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gojotojis · 2 months

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waiting room…—ryomen sukuna

cw: depression, grief, cheating, unrequited, bestfriends, mentions of cancer, loss of appetite, angst

Sukunas far from kind, he’s harsh and rough around the edges but you love him all the more for it. Your mothers were bestfriends so naturally you two became bestfriends. Just two kids finding comfort in eachother.

From Sukuna holding your hand your first day of kindergarten, to him showing you how to ride a bike, to him carrying you when you fell off the monkey bars and broke your arm to him holding you in his arms when your mom died.

You two were inseparable, inevitable and Infinite.

Death however is unavoidable and after your mom, it created a wedge between you two.

It wasn’t suppose to happen but you got so lost in your grief, so lost that someone else became his person. Now it feels like you’re grieving the loss of two people even when one of them is so close.

Choso frowns at the bags under your eyes as he wraps an arm around you. You sink into his warmth, just needing to feel someone.

“You okay?” He asks and it’s something everyone’s been asking for months, a question you can’t answer honestly without sobbing. You feel broken, shattered beyond repair because the person you loved most in the world is gone.

“Yeah” you say swallowing the lump in your throat as he guides you to the backyard. You look like utter shit in pink sweats that are far too big but you love feeling hidden from the world.

He slides the door open and lets you out first, you can hear the laughter which stops as eyes fall on you. Yuki looks sad for you which you hate, the last thing you want is pity.

“Hey”Yorozu says, the first one to break the silence as you avoid looking at the one person you find yourself crying out for every night.

“Hi” you whisper.

“You look like shit” he says, it makes you want to smile but you don’t. Yorozu stares between you two, as you look at him. His red eyes threatening to pull you out from under and drown you in them.

You’re not sure why your feelings changed, why one day Sukuna went from the boy that you wanted to do everything with to the man you wanted to be in love with. You were gonna tell him, even if it ruined everything but then your mom died and suddenly you needed him more than ever.

Sukunas always looked at you but he’s never seen you.

You’ve seen the way Yorozu holds his hand, the way she looks at him like he’s the world to her. It’s painful, like you’re fighting for your last breath but eventually you have to stop breathing, stop fighting for him and let him go. He was never yours to begin with.

“How are you?” Yorozu asks as you take the seat between Choso and Yuki. You don’t hate her, what’s the point but you know she’s not fond of you. All pictures of you had been removed from Sukunas Instagram, he stopped wearing the friendship bracelet you made him with your initials and he stopped calling.

He’d erased you faster than you could blink, erased and replaced. Your clothes feel too tight as you blink back the stupid tears that threaten to spill.

“Good” you answer and she hums to herself, getting up to sit in Sukunas lap. You already regret coming but Choso has been begging for weeks for you to stop by. Your dad drowns himself in work so it’s just you all by yourself most days and it’s suffocating. Your tears feel like an endless sea, just wanting everything to stop.

It’s so strange how the one person you could tell everything to, seems like the one person you can’t bring yourself to talk to.

He’s breath taking without even trying, muscles bulging from under his black shirt with tattoos etched into his skin. Strands of pink hair fall over his forehead, making you want to push them back.

“Can we talk?” He asks, his eyes pinned on you and it suddenly it’s like everyone’s disappeared.

You nod and he stands to his full God fearing height. Everything about him oozes masculinity and intimidation, it’s funny to think once upon a time you had been taller than him.

Yorozu looks uneasy as he leads you into the house and slides the door shut.

“You been eating?” He asks, genuine concern on his face.

“Yeah” you lie, eating is incredibly hard and when you force yourself to, it simply comes back up.

“You’re a shit liar” he says walking toward the kitchen and you follow. You take a seat on a stool at counter as he pulls out strawberry jam and peanut butter. He washes his hands and grabs two slices of bread, placing them on a plate. You watch him spread the peanut butter on one slice and the jelly on another before he combines them and cuts it diagonally. He slides it over to you, and you feel tears gather in your eyes.

You had forgetten your lunch in your mom’s car your first day of kindergarten, which was Sukunas first day of second grade. He pulled out a strawberry and peanut butter jelly sandwich his mom had made him and offered it to you. You gave him one slice and you both ate in a comfortable silence. From that day on, it became your comfort food.

You offer him your other half which he just stares at and you shove it toward him. He grabs it and takes a bite making you smile, your stomach rumbles as you take a hesitant bite.

