#still i wanted to explain this here because otherwise i would say nonsense things like muffyism

[suguann]

an. part two of this | masterlist

You tell him you broke up with your boyfriend while he’s away for work, bunked up in a safe house in the middle of nowhere with shit reception, hearing your words as clear as day as if they weren’t the chopped-up version coming through his burner phone.

“It just…didn’t work out.”

It didn’t work out.

He pretends his stomach doesn’t pleasantly twist because he’d expected it to happen eventually. He’s not happy about it—although it does make the desert heat more bearable in his heavy tactical gear—and tells Soap to fuck off when he comments on it.

It was a one-time fuck because Simon doesn’t date. He’s tried in the past before he met you—the flowers, the late-night dinners—but with him being gone almost every other month (sometimes longer, shorter if he’s lucky), it never works out in the end. Sleeping with you twice would fall under that category, the quasi-relationship kind, and make everything messier than it needs to be. 

Just some fun, no strings, those are the words he promised.

If only he believed them.

He does, for all of two weeks until he’s home again, and it’s summer, so you’re wearing a flowy dress that shows off the long expanse of your legs. 

(He’s a goner—not even sure why he tried to think otherwise.)

That one time he’d promised turns into a second, both of you stumbling into your apartment after a night out. The music from the pub still thumping loudly underneath your floor as he pushes you against the front door, hands in your hair—on your waist, underneath your skirt, down your thigh to hitch it over his waist—teasing your mouth open with a swipe of his tongue across your bottom lip.

You make this delighted little noise in the back of your throat, arching into him, and his hand spans down your stomach, beneath your underwear, to nudge your messy clit with his knuckle, wanting to hear all the sounds you make now that he has you alone. 

A whiny cry of his name rewards him—jeans tightening around his waist at the sound—when his fingers go down, down until they press against your tight little hole, one finger pressing inside slowly. "If I make you cum, I get to fuck you here.”

You smile prettily, and it disarms him. “If you make me cum, you can fuck me however you want.”

Neither of you makes it to the bed, falling asleep on the living room floor instead, the blanket from the couch draped haphazardly over both of you with his arm curled over your waist.

That night had been a slip of judgment, a product of wanting something warm and soft after several months of only having his hand for company.

It happens again and again, and he keeps letting it happen until there’s no more hiding under the guise of just fun because it somehow turns into a lot more than that.

Simon can’t explain how it happens—maybe becoming something he can touch and hold and think about often—but he finds himself in an exclusive relationship with you that isn’t exactly a relationship because he’s unsure of the ins and outs that they entail.

(Always has been.)

His father was a shit role model, and it was always easier finding someone new who didn’t know his name or care about his scars and only wanted a nice fuck. There had never been any point in shooting for something serious when it was always out of the question for him, until now, that is.

He takes you to that over-rated restaurant overlooking the Thames Marcus never brought you to. A picture of you and him with the sunset in the background—your smile almost blinding in the photo—becomes his home screen, and he finds he doesn’t care when Soap has something to say about it.

He lets you do nonsensical shit, like buying small plants for his house that are surely going to die from him being gone before he comes up with the great idea to give you a key. It’s just a key.

(It’s more than just a key.)

Simon finds himself asking if he can come over more often throughout the week, which slowly moulds and shifts into nights filled with things other than sex—sleeping after a long day of work, cuddling on the couch, cooking together, going to the movies—he doesn’t try to make a big deal out of it because you used to hang out all the time without sex. 

(Somewhere, there’s a but in there.)

There’s still no label to whatever this is, and he wonders if you want him to be the first to say the thing you’ve both been dancing around for a little over…he can’t remember, but he knows it’s been long enough for your things to mix in with his at his house. 

Be with me because I’m yours, and you’re mine, that’s what he’s trying to say, and it’s never the right time. Men like him—a little broken, rough, and jagged around the edges sharp enough to cut—aren’t good with words like that.

(That’s what he thought.)

If he hadn’t seen you talking to a guy at the pub, eyes crinkling in that same sweet way whenever Simon makes you laugh, he wonders if he would’ve been the first to break from the start. He knows it’s your job as a bartender to be nice, but his jaw clicks at the sight of the guy leaning over the bar and into your space, almost too close.

The feeling doesn’t go away until he has you spread out on your mattress under him—clothes haphazardly peeled out of the way for him to put his mouth on you—your lips pursed tight around two of his fingers to give you something to focus on as his other hand works between your thighs, pressing down on your tongue when gurgled little sounds slip out.

He teases you with a small, pink vibrator he found inside your bedside table, your legs kicking out and toes curling into his calves.

“Mine. This is mine, love,” he groans, pressing you further into the bed with his weight. “Do you understand?”

You nod, tears pearling and leaking from the corner of your eyes.

“Lemme cum,” you whine, words muffled. “Simon, I want to cum. Please.”

He won’t lie that he’s close after jerking into his fist to the sight of you writhing on the sheets—swears he can feel his heartbeat throbbing against the back of his fingers—takes in your surprised expression when he pushes forward, impaling you on the first few inches of his cock.

His stomach twists from the squeal that escapes your throat, and fuck, your cunt, so hot and tight with little pulses that drive him crazy, only growing tighter when he turns up the speed on the vibrator.

“‘Mm, gonna cum. I’m—”

He grits his teeth as you start to flutter around his cock once he’s rooted inside you. “Go on—fuck—go on, love. Let me feel it.”

You look so perfect like this, like a dream: lips parted into an enticing little O with his name tumbling out in breathy mewls, tits hanging out from the bra he shoved to the side, eyes glassy and unfocused. 

“So fucking pretty.” He kisses your throat, panting into your sweat-slick skin, and it’s not long before he’s falling over the edge with you. 

Next time, he’ll have the courage to tell you: that you’re not someone he calls for a meaningless fuck on the weekend, that Simon misses you when he’s gone and can’t wait to come home, that he wants to try with you—except not when he’s balls deep and trembling inside your heavenly cunt.

But the smile he feels against his shoulder makes him think that maybe…

Maybe you already know.

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

The yellow stripe represents the great riches and the might of the Kingdom of Osmeri, the white stripe represents silver, tying into riches and powerful magic, but also purity and snow and ice, and the blue represents the Baltic Sea that the kingdom is mostly confined to. The white stripe is meant to bear slight resemblance to the long line of the cross symbol of the other Nordic countries' flags, except not quite, since Osmeri is a Nordic country but not a Muffyist country.

Muffyism is the dominant religion of northern Europe and not really anywhere else, I decided, since I want religions of the Sirpaverse to not be one to one to existing religions. The cross of the flags resembles the form of Muffy, who is commonly depicted to be a waterfowl or a seabird. In Osmeri, meanwhile, the prevailing belief for centuries was that the original Osmerian king Ahti I was a god who came from the heavens to unite the kingdom together. I'm sort of juggling between that faith adapting to a more "modern" form and/or if most people in Osmeri are closer to atheists

Went ahead and designed the Osmeri flag, never before has a flag flagged so much before

[sleepy-grav3]

We Became Heroes Because You Didn't

The Justice League don't specialize in much. If you ask them, they'd say otherwise. Unless they're one of the Bats, because they acknowledge that, especially with magic. They hate it, but they have connections and will at least ask for more details to deal with the situation at hand. Though they'll need proof.

That's the thing really. Proof. Because how are you going to get proof of something if everything gets repaired by the end? Or maybe you're the villain here according to the public. Or maybe everything you say is just plain crazy that nobody even knows what's going on from the start!

It was only when another group was formed when everything became clear. They were frowned upon, unknown, spoke nonsense, and never asked for help. They were the survivors that played hero. They were the shadowed version of the Justice League.

They were Justice League: Dark

A fanfic (or multiple small ones grouped together?) that isn't really about them joining forces, but more about the discovery of more dangerous territory that's being handled by kids/teens. Lift some weight for these kids. They really want a safe net by now in their hero careers.

Like- maybe a few of these wouldn't be the JL's fault. Maybe it was the government (at least for the US). Like Danny Phantom and Gravity Falls mentions the government, maybe they blocked off those regions from outside connections.

I feel like it would be funny if maybe Constantine just ends up collecting kids like Batman with his.

They're just kids! Itty bitty toddlers. It's supposed to be our job to take care o' that shit, ain't it?

And JLD now has a bunch of young professionals cause what the fuck, kid. Why do you know this??? Ya know? Maybe the JL just randomly finds these things, calls Constantine after Zatanna fails to know wtf is going on, and he just calls over a kid. Or a group of them.

JL: We need a professional, why is there a child here?

Constantine: Cause even when you fuckers ignored their calls for help, they still at least try to help where they can

JL: We never-

Constantine: Shut your traps! School's in session

*Child tries to explain*

JL: You have to be kidding me. ___ doesn't exist.

Constantine: Oh bloody hell-

Child: And they wonder why they get more attention than us.

idk, I just like the idea of Constantine being a father for OP characters and desperately want a Young Justice League: Dark. I read a couple of Danny and/or Billy being adopted by him, but the cravings... And if it's a whole big crossover thing, that would be great. Tag me if you see or write about something like this. I wanna read too :)

Don't put too much hope in me writing it though, I'm seriously bad at continuing/finishing stuff. But if I do, I'll edit this post with links to whatever I write.

[raedshadowlegends]

Why Lore Olympus and Miraculous Ladybug are the Same Thing but in Different Fonts

Good evening, good day, hello and howdy. I am INCREDIBLY bored and I'm here to go on a nonsensical tangent about two pieces of media that I hate and have dedicated a vast amount of my free time to. This is all in good fun and all of my rudeness is intended to be satirical and/or comical unless indicated otherwise.

Now just to preface, if you know me then you know how much I dislike Miraculous Ladybug. Folks in my circle got to watch as I descended into madness writing a 64k word review on season 5. So I've spent an uncomfortable amount of time dissecting this show.

I have also spent an uncomfortable amount of time engaging with the shitshow that is Lore Olympus. And now my ass is gonna try and compare the two because there's a lot of shit going on here.

None of this is going to matter and it's all in good fun. Like I said, I am bored. And sometimes it's fun to compare stuff you hate.

Now let the insanity ensue. FP spoilers and MLB s5 spoilers below the cut btw.

To get a major difference out of the way, Miraculous Ladybug is a tv show. Lore Olympus is a webcomic.

But mediums aside, these two things still have a lot in common. So for the first comparison, I'd like to talk about the insecurity in both properties.

Insecurity

What I define as insecurity in this context is a piece of media that is too afraid to commit or adhere to a certain tone, story, style, etc. In short-- they don't know what they want to be.

Insecurity in Lore Olympus is a bit more obvious than with Miraculous so I'm gonna rant about that first.

Lore Olympus just straight up does not have a story to tell.

There are too many random ass plots being added and discarded on a whim for it to be a coherent story. A good way to explain it is kinda like this-- In this episode of LO, something cool new and interesting is set up and you have to keep reading to see what happens! And then nothing ever happens. Or it happens because the audience won't let the author forget so there's a half-assed attempt to wrap up that plot point.

LO is so insecure about what it is, it feels the need to add more and more to make it actually something. But what it is is a hollow story that lacks substance. So all of these new random plot points are kinda like bandaid solutions if that makes sense.

There are so many unfinished/under-utilized plot points that if you were to count out each and every one, you'd probably keel over dead before you finished. There's that many.

It's too insecure to commit to any one of them in the grand scheme of things.

I don't know how coherent all of that was so here's a shitty tl;dr

LO doesn't know what it wants to say anymore so it's just adding more shit to keep the reader "invested."

Yeah ok I think that makes more sense. As for Miraculous...

God. I fucking hate Miraculous.

It's insecure as hell and you can smell that shit from ten miles away. It's insecure with it's premise, I think.

If it just kept to the simple "monster-of-the-week" formula, I do not think I would have written so many words on it's fifth season.

Miraculous (apparently) had a grander story to tell beyond the "monster-of-the-week revert back to the status quo each episode."

But we don't see any of that in full swing till season 3, really. Which is a long ass time to get the ball rolling imo.

