so insistent that she rectify things with Phoenix when it does nothing but harm his own chances with him. Unless, of course...that's the whole point.

To convince Iris to reveal her secret so he doesn't have to face his own, because he thinks himself undeserving.

And Iris, noticing this because she empathizes with that feeling of unworthiness, calls him out on it in an almost uncharacteristically forward manner when she asks him what he's hiding.

Takes one to know one, indeed.

Iris highly respects Miles for taking on her defense despite the risk to his job as a prosecutor. She's willing to trust him after hearing he's a friend of Phoenix, hearing him out and letting him reason with her. She still keeps her cards close to her chest in some regards, but she's more honest with him than she's been with anyone else in her life apart from her sister. She sees his commitment to the truth and how it starkly contrasts with how she's lived her life to this point, and thinks that this is the type of partner Phoenix deserves—not someone like her, who only knows how to survive using lies and deception. She sees so much strength in him but still recognizes the insecurity lurking beneath his tenacity, which is why when he falters in his logic, she takes a leap of faith and gives him one last chance to examine his reasons for pushing the burden of his unspoken affections onto her, as if to say: "Look in the mirror. Is this really for me? Or is it for you? Do you really seek the truth for its own sake, or do you merely hope to find one truth so you might run from another?"

Her question to Miles is a gamble—a coin flip of self-sacrifice. If she loses and he presses on, she has to face the secret within her heart she's been suppressing for five years. But if she wins and he gives in to the truth in his, she has to live the rest of her life watching it unfold and knowing she threw away her chance to finally stop living in fear of her own love.

Either way, there's no escaping heartache for her anymore.

Miles and Iris both want what's best for Phoenix and prioritize their vision of his feelings over their own. However, they are also both deeply emotionally repressed people who find difficulty in being direct with their feelings, and are predisposed to self-sabotage due to childhood trauma. These tendencies may manifest in different ways for both of them, but the fact remains that such people would likely not compete for a person's affection in the traditional sense, which is exactly what we see with how Iris and Miles deflect their feelings for Phoenix. These selfless, lovestruck idiots toss that man around like a game of hot-potato because their mutual self-hatred for the ways they've harmed him has rendered them terrified of the reality of what he means to them, and desperate to find a way out of admitting to it. It's the most compelling explanation I can think of for why the usually unassuming Iris makes such a bold judgment about what Miles might be keeping locked away, and why Miles goes to such lengths to make sure she talks to Phoenix and tells him the truth—his agreement to defend her was conditional on that exact promise. They go through this whole song-and-dance of playing wingman to ignore their own feelings while still trying to bring Phoenix the happiness they think he deserves—and then they wonder why seeing Phoenix give the other one attention burns them up inside.

Because they’re dumb. And I love them.

TL;DR the Iris Psyche-Lock scene in BttT is so much more than just "haha Miles gay" and I wish people talked about it more. Also Iris and Miles are way more similar than they appear at first glance and if I think about it for too long it makes me physically ill thank you for coming to my TED talk

[gojo-enthusiast]

Changed Man Series — Ryomen Sukuna — master list

notes: eighteen+ || short series || NSFW ||

“Shoko is needed at the Kyoto school, I am bringing in a replacement.” Yaga informed the two special grade teachers, Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto.

“Someone who also uses RCT? They must be a special one.” Satoru jokes, nudging Suguru’s arm. “Behave Satoru, Shoko only dealt with your behavior due to history, don’t make me have to reprimand you.” Yaga scoffed, turning around. “Ohhhh come on, I’m only playing. Tell me, who is the special RCT user?” Gojo chuckled.

“Hello, I am y/n y/l/n. I will be your leading physician here. Please call me y/n.” You said with a perky smile. You had mid back tenth curly hair that you had pinned half of it up with a claw clip. “You aren’t from here?” Suguru half questioned. “You are correct, I am from the states, but I was raised in Tokyo as a child, when my father came here for work.” You smiled lightly, turning towards your work computer, reading over the students charts, to become familiar with what you would be working with.

“So we have Suguru Geto, Satoru Gojo, and Atsuya Kusakabe as the teachers here at Jujutsu High?” You questioned. “Yes, the greatest and strongest.” Satoru boasted. You nodded, not acknowledging his comment.

“Kento Nanami I see is one of the curse users who is sent out on missions… and… Ryomen Sukuna?” You questioned. “Yes, but Ryomen goes by Sukuna Itadori.” Suguru corrects. Which instantly peaked your interest immediately. “Why is that?” You ask. “He no longer is a c-“ Satoru starts before he was interrupted by a strong presence.

“I would reckon you do not speak of my choices with a mere stranger, Satoru.” The tall pink haired man said, as he walked into the clinic. “Sukunaaaaa!” Satoru cooed. “Ieiri told me to refrain from using RCT and receive it from a physician, so get goin’ Satoru.” Sukuna waved off Satoru. “What about Suguru? You only shoo me away!” He cries out dramatically. “Oh let’s go Satoru.” Suguru smiles softly, urging his best friend out of the door.

“Good morning Itadori-San, what can I do for you today?” You question. “Sukuna.” He plainly says, extending his arm that a huge gash came to view. “Oh dear. How did this happen?” You questioned, placing your hands on the wound. “Not sure, just happened. So you the new Doc here?” He questioned. “I am.”

Sukuna stayed in the clinic for a few minutes, asking you where you were from and your reasoning for coming to Jujutsu High. He did not say much to your responses, simple nods, and then eventually he stood up, stretching his arm then yawning. “Before you go, I have a couple questions from your chart.” You said, as he was getting up to go.

“What?” He said with another yawn. “Here in your chart, it doesn’t have date of birth, and then on this page, you came in due to damage on your 3 arm, unless I am going crazy, I only see two.” You looked over at him, questioning the notes. “Don’t worry too much about it doll.” He waved, then walking out the clinic door.

It had been 3 weeks since your last encounter with Sukuna, you eventually met the students, the main one you saw in your clinic often, being Yuuji Itadori, Sukuna’s nephew.