Maybe it’s because he made it, but your body accepts it and it settles in your belly.

“Next time I’ll shove it down your fucking throat” he threatens as you take another bite.

“Thank you” you whisper staring up at him. His thumb grazes your lip, wiping jelly from it. You watch him lick the same jelly from his finger and your breath hitches. He doesn’t think much of it but the action burns your insides.

You have to let him go. Your friendships slowly dying, maybe it’s for the best to sever it altogether.

You feel like a wounded animal begging to be put out of its misery. Why is this so agonizing?

The day Sukuna told you he had a girlfriend felt like the day the world ended, you felt ashamed to have bawled your eyes out till they were swollen shut. The pain in your chest was agonizing, and suddenly he was gone too.

“Talk to me” he says, it’s more like a plea as his eyes soften. It’s hard to look at him without seeing her, imagining her lips on him, her hands…the idea of them having sex makes you want to sob until your eyes bleed and your throats too raw to speak.

“There’s nothing to really say” you answer.

“Bullshit. You don’t answer my texts, you don’t call, I’m giving you a hand and you won’t fucking take it. Just let me help you” he says frustrated.

“I don’t want to argue”you sigh.

“You’d have to care to argue” he says and you frown. If he thinks you don’t care then he doesn’t know you at all because you care so fucking much that it’s consuming you, he’s consuming you.

“Yorozus waiting” you say climbing down from the stool.

“I miss you,” he says and you still. He sounds too soft, not like the Sukuna you know who hates feelings and the concept of love. You don’t understand what he’s doing with Yorozu but maybe this is it, maybe she brings out this side in him.

The words want to come out but you can’t say them, yearning for someone that doesn’t feel the same is pointless. Maybe this is where your friendship dies, where you can finally be free of the ache that burns in your chest when he’s not there and the suffocation that consumes you when he is.

“Night Sukuna” you say walking away from him.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Waiting room by Phoebe Bridgers plays in your earbuds as you lay curled in the grass above your mother’s grave.

I know it's for the better

Know it's for the better

You feel like a fucking shell of yourself, lungs collapsing and heart shattering. Choked sobs leave you as your hand reaches out to touch the stone.

Her dying destroyed you as much as watching her wither away, the chemo draining her, the hair loss, pale skin, hollow cheeks. Nobody should have to watch the person they love most slowly die.

She never stopped smiling when she saw you, when you’d curl into her side and thread your fingers into hers and listen to her recount the stories of your childhood.

“I love you bigger than the whole sky” her last words to you.

A pair of familiar air maxs step infront of you, a red heart shoelace threaded through the right shoe that matches the one on the left of your converse. A gift you gave him for Valentine’s Day in the first grade. He has dozens of them from every year but it’s his favorite no matter how worn and dirty it looks. The first gift you ever gave him.

He disappears from your vision, after a few seconds you feel him lay down beside you and wrap his arms around you. He holds you while you cry. He feels like home, his body so warm against yours as his arms wrap tighter around you. His lips press against your temple and you feel like the biggest piece of shit.

You’ve pushed him away and despite it he’s here. How’d this beautiful friendship become so twisted, so confusing and painful. You sob harder, not just for your mom but for the friendship that’s ruined because you can’t control the way your heart thumps at the sight of him, the way your knees go weak and hearts form in your eyes.

You turn to face him, his hold loosens to wipe your tears as you stare at him like he holds the entire universe in his hands. He’s so painfully fucking beautiful, it’s a punch to the lungs the way his lashes brush his cheeks as he blinks at you and those red eyes consume you.

He’s consumed you, your hearts carved out so much space for him that it’s his. You don’t think it’ll ever stop being his. He kisses your nose and your eyes close, feeling him take the earbud from your left ear and put it into his.

Wildflower by Billie Eilish plays as his fingers brush through your hair. There’s nothing between you, bodies pressed together, foreheads touching, breaths intwining.

Kiss me.

He pulls away when something wet hits both your cheeks, several drops fall on you and he’s pulling you up as it starts to rain.

He guides you out of the cemetery, you don’t say anything as you pull away from his grasp.

“Get in the car” he says as rain beats against his skin.

“I’ll walk” you shake your head, shoving your earbuds into your pocket.

“What changed?”he asks and you blink up at him through drops of water clinging to your lashes.

“What?”.

“You can barely look at me anymore, I wish you’d just fucking talk, scream even because this shit is killing me” he says louder over the rain.