It's a little jarring to see the show go from the stupid kid status quo adventures to a heavy and emotional story??? And I say heavy and emotional with the most sarcastic tone possible because the only emotion I feel watching this shit is rage.

Despite wanting to make that shift to a serialized type of show, Miraculous was too scared to stray from the successful status quo format.

To explain a bit more I wanna talk about my review of the season.

While it is mostly filled with rude jokes and incomprehensible jargon, I bring up a lot of points in it regarding the state of things.

One of those things being the show's hesitancy to move the story along.

The fifth season was supposed to be a grand final battle and a conclusion to this story arc. But it was too scared to commit to that so there's way more episodes that are nothing but shipping fodder.

There are many episodes that season that just... feel the same. Just with different coats of paint. "Marinette is trying to date Adrien but she's awkward and clumsy and oh no! shenanigans ensue!" We've been doing this for 8 years.

If they want to tell a serialized story then they need to grow some balls and cut the shit we've seen a million times before.

Their insistence to stick to the status quo makes the writing exceptionally weak downright painful to sift through. It was too scared, too insecure, to stray from its formula.

That's a part of the reason why I think the season is paced so bad. There's so little time spent on the interesting parts of the story because they had to cram in as much shipping shit as possible. So by proxy, there was less time to tell a good story.

Both of these stupid ass properties don't know what they want to be. There are too many things being added and not enough balls to commit to any of them.

Now with both LO and MLB, we can all agree that the writing is pretty shit. Nothing new there. But shitty writing often bleeds into the characters and making them shitty by exposure. Almost like a spill of toxic waste, infecting anything near it and turning into a rotten pile of sludge and chemicals.

So yeah, the characters are ass as well. But I only wanna complain about the female leads for both of these things.

But just to mention Adrien and Hades, they are pretty similar. I won't go into detail but the short of it is, "Character with deep seated issues that could have been interesting, has a lot of potential, but is just kinda garbage in the end."

At least Adrien Agreste isn't monetizing death and has a bunch of shades in his basement doing his work.

Persephone and Marinette

So I always say that I don't like using the term 'Mary Sue' to describe a character. But as it turns out, I use that term a lot. So I'm not gonna lie about that anymore.

These two characters are Mary Sues.

Persephone first

Oh my god I hate Persephone a lot. She just ticks every box on my list of 'THINGS I HATE IN A CHARACTER.'

Which is funny because her character had a lot of promise and heart in the beginning.

I related to her a LOT when I picked up this comic before my frontal cortex developed. I related with her character and her struggles. Especially after the Apollo incident. That really stuck out to me. It was so powerful.

But all of those tiny things I liked about her character were stripped away. Her ambition to study in school? Poof, gone. Her charm? Not charming anymore. That kindness everyone in the story gushes about? I don't even think it was there in the first place.

Truth be told, I do need to reread this comic because the beginning is fuzzy as fuck in my walnut-sized brain. But I can tell you for certain that the way she was in the beginning is not who she is now.

And this isn't the case of a character going through an arc and developing and changing. She's just getting worse and the narrative treats it as a GOOD THING.

"Oh yeah, Persephone trashed Leuce's apartment instead of talking to her husband like an adult. She threatened to kill this nymph but you're supposed to find that endearing." Like, what??? I will not have a story try and get me to believe this is a good thing.

If this were a good story, Persephone's actions in that episode WOULDN'T BE REWARDED. But she's rewarded with sex for being a fucking psychopath towards a random nymph. Wow.

And that leads into my next point-- she can never be in the wrong ever.

AOW? Retconned, not her fault. It wasn't her fault she killed all those people. It's actually Eris' fault because she gave her wrath.

Trashing Leuce's apartment? She was in the right for that, apparently.

Killing people in a famine during the 10 year banishment? That's never explored, we just know she killed people, burned a library or something, and probably shot the president too. But it's fine, she's the good guy.

And most recently (and potentially the most frustrating);

Persephone causes winter.

Not her mother, Demeter, no fuck the myths. Persephone is the one who caused winter actually. AND SHE DID IT ON ACCIDENT SO TECHNICALLY IT IS NOT HER FAULT CAUSE SHE DIDNT MEAN TOOOO UWU She also probably killed a million flower nymphs in that snap freeze but its ok it doesn't matter.

WHAT?

WHAT THE FUCK? CMON NOW.

She's not going to receive any consequences for anything because she is just too perfect.

She's smarter than Athena, prettier than Aphrodite, better than her mother in every way, all the boys want her, she has a perfect body, she's pink, her eyes go red when she's angy, she has the most power of everyone in the world, she's a super rare fertility goddess, she has all the gifts, all the blessings, and none of the development.

It almost feels like a wattpad fanfic.

"My mom doesn't like me so she sold me to one direction and then I became queen of the underworld."

Yeah, I don't like her.

And the same can be applied to Marinette!

A character who is so blatantly perfect, the narrative fucking BENDS TO HER WILL.

She's a creepy ass stalker and has done some weird ass things to get close to this random famous white boy and it's all excused.

It's literally excused.

There is a rule about character backstories. They are supposed to provide an explanation for a character's behavior, not an excuse for it.

In season 5, episode 14 - Derision, we see a bit of Marinette backstory. Some stupid bullshit happens and Marinette essentially says she isn't going to say 'I love you' to anyone unless she knows literally everything about them.

She says a lot in that stupid ass scene but it's basically just saying that all of her stalking and creepy behavior is justified. Which it is not.

Marinette can do no wrong. The narrative won't allow it.

She's perfect in every way. And even when SHE is in the wrong, characters somehow find a way to apologize to her. Either that or she turns a situation about someone else into one about her self.

She's just the perfect character who ends up saving the world.

Fuck having Chat Noir face against his dad in the finale, Marinette has to girlboss all over the place and save the day but then actually lose because the "plot" demands it.

Oh yeah and she's probably never going to tell Adrien that his abusive dad was the villain they had been fighting for months. Do you think that's a good choice? I'll give you a hint; it is not.

It makes Marinette look like a HORRIBLE character but it's painted in a way that makes the viewer believe this is the right decision.

I don't think I need to get into specifics as to why that is wrong and disgusting.

If I had to make a prediction for this show going forward, she isn't going to tell him. It's going to be forgotten and she's going to be painted as the hero.

No flaws, no accountability, nothing.

Garbage character. Fucking hate it.

Both of these characters will never see consequences for their actions. Their bad actions are either excused or retconned out of existence. And that's not how you write a character btw. If you want them to be real, give them consequences. The world should not revolve around them. They should have flaws and issues that should be explored. But apparently that's too much work.

It's funny how both of these properties claim to be about feminism and somehow completely miss what feminism is

Miraculous thinks that feminism means "Girl power! Girls are better than guys in every way!" And Lore Olympus makes no attempt to be feminist at all. Women hate other women, and they don't get a lot of opportunities to explore and express themselves.

I could get into the whole purity culture shtick but that's a shitty rant for another day.

I've been ranting about this for a while and I got the big ones out of the way, methinks. I do want to get into the creators of both of these things but that is also a rant for another day.

Cause if I got into that now, we'd be here a while.

So let me just make a final comparison and wrap things up here. I don't think any of this makes a lot of sense but I hate both things and I'm passionate about it so I'm gonna keep rambling.

Miraculous Ladybug and Lore Olympus never attempt to grow as stories. They are both scared to try new things and to stick with it. Most of the time this results in rushed writing and horribly done characters.

It's so clear that both of these things are desperate to be something great but they just can't put in the work to get there.

Honestly, they both feel like the product of a team of yes-men. Bad decisions and errors slip by WAY too often and it's kind of embarrassing.

These are popular pieces of media and they have the resources to be great but they just aren't.

They're both too insecure to make something of themselves.

It's honestly really sad and I don't want this for either of these things. I want LO to be stunning and retell the myth of Persephone with the respect it deserves. I want MLB to be a serialized show with focus on the lore. Sure it can start as episodic but it can ease us into a deeper story and intrigue the viewer. But I want it to flesh out the world and be an entertaining experience.

It's sad but it's the way it is.

Who knows, maybe MLB season 6 will be good. And maybe LO will have a 4th season and it'll fix all the problems it has.

I dunno.

Thanks for reading this incoherent nonsense.

[gregorovitch-adler]

A date after the crisis has been averted, at least temporarily.

You know you're down bad, completely fucked up in love when THAT is your reaction when your crush has (jokingly) called you a bastard. What's even the point, now? You're doomed!

So, I've finished watching Season 1 for the first time and here are my thoughts:

1.) I love the writing of this season overall. I haven't read the book, so can't make a comparison, but Satire is one of my favourite genres, and I love it when things like Religion and Righteousness™ are questioned and satirised.

Also, I loved how witty some of the dialogues were. This one, for example:

"I don't see what's so wrong with them (Adam and Eve) knowing the difference between good and evil." (Crowley says).

"It must be, otherwise you wouldn't have done it!" (says Aziraphale).

It effectively calls out the lack of reasoning and blind faith in the real world.

I love how nuanced these two are. Crowley is a demon and pretends to be the Big Bad but time and again proves that he does care. Even when he doesn't want to.

As for Aziraphale, he's a good person overall but it's not like he always makes the right choice. He's fucked up too. And he has said hurtful things to Crowley. For eg. he didn't have to say, "We're not friends and you and I are on the opposite sides," to Crowley. I know he was trying to protect Adam Young at first, but still.

Aziraphale is quite stuck in his own prejudices. He wants to be with Crowley but still feels compelled to be loyal to his own side - even when the other angels have been nothing but arses to him the whole time.

Crowley is more open-minded in that sense. He's got greater vision and clarity about what he wants and the things that matter to him - he's been pretty much upfront about wanting to be with Aziraphale and ditch this nonsense about the good side and the bad.

I guess that was the whole point they were trying to make in this show.

2.) Aziraphale and Crowley are head over heels in love. I know, old news, but let me as a new fan just gush about it for a second.

Ever since they meet for the first time - when Adam and Eve are escorted to Earth - their chemistry is off the charts and it looks like they're perfect for each other.

Since Episode 2, it's clear that they have feelings for each other but they don't talk about it.

I love how even with his prejudices, Aziraphale is totally with Crowley when they want the Antichrist to be a completely normal child. Aziraphale wants the same things as Crowley but doesn't want to say it out loud.

The scenes where Aziraphale dresses up as a gardener and Crowley shows up as a nanny are hilarious. That too with the wrong child because of that mix-up eleven years ago!

This is my favourite scene:

It's ... nothing needs to be said. He's practically glowing with his love for the Demon.

Their banter, and the way Crowley playfully teases him sometimes - it's absolutely perfect. I love them.

3.) Coming back to my point about the other angels, can I just say I hate Gabriel? Fuck that guy.

He's the most despicable character of this show. I don't know if he gets better or worse in the next season, but for now, fuck him.

I guess I hate anyone who bullies and is condescending to Aziraphale lol.

I hate him even more than Hastur. Hastur is at least supposed to be cruel because he's a proper demon. People like Gabriel - who're supposed to be good but are actually assholes - can fuck off.

4.) I don't know if I missed it when it was being explained, but why is Crowley stuck in traffic in E5?

I know there's a huge demon prayer ring of fire set up by Adam Young but Crowley is a demon, and demons aren't bound by Physics, or so the God narrator told us. Couldn't he go to Tadfield any other way?

Also, why did Hastur burn to death in that episode? I thought the only thing that kills a demon is Holy Water.

Maybe I was being dumb when I watched the show lol. Would appreciate it if someone clarified this point for me in the notes.

5.) Whoever did the voice acting of God did a fantastic job. She had a lot of sarcasm in her voice at many points and I loved that.

Also, seeing Michael Mckean as Witchfinder was such a pleasant surprise! I'm a huge Better Call Saul fan.

6.) I loved the humour of this show. These two scenes were the funniest:

7.) Crowley's walk was my absolute favourite thing:

That's all for now. See you again once I'm done with Season 2.