“Miss. Y/n!” Yuuji sang as he walked in through the clinic doors. But this time, Sukuna was holding him up by his hoodie, and sitting him on the table. “Yuuji… What is it this time?” You sigh, but patting the young boy on the head. “I broke my leg.” He sighed with a slight nervous chuckle. “I was going to heal him myself, but he insisted I brought him here instead.” Sukuna rolled his eyes. “Why is that?” You looked over at Yuuji. “Well if this guy would stop asking me about you, and work up the balls to ask himself, I would have to do such dang—“ At that point, Sukuna had covered his mouth, his red eyes bulging from his head, from fury. “Shut up boy.” Sukuna said through gritted teeth. Yuuji nodded frantically, and nervously laughed, his neck all the way to his ears getting bright red. You hadn’t realized, that you yourself had also grown red. You fixed Yuuji up, and he went sprinting out the door.

“Don’t take his childish behavior to heart.” Sukuna rubbed his neck, looking away from you. “Is it true?” You questioned, quickly swallowing your pride and nervousness. “Is what true?” He tried to play off, with a smirk. “Oh, you men. Smug as ever.” You roll your eyes, turning back to your computer. “Hey hey hey.” He said, turning your chair to him. “I’m not all men, do not compare me to men like Satoru.” He huffed, looking a lot younger with his pouty face. “Look, you have a cute face, just wanna get to know ya’” He huffed out. You felt your face burn, you covered your face, feeling yourself melting at this mans calloused yet soft tone. “Okay.” You said, looking over at him, he had a slight blush to his cheeks. “Alright, well… I’ll see you… later.” He coughed, walking out the door, leaving you speechless and confused.

“Boy, I could ring your neck.” Sukuna hisses to his nephew. “I got you a shot though!” Yuuji jumps up and down, smiling. “She’s beautiful too.” Yuuji pokes at his uncle. “Oh hush.” Sukuna flicks his forehead. After a long pause, and them walking down the hall. “You aren’t wrong though.” Causing Yuuji to lift his head up and smile big.

“Oh Sukuna, what are you doing here? I just closed up. Are you injured?” You questioned looking up at the calloused man. That’s when it came to view, he moved his arm from behind his back, handing you a bouquet of Tulips. “It’s later, isn’t it?” He questioned, looking away. You smiled, as you took the flowers and nuzzled your face into them. “These are beautiful, they’re my favorite.” You smiled, hugging the flowers. He felt his shoulders relax and he looked down at your emerald green eyes dazzling at the flowers. “They aren’t that great, I could’ve done better.” He huffed. “No no, these are beautiful. I’ve never gotten flowers before.” You smiled.

“Well… I will leave you to it.” He said, turning around to walk away. “Wait—“ You stopped him, grabbing him by his wrist. “I have lasagna soup in the crock pot right now. Would you like to… maybe come over and have dinner?” You questioned. “Okay.” He said after a second to process what you just asked him. “I’ll drive us.” He waved at you to follow him. You followed behind him, feeling your heart beat a little harder and faster, which he definitely heard.

“So Y/n, how old are ya?” He questioned, as he sat on the couch, drinking the glass of red, you had just handed him. “24... and you?” That was when Sukuna chuckled. “You really aren’t gon’ let that one go will ya?” He questioned, leaning back into the couch. “I mean… It is only fair that you answer my questions.” You chuckled. He set his glass down, looking at you with eyes you have never seen before. “You wanna know?” He questioned again, you nodded, feeling your arms get goosebumps, at the chill in the air, your cheeks lightly reddening due to the alcohol. “1125.” He said finally, you felt your mouth grow dry, and light gasp came out. “H-how?” You questioned. The rumble that came out of his throat had set you back, making him laugh even more. “Oh you innocent thing, if you only knew. But that’s not how the game works, it’s my turn to ask a question.” He chucked. “That’s no fair!” You groaned.

You two had spent the night getting to know one another, yet the question that stayed in the front of your mind, lingered— But being curious could push him away, and with the way his thumb was tracing circles on your knee where you had a faint scar on, was making you think twice about asking that question. “What happened here?” He traced over the scar. “Oh, um.. well.. I— well, here the thing… I umm…” You stumbled on your words. “Hey, not yet. Tell me later.” He smiled softly, which made something inside of you tingle. “We all have things that are hard to talk about.” He brushed your curl behind your ear. “I do love these curls, they fit you.” Your neck had goosebumps, you wanted more, needed more. “What’s goin on in that beautiful head of yours?” Sukuna questioned. You sat there, thinking about what to say, but nothing would come out, until you felt his lips on yours. Your eyes slowly drifted close, along with his, you felt his hand grip your waist and pull you closer to him. His lips detached, a string of saliva connecting you two. “Sukuna…” you huffed, placing your head on his chest and breathing in his scent. “You have had me captivated since the moment I laid eyes on you.” He said into your ear. “I want to see you… More…” He confessed. “And not as my physician.” He added. Your cheeks burned brightly, making him chuckle as he lifted your head and pecked your cheek.

“Is this how you pulled women back in your day?” You giggled. He scoffed, letting a guttural laugh come out. “Oh you think you have jokes huh?” He laughed, as he latched his lips back onto yours.

You hadn’t realized what time it was, the two of you fell asleep around 4 in the morning, you two had spent hours laughing, and telling one another stories of the life as a sorcerer, and he told you a bit about his relationship with Yuuji. You eventually had laid your head on his chest, and had fallen asleep.

First date with Sukuna wasn’t as scary as you assumed it would be.

A month later—

“Miss. Y/N.” Megumi called for you in an almost rushed breath. “Yes Megumi?” You flicked an eyebrow up. “It’s Itadori-San!” He rushed you out the clinic and onto the grounds of the high school. “Come one Sukuna, it was all a joke!” Satoru said, as Sukuna was forcing himself into Gojo’s barrier. But this was not the Sukuna you grew to know, this was a seven foot, 4 armed, 4 eyed monster. “We will see how many jokes you have left when I am done shredding you apart.” He growled. “What’s going on?” You asked Suguru, your eyes flicking between Suguru, and the two sorcerers fighting.