“I gotta go,” you say walking away.

He grabs you, pulling you toward him. Both his hands grip the sides of your face, and there’s this desperate look in his eyes you’ve never seen in all your twenty years of knowing him.

“I’m right here, I’m right fucking here” he says pressing his forehead to yours, making the air leave your body.

“It’s you and me, just talk to me” he begs. You can’t talk to him, you can’t bring yourself to say the words as your arms wrap around his neck. Your eyes close and you press your lips to his, it sends a current that courses through your body like you’ve been electrocuted. Your pupils dilate, goosebumps form on your arms and your toes tingle.

He doesn’t react as you pull away.

“I’m sorry” you say prepared to run, feet turning you away from him until his hand grips the back of your head, fingers threading through your hair and his lips slam against yours.

His teeth sink into your bottom lip and you gasp. His tongue grazes yours, making your knees go weak and fingers grip his soaked shirt.

His mouth moves against yours like he’s starved, his tongue makes your mouth its home as you fight for air. Deep gasps between kisses as his free hand squeezes your waist. Rain falls around you, droplets rolling off your skin and you don’t seem to care.

His hands move to grab your cheeks, mouth devouring yours. You don’t want this to end, he tastes like all you’ve ever wanted. Your thighs squeeze, the kissing sending pure heat to the very center of you.

He pulls away allowing you to breathe properly, lips swollen and glossy mixed with saliva and rain. His forehead presses against yours and you lean into kiss him again but he shakes his head.

I love you.

“I can’t, we can’t” he breathes and your eyes water.

Yorozu.

“I know” you say offering a smile that doesn’t reach your eyes. You stand on your tippy toes and kiss his cheek before you walk away, leaving him in the rain.

Two things are true.

You love Sukuna and you need to let him go.

#lucygojo #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #sukuna angst #sukuna au #sukuna jjk #ryomen sukuna #sukuna x reader #jjk angst #jjk x reader #sukuna #drabble #angst

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envy-of-the-apple · 22 days

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How about apocalypse!au with yan gojo and a foreigner reader who is going on a vacation/business trip when the outbreak happen?

kinda sick of apocalypse aus soooo yakuza!au instead so basically i changed this entire request im rlly sorry

Yandere!Gojo Satoru x reader

Stop Crying

(Warnings: Yandere, kidnapping, dark content, noncon touching, human trafficking)

You promised yourself you'd stay safe during your trip to Japan.

You took all the precautions. You traveled with friends you trusted. You kept your phone on. You didn't accept any drinks from anyone you didn't know. You checked in with your folks back home every night.

And yet, nothing stopped it.

It was clearly a basement. No windows. Dark, with the exception of the flickering light on the ceiling. The thin cot and scrap of a blanket did nothing to protect you from the cold.

Your phone was gone. So was your bag. Except for the clothes on your back, they took everything. You can still remember the fear you felt when those men grabbed you, hauling you into the back of a truck. No matter how hard you screamed and kicked and hollered, they didn't let go. You remembered you bit one of them. He just swore in Japanese before backhanding you. It throbbed for hours before you eventually just passed out.

And now you were here. In a basement.

You were probably going to die. You heard the underground was rampant in Japan. They were going to cut you up, sell off your organs for thousands. If they were merciful, maybe the most your body would face would just be getting thrown overseas. If you were lucky, your rotting corpse would be found. If you were one of God's favorites, you'd be recognizable enough to notify your family. At least then, they'd have something to grieve over. The pieces that was left.

The door creaks. You jump, curled in the musty corner. You hear voices. Two. Maybe three. All male, speaking in fast Japanese. They all descend the steps, and your heartbeat picks up faster than before.

One was a stout man with a nervous sort of prattle. From his tone, you could tell he was trying to appease the other two. The other two were tall, heads nearly brushing the ceiling. One was wearing traditional clothing. Long black hair, graceful movements.

The other wore circular sunglasses. He was too young to have natural white hair. He must dye it. While the other two linger behind, he's the one who strides towards you.

You panic, pressing yourself into the wall, hoping to just disappear, melt into the background. Your fear doesn't deter him. He grabs your chin turning your face one way, and then the other. His hold tightens, even when you try to escape. He seems to be fixated on one side of your face. The slap must have left a bruise.

That seems to anger him. He snaps something over to the other two. The man in traditional garments doesn't look very impressed, while the other hurriedly titters. Maybe they were planning on selling you, that's why seeing you blemish-free would be such a deterrent to their plans.