[landofzero-archive]

Battle on the Sugoroku Board - Prologue

(Location: ES Hallway)

(One day during the first thirds of February (1). Corridor in front of the NewDi office.)

Natsume: ……PheW, finally the chaos of the end-of-year and New Year period has calmed dowN.

It started with the SS Qualifiers, the new stage for the special program for the end-of-year and New Years SSVRS trial, Maizuru Manor (2)—thougH it feels we’ve been tooting our own horn.

I wondeR if we can finallY return to normal activities.

Now theN. I’ll go beat up the Senpai who is still breaking labor law (3) during the end-of-year and New Years period, and enjoy a belated vacation–

UmM?

(Location: NewDi Offices)

Tsumugi and Ibara: ………♪

Natsume: (“Viper”......!?(4) Why is he herE!?

CoulD it be that he’s trying to imprint something onto Senpai when I’m not therE—)

Ibara-kun. What do you neeD from NewDi?

Ibara: So you’ve returned, Natsume-kun ♪ 

I’m sorry to be bothering you! As the representative of CosPro, I’m currently talking to His Majesty the acting director of NewDi, so please don’t worry about it, Natsume-kun ♪ 

Natsume: ………!

Ibara: My my my! A snake glare! (5) Lately, I tend to be forgetful of the fact that I’m a ‘Viper’, so I’m greatly indebted to your consideration in reminding me of that!

Natsume: That isn’T what I’m trying to do. Can you not string me along at your pace like thaT?

Enough with this tedious talk, just say what you want tO say.

Tsumugi: Don’t be such a grouch~, Natsume-kun. You know, since another agency’s representative came all the way to NewDi~?

Come on, smile, smile ♪ 

Natsume: Shut up, workaholic. (6)

If you don’t rest already, you’re going tO end up in a hospital, you know.

Tsumugi: No way!?

Ibara: You seem to be quite irritated~ It looks like you’ve been equally busy!

Well, this isn’t something that needed to be kept a secret, so I’ll let you in on it. I was just thinking of enjoying seeing Natsume-kun being left out in the cold! (7)

Natsume: You’re a rotten character, huH.

Ibara: AHaHaHa☆ That’s a good look on your face!

Putting that aside. Are you familiar with “NETV (Netteibi)”, Natsume-kun?

Natsume: Net……What?

Ibara: “NETV” —A recently started streaming broadcasting service that’s aimed at overseas folk.

It can be said that unlike a streaming program that is enormously funded with investments of shares in large quantities, it’s a streaming service from a company from this country with a moderate budget.

While niche, there is a demand from overseas. An Idol programme—- or some such is what “NETV” is trying to produce.

As such, I’m simply here to inquire if NewDi would like to cooperate by arranging participants.

Tsumugi: That’s right! Even though Saegusa-kun said it was a ‘moderate budget’ but, from my reading of the plans, the budget allocated is surprisingly quite substantial.

I was thinking that it’s a good chance for a new agency like NewDi.

Natsume: How suspiciouS……of this “Viper” to approacH us with talks of work.

There haS to be something else to it. OtherwisE, CosPro would surelY have exclusively monopolized this delicious project.

Ibara: What nonsense--- to say there is 'something else'. Just like divination, statistics and calculations are all there is to it.

I’m not trying to make a boring joke like “There is nothing hidden to 'fortune tellers'”— or something. (8) There are some things I haven’t explained, but it’s only because I’m unable to disclose everything.

The truth is, CosPro also has investments in this “NETV”.

It was an old connection from the time around when I was just starting out as a manager. Thanks to that, if the program is not a success, it’ll be a total loss.

In other words, this proposition is an idea meant to at least minimize losses. Because a cross-agency programme would be good publicity.

CosPro is extending the opportunity to participate to NewDi to push the program into success—

How about it? It’s not a bad proposition, right?

Natsume: ………

Tsumugi: As for me, I’m thinking positively about appearing on “NETV”.

I didn’t get any bad impressions from when I was looking at documents. It felt like it was influenced by a proper production company.

The only problem is, “NETV” is an online internet program, so not a lot of huge agency idols will participate.

……That said though, NewDi isn’t a huge agency.

This is a chance that won’t come again for us as we are right now. Net programs are still in its infancy stages right now, so long established agencies would not be expanding into it.

Natsume: ……I seE. ThougH there are undeniably fishy parts to it, it doeS stand to logic.

HoweveR. If you do anything suspicious, I won’T be silent about it.

Ibara: My my, please do not say that! Let us be mutually supportive of each other as coworkers in the same job!

Well then, I will be returning on a later date to explain the project! Take care until then!

TL Notes

上旬 - the first ten days of a month, or the first thirds of a month.

He’s listing past Switch events. Maizuru Manor is the orphanage from the 2023 MaM new year story; Poltergeist during the NEW COLOUR campaign.

He actually says ブラック労  (Black labour) here which is the term in Japan for worker exploitation in the form of extreme working hours, verbal abuse, or even power harassment/bullying. The companies using this form of employment are called ブラック企業 (Black Companies).

Technically, a 毒蛇 (Dokujya) is just a ‘venomous snake’; the term does not imply any specific venomous snake species but as the fandom usually knows this particular nickname of Ibara’s as ‘Viper’, Mod is following suit. Viperidae snakes are called クサリヘビ科 (Kusarihebika), and the viper itself is 鎖蛇 (Kusarihebi).

蛇睨み - literally, ‘snake glare’, is a reference to a Pokemon move. In the English version, this move is called ‘glare’. This move paralyzes the target. It can only be learned by snake Pokemon.

‘Workaholic’, written in katakana, is basically read the same way as the English word.

The JP text says Natsume was ‘left out of the mosquito net’, basically the equivalent of ‘left out in the cold’.

This is a pun. The beginning of the word for 'fortune teller' 占い師 (uranaishi) is phonetically similar to the word 裏 (ura) which can mean a lot of things such as 'opposite', 'hidden side', 'hidden shadows', 'more than meets the eye', 'rear'... to that effect. Mod has translated every instance of 'ura' in the lines leading to this bit as 'something else', to insinuate the pun.

Directory | Next

[shion-yu]

Day 17: Forced to stay awake

Ryo/Alex drabble for @medwhumpmay!

Ryo can barely keep his eyes open, but if he wants to finish things on time then he has to. It’s way too late to start another assignment now - he can already hear the birds chirping outside - but it’s due at noon tomorrow and tomorrow Ryo has clinical rotation and won’t get home until 8pm. So it’s either do it now or never, and if he wants to keep up his marks, he has to do it now.

Alex gave up waiting for him around one in the morning, sleepily going to bed after bringing Ryo yet another cup of coffee. It feels ridiculous to drink coffee so late at night, but he supposes by now it’s actually just really early morning. He starts the assignment and it’s around 6am when he finally submits it. He should proofread it first, half of it is probably nonsense, but he’s spent. He has to be at the clinic by 7am, which means he barely has time to shower and bring something to go for breakfast on the train. At least he won’t get a zero on the assignment.

He digs through his dresser in the bedroom, trying to find a pair of clean scrubs. Alex sits up in bed, rubbing his eyes. “Don’t tell me you never went to bed,” he says sleepily.

“Then I didn’t never went to bed,” Ryo says. The nonsense of the sentence confuses both of them for a few seconds. “It’s fine. I’m fine.” His voice cracks a little when he says it.

“Sounds like a lot of fines for someone who wasn’t even asked,” Alex says dryly. “And your shirt is on backwards.”

Ryo huffs in annoyance and quickly rights the direction of his shirt. Alex shakes his head in exasperation. “Why don’t you just call in and say you’re sick? You basically are. I can see you swaying from here.”

“Alex, stop. I need to get going,” Ryo snaps. “Either help me get out the door or go back to sleep.” 

Alex frowns deeply, and Ryo barely has enough energy to feel guilty about it. He rarely snaps at Alex, it’s usually the other way around. But god damn he’s exhausted. Suddenly he feels Alex’s hands on his body, and even though he’s still pissed off Ryo can’t help but automatically sag into Alex’s grasp. 

“You’ve got a fever,” Alex says.

“So?” Ryo asks weakly, but a few touches from Alex and he knows he’s going to lose this game now.

“So you’re staying home,” Alex says. “You always get a fever when you work yourself too hard. We can call your professor and explain, I’m sure they don’t want you there if you’re just going to mess up,” he adds when Ryo opens his mouth to protest. 

Ryo’s out of excuses, perhaps willingly. It’s not like he doesn’t want to crawl into bed and sleep this off for the next twenty hours, because he badly does. “I can’t miss another one this semester, okay?” He tells Alex weakly.

“You won’t if you take care of yourself,” Alex says, leading him to bed and helping him crawl under the covers. It feels impossibly good to be lying down. Alex sits at his legs and pulls out his phone. “Just rest, okay? I’ll take care of it. Rest.”

Ryo wants to complain. He wants to tell Alex that this isn’t high school or even undergrad, this is his veterinary degree and he can’t let a little sleep deprivation and a fever knock him down so easily. But instead he decides to trust that Alex really will take care of everything, because he’s fairly sure getting back up now would be impossible. “Please don’t forget to call school,” Ryo murmurs, eyes sagging closed unwillingly.

“I’m doing it right now,” Alex says. He pauses and Ryo feels him place a little kiss on his forehead. “Sleep, Ry.” And finally, helpless otherwise, Ryo listens.

[3fc0eb]

Clay Puppington, A Brief Overview

Clay is a complex character that takes a very influential role in the series, but because of that complexity, his character might require a small breakdown to fully appreciate the story being told. 

Many facets of Clay are seen throughout the story. Most often, we see him through the lens of his son, Orel. Orel's perspective of Clay is arguably the most vital, because as the series continues, we see Orel's view of his father shift from a childish perception of a paragon for what's good and right™, into a realistic understanding of the man he truly is.

In Orel's own hand-written script, he likens his father to a puppy, because he is “loyal and good”. We as the audience, however, are given a different perspective. We are given the chance to see Clay without Orel's perception. 

Thus, we see a wolf. 

To see a wolf among sheep is no accident on the writers’ part. The Bible uses the wolf to symbolize cruelty, treachery, greed, and destructiveness. (Zephaniah 3:3, Luke 10:3, Acts 20:29, Ezekiel 22:27)

These traits are readily seen in Clay and, in Orel's innocence, he is blind to those flaws. 

Beyond Orel's view, however, we are given key insight into Clay's character and the situation he's in from the ending of season one.

Here we see Clay and his wife, Bloberta, having an argument about the sermon they'd sat through that day. It quickly devolves into her pointing out his drinking habits, where he replies “All I do is try to forget.”

Bloberta has her reasons for this argument, but what's important is that we are given a perspective devoid of Orel's vision. 

We see that he is unhappy with his marriage and suspicious of his wife's fidelity. Tellingly, he doesn't even deny that he never wanted a second child. 

So why does he stay in this situation if he's so miserable?

The next time he sees his son, he actually spells out the answer to that question.

“You and Shapey are still young, needy, impressionable children. So your mother and I have decided to stay together. If only for appearances. The last thing we want people to think is that we don't care about our own kids. That's one fact that is none of their business.”

Importantly, in the entirety of his monologue to Orel, he paints himself as the knowledgeable, correct one. Yet, he is painfully clear that the only thing that matters to him is what others see and think. 

Immediately afterwards we see that he's left Bloberta and Shapey to wait alone in the car outside the restaurant, punctuating precisely how little he cares for both of them. 

Then why does Clay single out Orel as being worthy to explain what's happening to? Does he genuinely care for and love Orel as a son, in his own misguided and twisted way?

No. No, he doesn't. His first reaction to his son coming to him with any issue or concern is to immediately reach for his belt for correcting his son into whatever wisdom he believes he possesses. 

He doesn't even react to his son's bloodied clothes until his wife tells him it will cost him more money in laundry detergent.

He refuses to accept responsibility for properly teaching his son.

And any revelation that would otherwise be seen as important milestones for personal growth in his son are forcibly stamped down.

All so that his son will be more like him. Because he believes he is living life correctly. How it is meant to be lived. 