“Satoru pissed Sukuna off… again…” He said with a low chuckle. “What did he say?” You questioned, getting more and more worried at the sight in front of you. “Satoru said you had baby making hips. Because you, you know. You’re curvy, with a little waist.” He rubbed his neck, trying not to look at you. “I! What? Why would he say such a thing out loud?” You blushed, feeling embarrassment at such a brazen comment, and the way Suguru said it so casually. “He was trying to poke at Sukuna since Yuuji, accidentally spilt the beans of you and Sukuna’s little dates.” He said, looking over at the two men.

“That’s Sukuna’s true form, he only uses his true form during special grade missions, and… well… against Satoru.” He chuckled.

“Uncle Sukuna, come on, let’s just gooooo.” Yuuji cries out. Your feet move before your mind catches up, you find yourself move and walk towards this battle, finally stepping closer to Sukuna, appearing in front of him from the side. “Hey Suku?” You smiled, and a small wave. His bottom eye from the side you were standing turned to look at you, as his other 3 were still on Gojo, his fangs much longer and noticeable in this form. You thought this would terrify you, but it actually made you find comfort in such a vulnerable form.

“I know you’re upset, it’s only valid. But I don’t want you to get in trouble., If Yaga finds out, you and Satoru will pay for the consequences. We can’t let the higher ups find out.” You slowly walked closer to him. “Hey Y/n, I wouldn’t do that, he isn’t in the right state of mind!” Gojo walked up closer. You did not care one bit, you walked up to Sukuna completely, lacing your fingers with the third extra arm, and nuzzling your face into his palm. You watched how his face softened, and he closed his eyes. He lightly pushed you aside, as smoke filled up around you, and when it disappeared, there he was, two armed, two eyed, 6.3 Sukuna.

“Hi there.” You smiled, hugging him. “Hello.” He huffed, pulling you into his embrace. “Satoru, the next time I hear something stupid like that come out of your mouth again, I am ripping your head right off, and eating it.” He hissed, pointing his finger at him. “Oh yes Lord Ryomen Sukuna.” He bowed, with a chuckle. “Satoru, how many death wishes do you have today?” Suguru nudged him to go inside.

“You okay?” You smiled, as you looked up at the pink haired man. He nodded, walking you back to clinic.

You heard a lock on the door, as you stepped into clinic and sat down. He had seen it, he had seen exactly what Satoru had been saying… Those hips, that waist, your breast that were perfectly round in the scrub top you were wearing. The way your scrub bottoms hugged your behind so perfectly, but the strings to tighten were so long from how much you had to get it to fit your waist. He was seeing the perverted things Satoru was spewing, egging Sukuna on, on purpose. “Sukuna?” You questioned. “You… You’re so beautiful.” He groaned, covering his face with his hand. But his eyes were still looking at you in pure agony. “T-thank you.” You blushed. “You… Your skin, is… soft, and god… your hips are… fucking mesmerizing.” He turned away from you, you saw the way his neck blushed bright, it only made the heat between your legs throb. “God, I can smell your arousal from over here, I can hear it pulsating.” He groaned, as he grasped his clothed cock, and squeezed it lightly. “Sukuna…” You quietly said. He whipped his head around, and stared at you intensely. “Do. Do you want to come over after I… get off.” You blushed. He did not know how he had not exploded or came in his own pants after hearing such an innocent yet filthy thing come out of your mouth. “Y-yeah.” He gulped, as he turned back around, unlocked the door, and walked out. That was when you finally could catch your breath, and that was when Sukuna rushed to the nearest empty room, to relieve such an ache.

Finally it was five, and you started to lock up the clinic, turning on your heels to get home.

Sukuna: I got pulled into a mission, I should be done in 30. — 4:38PM

You: I am going to head home, I’m making pork dumplings and spicy ramen tonight :) — 5:02PM


Sukuna: Save me some, I’m leaving now. — 5:03PM

You locked your phone, and walking out the school doors. It didn’t take you long to get home, when you did arrive home, you showered, and put on some loose fitted straight cut jeans, fuzzy socks, and a grey t shirt. You felt yourself tense, and nervous, this wasn’t the first time he was coming over. But it was the first time in the month that you and Sukuna had been talking, that he had a raging boner for you, and even could sense you were aroused. The goosebumps perked up on your arms, and you felt your nipples begin to form into a pebble. You let out a small moan, as your heat was aching for something you have never had before. That was when you heard the knock at your door. You straightened your apron and opened the door, and there he was, in all of his glory- freshly showered, Black t-shirt, with blue jeans, and a gold chain around his neck. He smelt of pinewood body cleanser and some soft yet expensive smelling cologne.

“Hi.” You said quieter than what you intended, “Hey.” He said as you let him in, and he took off his shoes. “Smells good.” He said, he was meaning you and what was between your legs, but you wouldn’t know that… yet.

“Oh thank you, I’m almost finished.” You smiled, tucking your curls behind your ear, as you moved yourself back to this kitchen to finish up cooking. “Are you hungry?” You questioned, stirring the ramen, that was about finished. “Um… I… am not. I ate before I left for my mission. But I will be hungry…” He said, feeling himself grow awkward, and his eyes moving from you and the bedroom door. “That’s okay, I’ve been sampling the food while cooking, so I am actually kind of full.” You chuckled, that was when you felt it, the man behind you, grabbing your waist, and nuzzling his head in the crook of your neck, “Hi there.” You turned to look at him, and kissed his forehead gently. “You okay?” You rubbed one of his hands/arm that was wrapped around your waist. “I am hungry… Just… Not for that kind of food.” He kissed lightly on your neck, licking one spot in particular, that made the hairs on you rise. “Oh…” You moaned lightly. “May I?” He whispered in your ear, earning a nod from you. You felt his hand go from under your apron, and unbutton your jeans, he rubbed your belly lightly, making the peach fuzz rise as well. He began to slide his hands down into your clothed heat, going past your underwear, and placing the pads of his fingers on your slit, drawing a moan from you. “You are drenched…” He groaned, dipping his finger inside, running your clit in circles almost immediately. “Oh… Oh…” You moaned in a hush tone, arching into his chest, throwing your head against his chest. He took this as an opportunity to lean down and latch his lips onto yours. “Suku—“ You moaned into his mouth, as his fingers pick up speed. “Hmm? What is it baby?” He cooed, now sucking on your neck, leaving is mark. “It’s my first— ugh… oh gosh… time.” You moaned loudly, placing your hands on the counter top to brace yourself. He was in shock to hear that, wanting to pull his hand out immediately to do this properly, you felt his hesitation, so you placed your hand on his that was deep in your cunt. “Please don’t stop… s-so good.” You moaned, he picked up speed once again, leaning down and biting on the nape of your neck. “Oh.. I’m… fuck…” You moaned out, feeling your arousal seep out from deep within you. When you turned to look at Sukuna, his eyes were blazing, his pupils were dilated, he was breathing heavy. You watched him turn off the stove, and lift you up. “Bedroom… We… are… going.. to the… bedroom… let me taste you.” He groaned and said between kisses, he had take the apron off of you, along with your shirt. You pulled at his shirt, and with a swift tug, it was off. You saw the way his muscles flexed in the floor length mirror in your bedroom.