Eventually, the man directs his attention back to you. You think he'd speaking to you. You aren't sure. You don't know where you are. You don't know who these people are. You don't know what they want to do to you.

You're scared. You're so so scared.

When you start to cry, the man gets even more aggravated. He lets you go with a scoff, before walking back to his group. They squabble a bit more, before the shorter of the three reluctantly makes his way over to you.

"The Six Eyes wants to know your name," he says, accent thick.

You stare at him. Helpless and confused.

"The Six Eyes...?" You repeat and then your eyes flick over to the white-haired man. Standing tall and still, like a beautiful statue.

You don't know what's in it to lie. They have your wallet, your ID, your passport probably. You mumble out your name in defeat. The Six Eyes hums in approval.

"I have money." You blurt out. "A lot of it. If-if you let me go. I'll give you whatever you want. My-my family will pay any price."

He translates. When he's done, the other two laugh. It's loud and scratches the inside your chest. You duck away, feeling the tears again.

"The Six Eyes said he's paid too much for you to entertain that possibility." The translator says. Your heart drops.

"Paid for me.." You repeat. No no no no. "What does that even mean?"

The man stares at you with sympathy. You don't want it, you want to throw it back on his face, but you can barely move from your spot.

"He will take good care of you." he tries to console. "I heard the Six Eyes treats his things very well."

You don't want to hear it. You fall into hysterics. You want to go home. You want to go back to your country. You want to go home.

A long hand grabs your chin, instantly quieting you. Unlike his firm grip earlier, this one is nearly painful. You're certain he'd crush your bones if he wanted to. You quiet anyway. That seems to satisfy him now. He mutters something to the translator.

"The Six Eyes is telling you not to scream anymore. He finds it aggravating." The translator says.

The Six Eyes turns to the translator knowingly. The man shuffles with his feet, before reluctantly clearing his throat.

"You...belong to the Six Eyes now."

The Six Eyes grins, filled with white glistening teeth.

"Don't disappoint him. "

#yandere #yandere jjk #dark jjk #dark gojo satoru #dark content #yandere gojo satoru #yandere x reader #x reader #kidnapping #noncon touching

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headspace-hotel · 10 months

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Many people, especially USAmericans, are very resistant to knowing the plants and living according to the ways of the plants. They lash out with a mix of arrogance and fear: "Don't you know what bad things would happen if we lived a different way? There is a REASON for living this way. Would you have us go Back—backward to the time without vaccines or antibiotics????"

Ah, yes, the two immutable categories that all proposals for change fit into: Backward Change and Forward Change! Either we must invent a a futuristic, entirely new solution with SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY that further industrializes and increases the productivity of our world, or we must give up vaccines and antibiotics and become starving illiterate medieval peasants.

Every human practice anywhere on Earth that has declined, stopped, or become displaced by another practice, was clearly objectively worse than whatever replaced it. You see, the only possible reason a way of life could decline or disappear is that it sucked and had it coming anyway!!! Pre-industrial human history is worthless except as a cautionary tale about how miserable we would all be without *checks notes* factories, fossil fuels and colonialism. Obviously!

Anyway, who do you think benefits from the idea that pesticide-dependent, corporate-controlled industrialized monoculture farming liberates us all from spending our short, painful lives as filthy, miserable peasants toiling in the fields?

First of all, I think it's silly to act like farming is a uniquely awful way to live. I can't believe I have to say this, but the awful part of being a medieval peasant was the oppression and poverty, not the fact that harvesting wheat is a lot of work and cows are stinky. Same goes for farm labor in the modern USA: the bad part is that most people working farms are undocumented migrant workers that are getting treated like garbage and who can't complain about it because their boss will rat them out to ICE.

Work is just work. Any work has dignity when the people doing it are paid properly and not being abused. Abuse and human trafficking is rampant in agriculture, but industrialization and consolidation of small farms into gigantic corporate owned farms sure as hell isn't making it better.

Is working on a farm somehow more miserable than working in a factory, a fast food restaurant, or a retail store? Give me a break. "At least I'm not doing physical labor in the sun," you say, at your job where you're forced to stand on concrete for 8 hours and develop chronic pain by age 24.

When you read about small farmers going out of business because of huge corporations, none of them are going "Yay! Now that Giant Corporation has swallowed up all the farms in the area, we can all enjoy the luxurious privileges of the industrial era, like working RETAIL!" What you do see a lot of is farmers bitterly grieving the loss of their way of life.