He says as much in the most pivotal moment in the series: Nature.

First, taking place directly after disciplining Orel after the events of Grounded, we see Clay inviting Orel to go for a hunting trip. 

At first, Orel is elated at spending time with his father. But once Clay explains his intent to have Orel kill something, Orel insists that he'd rather just watch. He'd rather just spend time with his father. But Clay pushes aside that “nonsense” immediately, instead thrusting a Puppington tradition onto Orel. 

Passing on Ol’ Gunny. But we'll come to that later. For now, Nature.

“I gotta tell you, Orel... Your cup is always half empty. Now look at me. You should be more like your old man and look on the blight side of life.”

Clay is speaking honestly here, but not entirely the truth he wants to be telling. He confuses “blight” and “bright” here, effectively telling Orel that he needs to be brought down to Clay's level. Seen to a greater degree in Sacrifice, Clay’s mentality is solidly rooted in “misery loves company”, and he is nothing if not miserable. 

He continues, “I didn't say "bright". I said "blight". My life is sunny and blight. 'Bright' means the opposite - it means sudden withering death. And that's... not... Oh, who am I kidding? My life is full of bright…”

Concerned, Orel asks, “You mean blight?”

“Oh God…”, He mutters.

“What's the matter?”

And here, Clay reveals the deep-seated turmoil within him:

“I hate myself... WHY DO YOU QUIT WORKING ON ME?! She always fools me, Orel. "I'll make things better, dear! Drink me! Put me inside you! I'm great!" And she chokes me just like every other whore out there! They're all worthless, kid. Every woman. Don't let 'em get ya! All of 'em wanna get ya! They just grab you and pull you into 'em! And you're forced to stay in, pull out, stay in, pull out! And then they cut ya and they grip ya by the... right where it counts! And then they start squeezing things out, things that are like weights around your head! You're stuck there for the rest of your life with nowhere to go and no one to be!”

His increasing delirium is broken as a gunshot rings out.

“Dad! Are you okay?!”, Even still, Orel remains concerned for his father.

“Okay?! Am I okay?! You shoot one thing this whole trip! Count 'em - one thing! And it's two of my last bottles of liquor?!

“Sorry, Dad, it was an accident!”

“There are no accidents! You've done nothing but whine like a lady in a flowery sissy skirt and attractive high heels about my drinking since we got here!”

“It's because you become a bad person when you drink!” 

Finally, Orel's illusion of his father has cracked, and he points out what we could see. And Clay's response to his son's cry?

He reaches for his belt once again. Too inebriated for even that, he instead grabs his rifle, to instruct Orel on how to “be a man” again. Remember that phrase. 

Instead, however, he accidently fires the rifle and hits Orel in the leg.

And still his only words are that Orel has to be more careful. He is spiteful of Orel bringing a first aid kit, and instead of helping his son, he downs the rubbing alcohol himself and sleeps.

While he sleeps, a bear finds the two of them. Orel apologizes to the bear before having to shoot it in order to save his father and himself.

For the first time, Orel takes a personal stand against his father and lies to him. Lies in order to purposefully spoil his father's pride. This is important to Orel's development but before that, let's go back to Clay's rant. 

Like much of late-season Clay's speeches, there's a lot to unpack, so let's take it piece by piece.

First, Clay is aware of the low opinion he holds of himself, but for now, we the audience are left to assume why that is. We only know how much he hates his life. 

He then laments the poor job alcohol has done for him. We've seen before that he drinks to forget, in Best Christmas Ever. But drinking to forget isn't the sole reason. Clay pins many of his misgivings on a particular person. 

There is a reason Clay believes drinking is better for him, the same reason his despair about alcohol quickly transitions to his opinion on women. In reality, its one particular woman he's screaming about, who's tainted his view so dramatically.

“Still hate her.”

“I'm setting your couch alarm so you're not late again for work tomorrow.”

“You have never been on my side!”

Bloberta.

Clay believes her to be the linchpin to his misery. She certainly doesn't do anything to alleviate that impression either. 

That's not to say there aren't moments when they get along. Notably, they share in a kind of joy by tearing someone else down. Again, misery loves company.

This can be seen in the first episode, Grounded, and Help.

Mocking Reverend Putty's sermon,

Rubbing salt in Orel's wound when he was grounded from going to church,

And telling off Figurelli at the wedding reception the day they'd met. 

Let's take a moment to focus on Help. 

This episode can be easily seen as the beginning of Clay's downfall. 

When Clay is first seen in Help, he is very unlike the man we've come to know until then. 

He is careful, withdrawn, and perilously pious; suggesting that even drinking was a sin when asked why he didn't drink drinks. 

His delicate persona falters easily, however, as Bloberta's encouragement shows him the possibilities that alcohol can provide.

It is this moment that Clay becomes more recognizable to the audience. His first exposure to alcohol helps him “out of his shell”, and his initial action is to tear down someone else to raise himself up.

“...That dummy had no idea until I told them the score.”

He becomes a bad person when he's drunk.

But that shared intimacy over a common enemy was enough to keep Bloberta happy at first, until he reveals he has no interest in marriage and instead begins to show her who he is.

Cruel.

“I think he forgot yours.”

Treacherous.

“Yeah, could be…”

Greedy.

“They're mine!”

“Filthy.”

Even so, Clay gave her a reason to believe she had value by saying she was helpful. So her mind was set, and he was just as easily swayed to marry her as he was to start drinking.

And with that, we know why he drinks. He regrets his marriage to Bloberta, and his day to day life with her, but needs to maintain face with the people of Moralton. His determination is touched on in another rant he has toward the end of the series, but let's wait to talk about that.

First, it's important to ask “why is Clay like this? What makes him behave the way he does when he drinks?”

This is answered in the next episode: Passing.

(Part 2)

[tia-amorosa]

Sunset Died - The Loners

New Roommate

It's the next day. And finally there was a break from all the snowfall. It was almost lunchtime by now when Twyla and Leila met in the kitchen. “You know what's nice? You don't have to get up at 6 a.m. and go to work. You can sleep in and get up whenever you want”.

“hnhn, yes, that's true. We can decide for ourselves how to organize our daily routine. Well, did you like the food, Lucky?"/ ‘See, you like him’/ ‘haa,, o.k.,, I admit, he's really cute and hasn't chewed the furniture yet’. After a few seconds, there was a knock at the door. “huh? Is Autumn coming back after all?"/ ‘hnhn, I don't think so“.

Leila went to the door and opened it. She thought it might be Gage, who had left very early to drop by the neighbors' house. But that wasn't the case. She looked into a slightly shocked and desperate face. “Yes, please?"/ ‘Hello, I… I'm here because…um…’/ ”I assume you're here for the place to sleep. Come in first”.

After he entered the house, Twyla got up from her chair and greeted him. But he avoided her gaze again and looked around the room instead. It was warm and smelled of food. “Hello… Yes, well… I would like to accept the offer, if it's still available”. She looked at Leila, who just shrugged her shoulders. “Sure it is”.

She looked down and past him for a moment. “Don't you have any luggage with you?"/ ‘No… Just the clothes I'm wearing and maybe a few bits and pieces in my jacket pockets… I know, I look like a bum,’ he said with a shy smile. “What nonsense.” But Leila seemed to be thinking exactly that at the moment and wrinkled her nose a little. Apparently he hadn't been able to wash his clothes for a long time.

Leila withdrew a little. She left it to Twyla to show him around and explain the rules of the house. “Sorry, she wasn't exactly thrilled last night"/ ‘because of the dog or because of me?’/ ”A bit of everything. But you made the right decision. And we still have a few things to sort out"/ ‘I see. Is this the bathroom?’ he asked her, looking at the door next to him.

She smiled and opened the door for him. There was indeed a bathroom here, fully equipped, with a bathtub. He took a deep breath, almost in relief. “And you really have hot water? How…"/ ”We found an older pipe that still worked. If you want to take a bath, you can do that.”

He turned to her. “Thanks… I wouldn't know otherwise…"/ ”You don't have to say anything else, okay? You're here now and that's good for now. I'll ask Gage if he has any clothes left. What about your work, are you still doing it?"/ ”No, I… I've found someone who would like it to take over…” / „OK then… I'll leave you alone for now and look for some fresh clothes for you.”..

Gage came home about ten minutes later. “I can see if I can find something for him"/ ‘thank you. is it okay for you that he's here?’/ ‘well, as I said, we still have to sort out the thing with the supplies… But otherwise it's certainly good not to be the only man in the house’/ ”hnhn. We should all get to know him better first”.

While the others were somewhere in the house, Reginald ran the bath. It took a while before the water was hot enough for him to insert the plug so that the bathtub could fill up. When it was full enough, he undressed completely and slowly sat down in it until almost his entire body was covered in water. “hhh, oh man, this is the best thing in a long time”….

While it was freezing cold outside, he enjoyed the hot bath. He thought about the past. The catastrophe and what had happened long before. “Should I tell her? It's not something that's completely out of the ordinary… I'd just like to get rid of everything and draw a line under it. So that I can let go, mentally… I'm ready for that…”.

A little later. While Reginald was still in the bath, Gage came past the bathroom and pushed his things through a narrow gap in the door for him. After a long bath, Reginald put the clothes on and then looked at himself in the mirror. “Maybe a tad too small, but it works… Thanks. Hmm… I look terrible.”

After he had finished his stay in the bathroom, he went back to the others. “Hey, that looks good. Do you feel better now?"/ ”A lot better, but… when I looked in the mirror, it almost hit me. I think… My hair needs to be cut…"/ ‘I can do that if you like,’ Twyla said with a smile.

Reginald smiled a little sheepishly. “You can do that?"/ ”Sure, or would you rather go to the hairdresser? It's just hard to find one here right now…”. He had to laugh a little. He knew, of course, that he had no other choice. “hnhn, that's all right. You're welcome to lend a hand… A-at my hair I mean“/”hn, okay. Today or can we postpone it until tomorrow?"/ ‘It can wait ...’/ ”I think so too. You must be hungry, right?"/ ‘hmm, a little bit’/ ‘then I'll make you something’.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

@greenplumbboblover ☺

[booksandwitchery]

A Debate Surrounding Secular Witchcraft

As I've been reading Psychic Witch: A Metaphysical Guide to Meditation, Magick & Manifestation by Mat Auryn, I've been thinking more and more that there is somewhat of a disagreement between secular witchcraft and atheistic/naturalistic paganism. I'd like to discuss it here--maybe hear some thoughts on the matter.

As the title indicates, Auryn's book focuses mainly on manifestation and meditation-based strategies within spell work. He believes that "Magick and psychic ability aren't supernatural, but rather completely natural and absolutely possible for every single human being to engage in." For me, the disconnect arises when Auryn writes that although he cannot say that a lot of the concepts he discusses are reflective of reality, he "can say with certainty that following the concepts as if they are true will yield great results." Looking back, I can remember this sentiment being echoed by a lot of secular witch authors (Mystic Dylan, Maddi Em, and Julie Wilder, for example).

Atheistic/naturalistic paganism, at its foundation, opposes this kind of thinking--to be clear, it opposes the idea that the truth doesn't matter. In his book Atheopaganism: An Earth-Honoring Path Rooted in Science (a book I found to be important, thoughtful and overall logically sound) Mark Green explains that one of the most important reasons for his separation of naturalistic paganism from plain old "Neopaganism" is that the truth matters, and paganism has a weakness for nonsense. He disagrees with the practice of believing in something "because it would be really cool if it were true."

The obvious question is "Why is it bad for people to believe in something as long as it has a positive effect on their life?" Green's answer is that delusions based in wishful thinking are deeply harmful on a societal level. Historically, when unfounded beliefs inform action (or inaction), bad things happen. As an anecdotal example, I knew someone who died because they refused to get real medical treatment--they thought that a certain type of holistic treatment (without evidence to support its effectiveness) would cure them. I suppose another example would be those who die because they believe that prayer will heal their illness.

Soooo...while I believe that witchcraft, secular or otherwise, works...I also want to avoid presenting a concept as if it is true just because, as Auryn says, "following the concepts as if they are true will yield great results."