Sukuna pulled your jeans off, pulling your underwear along with it, making you cover your lower regions immediately. You heard a tear, he had tore your bra right off. “I’ll buy you a new one, I’ll buy you whatever you want, just please move your hands.” He groaned, humping into the mattress. He had his head between your legs almost right away, pushing your hands away, diving in with his tongue into your warm sweet heat, that he had been craving since the moment the words “baby making hips” came out of Satoru’s mouth. “Fuck.” He groaned into your cunt. “Taste fucking amazing.” He said with a growl, holding your “baby making” hips. “Fuck I could just fuck this thighs, fuck these hips, fuck this beautiful pussy.” He groaned, as he continued to make out with your cunt. “Oh my…” You moaned, your back arching as you tugged at his pink hair, and gasped at this impending orgasm that was creeping in. “Baby…” You moaned, feeling his tongue thrust in and out of you, then replaced it with two fingers, stretching you out. “Oh oh oh wait.” You moaned, feeling like something in your stomach was about to fucking snap. and… it did, you came onto his fingers, and he slurped you up like you were that ramen you made for dinner. Your face was flushed, and your breast were swollen from the other hand tugging and groping at them, as he ravished your cunt. “Fuck… That was…” You say, covering your face. “That was the best meal, I’ve had in 1000 years.” He groaned, unzipping his pants, letting them drop to the ground, you sat up on your elbows, and your eyes widened as the huge bulge from his boxers. He finally pulled them down, letting his thick, 9 inch cock spring up, and slap his stomach, as pre cum leaked out. You watched him as he stroked himself, torturing himself, he began to coat his cock in your juices, running his cock through your soaking wet folds. “Suku…” you moaned, embarrassed at such a sound coming from your womanly regions, you didn’t even know your body could make those kinds of noises. “Sukuna, wait wait.” You pushed at his chest, his eyes flicked to you, worried. “Listen…” You felt a lump in your throat. “Shh— what’s wrong?” He caressed the side of your face, this was not a sight that most would see of Sukuna, he was vulgar, he was smart mouthed, he was an asshole, bad attitude, and cocky, but with you… He was someone else, he felt as if he finally found his purpose. “I’ve… never done this… I have been waiting…” You said softly, looking down at your hands. “I don’t want to just be someone you have a night with…” You confess, feeling yourself swallow your pride. “Hey.” Sukuna grabbed you lightly by your chin. “I want you… Okay? All my eyes, they are all for you. Alright?” He said, pecking your nose, then your lips. You smiled, you both stayed still for a second, until your hand started trailing up his leg, to the throbbing member right between his legs. “This is intimating for a first time.” You whispered into his ear as you lightly started stroking his cock. You hear him growl in your ear, then with a raspy voice he says “You’re mine.”

Grabbing you by the back of your neck, he smashed his lips onto yours. “No one else’s.” He said very matter of a fact. “Yes My Lord.” You whispered into his ear, knowing this was going to set him off, you wanted to see him fall apart, you wanted to see the real Sukuna come out, you wanted to be the only woman he would destroy, and make you new again. “Fuck!” He groaned, as his cock twitched despite not being touched. “putt’n it in. its going t’ hurt a little.” He said, kissing your temple. “Hold on to me baby.” He added as he put the tip of his aching cock into your heat. You felt the stretch already, groaning at it. He continued to push each inch, until he felt the string that was getting to your hymen snap. He stayed still as tears prickled and your nails dug into his back, which he could easily heal himself, but these were scars he was going to hold proudly. When he looked down, he had fully bottomed out into you, as he pulled out slightly, he saw how blood coated his cock, along with your arousal. “Oh fuck…” he moaned. “W-what…” You moaned painfully. “I, ‘m sorry, your… hymen broke…” He moaned. “I’m sorry.” You began to cry, feeling like you did something wrong. “Shhh… Baby it’s okay…” He cooed, kissing your lips, and praising you. “I’m a sick man, blood on my cock is only wanting me to fuck you harder and faster. It just means… You’re all mine.” He kissed your lips once again, pulling out lightly, and pushing back in. You moaned out, but this time it was more pleasure than pain. “Imma speed up.” you nodded. He thrusted into you faster, and deeper, making your breath heavy and it became harder to breathe, “Such a good girl.” He said into your ear, which made you moan loudly, who would have known, praise was one of your love languages.

“I’m gon’ show everyone that you are all mine. Litter you with my heir.” He groaned, feeling his hips slap faster into you. “Oh… Sukuna…” you moaned, scratching his back. “You’re all mine now, ya hear me?” He said as he looked straight into yours, as you nodded. “Cum, cum on my cock.” He groaned, his thrust getting sloppy, he started rubbing your hypersensitive clit with his finger, and that was it for you, as he shot thick white ropes of his seed into you, you were gushing yours right onto his cock, as well as it leaking onto your sheets.