And also, the fact is, sustainable forms of polyculture farming that create a functional ecosystem made up of many different useful and edible plants are actually way MORE efficient at producing food than a monoculture. The reason we don't do it as much, is that it can't be industrialized where everything is harvested with machines.

Some places folks are starting to get the idea and planting two crops together in alternating rows, letting the mutualistic relationship between plants boost the yields of both, but indigenous people in many parts of the world have been doing this stuff basically forever. I read about a style of agroforestry from Central America that has TWENTY crops all together on the same field.

Our modern system of farming is necessary for feeding the world? Bullshit! Our technology is very powerful and useful, but our harmful monocultures, dangerous pesticides, and wasteful usage of land and resources are making the system very inefficient and severely degrading nature's ability to provide for us.

What is needed, is a SYNTHESIS of the power and insights of technology and science, with the ancient wisdom and knowledge gained by closely and carefully observing Nature. We do not need to reject one, to embrace the other! They should be friends!

Our system thinks land is only used for one thing at a time. Even our science often thinks this way. A corn field has the purpose of producing corn, and no other purpose, so all other plants in the corn must be killed, and it must be a monoculture of only corn.

But this means that the symbiosis between different plants that help each other is destroyed, so we must pollute the earth with fertilizers that wash into bodies of water and cause eutrophication, where algae explode in number and turn the water to green goo. Nature always has variety and diversity with many plants sharing the same space. It supports much more animal life (we are animals!) this way. The Three Sisters" are the perfect example of mutualism between plants being used in an agricultural environment. The planting of corn, beans, and squash together has been traditionally used clear across the North American continent.

And in North America, the weeds we have here are mostly edible plants too. Some of them were even domesticated themselves! Imagine a garden where every weed that pops up is also an edible or otherwise useful crop, and therefore a welcomed friend! So when weeds like Amaranth and Sunflower pop up in your field, that should not be a cause for alarm, but rather the system of symbiosis working as it should.

A field of one single crop is limited in how much it can produce, because one crop fits into a single niche in what should be a whole ecosystem, and worse, it requires artificial inputs to make up for what the rest of the plant community would normally provide. The field with twenty crops does not produce the same amount as the monoculture field divided in twenty ways, but instead produces much more while being a habitat for wild animals, because each plant has its own niche.

#plants #plantarchy #the ways of the plants

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frost-queen · 8 months

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Lady of Mirkwood | (Reader x Thranduil)

Requested by: anon, Forever tag:@missmelodramatic, @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22@elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers @merlieve, @queen-of-books, @glimmering-darling-dolly,@denkisclown, @wildieflower, @meyocoko, @bubblybrianna, @justanothercoco, @subjecta13-thefangirl, @m-rae23, @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr, @swampthing07, @melsunshine, @panhoeofmanyfandoms, @venomsvl, @the-uncoordinated-house-cat, @rosecentury, @imagines-by-her, @evilcr0ne, @vviolynn

| Meeting Thranduil

You met Thranduil when the Third age progressed. It was when the Necromancer unknown then but known as Sauron later on claimed the abandoned fortress of Amon Lanc to make it into Dol Guldur. Sauron infected the woods with spiders and orcs. The spiders and the orcs expended their reach claiming more and more for them. Infecting the very nature with their filth and death.

All the elves were forced to leave the woods. Those who fought back were brought down. Countless of lost elves filled the sickening woods. You were amongst some elves that were fleeing. The orcs had increased their stench to the part of the woods where you lived. With a few douzen you were. Fleeing for your lives as the orcs hunted you down. The woods had grown iller. Spider cobs were not too much yet in these parts. But a few spiders having expended their webs out to your lands.

Some elves wanted to stay and fight. They barely lasted long as the pack of orcs were too many. Sweeping them down in a matter of seconds. The others fled as fast as they could. Hatred, anger and sorrow grieving your hearts. You were running trying to stay out of the orcs clutches. The orcs attack made you stumble, dropping to the ground. Surrounded by death and darkness. You thought it was over. You thought you were never going to see the undying lands, but then a bright light appeared between the trees. The illumination blinded the orcs sending them back a bit. The light faded as you could see a small group of elves charge for battle. Lead by a High elf.