Obviously I'm rambling, and I'm still mulling this over. But right now I'm thinking that my workings in this sphere should always be expressed to others as transparently as possible. I don't want people to take a certain idea or premise from my practice as truth when really it is just meant as a psychological tool. Otherwise, I would not truly be following "If an ye harm none, do what ye will" to the best of my ability. Does that make sense? I want to know what other people think about this.

Edit: I wanted to add that most (if not all) pagan belief systems emphasize the importance of balancing the magical with the mundane. But I fear that some people might sidestep this or pretend its not an important part of walking the path.

[thevelria]

Electric Love (Gojo x Reader) Chapter 10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pairing: Gojo x fem!reader

Summary:This is the 10th chapter of an AU story, some parts might be canon, but mostly not. It's going to be a love story between you and Satoru with some spice. Warning will be at the beginning of the chapters. Please read them carefully and skip if any of the listed warnings might trigger you. Otherwise have fun!

Warnings: angst. If you're not a manga reader there will be some spoilers in Megumi's story. I try to avoid spoilers as much as possible.

Wordcount:1.9K

AO3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sweat appeared on your forehead, your body was wiggling back and forth on the bed. It was more than obvious that you were having a rough nightmare. Seeing a chaotic scene about yourself being tied up in a chair as Yuuji, who called himself Sukuna, stood right in front of you, talking nothing but nonsense. 

“Satoru!” you screamed as you woke up and panted heavily.

Gojo stormed into your room just seconds after he heard your desperate voice. “My love, what’s wrong?” he rushed to your bed, sitting down carefully next to you.

“I had a horrible nightmare.” you tried to collect yourself “It seemed so vivid.” 

“Tell me about it” he looked at you worriedly “Talking about it will ease the uncomfortable feeling.” 

So you did. You told him everything you saw in that dream. Sukuna, the chair, the pain, seeing him far away. Gojo froze for a second because he knew you experienced the exact same chaos as he did just not long ago. 

“It’s going to be okay.” he hushed you and hesitated whether to hug you or not.

“Could you stay with me tonight?”

Your voice cracked him, he felt so much guilt it was hard to handle. “Of course!” he faked a smile and climbed on the bed next to you. As he rested his back against the headboard you scooted closer and placed your head on his chest, hugging him tight. 

“Everything’s going to be alright, darling.” he ran his palm up and down on your back, giving you all the comfort he was capable of. 

Soon you fell asleep once again in his embrace. The moonlight danced across the room, slightly highlighting Satoru’s angelic face and beautiful eyes. He was wide awake, he was worried and he felt desperate for the second time in his life. For now he didn’t see the solution but he was certain he was going to find out something to save you from Sukuna. 

In the morning you found yourself as the little spoon. Gojo held you from behind, his jaw rested on your shoulder. He tried his best to comfort you during the night and he did an excellent job. For a brief second everything felt perfect but the ugly truth hit you hard right after and you realized this utopian situation wasn’t true anymore. Every unpleasant memory rushed your mind and you slowly peeled his hand off of your waist.

As you were sitting at the edge of the bed you massaged your temple. Trying to calm yourself with balance in- and exhaling you felt his palm on your shoulder.

“Love, are you okay?” his sleepy, raspy voice was still the sexiest thing ever.

“Please, don’t!” you frowned. “I won’t cause any problem, I promise. I’ll stay here as long as you say I’m free to go. But after that you and I will never see each other again, Satoru.”

“Y/N, let me explain it. At least just hear me out, please. I’m begging you!” he sat up and scooted next to you to the edge. 

“Would it change anything? If you tell me why and how did this happen?”

“You will understand my intentions.” he clenched his jaw. 

“Go on. Tell me then!” 

“You have to believe that I never wanted to hurt or lie to you. But I fell in love with you so fast I couldn’t control myself. As you danced your way into my life, Y/N. No one ever was able to do that before. And when you told me how you felt about sorcerers it felt like a knife in my heart. I was afraid, okay? And I was way too selfish. I didn’t want to lose you.” he softly put his hand on your cheek but the second you felt it on your skin you squeezed your eyes closed. “Sorry.” he mumbled, pulling back his hand instantly. “Everything was perfect. You looked happy and you seemed like you were in love with me. Was I wrong, Y/N? Did I read the signs incorrectly?”

“No.” you whispered. “I fell in love with you, Satoru. That’s why it hurts like hell at this moment.”

“I made a mistake, I know that. But please give me one more chance to prove my love to you. You’re in danger and I’m willing to give my life to protect you!”

He sounded so serious, way too serious, it sent shivers down your spine. 

“I don’t want you to get hurt. I just want this whole nightmare to end. I want my simple, boring life back. And with time we both will heal from this damage.”

“Together?” his eyes sparkled with hope.

“No, Satoru. Not together. I’m sure I’d be able to get over the fact you lied to me but I wouldn't be able to be with a sorcerer.”

“I’m nothing like Geto!” he raised his voice slightly.

“You knew him? You knew the man who killed my father and you did not say anything?” you let out a maniac, cracked chuckle “Fucking hell, what else do you hide from me?”

“I…I just…” he tried to find the right words.

“Please, leave! NOW!”

***

Gojo felt miserable as he left your room but he knew he had a mission to focus on. With hurried steps he walked around the facility, gathering everyone into the living room. 

“Listen up!” his strict voice made them realize the seriousness of the situation. “I will need your help with a dangerous mission. You all know Sukuna but I assume you didn’t hear about Arvis and Isebu. Except Nanami, he knows everything already.” Satoru looked at his friend. Nanami nodded slightly but kept silent. 

“Is everything clear?” Gojo frowned after telling them the plan. 

“Yes, sensei!” said Maki, Nobara and Panda.

“Salmon.” nodded Toge. 

“Sensei!” Yuuta stepped forward. “I volunteer to stay here with Y/N. I can protect her!”

“No way!” Megumi crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I’m gonna stay here with her.”

“I don’t have time for this!” Gojo rolled his eyes.

“Rock-paper-scissors?” Yuuta raised one of his brows.

“Fine.” Megumi reached his hand out. 

After 5 unsuccessful attempts they were finally able to decide who was going to stay with you. Megumi was the winner which made Yuuta frustrated. 

“Alright, Megumi.” Gojo stepped closer to him. “I trust you, boy. Protect her at all costs, if it’s needed, understood? At-all-costs.” His ice cold tone surprised Megumi. Gojo seemed different and actually terrifying. 

“I will, sensei, don’t worry. She’ll be fine!”

“Everyone else, let’s get going!”

***

Sukuna was fidgeting the tiny vial between his fingers. “I have a plan.” he clicked his tongue.

“Enlighten me, please.” Arvis sat up on the couch he was chilling at.

“I’m sure Y/N is in the facility. And as I know the sorcerers, they are already out, looking for us. But probably let someone strong behind to protect the girl.”

“Aha, okay. So?”

“So, my brother, we need to make some noise. Actually you’ll need to make some trouble in Kyoto. Make sure they get the information and will rush there. But be careful and vanish before they get you. You’re not strong enough to beat them all. Meanwhile I’ll get Y/N from the school. What do you say?”

“Why don’t we just open a portal?” Arvis pulled a face.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Sukuna let out a maniac chuckle.

“You are crazy!” Arvis laughed out loud. “I’m in, let’s do this!”

***

“Can I come in?” Megumi knocked on your door. “I brought you some food.”

You didn’t give any response, so he decided to walk in anyway. As you sat on your bed, hugging your knees, he felt sorry for you. 

“Please, eat something, okay? And I brought you some drinks too. I don’t know what you like so there are two kinds of juices, water, tea and coffee.” he blinked fast, trying to hide his nervousness. Even if he didn’t spend much time with you, he liked you and he hated the fact you were in a life-threatening danger.

You looked at him then at the tray he brought but you kept silent. As you closed your eyes you felt the mattress bending slightly under his weight. Megumi sat at the edge of the bed with his back facing you. 

“I know he fucked up, Y/N. And we all are sorry that we lied to you. I’m sorry for the way you feel about us, even if we do nothing but protect non-sorcerers.” Hearing your low huffing he gulped big. “He’s going to save you, I hope you know that. Even if it would cost his life he didn’t stop.”

“No one asked him to do that.” bitterness dripped from your voice like venom.

“I know but that’s how he is, you know. When sensei loves someone he does everything to protect them. He saved my life, too. I was just a child and he wasn’t even old enough to make a serious decision like that. And yet he took me here and…”

“Where were your parents?”

“My mom died when I was a baby and my father…let’s not talk about him. Gojo sensei is like a father to me and I know him more than anyone. So believe me when I say that he’s desperately in love with you.”

“It’s really touching that you try to talk him out of this, but…” you stopped mid sentence. You were afraid of saying out loud your thoughts. Even if you tried your hardest you couldn’t hold your tears back.

Megumi heard your breathing becoming uneven and when he turned around he witnessed you crying. “Shh…” he scooted closer and hugged you. Maybe hesitating for a second before you hugged him back. 

“I’m so afraid.” your voice cracked. “I don’t want to die, Megumi. I just…”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” he rocked you back and forth slightly. “We won’t let that happen. You have my word. I’ll protect you at all costs. Do you hear me?” he pulled back a bit and looked into your eyes. “Yuuta would do the same, believe me. The guy was so devastated to lose against me.” he chuckled.

“What?” you frowned, while rubbing your eyelids with the back of your hand.

“I had to beat him with rock-paper-scissors, because he wanted to stay here with you.” he shook his head slightly.

“You all are so weird, I swear to God.” you let a soft giggle.

“Oh, wait until you meet the girls and Toge. But I’m sure you’ll love Panda.”

“Panda?” your eyes widened. “You mean a panda panda?

“He’s actually an abrupt mutated cursed corpse.”

The way your eyes widened once again made Megumi realize you had no idea what he was talking about. “He's a good guy. That’s all you have to…”

His words died mid sentence as a huge explosion was heard not far from your room. 

“What the fuck?” he jumped up from the bed and rushed to the door. 

“Please, don’t leave me alone.” you begged.

“Come.” he held out his hand to you. “But do as I say no matter what. Understood?” You nodded as you took his hand.

As you stepped out of the room your blood froze in your veins. There he was. Sukuna stood right in front of you at the end of the corridor. “Y/N, darling” he cooed. “It’s time for you to come home with me.”

[raveneira]

hi, do you think when sarada awoken the mangeko (as much as i wish that trashy awakening wasn't real it unfortunately is) because of she cared for brto and was a die hard fan or was she just really upset that no one belived her and thought she was spouting nonsense? for me i low-key feel that it is the latter since sarada seems to have more concern for herself and the fact that she thinking that everyone denying her reality affected her so much to the point of awakening ms? it's still bad tho

Unfortunately if we're being realistic, nobody fkin knows what triggered it, there are two primary theories in the fandom and both are factually false

1 She was overwhelmed, everybody suddenly hunting/attacking Boruto, hearing Naruto was killed, her father not believing her, and finally her desperate plea for him to save Boruto is was caused her MS

2 her immense love for Boruto and fear of him being killed is what triggered it

Both of these are factually wrong, others may wanna live by Ikemoto's bs rules but Im not, Kishimoto didnt spend 15 yrs establishing this power up for us to just be like 'well none of that matters now cuz Ikemoto did different' stfu, the original creator >>> an incompetent assistant that constantly says fk what Kishimoto established in his own verse to make whatever bs plot/scenario he needs to work. In this case, he needed 'change Boruto's fate' and justify Sasuke leaving with Boruto for 3 years so he pulled that omnipotence bs and then made Sarada awaken her MS solely to convince Sasuke to believe her, there was literally no other purpose than that.

So for a memory refresher, why is her MS awakening factually wrong? because neither of the explanations people give are how the MS WORKS.

This is literally in part one where we're first introduced and explained to how the MS is obtained.

Itachi says you have to kill your closest friend to obtain the MS which isnt a lie, but its not the entire truth either, but the general idea is the same as I will show here where we get more detail.