He lied on top of you for a minute, his cock softening inside of you, he had never truly felt that satisfied, until that very moment. He lifted himself off of you, and flopped onto his side, pulled you into his embrace, and throwing a blanket over the both of you. “Marry me.” He whispered into your ear. “What?” You snapped. “Shh, lay down with me.” He cooed, placing your head on his chest. “Marry me. I’ll take care of you…” Sukuna ran his fingers through your curls. “I’ll be good to you. Promise.” He said lightly. You stayed silent for a couple of seconds, until you finally said. “Sukuna... I can’t believe I’m saying this… If you promise you aren’t going anywhere, ever… Then I’m all yours… Yes Suku.” You smiled and giggled. That was when you saw it, the tent under the blanket. “Looks like we have to commemorate this moment.” He chuckled, as he flipped you over and whispered into your ear, “Now this is how a bitch in heat gets her puppies.”

[bitchnojutsu]

okay HI i came back to this!! amazing work chandu i will be rereading this forever and ever and consulting it moving forward. you’re so right and should keep saying it; these are the things that stand out to me that i would love to scream about together:

- tenten def notices other people’s looks but is overall more drawn by what she thinks is cool about them. there’s another post about tenten’s style and characterization that i really like which emphasizes tenten’s lack of overt femininity, and i think tenten wants to be recognized - more than for her appearance; maybe more than anything, at some point, to a degree - as cool herself. tenten doesn’t want or have a ton of power (even socially, i’d argue), but she positions herself in the sphere of it. her icon is a “legendary kunoichi” and the fifth hokage. she bemoans her sensei and teammate frequently for being cringe in her vicinity. the one thing she can do that is really cool - carry any size or quantity of anything, anywhere - gets completely dismissed as “convenient” by lee and neji during their chunin exams in suna, and we saw how that affected tenten’s morale.

- on that point, hell, her entire friendship with neji: her bestie is a bully victim neglected child prodigy from a prominent and revered clan, set up in the first chunin exams as The Kid To Beat, and just like you pointed out, tenten was right at his side for that entire month between prelims and finals. also, i want to emphasize what you said about tenten being the mouthpiece during the finals: her whole interlude where she’s giving exposition to the viewers like us bragging on neji’s abilities? tenten isn’t speaking out loud to anyone. she’s just smirking to herself and staring down at the arena, thinking about how neji is so talented and so well prepared and so strong and so cool.

- re: tenten being one of those people you find yourself accidentally saying too much to. that has to be how her actual friendship with neji started tbh. and i think it was clan related, hence why we got tenten’s close up reaction among hiashi’s and hiruzen’s when neji started his lore dump. like you suggested, she already knew.

- tenten’s friendships with her teammates are notably different but consistent. like i think neji is her best friend and rock lee is her brother. (i’m getting a little ahead of myself, but tenten’s relationship to her teammates is what sakura’s would look like with her teammates if we removed sakura’s crush on sasuke and naruto’s crush on sakura)

- the databook stats have zero consistency but is anyone surprised lmao

- TENTEN DOES DID NOT LIKE HINATA. (we’re veering into headcanon territory, but especially after *certain events* toward the end of shippuden, regardless of everything else, y’all think tenten likes hinata now??)

- for reasons you already explained i also think tenten has complicated feelings about sakura. i’ve mentioned in a few of my own posts that i see team 7 and team gai as foils for each other, pairing tenten and sakura in that manner, which is giving me even more thoughts in this context. obviously they get along well enough, they seem to respect each other, but i’m considering tenten’s self esteem and mental health and her saying she wants to fight sakura and the goals she physically would never be able to accomplish while she had to sit back and watch sakura literally live out her dream…

- …which opens the door for a friendship between tenten and ino. hello, busybodies!

- while i’m talking about tenten and every other kunoichi, let’s go ahead and focus on temari. she handed tenten’s ass to her on a silver platter, publicly, without batting an eye, all while tenten was still confused because she uncharacteristically missed her mark. her disbelief is valid as explained, and the point of the fight was to poise temari as a serious competitor for the final round, but i’m also going to gripe at kishimoto here - tenten got done so dirty in this fight. if he wanted tenten’s error to be that she missed her mark, temari could have created a shadow clone for tenten to waste her time attacking, thus allowing tenten to show off her incredible skill while forcing her to “miss” her true mark and opening her up to an attack, and planting the idea to use a shadow clone in temari’s head for later purposes.

- you touched on tenten not liking people she perceives as weak, and how could tenten not perceive herself as weak after that quick defeat? in front of everyone? after waiting an extra year before signing up for the exams? the only member of her team to not break to the finals? and she missed her mark?! that’s a core memory. that’s ego-shattering, soul-crushing, reality-questioning, life-changing shit.

- the idea of a lowkey one-sided rivalry between tenten and temari a la lee and neji is so funny to me, and also plausible given how much of an impact losing that fight had on tenten. (though the exact same is true for sakura and i think tenten would be ready to fight both of them anytime)

- i love your point about tenten applying her enthusiasm for research to her weaponry because of course she would! she’s a one-woman museum and proud of it! there are easter eggs of this in reliance, but i like to imagine that she falls down all kinds of research rabbit holes; she may not be a med nin but she learns everything she can about the human body, we see her consult kurenai while in her ultimate tsukuyomi world for advice about genjutsu and i believe she kept studying that back in The Real World™️, she has to know a thing or two about space-time jutsu by nature of the transportation jutsu itself. but we also know that in the naruto world, “research” sometimes is a double entendre! a woman of many hobbies, truly

- you said the right string of words to trigger my activation phrase so now you get to hear me talk about one of my favorite venn diagrams in all of naruto: the overlap between tenten and shikamaru. she wants to be recognized so badly and works hard for it, he works hard not to be recognized so he doesn’t have to do hard work. / i would not be surprised if during that month between exam prelims and finals, shikamaru was constantly replaying and assessing tenten’s performance against temari in his mind, or if he straight up hunted down tenten (and neji by proxy) one day to ask about a few logistics and called his training done. / loud, strong women (like tsunade and temari) grate on young shikamaru while they’re everything tenten would want to be if she actually believed she could be like them. / re: tenten has chill vibes and can get people to open up. i think shikamaru opens up to tenten on purpose sometimes. perhaps on that one random mission they went on together; sometime approaching the war when naruto and yamato and gai etc. were on a boat for a long time and needed a supply drop (tenten’s mission), shikaku saw that shikamaru needed to take a step back from war prep and nominated him to accompany tenten. ironically enough for the both of them (considering shikamaru’s woes during the sasuke retrieval arc, the trap team gai encountered in the desert in their second exams, and the end of the upcoming war, unbeknownst to shikamaru and tenten at this time), the trap they fell into was a series of genjutsu creating perilous conditions for the boat. i think in the adult generation - excluding sasuke’s sharingan and the knack for genjutsu that sakura should have had - tenten and shikamaru are among the best equipped shinobi to encounter genjutsu.