The orcs never stood a chance. The High elf approached you, helping you up your feet. The moment his eyes met with his, he was struck. Gasping breathlessly at your grace and beauty. The woods no longer having a place for you, he took you in. Thranduil his name was. King of the woodland realm.

| Life at the woodland realm

Thranduil was smitten with you. For the first time in many ages, the so cocky king found beauty in another. He threated you like a guest with the highest honor. Quarters close to his. Thranduil would host parties just to have an excuse to dance with you. He never let any other elf near you. He wanted you for himself. You sometimes dared to tease Thranduil by speaking to other elves, just to see his reaction. You loved how easily jealous he was. He would come over, pull you gently behind him while urging them in a polite way to leave. Sometimes he would lay his robe over your shoulder to hint to others that you were his.

Underneath the moonlight on a summer's day was when you had your first kiss with Thranduil. Forever giving yourself to one another. He married you a month later never wanted to be parted from you ever again. You became queen of the woodland realm. All the elves present adored you for your righteousness and kind heart. Whenever Thranduil dared to lose his temper, you were there to calm him down. Sometimes you would come along with Thranduil and his army in an attempt to reclaim your woods. When Thranduil saw his numbers dim and almost losing you in a battle, he gave up. Not wanting to see his people be slaughtered or see you in danger. For he could not afford to lose you, his brightest star.

| Legolas

Legolas was born with grace. You loved every little detail of him. Thranduil would be careful at first. For he feared to hold such a fragile creature. He feared he might harm it in any way. You would show him he could do no harm. Taking his hand and bringing it up to Legolas for him to touch. His fingers would brush against his cheek making Legolas flutter a laugh. On that Thranduil was sold. Taking his son in his arms and care deeply for him.

As Legolas grew older, Thranduil insisted he had his features from you. Everything about Legolas reminded him of you. With the coming of Legolas was Thranduil more careful. You were no longer aloud out of the woodland realm. Not wanting anything to happen to you or Legolas. You had to admit it felt a bit lonely being unable to see the old woods. Your home that you missed dearly. With each year it grew colder and deader. Plagued by orcs and spiders. Since you had no where else to go, you focused more on Legolas. Teaching him how to defend himself. It was you who introduced Legolas to the bow and arrow. When Legolas was old enough to have his own bow, he would name it after you.

———————————————

Read more of my fics on my Masterlists!

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ominous-horse-noises · 4 months

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im ab to be annoying ab dimension20 fhjy but im genuinely loving the character arcs for the bad kids this season?

kristen going from self-annihilatingly stupid to trying to build a genuine bridge with the man who not only wielded the religion that traumatised her (bobby dawn), but also was trying to ruin her life, just bc she thought a grieving father ought to be comforted in some way? her genuine distress at being unable to revivify buddy even though the two had only had negative interactions, or her biting her tongue in front of her parents so she could better look after her little siblings? grappling with the fact that she still, on some level, expected practising religion to be easy and convenient for her as a holdover from an entire childhood spent being a Chosen One, and finally putting her nose to the grindstone and committing to working her ass off for a deity that couldn't even benefit her for a hot minute? making an effort to be cordial with tracker's new gf and letting go of that codependency? the kristen applebees from ep20 would NOT do all the same stupid shit as ep1 and i love that.

fabian being humbled by the narrative again and again has been an absolute treat for his character. the whole ivy/mazey situation was great: freshman/sophomore year fabian would've gone for ivy no sweat, i mean her character seemed pretty similar to pre-redemption aelwyn and he had a huge crush on her then. but this time, when he realised he'd hurt a genuinely great person, and intentionally swallowed his pride to make it up to mazey, even though it required him being 'uncool' with the whole twister thing. his general arc of learning that earnestness and humility doesn't make him less of a man felt like a natural extension of fabian defining his own version of masculinity- sure, a 'maximum legend', but also someone deeply involved in the arts, and someone who is less afraid of saying sorry and being vulnerable in front of someone he likes

fig. fig fig fig. what a woman. its been absolutely fascinating watching build her sense of identity over these three seasons. at her core, fig is a character that loves so deeply. in freshman, she was terrified of the depth of her own devotion, so she tried to distance herself emotionally from everyone. in sophomore, she built herself around that love for other people. in junior year, fig's arc has been learning she can do both: that she's defined by her love for others, but not solely by it. ik emily wanted to retire the character before this season but i think fig's paladin arc was the best capstone to her journey possible.