Tobirama, like Itachi, are correct in their statements, but once again it is not the entire truth either because as we've seen several times the BASE Sharingan can evolve without feelings of hatred, but a strong desire to protect those dear to you, grief, and losing a dear loved one are all triggers for the Sharingans evolution, this is further proven by the fact that Kagami and Shisui never fell into the 'curse of hatred' and still had fully evolved Sharingan, Shisui even had MS despite wanting to follow a completely pacifistic path.

Now lets go over the actual difficulty in how it is obtained, lets look at the databook first, I took the liberty of highlighting the relevant parts for those who like to stay in denial whenever this topic comes up.

A cursed ocular ninjutsu only obtainable through great sacrifice.

Through the entire history of the Uchiha clan, it was rare for a member to be able to weild the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Here's the part I want you to keep in mind going forward because I WILL be coming back to it later.

Through the entire history of the Uchiha clan

Remember that for later, now moving on to the next point, ok so thats databook statements but what about in verse? the same thing.

It was rare to obtain the MS, the clan would literally slaughter eachother trying to gain it to no avail because its NOT a simple and easy thing to obtain, otherwise everyone in the Uchiha clan would've had MS if it was just as simple as killing your own kin or being overwhelmed etc [refer to the bs reasons ppl give for why Sarada gained hers] but it actually took SPECIFIC requirements to gain, and we were shown what those were several times.

I think you notice the common theme here, Obito got his MS from seeing his best friend kill Rin, his first love, Kakashi got his at the same time from the act of killing Rin by accident, Itachi got his from watching Shisui commit suicide, Sasuke got his after killing his brother and then learning the truth about Itachi and his clan.

The theme is clear, the requirements to awaken it are even more clear, there is literally no amount of gaslighting anyone can do to overrule whats literally been consistently shown in the canon danm manga by the original creator himself.

'Oh yall just wanted Sarada to be edgy like everyone else Im glad her MS was different' is the stupidest response to this, nobody said they wanted her to be edgy, they just want her danm MS to follow the rules that have been established for 15 years. Also Shisui wasnt edgy and he had MS, so I dont even know how anyone thinks thats a gotcha anyway, she could literally still be the loving Sarada she's always been and still get MS because hatred isnt the only way the Sharingan evolves. I dunno why someone actually thought that was a rebuttal, but it just goes to show how ignorant these ppl are about how the MS works and only care about things being 'different' instead of caring about the actual worldbuilding.

Now lets move onto Sarada, her base Sharingan, although lackluster, still evolved in a way that was consistent with what was set up in OG. She awakened her sharingan for the first time due to her years of pain and longing of missing her dad and then being overjoyed when she was finally about to meet him at last. This wasnt unusual because Sasuke awakened his third tomoe because of how overwhelmed he was that Naruto considered him a brother, his first bond, and his dear friend, despite Sasuke literally trying to kill him right now and cut ties with him, Naruto's sincere love for him made his final tomoe appear. This is why the base Sharingan evolving in this way is not unusual, as long as the emotions are strong enough and struck a cord with them, then the Sharingan will evolve.

This is not the same for MS though, it is a completely different eye with a completely different set of rules, this is why Sarada's awakening is complete ass and not only that but literally breaks the rules of the verse.

Keep this in mind, she hears Naruto, her idol, the man who she aspires to be like, who at one point she wished was her dad, is dead, but not only that, she hears Mitsuki say hes going to kill Boruto. Remember this for what Im about to say next.

This is several minutes after she was told Naruto was dead and that Mitsuki was going to kill Boruto, her eyes didnt budge when she heard Naruto was dead, nor did her eyes budge hearing literally EVERYONE is actively hunting Boruto now.

At the very least the news of Naruto's death was more in line with how the MS awakens, so if she heard that and got her MS from it then it wouldnt have been all that difficult to accept, but unfortunately thats not what happened, she just sat there and cried, no reaction to Naruto dying, and no reaction to hearing and seeing Mitsuki trying to kill Boruto.

So what did trigger it? her being overwhelmed? false because thats what she was in the panels I've shown, she had been sitting there for several minutes with all this chaos goin on around her and no MS, not even her dad not believing her is what triggered it, literally NOTHING anyone tries to say it was triggered it, your literally looking at the panels, her eyes didnt BUDGE.

So what did trigger it then? if none of that did it then what did?

I shit you not, I cannot make this shit up, what triggered her MS was literally because 'Why cant Boruto ever catch a break?'

When I tell you my blood boiled reading that line words cannot describe the rage I felt because the total and I mean TOTAL disregard of everything, EVERYTHING that has happened to her dad, her idol Naruto, and Kawaki was infuriating because she NEVER asked why they cant catch a break, but now all of a sudden because poor Boruto is going through it right now all of a sudden its too cruel.

Her father lost his eye and got fatally beaten up by both Borushiki and Isshiki, Naruto was nearly killed by Isshiki and Borushiki, Kawaki was hunted down by Delta, Code, Isshiki, and Momo, Amado put karma back on him without his permission or anyones knowledge, Kawaki was slowly being consumed by Isshiki through his karma the same as Boruto was with Momoshiki and she didnt give af about NONE of that.

NONE OF THAT

She didnt give af about ANY of it, know who she did tho? Boruto, in chapter 69 who is she telling Mitsuki she feels bad for being unable to protect? Boruto, who is she angry at herself for not being reliable for? Boruto, who does she want to get stronger for so she can help them more? Boruto. This is literally right after Naruto nearly died, Kawaki nearly died, and Boruto nearly died, but the only one she gave a danm about was Boruto.

So you want the real answer to what triggered her MS? Ima be real with you, its honestly anybodys guess because Ikemoto is so bad at properly building up and portraying things clearly compared to Kishimoto, you can see clearly what the MS triggers were for everyone I showed and it isnt up for debate, its clear as day, but Sarada? you literally have to friggin guess because it just pops up so randomly your caught off guard wondering where tf that even came from.

Im not even kidding I've reread this scene so many times and I can NOT pinpoint what the trigger actually was, the only thing I can say is that the turning point was Sumire telling Sarada the cause of everything thats going on, Sarada then falls apart more because 'This is too cruel, why cant Boruto ever catch a break' which again is complete bullshit but I digress...so then she pleads for her dad to believe her and help Boruto because he's innocent but Sasuke doesnt, this is supposedly where the shift happens because her eyes are hidden during these panels.

She basically tells her dad that even if none of this makes sense to him, just to please trust her and grant her this one selfish request, aka saving Boruto.

Im not even kidding but...this is just so danm bad for her...like if I were to be completely generous and unbiased here then I can only make one conclusion from whats been laid out here and that is that her MS awakened simply because she desperately wanted her dad to save Boruto, she wanted her dad to do her this favor no matter what, she wanted him to do it so badly that her MS awakened.

That is the only explanation that can be taken from this, and that is why this is rightfully seen as the WORST MS awakening we've ever seen and why its a complete and utter disappointment because look at this shit, LOOK AT IT, she's just standing there crying and beggin daddy to help when she's had the chance to do something her danm self.

Remember earlier when she heard Mitsuki say he was gonna go kill Boruto? if she was that concerned why she aint go try to stop him? she heard everyone else out to hunt him too and yet she didnt try to go protect him from them either, I mean she could jump infront of Boruto to protect him from KK, she could jump infront of Boruto to protect him from Kawaki, she can abandon her mission to come save Boruto from Shojoji, but FOR SOME REASON she cant stand up and protect Boruto from all the people hunting him right now? her childhood friend this fandom swears up and down shes madly inlove with? she cant stand up and protect him when he needs her the most!?

I aint sayin I wanted her to be the one to leave with Boruto hell no, but leaving with him and protecting him are two entirely different things, she could've easily saved him from Inoshikacho, Chocho would've definitely tried hearin Sarada out, Sasuke could've arrived and Sarada tries to appeal to all of them there, most likely Inojin and Shikadai wouldnt believe her, Chocho is her best friend so she'd know atleast something has to be wrong for Sarada to be so insistent, and Sasuke would be the most inclined to believe her because hes already witnessed something similar with the infinite Tsukiyomi, so is it really all that impossible that Ada, who literally has Otsutsuki dna, to mass brainwash ppl? Sasuke could've told Inoshikacho to leave and let him deal with Boruto and then thats when they discuss Sarada staying behind and Sasuke leaving with Boruto for the time being.

There was no NEED for MS to achieve that, all it would've taken is a little time and effort and CARE to make that ending WORK without having to throw in a forced af power up to justify it because you were too lazy to actually write something that made sense.

But if she MUST have gotten her MS before part one was over, I can show the best opportunities they could've made it happen at.

Kawaki was about to kill Boruto, she tried asking him calmly what is going on but Kawaki just tells her not to interfere if she doesnt wanna die which shocks Sarada because this isnt like Kawaki at all, they were all friends and teammates and not long ago Kawaki was on edge trying his hardest to protect Boruto and now hes suddenly trying to kill him. Boruto told her to run but she refused and chose to protect him anyway despite Kawaki being serious about killing her if she interfered, however when actually faced with that reality she froze which resulted in Boruto saving HER instead and losing his eye.

This was a good place for MS to awaken because someone she thought was a friend is now trying to kill her other friend, her friend shes known since childhood and she cant understand why. She thought she could protect him but failed to be able to follow through and that caused her friend SHE was supposed to be protecting to end up protecting HER and losing his eye because of it. She's feeling immense guilt, betrayal, frustration, helplessness, and now she knows for sure that Kawaki really will kill both of them without hesitation.

However for this to work the scene will have to be changed a bit, Kawaki would knock Sarada out of the way cuz she isnt who he really wants to kill and then proceed to seemingly kill Boruto right infront of her before she can react in time to stop it, I say seemingly because Momo has consistently saved Boruto from otherwise fatal/irreversible injuries. Anyway after Kawaki seemingly deals the fatal blow, Sarada's MS will awaken, right then is when everyone arrives to restrain Kawaki, things play out relatively the same but only even more hostile since he apparently killed Boruto, eventually after their back and forth Boruto wakes up but its Momoshiki in control now same as the manga and he helps Kawaki escape the same way too, only difference is everyones not just shocked Momos helping but that Boruto somehow even survived, this is just another flex of Momos healing capabilities however.

Anyway thats one way she could've gotten MS that is consistent with the established rules of how the MS works.

The other moment that would've worked is the Boro fight, when everyone was getting taken out one by one and seemingly all about to be killed and Sarada was helpless on the ground after being crushed, that was more than enough reason for her MS to awaken as Boruto, Kawaki, and Mitsuki were all out cold and as good as dead.

Unfortunately neither of those happened, and thus were given the weakest, stupidest, most lackluster MS awakening in Uchiha history. Speaking of Uchiha history, remember that like I told you to remember? this is why.

A cursed ocular ninjutsu only obtainable through great sacrifice.

What did Sarada sacrifice for her MS? nothing, she sat there and cried and then begged her dad for help.

Through the entire history of the Uchiha clan, it was rare for a member to be able to weild the Mangekyou Sharingan.

THROUGH THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF THE UCHIHA CLAN, it was RARE for a member to obtain the MS

Keywords, through the entire history of the Uchiha clan, so tell me Saradas MS is bullshit deniers, why was it SO RARE for Uchihas throughout their ENTIRE history to gain the MS if all it took was being a little overwhelmed and scared? this clan faught WARS, children DIED loved ones DIED Uchihas [and Senjus] lived in constant fear EVERY SINGLE DAY and they NEVER awakened it it from that, not even through killing their own kin willingly to gain the power up worked, so please tell me how Sarada can just change something THATS NEVER BEEN A THING in the ENTIRE history of the Uchiha clans existence, please tell me how you think Sarada can just completely change history just by crying and begging.