i made your long post longer but i hope it was worth it <3

Just noting down some things about Tenten that influence my view of her characterization/personality. primarily for my own reference as i’m writing, as well as to kind of get a more mature and consistent characterization of her than i had before. this gonna be an extremely long and rambling post, (where I think I repeat myself a whole lot oops) and there’s not really anything profound, just some traits i’m pulling from canon and interpreting.

most of Tenten’s ’canon’ characterization comes from filler and databooks, which I then further interpret, so a lot of her characterization in this post is three degrees of fanon/headcanon, with some liberties taken where I dislike the interpretation.

We’re introduced to Tenten during the chunin exams, where she’s seen throwing kunai at a target dummy that Neji is sitting under. She casually throws her kunai and hits the target dead center, instantly showing her marksmanship skill, but also Neji’s implicit trust in her since he doesn’t even flinch and the target is pretty much right over his head. This ties in later but basically, he fully trusts that she will not miss.

We see Tenten again before the first round of the chunin exams, while Izumo and Kotetsu are blocking the door. The thing I find notable in that scene is Tenten not being immune to Sasuke LOL.

(Manga panel grabbed from @tentenarchive)

it's interesting to me that her thing is specifically that there's not a single scratch on him, and that he's "cool". Makes sense given that she's on a team with Gai and Lee and she desperately wants them to be cool too. And she dislikes weak people so yeah, of course it's cool to her that he's untouchable.

Actually on this topic, Tenten's taste seems to be "cool people"? In a filler episode (naruto 162) she thinks that the lord of a local land is really cute when she sees him get down for his palanquin. The lord's whole thing is that he's like cold and cool and pensive etc. so this seems to be Tenten's taste to some degree. He turns out to actually be a girl in the end so yknow. bi Tenten confirmed.

Here's her page from the first databook (screenshotted from The Narutoversity). She gets annoyed at Lee injuring himself for Sakura's sake, which I'm pretty sure isn't really out of care so much as it is that they're in the middle of the forest of death in like. the worst situation possible. Love how Ino's just standing there like "what the fuck kind of medical care is this".

I generally dislike the stats since I find that they’re inaccurate to what we see on-panel (a whole rant I could go on another time tbh), and Kishimoto tends to skew them egregiously in favor of characters he particularly likes. Ex: genin era Neji’s total is 21, and shippuden Tenten’s is 20.5. You cannot seriously be telling me that Neji as a genin is stronger than chunin Tenten three years in the future. Come on Kishimoto. There are a few things of note here though, so let’s go through them anyway.

Tenten’s highest stat is her speed, at 3, which is the same as Sasuke from the same databook. So clearly, she’s fast, especially since Sasuke is known for his speed. She's not as fast as Lee, but still quick on her feet and dexterous, with fast reflexes. Makes sense, since the second databook describes her fighting style as “dancing flexibly and firing speedily”.

Her strength is a 1 and her stamina is a 1.5, which is insane to me. Like she’s on Team Gai???? They do 500 laps around Konoha and 1000+ pushups every day???? I reject canon here, fuck u kishi, I know she’s actually buff as hell and has hella stamina.

Her intelligence is a 2, which might seem super low but it matches Sasuke's intelligence, and is only 0.5 lower than Neji and Temari's. I think it just goes to show that the scale for these stats is skewed as hell. But basically what this means is that she operates at a similar level to Sasuke, Temari, and Neji, where she picks up on the things around her, and while she isn't operating on the level of Shikamaru, she's still a good strategist.

Back to the actual show, we get to the elimination round and her fight against Temari (episode 43). I’m basing this part off the anime because their fight in the manga is like three panels long.

So technically, this is “filler” (as if any tenten fan really cares lol).

From the Hokage's commentary, her battle sense is pretty good. She positions herself a perfect distance away from the enemy. She's trying to bait Temari into attacking, to see what her power is and figure out how to counter it, and Temari calls her out on it.

Tenten isn't a 200 IQ genius strategist the way Shikamaru is, but she is still a smart fighter. We can see she thinks in a similar way to him (and Temari) feeling out the enemy's power and what they can do before counterattacking strategically. I need them to be best friends tbh.

Her first reaction when she throws her shuriken at Temari and misses is surprise. She is deeply confident in her own abilities, so it's genuinely shocking to her. She yells "I missed? There's no way!" and in the stands, Gai also insists up and down that Tenten never misses.

She has the utmost confidence in herself, and from the rest of her team. None of them have any doubt in her, and this also ties back to that introductory scene. No wonder Neji let her chuck kunai at targets near him. It's probably something she does regularly too.

Tenten loses to Temari, and is immediately down on herself. We see a lot of this in Shippuden 237, where she's lying in the hospital and loses all her confidence in herself and her abilities.

Shippuden 237 shows us that Tenten does actually have self-esteem issues, even before this fight with Temari. During their first year as genin, when Lee keeps getting defeated by Neji, Tenten tells Lee that he really should just give up on beating Neji, because he's a genius, and Lee is not. It's clear in the voice acting and the expressions that to some extent, Tenten isn't just speaking about Lee when she says this, she's also speaking about herself.

She seems to compare herself a lot to others, often in a negative light, talking down about herself when others are better than her, but still trying her best to surpass them.

But the way she talks after losing to Temari is much worse. Her match with Temari affects her deeply, and likely for many years to come. I think it becomes one of her primary motivations to become stronger, as she keeps holding that moment as her lowest point and vowing to never be that helpless against an opponent again.