gorgug's arc has been about establishing clear boundaries for himself and i love it. im aware there's been some Discourse ab the mango soda scene but to me that was pretty easily chalked up to teenage insecurity. a big part of gorgug's arc was trying to believe in himself when everyone around him told him he was too dumb to follow his passion- imagine struggling in an area that you have no natural aptitude for, and someone comes along and also trounces you in the one area you thought you were the best in. i'd be petty and reactive too (gorgug follows up calling her a freak with the fact that she beat the shit out of him, so its clearly him just still smarting from a bruised ego and not actual malice). in general, i've really like gorgug learning to put his foot down and say enough is enough without completely losing his gentleness.

adaine hasnt had an obvious arc, but considering she addressed most of her baggage in the first two seasons, i'm not surprised. i would've liked to see the other bad kids address her 'teenage adult' behaviour, but her self-awareness about it and relying on fabian to pull in clutch for the oracool stuff still felt like she'd learned to rely on her friends at least + her reaching out to aelwyn and the two of them healing from their parents together has been rewarding it its own right.

riz is perfect and has learned nothing. his neuroticism is part of his natural swag

#fantasy high #fantasy high junior year #fhjy #dimension 20 fhjy #dimension 20 #adaine abernant #figeroth faeth #gorgug thistlespring #fabian seacaster #kristen applebees #riz gukgak

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princesssarisa · 1 month

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As I've read different people's views on Little Women, I've realized that for different readers, it's a fundamentally different book.

When I see someone describe the "universal" experiences of identifying with Jo, wanting her to marry Laurie, and disliking Amy, I remember all the proof I've seen that these are far from universal. The latter two weren't even my experiences: identifying with Jo, yes, but shipping her with Laurie and disliking Amy, no!

Even people with equal amounts of knowledge of the historical context and of Louisa May Alcott's life seem to come away with vastly different feelings about the story and characters.

I suppose there are a wide variety of reasons for this. First and foremost, which of the four March sisters you personally admire or relate to the most. Then there are other factors like your gender, your age when you first read the book, your relationship (good or bad) with traditional femininity, whether you read Parts I and II as a single novel or as Little Women and Good Wives, your relationships with your own family members, your religion and ethical values...

The list goes on.

That post from @theevilanonblog that I reblogged recently about the different interpretations of Frankenstein makes me want to write out a similar list of ten different views I've read of Little Women. Here it is:

Little Women is about the March sisters learning to be proper virtuous women of their time and place. With Marmee as their role model (a role later shared by Beth as she becomes increasingly angelic in her illness), they learn to conquer their flaws, give up their wild ambitions, and settle down as good wives and mothers. This is especially true for Jo, whose character arc is a slow taming from a rough tomboy to a gentle nurturer. It's a conformist and anti-feminist message, which Alcott probably disliked, but she wrote it to cater to public tastes. (This reading seems mainly to come from critics who dislike the book.)

Little Women is about Jo's struggle to stay true to herself in a world that wants to change her. She struggles with whether to stay a tomboy or become a proper lady, whether or not to marry Laurie despite not loving him romantically, and as an author, whether to write what she wants, write what earns the most money, or give up her writing altogether. In the end, she changes only in ways that make her happy, e.g. by learning to control her temper, and later by embracing romantic love. But in more important ways, she stays true to herself: always remaining slightly rugged, clumsy and "masculine," finding success as a writer, and marrying Friedrich, a man just as plain and "unromantic" as herself, but whom she loves and who respects her as an equal.

Little Women is about learning to "live for others." That phrase is used often and could well be the arc words. Beth is the only March sister to whom a selfless life comes naturally, but the other three master it by the end of the story (as does Laurie). They learn to conquer their moments of pettiness and selfishness, to live in better harmony with each other and with their friends and love interests, and to give up their self-centered dreams of fame and wealth, building lives that focus on service instead.

Little Women is about growing up. The first half is mainly about the March girls' maturing by surviving hard times and learning to be better people, while the second half is about reaching adulthood and bittersweetly parting ways to start new lives. At the beginning, Jo is a girl who doesn't want to grow up: she wants to always be a wild young tomboy with her family (and Laurie) by her side forever. But of course, she can't stop time or womanhood, and is eventually forced to accept the loss of Meg, Amy, and Laurie to marriage and Beth to death. After grieving for a while, she lets go of her old life and willingly builds a new one with Friedrich.