You cant, because its bullshit and you know it, the MS was rare for a reason, it took SACRIFICE, it took LOSS, you didnt gain it by just sitting on your ass crying and doing nothing, being scared wasnt enough to trigger it, being overwhelmed wasnt enough to trigger it, fearing for your loved ones life wasnt enough to trigger it, but you want me to believe suddenly NOW it is? do you have any idea how disrespectful that is to the entire Uchiha clan to say that none of them ever had to die, they just simply had to be in a chaotic situation [which they were] and cry about it and boom, every single Uchiha could've had their MS easy peasy.

Gtf outta here man and just be real, her MS is bullshit plan and simple and it breaks the established rules of the verse created by Kishimoto himself. IN NO WAY is simply desperately wanting your dad to save your friend enough to awaken your MS, maybe evolve your base Sharingan, but not MS.

So yea to answer your question, the most accurate conclusion to be had from this scene, although factually incorrect for the rules of the verse, In Ikemotos verse however, Sarada's MS awakened because of her desperation for her dad to save Boruto, she wanted that so bad her MS awakened as proof of just how desperate she was for her dad to grant her request, that is the truth of what triggered it.

Im not saying this happened out of some romantic love she has for Boruto, no, but thats still her dear friend shes known her entire life, I dunno why ppl treating her MS awakening in reference to him means she loves him romantically...like I literally saw a tiktok recently where Sarada says 'I awakened my MS for you' and when asked why/how she saids 'Because I like you' and I was just like 😑 yea no wonder people keep defending this garbage, they really do NOT understand how the MS works at all. Out of all the Uchiha's we've seen awaken MS, Obito was the only one who did out of romantic love, the rest was familiar or platonic love, so why her MS awakening is somehow proof of her romantic love for him that till this day is still unconfirmed is beyond me but whatever, these ppl will stay delusional no matter what the facts same so yea, I hope this was able to answer your question.

[stories-of-the-nrm]

The LNER's Tea Express

AN: This takes place in the 1930s before Scott reached 100 mph when he had an amicable brotherly relationship with Gordon. Thank you for requesting this @jayde-jots.

Narrator: It was a hot summers day in England as the LNER’s business booms. Despite the depression impacting the United Kingdom, London seemed to be thriving as many businessmen require their services.

(We see the sheds where the passenger engines are resting.)

Scott: How was your train today, Gordon?

Gordon: On time as usual. And your train, Scott?

Scott: Oh it was excellent. My passengers would be all over the platform talking about how they really loved the changes made to our travel services. Especially the food.

Gordon: Ah yes. My crew was raving about it as well. I quite frankly fail to understand it as we engines of course only need coal and water.

Scott: Yes yes that’s true, but it’s quite fascinating to hear humans get so excited. I would love to see what the fuss is all about.

Gordon: You are not going to leave your engine just to consume human food meant to be for our passengers. It would be a disgrace to the LNER if you were to cost them money just to prepare more.

(Scott sighs knowing Gordon is right.)

Scott: I understand that, Gordon. But I was just thinking that if there was food to spare and would otherwise be thrown out, then sampling it wouldn’t hurt would it?

Gordon (groaning): I better not get a tongue lashing from Sir Nigel Gresley because you took some of the passengers food!

(Scott smiles sheepishly.)

Scott: Of course not, brother. I know we have our reputation to uphold. I won't let you or Sir Nigel Gresley down.

Gordon (sighing): This railway still has difficulties navigating this "depression". I just worry that the slightest slip up by any of us could cost them money. Money they use to maintain us. The last thing I would want is to see any of us scrapped because of it.

(Scott takes a breath.)

Scott: Please don't worry, Gordon. I know better than to steal food from the dining car. I won't even bring it up to my crew.

(Gordon closes his eyes.)

Gordon: Well I believe we should stop talking about this now. I can see the moon is getting high which tells me we need to get some sleep.

Scott (yawning): You're right brother. Good night.

Gordon: Good night, Scott.

(They fall asleep for the night.)

Time Skip

Narrator: One evening after he pushes the coaches back into their shed a group of women who work in the dining car approach Scott.

Scott: Yes? What do you need?

(They all look young and seem to be attracted to Scott as they try to explain their need to finish all of the left over food.)

Scott: I see. I'll need to get my brother. This is a lovely opportunity he just can't miss.

(Scott leaves his engine and practically runs to look for Gordon who's still in his engine form.)

Gordon: Scott what are you doing here?

(He stops to catch his breath.)

Scott: Gordon. These lovely ladies gave me a brilliant opportunity that I just. Have to share.

Gordon: And what is that?

Scott: They work in the dining car and-

(Gordon groans.)

Gordon: I thought I told you not to bother the staff about this food nonsense?

Scott: But I didn't Gordon. These lovely ladies came to me and wanted me to help them.

Gordon: And what on earth would they need you for?

Scott: They have a lot of food left over and can't store it over night. If no one eats it, it'll all have to be thrown out. Didn't you say you don't want the LNER to waste money and food?

(Gordon sighs.)

Gordon: So you mean to say that you want me to help you eat human food that would otherwise spoil and be discarded?

Scott: Why yes. I don't want these ladies to possibly lose their jobs because food was wasted and all.

Gordon: In that case, I have no choice but to help you. If this is for the benefit of the railway, then I will do it.

(Scott smiles.)

Scott: Splendid! Why don't you leave your engine form and follow us to the dining car. Who knows maybe you might like what humans eat.

(Gordon rolls his eyes leaves his engine.)

Gordon: I highly doubt that human food would hold any meaning for me. We are machines, Scott. All we need is coal and water. If we were designed to eat human food our railway would save a lot of money on coal.

Scott: Oh Gordon we aren't just machines. Look at us! We can take on a human form so we have to have some ability to eat. Don't think of it as a chore but as an adventure!

(Gordon sighs and just follows Scott as the group of ladies lead them to the dining car.)

Scott: Watch your step brother! I know you're not used to being able to walk.

Gordon: Yes, yes I know how to walk just fine Scott.

(They're lead to a table in the dining car that's covered in food.)

Narrator: There was a bottle of champagne, bread rolls and curled butter on the table. The ladies also gave them left overs from the 1st class menu which included various types of meats, halibut and numerous pastries often served during Afternoon Tea.

(Scott's eyes widen and takes a seat.)

Scott: Why thank you ladies. I'm sure this will all taste lovely. Don't you think brother?

Gordon (scoffing as he sits down): I still think this is all a waste of time. We are not humans, Scott. Their food will do nothing to sustain us.

Scott: And how would you know that if you never even tried? None of us know for sure how these human forms work. Times are changing Gordon. We no longer have to hide away in our engines for our entire existence. The depression's ending and the LNER is as successful as ever. Why if we keep growing we might even buy out the LMS.

(Gordon shakes his head.)

Gordon: Do not make such extreme sentiments. The driver told me that some parts of the kingdom are suffering in poverty and are dealing with higher levels of unemployment.

Scott (sighing): You're right. But I want to have hope that things will get better.

(Gordon tries to change the subject.)

Gordon: Well we better get started on eating all this food. We simply can not allow food waste.

(They start to dig into the food as the women watch and giggle.)

Narrator: As Scott and Gordon begin to eat and drink the champagne, Gordon quickly realizes he was wrong about human food being nonsense.

Gordon: My goodness! This lamb is delicious.

Scott (stuffing his face with cold cuts): See! I told you, brother. Human food's the best thing there is. It's little wonder they value it so much.

(Gordon is a little disgusted by Scott's lack of table manners.)

Narrator: The two of them slowly start to feel the effects of the champagne.

Scott (hiccuping): Let's get into these... pastries.

(They start eating the pastries that can be picked up with their hands.)

Gordon: These are not... better than... that lamb.

(Scott looks like he's in heaven.)

Scott: You're wrong! These.. are the best! How can you not appreciate these.... creamy pillows?!

(Gordon shushes him.)

Gordon: We need to keep it… down. Sir Nigel Gresley will punish us if we’re… not at our best for our morning… trains.

Scott (huffing): More creamy pillows for me then.

(Gordon gets up from the table.)

Gordon: I… must go back... to my engine. Goodnight… Scott.

(Scott’s now red faced and tipsy.)

Scott: Night Gordon!

Narrator: As Gordon leaves, Scott finishes eating his cream puffs and pastries.

(It’s really late at night and Scott’s belly is now bulging out of his suit jacket.)

Scott: What a meal! I just… want to sleep here. (A pause.) No. Sir Nigel Gresley would scrap me if Gordon doesn’t… yell at me first.

(He sighs and tries to get up. Some of the ladies in the dining car are still there watching.)

Scott (smiling a little flirtatiously): Hey? Care to help... a poor ol' engine... like me?

(They all practically jump out of their seats to help Scott.)

Narrator: After getting some help, Scott stumbles his way out of the dining car.

Scott (winking): Thanks ladies! See you all… in the morning!

(They blush despite themselves as Scott tries to control his laughter on the way back to his engine.)

Scott (trying to whisper): I need to do that again soon.

Narrator: As soon as he gets to his engine, Scott shifts back into it and falls asleep. He starts to dream about what it be like to live as a human.

Time Skip

Gordon: Scotsman wake up!

Scott (snorting awake): Huh? Oh Gordon I had such a wonderful dream last night!

(Gordon rolls his eyes.)

Gordon: You need to get it together fast. Sir Nigel Gresley is going to be very cross if he finds out you’re “hungover” and late!

(Scott temporarily shifts out of his engine form to wash his face before going back.)

Scott: It was such a lovely meal Gordon. You have to at least admit that can't you?

(Gordon sighs in defeat.)

Gordon: I suppose the lamb was delicious enough to reconsider.

Scott: Excellent! Don't you want to hear about my dream last night?

Gordon: But we can not continue this habit. I have no time to hear about your dream now.

(Gordon's crew starts to drive him away to the station.)

Scott: I understand and I won’t be late. I’ll tell you all about it later, Gordon!

Narrator: As Scott’s crew starts to drive him to the station he tries to prepare himself to work. But deep down he wishes to eat human food again and hopes the dining car has leftovers again.

THE END

Tagging: @bluy1206, @klein-sodor-bahn, and @nlliah. To those who have been loving my content, I thank you all so much. I can't wait to see what future requests will look like.

[thefloatingstone]

Ok I know you probably never want to hear about high guardian spice again (and honestly fair if I were to put so much time into something I disliked I wouldn’t want to touch it ever again) but I just finished watching the 5 hour complete saga compilation of your essays (which has been added to my comfort video essays playlist bc I watch it so religiously now) and you make the point of the characters failing because Raye Rodriguez was too emotionally attached and saw them as OCs to the point where he couldn’t stand to see them do wrong.

But here’s the thing - isn’t the whole thing about being an artist or writer with OCs is to endlessly traumatize or torture them (or at least from my internet experience)?

So not only is Raye bad at writing characters, he just doesn’t know how to have OCs other than “yeah I draw them in cute setting and ship them because their color palettes go together”

(Also love your videos, love your art, please make a million more ok thank you goodbye)

askhdkasjkdjs THIS IS SO SWEET THANK YOU????

When I saw the notification I thought I was gonna get yelled at for a recent post I made saying "tumblr is actually fine right now" so this was a really nice surprise to wake up to 😂

And I get what you mean but i think I would word it differently;

I think the whole thing with OCs is to push them into situations that forces them to act in extreme ways they wouldn't otherwise, most often for the best (they can heroic, they can emotional, they can say the things they've been holding back, they can be open to be cared for, they can be emotionally honest, they can show weakness, they can show strength) but also sometimes for the worst. (they can become enraged, they can lash out, they can become violent, they can become selfish, they can harm others etc etc). Or more often than not, a mix of both (they can be selfish and therefor decide to heoricly protect the people they are selfish about because those people belong to THEM.)

But I don't think this is the be all end all. Some people may just want OCs to have as comfort characters. Some people NEED those OCs to be comfort characters, for whatever reason in real life, to just have characters who live gentle, quiet lives, form bonds with their friends, forms close connections with the community, and just live peacefully.