Headcanons here. After her fight with Temari, Tenten also throws herself into learning 1) fire jutsu to combat Temari’s wind (this is why she develops that dragon bomb jutsu she uses during the Konoha Crush filler episode), and 2) seals that can absorb/store away opponents’ attacks.

I think Tenten’s primary chakra nature is actually lightning, which is also why she is so weak to wind chakra. I love this post by @/fineillsignup that goes into detail about chakra natures, and a lot of the traits listed under lightning nature fit with my interpretations of Tenten. I also am heavily biased toward the idea of Kakashi, who is basically student-less during the interlude period, teaching Tenten lightning jutsu since she's his husband's friend's student.

Going back to that scene in shippuden 237, I do think her talking down to Lee in their first year as genin is also interesting. Even though I love the idea of Lee and Tenten being besties before Team Gai and her standing up for him, I think the reality is that she probably didn’t really talk to him in the Academy, and once they were on the same team, she was kind to him, and learned to work with him.

Lee very specifically mentions in a flashback in episode 100 that nobody told him anything encouraging, sensei or student. This obviously includes Tenten. So while she wasn’t outright mean to him, she also didn’t have the greatest opinion of him.

She very quickly found herself relating with him, and that probably made her take out some of her own self-loathing on him at first. Eventually they become close, and form a very deep friendship, but things start out pretty rocky.

Kishimoto confirms that every day for a month between the second and final rounds of the chunin exams, Neji and Tenten train together in secret to help him reverse-engineer the 8 trigrams 64 palms and the rotation. It’s interesting that everyone else goes to train with a jounin and only Neji chooses to train with his teammate.

I think this implies Tenten to be a good secret keeper and evidence that Neji already told her about the cursed seal and all the clan drama. During Neji’s speech to Naruto, Tenten’s reaction is shown alongside Hiruzen and Hiashi’s, both of whom already know all about the curse mark and his father’s death. So Neji has told Tenten as well.

Plus Tenten is uniquely suited to help with Rotation, since she can throw a billion knives no jutsu.

During Naruto vs Neji, Tenten gets used as the mouthpiece to explain Neji's attacks, which also shows how well she knows him after training with him for the Chunin exams, but she's also genuinely impressed when Naruto wins, and even compliments him.

There's a brief scene during Shikamaru v Temari where Tenten comments about how she couldn't beat Temari. Also look at her arms. A 1 for her strength stat??? with those arms??? sure kishi.

Okay, we move on to when Orochimaru attacks Konoha, and there’s this filler episode (shippuden 192) where Hinata gets kidnapped by Kumo shinobi. This episode has some small Tenten moments, where you can also see how Neji thinks of her, and I like them a lot.

We start off with Tenten going to check in on Neji after his conversation with Hiashi, and he actually opens up and tells her all about what they had just spoken about, another sign that he's told her about everything with his clan.

When Hinata is kidnapped and the Hyuuga Elder makes Neji go get her, Tenten comes with him, not out of any particular concern for Hinata, but purely to back up Neji. I doubt she likes Hinata much at first (my eyes were opened after this post by @tentenismybitch), so she’s doing this more for Neji’s sake.

As they're chasing after the man who kidnapped Hinata, they get caught in a trap, and Tenten tells Neji to leave her behind (strategic thinking) and Neji only hesitates for a second before agreeing and going on ahead. Neji expresses that this is because he knows Tenten can handle herself.

We see her using a new jutsu (the Dragon Bomb), which as I mentioned before, I think she developed with Temari in mind.

During the Hokage’s funeral we do see her in funeral attire looking sad but is she really? debatable. I think no, but it’s not entirely relevant. This is all personal headcanon here, not based on canon evidence beyond extrapolating from what I’ve seen.

Tenten doesn't strike me as someone burning with loyalty to the village and harping on about the “will of fire” and whatnot. She does her duty, and that’s about it. It doesn’t go further than that. She cares about the people dear to her, but not really about the village specifically.

After the Hokage’s funeral, Tenten doesn’t appear again until the end of the Search For Tsunade arc, which I think is her last non-filler appearance in the original series other than a few flashbacks.

She’s excited about Tsunade coming to the village, and tells Neji after he trains, and asks him to come with her to go see Tsunade. Neji tells her he’s not interested, and Tenten looks a little disappointed.

We see Tenten in some flashbacks to Lee's genin years (episode 100). As Neji is talking down to Lee, Tenten doesn't really say anything, which matches with what i said earlier. But, when Gai tells them that with hard work, anyone can be a shinobi, Tenten has a similar reaction to Lee, while Neji just looks annoyed.

What Gai says seems to give her hope. That with enough hard work, anyone can become great. She doesn't think of herself as a genius, and if anything, seems to group herself with Lee in terms of ability. This is also shown in Shippuden 237, which I'll discuss later.

After this we only see Tenten in the end-of-series filler, which will be part 2 of this post since it's already really long. We'll finish off by looking at data book 2, which came out after the manga for the first series had finished.

From the second data book (screenshot also taken from the Narutoversity), we see part of her personality is being a "busybody" LMFAOOOO. So yeah she's inquisitive and curious, being a research enthusiast, but also uses that same nature to get in on everyone's business too. We can assume she's also observant and detail-oriented, can probably read people pretty well.

I like this a lot! I think Tenten is a good people person, and many find her easy to get along with. She’s probably one of those people that you accidentally find yourself telling really important or deep stuff to without really knowing why. She’s just got this air around her that’s very chill and comfortable.

But I do think she’s nosy, and does wanna know about everything, just to be in the know. She’s a little detective LOL.

The research enthusiast part is a fun thing too. She strikes me as a tinkerer, messing with new weapon designs or seal ideas, constantly turning something over in her head.

The first and second databooks list her hobby as fortune-telling, which is also really cute. I think she knows palmistry and does readings for her friends, and has some knowledge of astrology. She isn't overly superstitious, but she does believe in ghosts, and gets fairly nervous when she sees or hears something that can be considered a bad omen.

She has pride in her weapons, clearly, and her arsenal is implied to be the largest and strongest of any ninja. I’d like to assume that some of her pride comes from the weapons in her arsenal that are of her own design.