Little Women is about family bonds and the fear of losing them. We meet and become attached to the wonderfully close, cozy March family, which gradually expands through friendships, marriage, and new babies. But throughout the story, the family is in danger of breaking apart, whether due to conflict (Jo and Amy's sibling rivalry, Meg and John's marital problems), or separation by distance (Father going away to war, Amy going to Europe, Jo to New York), or death (the danger of losing Father and Beth in Part I, and the ultimate loss of Beth in Part II). But in the end – unlike in reading #4 above – the family doesn't break apart and never will. Conflicts are resolved, travelers eventually come home, the surviving family members always live near each other and stay as close as ever, and even Beth isn't really gone, because her memory and influence live on.

Little Women is about femininity and each March sister's relationship with it. Meg and Amy happily conform in different ways: Meg to "domestic femininity" as a housewife, Amy to "ornamental femininity" as a society lady. Beth pressures herself to conform to self-effacing domestic femininity, until sadly, it kills her – either because she's too selfless and nurturing when she cares for the fever-infected Hummels, or because she has anorexia, as Lizzie Alcott might have had. But Jo strikes a successful balance in the end, conforming just enough to fit into society, but only on her own terms, and otherwise living a happily unconventional life as a writer and schoolmistress.

Little Women is about Jo's unlearning of internalized misogyny. At the beginning, she's a "Not Like Other Girls" tomboy, who wishes she were male, disdains feminine girls (especially her sister Amy), doesn't care enough when "her boy" Laurie behaves badly toward women, and is afraid to be vulnerable. But gradually, and without losing her strength of character, she learns to embrace the sweeter and more tender aspects of herself, sees that Amy's ladylike manners have practical benefits, and learns to say "no" to Laurie when he turns his childish, unhealthy romantic attentions to her. Then after Beth dies, she realizes how precious Beth's utterly domestic, feminine life was, and embraces a more domestic life herself. Yet by doing so, she becomes a true feminist, as she enters an egalitarian marriage and devotes her life to teaching boys to be good, respectful men.

Little Women is only what US Americans know as the first half. It's just about the March sisters getting by and learning moral lessons over the course of the year their father is away at war. Nobody gets married and nobody dies. Everything else is in Good Wives, which is a sequel with different character arcs and different themes, and which should be published separately, as it originally was and still is outside the US. Trying to tie them together into one narrative never feels quite right.

Little Women is Alcott's idealized version of her own life and family, where no one suffers quite as much as they did in real life, everyone is slightly less flawed, and Jo ends up happily married to a man very much like Alcott's lost love Henry David Thoreau. She wrote the life she wished she had.

Little Women is just a semi-autobiographical slice-of-life that Alcott wrote quickly for money.

Which is the truest to Alcott's intent? I don't know. But while some of these readings I like better than others – and some of them I despise – I'd say they're all understandable and reasonably valid. Some aren't even mutually exclusive, but can be used together... although of course, other readings are mutually exclusive, like whether the story is feminist or anti-feminist, or whether the March family ultimately breaks apart or holds together. And they're all worth using as springboards for discussion.

Alcott wrote more books than she ever realized she did, because Little Women can be many different books to different people.

@littlewomenpodcast, @joandfriedrich, @thatscarletflycatcher, @fictionadventurer, @fandomsarefamily1966

#little women #louisa may alcott #interpretations #literature

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celaenaeiln · 10 months

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Robin Dick Grayson Characterization

I'm not sure how or where this started but there's been a rampant misunderstanding of Dick Grayson as Robin.

For some reason there have been posts upon posts that dick was some kind of angry robin and I don't know where this is coming from because in every single comic Dick is said to be the happy one. It seems to be a Covid craze because such defamation was not even in existance before 2020. Every one of the comics - Justice League, Batman, Detective Comics, Nightwing Comics, Jason's comics, Tim's comics, all of them! Talk about Dick being the happiest of the robins.

Some people say that he wanted to avenge his parents death by killing Tony Zucco. However Dick could never do that. John and Mary raised their son better than that.

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Issue #100

Where do you see a raging blood-soaked boy fanon makes him out to be?

The biggest supporter of happy Dick comes from Alfred so if you're going around claiming Dick was angry, you're literally spitting on his grave because Alfred ADORED Dick. He thought of Dick as the sole reason for Bruce's happiness which made him love Dick even more.

Alfred is Dick's biggest advocator. When Bruce is hesitant in his initial days of Robin - Alfred says