I think in HGS' case, the problem is not that Raye is too attached to his OCs to "put them in situations", but more he is too attached to his OCs to allow them to make mistakes in a way that might put them in a bad light. Of course, in doing so it makes the characters come across as HORRIBLE people. When his OCs make mistakes, they tend to be mistakes that stem from them actively being bad people (or just nonsensical like Rose being the one to kill the sea dragon for no real explained reason at all). But the resolution to these mistakes is most often to acknowledge "I did something bad" but then go "BUT it's because I am struggling with x y or z" and turn the apology into excuses and explanations in a way that makes the person they're apologising to have to make THEM feel better.

"Wow I'm so sorry! I never knew you were going through all that!".

But I'm going off track here.

Basically I don't think all OCs need to be pushed into extreme situations or emotions to be "good". Not at all. I just think the situations that the HGS characters are put in are not handled correctly in the lead up to those events, nor the follow through to those events.

But I do think that you cannot write characters in a professional tv show and still treat them with the same mentality as "these are my deviantArt OCs who I ship together and like drawing cute outfits in".

There has to be a certain level of criticality to the characters. You have to be able to recognise flaws they have. And that's not even a problem! Because those flaws are what make a character INTERESTING.

I'm busy having fun watching people watch Unicorn Warriors Eternal, and it's been a lot of fun seeing what people make of my favourite character, Edred. Some people REALLY fucking hate him, but most people really enjoy him. Because he is an EXCEPTIONALLY flawed character. But he's likeable because he is very obviously a good person who deeply cares about the people close to him. And also because every fuck up he does in the show comes back to bite him in the ass a few episodes later and make his own life harder.

lol YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF, EDRED!

You cannot write your characters as if their flaws are insults when pointed out. Even if you're only writing cute, slice of life stuff without any extreme situations or emotions.

My favourite Slice of Life anime are the OG classics, Lucky Star and Azumanga Daioh. Nothing extreme happens in either shows, but their characters, especially Azumanga, are still alowed to have flaws which are treated AS flaws.

And it's fine. It's ok to treat those flaws AS flaws and not try and excuse or quickly justify the things the characters do wrong.

[ericamzdm]

Motherlover - Gaslighting

So. Motherlover is a great little web-comic made by Lindsay Ishihiro. To directly quote from the About page - "Motherlover is a sweet serial romance comic about two moms from different walks of life who (are going to eventually) fall in love, with a bunch of other life stuff that happens along the way."

(cut for minor plot spoilers - seriously, go read it first!)

It's a very cute little queer comic, with themes of motherhood, self-identity, growth - and abuse. Specifically, it's about the kinds of abuse that don't look like abuse (if you don't know what you're looking at). Which make it relevant to my interests, and worth doing a breakdown post on scenes of interest.

Like the one where Jonathan (Imogen's husband) gaslights Imogen out of going back to school.

So. Imogen - who wants to go back to college - introduces that idea to Jonathan via a three panel barrage of over-explaining, justifying how she can do that without dipping in her 'duties' as a housewife and stay-at-home mom.

This...is a trauma response. Imogen exhaustively justifying her desires - believing that those desires need to be folded up so tight they could not possibly inconvenience anyone else before she can even speak about them - tells us that she thinks that this justification is required of her, that she will be denied or otherwise punished if she doesn't.

And your first impulse might be to say "But she's doing that on her own! Even if it is a trauma response, that could just be baggage from her ex! Jonathan isn't making her anxiety spiral!" - except yes he is, because he isn't talking. His silence is creating the empty space that Imogen feels compelled to fill in the second and third panels, denying her support while she verbally flails.

It's only when Imogen has directly asked (after exhausting all her justifications) that he finally speaks - and he immediately (a) says he supports the idea while (b) treating it as incomprehensible nonsense.

"It's a great idea" means less than nothing when his next words are to imply it is anything but. He's saying the "Right" thing up front not because he believes it, but because it gives him something to point to indignantly if anyone challenges all the other things he doesn't quite say but certainly implies or implicitly supports. This kind of self-contradiction is a shield and a mask; the pretense of support allowing him the access to undermine.

Which is what plays out immediately after - Imogen voices his implication ("It's kind of dumb"), which lets Jonathan be "supportive" by saying that the issue is actually money but (a) he doesn't actually do anything to say it isn't dumb (like answer "what am I gonna do with it?" with something supportive) and (b) then reinforces Imogen's self-doubting "I don't even know what I would study."

Speaking of that money comment!

Importantly, Jonathan isn't lying here. There's no reason to believe any of the objective statements he's making are untrue (although, like Imogen's lawyer in the current chapter, I am waiting for Jonathan to make a full financial disclosure). College is spendy. They probably do need to budget for a new car. They probably did just finish paying off Jonathan's student loans.

The issue isn't that he's lying. It's that he's using the truth to create a false implication that he leaves for Imogen to voice. That no longer having that debt to service somehow makes them less able to afford an additional expense (because this expense would increase Imogen's independence and relative power, not Jonathan's).

Additionally - by introducing the money comment without truly resolving the "is this a good idea" question, Jonathan has left Imogen fighting a battle on multiple fronts; She can't unpick the way A ("We can't afford this") does not actually follow from B ("We just paid off Jonathan's loans") because she's still dealing with "What would I even study?"

Which is why, when Jonathan directly attacks her initial position ("I'd still be around for the kids") by implying that she would be abandoning her maternal role by going back to school, Imogen - overwhelmed and undermined - capitulates.

And Jonathan steams ahead, firmly boxing her in and chaining her to the identity of "Mom", to the exclusion of any other aspirations.

-------------

And - this is gaslighting. The interaction boils down to:

Imogen: "I want to go to college."

Jonathan: "Do you really want that? Really? Seems pretty bad and wrong."

Imogen: "Oh yes, of course you're right. Aren't I a silly goose?"

Jonathan: "Aw, but you're my silly goose! You don't want an independent life! You (only ever) want to be mother to my children."

It's about rejecting the idea that Imogen knows her own mind, and asserting that she should look to Jonathan as the true authority on her identity, wants, and feelings. The fact that he never yelled, spoke a technical untruth, or said "You're crazy/stupid/lying/confused" with his own voice does not change that.

(And the way that Imogen reflexively moves to align herself to Jonathan's assertions - and that Jonathan so clearly expects her to - tells us that this is a normal dynamic for them.)

[aeoki]

Sandstorm - Pointless Death Game: Chapter 4

Location: Lesson Room Characters: Yuuta, Adonis, Kouga & Rei

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< Almost an hour later. ES idol hotel lesson room. >

Yuuta: No! That’s not enough! Oogami-senpai, project yourself into a rabbit more!

Shake your adorable body and jump, jump, juuump…! See, it’s easy, right? ♪

Kouga: Yeah, right! Like I can do thaaaaat! I’m a wolf, not a rabbit!

Yuuta: Don’t be embarrassed! Kouga Oogami! That’s what Sakuma-senpai is also saying!

Rei: …………

Kouga: Sakuma-senpai ain’t even lookin’ over here! Stop spewin’ nonsense, Yuuta!

Yuuta: I noticed you do whatever Sakuma-senpai tells you to do, so I started having a bit of fun doing that…♪

Kouga: You lil’–!

Adonis: Hm. Stop messing around and do it properly, Oogami. And Yuuta, don’t say things that will provoke him. 

We’ll take in the performances of other units and show a new “UNDEAD” and “2wink”.

We’re all lacking in one area or another. If we try to do things the way we usually do, we won’t get anywhere.

That’s why we’ll show a new side to us in the video.

That’s what we decided we’d do, right?

Kouga: Yeah. They’ll be copyright issues if we completely copy the other units, so we were talkin’ ‘bout how we’d just imitate their elements, right?

Yuuta: Yeah. That’s why we figured we’d start off with “Ra*bits” first, so we were pretending to be rabbits.

Kouga: Tsk… I bet it must be fun for ya to be copyin’ the young and innocent “Ra*bits”, but they’re the exact opposite to us in our eyes.

Adonis: We get paired a lot with them despite that. I think it’s because we’re in the same agency. Otherwise, things would always be the same-old.

Kouga: Yeah… Both “UNDEAD” and “2wink” have kinda been involved with other units too lately.

In other words, it’s pretty easy copyin’ them ‘cause we’ve had the opportunity to observe and work with ‘em.

Adonis: Right. But we didn’t really do that. It’s mostly because Oogami would strongly refuse every time we tried something different.

Kouga: Huuh? You got a complaint or somethin’? It’s important stayin’ true to ourselves too, ya know?

Adonis: You’re right. But continuing conventional methods will only result in us gaining fame as a rock band like we did in “Nightless City Live”.

If we want to rise even higher, we need to be able to do even more things. We should incorporate new elements but still retain ourselves…

I can’t explain it properly but I think we need to show that new side of “UNDEAD”.

Kouga: Well, I get what ya sayin’. They’ve been recruitin’ people who can do a lotta things recently too. That’s the image a lot of job offers have been givin’.

It sounds nice when you say it’ll open a whole lotta doors. 

But the world’s lookin’ for more and more people who can do a bunch of things, so they tend to avoid units like “Valkyrie” who specialise in one area.

Adonis: It’s work. They’d rather have consistent junk food every day instead of eating a luxurious high-class meal on special occasions.

That’s what happens when they’re focusing on profit. Every time there is work, carefully selecting the most suitable idols takes effort and money.

In that case, it would be much easier and quicker to select idols who can do everything since you wouldn’t need to think about anything. That’s probably what they’re thinking.

Kouga: Keh, if they wanna skimp on the extra effort, then there’s plenty of stuff in the world that they can skimp out on.

Adonis: They need to minimise their effort and produce the next product otherwise they won’t be able to keep up with the demand. That must be how they see things – we’re currently living in a severely consumerist society

And idols aren’t considered art in the world right now – it’s a form of business. They want to spend as little as they can investing in them while selling them for a high price.

That’s what’s often seen as “correct”.

Kouga: I don’t like it~ I don’t like it one bit… It’s true you can profit more that way, though.

Adonis: If you don’t like it, then let’s change that.

If creating works crafted by artisans who put their heart into it with extra care is seen as the “correct” way, then…

Things will change. And in order to change things, we need to succeed – to win.

Kouga: So you’re sayin’ we need to twist and bend ourselves in order to grasp that victory?

Adonis: Yeah. First, let’s produce results in “SS”. There is a power – a radiance – large enough to change the way things are if you hold the title of the winner of “SS”.

Kouga: Hmph. Yeah. “Trickstar” are idiots. I can’t believe they let such a huge thing go.

Well, I guess it definitely sounds like something they’d do. I can’t imagine that stupid Akehoshi braggin’ and sayin’ stuff like “We’re the strongest~ We’re the best~”.

Idols are people who always think of their fans first, huh.

Last year… their interests just happened to coincide with the people who wanted to build ES.

But we’re different. Right, Adonis?

We don’t care about the political stuff or the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people – We’re just gonna play the kinda music we like the best!

That’s why I’m strummin’ that guitar and singin’ my throat out! Ain’t that right, Adonis!?

Adonis: Yeah. That’s your view on it and I’m also encouraged by that sort of primitive instinct. Although, I’m ultimately aiming for world peace.

I’m too weak to achieve that right now.

Kouga: Huuh? If you’re weak, then you just gotta get stronger. You’re not fightin’ all by yourself, right?

Adonis: You’re right. I believe I can overcome any obstacled that come our way if we work together.

Of course, that means I also don’t think it’s impossible for us to win “SS”.

Kouga: Yeah, of course! We’re “UNDEAD”, after all!

Adonis: Right. But what’s most important is after we win.

I think “SS” is proceeding based on a future on a far grander scale as opposed to something that’s right in front of us.

It feels as if “Trickstar” last year used their prize as they pleased to build ES’ so-called “utopia for idols”.

But I’m sure things will unfold differently this year.

Those who wish for ES’ growth will surely use the power they’ve gained to do that.

But on the other hand, those who don’t think fondly of ES will definitely use it to destroy them.

There will also be people who want to use it to fulfil their own personal goals and dreams.

It’s quite extreme but depending on who will dominate “SS”, it can definitely affect the future of the idol industry. No, perhaps, it can affect the future of the entire world.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂ Next Chapter →