Her 'carefree, smiling face' is also an interesting point. At first I was unsure how to interpret this, but to me it reads as her being rather laid-back and carefree, despite her power and lethality. Again, not very sure how to interpret this line and I'd love to hear how anyone else sees it!

It’s cute that Tsunade coming to the village and becoming hokage made Tenten train harder. I think aside from her defeat to Temari, this becomes another major motivation for Tenten. She wants to impress Tsunade, the kunoichi that she admires most.

She says she'd like to fight Sakura, so I think there's some kind of jealousy or something to prove there since Sakura got to be Tsunade’s apprentice and Tenten didn't. This goes back to her low self-esteem and those issues she’s been having since her fight with Temari.

Shippuden 237 touches on this but Tenten did actually try to become a medical ninja for a bit, she just didn’t have the chakra control necessary. Obviously this adds to her insecurities when Sakura turns out to be a natural at medical ninjutsu with unnaturally good chakra control.

I’m not a huge fan of the ‘trying to be a mednin’ part of this ngl, I think she’s a little too fixated on weapons to truly care about medical ninjutsu, and wants to emulate Tsunade just for the ‘strongest kunoichi’ part rather than trying to be her exact carbon copy. Plus, I think (headcanon) Tenten’s chakra control has to be at least decently good in order to do seals, but that’s a different rabbit hole. I tend to disregard this in my fics and will likely continue to do so.

I do like the thing of being jealous of Sakura in some way for being Tsunade’s apprentice, though. It’s some nice flavor and I appreciate the one-sided rivalry. I think it would be funny for Sakura to think of Tenten as the cool senpai and look up to her, meanwhile Tenten is struggling to not immediately challenge her to a duel, Gai-style.

Since this is already super long, I’ll do a part 2 for all the filler arcs she’s in, and then a part 3 for shippuden.

[subaru-meteorlight]

I thought I made good progress today but checked a video and what the fuck I'm not even halfway through. God bless. On one hand yesss I have SOOO much phainon content to look forward to on the other hand dear god that is a lot. Not complaining at all tho I'm excited... tho to be fair a good chunk of my progress today was spent exploring the city and I got all the chests... huge sprawling cities are always my fav maps, penacony golden hour is still peakest of peak cities to me but okhema is lots of fun too~

I gotta lock in... in preparation for maxing aven I had cleared all the content in the game up until when shackling prison released where aven stopped getting screentime and I was like what's the point of anything anymore BUT with phainon coming dear god I need to get back on the damn grind

[philosophicallie]

ok time to try to blame someone else instead of me

[no-one-hears-me]

I feel sad about a lot of different things rn and it feels kinda helpless

[red-dyed-sarumane]

pspsppsspps can i know a bit of backstory for ur oc sora? like to expand the description on ur toyhouse? and i hope this isnt weird to say but she always stuck out for me bc i had this oc when i was younger who's name is sora and had similar hair style and color. everytime i see ur sora im like woagh. same hat.

i love toyhouse for allowing me to catch up on my own ocs like a daily paper very cool anyway-

sora was one of my first real human ocs! she was originally a kind of edgy-for-a-young-teen-created-character type chara & ive kinda had to rebuild her in ways over the years & im still not handling her quite right but that said.

sora's back story is heavily dependent on her ability. she's far from a prodigy with it, she's like. most average case of learning she had an ability ever, except for the ability itself. what i have written for her ability i dont think holds up anymore; i think she also has the potential to positively affect people's mental states as well. thing is she has effectively no practice with it & it tends activate when she's scared or angry so it messes with people's heads terribly & thats all she knows of it. she doesnt want to hurt anyone she just happens to be really good at accidentally giving people like. major depression in mere moments. which she hates. so she hides.

she's (accidentally) lead to multiple people in her home town getting themselves into accidents with injuries or killed. didn't take her too long to put together the incidents were related to her ability, & with relatives occasionally joking that she curses people, she felt really guilty & ended up running away. that kind of started a trend of going somewhere, causing problems on accident, getting upset, going somewhere else for a while until she managed to grow her bangs out long enough to cover her eye which seemed to mostly solve her problem. she knows she doesnt have any real control over it & that scares her so she gets really upset if even the wind pushes her hair out of place. there's never any concrete evidence she's behind any of the incidents, but weird abilities are all over this world so even if she's not being held responsible in publications & whatnot, the witnesses & locals aren't completely unaware of the situation. so like i said she went new places where she wouldnt have that reputation.

she made friends with roselii at her current town & roselii's suggested on a few occasions to practice with her ability so she's more comfortable with it, but the thing is she needs another person to do that, and she's not the type to use strangers for an experiment, & there's no way she'd ever risk hurting roselii so she always declines. theres like. ability sparring in this world where strangers fight each other with their abilities, BUT she only leaves town if she's moving to a different one & in the event she crosses paths with someone else she'll lie & say she doesnt have an ability & otherwise try & get out of it.

she's pretty comfortable where she is now, but she still has the mindset where she's prepared to up & leave at the smallest reason.

[zibah-ho]

so the issue with having a turbulent relationship with someone is that when things are good and you’re in sync it’s like you’re one person and you love the same things and do things together but when things are bad those same things become unbearable and you no longer have access to things you love because to love them is to love that person and you don’t want to so you pretend they don’t exist and in doing so deny yourself another thing that makes you happy

[daiseukiis]

hii how have you been?

i miss my family 🧍‍♀️

[malkaviian]

i am having a great time here on life dot com

[trans-leek-cookie]

comes out of the "googling things about the disorder you have and then googling a vague medical term and not getting a clear answer and complaining about the vagueness of the term to your friend who probably has more familiarity with the term and it's implications in context" session covered in blood and wailing and writing on the floor

[arolesbianism]

Some Brute doodles plus a bonus Button

[qimicloud]

This is going both on this blog AND in the tags because I'm that.... embarrassed isn't the right word, neither is shy. Alas. You get the idea. Unfortunately my place for putting these sort of thoughts has been barred from me atm so

[jackalhadrurusluvr]

repeating my therapists words in my head like the bike message in pokemon